Ah-Liao couldn’t read. She had attended elementary school for seven years, from the age of seven to fourteen, and still couldn't read. Except for her own name.
All the teachers who had taught her were very frustrated. Even the little bald boy in her class who always drooled could crookedly write "The bright moonlight before the bed" from memory. But not Ah-Liao. The words taught to her today would be completely forgotten the next day.
Apart from her inability to read, Ah-Liao was an average student, and the school had no reason to expel her. This year, she was in her second year of sixth grade, becoming classmates with students who were previously her juniors.
None of the teachers liked her, and there was never a lack of ridicule from her fellow students - After seven years of school, she’s still illiterate; she’s gotta be a retard or something. But Ah-Liao didn't mind. She always greeted people with a smile, full of sunshine, as bright and cheerful as a sunflower.
So, she gained another label as "stupid."
For Ah-Liao, the most pleasant moments were after school, leaning against the trunk of a ginkgo tree, eating red bean ice cream, and gazing into the distance.
She loved everything about this place—the grass, the trees, and even the birds or ants. Even the ginkgo tree was interesting and adorable to her. There was also an unnamed bird with a white back and black wings that would perch on the lush branches, singing melodiously. She enjoyed dozing off against the tree trunk, feeling the indescribable reassuring support behind her, and the clear bird songs, which gave her a different kind of serene happiness.
However, this contentment came at a price. Ah-Liao often woke up to find her bicycle mysteriously gone. She had lost more than a dozen bikes to date.
"Perhaps someone else needs it more than I do," Ah-Liao would tell herself every time, and then she would spend about an hour and a half strolling up the small path through the wheat fields, crossing a small grove of ginkgo trees, and happily returning to her home on the small hill.
In this town, ginkgo trees were abundant. Every early autumn, Ah-Liao would see people on the streets and alleys holding long bamboo poles, using exaggerated poses to poke down many round fruits from the crowns of the ginkgo trees. They called them "baiguo," also known as ginkgo nuts, and said they were nutritious and had medicinal properties. Taking them home to make chicken soup was considered the best choice.
One evening about a week ago, as Ah-Liao passed by on her way home from school, she saw a gray-haired elderly man in a black robe standing beneath the ginkgo tree she passed by every day. He was gazing up at the treetop, displaying an indescribable sorrow on his weather-wrinkled face.
"It’s time[1]..." The old man shook his head and muttered.
"Grandpa, is there anything I can do for you?" Ah-Liao stepped forward.
The old man turned around and his wrinkles suddenly relaxed. "Ah-Liao."
"Wow, you know my name?"
"I often see you passing by under this tree," the old man gently patted Ah-Liao's head, "However, I won't see you in the future."
Ah-Liao looked at him strangely: "Why haven't I seen you before?"
"Oh, you’ve seen me." The old man smiled, lovingly wiping the red bean ice cream from the corner of Ah-Liao's mouth. "Every day after school, you're late getting home because you have to eat red bean ice cream and then nap against the tree trunk before you're willing to leave."
Ah-Liao scratched her head in embarrassment and smiled sheepishly.
"It's wonderful to be alive," the old man's hand slowly dropped, and he looked into Ah-Liao's eyes with a touch of envy.
"Then just keep on living!" Ah-Liao didn't understand what there was to envy or feel nostalgic about.
The old man shook his head, "I'm sick, and I don't have much time left."
"What?!" Ah-Liao exclaimed, "Then, Grandpa, you should hurry to the hospital!" She paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, pointing at the ginkgo tree. "Eat those baiguo or ginkgo nuts. I've heard many people say they can cure all sorts of illnesses! It seems like they'll be ready for harvest in another month!"
"Ginkgo nut?" The old man was slightly taken aback and murmured, "That could indeed be helpful in facing the ordeal, but it's not something everyone can eat..."
"They're all over the street!" Ah-Liao said eagerly, "When the time comes, I'll help you pick them, and you can take them home to make chicken soup..."
"Haha, silly girl," the old man returned to his usual self, laughing. "It's getting late; you should go home quickly." With that, he gave her a gentle push on her back.
Ah-Liao felt herself suddenly becoming lighter and "floating" several steps away. When she turned around to look, there was no one under the ginkgo tree.
Footnotes:
[1] dà xiàn: the limit; maximum; one's allocated lifespan.
Edit: ā(Ah) is a prefix used before monosyllabic names. Liáo=distant/long/prolonged(not commonly used). Liao is a short name for Liaoning province in China.
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