On the Road

Just before dawn, the alarm hadn't gone off yet.

Jiang Xueming reflexively silenced his phone before its first ring. The mechanical, muscle-memory motion made Xiao Qi tense up all over.

A moment later, she watched the young man finish washing up, shave off his stubble, and trim his sideburns in just ten minutes. Finally, he hoisted his large backpack and stood by the door.

"Let's go."

He didn't linger. He went straight outside.

Xiao Qi hurriedly grabbed her luggage and followed Xue Ming.

She grumbled quietly as they walked. "You could've waited for me."

Xue Ming handed the key card back to the front desk. "You can keep up."

Xiao Qi grinned. "Hehe, you trust me that much?"

Xue Ming pushed open the inn's front door and stepped into the bustling county-town streets, under the scorching sun.

"Yeah."

He turned his head to look around, then waved down a taxi.

Xiao Qi squeezed into the back seat after him and heard Xue Ming briskly bargain with the driver in the local dialect.

She could only understand bits and pieces. It was something about not taking a detour, how they were all locals, and how the driver shouldn't try to swindle Xue Ming or pull any shady, overpriced taxi tricks.

Then she heard the driver and Xue Ming reminiscing about their hometown.

The car set off from the street corner, heading along the concrete road back toward the health clinic. The place where lives had once been saved was now owned by a local wealthy family and was about to be converted into a nursing home.

Along the way, the driver sighed and lamented that so many young people left and never came back.

Xue Ming kept up a cheerful, professional smile, responding with platitudes like, "People climb to higher places, and water flows downhill."

The rice paddies on either side were lush and green. It had been too dark to see them the night before, but in daylight, Xiao Qi could make out their thick leaves and stems, and the people bent over in the flooded fields, planting seedlings.

On a distant low mountain, the sun had just begun to rise. Its warm light fell across the car window and onto her face.

The local radio station played an old song over the car stereo. "Lovely Woman" had just ended, and "Rice Fragrance" was next.

Water sprayed from the irrigation sprinklers in the vegetable fields, forming a hazy rainbow in the morning sunlight.

All of it made Xiao Qi feel as if she'd traveled back to the turn of the millennium, back to her childhood.

She'd never seen a rice paddy before. This was also her first time in Pingyang, Hengyin. The feeling was both familiar and strange, leaving her at a loss.

Without thinking, she reached for Mr. Xue Ming's hand. It was like when she'd been under ten, holding her dad's hand on the way to school, then climbing onto the back of his motorcycle.

This time, Xue Ming didn't pull away—

—because the back seat of the taxi was so cramped that he couldn't. If he dodged her hand, there was no guarantee she wouldn't start feeling around elsewhere.

"What are those?" Xiao Qi asked, looking out at the fields.

"Rice paddies," Xue Ming said.

"What are they doing?"

"Planting rice seedlings."

"Do they have to keep bending over and standing up? That looks so tiring."

"If it's February, March, or April, they can broadcast the seedlings. It's not as tiring. Some families have machines, which makes it a lot easier."

"How do you broadcast them?"

"I did it when I was little. You grab a handful of muddy seedlings and toss them into the field. But these are late-season rice seedlings, so they need careful planting. Otherwise, they won't grow well. You have to leave them a little room to live."

Xiao Qi suddenly brightened. "I want to try planting some too! Why don't we get out and help? I want to! I really want to!"

"Be good." Xue Ming laughed helplessly. "Don't make a fuss."

Xiao Qi's spirits sank, but not for long. She immediately spotted more interesting things.

Three-wheeled carts traveled in both directions along the street, carrying small goods from the Hengyin market toward the county fair. Every now and then, she saw a yellow ox carrying a load.

She widened her eyes, trying to take in all the people and things rushing past. Then she told the driver, "Slow down! Slow down, sir!"

She saw a white horse. Its peddler held two long poles covered in candied hawthorns under one arm and ambled along a dirt road toward the county town.

About a dozen children ran and played along the irrigation canal, heading toward the city. They waved colorful pinwheels and sugar candy, like Bailu, and every so often climbed onto the canal's sluice gates, striking poses as if they were beating up a monster.

The horse grazed on dewy grass by the roadside and left a few piles of droppings behind.

Xiao Qi said again, "I want to ride a horse! I want to go play! I—"

The driver scowled.

"Let's go back to Hung Hom," Jiang Xueming said kindly. "I'll take you to see A Xing and have him arrange something for you."

