Chapter 24

"Mom, I want this! I want some!"

It was rare to have such a lively scene and fresh snacks, and the adults didn't begrudge the fifty cents. Even if it was just to try something new, they all bought a bowl.

"One bowl for me, please! Give me a generous portion!"

"I'll have a bowl too!"

The orphanage's ten children crowded around the stall to help. The four younger children who had trouble getting around had been brought to the square by the old director. The projection team was busy setting up the screen, so the director entrusted the children to Grandma Sun, who was chatting with the neighbors at the front.

Grandma Sun wore an apron, and an unfinished shoe sole rested on her knees. She smiled kindly and said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry. Leave these four children with me and go take care of your business. I'll look after them."

The four children, unable to see or speak and having trouble moving, huddled together and trembled as they used their hearing to picture the lively scene around them.

Ever since they'd been kidnapped by traffickers, they had lived in constant fear of being beaten and going hungry. They'd long forgotten how ordinary children lived and played. At first, they'd still held out hope that their parents would find them or that some kind person would rescue them. But that unrealistic hope had gradually faded under the long, cruel torment of reality.

Then one day, as usual, the traffickers took them out to beg on the street. Suddenly, a group of police officers surrounded them and arrested the traffickers. They were saved.

The police took the four children and two other victims to a guesthouse. There, for the first time, they bathed in hot water, changed into clean clothes, and ate their fill. They weren't beaten, kicked, and cursed at for bringing back too little money, and nobody complained that they were filthy and reeked.

The police uncles and aunties at the station patiently asked them questions, even though the children couldn't say anything beyond nodding and shaking their heads. The auntie at the guesthouse was especially gentle and helped them brush their teeth and wash their faces every morning.

The two older boys who'd been rescued with them often said things they couldn't understand, but they never made fun of them. They even bought them a tape recorder and toys.

The director sent them to a school for children with disabilities, where they learned that even if they couldn't see or speak, they could still learn to read and write.

The four children had gone missing when they were very young. They had barely spent any time in school, and they couldn't remember what it felt like to be held and cared for by their parents. But they treasured their lives now.

So people's touch didn't only bring pain. The noise of a crowd could fill a person's heart. They were no longer part of the scenery, ignored and brushed past as people came and went amid the traffic. They could take part, too, and truly feel the bustle around them.

The four children huddled close together, ears pricked as they tried their best to listen to the sounds around them. At some point, something round and heavy suddenly landed in their hands. Someone had slipped it to them.

"Go on, eat up! A relative brought these plums from the countryside when they came to visit. They're really sweet." A warm voice spoke with kindness and a smile. "Don't worry, just eat. I'll keep an eye out for you. If there are any bugs, I'll let you know."

The four children froze.

Chapter 24

By the time Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan reached People's Square, the movie had just started.

On a midsummer night, the streetlamps in the square cast a yellowish glow. The light wasn't very bright, leaving the people seated before the big screen as indistinct silhouettes.

With hardly any customers left, the snack stalls stood idle by the roadside. Groups of children ran around the square.

The neighbors had gathered together with their little stools. As they worked on shoe soles, wound yarn, and sewed buttons, they chatted in low voices, glancing at the big screen from time to time.

A very old black-and-white movie was playing. The grainy, gray images showed smoke billowing everywhere as soldiers hid in the trenches and covered the villagers' retreat. The old actors' clear, measured lines came through the cheap loudspeakers, occasionally accompanied by a harsh crackling sound. The audio quality was clearly poor. Huo Baichuan watched for a moment, then boasted to Tao Yan, "It's Tunnel Warfare. I watched it when I was a kid."

Tao Yan glanced at Huo Baichuan but didn't hurry to watch the movie. Instead, he first went over to the Tiger-Tooth Potatoes and cold jelly stalls set up by the volunteer aunties.

Both large buckets of cold jelly had been sold out. Tao Auntie didn't want to sell the last little bit at the bottom of the bucket, so she scooped it out for the orphanage children.

A dozen or so children sat on the ground, bowls of cold jelly in hand as they shared it. The monthly outdoor movie was what they looked forward to most. Although the projection team showed the same old movies over and over, the children, who rarely had access to films, still watched with rapt attention.

"You two finally made it back! Here, I saved these for you." Tao Auntie took two bowls from beneath the stall, each covered with a gauzy mesh. They were filled to the brim with cold jelly, topped with a thick layer of diced fruit, crushed peanuts, and raisins. Golden honey glimmered warmly in the lamplight, making the jelly look even more translucent.

Aunt Zhao had also heated up the stove and fried a big bowl of Tiger-Tooth Potatoes, sprinkling them with chili powder and cumin. "You haven't eaten dinner, have you? Did the deal go through?"

The two of them had already eaten several bowls of Osmanthus-Stuffed Lotus Root from a street stall while assembling the computer with their two female classmates. They took the cold jelly and Tiger-Tooth Potatoes, smiling as they thanked the women. "The deal went through. We've eaten dinner, too. Thanks for saving us some food."

"As the saying goes, boys around your age can eat their fathers out of house and home. Kids your age get hungry easily. Even if you've eaten, you'll be hungry again in a couple of hours. Eat these two bowls." Tao Auntie laughed happily. "You two have no idea how popular the cold jelly and Tiger-Tooth Potatoes are. We prepared two big buckets of cold jelly, and we've almost sold it all. Everyone thinks it's delicious."