[02/27, 07:31, Qitian Hotel, Nanyi City]
Xiao Shitou had stayed with Lin Heyu for the whole night and was unwilling to leave the next day. Sitting on the bed, he looked up at him with a small, pitiful face: “I want to stay here, don’t make me leave.”
“…” Lin Heyu patiently explained, “It’s not that I want you to leave, but you must go back to Zhizhi. Today is an important mission, and I can’t take care of you.”
“You guys go ahead, I’m fine on my own.”
No matter how capable Xiao Shitou was, he was still a child in Lin Heyu’s ’s eyes. It was impossible to leave him at the hotel, and taking him to the police station was impractical. Lin Heyu was puzzled as to why, even though there was a suitable place for him, he just wouldn’t agree to go.
“I don’t want to leave…” Xiao Shitou pouted, his face ready to cry, as if tears were about to fall.
“Oh, it’s really heartbreaking to see,” Yuan Maoqiu, who was buttoning his shirt, said casually, “Why make a fuss? Just leave him in the lounge. Uncle Sheng definitely won’t mind…”
Lin Heyu shot a glare, and Yuan Maoqiu immediately fell silent, continuing to be a background character. Xiao Shitou, cross-legged on the bed, tried his best to stay one more day. Lin Heyu issued an ultimatum: if he continued to act up, Lin Zhizhi would send him back to Haijing directly.
With this trump card, Xiao Shitou finally quieted down, not making a fuss and quietly huddling in the corner. Lin Heyu called his sister, agreed on a time, and after breakfast, sent Xiao Shitou back to the apartment. Lin Zhizhi yawned: “He’s back? He’s so clingy, he must be feeling down.”
“I have work.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You become so impersonal when talking about work. When I was in high school, you were still at the station, and whenever I came to find you, I was sent back.” Lin Zhizhi rested her chin on her hand, “What could I do? I could only stay at home for a whole summer, waiting for you to come home early and leave late every day.”
At that time, their mother was very ill. Lin Heyu brought his sister to the city to live. Sometimes, when he had to work late, Lin Zhizhi had to manage all three meals herself. At the end of the summer, Lin Heyu was surprised to find his sister could cook, even though it was only a few simple home-cooked dishes. They were passable in appearance and taste, which made him feel a sense of guilt.
Compared to the delicate Lin Zhizhi who seemed like a flower bud, Xiao Shitou was much tougher and more astute, often making it hard for people to handle him. Lin Heyu glanced at the seemingly obedient child and quietly instructed: “You must keep an eye on him. Don’t let him wander off. I’ll visit him if I have time.”
“Wow, that’s quite a challenge. You don’t know, he can hint at me several times a day, specifically asking when he can see you.”
“Find a way to distract him,” Lin Heyu said.
“Then I’ll take him shopping, eating, and playing. You’ll reimburse me!” Lin Zhizhi rested her chin on her hand. “Bro, why does Xiao Shitou like you so much?”
“…” Lin Heyu said seriously, “Don’t talk nonsense. He’s still young.”
Huh? Lin Zhizhi was puzzled. What was wrong with saying Xiao Shitou liked to be with Lin He? What did being young have to do with it?
When she saw Xiao Shitou, Lin Zhizhi realized how downcast the child was. She bent down, smiling as she stroked Xiao Shitou’s black hair: “Hey, little handsome, Auntie will take you out to play today, okay?”
Xiao Shitou shook his head, not wanting to go anywhere, his heart not in it. Lin Zhizhi ignored this and, her role being to distract him, took his hand and suddenly started running: “Let’s go! We’re going to a super fun place!”
“Auntie… I don’t want to go…” Xiao Shitou’s weak protest was lost in the wind.
It turned out that a designer’s idea was always unconventional. Her so-called “super fun” place turned out to be—a hospital-themed haunted house. This haunted house was located in the Pingju Plaza in the city center, next to an escape room. Unfortunately, there was an age limit for the escape room, requiring participants to be over 12 years old. Unlike the haunted house, those under 16 could enter with an adult.
Lin Zhizhi supported Xiao Shitou’s shoulders and whispered in his ear: “L-i-t-t-l-e S-t-o-n-e, a-r-e y-o-u a-f-r-a-i-d o-f g-h-o-s-t-s~”
“…” Xiao Shitou was confused but still politely nodded, “Afraid.”
Lin Zhizhi smiled, her eyes curving, and held his hand tightly: “Then you have to hold Auntie’s hand tightly! It’s okay if you’re scared, just hide behind me.”
Ten minutes later.
