Old Wounds, New Growth - Chapter 20

Translator: Deyonna

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First Middle School[1] doesn't have dormitories in their junior high school department. Their campus is huge, and on weekends, it becomes so dark that it seems bottomless.

[1] I decided to change First Junior School to First Middle School. Previous chapters were also edited.

I climbed over the wall and brought Li Chishu over from the other side. It was his first time doing something like this, so he was both anxious and flustered, breathing urgently. Several times, he wanted to take off his mask, but I insisted that he keep it on.

Li Chishu didn't understand what kind of action required him to wear the mask, while Shen Baoshan, who was accompanying him, dressed so brazenly[2] and did not even take off his school badge.

[2]openly and without fear

On a winter night, the school building was shrouded with silence, so still that every rustle of the wind could be captured. We ran all the way to the top floor and when we reached the blind spot of the corridor's surveillance; I instructed Li Chishu to stand there and not move, then walked towards the other end under his watchful gaze.

The moonlight cast a cold, bluish-white hue, chilling every tile beneath my feet. The class plaque of Class 16 reflected a cold, sharp light in this piercing moonlight, just like those dazzling and glaring gold-plated characters on the city hall building ten years ago. Every inch of shadow under the bright reflection weighed on Li Chishu's weak back, making him smaller and more afraid to face the sunlight directly.

I stood at the door of the classroom and pulled out a roll of photocopies of a newspaper from my bag - that old newspaper, of which I made a hundred copies. I began to calmly and busily work. I took out a tape, starting from the Class 16 classroom door. I covered the outer walls of the classroom with the newspapers, one by one. Each one displayed the same content, a detailed report in black and white: Haiye Group construction accident, the construction party turned a blind eye, the corporation declined to take responsibility, and made grandiose claims that 'it was the worker's own carelessness, the responsibility lies solely with the deceased'. Amid public outrage, the compensation funds remained unaccounted for, and in the black-and-white photo, a mother and son were driven into a dead end…

I checked every word, and this newspaper from ten years ago, the only one that I requested from the bookstore owner to find after a month, contained the most impartial report. It was this very newspaper that became the final straw to pressure the corporation and the government, leading to Li Chishu and his mother receiving compensation and an apology.

Li Chishu, who obediently hid in the dark, had no idea what I was holding in my hands. He was far away from me, so far that he could only see Shen Baoshan in the middle of the corridor, repeating his tasks nonstop: taking newspapers, sticking tape, cutting tape, and taking more newspapers. I used a total of five large rolls of tape, and the entire outer wall of the classroom was covered like a mirror. I left no gaps. When someone discovered this wall on Monday and tried to tear off all the tape and newspapers, the enormity of the task would be enough for everyone to see the content in the newspapers.

"Shen Baoshan," Li Chishu whispered softly from behind the wall, "do you want me to help you?”

I didn't say anything, I just made a gesture to him that he shouldn't come over or talk.

Soon, most of the newspapers in my hands were used up, and the tape was almost finished as well. After completing the work, I returned to Li Chishu's side, and he looked at me with confusion. I held his hand and said, "Now let's go to the next place.”

The school bulletin stand[3] next to the playground has not been removed yet. The entire space is filled with award-winning compositions from the third-grade essay competition. Last month, Li Chishu suddenly had tinnitus right here.

[3] I have mistranslated “school bulletin stand” again and again lol. I have my doubts but my dumb ass wanted to stick with the raws but Chinese can be confusing. Like 报刊 actually means newsstand but when you understand the characters separately they can also mean school bulletin.

Later, I returned here and spent an hour carefully reading each and every composition. The main theme of these works was similar - they let thirteen or fourteen-year-old children participate and use various simple or elaborate narrative techniques to praise the great sacrifices their parents made on their journey of growth. It could be a father secretly preparing a perfect gift without their knowledge, or a mother immediately putting aside important work to take care of them upon learning about them being sick. In short, countless children, apart from Li Chishu, received love in different ways on the inevitable path of growing up. In this world, those favored people all speak the same language of love.

