Xin Hexue wore a face mask to kindergarten today.
Perhaps because his image was different from before, Lu Yang kept staring at him.
He placed his hands on the desk, and as soon as class ended, he buried his face in the crook of his elbow dejectedly.
The fan on the classroom wall shook its head with a “whirr whirr”, its green blades spinning. Summer was deepening, meaning summer vacation was coming soon.
“Xin Hexue, my mom asked if I want to sign up for summer camp. Are you going?”
Lu Yang moved the heavy wooden chair, shifting it next to Xin Hexue, propping his head on the table with his arm.
Xin Hexue, who was lying on his hands, shook his head, leaving only the back of his dark head for Lu Yang.
Lu Yang stared curiously at the little white string hooked behind his ear. The earlobe was pink, like wild mulberries about to ripen in the countryside. “Why are you wearing a mask? Aren’t you hot?”
“And, last night I asked you to come to my house to watch TV, why didn’t you come?”
He couldn’t control his itchy hand and went to hook the white string on Xin Hexue’s ear.
As a result, his hand was slapped away.
“Don’t touch.”
Xin Hexue lifted his head. His dark bangs were damp with heat, and a few strands stuck to his forehead. His shiny black eyes seemed to have a layer of moisture from the heat.
“I’m concerned about you. Look, you’re so hot you’re sweating.”
He said in a fluster.
This was the first time Lu Yang had been scolded by his good friend. Although it wasn’t really a scolding, Xin Hexue had never been so cold to him before.
Xin Hexue only said two words to him, but each word felt like an arrow piercing Lu Yang’s heart.
They were no longer best friends!
A child’s emotions come as quickly as sudden wind and rain on a sunny day, arriving in an instant.
Seeing Xin Hexue ignore him, Lu Yang turned his back and angrily moved his chair away.
Xin Hexue’s dark, bright eyes flickered. He pursed his lips tightly together behind the mask and looked at Lu Yang’s back.
But when Lu Yang turned back again, he was back to lying on the desk, giving others the back of his head.
Only a stubborn lock of hair on top of his head stood up suddenly.
‘What…’
‘Really not saying a single word to me?’
If Xin Hexue didn’t talk to him, how were they supposed to make up?
Lu Yang was stunned.
Perhaps an argument that ended before it began and couldn’t even be called an argument was even more frustrating. The two children, who were usually as close as lips and teeth, began a localized cold war.
During art class, watercolor pens and crayons were still shared, but when their small hands bumped into each other, they each turned their heads away, east and west.
“Hmph.”
“Hmph!”
The teacher didn’t know how to act as a matchmaker to reconcile these two children.
During the afternoon snack when they handed out small biscuits, the teacher deliberately gave Xin Hexue and Lu Yang animal-shaped biscuits of the same shape, hoping the two children would find a common topic and melt the cold war situation.
Xin Hexue didn’t want to eat. At lunch, sat in a corner with his back to everyone and quickly finished his meal.
He quietly tugged on Zeng Zishi’s sleeve.
This boy, whose nickname was Stone, was previously one of Su Zhuang’s lackeys. After being beaten up by Lu Yang like Su Zhuang, he honestly mended his ways. He even apologized to Xin Hexue, and brought his favorite toy car from home to play together.
Xin Hexue handed the small biscuit to Zeng Zishi. “I can’t eat this. I’ll give it to you.”
Stone was very touched. “You’re giving me your biscuit? Really?!”
Xin Hexue’s voice was muffled by the mask. “Mm, you eat it.”
Stone jumped for joy. “Then we’re good friends!”
Only good friends share food!
Xin Hexue watched his happy, leaping figure and, having solved a hot potato, curved his eyes.
Cherishing it dearly, Zheng Zishi went to the classroom to find milk. He was going to dip the biscuit in milk and enjoy these delicious little cat biscuits!
Not long after, the children in the small playground heard loud crying coming from the classroom.
“Who said you could take Xin Hexue’s biscuit!”
“I didn’t! He gave it to me!”
“Still talking back?! Would he give you his biscuit?!”
“Of course he would. I said that makes us good friends, and Xin Hexue didn’t object! Lu Yang, you like fighting so much, he doesn’t want to be good friends with you.”
“You…”
When the teacher pulled Lu Yang away, he was so angry he felt like a small erupting volcano.
