Fei Cheng felt that the quilt was likely beyond saving, but he decided to try a last-ditch rescue anyway.
After school let out that afternoon, he returned to the dormitory and asked Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing for help. "Cheng-ge, Fish Head, give me a hand wringing this thing out? I want to take it home; there’s no point leaving it here."
"Sure."
Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing shed their jackets. The three of them hauled the heavy quilt to the bathroom. Most of the water had already drained out, so they couldn't squeeze much more from it, but the fabric remained as heavy as lead.
Fei Cheng was the first to buckle under the weight. "Put it back, put it back! I can't hold it anymore," he gasped.
They dumped the quilt back onto the bed and stood around it in a circle. Yu Qing rested a hand on his hip, looking skeptical. "Cheng-cheng, this thing is so heavy. Can you even get it home?"
Fei Cheng wasn't sure himself. "I think so. I bought a gunny sack at the canteen. I’ll drag it to the back of my bike and haul it back."
Cheng Yifei fell into thought for a moment. "I’ve heard that once a cotton quilt is soaked through like this, it’s ruined. Even if you dry it out, it won't keep you warm anymore."
" I’ve heard that too," Fei Cheng admitted. "But should I just throw it away?"
"Leave it here for two more days," Cheng Yifei suggested. "Go home and ask your grandmother. If it’s useless, just toss it. Don't go through the trouble of lugging it all the way back."
Fei Cheng rubbed his chin. "Leave it for two more days? Won't it get moldy?"
Yu Qing gave a timely shiver. "How’s it going to mold in this weather? It’s been four or five days already; another two won't hurt. At most, we’ll just come back early on Sunday and help you move it. How about that?"
Fei Cheng nodded. "That works."
They shouldered their bags, preparing to head home. Yu Qing glanced at Liu Yucong’s bed and muttered, "What Liu Yucong did this time was way out of line. You should find a day to dump a bucket of water on his bed too."
Fei Cheng gave a dry chuckle. "I will."
As luck would have it, they ran right into Liu Yucong’s gang returning to the dorm just as they were stepping out.
Liu Yucong glared at Fei Cheng with pure loathing. "Just you try it, you son of a bitch."
Fei Cheng ignored him, walking away with Cheng Yifei’s arm draped over his shoulder.
When they reached the school gates, Yu Qing asked, "They’re still in the dorm, so they won't be coming to corner you this time, right?"
Fei Cheng didn't seem to care. "Probably not. Lately, they only chase me for show before giving up. They’re probably tired of it. Are you guys taking a motorcycle taxi back this week?"
"Yeah! My parents gave me enough fare for the whole semester. Look, the bike’s here. We’re off. Get home safe!"
"Got it." Fei Cheng pedaled his bike toward home. Before long, the motorcycle taxi zoomed past him. Yu Qing turned back to blow him a theatrical kiss, then flipped him a thumb-down in mock disdain.
"Idiot," Fei Cheng laughed under his breath.
When he got home, Fei Cheng indirectly asked his grandmother if a cotton quilt was still usable after being soaked for several days.
Grandma Fei said it was essentially useless unless it was professionally refluffed, which was a huge hassle.
Hearing that, he thought, *Fine, I’ll just throw it away.*
However, Fei Qi, who had been eavesdropping for a while, exposed him. "Did your quilt get soaked?"
"No!" Fei Cheng snapped.
Grandma Fei smiled. "Cheng-cheng said it was a friend’s quilt, not his."
Fei Qi gave Fei Cheng a long, knowing look. "Ah, the classic 'I have a friend' trope."
Fei Cheng stood up and glared at his brother. "What’s it to you?"
Grandma Fei didn't understand the cryptic exchange between the brothers. Seeing Fei Cheng about to leave, she continued her advice: "If your friend’s family isn't short on quilts, tell him to just let it go. A waterlogged quilt is very heavy and hard to bring home."
Fei Cheng stopped and turned back. "Grandma, are we short on quilts?"
"We still have two new ones. Why?"
