Birthday

On the day of his second eighteenth birthday, Chen Chong had a dream.

In the dream, the boundless Starry Vault stretched above, below, and all around him. He stood amid a sea of stars, with a Hexagonal Ancient Well before him.

He lowered his head to look inside. A pair of scarlet eyes suddenly appeared in the well.

The next moment.

The ancient well became a gaping maw that encompassed the starry sky, devouring him, the dream, and everything else.

Chen Chong jerked awake.

His gaze fell on the ceiling of his cramped bedroom.

There were no giant beasts or starry skies. The black specks of insects behind the fluorescent light flickered endlessly.

"Was that a nightmare...?"

Chen Chong frowned.

The dream had felt strangely real, unlike his usual dreams.

Yet this particularly vivid nightmare had not frightened him in the slightest.

It was a little strange.

After a moment's distraction, Chen Chong turned his head and looked at the old mechanical alarm clock on his bedside table. The hour hand already pointed to "12."

"I slept that long?"

He raised his eyebrows, got up, threw on some clothes, and opened the bedroom door. The sound of the television in the living room immediately grew louder.

"...Hope Group announced yesterday that its subsidiary, Dawn Biology, had once again broken through the limitations of gene-editing technology. In the next ten years, the average life expectancy in Central City is expected to exceed one hundred..."

"...The Lishan City Public Security Bureau has reported several recent cases of pager fraud. Criminal gangs are using pager messages to impersonate law-enforcement officers and trick victims into transferring money at banks or traveling to settlements outside the city to take part in investigations, claim prizes, and other activities, before kidnapping and extorting them. The bureau reminds the public to stay alert and not to trust criminals' schemes. Any activity that involves traveling to the wasteland outside the city is a scam—zzzt—"

The old television abruptly turned to static in the middle of the news broadcast. His uncle, Shen Jianping, frowned and muttered a curse. He got up from the dark red faux-leather sofa, walked over to the television, and smacked its bulky casing twice.

"Bang, bang—"

"Now for the next news brief..."

The two loud smacks fixed the television, but they also startled his aunt, who was preparing food in the kitchen. She poked her head out and chided him:

"I've told you so many times to be gentle. You'll break it if you keep smacking it. Chong, you're up? Go wash your face. Lunch will be ready soon."

His aunt, Chen Liping, smiled warmly. Her cheeks were a little plump, and her skin was fair. Though plain-looking, she had a kind, approachable air. Only the fine lines at the corners of her eyes and a few gray hairs at her temples hinted at her age.

Chen Chong nodded.

"I don't know how I slept so late."

"It's fine. You're on winter break. Young people should sleep in. You're still growing."

Chen Liping returned to the kitchen, where the sound of food sizzling in a pan soon followed.

Barely ten minutes later.

Chen Chong had just finished washing up when Chen Liping set the last main dish—a basin of braised carp—at the center of the big round table and called everyone to eat.

"Old Shen!"

"Coming."

Shen Jianping first picked up the remote and turned up the television, then left the sofa and opened the door to one of the bedrooms.

"Shen Dong, why'd you shut the door? Come eat—"

Shen Jianping's voice suddenly faltered. He silently pulled the door shut again.

His nephew, Shen Dong, sounded flustered from inside.

"C-coming! I'll be right there!"

Shen Jianping stood there with a strange expression for a few seconds, then went to the other bedroom and knocked lightly. His voice turned gentle.

"Ying'er, lunch is ready. Come out and eat?"

The door flew open with a slap. His niece, Shen Ying, walked out expressionlessly and went straight to the table, where she sat down.

Before long, Shen Dong emerged from his bedroom, his face bright red. He muttered, "How many times do I have to say it? Can't you knock first? Hey, what a feast!"

This time, Shen Jianping didn't glare as he usually did and snap, "Whose house is this, yours or mine?" He only wore a complicated expression and said nothing.

Chen Liping stood by the table. Once the whole family had sat down, she wiped her hands on her apron with satisfaction. She was about to sit, then suddenly let out an "Ah!"

"I nearly forgot."

She hurried to the Arctic-brand refrigerator they had bought when they married. Opening it, she took out a cake made with vegetable cream, lit the colorful candles, and placed it in front of Chen Chong with a smile.

"Chong, happy birthday!"

"It's my cousin's birthday today? No wonder!"

Shen Dong had been about to sneak a piece of braised pork. He swallowed, then reluctantly pulled his chopsticks back.

"Happy birthday, Cousin!"

Faced with his family's birthday wishes, Chen Chong smiled.

"Thanks, Auntie. Thank you."

