For three consecutive days, Baili Weibu did not run into her new schoolmate, the guy named Cen Kaiwen, at school.
Could it be that he chose another school? Or perhaps he fell ill due to the change in environment? Or...
Wait, whatever for should she care about an inconsequential person?
Baili Weibu swept back her hair, carried a stack of books in her arms, adjusted the strap of her school bag, bid goodbye to a few passing classmates, and yawned as she walked out of the school gate.
For the third time in her life, her family had visitors again. It wasn't the beautiful Chinese woman from years ago; this time, there were five Chinese people – an elderly man with gray hair, a middle-aged couple, and two young men who were not yet thirty. They were all dressed in double-breasted Tang suits, and reticent.
Her parents treated these guests with a warmth tinged with a different kind of respect.
Looking at these visitors, Baili Weibu vaguely remembered that they seemed to have come ten years ago. She must have seen them, but she wasn’t too sure as that memory was too vague.
The five of them stayed for ten days without any sign of leaving, as if they were waiting for something. She asked her parents why these people were there and when they would depart, but her father only said they were relatives from China on a trip, and they would leave once they were done sightseeing.
However, on the evening of the day after their arrival, while she was in the attic getting something, she heard an argument coming from her parents' room.
"But...for so many years, they've been content with their lot," her mother's voice sounded weak.
"Have you forgotten that curse? Look at Weiyu's[1] current state, do you think your son can survive another ten years? On Christmas Eve, the Nine-color Sunflower will bloom, and we have no choice." The voice was elderly and deep, not to be defied.
Curious, Baili Weibu stopped at the door, intending to eavesdrop further. Unexpectedly, the door suddenly swung open, and the middle-aged woman appeared in front of her with a stern face.
She chuckled awkwardly a couple of times and tactfully headed downstairs.
In truth, she had no interest in prying into their seemingly senseless conversation. She had no real interaction with these uninvited guests. Apart from politely addressing them as "grandfather" or "uncle" or "aunt," Baili Weibu had no communication with them at all. She only hoped they would leave soon.
She genuinely didn't like these people, even if her parents claimed they were relatives.
After leaving school, Baili Weibu didn't go home but headed to a nearby clinic. When she came out, she had several packets of red and white pills in her hand.
"Are you sick?"
Her line of sight was completely blocked by a tall figure.
"You think appearing and disappearing unpredictably like a ghost is fashionable?" She glared at Cen Kaiwen, who had once again appeared out of nowhere. Today, this chap was wearing a black coat, a black sweater, and black jeans. Coupled with his figure and facial features, he looked as cool as the Grim Reaper in a movie, strangely handsome.
"I haven't completed the admission procedures yet, so I can only start school next week." He shrugged helplessly, "I'm on my way to the Kaya Hotel at Sinaia Sanatorium to find someone, and I was asking for directions when I saw you."
"Kaya Hotel?" Baili Weibu chuckled. "You're lucky to run into me. The restaurant where I often work part-time is just a five-minute walk from the Kaya Hotel."
"Where is the restaurant where you work?" Cen Kaiwen looked a bit embarrassed. "I'm new here..."
"Let's go!" Baili Weibu patted his shoulder. "Only someone with my impeccable character would personally escort you to your destination."
He looked at her playful and exaggerated expression, slightly taken aback, and then smiled and shook his head.
The weather had grown colder, and pedestrians outside were all bundled up in thick coats, hurrying home.
Baili Weibu led him, intending to cross through the Biluo forest. She had walked this path countless times, and it was the shortest route to the sanatorium.
The footsteps of the two of them echoed on the forest path as they stepped on fallen leaves and dry branches, making a rhythmic crunching sound. The sun had already sunk halfway below the horizon, casting a dim light in the quiet forest.
"You still haven't answered me. Are you sick?" Cen Kaiwen asked as they walked.
Baili Weibu shook her head. "These are medicines for my younger brother. He had a serious illness ten years ago, and his health has been poor ever since. He has to take medication year-round."
"How old is your brother?" he inquired.
"He's four years younger than me, thirteen years old."
"That's really unfortunate," he said, suddenly sounding a bit distracted.
"He's an adorable little medicine jar[2]," she smiled and optimistically tilted her head back. "There must be a way to cure him."
The last glimmer of the sun pierced through the treetops and fell onto Cen Kaiwen's face, casting mottled shadows that concealed his expression.
Footnotes:
[1] 未雨( wèi yǔ): wei is not yet/future, yu is rain. So, Weiyu can be interpreted as "preparing for future rain" or "making provisions for the future."
[2] 药罐子: pot for decocting herbal medicine; (figurative) chronic invalid.
Translator:
And the award for Crappiest Namers goes to...the Baili family🏆
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