“Hey, tell me, if I let go right now, do you think you can catch it?” Piggy held a disposable plastic cup from the cafeteria, looking at Pei Cangyu. “Don’t let the water spill.”
Pei Cangyu quickly swallowed the last of his porridge, pushed the bowl aside, and got his hands ready, his eyes fixed on the cup. “Quick, do it.”
The remaining three—Apple, Plane, and Monkey—put down their chopsticks and leaned in to watch.
Piggy licked his lips, gripping the rim of the cup. “I’m letting go now.”
He made a show of opening his fingers. Pei Cangyu’s hands snapped shut, but he caught nothing. He looked up to glare at Piggy, and Piggy took that exact moment to let go. The cup plummeted. Pei Cangyu missed with one hand and frantically tried to scoop it up with the other. The three boys behind them stood up, craning their necks. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!!”
He missed.
The water hit the floor with a loud *splat*.
Pei Cangyu lunged behind Piggy, hooking an arm around his neck and shaking him hard. “You bastard, tell the truth, you did that on purpose!”
“I’ll tell the truth,” Piggy choked out while coughing. “I did it on purpose. I’m even strangling you on purpose... *cough, cough*...”
Apple sat back down and continued drinking his porridge. He glanced at his watch—6:30 AM—and let out a yawn. “Hey, Plane, are you sure there are ducks under that bridge?”
Plane had already finished his porridge. “There are. I’m telling you, there really are.”
Pei Cangyu sat back down and picked up the cup from the floor.
The five of them had woken up early today because Plane had claimed in their group chat last night that he’d seen a brood of motherless ducklings under Jinying Bridge—twelve of them in total. They had decided to go and catch them.
“What are we going to do once we catch them?” Apple wiped his mouth. “Let’s split them up and eat half.”
Plane shook his head. “What if there’s an odd number? Let’s sell them to a restaurant and earn some pocket money.”
Piggy frowned. “Can’t we just raise them? I’ve never had a pet duck before...”
Pei Cangyu chimed in, “I haven’t either. I want to raise one too.”
Monkey was the last to finish. Everyone stood up together, ready to head to Jinying Bridge.
In the early morning, there were few people on the streets besides commuters. A thick fog had rolled in, making the world feel exceptionally desolate. Pei Cangyu had nowhere to put his gloves, so he stuffed them into the hood of Piggy’s jacket.
“Oh, right, Pei Cangyu, did you finish your homework?” Apple remembered Pei Cangyu asking him about some problems earlier. “School starts tomorrow.”
“Finished it.”
“Even the parts you didn’t understand?”
“I wrote something down...”
He had written it, and he understood it too. The reason for that was Bai Shi.
A few days ago, while he was sleeping, Bai Shi had called him to say he’d sent the homework via express delivery. It was arriving soon, and he told Pei Cangyu to go down and get it. Pei Cangyu had been stunned. Was it really necessary? There were still five days left of break. Bai Shi was certainly a man of his word—perhaps that was just the sense of responsibility that came with being a top student.
Pei Cangyu had solemnly accepted the package in the freezing wind. When he opened it at home, he was even more surprised. Bai Shi’s handwriting was incredibly neat, and he hadn’t skipped a single question. It didn’t seem like Bai Shi’s style at all. More importantly, for the final parts of every major problem, Bai Shi had carefully written out the logic and steps in mechanical pencil. Looking at it, Pei Cangyu was moved nearly to tears.
*Ah, with a friend like this, what more could a man ask for?*
While Pei Cangyu had frantically finished his homework with tears and snot running down his face, he had simultaneously erected a monument to Bai Shi in his heart.
They soon reached the bridge. After splitting up and searching for over an hour, they found no trace of the legendary "ducks." They all turned to look at Plane with deep resentment.
Plane met their gazes. “When I came yesterday...”
Then he suddenly went silent. He counted to three and bolted. The rest of them gave chase for another hour until they finally caught him. They rolled around on the ground for a long time, wrapping Plane up like a human meat roll before finally letting him up.
