The one who untied the bell and the one who tied it (1)

After the curtain of the virtual world fell, Zhao Shihua vaguely saw a scene from his childhood.

In elementary school, spring and autumn outings were probably the most anticipated group activities, aside from spring cleaning. Zhao Shihua would often start preparing snacks and planning her outfit days in advance. On the day of the outing, she would even wake up earlier than her alarm clock, devour her breakfast in one gulp, and run to school, as if even a second late would diminish her joy.

I remember our spring outing in second grade, which took us to a park with an amusement park. Even though most of my classmates had been there at least ten times—after all, the city's children's entertainment facilities could be counted on one hand, and local kids had at least been there at least once—going to those places with the whole class was like having an extra set of eyes and ears. Everything I once knew became a new experience. The seesaw was no longer controlled by an adult, the swings required self-mastery, and even if the wooden suspension bridge wobbled, I couldn't walk slowly because I was being chased...

Amidst the teacher's relentless barrage of "Slow down!" and "Be careful!", the children were as mischievous as the monkeys of Flower-Fruit Mountain—even the monkeys were quieter and less energetic. Their laughter continued from morning to afternoon, without a single moment of respite.

Perhaps it was this excitement that allowed Zhao Shihua to feel no pain when she accidentally twisted her ankle on the trampoline. She only remembers that moment, amidst a group of students jumping up and down, she vaguely felt something was wrong. She stopped and looked down at her ankle. Before she could fully process what was happening, a friend next to her grabbed her hand and continued jumping and shouting.

Probably due to her martial arts training, Zhao Shihua has never considered herself a pampered princess. Furthermore, during weekend martial arts classes, bumps and bruises are commonplace. What did the protagonist in the TV series say? "These bruises are the marks of a hero's growth"—I wonder what kind of education she received from childhood? If she were in ancient times, Zhao Shihua would probably run for the position of leader of Mount Emei.

Anyway, I can just apply some safflower oil when I get home. Zhao Shihua thought so, and then followed Wang Zitong and the others to ride the carousel, climb the bouncy castle, and finally have a lot of fun in the bubble pool. He was reluctant to leave when it was time to gather.

On the bus back to school, everyone finally quieted down a bit. Less than half an hour into the ride, a large number of students had fallen asleep. Zhao Shihua, however, was tormented by waves of pain in his right foot. His ankle seemed to be swollen beneath his socks.

She wanted to tell the teacher, but then she remembered the teacher's warning before the trip, saying everyone should be careful and careful, or they wouldn't be allowed to participate in the next outing. After a moment's hesitation, she swallowed her bitterness. She had to ask her mother to apply a compress when she got home.

Zhao Shihua limped out of the back door. The teacher, busy lining up the group at the front, didn't notice anything unusual. She usually walked home on her own, and this spring outing was no exception. It was only ten minutes from home, and she felt embarrassed to ask the teacher to call her family. After putting on a relaxed smile and saying goodbye to her companions, she gritted her teeth, shifted her weight onto her left foot, and inched forward step by step. Even at this critical moment, she imagined herself as a heroic hero, enduring the pain and injury, steadily making her way home.

"Hey! That kid!"

Zhao Shihua heard a sound coming from behind. She was afraid that someone had caught her, so she jumped a few steps in panic until someone caught up with her and pressed her shoulder: "What's wrong with your foot?"

She turned around and saw an aunt squatting down. She pointed at her ankle, which had obviously grown bigger, and asked, "Does it hurt? It's so swollen."

Zhao Shihua just nodded and said nothing.

"How did you do that?"

Growing up, the most common warning from adults was, "Don't talk to strangers." Seeing the other person reaching out toward him, like a witch reaching out her claws to capture him alive, Zhao Shihua was about to turn and run when she saw Guan Yifu panting and rushing towards her from behind, shouting, "Mom! Mom! Wait for me!" Only then did she realize that this was her classmate's mother, no longer a stranger.

"When I was...jumping..." Zhao Shihua was afraid that his aunt would complain to the teacher, so he answered hesitantly.

"You can't do this. The swelling is too severe. You need to go to the hospital for an X-ray. Where are your parents?" The aunt glanced around and saw no other adults, so she guessed that she was going home alone. "I'll tell your teacher and ask your parents to come and pick you up. Forget it, how about I take you to the hospital directly?" After saying that, she took her hand and led her towards the teacher.

Zhao Shihua was frightened when she heard the word "hospital". Coupled with the teacher's "threat", she ignored the pain and screamed "I don't want it!" while shaking her hands and running away.

As misfortunes never come singly, she fell down before she had run a few meters, and was finally dragged to the teacher by her aunt like a prisoner.