Until I saw that one piece of writing.

From the content of the child's writing, it was evident that they came from an extraordinary background. Surrounded by luxury from a young age, with housekeepers helping with dressing and eating. He narrated his privileged life in a very plain tone, surpassing most of his peers. However, halfway through the writing, there was a sudden twist. He mentioned a hardship that his parents had almost not survived ten years ago.

The general content is that the child's parents, who were just starting their business and had some success, encountered a wicked mother and son while working hard to take care of him at the age of five. The two insisted on blaming his parents' company for the death of a worker on a construction site in another province. They relentlessly harassed his parents, even causing a scene in front of the city hall. Eventually, they extorted a significant amount of compensation before finally giving up. Although the situation was resolved, their company's reputation was damaged and suffered a devastating blow. If it weren't for the mutual support of his father and mother, and their determination to endure for his future, their family would have almost fallen apart.

The name of the person who signed the article was unfamiliar. I made a mental note to look it up later, and as expected, it turned out as I had anticipated.

There are indeed many talented[4] individuals at First Middle High School. In the senior high school department, there's me, and in the junior high school department, there's the little young master from the Haiye Group in Class 16.

[4] This word originally refers to talents, Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong in The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

But now, "talent" sometimes does not mean real talent, so "卧龙凤雏" also has the meaning of making fun of others who are funny. And sometimes making ironic remarks, to make fun of others' weaknesses.

What can a child who was only five years old ten years ago remember and understand? It is most likely that he was influenced day after day, year after year by his parents, which led him to use such distorted and twisted facts as the basis for praising his parents. I believe this is why Li Chishu is unwilling to argue with him or pursue the matter.

But Shen Baoshan is a petty person. Not only is he petty, but he also has money and seeks revenge for even the slightest grievances.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't know the truth. But someone should help him break the ivory tower his parents have built and show him the true hardships of life. Ten years ago, Li Chishu's ivory tower was shattered by his hypocritical parents, and today, I will take on the responsibility of Li Chishu's parents on their behalf.

Around the playground, there is only surveillance installed under the school bulletin stand. I led Li Chishu over, but as soon as we were ten meters away, he refused to take another step. The two small sheets of composition paper seemed to burn him with their cold and emotionless words if he got any closer.

The surveillance area is just ahead, and I have no intention of letting him get any closer.

"Stay here." I held his shoulders. "Li Chishu, no matter what happens, don't move. You only need to look at me. Look at Shen Baoshan, that's enough.”

I walked towards the school bulletin stand, and at that moment when I turned around, Li Chishu reached out and grabbed my hand. I merely patted the back of his hand twice and didn't look back.

I have to say that Li Chishu has a really good eye. This crossbody bag may look ordinary, but it can hold a lot. Not only can it carry breakfast for Li Chishu regularly, but it can also hold other tools when needed. Like tapes, like newspapers.

Like a chisel.

Both sides of the school bulletin stand are covered with glass panels to prevent the essays and posters inside from being casually touched and damaged. To open the glass panels, a special key is required to unlock them.

I stood at a distance from the glass panel, picked out the chisel from my bag, aimed at the school bulletin stand, swung it up, and then smashed it down with all my strength.

I turned sideways and raised my other arm to shield myself. I heard a loud cracking sound behind me as the glass panel, half the height of a person and wide, shattered into pieces in an instant. After the piercing sound, it all came crashing down to the ground like released flood water.

After the glass was completely shattered, I stepped on the broken pieces and tore off the two composition papers. I replaced them with the newspaper I had cut to size and taped them in place.

Once everything was done, I turned around and looked at Li Chishu.

He stood under a dim street lamp, exactly as I had instructed, without moving an inch. He didn't take off his mask or hat, nor did he make a sound. His eyes were fixed, perhaps in shock at my actions, and he hadn't blinked once. As a result, a tear slid into his mask from the corner of his eye.