Xin Hexue hurriedly ran back to the classroom from the other side of the playground and explained to the teacher that Zeng Zishi really hadn’t taken his biscuit; he had voluntarily shared it.
Stone silently mixed his tears with the small biscuit, munching it down quickly. “Lu Yang, you’re just jealous of me!”
The teacher quickly grabbed the furious Lu Yang. “If you keep this up, teacher will have to call your parents!”
Lu Yang glared at Zeng Zishi fiercely, but when he saw Xin Hexue, the active volcano instantly went silent, sulking dejectedly.
………
On the way home, Zhuang Tongguang, Xin Hexue, and Lu Yang walked together since they lived in the same tube-shaped apartment building.
Xin Hexue was between the two. In the sunlight, their shadows looked like a faint “凹” character.
Because Lu Yang and Xin Hexue were still in a cold war, they didn’t speak along the way. Only when Zhuang Tongguang asked something would Xin Hexue reply with a soft “mm.”
Seeing that after one more flight of stairs and a turn, they would be at Xin Hexue’s home, Lu Yang, who had coughed several times along the way without managing to speak to his good friend, suddenly grew anxious. He grabbed the strap of Xin Hexue’s backpack. “Um, um, come to my house to watch TV tonight!”
Xin Hexue gently bit his lip, still hesitating in place.
Zhuang Tongguang smiled, pulling back his brother’s backpack strap. “Our family bought a color TV too.”
“Xiao Xue, say goodbye to your friend.”
Xin Hexue waved his hand. “Lu Yang, bye-bye.”
Then, like a little tail, he followed his brother home.
Lu Yang stood there in a daze, his nose directly turning red.
He stomped up the stairs, practically trying to stamp through them, and rushed back home.
“Slam!” He closed the door.
“Hey, kid, did you eat firecrackers today?”
Zhu Cuifeng peeked out from the bedroom, a hair curler for her bangs on her forehead, her sandals stepping on the green floral tiles. She pushed open Lu Yang’s door and was startled by the sight of her son doing a handstand against the wall on the bed.
“What’s wrong? Is your brain having a seizure?” Zhu Cuifeng sat on the edge of the bed and felt Lu Yang’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever.”
Lu Yang flipped his legs down nimbly and stood up, his eyes red, as if the sky had fallen. He said to Zhu Cuifeng, “Xin Hexue is going to break up with me!”
“Oh, what’s this all about?”
Zhu Cuifeng asked.
Lu Yang recounted what happened today, omitting the part where he almost beat up Zeng Zishi.
Zhu Cuifeng giggled. “Let me ask you, did you make fun of Hexue?”
She had met Xin Zhiying after work today and happened to learn that the child was losing his baby teeth.
Zhu Cuifeng just explained the reason to Lu Yang, and the boy immediately perked up with happiness. “Great! He doesn’t want to break up with me.”
“I’ll go find him to play tomorrow.”
He said excitedly.
………
Xin Hexue wore a mask all day. When he took it off, there was a mark pressed behind his ears.
Fortunately, the weekend arrived, so he didn’t have to go to kindergarten for the next two days.
He looked in the mirror and opened his mouth. A front upper tooth was missing. The lost tooth had already been buried by Xin Zhiying in the soil under the poplar tree downstairs. Lower teeth thrown upwards, upper teeth thrown downwards. The farther the old tooth is thrown, the faster and better the new tooth can grow.
He was still a bit unaccustomed to licking the empty gum with his tongue.
It seemed he could still taste the metallic taste of blood.
[Don’t lick it, or the new tooth will grow crooked.]
Xin Hexue shuddered, closed his mouth, and didn’t dare lick his gum with his tongue anymore.
K: [You don’t need to wear a mask. Even with a missing tooth, you’re still very beautiful. It doesn’t affect anything.]
Xin Hexue said vaguely, “No way.”
“You’re lying to me. My speech leaks air, how could it possibly look good?”
Because the air felt cool when he spoke, he didn’t want to open his mouth.
His head drooped and no one could cheer him up. Even Zhuang Tongguang watching Calabash Brothers with him didn’t help.
On Saturday morning, a classmate came to find Zhuang Tongguang to play ball on the court. Zhuang Tongguang originally wanted to take his younger brother along, but Xin Hexue said he didn’t want to go out and wanted to read comic books at home.
