Deyonna

Translator: Deyonna It has been a while since I last brought up the matter about our future home because I believe it is important for Li Chishu to have his own space for independent thinking. With three days remaining until school starts, I realized that I hadn't made any plans with Jiang Chi since the Lunar New Year. So, I decided to give him a call and propose going to our favorite open-air bar this afternoon, where we used to hang out often and enjoy a barbecue together for fun. When I mentioned the plan to Li Chishu, I didn't really expect him to agree to go with me. Li Chishu has always been someone who only socializes when necessary. Besides, he slept last night with his feet outside the blanket when I wasn't paying attention, and this morning he started coughing and sneezing. It seems like he's even less willing to go out now. But after dinner, I still casually mentioned, "Are you going? It's a self-service restaurant, and there's no limit on the nu...

Translator: Deyonna The next day, I went home for a while, accompanied my parents to a meal, and after seeing them off to the airport, I headed straight to the vegetable market next to Li Chishu's house. Before leaving, I repeatedly reminded Li Chishu not to sit in the doorway waiting for me like yesterday, in order to avoid catching a cold. He was very obedient. When I arrived home, there was no one in the doorway, but the door was left open. As soon as I turned the corner of the stairs, Potato, with his keen sense of smell, detected my presence and ran back and forth, wagging his tail between inside and outside the door. The sound of the dog barking didn't seem to attract Li Chishu to come out. I think he must be busy doing his homework in his room. I went into the kitchen and started boiling water to steam rice. I marinated the chicken with cooking wine and waited for it to remove the fishy smell. Then I went to the room to check on how Li Chishu was doing. In front of Li Ch...

Translator: Deyonna Li Chishu and I squatted by the small table and finished eating half of the cake. Finally, I dipped my finger into a small amount of cream from the edge and playfully touched it to Li Chishu's nose. He looked at me with a puzzled expression. I explained, "It's a ritual for the birthday celebrant to experience this." He seemed to never doubt my explanations and simply nodded. "Ah, I see." Seizing the opportunity while he was distracted, I swiftly retrieved my phone and called out, "Li Chishu." He looked up and I captured the first photo of him at the age of eighteen. Li Chishu's gaze shifted towards my phone, appearing eager to lean over and see how the photo had turned out. "Look." I flipped the phone around and placed it closer in front of him. "Does it look good?" Li Chishu smiled and then lowered his head to scrape off the leftover cream on the plate. "I'm going to set it as my wallpaper,...

Translator: Deyonna Before Li Chishu could catch his breath, he grabbed my sleeve to calm down for a moment before speaking in silence, "......Do you think it's appropriate to say that now?" "......" It seems that it is not quite appropriate. I carried the stool and brought him upstairs. After inspecting the circuit breaker behind Li Chishu's door, I confirmed that the reason for the power outage was just a tripped breaker. I pulled the switch back up, and the lights came back on in the house. Li Chishu murmured beside me, "How come I didn't see the circuit breaker trip when I checked…" "You must have seen it wrong. Everyone has moments where they see it wrong." I led him back to the living room and turned on the TV. "Just sit for a moment. I'll go downstairs to get something and come back up." I definitely didn't dare tell Li Chishu that I had thrown Potato, who was still inside in a bag, directly onto the ground of...

Translator: Deyonna Li Chishu maintained an almost childish stubbornness when it came to certain rituals. This stubbornness nourished his weak spiritual world in his youth and lasted throughout his life. For example, on the weekend when he receives the subsidy money every month, he must clean up all the textbooks and test papers on his desk after returning to the classroom before he can leisurely enjoy the fruits he had carefully selected under the sunset. And every Lunar New Year, he would go to the market and buy ten yuan worth of lean meat to cook a bowl of noodles for himself. The order of eating the noodles was always to eat the noodles first, then the vegetables, and finally, slowly savor the shredded meat in the bowl. Even ten years later, when he had enough savings to live a comfortable life, he would still solemnly place a complete set of new clothes for both me and him on the bedside the night before every New Year's Day. He would have already visited the mall half a mont...

Translator: Deyonna The matter ultimately ended up with nothing definite. Of course, when I explain it to my mother over the phone, I will inevitably face a scolding. Li Chishu has made a lot of progress compared to before, especially when we occasionally meet in the corridor. He finally learned to raise his hand to greet me. During the evening self-study, he would also listen to me and not sit in the classroom all night. Once in a while, he would brave the cold wind and come out for some fresh air. One time on a Saturday, he asked while eating, "Shen Baoshan?" "En?" Li Chishu slowly organized his words. "Why is it that every time during the evening self-study, whenever I go out, I see you on the balcony?" "Because I'm waiting for you," I said as I peeled the shrimp. "Don't you allow the existence of someone in the world whose sole purpose is to wait for you?" Li Chishu did not speak. Later on, during the five-minute break betwe...

Translator: Deyonna   This time, it was my turn to be stunned. This moment came earlier than I had planned—I thought it would take some more time for Li Chishu to be willing to let me step into that dark and gloomy place where all his secrets lie buried. "Say it again." I stared at him. "Where are you taking me?" He said, "My home." Li Chishu pursed his lips and said, "I... have something I want to give you." "What is it?" "You'll know once you go." "En... then I'll..." I put my hands in my pockets and raised my chin, "be kidnapped by the top student of the grade, huh?" Li Chishu smiled and reached out to grab the hem of my clothes. "If we don't leave now, we'll be late." At this moment, the self-study session hasn't started yet, and students can still freely enter and exit the school gate during the last hour. I held onto Li Chishu's hand and walked against the crowd. In t...