Plane sat up aggrievedly, picking grass out of his hair like a slighted maiden. He refused to stand up out of spite, so the group ended up sitting on the grass together, staring at the river under the bridge.
Piggy let out a long, massive yawn that brought tears to his eyes. It lasted a full five or six seconds before he stopped. “Damn, am I sick? Why am I sitting on the grass looking at a river this early in the morning?”
Pei Cangyu was truly exhausted. His head began to nod. “I want to go back.”
Monkey had already laid down on the ground. Hearing this, he sat up. “Going back? Let’s go, let’s go. I’m leaving too.”
And so, the two of them supported each other like an elderly couple, tottering off into the distance under the morning sun. Apple watched them, wanting to make a snide comment, but he was too tired for his brain to function. He said nothing and stood up to follow.
Everyone headed to their respective homes.
This early morning excursion caused a major problem for Pei Cangyu. He had clearly remembered it last night, thinking it was an afternoon matter, until his grandmother suddenly pushed open his door. Pei Cangyu, who had been catching up on sleep, was jolted awake and finally remembered.
Today, they were supposed to pick up his father.
Pei Cangyu was only wearing a tank top. Seconds ago, he had been dead to the world. The clock only pointed to 7:15. He rubbed his eyes and scrambled out of bed. “I’ll change right now...”
“No need!” His grandmother was already fully dressed. She had specially applied lipstick today and wore a silver-white traditional coat. Pei Cangyu had seen this expensive coat in his father’s wedding photos; his grandmother hadn't worn it once in all these years. She looked very sharp, but her expression was grim.
Pei Cangyu froze with his trousers in hand. His grandmother glanced at him, clearly displeased. “Don’t bother coming. The bus is leaving soon. We might not be back tonight, so make yourself some food.”
Pei Cangyu gave a dazed response. He watched as his grandmother hurriedly grabbed her bag and some prepared hot food before rushing out the door. He could hear the urgent honking of the bus downstairs, sounding one prompt after another.
After she left, the apartment fell silent. Pei Cangyu sat down slowly and scratched his hair.
They had agreed to pick up his father today. The prison was in another district, quite far away. By the time the paperwork was finished, it would likely be evening, and they probably wouldn't be able to get return tickets, so the plan was to stay the night and return tomorrow. Everything had been arranged, yet Pei Cangyu had actually overslept.
He buried his head in his hands and let out a heavy sigh.
To make up for it in some small way, Pei Cangyu didn't go back to sleep. He got up and started cleaning. But when he picked up the broom, he realized there was nothing to clean. His grandmother had been cleaning every day recently, practically washing the entire house. It was unbelievably clean.
So, Pei Cangyu put the broom back and went to his room to pack his schoolbag for the start of the term tomorrow.
Pei Cangyu’s winter break hadn't felt much like a break at all. He had hung out with Piggy and the others every few days, so there was no sense of parting. He also saw the Class Monitor and the others frequently; the classmates were all too familiar for it to feel like a separation. However, if he had to name someone, there was one person he couldn't seem to see—his seatmate. His mysterious, elegant seatmate had asked him to go to that legendary mental hospital one night and then vanished without a word of explanation. It had just ended like that.
Pei Cangyu scrolled through his texts with Bai Shi. As he read, he realized they hadn't actually said much to each other. Furthermore, through the screen, Bai Shi seemed to have a bit of a temper, his words coming off as cold. But in reality, when Bai Shi spoke to him, his tone was always soft and gentle. Pei Cangyu tried to imagine Bai Shi reading the texts with his usual voice and expression. He nodded to himself. *Right, Bai Shi is exactly the kind of person who says nasty things in a pleasant tone.*
He wandered aimlessly around the house, not daring to make a mess, so he eventually just stayed in his room.