What happened next was so chaotic that Zhao Shihua couldn't remember it clearly. He only remembered being pulled back and forth like a puppet, until he was finally put in a splint and hooked up to an IV drip. He finally came to his senses and cried bitterly. The pain was only secondary. If his leg was broken, he would never be able to practice Qinggong and walk on rooftops and walls. The real sadness would be.

Zhao Shihua, immersed in grief at the time, had no idea when the kind aunt left. She even forgot that she was Guan Yifu's mother. She only had a vague impression that the aunt was the mother of her classmate.

Now, like a scene illuminated by lightning during a storm, the blurred figure suddenly became clear again. Aunt Shao did not remember Zhao Shihua ever throwing dirty water on her son, but she did remember the little girl's stubbornness when she was young and ignorant.

Zhao Shihua stared blankly at Aunt Shao in front of her, not knowing whether to continue playing dumb or just admit it. Shao Yifu, standing beside her, seemed to have lost his mind, looking back and forth between his mother and Zhao Shihua. The two of them stood beside their respective parents for a long time, stunned, only to hear the head teacher clearing his throat at the podium: "The parent-teacher meeting is about to begin. Please leave the classroom first."

Since the parent-teacher conference was scheduled for the last two classes on Friday afternoon, most students left school early. After all, there was nothing to do in school, and they might even be subjected to a barrage of abuse from parents after the conference. It was better to leave early and go out and have some fun with friends. The rest of the group dispersed to the library, playground, cafeteria, and other places.

So today, the playground was bustling like the days leading up to the school sports meet. Zhao Shihua had somehow wandered into the area, perhaps subconsciously believing that open spaces would allow her to think things through, but she hadn't expected the chaos. Luckily, the stands were deserted, allowing her to sit down and catch some fresh air to clear her mind. Her mind was a mess, and if she didn't stir it up, it would freeze completely.

It even took her two or three seconds to remember what was going on with the plastic bag in her hand. She'd left in such a hurry that she'd forgotten to even bring her backpack. Now, even if she wanted to text Xu Jiamei and the others, there was no way. Zhao Shihua sat down in the inner part of the stands and took a deep breath to calm herself. There was nothing a few golden fried chicken nuggets couldn't solve—just as she was trying to comfort herself, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar head popping up from the entrance to the passage.

Zhao Shihua jumped up in shock. She looked around, but there was no escape route. She couldn't possibly use her Qinggong skills to jump down. Alas, now even the fried chicken couldn't be solved. She couldn't help but let out a long sigh. All her efforts at disguise had gone to waste. Trying to be a good person was truly difficult. It truly lived up to the saying, "Good fortune is not a disaster, but disaster is inevitable."

"Why are you following me?" Zhao Shihua asked weakly as he watched the other person walking towards him.

"You are... Zhao Shihua?" Isn't that nonsense? Seeing Zhao Shihua roll his eyes, Shao Yifu quickly explained, "No, I mean, you are the one who used to play with Prince—what was the squad leader's name?—"

It turned out that he didn't remember her, but he remembered the good-looking Wang Zitong. This world that judges appearances is really cruel. She didn't know whether to be thankful that her ordinary appearance would not be remembered, or to lament that her ordinary appearance made her easily disappear in the vast crowd.

Zhao Shihua lowered her head and nodded gently. Perhaps because she felt guilty, she could never look directly into Shao Yifu's eyes for long. But Shao Yifu was as open and honest as a gentleman, his eyes as sincere as a child's trusting that their parents would return their New Year's money when they grow up.

"Do you still remember me? When I was little, I was called Guan Yifu, the little fat boy!" Then he seemed to remember something and strode up the stairs while shouting, "Oh! No wonder you called me Guan Yifu when school started. You knew it then, right? If you knew it, why didn't you tell me?!"

The voice was getting closer and closer, as if he would rush up and grab her neck to avenge her in the next second. Zhao Shihua couldn't help but move back and looked up. She didn't know whether it was the reflection of the sunlight or something else, but she found that the other person's eyes seemed to be shining.

Zhao Shihua was momentarily puzzled. After a moment's reflection, she guessed he must be furious. Sure enough, when Shao Yifu reached the same row of seats, he suddenly lunged at her with arms outstretched, "Whoa!" She was so frightened she quickly planted her feet. Instinctively, she blocked the impact, raising her elbow to meet his chest. Despite not practicing for five or six years, the muscle memory remained strong.

Shao Yifu stumbled back two steps, clutching his chest with both hands. He was choked and speechless for a long time. After a long while, he finally recovered and angrily demanded, "Why did you hit me?!"

"I was just about to ask you why?!" Zhao Shihua was still clenching his fists to prevent the next wave of attacks.

"I just want to..." Shao Yifu suddenly stuttered, "I'm just too excited. It's rare to see my elementary school classmates again!"