"The weather’s getting colder lately. I thought I might bring an extra one," he said, his expression unchanging.
Grandma Fei refused. "No, old cotton quilts are heavy. If you layer two of them, you won't be able to breathe. How about I give you a blanket to take? It’s not even the dead of winter yet. If you use that much now, what will you do when it gets really cold?"
Fei Cheng thought about it. "Alright, a blanket is fine. Grandma, I’m going to my room to study."
"Go on then."
He went up to the second floor. As he turned to close his door, he found Fei Qi standing silently right in front of him. Startled, he hissed, "Shit!"
Fei Qi scrutinized him, as if trying to find traces of a fight on his face, but there was nothing to see. He asked, "Who soaked your quilt?"
"None of your business." Fei Cheng held the door, ready to slam it at any moment.
"If you don't tell me, I’ll tell Grandpa and Grandma that you’re being bullied at school and that people corner and chase you every Friday."
Fei Cheng felt like he’d been caught by his Achilles' heel. He was fuming. "How did I piss you off now? Did you take the wrong medicine or something?"
"Just say it. Who soaked your quilt?"
Fei Cheng figured that even if Fei Qi knew, he couldn't do anything about it. He scoffed, "Someone in my dorm."
"When did it happen?"
"Monday."
"Then where did you sleep all week?"
"Squeezed in with a friend."
"Why did they soak your quilt?"
This was where Fei Cheng lost his patience. He cursed right to his brother's face. "You want to know? Go ask them yourself! Psycho!"
He slammed the door with a loud *thwack*, sat down at his desk, and flipped through his books aimlessly. A moment later, he couldn't help but mutter another "Shit." What kind of logic was that?
Fei Qi stood before the closed door, his face like ice. He really must have had a brain cramp to care about Fei Cheng. Why look for trouble? Idiot! He strode back to his own room and slammed his door just as hard.
On Sunday, Fei Cheng arrived at school early with his blanket. He spent ten minutes mourning his quilt, and once Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing arrived, the three of them worked together to briskly haul it to the trash heap.
He had considered that if he brought a soaking wet quilt home after asking his grandmother about it, the old woman would definitely overthink things and start worrying that he was being bullied.
So, it was either bring it home immediately and claim it was an accident, or just throw it away.
On their way to the trash heap, they ran into an old woman collecting empty bottles. Seeing that they were about to throw away such a decent-looking quilt, she hurried over to claim it.
The quilt was too heavy, and the old woman’s home was near the school gate, so Cheng Yifei offered to help carry it there. Fei Cheng and Yu Qing naturally had no objections.
Once they were finally rid of the quilt, all three of them breathed a sigh of relief.
Fei Cheng bought three cups of milk tea and three hot dogs at the shop by the gate, one for each of them. Sucking on his straw, he said, "Knowing someone can use that quilt makes me feel a lot better than just leaving it in the trash."
Yu Qing, munching on his hot dog, asked, "True. But Cheng-cheng, did you bring a replacement quilt?"
"No, my grandma only gave me a blanket. She said two quilts would be too heavy and I wouldn't be able to breathe." Fei Cheng stared at his milk tea, wondering how to avoid sucking up the pearls.
"Grandma’s right. Besides, our beds are so small. If you two used two quilts, they’d probably just slide off onto the floor."
Fei Cheng hummed in agreement. He didn't mind sleeping with Cheng Yifei; after a few days, he had mostly adjusted. Besides, he only had a blanket now—he’d freeze to death if he slept alone!
*Slurp, slurp.* They finished their milk tea and tossed the trash into the bin outside the dormitory.
Because of the quilt business, they had all arrived very early. It was only three in the afternoon. The school was quite deserted, with only a few people playing on the basketball courts.
Yu Qing glanced toward the courts. "I kind of want to play too. There’s a month left until the New Year’s basketball tournament. I think I’ll just casually take the championship for fun."
"Holy shit, Cheng-ge, why is there a cow flying in the sky? It’s so bloated!" Fei Cheng gestured for Cheng Yifei to look up.
