The studio’s light clicked on. Just as Yu Biaoge took his bag off his back and looked up, he was startled to see two people sitting in front of him. He exclaimed, “Holy crap! Why didn’t you turn on the lights when you came in?”

Zhong Qi and Yu Chaole sat amidst the instruments and wires scattered around the room, each on a stool, with serious expressions, looking like two debt collectors. Yu Biaoge, bewildered, said, “What are you two doing here? Hey Zhong Qi, what happened to your arm? Why is it wrapped in such a big bandage?”

“I fell,” Zhong Qi replied succinctly. “Brother Yu, I need to ask you for a favor.”

“Go ahead.”

Zhong Qi glanced at Yu Chaole, who immediately jumped up and rushed to his brother, hugging him. “Bro! You’re a great person, kind-hearted, honest, always ready to help the oppressed, valiant and chivalrous, gallant and just… umm…”

Yu Biaoge covered his brother’s mouth and pushed him aside. “Get to the point.”

Zhong Qi gestured for him to sit down. The three of them sat facing each other. Zhong Qi began, “Brother Yu, I want to bring a student to your studio to learn guitar.”

Yu Biaoge, puzzled, said, “Bring someone? Don’t I already have enough students to teach? Why are you two making such a big deal out of this?”

“This student is a bit special,” Zhong Qi explained seriously. “She’s a child with Down syndrome, and is very young.”

“Down syndrome…” Yu Biaoge pondered for a moment. “You mean those kids who aren’t very smart and look a bit clumsy?”

“Yes.”

 “Well, Zhong Qi, learning guitar also depends on talent. Can a kid who can’t even speak clearly–”

“She has talent.” Zhong Qi took out his phone from his pocket and showed Yu Biaoge a few short videos he had recorded of Lin Wanyue playing the guitar. “This is her. She has a natural affinity for musical instruments. I taught her a little guitar before. Although she reads and writes slowly, whenever I play simple tunes, she can follow along and play them. Look at her posture, finger placements, and sense of rhythm.”

Yu Biaoge watched the videos repeatedly, rubbing his chin in thought. “Hmm, she seems quite skillful. Did you teach her?”

“I didn’t really teach her. I sat beside her and played, and she learned by watching.”

Yu Biaoge flipped through the videos on the phone several times. Beside him, Yu Chaole kept persuading. “Look, brother, this little girl is so young, has Down Syndrome, and yet plays the guitar so well. She must have talent, right? Maybe teaching her won’t be more difficult than teaching regular kids. I heard from our brother that this little girl is also well-behaved and quiet. When others play the guitar, she squats beside them, concentrating hard. She learns just by watching, without causing any trouble.”

“That’s quite remarkable.”

“Right? If we really manage to train a Down Syndrome kid to play the guitar in our studio, it would be such a good advertisement for us–”

“Okay, okay, enough talk.” Yu Biaoge chuckled, pushing his brother aside. After a moment’s consideration, he made up his mind and waved his hand decisively. “Bring her this weekend. I’ll see if I can teach her, and if I can, she’ll be one of my disciples.”

Zhong Qi said, “Brother Yu, you can’t teach her yourself.”

Yu Biaoge: “??”

“She needs a female teacher, someone gentler. She’s afraid of men.”

Yu Biaoge replied, “Got it.”

“Not this again, why so many demands?”

“Oh come on, brother! Please, you’re the best. After all, this little girl is different from other kids, so just help out, okay?”

After being pestered by his troublesome younger brother for a while, Yu Biaoge finally reluctantly agreed to help them find a female teacher. Zhong Qi then discussed the tuition fees with him. Teaching Lin Wanyue would cost slightly more than teaching an ordinary child. 

Zhong Qi exported a memo from his phone and passed it to him, saying, “Yu Ge, I’ll cover half of this girl’s tuition fee. When her mother brings her over, please tell her to only pay half. Arrange for her to have classes over the weekend for two days, preferably with the teacher accompanying her all the time, and don’t let others crowd around her. If there’s nothing to do, she can stay in the studio. Her mother is busy with work and may not always be able to pick her up on time. Make sure no men come to play with her; she’s usually good-tempered, but if she’s scared, she’ll keep screaming…”

Yu Biaoge stared at Zhong Qi, then glanced at his brother, Yu Chaole, who smiled ingratiatingly and patted his arm.