“Ah, ah, Silent Hill! Silent Hill!” Lin Zhizhi clung to Xiao Shitou, desperately pressing against the wall. A door opposite them opened a crack, revealing a hand wrapped in bandages, followed by half a body, with varying shades of blood staining a pristine nurse’s dress.
The bandaged nurse twisted her body, walking step by step, with screams echoing in the corridor. Xiao Shitou remained expressionless, looking up at the staff dressed as ghosts, and softly reminded, “Your hat is crooked.”
The bandaged nurse instinctively raised her hand to adjust it, realizing that this little kid wasn’t scared enough to wet his pants, and immediately let out an even more ferocious scare: “Hee-haw!”
“Ah!!!” Lin Zhizhi screamed louder, grabbing Xiao Shitou and running through the narrow hospital corridor.
“Truly impressive, it’s really terrifying!” Lin Zhizhi hugged Xiao Shitou tightly, burying her face in his shoulder, “Wuwu Xiao Shitou, don’t be scared, Auntie will protect you!”
“…” Xiao Shitou sighed deeply, feeling extremely conflicted.
It seemed that the characteristics of girls were universal. He had thought only little girls the size of Gardenia would scream and shout at horror movies, but Lin Zhizhi perfectly replicated that behavior.
The haunted house wasn’t very long. Accompanied by the intermittent screams, they finally reached the exit. Lin Zhizhi wiped the tears scared out of her eyes and complained, “It’s so terrifying that my eyeliner is almost smudged. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come here to play.”
…? Who was the one who was so enthusiastic at first, describing it as “super fun”?
The other visitors behind them were also scared half to death, including several tall and strong adult men. Only Xiao Shitou stood aside with no reaction, his little face remaining cool throughout. Lin Zhizhi tossed aside a tissue and pinched his face: “You tricked me; you weren’t scared at all!”
“… Scared.” Your screams scared me. Several times, Xiao Shitou had already noticed those strange things when entering a room but remained silent until Lin Zhizhi or other visitors saw them, causing them to start their sonic attacks, startling him.
In his eyes, the blood-splattered walls were artificial illusions, and he felt not the slightest ripple inside. The eerie, supernatural world he had stepped into that day truly made him shudder.
“However, I’m still quite happy. My brother is so busy, he almost never accompanies me to the haunted house.” Lin Zhizhi cupped Xiao Shitou’s face, looking into his eyes with a gentle expression, “You’re just like him, always serious and not smiling. I’ll consider this as having come with him.”
From the depths of Lin Zhizhi’s dark brown eyes, Xiao Shitou sensed a long-accumulated loneliness. He was silent for a few seconds, placing his small hand on her hand: “Do you want to play more? I’ll accompany you.”
“Of course! We’ll play a lot more. Let’s go, Auntie will take you to grab stuffed toys, buy clothes, and buy toys! Anyway, my brother will reimburse us today…”
By the time they left Pingju Plaza, both of them had their hands full with bags, returning with a bounty. Xiao Shitou was holding a large Bulbasaur stuffed toy (they couldn’t catch it, so they had to buy one), while Lin Zhizhi carried several sets of new clothes and daily necessities, along with a box of puzzles, a full thousand pieces, and it was a post-impressionist oil painting of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.”
“I really admire you, an oil painting?! A thousand pieces?! I can’t even finish a 500-piece one!” Lin Zhizhi sighed, “In my memory, I haven’t finished a single box; they’re all piled up in boxes gathering dust.”
Xiao Shitou smiled but said nothing. He often found discarded old puzzles while rummaging through trash, and took them back to complete with Gardenia, but never succeeded in completing a single one. It wasn’t due to a lack of patience but because the puzzles found were always incomplete and couldn’t make a whole picture.
Their meager change had to sustain their livelihood, so how could they afford a brand-new puzzle?
In the toy store with its dazzling array, he showed no interest in cars, dinosaurs, or toy guns, instead picking out a box of puzzles, hoping that when Gardenia returned, he could complete it with her.
On the way, they encountered Lin Zhizhi’s colleagues. They briefly chatted about the designs in hand. A colleague noticed Xiao Shitou and asked, “Zhizhi, is this your nephew or niece?”
“Neither,” Lin Zhizhi hugged Xiao Shitou, her face close to his with her eyes crinkled in a smile, “He’s my son. Isn’t he good-looking? He’ll definitely be very handsome when he grows up!”
“Ha ha, yes! The young man’s eyebrows and eyes are really handsome!” The colleague winked, “A handsome boy would definitely look good in women’s clothes too.”
“Ah! You reminded me! I must try it out if there’s a chance in the future!”