Zhuang Tongguang had no choice but to go play with his classmate. Before leaving, he said, “I’ll bring you a red bean popsicle when I come back!”
Xin Hexue started to nod, then quickly shook his head. “Big Brother, I don’t want the popsicle. You eat it.”
What if the cold stimulated the gum and the new tooth couldn’t grow?
He drifted back to his room melancholically.
His mood improved a little after reopening the comic book.
The poplar leaves behind the tube-shaped apartment building were glossy green under the sunlight. Summer was lush and vibrant, the brilliant sun turning the residential area into a steamer. If you didn’t turn on the fan, people were like thin-skinned little steamed buns in a steamer basket.
His palms felt warm. Afraid of sweating and dirtying the book, he simply put it aside and stopped reading.
Xin Hexue let out a breath, crawled from the foot of the bed to the head, and followed the fan on the wooden cabinet as it shook its head.
The cool wind carried away the stifling heat clinging to his light blue short-sleeve.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The sound of knocking on the door came in along with Lu Yang’s voice.
“Xin Hexue, open the door. I came to play with you.”
Xin Hexue closed his mouth and even hugged the fan because he was worried that the sound of the fan would reveal that he was at home, but then he reacted and quickly turned it off.
But…
Lu Yang’s ears probably weren’t that sharp?
Maybe he couldn’t even hear the fan in the bedroom, after all, there was still a living room in between.
It seemed quiet outside now.
Xin Hexue breathed a sigh of relief. He must have thought no one was home and left, right?
He turned the fan back on and lay on the bed, which had a bamboo mat laid out, feeling cool and smooth.
“Bang bang!”
The sound was so close it startled Xin Hexue, who was almost drifting off into an afternoon nap.
“Xin Hexue, open the window quickly.”
A lowered voice, like a thief.
Xin Hexue quickly opened the window. The window was a casement window with hinges. As soon as he pushed it open, Lu Yang stepped onto the wooden window frame from the side and then nimbly jumped onto the floor.
“Are you crazy?”
Xin Hexue leaned out the window to look. This was the third floor. If he fell midway, Lu Yang would at least break a leg.
He had actually climbed down along the downpipe!
Lu Yang brushed the dust off his hands, completely indifferent to his shocking feat. He happily took out a bag of waxberries. The bag had been stuffed into the large pocket of his shorts. “Never mind that for now. Look what I found in my fridge…waxberries!”
“Do your parents know you came to find me?”
“They’re at work.”
“Please don’t let your parents know.”
Xin Hexue glanced at the window worriedly. He was afraid that if Auntie Zhu and Uncle Lu found out, Lu Yang would definitely get a taste of the cane.
Skipping that topic, he turned his attention to the waxberries. The bag was still cold; it was clear these waxberries had been taken out of the fridge not long ago. Xin Hexue asked, “Have these waxberries been soaked in salt water?”
“Salt water?”
Seeing Lu Yang’s completely clueless expression, Xin Hexue sighed and took the bag. “Come on, let’s go wash the waxberries.”
………
After removing the small portion that was overly ripe and rotten, they soaked them in salt water and then rinsed them twice under running water.
Xin Hexue shook the fruit basket carefully and let it drain for a while.
They returned home from the bath room, turned on the fan, and switched on the TV. The cartoon’s theme song started playing, “Shuke Shuke Shuke Shuke, Shuke the pilot…”
Xin Hexue picked up a waxberry; the plump fruit was a purplish-red.
“Sour…!”
His face instantly scrunched up.
Only then did he remember his tooth and quickly covered his mouth.
Lu Yang had been watching him all along and, of course, didn’t miss the small action. He said loudly, “Having a missing tooth is also very good-looking!”
Xin Hexue gave him a dissatisfied glance. “You haven’t lost a tooth… huh?”
Lu Yang opened his mouth wide, showing a big gap in his front teeth. “Look at me!”
His silly appearance made Xin Hexue burst out laughing.
K was speechless.
He had been trying to coax him all day without success, but now Lu Yang had made him laugh. The more K looked at Lu Yang’s black hair, the more yellow it seemed.
“Look at me, look at me! Hurry up, tell me, how do I look? Isn’t it cool and handsome?”
Lu Yang pestered Xin Hexue, insisting he look at the gap from his lost tooth, overjoyed.
Xin Hexue laughed at him. “Hmm… not really, kinda silly.”
After saying that, he ran off.