In the distance, houses clung to the mountainside. Beside their doorways, threshing machines rattled as they separated the grain from the husks. The sound carried far away, like leaves blown by the wind to some distant place.

Xiao Qi reluctantly left the area. Only when she got out of the car did she realize she'd been gripping Xue Ming's hand until it was burning hot.

She couldn't help letting her imagination run wild. Maybe while she'd been watching the colorful world outside, Mr. Xue Ming had also been pressing his face to the window like a child, wanting to dig up all those memories and look at them properly, like old photographs. Maybe that was why he'd forgotten their hands were still clasped together.

When they got out, Xiao Qi naturally let go. She was secretly delighted, feeling like she'd gotten away with a huge bargain.

Back at the street by Pingyang Agricultural University, in front of the milk tea shop, she was still bewitched by the flashy floozy at the cat café. She immediately remembered what she'd said earlier.

Xiao Qi clapped her hands and cheered. "You like cats! I remember, you like cats! I'm going to pick one to seduce you with! Hey!"

She sounded as if she'd just arrived at the milk tea shop for the first time.

Jiang Xueming headed straight for the door and greeted the girl at the front desk, who was dozing over her phone.

"Is Boss Ye here?"

The girl at the front desk still had her head down over her phone. Half asleep, she answered, "He's in the storage room—hey! Brother Xue Ming! Wait, wait!"

Jiang Xueming immediately dug the bag of milk candy Xiao Qi hadn't finished out of his backpack and offered her a piece.

"I've got something to do. We can catch up when I get back."

He went to the storage-room door, knocked lightly just like last time, then barged straight in.

The scene that greeted him was packed with information.

Three men sat on the floor, all wearing dresses.

Boss Ye sat in the middle, wearing a black-and-red Gothic gown, with a bow headband tied around his head. The other two were probably Bailu's devoted big brothers, there to protect her, and had stopped by for tea during their holiday. A small table and some snacks sat beside them.

One wore a Chinese-style long dress, fitted to show off every curve; the other wore a lively, youthful Japanese schoolgirl uniform.

—The three sisters of bankruptcy were all here.

Bailu hadn't changed clothes. She was holding the big white cat and crouching proudly in front of a Ludo board, gesturing like a general who'd won and still wanted to win more. She took the big cat's paw and made a dramatic mark on the scorecard.

The big white cat had an incredibly expressive face. Its mouth curled into a wicked grin, like a catty old lady who'd just eaten a few children. It looked utterly delighted.

The four people and the cat all turned to look at once.

They stared at Jiang Xueming.

Xue Ming very politely closed the door behind him.

"Sorry. I barged in."

Twenty minutes later, after the devoted big brothers had changed out of their dresses and Boss Ye had put his regular clothes back on, Ye Bei led Xue Ming outside. They set up a makeshift sunshade and sat down.

"Uh, actually..." Ye Bei said with a genial smile. "That's just how the world works. Luck can't stay on your side forever."

Xue Ming nodded. He didn't think much of it, but suddenly burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Ye Bei asked.

"I thought of something funny."

"Is your wife pregnant?"

"No."

"Then I won't ask. If you can laugh like that, it must be a very, very long story." Ye Bei continued the conversation as he topped up Xue Ming's teacup. "You look pretty happy. Everything went well?"

"Yeah." Xue Ming nodded and took out the brocade box, setting it on the table. "It's all done. I didn't need this box, and I didn't open it, so I thought I'd return it to you, just as it was."

Ye Bei didn't seem to mind. He brought Xue Ming some snacks for breakfast and offered him two oatcakes. "Keep it. You might need it one day."

"Then I'll accept your kindness, Brother Ye." Xue Ming took it back without hesitation.

He remembered that the oil-paper bag Mr. Chen had asked him to carry contained paper money. Curious about what was inside this brocade box, he asked, "Brother Ye, can you tell me what's in here?"

Ye Bei chewed on his oatcake and answered vaguely, "A stick for self-defense. It's pretty old, almost an antique. It's one of my many collectibles, and it isn't worth much. If you ever fall on hard times, you can sell it to tide you over."

He swallowed his mouthful of oatcake and gave Xue Ming a solemn warning. "Take it out and oil it every so often, whether you have a reason to or not. Regular sewing-machine oil will do. Don't let it rust."

Xue Ming put the brocade box down. "Then I won't open it for now. It might be harder to care for once it's exposed to the light."

After all that small talk, Xue Ming found it difficult to bring up what had happened at home. After all, Mr. Chen had given him the mysterious oil-paper bag, and it had nothing to do with Ye Bei.