“You’re not finding her a teacher. You’re setting up a weekend care center.”

“I’ll add some more money.”

Yu Biaoge raised his hand. “Money isn’t the issue. I’m just curious, when did you start caring so much about this sister?”

Yu Chaole interjected, “She’s his classmate’s sister.”

Yu Biaoge looked suspicious. “I think she’s your wife’s sister.”

Silence. 

Zhong Qi and Yu Biaoge locked eyes for a few seconds before Zhong Qi said, “Yes.”

“Aha! I knew it!” Yu Biaoge slapped his thigh and burst into laughter. Upon hearing the truth, he immediately became more accommodating. “I always thought you were indifferent and didn’t care about anything, but suddenly you’re taking care of everything so meticulously. Alright! You’re so young and already looking after your wife’s little sister, that’s responsibility! Leave this to me, Brother Yu, I’ll make sure to take good care of your little sister-in-law.”

Zhong Qi finally breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and lightly bumped his fist with Yu Biaoge’s. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

After Zhong Qi left, Yu Biaoge put his arm around his brother’s shoulder, gossiping, “Hey, what does Zhong Qi’s girlfriend look like? Look at how smitten he is, even rushing to pay her tuition.”

Yu Chaole hemmed and hawed for a while, looking embarrassed. “He… he told me it’s a guy…”

The brothers stood at the door of the studio, looking at each other in astonishment, each revealing an expression of discovering a new world.

On his way back to the hospital, Zhong Qi bought a bag of fruits downstairs. Just as he arrived at Lin Shiyu’s ward, he could hear a commotion inside, knowing that Mao Silu and the others were here again. He pushed the door open directly.

He saw Lin Shiyu eating sour and spicy noodles.

As soon as he pushed open the door, the room quieted down. Lin Shiyu was so scared that he spit the noodles back into the bowl. Mao Silu, who brought him the noodles, stiffened and didn’t dare to move, while Gao Jie and Ruan Zhikai pretended to look around.

Zhong Qi tossed the bag onto the table, and the fruits rolled noisily. The other four shrank their shoulders, silent as cicadas in winter.

“Who bought this for him?”

Gao Jie and Ruan Zhikai immediately pointed at Mao Silu. Mao Silu explained cautiously, “Shiyu said he wanted to eat–”

“Just because he wanted it, you bought it for him?”

Mao Silu immediately lowered her head in apology. “Sorry, I won’t do it again.”

Lin Shiyu, on the side, his mouth greasy from eating, tried to clean it with his sleeve but couldn’t quite get it all off, so he quickly lowered his head to wipe it clean. Zhong Qi said coldly, “Lin Shiyu, don’t wipe your mouth with your sleeve.”

“…” Lin Shiyu reluctantly put down his sleeve, drooping his head without saying a word.

Zhong Qi glanced at them, like the Grand Secretary of Punishments. “Throw away the noodles.”

The other three breathed a sigh of relief as they picked up the leftover sour and spicy noodles and hurriedly squashed them into a ball before running away, leaving Lin Shiyu alone, his scalp tingling as he waited to be punished.

Zhong Qi looked down at him. “Next time, are you planning to have a hotpot party directly in the ward without telling me?”

Lin Shiyu mumbled, “Eating bland food every day makes my mouth taste nothing.”

“You’re not dizzy anymore, and your feet can walk, right?”

Lin Shiyu could only give up and lower his head, bored, lying on the bed, peeling oranges. Since he had woken up, his mother and Zhong Qi had kept him under close watch, not letting him touch anything salty, spicy, or stimulating. Finally, when Zhong Qi wasn’t around, he secretly asked Mao Silu to bring him a bowl of sour and spicy noodles, but before he could finish eating, it was confiscated.

Life was so boring. Lin Shiyu peeled half of an orange out of boredom, and when he saw Zhong Qi sitting beside him, he reluctantly handed the other half to him.

“You’re still throwing tantrums,” Zhong Qi pinched his cheek. “Are you ignoring what the doctor said?”

“You won’t let me eat, you won’t let me move, you won’t even let me play with my phone,” Lin Shiyu kicked the blanket with his uninjured leg in frustration. “It’s annoying.”

