3
After standing at the entrance to the residential complex for a few minutes, Zhuang Xiaodie, for some reason, turned and walked back in the direction the man had left. He looked familiar, more than just a familiar sight in Shentu Hai's sketchbook. She walked, pondering, but nothing came to mind. Memories darted through her mind like a school of fish, unable to catch a single one. Mechanically, she turned back, but upon retracing her steps, she saw no trace of the man.
She stood in the square. Her former companions were still lying down, sitting in groups of two or three on the steps and beside the flower beds. Each one was just a tiny pixel in a photograph of the times. She looked at them strangely, feeling a sense of alienation between herself and them. What was the alienation? Did she have a job?
No one noticed her, so her eyes swept across every corner like a brush, but she still couldn't find the man. Perhaps he had gone somewhere else. Zhuang Xiaodie thought, a middle-aged man in his forties, with sparse hair, skin like dried wax, long arms and legs, and a medium build. If she hadn't seen him looking inside the dumpling shop, she wouldn't have noticed him. This man was just someone you wouldn't notice if you passed by on the street.
Shentu Hai said he killed her friend. How did he do it?
Zhuang Xiaodie walked back. The dumplings were already cold, but luckily she had a place to live and all the appliances, so the cold dumplings were no big deal.
Shentu Hai hadn't posted any new messages; he was probably drawing. Nian Jinsi hadn't posted anything either—perhaps she was still asleep. Zhuang Xiaodie walked in and heard the news. She felt the atmosphere in the room freeze, completely different from what she'd expected.
Nian Jinsi sat on the sofa, her hands clasped together, her eyes fixed on the TV news, seemingly lost in thought; it was unclear whether she was truly listening. Shentu Hai leaned back in her computer chair, facing the sofa, staring at Nian Jinsi. Her face was expressionless, but Zhuang Xiaodie could see that she had a suppressed dissatisfaction.
Zhuang Xiaodie was prepared to pretend she knew nothing—she really did, and she waved Shen Tuhai into the kitchen to help, quite skillfully. Nian Jinsi paid her no attention at all.
"When will your friend leave?" was Shentu Hai's first question. She lifted one side of the plastic bag, letting the dumplings roll from the opening onto the plate. She used a fork to scrape back a few that were on the edge and then put them all in the microwave.
"I don't know, but she won't stay long - after all, she still has to go to work." Zhuang Xiaodie poured chili sauce, soy sauce and vinegar into the sauce dish respectively.
"She doesn't look like she has a job." Shentu Hai looked back at the living room and said in a low voice.
Zhuang Xiaodie was stunned for a moment and said, "Why do you think so?"
"She hasn't looked at her phone once since she got up today."
"Maybe she's not that dependent on her phone anyway," Zhuang Xiaodie said. "You don't look at your phone either."
"My phone is broken," Shentu Hai replied. "I'm still saving money."
"Maybe her cell phone is broken too." Zhuang Xiaodie replied.
In response to her non-cooperation, Shentu Hai narrowed his eyes and looked like an angry tabby cat.
"You haven't told me about your friend yet." Zhuang Xiaodie changed the subject. "You want me to help you find someone, so you have to give me a reason, right?"
Shentu Hai turned and stared at the microwave oven, as if it suddenly became extremely meaningful and attracted her to the extreme.
"Okay, we can talk about it after she leaves," Zhuang Xiaodie said, "but I want to know her name—you can always tell me that, right?"
"She watched the news all morning," Shentu Hai said. "She watched the news all morning, but she didn't dare turn on her phone."
Zhuang Xiaodie initially thought she was talking about that friend, and after a second she said, "Nian Jinsi?"
Shen Tu Hai said, "Who wants to find a piece of news but doesn't search on their phone but instead watches TV?"
"Maybe she wants to use the computer, but it's hard for her to borrow it from you."
"She comes to play with you and brings nothing with her. Is that normal?"
Zhuang Xiaodie was silent for a moment, then said, "Just tell me what you want to say."
"She's waiting for a piece of news, perhaps about herself," Shentu Hai said. "Is your friend really innocent?" The microwave beeped, and both of them looked toward it. Zhuang Xiaodie was silent for a moment, then peered outside. Nian Jinsi was still staring at the TV screen, oblivious to their conversation in the kitchen.
"You're overthinking it." Zhuang Xiaodie said calmly, "Don't assume that just because you have that thought, everyone has it."
Shentu Hai picked up the dumplings, looked at her suddenly, and said, "Are you afraid of her?"
Zhuang Xiaodie smiled and said, "Read less novels and cartoons."
"Why else would you rather be associated with an extremist like me than pretend you have a house?"
Zhuang Xiaodie said, "Didn't you send the message to force me?"
"With something like this, wouldn't it be better to just pretend to be dead?" Shen Tu Hai said, "Even if she comes, even if she finds you under the bridge, can't you just run somewhere else? Could she have installed a tracking device on you?"
Zhuang Xiaodie pursed her lips.
Shentu Hai's eyes, the color of melted chocolate, were now wide open, the whites of their eyes bloodshot. Though they were only a foot away, Zhuang Xiaodie felt as if her eyes were pressed against her face, peering into her inner thoughts. The feeling sickened her, and she instinctively raised her hand to push Shentu Hai. As if anticipating this, Shentu Hai dodged effortlessly, a flicker of contempt crossing his face. Zhuang Xiaodie felt as if she were being strangled, her throat gurgling and unable to breathe.
The sound of the news climbed the walls and vaguely reached their ears. After a moment, Zhuang Xiaodie realized it was her own blood vessels pounding in her head. Shen Tu Hai had already turned to walk out, but Zhuang Xiaodie suddenly grabbed her arm and said, "What about you?"
"What?"
"As that girl's best friend, why didn't you help her when she was still alive?"
The buzz of the news filled the small kitchen, seeping into their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths. The arm beneath her fingers trembled slightly, frozen in place, desperate to break free. Zhuang Xiaodie leaned close to Shentu Hai and continued in a very gentle voice, "If you cared so much about her, why did you let her die?"
Shentu Hai's face was pale, and his lower lip trembled slightly. She turned her face away and said nothing. Zhuang Xiaodie smiled slightly: "You keep shouting about war and killing every day, and you think you are so great."
Shentu Hai struggled to break free from her grip and rushed out of the kitchen. Zhuang Xiaodie stayed behind, picking up the few dumplings that had fallen to the floor and throwing them into the trash can. She remained crouched for a long time, staring at the dusty mess in the trash can.
"What are you doing squatting in front of the trash can?" Nian Jinsi's voice suddenly rang out overhead. "Where's the vinegar?"
"Oh, here it is." Zhuang Xiaodie stood up suddenly, blood rushing to her head, her vision black, and she almost lost her balance. Nian Jinsi grabbed her arm and steadied her. Zhuang Xiaodie pushed the sauce dish to her side.
Nian Jinsi didn't ask anything, picked up the dumplings and walked out, saying, "If you don't eat them now, they'll get cold."
Zhuang Xiaodie said, "I'll be right there." She followed behind and walked out of the kitchen.
Shentu Hai wasn't at the table, having probably taken his bowl back to his room to eat. Thinking she might just go all out and tell Nian Jinsi the truth, Zhuang Xiaodie suddenly felt a little regretful for her slip of the tongue. But the words were already out, and regretting them was pointless. She sat down across from Nian Jinsi and began to eat her dumplings.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