His grandmother had ordered a bed that might arrive tomorrow. Once it arrived, it would be placed in Pei Cangyu’s room. When she first announced this decision, Pei Cangyu had felt a bit of internal resistance. He hadn't seen his dad in a long time... but he hadn't said anything. After all, it wouldn't be appropriate for either of them to stay in his grandmother’s room.
By 6:00 PM, Pei Cangyu decided to go downstairs for a bowl of porridge for dinner. It was easier than cooking for just himself.
He stepped out, locked the door, and noticed the hallway light wasn't on. He stomped his foot, but the light didn't react.
*Must be broken,* Pei Cangyu thought as he pulled the door shut.
He glanced around. It was dark out.
Pei Cangyu pulled his coat tight, shoved his hands into his pockets, and walked toward the stairs with his head down and shoulders hunched.
At the entrance to the stairwell, he bumped into a man.
Pei Cangyu was knocked back a step. He quickly looked up and met a pair of eyes. The man’s gaze was like that of a rogue in exile, carrying a sense of desperation. Pei Cangyu immediately grew tense; this man gave off a terrifying aura.
But as the man looked at his face, his expression gradually softened.
Strangely, when the man wasn't using that fierce gaze, his calm face was actually quite dignified, even carrying a hint of righteousness. He looked at Pei Cangyu for a while without speaking.
Pei Cangyu was too nervous to speak either. It was hard to tell the man's age; his face looked to be in his early thirties, but his hair was a mix of grey and white, shaved very short. There was a notch in his ear and a tattoo on his Adam's apple. He was a large man, well over 185 centimeters tall with broad shoulders. Standing a few steps down, he was about the same height as Pei Cangyu. He wore a dark yellow windbreaker, unzipped, over a black sweater.
The man lifted his leg, cleared several steps in a single stride, and stepped right up to Pei Cangyu. He looked at him. “Watch where you’re going.”
Pei Cangyu nodded.
The man stepped up, bypassed Pei Cangyu, gave him one last look, and turned to walk down the hallway of this floor.
Pei Cangyu didn't move. This man was walking down this floor, but Pei Cangyu didn't remember such a person living here...
He watched the man’s silhouette, waiting to see which door he would stop at. He noticed then that the man walked a bit slowly, as if his legs weren't quite right.
One step, two steps...
Pei Cangyu stared as the man stopped right in front of his own front door.
The man raised his hand and knocked.
Pei Cangyu’s heart suddenly began to thud wildly. He swallowed hard and quickly looked toward the stairs, but there was no sign of his grandmother anywhere.
The man knocked a few more times.
Pei Cangyu stood frozen in place, a cold sweat breaking out over his body.
The man also noticed that Pei Cangyu hadn't left and was standing stiffly to the side. He lowered his hand and turned to look at him.
After watching him for a moment, the man let out a short laugh. He put his hands in his pockets and just watched Pei Cangyu, seemingly waiting for him to walk over.
Pei Cangyu licked his lips and lowered his head, not daring to look up. His hands gripped his clothes inside his pockets, trembling slightly.
But Pei Cangyu took a deep breath, lifted his head, and walked over slowly. His father’s gaze remained fixed on him, following him step by step until he was looking down at him.
Pei Cangyu cleared his throat. His hand shook as he pulled out his keys. He went to open the door but stopped, turning to look at the man. His voice was muffled. “Though... I should still ask. What is your name?”
The man reached out and brushed the hair away from Pei Cangyu’s forehead. He rested his large hand on top of Pei Cangyu’s head and leaned down to look at his face.
Pei Cangyu instinctively tried to dodge, turning his face away. The man used his other hand to tap Pei Cangyu’s chin, signaling him to turn back. Pei Cangyu looked at the man again. These eyes looked nothing like his own; there was a certain turbulence in the man’s features that gave him an overwhelming presence.
“My name is Pei Yueshan.” The man let go and stood up straight. Pei Cangyu’s hair fell back into place. The man brushed the back of his fingers against Pei Cangyu’s cheek. “You look very much like your mother.”
Pei Cangyu didn't know what to say. He let out a messy, "Uh-huh."
***