“Ho ho ho, remember to take pictures and show me~”
“Then I need to buy a new mirrorless camera to capture the beautiful boy!”
Xiao Shitou was sweating and silently stepped back, wondering what kind of peculiar hobbies these big sisters had.
Turning a corner led them to a pedestrian street. Their pace slowed as Lin Zhizhi used her phone to choose a lunch spot. Passing by a café, Xiao Shitou stopped, attracted by a large sunflower oil painting.
He looked down at the puzzle in the bag and compared it to the sunflower on the cover, confirming they were the same picture. However, its colors were not as bright, and the canvas border was yellowed, seeming to have been hanging in the café for a long time.
Sunlight hit the oil painting, and oddly, the center of a sunflower on the right side produced a strange reflection. What was that? Was something stuck to the painting?
Xiao Shitou stood outside the glass wall, staring intently. Lin Zhizhi looked up at the sign, the passage of time, and the gentle flow of the years—a very poetic name.
“Do you want to eat here? Then let’s go in.”
Lin Zhizhi pushed the door open, and Xiao Shitou followed. As he stepped into the shop, the outside light changed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was afternoon. The clock on the wall showed 1:10 PM.
The décor inside was also different from before. The stairs were a different color, and the place that was once covered with numerous small notes had become a smooth mirror. In the mirror, by the window, sat a young man.
He stood up and walked towards them. As the distance between them shrank, Xiao Shitou turned around and saw the man’s face. His overly handsome features were highly recognizable, his skin was pale to the point of being translucent, and his hair was as dark as ink. The whole person had distinct colors, with only his gray-pink lips carrying a hint of warmth.
A flash of realization struck him—this was the person he had seen with Lin Heyu at the Southern Cheng’an Cemetery that day.
There was no time to panic; the man had already stood behind him, looking at the young face in the mirror, placing a hand on Xiao Shitou’s head, and softly said, “I’ve found you.”
—
In the Time Flows Café, Xiao Shitou, invited by the stranger, sat by the window with the man, their shadows cast by the southwest sunlight, bright and gentle.
Xiao Shitou was actually nervous inside. Lin Zhizhi was nowhere to be found, and everything in the shop was vastly different from what he had seen outside the glass. From the staff and customers to the furnishings and decorations, the sunflower painting opposite was in full bloom under the sunlight, with vibrant and intense colors that brightened the entire little space.
“That was my choice,” the man said with a faint smile.
Xiao Shitou cautiously asked, “Are you the owner of this café?”
The man shook his head, explaining that it was just a coincidence; he had helped out a little here. Xiao Shitou lowered his head, his mind filled with questions: Who is he? Why is he talking to me? The familiar and comforting tone upon their first meeting seemed as if he had been waiting here for a long time.
“Don’t be nervous; let’s have a drink and chat slowly.” He took out his phone to scan the code for ordering. Xiao Shitou remained on guard, looking around and shrinking into his chair.
There were only two or three customers on the first floor, and the remaining were two staff members walking up and down. Clearly, the café was full of customers when they were outside, but it had undergone a dramatic change the moment they stepped in.
He turned his head, noticing diagonally opposite was the iconic large diamond and fountain of Pingju Plaza. Scanning the first-floor storefront, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he dashed to the glass.
The circular mall’s first-floor specialty brands were entirely different from before. It wasn’t a mistake on his part; it was that the sports brand store Lin Zhizhi had taken him to had now become a digital comprehensive counter.
Xiao Shitou abruptly turned back to the man: “You, you—”
The man’s reaction was calm, smiling: “Once we finish talking, I’ll take you back.”
Back? Back where? Xiao Shitou’s hands and feet grew cold. Compared to the blood-spattered horror hospital, this café seemed like an inexplicable haunted house.
The man had already chosen the drinks. Xiao Shitou peeked: “I don’t drink…”
“You don’t drink soda.”
“You know?”
“Hmm.”
After a while, the staff came to deliver the drinks: a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice and hot cocoa.
The man picked up the orange juice, naturally placing the hot cocoa in front of Xiao Shitou, emitting an enticing aroma. Xiao Shitou frowned, too lazy to even disguise his dislike; he didn’t like the cloying sweetness.
Unexpectedly, the man said, “The road ahead will be difficult and bitter, and you’ll understand how precious this cocoa is.”
Bitter?
The fragrant steam rising from the cup attracted the boy’s attention but couldn’t mask the light sarcasm in his dark eyes. In his short life, he had never seen real sunlight, and the bitterness held on his tongue was something no amount of hot cocoa could wash away.
So what’s precious about it? Without tasting the sweetness of the world, one wouldn’t fantasize about possessing it.