"You're eighteen already... Make a wish."

Chen Liping's face was full of emotion.

Chen Chong looked at the dancing candle flames, his gaze growing hazy along with them.

What should he wish for?

For a moment, he didn't know.

Could he return to his original world? He'd made that wish so many times, and it had never come true.

In the end, he closed his eyes, brought his hands together, and silently wished for his whole family's health. Then he blew out the candles.

"Great! Time for cake!"

When wisps of smoke rose from the candles, Shen Dong clapped his hands, his face full of anticipation.

Chen Chong cut the cake himself, divided it into several pieces, and served them on small plates. Then the family enjoyed a rare, lavish lunch together.

There was braised chicken, roast pork, braised carp, and cake... Though Shen Jianping was a workshop supervisor at a factory and Chen Liping ran a fairly successful breakfast shop downstairs, feeding three children was still difficult in these lean economic times. They only ate meals like this on holidays.

Everyone ate their fill. Not only eleven-year-old Shen Dong, but even Shen Ying, who was at an age when she was prone to rebellion, didn't mention dieting. She even helped herself to another bowl of rice.

Chen Chong let out a contented sigh. Only at times like this could he eat his fill and truly enjoy a meal.

A flash of red suddenly crossed his vision, followed by a number:

"1%."

Chen Chong raised his eyes.

"Chen Chong, Teacher Yue called this morning. He said the results of your cultural-subject exams are out."

Shen Jianping picked at his teeth with a toothpick and suddenly spoke.

He paused, then continued.

"You're still ranked first, with perfect marks across the board. That means you've graduated from high school without a hitch. You don't even have to go back next semester."

Shen Dong cast him an admiring look. He couldn't even pass his primary-school exams, while his cousin came first every year at No. 1 High School, the best school in Lichuan City.

According to the teachers, his cousin was also the only student in his year with any chance of getting into a Central City school through cultural-subject exams.

Central City...

Shen Dong couldn't help turning to look out the window.

The weather was still bad today. Thick clouds hung over Lichuan like a lid.

But during the few clear days each year, one could look west from here and see, across dozens of kilometers, the silver "snow mountain" in Central City—

It was the Hope Group headquarters, visible from that far away like a real snow-capped mountain. Its futuristic architecture was beyond anything the people of the Satellite City could imagine.

"Teacher Yue asked what you plan to do."

Shen Jianping continued, his tone calm.

"I told him for you. You're not going to Central City."

The air around the dining table fell still.

Shen Dong whipped his head around. His dark eyes shifted furtively between his father and cousin, studying their expressions.

Chen Chong narrowed his eyes. The number before him changed to:

"2%."

He turned his head and saw that his uncle was still staring at him. The number was superimposed on Shen Jianping's face.

Chen Chong took a sip of orange juice to suppress his surprise, then nodded calmly.

"Got it, Uncle."

He wasn't surprised.

It wasn't so much that he wasn't going as that he couldn't.

No matter how good his grades were.

Getting into a higher-education institute in Central City wasn't something an ordinary student from a Satellite City could do just by earning good grades.

Although school was much easier in this life than in his previous one, as a former graduate student from a Project 985 university, he could easily get full marks.

But without a letter of recommendation, people from the Satellite Cities couldn't get into Central City. Teacher Yue's words were only meant to encourage him—or perhaps to sound him out.

And Shen Jianping, a factory workshop supervisor, didn't qualify for a recommendation letter. Chen Chong had expected that.

But that wasn't important right now. What was that number?

Chen Chong frowned slightly and kept staring at the number in his field of vision. There was no doubt that his family couldn't see it. It existed only in his own sight.

Chen Liping had been pleased to hear about his grades, but now, looking at Chen Chong's dazed expression, she grew uneasy.

However, she and her husband had already discussed this. She wiped her hands on her apron and pursed her lips.

"Chong, getting into a university in Central City is difficult, but Lichuan Technical College shouldn't be a problem for you. After you graduate and work at a company for a few years, someone as clever as you will surely have a chance to transfer to its headquarters in Central City..."

"I already told Teacher Yue he isn't applying to the technical college either."

Shen Jianping cut her off.

Chen Liping stared at him in surprise.

"What? Old Shen, what do you mean?"

Shen Jianping said nothing. He took a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, and lit it.

Smoke drifted above the table, blurring the faces of the family.

"Say something! Hadn't we agreed on this?"

Chen Liping's eyes widened, and her voice rose.

Shen Dong shrank his neck, sensing that something was wrong with the atmosphere at the table.

Suddenly, he felt his chair being kicked.