What was this person talking about? His words were incoherent, his excitement uncontrollable. Zhao Shihua felt a little relieved, having confirmed that the other party wasn't out to fight. However, she was perplexed as to why her former enemy was so cheerful upon seeing her. She had no idea what the other party was up to, and in her hesitation, her eyes happened to glance at the plastic bag on the steps.

"Fried chicken, do you want some?" She pointed, "I'll treat you."

There was nothing wrong with giving a small gift when making an apology. First, use the sugar-coated bullet to break through the other party. Zhao Shihua suddenly felt like a fawning lapdog.

"Really?!" Happiness came so suddenly that Shao Yifu stared at the fried chicken in the box for more than half a minute and still didn't dare to eat it.

"Help yourself, eat as much as you want. I'll give it all to you." Zhao Shihua retracted her gaze and pushed the cardboard box a little closer. She had been nervously scanning the playground like a radar, anxiously waiting for any classmates to suddenly appear. But it seemed her worries were unnecessary. The facial recognition system showed no one she knew, and no one was looking in her direction. Only a child playing on the seesaw in the corner fitness area with an elderly person pointed at her and said something. It was probably a family member of a faculty member.

"Ah? That's not necessary. I can't eat so much." Shao Yifu was shocked by her enthusiasm. After wiping his hands with a wet tissue, he picked up the chicken leg on the top and said, "I won't be polite!"

"You're welcome, go ahead and eat." Zhao Shihua watched him take a gulp and thought to herself, "It's best to eat more. After all, you'll be grateful for what you've received." Shao Yifu probably also loved delicious food, as you could tell from his chubby appearance. But who doesn't love food? She took one look and felt the same way, picking up a chicken cutlet and starting to nibble on it herself.

"Wow!" The two of them exclaimed at the same time. Shao Yifu's expression was so exaggerated that he could have been in a commercial. "It's so delicious!"

"Where did you buy it?" he then asked.

"My sister brought it to me."

"Come to think of it, you seemed to have given me a cake before." Shao Yifu's mouth was bulging and his speech was a little slurred.

"What? Impossible..." Zhao Shihua's movements faltered for a moment, and she almost lost the chicken chop she had just taken two bites of. She now deeply suspected that the reason Shao Yifu was so good-tempered was because he had mistaken someone. "Are you sure it was me?"

"Yeah, I remember one Children's Day, the teacher gave everyone a small round cake, about the size of a hand. But I tripped and fell while walking down the stairs, and the cake fell to the ground with a thud." As if to make up for a past regret, Shao Yifu took another big bite, and in the blink of an eye, only the chicken leg was left with only the bones. "I was almost in despair, and then you happened to pass by, and like magic, you gave me another one right there on the spot."

Shao Yifu's description seemed like a movie with a soft light filter. However, Zhao Shihua, who prided himself on having a very good memory, turned his elementary school memories upside down but could not find such a heartwarming and touching scene.

If it was really her, the only explanation was that she left late and therefore took an extra one, but given her preference for sweets, she probably wouldn't be willing to be generous. However, the most likely possibility was that she had accidentally taken someone's place. Not to mention that Wang Zitong had several followers, she even had two apprentices of her own. I really didn't know who Shao Yifu thought she was.

"You must have misremembered someone..." Zhao Shihua's voice was as soft as a mosquito's, and she brushed it off with an awkward smile. It was okay if she misremembered it, so what? It might as well be a shield for now by using someone else's credit. She tilted her head and saw that Shao Yifu had already devoured the chicken leg, while she was still nibbling at the meat on the side like a bird. He rested his hands on either side of the bleacher seat, his eyes occasionally glancing at the remaining fried chicken.

"You can eat it. There is still so much left." At least Zhao Shuhua bought enough for almost four people.

"Then I won't be polite." Shao Yifu accepted it with a big smile, but he didn't seem polite at all.

Seeing the other party devouring the meat with such relish, like a Liangshan hero, Zhao Shihua couldn't help but feel that it would be no problem for him to take care of it all. But now was not the time to dwell on this. Now that the two chicken legs had been eaten, the weasel had surrendered. The groundwork was complete, and we could get down to business. Zhao Shihua took a deep breath, straightened his back, and was about to speak -

"By the way, you haven't answered me yet. Why didn't you tell me before?" Shao Yifu threw the bones into another paper bag, wiped his hands and asked first.

"What? I, I wasn't sure it was you at first."

"If you're not sure, you can ask me. I'm sitting behind you." Shao Yifu rubbed the tip of his nose with his index finger, leaving a small oil stain. After a few seconds, he continued, "I thought you were..."

