Old Wounds, New Growth - Chapter 9

Translator: Deyonna

---

I have basically screened all the ice cream in the freezer: there's Meiji, Cold Stone Creamery, Haagen-Dazs, and Magnum to avoid overlapping with the brands sold in the school canteen and prevent Li Chishu from recognizing them. Even if the brands are similar, they are from different series or packaging.

Otherwise, with this person's personality, he would choose the ice cream that he can ensure falls within the safety range, so as not to accidentally get a brand that is too expensive.

As expected, Li Chishu's gaze swept around the freezer and when he found a package he had never seen before, he cautiously took the smallest box.

Haagen-Dazs.

A low wall made of cement bricks was built in front of the house. Below the wall were the vegetables grown by the house owner. Li Chishu and I sat on the low wall. He was wearing the simplest shorts and canvas shoes. Perhaps because the ice cream really suited his taste, Li Chishu had a rare, relaxed expression. He slowly scooped the ice cream into his mouth, savoring it slowly, and occasionally swinging his legs in the air.

I leaned closer to his shoulder. "Is it delicious?"

He nodded earnestly.

Then he asked, "Is it very expensive?"

"Not expensive," I said. "You feed me a bite."

Since we were not at school and there was no one around, Li Chishu didn't hesitate and scooped a big spoonful and handed it to me.

After I ate it, he continued to scoop the ice cream with a small spoon and asked, "Why did you tie a red scarf on me?"

"......" Li Chishu had scooped up a huge spoonful for me, and my teeth were frozen, making it hard for me to speak.

After a while, I only said, "Tying a red scarf makes you a child. "

Li Chishu said, "But I’m not, ah."

......

Li Chishu seemed a bit slow, and a bit dull in anything other than studying. In words from ten years later, you could say he's a little oversensitive to romance.

But his dullness didn't seem to be innate. It was the loneliness that spanned most of his life that had suppressed his sensitive emotions for too long and too deeply. By the time it erupted, I was too late to save him.

I avoided answering and went to nudge him again. "Feed me another bite."

Perhaps he still wasn't used to this kind of intimacy, as this time he didn't scoop another bite for me. Instead, he reminded me, "There's one with the same flavor in the freezer…"

"You feed me." I lightly bumped him with my shoulder. "Feed me, and I'll give you two bites later."

He didn't say anything, but lowered his head and scooped another big spoonful for me.

I ate it and looked up at the swallows flying up and down on the opposite roof. After the ice cream slowly melted in my mouth, I suddenly called. "Li Chishu?"

"En?"

I leaned over and kissed him.

With a loud "clatter", the steel spoon in Li Chishu's hand fell to the ground.

He seemed to have stopped breathing.

I casually pulled away from his lips and turned my head to continue watching the swallows on the roof. I exhaled and reminded him. "You can breathe, Li Chishu."

Only then did he snap out of it, taking a deep breath and jumping to the ground to pick up the spoon.

"I... I'll go wash it," Li Chishu said, but before he could even straighten up, the spoon fell from his hand with another "clatter".

He haphazardly picked it up and rushed to the kitchen without looking back. I watched as his ears turned as red as if they were about to ripen, and shouted, "Watch out for the step!"

Before I could finish my sentence, Li Chishu stumbled and tripped over the step, causing the spoon in his hand to fall to the ground for the third time.

I quickly wanted to go down and check if he was okay, but he seemed to anticipate my move and waved his hand behind his head. "You...you don't have to come over! I'm fine!"

After speaking, he darted into the house like a rabbit and disappeared from sight.

It took him twenty minutes to wash the spoon. I watched the white clouds come and go outside. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, I decided to see how long this person planned to dawdle.

Unexpectedly, I couldn't find anyone in the kitchen.

The kitchen had two doors, one that opened outward and one that led to the living room through a wall. Li Chishu probably ran out through the latter.

My gaze fixed on the small steel spoon he had washed to a shine in the corner of the stove, utterly helpless.

Li Chishu, where else can you hide?

I went up to the second floor without a second thought, but there was no one on the second floor.

Really hiding?

Just as I was pondering this, Jiang Chi's phone call came at this moment.

When I answered the call, my tone was not very good. "What do you want?"

"Just asking. You sound like you've eaten a firecracker." Jiang Chi rejoiced in other people’s misfortune and then thought of joining in the fun. "What are you doing? Did something happen?"