He turned in surprise and saw his older sister already on her feet, heading back to her room. She went inside and shut the door.

Shen Dong looked left and right, then quietly said, "I'm done eating." He jumped off his chair and dashed back to his room, locking the door behind him.

Once the children were gone, Chen Liping furrowed her fine brows even more.

"Old Shen, what's going on?"

Shen Jianping took a drag, then finally spoke.

"Chen Chong, your aunt and I have raised you for fourteen years. We never let you go hungry. Whatever Ying'er ate, you ate. Whatever Dongzi wore, you wore—actually, he wore what you'd outgrown. Tell me, hasn't your uncle treated you well?"

Chen Chong nodded.

"You've been very good to me."

"You see, your cousin's about to take the high-school entrance exams. She wants to go to No. 1 High School, and you know how expensive your school is.

"As for Dongzi, he might not even get into high school. I'll have to save some money for him to get married. His grandpa kept saying before he died that this boy had to carry on the Shen family line."

Shen Jianping brought his cigarette to his mouth again, only to find that barely half a butt remained. He had no choice but to stub it out in the ashtray.

Another wisp of smoke curled up.

Chen Liping frowned.

"Old Shen, didn't we work it out before? If Chong can get a scholarship at the technical college too, we'll be fine. Is that so hard for him?"

"Chen Chong, it's not that your uncle doesn't believe in you, but everyone who gets into the technical college has something going for them. There's no guarantee, is there?"

Shen Jianping cut in again, speaking slowly.

"If you don't get a scholarship, it'll put a lot of pressure on the family."

"With Chong's grades, how could he not get one? He could easily get into a university in Central City!"

"What if he doesn't?"

"There's no 'what if'!"

"That's not how you work it out..." Shen Jianping sighed, clearly troubled. "There's another problem. The factory's doing badly, and it's always getting attacked by gangs and drifters along the edge of the wasteland. Word from the parent company is that this might be the factory's last year."

"What? Old Shen, this..."

Chen Liping was startled, then immediately grew worried.

"What about your job?"

"It's only a rumor for now. Nothing's certain. And they're talking about relocating, not shutting down."

Shen Jianping quickly reassured his wife.

"I've worked at the factory for so many years. Even if it moves, I won't necessarily lose my job. It's just... better safe than sorry.

"If Chen Chong goes to the technical college and doesn't get a scholarship, things will be tight. If the factory closes too, we won't be able to keep going. Look at Old Zhang downstairs. He and his wife scraped together everything they had to send their kid to college. Then he lost his job, couldn't repay the student loan or the mortgage, and the whole family ended up buried in debt. Now they've moved to a Settlement. City folk out in the wasteland... Who knows if they're even still alive.

"Chen Chong, this isn't a good time for ordinary people. You've got younger siblings too. I raised you until you were an adult, and I don't expect anything in return. I just want you to be able to earn enough to live on. Is that too much to ask?"

When Chen Chong lowered his head and said nothing, Shen Jianping frowned, took another cigarette from the pack, and lit it.

"I started working at a factory when I was fourteen. You're eighteen. Even in the old days, that was considered adulthood. If you've got nowhere else to go, I can find you a job at the factory next door. But once you're a worker, you're a worker. Don't complain or whine, and don't keep acting like a student."

Chen Liping watched her nephew keep his head bowed and say nothing. Her expression shifted uncertainly.

Whenever she thought of how her late second brother had entrusted his only son to her, she wanted her husband to grit his teeth and find some way to help.

But then she would turn and see her husband, who had worked in the factory for nearly thirty years and already looked like an old man, his face deeply lined though he was only in his early forties. She would think of their own son and daughter, and she just couldn't bring herself to ask.

After a long while, Chen Liping sighed helplessly and said softly:

"Chong, the factory work can be hard. If you don't want to go, come help me at the shop. I could really use the extra pair of hands. At home, you won't have to put up with anyone giving you a hard time, and you'll always have a meal."

Shen Jianping frowned at that, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He simply watched Chen Chong sit with his head bowed in silence. Finally, he couldn't hold back and slapped the table, raising his voice:

"Chen Chong, once today is over, you'll be an adult. What do you think? Give us an answer! Be a man about it. Don't sit there with your head down, looking like some wronged wife. Your aunt and I haven't done anything to wrong you!"

"Old Shen!"

Chen Chong finally lifted his head.

He glanced at Chen Liping, her face full of worry, then at Shen Jianping, who stood with his neck stiff.

He saw "5%" reflected on their faces.

A faint smile appeared on Chen Chong's face as he said:

"Uncle, Aunt, you both make sense.

"But I think I still have another way."