“Wow, Xin Hexue, you!” Lu Yang chased after to catch him. “I even said you look good, you’re so mean.”
Later, Xin Hexue asked how it was such a coincidence they lost teeth one after the other. Lu Yang said one of his front teeth was already loose, so he simply asked his mother to pull it out directly. Good friends should be the same in everything.
Perhaps because the tooth was pulled a few days early, their tooth loss cycles remained surprisingly consistent afterwards.
By the time there were three more teeth on the roof, Xin Hexue was already familiar with the process of losing teeth. Lu Yang came downstairs to their floor every night to brush his teeth together. Xin Hexue had to watch him every day to make sure he brushed seriously, so both their teeth would grow white and even.
The height marks by the door were quietly drawn higher again and again. Finally, it was time to lose the fourth lower tooth.
Zhuang Tongguang carefully tied a white thread around the tooth, holding the other end in his hand. “Ready?”
“Big Brother, don’t ask like that, it makes me so nervous.”
Xin Hexue’s brows were furrowed, his expression troubled. He sat on the chair, nervously grabbing his knee-length shorts, and the blue-and-white breathable cotton fabric was crumpled up.
Lu Yang had already tied the thread to his own tooth by himself in front of the mirror, and was laughing at him arrogantly. “Hahaha, Xin Hexue, you’ve lost so many teeth already, why are you still scared?”
The next second.
“Ow!”
Lu Yang’s howl echoed through the tube-shaped apartment building.
Zhuang Tongguang silently retracted his hand that had just given the white thread a strong pull.
“Big brother, how could you just pull the thread without a word!”
Lu Yang took a cup and gargled, looking disheveled.
Xin Hexue couldn’t help but laugh at Lu Yang’s appearance.
Zhuang Tongguang took advantage of this exact moment and pulled with just the right amount of force.
“Done.”
He held his brother’s old tooth in his palm. “We’ll throw it on the rooftop later.”
“Wuu…” Xin Hexue reacted a beat late and wrapped his arms around Zhuang Tongguang’s neck. “Big Brother.”
Zhuang Tongguang patted his back, very pleased with his younger brother’s cuddling like a spoiled child.
‘Only in an environment where they feel very safe inside will cats soften their attitude and rely on humans.’
K thought with a twinge of emotion.
‘Little pampered cat, little pampered cat.’
Lu Yang’s yelling interrupted their brotherly harmony. “Xin Hexue, don’t be sad about the tooth. Look what I brought?”
“Dang dang dang!”
“‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ comic books!”
Lu Yang introduced excitedly: “A new book rental stall opened behind the elementary school. It has several shelves and will still open during summer vacation too! The boss said ordinary books cost twenty cents to rent once, with a fifty-cent deposit refunded when you return the book.”
“He insisted you had to be in third grade or above to rent books to take home, and you had to leave your affiliated elementary school student ID as collateral. I haggled with him three times! We will be in third grade after the summer vacation, so isn’t it the same?”
Lu Yang always spoke in long strings, with vivid and animated expressions.
Xin Hexue rinsed his mouth and spat out the water tinged with blood. He asked Lu Yang, “You failed the Chinese final last semester. Didn’t Auntie Zhu say she wouldn’t give you pocket money during summer vacation? Where did you get the money?”
The whole set cost seventy cents.
Where did Lu Yang get the pocket money?
“I am very frugal and housekeeping.” Lu Yang made a fist proudly, pointing his thumb at himself, showing off his little trick. “There’s a scrap collection station near the east gate. I poured out half a bottle of wine from home; it’s been two months and it still wasn’t finished, so it must be expired. I took the unwanted wine bottle there, and they gave me one yuan and fifty cents for scrap recycling!”
A considerable fortune.
“Come on, come with me to the convenience store later. I’ll treat you to a Snowman popsicle.”
Lu Yang said generously.
But…
Didn’t the book say that if wine is sealed well, it can still be drunk for two years?
Xin Hexue thought confusedly.
As night fell, not long after the kitchen had quieted down, the fifth floor of the tube-shaped apartment building exploded into an uproar. Neighbors on both sides leaned out with their rice bowls to watch the excitement. Grandparents enjoying the cool breeze downstairs also looked up while fanning themselves.
Lu Guoxing, who was always good-tempered, roared, “Lu Yang, where is your old man’s Maotai?!”
