4

The dumplings sat cold on the table, the curtains drawn, the room shrouded in a tranquil blue. Shentu Hai lay on the bed, her hands stretched toward the ceiling, her cheek pressed against her arms. It felt as if her arms could stretch infinitely, grasping the ceiling, curling it up like a wad of waste paper and tossing it into the trash can. Her hands were white, her fingers slender like spiders. Wei Yuling had once grasped her palm, measured her fingers, and said she was suited to playing the piano.

Wei Yuling's fingers were thin, and there was a small brown mole on the back of her left hand, near the base of her thumb. Every time Shentu Hai drank a granulated drink or painted, he would think of it. It had been like this for a long time. She loved being outdoors in the sun, her skin tanned to a wheatish hue. She was about the same height as Shentu Hai, with an oval face, almond-shaped eyes with long eyelashes, a small hump on her nose, and thin lips—in fact, her entire body was very thin. When she was sunbathing outside the classroom, if the wind blew, she would always seem to be shaking and struggling in the wind like a ribbon, then being blown up into the sky. At this time, Shentu Hai would shout her name, wave at her, call her back, and grab her arm. The wind made her thin arm cold, as if it was pinching directly on the bone. His fingertips pressed on his pulse, beating it, proving that she was still alive. At this time, Wei Yuling would smile at her.

Wei Yuling has good grades and her goal is to go to college in another city, the farther the better. She has already figured out how to earn a living, doing odd jobs in her spare time.

For a long time, Shentu Hai dreaded waking up one morning to read about Wei Yuling's death on the news. Everyone in his class knew Wei Yuling came from a single-parent family with an abusive father. Her mother, unable to tolerate the abuse, ran away when she was young, leaving her with an alcoholic father. While drunk, it would have been better if he'd passed out, drowning in his own vomit, which would have been beneficial to others. But he still had the strength to pull out his belt, kick his daughter to the ground, and then step on her, whipping her repeatedly until blood marks appeared. Only then, as if finally relieving himself, would he kick her over before leaving, hoping to see if there was any resentment in her eyes. He was shrewd, knowing that beating her during the day or evening would make the neighbors hear his daughter's cries. So, he chose the middle of the night, when the neighbors were asleep, stuffed a rag in his daughter's mouth, and whipped her, as if she were just an animal for him to vent his frustrations. He said she was drunk, but he was also very careful not to whip any exposed skin, lest they be seen at school.

Shentu Hai didn't know about this at first, and Wei Yuling never mentioned it. She always looked normal when she came to school every day. During a physical education class, after exercise, the teacher let the students have free time, and they sneaked to the canteen to buy ice cream. Wei Yuling's milk ice cream melted quickly and dripped onto her clothes. Shentu Hai pointed at it, and when she looked down, she suddenly stopped, as if she had seen a flood or a monster. She raised her hand to wipe it, but it left a light yellow mark on the pure white school uniform. Her face changed suddenly, and she ran to the sink, turned on the faucet, and pulled up the hem of her clothes to wash it. Shentu Hai took the half-eaten milk ice cream for her. The June sun was scorching, and the ice cream melted on her hand, dripping onto the concrete floor and into Wei Yuling's shadow. Shentu Hai said that the ice cream would be clean if she rinsed it with water. At first, she thought Wei Yuling was just very clean. Until he walked in and saw the girl's waist, which had been accidentally exposed. The sun twisted like a snake clinging to her skin. Shen Tuhai grabbed her hand and asked her what was wrong. Wei Yuling said nothing, just pushed the hem of her dress down to cover her body. She lowered her head and was silent for a long time. She said, "The ice cream is almost melted, so let's throw it away."

They were deskmates, fairly attentive in class, but they couldn't help but poke and prod at each other. Shentu Hai drew angry teachers, dozing classmates, and messy desks, showing each drawing to Wei Yuling, who would find time to leave a string of small comments on it. During breaks, they had many topics to talk about, always something new to share with each other. Family was always a topic of conversation. Shentu Hai lived with the elderly and didn't talk about her parents, but Wei Yuling once told her about her father's kindness, as if he was the best person in the world.

Later, Shentu Hai thought about this matter and felt that the other party was probably describing an imaginary father.

They hardly spoke a word that afternoon. Shentu Hai was still digesting the injuries on Wei Yuling's body, while Wei Yuling buried his head in his books, as if it was the most important thing in the world. He put pen to paper, wrote down the answers, and underlined the key points. Even though he had reviewed them countless times and had memorized them by heart, they were still more important than the injuries on his body and the silent friend beside him.

After school, they walked one after the other. The setting sun lengthened Wei Yuling's shadow, covering Shentu Hai, like a long noodle, drooping softly. She only needed to stretch out her hand, gather the left and right sides together, and roll them into a ball, then she could put Wei Yuling in her pocket and take him home.

Passing the river, Shentu Hai stopped. After crossing the bridge and crossing two streets, they stopped at the door of the milk tea shop they often went to. Shentu Hai turned left and Wei Yuling turned right. At the end of the road was Wei Yuling's residential complex, which only took less than ten minutes to walk.

Wei Yuling noticed that she didn't follow him, so he stopped and stared at the pillars on the bridge, as if he saw them for the first time.

Shentu Hai asked her, did your father beat you?

Wei Yuling was silent, just kept looking at the watch, her whole body was tense, as if someone had poured glue all over her body from the head, and now it was dry. Shentu Hai told her not to go home, Wei Yuling didn't say anything, and walked forward, Shentu Hai rushed up to hold her. At this time, Wei Yuling suddenly became very strong, and almost shook her off fiercely. Shentu Hai seemed to be hit, tears fell first, and said, come to my house, come to my house tonight! Wei Yuling said, I can't live in your house forever. Shentu Hai said, you can. She believed that this was possible, and her grandmother would not refuse. Her grandmother was a very good person. She raised her, a child abandoned by her parents, even though her parents did not give her a penny. Her grandmother felt sorry for her and wanted to find a job after retirement. She always counted her savings and wanted to save more money for her.

Wei Yuling said, "Don't let him know where you live, understand?" She turned around, a determined expression on her face. "In one year, I can leave here." Just one year. Shentu Hai crouched down, her face buried in her arms. Her friend, thin as a sheet, sat outside whenever she could, even under an umbrella in the rain. She knew nothing.

Wei Yuling returned, squatted down in front of her, gently pinched her arm, told her not to cry, and told her that soon they could choose the same university and they would be together forever. She would work part-time to pay her own tuition and rent a small room near the school during the summer vacation so that she wouldn't have to go anywhere. She was happy to share half of Shentu Hai's bed.

Wei Yuling's voice was gentle, and the sunlight shone on her face, making it golden, and her eyes were also golden. Shentu Hai raised her head and saw her hand resting on his arm, and the small brown mole on her face was also golden. So she believed that their future would also be golden.

However, less than a month later, Wei Yuling disappeared, and Shentu Hai never found her again.