Cheng Yifei nodded solemnly. "I see it all the time. I even know its name—it’s called Yu Qing."
"Damn it! Don't be like that. What do you mean, 'bloated'? I’ll use my skills to prove I’m a basketball prince on par with Rukawa Kaede!" Yu Qing tossed his head with supreme confidence.
Ignoring him, Fei Cheng walked into the dormitory building and asked Cheng Yifei, "Cheng-ge, is there an English pop quiz tomorrow?"
"Unit seven," Cheng Yifei replied as they headed upstairs together.
Yu Qing hurried after them, shouting, "Even if I’m not Rukawa Kaede, I’m at least Hanamichi Sakuragi! Hey! Are you guys even listening? Hey! Stop right there! Wait for me!"
They joked and jostled their way back to the room, but the moment they stepped inside, they felt the atmosphere shift.
Someone was already in the dorm. Liu Yucong was there, radiating fury as if he’d eaten a raw facing-heaven pepper. He was clutching a corner of his quilt, staring death at the newcomers—specifically, at Fei Cheng.
Fei Cheng was baffled. He glanced at the quilt Liu Yucong was holding. There was a very obvious wet patch on it. It looked... like someone had wet the bed.
But what did that have to do with him?
Liu Yucong dropped the quilt and, without a word, raised his fist and charged.
Yu Qing and Cheng Yifei stepped forward simultaneously, blocking Fei Cheng. Yu Qing didn't want to start trouble and pushed Liu Yucong back. "What the fuck? You want to fight? You better ask us if we’re game first!"
Cheng Yifei stared him down with cold eyes. However, Liu Yucong was consumed by rage, his reason long gone. He pointed a finger at Fei Cheng. "You actually fucking did it!"
"Did what?" Fei Cheng asked indifferently from behind Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing.
"You soaked my goddamn quilt! Fuck you! Are you looking for a death wish?"
Fei Cheng found it hilarious. "If I wanted to soak your quilt, I would have returned the favor with four buckets of water. That little spot looks like you pissed yourself. You think that’s my work?"
The comment provoked Liu Yucong into lunging again. Fei Cheng was ready to fight back; his temper wasn't exactly saintly, and he had been holding back for a long time for various reasons.
Cheng Yifei, losing his patience, grabbed Liu Yucong—who only had eyes for Fei Cheng—and delivered a punch that sent him reeling back onto his own bed. "He’s been with me the whole time. He didn't touch your things."
The corner of Liu Yucong’s mouth quickly began to swell and redden. He wiped it with the back of his hand and stood up, shouting, "Only the three of you were here! Who else could it have been? Last Friday, I heard this son of a bitch say with his own mouth that he’d soak my bed! Cheng Yifei, you think you can just protect him and everything will be fine?"
Fei Cheng scanned the room. It was true; aside from Liu Yucong’s three cronies, only the three of their beds had things on them, indicating they were the only ones who had arrived.
"Dammit, kill him!" Liu Yucong pointed at Fei Cheng, then at Cheng Yifei. "If you get in the way again, I’ll beat you too!"
Yu Qing let out a sharp "Heh." That was some big talk!
Fei Cheng didn't want a brawl, at least not right now. He stated firmly, "I’ll say it one more time. I did not soak your quilt."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 鱼头 | Fish Head | Yu Qing's nickname, a pun on his name (Yu = Fish). |
| 朝天椒 | Facing-heaven pepper | A very spicy variety of chili pepper. |
| 流川枫 | Rukawa Kaede | A popular, skilled character from the basketball manga/anime *Slam Dunk*. |
| 樱木花道 | Hanamichi Sakuragi | The protagonist of *Slam Dunk*, known for his red hair and boisterous personality. |
| 我有一个朋友系列 | "I have a friend" trope | A common internet slang/meme used when someone is clearly talking about themselves but pretends it's about a friend. |
| 拿捏住七寸 | Caught by the Achilles' heel | Literally "pinched at the seven-inch mark," referring to the fatal spot on a snake. |