What did he think she was talking about? It took Zhao Shihua a few seconds to realize what he was referring to, and she couldn't help but feel her face burning again. Silence suddenly fell, and the atmosphere seemed to be changing from a tense crimson to a delicate pink. No, no, Zhao Shihua quickly stretched out her fingertips to pop the little bubbles of ambiguity.

"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!"

She put down her food, only eating half of the golden and crispy chicken fillet. She felt a heavy burden on her heart, so she couldn't savor the food properly.

"So do you still remember things in elementary school?" she said, staring at the entrance to the playground in the distance.

"Which one are you talking about?"

"Well, not specifically. For example..." Zhao Shihua chose his words carefully, neither too direct nor too obscure, "something like pineapple cakes?"

"Ah? Hahaha, I was fat when I was little." I don't know if Shao Yifu's face showed a gloomy expression while he said this. "It's quite funny when I think about it now."

Zhao Shihua had no idea how Shao Yifu became such a optimistic person. His fingers, which had been exerting force, suddenly loosened, but his hands were still sticky. It seemed that the quality of the oil-proof paper bag was not good.

She once feared her childhood ignorance would cast a shadow over others' lives, but now she realized it was all just wishful thinking. Everyone else was doing well. She, on the other hand, was still stuck in the darkness of the past. She couldn't understand why her junior high classmates were targeting her. There had to be a reason for being singled out, right? Unable to pinpoint her fault, she searched and searched, finally deciding it was retribution for bullying in elementary school.

"Funny... huh? I've laughed at you before, and even bullied you, for reasons like these..." Zhao Shihua rubbed his fingertips back and forth through the bag, his heart beating so fast that he had to take a few deep breaths to avoid running out of air. "I've laughed at you, and even bullied you, for reasons like these..."

Her voice gradually faded, the last few words easily drowned out by a gust of autumn wind. Zhao Shihua wasn't sure if Shao Yifu had heard her, and she didn't dare look up to confirm. She stood up abruptly, not caring about anything else, and said in one breath, "Anyway! I'm really sorry for what happened before!"

"Ah? Is it that serious?" Shao Yifu looked flattered and waved his hand reflexively, saying, "It's okay..."

"I hope you don't mind what happened in our childhood. I was ignorant before, and I hope you can forgive me." Zhao Shihua was serious and sincere, as if he was holding a press conference. He was just about to take out an apology letter from his pocket and read it on the spot.

"No, no! Yes, yes! We are... old friends." Shao Yifu was frightened by Zhao Shihua's seriousness and spoke without thinking.

Old friends? She was lucky enough that they weren't enemies, but she couldn't even think of them being old friends. Seeing that Shao Yifu had let her off so easily, Zhao Shihua felt that she had been making a big deal out of nothing, and she was suddenly at a loss.

"Eat some more, I can't finish it anyway."

"I never thought that we two elementary school classmates from Meizhou would meet again in Guangzhou." Shao Yifu laughed foolishly. Perhaps he realized that in addition to being high school classmates, they were also elementary school classmates, so he stopped being polite with her.

"I didn't expect that either..." Zhao Shihua nodded slightly, but in a completely different mood.

The two of them sat on the edge of the stands, eating and chatting. It looked like a picture of peaceful times. Shao Yifu didn't seem to have many memorable things. It was not known whether he was deliberately avoiding things or was just forgetful by nature, but almost every sentence that started with "Ah! I remember--" scared Zhao Shihua and made her gasp, thinking that she would be exposed at the next moment. She finally couldn't sit still anymore. After finally swallowing the generous piece of chicken chop, she patted her clothes and left without waiting for the other party to react: "I'm going to check on the parents' meeting. I'm leaving first."

"The parent-teacher conference won't be over soon, will it?" Shao Yifu saw that she didn't even turn around and shouted anxiously, "Hey! And your fried chicken!"

"You can eat it, or share it with Li Xuping and the others!" Zhao Shihua hurried down the stairs and almost missed a step, but he didn't dare to slow down for fear of being caught up again.

——Let bygones be bygones. That’s what everyone says.

But how could the past be easily forgotten? Zhao Shihua didn't know what she would face next. She had intended to bravely face it, but when she heard the other party jokingly reminiscing about the past, her strength suddenly vanished, like a fist hitting tofu. Her courage had been exhausted, and she was no longer the fearless Peter Pan she once was.

But the heavy past now materialized into a voice, following her stubbornly, and she couldn't shake it off no matter how hard she tried, constantly reminding her of its existence that had continued from nearly ten years ago to the present: "Hey—hey! Do you really not want your fried chicken anymore?"

The forgiveness came so unexpectedly, so easily it was almost unbelievable. But now things had finally taken a turn for the better, and Zhao Shihua, still undecided about how to face him in the future, ran away, hoping for a lucky break while pretending to be deaf and dumb.