“I’m here to chat with you, aren’t I?”

 Lin Shiyu glanced at him and asked, “What did you do this morning?”

“I had some things to do at home.”

“You’re still wearing bandages, don’t run around by yourself.”

Zhong Qi smiled and threatened, pinching his chin. “Take care of yourself.”

“Don’t pinch me…”

After teasing each other for a while, Zhong Qi got up and prepared to go back to his own ward for a check-up. As soon as he closed the door after leaving the ward, Lin Shiyu’s mother, Lin Hui, hurried over with a bag in her hand. When the two met, Lin Hui rushed over to support him. “Young Zhong, why did you come over again? Your bandages haven’t been removed yet, don’t run around randomly.”

Zhong Qi quickly put on a gentle and polite expression. “It’s alright, Aunt Lin. It’s just my shoulder that’s injured, my legs are fine.”

“Sigh, these days you’ve been so troubled coming over to take care of little Shiyu, even though you’re also a patient…”

“It’s okay, you’re busy, little Shiyu has classmates and teachers from school coming to see him.” Zhong Qi and Lin Hui exchanged a few polite words, then he took the initiative. “Actually, Aunt Lin, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

They sat down in the lounge area. Zhong Qi proceeded to tell Lin Hui about finding a guitar teacher for Lin Wanyue. Lin Hui listened, partly happy and partly worried. “That’s great, the tuition fee isn’t too expensive… I just don’t know if this young teacher would be willing to teach our little Wanyue, after all, she…”

“I showed them videos of little Wanyue playing guitar, and they said this child has talent and they can teach her.”

“Oh, really?” Lin Hui smiled happily. “They both have a natural talent in music. Little Wanyue loves playing the guitar, and little Shiyu sings so well. He often sings to coax his sister to sleep, and she enjoys listening.”

“Yes, I’ve heard him sing, very nice.”

“You’ve heard Little Shiyu sing?” Lin Hui was somewhat surprised, then resumed her gentle demeanor, looking down with a warm tone. “Little Shiyu really likes you.”

They sat in silence for a while. Suddenly, Zhong Qi said, “Aunt Lin, there’s another thing I’d like to get your approval on.”

“What do I need to approve or disapprove of?”

Zhong Qi calmly continued, “Well, Aunt Lin, I’ve rented a studio apartment inside the school now and will continue to live there until the end of my senior year. I was thinking, after Little Shiyu is discharged from the hospital, would it be alright for him to move in with me?”

Lin Hui was stunned for a moment. “Ah… move in… this… isn’t it inappropriate?”

“Aunt Lin, as you’ve seen, Little Shiyu’s leg will need a long time to fully heal, but after leaving the hospital, he still needs to go back to school. Otherwise, he’ll quickly fall behind in his studies. His home is so far from the school, with buses and subways to navigate, and now we have evening self-study sessions and sometimes weekend self-study at school. You usually have work and can’t possibly pick him up every day, and he can’t walk that far every day alone.”

Lin Hui felt somewhat embarrassed. “Yes, it’s really too far.”

Zhong Qi continued, “The rented apartment I live in is inside the school, surrounded by teachers and students, quiet and safe. Little Shiyu and I are in the same class and sit together, and Mao Silu and the others are also in the same class. We all go to school together and back, taking care of each other.”

“Yes, what you’re saying makes sense. I have to work during the day, take care of little Wanyue, and now Little Shiyu is injured like this, I definitely can’t take care of him well…”

“Aunt Lin, that’s not what I meant.” Zhong Qi patiently explained. “You’ve been coming to accompany Little Shiyu every day recently, going home to take care of your daughter, going to work, and going to the police station. Aunt, you’re working so hard alone. Little Shiyu and I are friends, letting him come and live with me is just about having an extra toothbrush and chopsticks. It’s no burden on me at all. This way, you can relax a bit, and I’ll have someone to accompany me. It’s good.”

“I understand, I understand, I’m just so happy.” Lin Hui smiled, her eyes slightly red. “I really didn’t expect Little Shiyu to make such good friends like you guys. Little Shiyu has a bad temper, always keeping to himself, but I can’t blame him. His father… well, forget it, let’s not talk about these things. I’m really happy that you can help him like this; you’re all good kids. After little Shiyu met you, he’s become more lively than before, going out to play on weekends, it’s really good…”

Lin Hui rambled on for a while, realizing she had said too much emotionally, and hurriedly stopped herself. “Why did I stray so far? Come here, Zhong Qi, I just withdrew some cash, take this.”