"Li Chishu." I put my hand in my pocket, while holding the chisel in my other hand, and calmly asked him, "Is your ear feeling any better?”

Li Chishu did not speak.

I turned back and picked up my school badge, pointing at the name on the badge and saying to the surveillance camera on top of the school bulletin stand, "Class 21, Senior Year, Shen Baoshan.”

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The security guard of the junior school department quickly arrived after hearing the commotion.

At that time, Li Chishu and I were already climbing over the wall to leave.

After the forty-year-old security guard uncle discovered our trail, he circled around to the back door and unlocked it to chase after us. I pulled Li Chishu and ran aimlessly forward, running for who knows how long, until the shouts of the security guard gradually faded away.

But neither of us dared to stop, afraid that if we slowed down even for a moment, we would be caught. We kept running until we reached the riverside, where the wind from the river howled, whistling in our ears and drying the sweat on my forehead. The sound of Li Chishu's heavy breathing gradually turned into sobs unconsciously.

I stopped and turned to look. Li Chishu seemed unable to run any further. He had his hands on his knees, slightly bent over, with his head lowered. He was clearly gasping for breath, but I saw big tears falling at his feet.

"Li Chishu.”

I rubbed his head and quickly held his arm, pulling him into my embrace. I stroked his soft hair at the back of his head. "If you want to cry, go ahead and cry.”

His face was buried in my clothes, and his faint sobbing gradually turned into uncontrollable weeping. He grabbed onto my clothes and cried out, "Why... why…”

Li Chishu sobbed uncontrollably, unable to speak clearly. His words were clumsy, and all he could do was repeat a few words over and over again, as if trying to convey his grievances.

Why can the surviving people smear the past like this? Why should the past be changed if they are forgotten? Why does the scale of fairness only tip to those with the loudest voices in the end?

I have never seen Li Chishu like this before, not even in my past life. He rarely cried in front of me, let alone lose control like this. It's not because he doesn't feel sadness, but rather, at that time, he had already lost the ability to express his emotions normally. For many years, he swallowed all his tears back to his stomach, letting them slowly dissolve within his own body. He never realized that it was wrong, or abnormal, as if allowing all the negative emotions to consume and corrupt his body was the only ability he should possess in this world where he had no one to rely on.

By the time Shen Baoshan appeared by his side, someone who could accept all of his emotions, he had already forgotten how to shed tears.

As Li Chishu cried, he couldn't even utter a complete sentence. His breathing became difficult and rapid. His voice, filled with innocence and hoarseness, echoed in the empty night sky, dissipating in the river breeze. If I weren't here tonight, his unspoken sorrow would be exiled by the relentless passage of time, just like the injustice suffered by his parents.

I forgot how long he cried in my arms that night. But when the night wind ceased its sway and the falling leaves ceased their dance, his body that rested against my chest slowly regained a steady breath. After a while, he seemed to have composed himself and slowly lifted his face from my clothes.

"Mmm..." I intentionally dragged out my tone to tease him, taking out the handkerchief that the auntie at home habitually placed in my pocket when she tidied up my clothes to wipe his nose. "You've cried so much that even your snot came out…”

Li Chishu suddenly went from tears to laughter. He took the handkerchief from me and wiped his own tears, then said in a low voice, "Thank you.”

"If you want to thank me, then show it through actions." I placed my hand on his shoulder and guided him toward the senior high school department. From my bag, I took out the hot milk that I had prepared for him before we left, and it still had some warmth. "What you need to do now is go back, drink this bottle of milk, and don't think about anything. Just have a good sleep. Tomorrow, wake up and wait for my breakfast. Start thinking about how to review for the upcoming mock exams.”

November 23rd, Rainy

Today I took out my cotton padded jacket and wore it. It seems to have a tear on the inside. I'll have to repair it when I go home during winter vacation.

November 23rd, Rainy

Shen Baoshan, are you a messenger sent by my mother?

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