“Oh, please come in, Teacher,” Grandpa Fei said, stepping aside to invite Li Xiu inside.
Fei Cheng was the last to enter. As he turned to close the door, Grandpa Fei stopped him, bending down to deftly bolt the iron gate himself. He then reached out to slide the heavy backpack off Fei Cheng’s shoulders. Leaning in closer, he whispered, “Cheng-zi, what kind of trouble did you get into? Tell Grandpa quickly so I can be prepared.”
Fei Cheng took the bag back from him; it was filled with books and quite heavy. Lowering his head, he said, “Don’t worry, Grandpa. I didn’t get into any trouble.”
There were two steps leading up to the front door. Out of habit, Grandpa Fei reached out and grasped Fei Cheng’s arm.
Fei Cheng froze for a moment, a bitter-numb sensation spreading through his chest. He realized that the original Fei Cheng must have fallen on these steps often as a child. After it happened enough times, Grandpa Fei had developed the habit of holding his arm whenever they went up. So many years had passed in the blink of an eye, and though Fei Cheng was now grown, the old man’s habit remained unchanged.
It wasn't hard to imagine what a devastating blow it must have been for these two elderly people when the original Fei Cheng met his end.
The lights in the living room were bright, the incandescent glow making the space feel as clear as day—a world away from the heavy twilight outside.
Grandma Fei came out with a tray of tea, a smile on her face. But the moment she saw him, she nearly dropped the tray in shock. She slammed it onto the table, not even stopping to offer the teacher a drink before pulling Fei Cheng toward her. Her voice was a mix of anger and heartache. “What happened? How did you get like this? What on earth happened? Tell Grandma right now!”
Fei Cheng had never been the object of such intense concern and care before. He began to stutter, "er-ing" and "ah-ing" for a long time without managing to get a coherent sentence out.
Li Xiu spoke up for him. “He got into a fight with a classmate. Look at him—he’s covered in injuries. I wanted to take him to the hospital, but he refused, so I could only bring him home to rest. Just remember to come back to class once you’ve healed. The school will strictly handle the student who fought him.”
To the two elders, "strictly handle" meant nothing. Who knew what that actually looked like? A slap on the wrist? A written apology for beating their grandson into this state? Hah! Grandpa Fei felt it would be better to grab a wooden club and hunt those boys down himself.
Seeing the two previously amiable elders suddenly turn grim and furious, Li Xiu quickly played his trump card. “The priority right now is Fei Cheng’s injuries, right? Letting him recover is the most important thing. Those students aren't going anywhere. Rest assured, I will notify the Dean to punish them properly. Such malicious behavior will not be tolerated!”
Grandpa and Grandma Fei were indeed worried about Fei Cheng’s health and agreed to let the matter rest until he was better. Regardless, Grandpa Fei had no intention of letting this go easily!
Looking at his little grandson’s face—did those kids have hearts of stone? To hit him so hard!
Li Xiu could see that the elders were entirely focused on Fei Cheng and likely had no time to entertain him. Having delivered the boy home safely, he didn't even stay for tea. “I’ve brought Fei Cheng back, so I’ll be going now. You two should probably take him to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow. If anything happens, call me. Fei Cheng, you have my number, right?”
“I do.” Fei Cheng felt that, based on what "Big Eyes" had said and done tonight, the fat on his face wasn't fat at all—it was a "blessed look"!
“Then I’ll be off. If you feel unwell, don't just endure it. Go to the hospital early.”
“Okay, will do.”
Fei Cheng moved to see Li Xiu out, but as soon as he took a step, his grandmother anxiously pulled him back into a chair. “Your grandpa will see him out, it’s fine. Come here, let me look at you. Oh, heavens, what a sin... Come, let’s go to the town health center and find a doctor. Do your bones hurt? Are you hurt anywhere else?”
As she spoke, she started trying to pull off Fei Cheng’s shirt.
“Wait, Grandma, Grandma! I’m fine, really! Look, I can walk and jump. I need to see my teacher off. A good student has to be polite, and I’m counting on Teacher Li to look out for me at school.”
Still unaccustomed to such overwhelming affection, Fei Cheng scrambled up and ran outside.
Li Xiu had already stepped outside the iron gate. Fei Cheng ran to Grandpa Fei’s side and came to a halt, giving Big Eyes a respectful, honest bow. “Thank you for bringing me home, Teacher. If you can help me settle those troublesome matters, I’ll be even more grateful! I used to think you were fierce, serious, and cold-blooded, but today I realized I was blind. You’re clearly a man with a fierce face but a kind heart! I swear I won’t hold the class back anymore! Get home safely, Teacher. Watch out for traffic.”
Li Xiu: “...” *I must have been teaching a fake student all this time.*
Fei Cheng let out a sigh of relief as he watched the little moped disappear into the distance. Turning around, he was met by his grandfather, who stood half a head taller than him, wearing an expression that was both stern and loving.
Yes, his current height was estimated at only 158 centimeters. Terribly short...
Fei Cheng and Grandpa Fei stared at each other in silence for a moment before he was eventually caught in a pincer maneuver by both grandparents and marched toward the town health center. It wasn't far, only about a twenty-minute walk.
The doctor examined him thoroughly. There were no broken bones or internal bleeding—just external trauma. The doctor even rubbed one of Fei Cheng’s bruises with his hand, half-suspecting it had been painted on.
Fei Cheng: “...”
Grandpa and Grandma Fei made the doctor check several more times. Only after confirming there were no major issues did they finally relax.
If Fei Cheng had injured a bone or an organ, they wouldn't have known how to explain it to their son and daughter-in-law. Moreover, Grandpa Fei would have likely taken a club and broken the legs of whoever had hurt his grandson!