Zhong Qi quickly held her bag down. “There’s no need, Auntie.”

“You need it; rent in the school area must not be cheap. Consider this as Little Shiyu’s rent for living with you. I’ll transfer you money every month–”

“Aunt Lin, please don’t worry.” Zhong Qi said. “I still need to discuss this with Little Shiyu. How about this, if he agrees to move in with me, you can just give the money to him, let him share it with me.”

After persuading Lin Hui for a while and repeatedly assuring her that he wouldn’t let Lin Shiyu freeload, Zhong Qi finally managed to get Lin Hui to take the money back. They didn’t chat for too long; Zhong Qi then went back to his ward for a check-up. Lin Hui returned to Lin Shiyu’s ward, standing at the door lost in thought for a while before finally exhaling deeply and pushing the door open.

Lin Shiyu was leaning over the small table, cutting apple slices for himself to eat. Hearing her, he looked over. “Mom, why are you here so early?”

Lin Hui walked over, took the knife and helped him slice, saying, “I finished work early to see you. Later, I’ll go pick up Little Wanyue from school.”

“If you’re busy, don’t keep running around. I’m fine now, you don’t need to come see me every day.”

“Fine? With such a big bandage on your head.”

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Watching him eat the apple slices with a good appetite, Lin Hui smiled gently.

“Mom, has Wu Xiang tried to contact you again?”

“He’s still locked up at the police station, what’s there to contact?” Lin Hui brought up the matter, felt sad, and couldn’t help but mention Lin Shiyu again. “You’re just a child, going to find him…”

Lin Shiyu heard it so many times that he almost got calluses on his ears. He muttered quietly, “I know, I won’t look for him again.”

Lin Hui touched his bandaged arm with concern and reminded him again, “Never go to find him again. I promise you, I won’t give him any more money and will handle this matter. You don’t need to worry about it, understand?”

Lin Shiyu mumbled an “mm” while eating an apple, not making it clear if he really agreed. Lin Hui looked at him, hesitated, and then cautiously called his name. “Little Shiyu.”

“Mm?”

“You and Little Zhong… have a good relationship, right?”

Lin Shiyu was about to nod when he suddenly realized something and stopped eating to look at her. Lin Hui quickly explained, feeling a bit flustered, “No, no, I mean, you two care a lot about each other, you must be good friends.”

The mother and son sat on the bed, looking down, creating an awkward atmosphere. Lin Shiyu stared at the small table, his fingers turning white from gripping it underneath. Lin Hui clutched her bag, not knowing what to do, and feeling somewhat helpless.

“Little Shiyu, I’m not saying anything bad, don’t misunderstand me.” Lin Hui gently touched her son’s tense hand and softened her voice as much as she could. “Mom just wants you to be healthy and happy. You are a good kid, no matter what job you choose in the future, or what kind of partner you choose, as long as you like it and are happy. Okay?”

Lin Shiyu seemed too nervous to speak for a while. Lin Hui continued, “You and Zhong Qi… both of you are good kids, and I like Zhong Qi too. He’s handsome, has good grades, and takes care of you. Such a good kid…”

After a long silence, Lin Shiyu finally spoke. “Mom, are you not angry?”

“Why would I be angry? If you like him, then I like him too.” Lin Hui smiled and touched his face. “As long as you are well, I am happy.”

She indeed felt lost and confused, pondering these past few days how things turned out this way.

She feared her child would be misunderstood and gossiped about in the future, and blamed herself for not caring enough. She wondered if she should pull him back and forbid him from going down this path.

Then she would see the scars on Lin Shiyu and they made her heart ache. They were not a happy family, which made her son so reclusive and irritable at a young age, never experiencing pure happiness. She knew she often did things wrong and made mistakes, causing her child to bear burdens he shouldn’t have.

She just hoped that the reliance and joy she couldn’t provide would be given to him by someone kind and sincere, regardless of their wealth or even gender. As long as Lin Shiyu liked it, she would learn to accept it.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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