I wanted to hang up the phone as quickly as possible. "I'm looking for someone. I'll talk to you later."

"Looking for someone?" This bastard became even more interested. "What? Did your wife run away because he couldn't bear the hardship?"

"Can't bear the hardship?" I laughed mockingly. "He can't bear my mouth."[1]

[1]Shen Baoshan is talking about Li Chishu running away after being kissed

As soon as I hung up, I started shouting downstairs. "Li Chishu!"

I originally thought he wouldn't respond, but to my surprise, his voice echoed faintly from the backyard. "What's wrong?"

I ran downstairs and went to the backyard, where I bumped into Li Chishu walking out from behind the grape trellis.

He was holding a small wooden stick as thick as his little finger in his hand. There was a thread tied to the other end of the stick, and a strange gadget was tied to the other end of the thread.

"What’s that?" I asked. "Were you playing with that earlier when you were here?"

He looked down at the thing in his hand and slowly raised it up to hand it to me. His other hand unconsciously rubbed against his pants leg, as if he was nervous. "This is... something I made for you."

I took it from him and examined it carefully, then asked again, "What is this?"

He became even more nervous, rubbing his hand against his pants and finally clenching it tightly. He looked down at the ground and said, "Kite."

I tilted my head slightly to catch his eyes and spoke softly, repeating after him. "Kite?"

"En." He nodded almost imperceptibly. "My father... taught me how to make them when I was a kid. With paper and glue, you can make... small kites."

Li Chishu hesitated for a few seconds, gathering his courage before continuing. "You—I know that you've been very kind to me during this time. I-I’m very grateful to you, but... I don't know what to give you in return. It seems like you don't lack anything, and maybe... what you lack is not within my ability. So I…"

He looked up and pointed to the kite, smiling cautiously with a hint of probing. "I made a kite for you."

Seeing that I didn't say anything, Li Chishu quickly added, "This one is a bit simple. It will take a long time to make a bigger kite, and we don't have enough materials here. If y-you want, I can make a bigger one for you when we go back."

I held the small wooden stick and tucked it into my own chest. "No, I want this one. This one is perfect."

Li Chishu's hand, which had been clutching the edge of his pants, finally relaxed. He spoke softly. "That's good."

I looked at him. "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Ah?" His fingers, which had just relaxed, clenched again. "Anything else?"

Li Chishu seemed to have trouble breathing again.

I said, "Just now…"

He stared at me intently.

Li Chishu must have been praying in his heart: Don't say it, don't say it, don't say it.

But I insisted on saying it. "We were sitting on the embankment, I—"

"You tripped and fell with your mouth," Li Chishu suddenly interrupted me.

"Mouth..." I was caught off guard by his words and was stunned on the spot.

He took the opportunity to slip into the house from beside me. "I'm going to do my homework now."

The wind in the yard blew in gusts, rustling the long grape vines hanging from the trellis.

"Tripped and fell with my mouth..." I chewed these words over and over again, and finally looked at the sky and laughed angrily. "Tripped and fell with my mouth…"

Li Chishu, just you wait.

You wait for me to trip one day, I'll fall in your body and see where you run.

—

October 2nd, Sunny

Today's physics paper I worked on was a bit difficult. The food in the cafeteria hasn't been good since the holiday started. If you go a little later, there's nothing left.

A girl came to the class. It turns out that Lou Ke didn't go home either.

She gave me three pieces of teddy bear cookies, which were filled with fillings. They were very sweet. She also helped me solve the final math problem. Thank you, Lou Ke.

—

October 2nd, Sunny

Shen Baoshan (Crossed out)[2]

[2] These are by the author and not from this translator

Shen Baoshan accidentally (Crossed out)

Shen Baoshan kissed me today.

He might have been a little impulsive, but he probably... (This row is crossed out)

He probably didn't mean it that way, he might have... (This row is crossed out)

Shen Baoshan might have just... (Crossed out)

He cooked a meal for me today, it seemed to be called black truffle or something... (This row is crossed out) (All crossed out)

But he... (Crossed out)

He accidentally hugged me this morning, probably because he wasn't fully awake yet. He said to go back to sleep and then I fell asleep again.

He (Crossed out)

He might have mistaken me for a pillow.

---

Previous      Table Of Contents      Next