Fei Cheng picked up some topical medicine for the bruising and left the health center sheepishly.
The two elders and the youth walked along the quiet streets under the moonlight. It was not yet eight o'clock, and most of the shops were still open, even if there were no customers. The light spilling from the houses was enough to illuminate the path beneath their feet, making flashlights unnecessary.
Fei Cheng walked protected in the middle of the two elders. As they passed a general store, Grandpa Fei punched his right fist into his left palm. “Teacher Li said Cheng-zi doesn't have to go to school this week. Shouldn't we buy some food to keep at home? Jinwei, ham sausages, crackers, that sort of thing. But nothing spicy.”
Grandma Fei realized he was right and chimed in, “Yes, yes, let’s go in and look.”
Fei Cheng, whose opinion hadn't been asked, stared blankly at their retreating backs. Their spines were no longer perfectly straight, yet they still held up a corner of the sky because there was a child beside them who hadn't yet grown up.
*What did I do to deserve this?*
He looked down at his elongated shadow and whispered, “Is it because you didn't want the family who cares about you to worry that you endured the bullying at school without saying a word?”
“Then what am I? Using your body and hogging the care your family has for you?”
“I don't know what to do. You’re already gone, and if they knew what happened to you, they’d be heartbroken. Besides, I can’t leave this shell. So... how about I fulfill your filial duties for you? From now on, they’ll be our grandparents. Is that okay?”
“Since you aren't saying anything, I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Good. Congratulations, we’ve reached an agreement.”
Grandpa Fei called out from the shop, “Cheng-cheng, what are you doing standing outside? Come in and see what you like to eat.”
“Coming!” Having made up his mind, Fei Cheng jogged into the shop, a smile on his lips and a brightness in his eyes. Even his back seemed to radiate cheer.
Fei Cheng spent the next week at home, studying like a madman. He had food, drink, and people who cared for him; he didn't have to worry about a thing. The purple and blue bruises on his body quietly faded away without him even noticing.
On Thursday, he woke up early to wash. When he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he froze.
There was a reason the system had rated this face an A+. His features were undeniably handsome, his skin was fair and flawless, and his brows held a touch of heroic spirit. Beneath his double eyelids, a pair of almond eyes sparkled with life. He was the quintessential refreshing, jade-like youth!
Fei Cheng blinked. Once he was sure the person in the mirror was himself, his lips curled upward. Then, he discovered to his surprise—he actually had tiger teeth?!
“No, no, no, these tiger teeth are cheating.”
Fei Cheng opened his mouth toward the mirror and poked a canine with his fingertip. Confirming it was real, he began practicing various smiles in the mirror. He only stopped when he started feeling like an idiot, vigorously rubbing his face which had gone stiff from smiling.
He admired his peerless beauty, though he was a bit short and scrawny... But he was only thirteen and hadn't hit his growth spurt yet. What was there to fear about being short!
He wondered how someone with a face so naturally prone to gaining people's favor could have been bullied. The original guy’s past life was truly a mystery.
“Cheng-cheng, time to eat,” Grandma Fei called from the kitchen.
“Okay~ coming down now.” Fei Cheng hung up his towel and left the bathroom. On the square dining table sat a plate of buns and three bowls of steaming soy milk.
Grandma Fei handed him a bowl of egg noodles. The egg had been fried to a golden brown, nestled beside a few leaves of vibrant green vegetables. The broth just barely covered the noodles, topped with a sprinkle of chopped green onions. The entire bowl was fragrant.
Fei Cheng had eaten this for three days straight without getting tired of it. Deeply moved, he said, “Thank you, Grandma. You’ve worked hard!”
“Silly boy, what’s hard about cooking a bowl of noodles? Eat up, be careful not to burn yourself.” Grandma Fei’s eyes were full of smiles. Seeing Fei Cheng eating with such satisfaction, she turned to her husband. “Our Cheng-cheng has grown up.”
Grandpa Fei huffed. “Only after suffering outside does he know who truly treats him well.”
Fei Cheng slurped a mouthful of noodles. “Mhm, Grandpa and Grandma are the best. The absolute best in the universe! I’ve never met anyone better than you two!”
Grandpa Fei smiled briefly before putting on a stern face again. “Smooth talker. Just eat your noodles. Finish the soy milk too. I heard on TV that drinking soy milk in the morning is good for the body.”
Fei Cheng nodded with a grin. After three days together, that tiny bit of distance had long since melted away.
Grandma Fei agreed. “He really needs to nourish himself. He hasn't eaten properly since he was little. Look how thin he is. The boys your age in the village are all a pinky-finger taller than you.”
Mentioning his height poked at Fei Cheng’s sore spot. He declared, “Grandma, I’m just gathering my strength. Don't look at how fast they're growing now; they might run out of steam in a few years. I’m different. I’ll save it all up and then shoot up all at once. I guarantee I’ll surpass them by a long shot—I’ll even be taller than our big iron gate!”
***
Chinese | English | Notes
--- | --- | ---
非老爷子 | Grandpa Fei | Fei Cheng's grandfather.
非奶奶 | Grandma Fei | Fei Cheng's grandmother.
大黑 | Blackie | The family's black dog (literally "Big Black").
小虎牙 | Tiger teeth | Slightly protruding canines, considered a cute or charming physical trait.
津威 | Jinwei | A brand of snacks/beverages common in China.
二层半 | Two-and-a-half-story | A common rural Chinese house style with two full floors and a partial top floor.
福相 | Blessed look | A face that suggests good fortune, often associated with being slightly plump or having kind features.
卫生院 | Health center | A local medical clinic, common in towns and villages.
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