Yuan Su frowned at her. "What would you go for?"
"I grew up in Nanhua City, so I know the stations and routes there a little better. Besides, two people can search faster than one, right?" After saying that, Pu Yu nervously clenched her hands.
Li Suhua looked at the two children and made up her mind.
She settled the matter. "All right. I'll feel better with you two keeping each other company. Go over the weekend so you don't miss school. Leave early and come back early."
With that, she went back into her room, took several ten-yuan notes from the bedside drawer, and pressed them into Yuan Su's hand without giving him a chance to refuse.
Yuan Su immediately handed them back, frowning. "No need."
"Who said it was for you?"
Li Suhua glared at him, her fierce tone brooking no argument. "This is for Yu's fare and meals! How can a girl go out without any money on her? You're just keeping it safe for her. Lose it, and see how I deal with you!"
Grandma's argument left no room for objection.
She had given Yuan Su a way to accept without losing face while forcing the money on him.
Yuan Su looked at the few dozen yuan in his hand. The corners of the notes were a little creased. Who knew how many pillowcases she had sewn to save up that much?
"Take it. I'll just waste it," Pu Yu lied with a perfectly straight face.
Yuan Su's Adam's apple bobbed. In the end, he tucked the money into his pocket.
"...Okay."
His quiet reply counted as accepting the task of "keeping it safe."
Early Saturday morning, dawn had barely broken.
The bus station at the edge of town was quiet and nearly deserted.
Yuan Su wore a black outdoor jacket zipped all the way up. His figure looked especially tall and straight in the thin mist.
Before long, a figure in white jogged through the morning fog.
Bundled up like a round little rice dumpling, Pu Yu puffed out a small cloud of breath in the cold air. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Just got here," Yuan Su said evenly.
"Here." Pu Yu pulled two still-warm vegetable buns from a cloth bag and handed both to him. "Grandma got up early to steam these. Eat them while they're hot."
She held another bun herself, nibbling at it.
Yuan Su took them and had a bite. The cabbage and glass noodle filling was light but flavorful.
After he finished the buns, Pu Yu took out two boiled eggs and gave those to him too.
Yuan Su frowned. "Aren't you having any?"
Pu Yu nodded, then shook her head.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He stared at her.
"I..." Pu Yu began a little sheepishly. "I don't like egg yolks."
Yuan Su paused and glanced at her.
He said nothing. Silently, he cracked the eggs open, picked out the two golden yolks and ate them in a few bites, then handed the remaining whites back to her.
"Eat."
Looking at the smooth egg whites in the boy's hand, Pu Yu smiled until her eyes curved. She took a bite and mumbled, "Thanks."
Soon, a battered bus rattled into the station.
The bus was almost empty, and they went straight to the back and sat by the window.
Outside, the familiar streets gradually gave way to open fields.
Pu Yu rummaged through her schoolbag and pulled out the silver portable cassette player, the same one Yuan Su had repaired. She had taken good care of it.
She hesitated, then straightened out the earphone cord and offered him one earbud. "Want to listen?"
"No," Yuan Su said flatly.
"It's not an English listening exercise," Pu Yu hurriedly explained, as though she had guessed what he was thinking. "They're songs Sui Sui downloaded for me. They're really good."
Yuan Su was silent for two seconds, then reached out and took the earbud.
The corners of Pu Yu's mouth quietly lifted.
After the faint hiss of the turning tape, the opening notes of Jay Chou's "Sunny Day" flowed out.
"The little yellow flower in the story had been drifting since the year I was born..."
Yuan Su leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.
His profile stood out clearly in the morning light, his long eyelashes casting faint shadows beneath his eyes.
Pu Yu stole a glance at him, then quickly looked away.
As the bus jolted along, motion sickness and drowsiness crept over her almost at once.
Pu Yu remembered accidentally falling asleep on his shoulder during their last bus ride, and how horribly awkward it had been when she woke up. So I absolutely can't tip to the left this time!!
She pressed herself against the glass window, refusing to lift her head even when it bumped against it.
Yuan Su had been resting with his eyes closed and his arms folded.
When he noticed that she had gone quiet beside him, he opened his eyes a little.
Why didn't she lean this way if she was asleep?
Wasn't his shoulder more comfortable than an icy window?
The rising sun pierced the clouds, its harsh light falling straight onto her face.
Yuan Su remained silent for several seconds.
In the end, he simply raised his arm and rested it along the seatback in front, shielding her from the somewhat dazzling sunlight for the rest of the ride.
The boy held that position without moving.
In their earphones, the song continued:
"At last, we could love for one more day"
"But at the story's end, you still seemed to say goodbye..."
After changing buses several times, they finally reached the secondhand market in Nanhua City.
It was even bigger than Pu Yu had imagined. All sorts of people mingled amid the noisy crowds, and stalls piled with assorted parts and used appliances were everywhere.
"Stay close."
Yuan Su glanced back at Pu Yu and subtly slowed his pace, letting her walk beside him.
Before they came, Pu Yu had confidently declared that she had grown up in Nanhua City, but Yuan Su clearly knew the place far better than she did.
He led her expertly through the maze of stalls, first stopping at a few shops he frequented to buy parts for the repair shop.
"Yuan! Back for more stock?" a bald stallholder greeted him warmly.
"Yeah." Yuan Su walked over and crouched to sort through a pile of parts. "Uncle Li, do you have this model of transistor?"
"Let me look...Here, these ones. Guaranteed good quality!"
Yuan Su took them, pulled a multimeter from his backpack, and tested them. He nodded. "How much?"
"You're a regular. Fifteen."
"Ten."
"Oh, you little...Fine, fine. Ten it is!"
After paying, Yuan Su carefully wrapped the parts and put them in his backpack, then took out the broken sample. "Uncle Li, do you know where I can find an old copper gear like this?"
"Oh, I haven't seen that model in years."
The stallholder glanced around and pointed him in a direction. "Try the west section. They specialize in old junk over there."
"Okay. Thanks, Uncle."
Pu Yu followed close behind Yuan Su.
The west section was more out of the way, and its stalls were even more cluttered.
They visited five or six stalls before finally finding the long-discontinued copper gear in a corner piled with scrap metal.
"How much for this gear?"
The stallholder was a wiry middle-aged man. Without even raising his eyelids, he named his price:
"Thirty. No bargaining."
Yuan Su hefted the gear in his hand, his tone cool. "It's brass, not pure copper, and it's pretty badly worn. Whether it'll even work once I take it back is down to luck. Fifteen. Take it or we're leaving."
With that, he took Pu Yu by the hand and started to leave.
"Hey, hey! Come back!" The stallholder immediately panicked. "Students these days are too sharp...Fifteen, then! Take it!"
Pu Yu stood beside Yuan Su, watching him pay.
Just then, a man in a gray jacket squeezed past them and bumped into Pu Yu with a swift movement.
Pu Yu stumbled and nearly fell.
Before she could react, Yuan Su's gaze suddenly sharpened as he was paying.
"Wait here! Don't go anywhere!"
Yuan Su thrust the gear into Pu Yu's hand. Without even taking the time to explain, he turned and dashed into the crowd.
Before you continue