But Ye Bei and Mr. Chen were close friends. They didn't keep secrets from each other.

So Xue Ming asked, "When I first got home, I saw my parents. They could talk and eat, and they could even pick up sticks to hit me with.

"Mr. Chen had me bring them paper money. After I gave it to them, they seemed like an illusion of mine. It was as if they'd been dead for a very long time, and then they suddenly disappeared. The house had fallen into terrible disrepair, too. Brother Ye, do you know what happened?"

"..." Ye Bei fell silent for a moment. The scar over his eye twitched along with his shrewd expression, as if he were trying to give Xue Ming a meaningful look. "Your little sister's still outside. Don't say anything you shouldn't."

Xue Ming understood. "Oh, you mean it's not convenient to ask. I'll ask Mr. Chen in private."

Ye Bei nodded emphatically. "Right, right, right. He was the one who did it. Ask him. I shouldn't speak about your family matters. But..."

Xue Ming watched as Ye Bei reached out and patted his shoulder, then picked up the teacup and pressed it into his hand.

Ye Bei said, "Have some tea and catch your breath. Life's still a long road ahead of you! We have to keep moving forward and stop thinking about those two old bastards. Courage can defeat evil!"

"Hahaha." Xue Ming sipped his tea. "Did Bailu teach you to say that, Brother Ye?"

Ye Bei raised his eyebrows, looking smug. "I'm the one who taught Bailu to say it."

The girls at the front desk looked eager to come over and ask Xue Ming how things had been lately, but they were afraid Boss Ye would scold them for slacking off.

Xue Ming hurriedly called out to the counter, "I've been doing great! Bailu's doing great, too! Things will only get better!"

At last, Xue Ming turned back. It was time to leave Ye Bei and go see Mr. Chen.

"I have to go, Brother Ye. There's something I've always been curious about..."

"What is it?" Ye Bei asked.

"I worked at your shop four years ago," Xue Ming said, thinking carefully. "You don't seem to have aged at all. You look exactly the same."

"We haven't grown up yet!" Ye Bei folded his arms, blew the fringe off his forehead with an easy, carefree air, and stood up. "It's too early for us to turn into gloomy adults!"

Xue Ming was dazed for a moment. He said nothing, then picked up the menu and worked out how much he owed for the tea and oatcakes.

Under Ye Bei's disapproving gaze, Xue Ming finally gave his own cheek a light pat, as if he'd done something wrong.

"I know. You don't need money. You need affection."

He picked up his luggage and gathered his thoughts. Then he picked up his teacup and drained it.

"Where are you headed?" Ye Bei asked.

"To take Bailu back to school. She wants to keep studying. I have to protect her."

"Remember to call and let me know you're safe. When I get some time off, I'll visit Hung Hom and freeload at your place. Just don't charge me for the food."

Xue Ming still wanted to say a few more things. "If I run into trouble again, I won't stand on ceremony..."

"If anything happens, call the police first, then call me. I'll come help you, for sure." Ye Bei smiled. "Your hometown will find you, no matter where you are."

Xue Ming nodded firmly, then wrote a backup plan on his phone and unlocked a new skill.

[Summon People]

He headed toward the alley by the university's east gate, on his way to find Mr. Chen's paper-figurine shop. He said goodbye with solemn care.

"Goodbye, Brother Ye!"

Ye Bei gave him a thumbs-up, raising it high.

"Safe travels! Stay well!"

Xiao Qi followed Xue Ming with Bailu by her side. The two girls whispered to each other.

Xiao Qi eyed them suspiciously. "Sis-in-law, don't you think..."

Bailu replied matter-of-factly, "My brother and Uncle Ye are flirting with their eyes."

Xiao Qi refused to give up. "He doesn't seem to have much to say to women."

Bailu found it perfectly normal. "But he sure knows how to flirt with men."

Putting all that aside, Xiao Qi spotted the big white cat beside Boss Ye just before she left.

Her eyes lit up at once—it was the prettiest cat she'd seen in all of Hengyin!

Compared with those common floozies at the cat café next door, this cat was an aphrodisiac, the top courtesan of the feline world.

Gazing at it, she started toward Boss Ye to negotiate a price.

The big white cat spotted the look in her eyes from far away. It quickly scrambled onto the prize counter for the members' event and burrowed into a travel backpack, then used a paw to pull the zipper shut.

It zipped the bag all the way from the inside, without hurting a hair—though a tuft was caught outside.

A sign on the little prize window for the raffle read three words.

[Not for Sale]