Chapter 22 Turkey (5) Ancient Legends...
Zhou Tian delayed accompanying Aisha to the market, instead taking his own bell to the street Aisha had visited last time.
She found the familiar big house without much effort.
As soon as I squeezed through the gap under the gate, I noticed that the stained-glass windows, which were usually open, were now closed.
She jumped onto the windowsill and scratched at the edge with her paws.
The glass window was jammed shut from the inside, making it impossible to get in.
After lingering around to the main entrance where people usually come and go, before they could even settle in, the nanny came out and shooed them away: "Go, go across the street, there's food over there."
After waiting for most of the day at the side gate without seeing Zelin, he had no choice but to return the way he came with his gifts.
The copper bell was left on the roof of the shed in Anran Alley for a long time. A little higher up, the shed connected to the roof, and the woven mat on it had never been taken down. It had been used by the kitten as its own personal cat mat.
I intended to hide the bell under the mat, but then I discovered that a rectangular wooden box had appeared on the roof sometime during the night.
I glanced at the area below the roof for a long time. The dark door was still closed today, and the eaves connecting to the roof belonged to that person.
Autumn is almost here, and 1221 keeps saying it will rain, but we still haven't found a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
Anran Lane is very close to Eyes Lane, and from this rooftop, you can see Aisha's house at a glance. She can go to see her anytime, go to Zelin's house with her, or hitch a ride to the market.
If possible, I don't want to be too far from here.
The wooden crate has no gaps and looks very sturdy; it should be usable.
Since there were readily available tools, the kitten accepted them as a gift from humans.
After a while, I dragged the mat inside, used the box as a cat bed, and placed the bell in the corner. A simple little home was completed.
The kitten crawled inside and spun around. It was the perfect size. The box opened to the front, and the wooden planks blocked the wind from other directions. It wouldn't be too small to drag a mat inside.
He stood at the edge of the roof for a long time, looking down.
From here, you can clearly see Aisha's house gate. At this time, she was still helping out at the market stalls. She had taken a short nap in her warm box before walking to the market.
As soon as I arrived at the market, I was fed by the vendors.
The guy who had teased her with pickled olives earlier took out some chicken from his sandwich and fed it to the kitten: "Hi, need me to do something for you?"
Chichi caught the chicken in its mouth, ate it in two bites, and politely wagged its tail to indicate that it needed nothing but food.
I chatted with the guy minding the stall at the entrance of the pickled food shop for a while, and seeing that there were more and more customers, I slipped away while he was busy packing up the food.
By snuggling up to the familiar stall owners, the kitten managed to snag plenty of snacks and get lots of pats along the way, becoming the darling of the market and getting all the attention wherever it went.
Before I could even wander deep into the market, Aisha came running from the other side of the aisle, carrying several glass bottles filled with cardamom and fennel.
"I'm going to deliver goods, do you want to come?"
Aisha meowed twice, then Chichi turned and followed her out of the market again.
After finishing their errands for the day with Aisha, the two of them, one human and one cat, passed by the familiar intersection again and saw the exquisite and bright jewelry store across the street.
The little girl slowed down again, looking at the devil eye pendant inside the glass window that no one had bought yet.
“She seemed to really like that pendant,” 1221 said.
“Yes,” Chi Chi said, “It’s a pity it’s too expensive.”
Aisha knew she was short of money, so she didn't dare go into the shop anymore and could only stand there and watch.
"I wish I had money," Chichi said. "I'll go find some coins to make up the money for her gift."
1221 said, "Five hundred lira, how long will it take you to find enough money, one coin at a time?"
So what should we do?
She's just a little cat, and she can't bring herself to ask anyone for money. Aisha has such a strong sense of pride; I wonder if she'll even ask someone for help.
Aisha looked at it for a while and realized that she couldn't buy a gift for Zelin in a short time, so she had to put the idea aside for the time being and said to Chichi, "Let's go see Zelin on Monday afternoon, right after school."
Chichi meowed softly, "Okay!"
However, when she went to Zelin's house this morning, the back gate was closed and she wasn't sitting by the open window as usual, so the kitten had no way of knowing whether Zelin was home or not.
She could only hope to see the other person tomorrow, after all, she was still quite concerned about the sick little girl.
*
After school on Monday afternoon, Aisha did not walk with Lana, but rushed out of the classroom first.
"Aisa, wait for us!" Lana called out from behind her.
"I need to go to the store, I have to go now!"
Aisha called out without turning her head, gripping the backpack straps with both hands and walking quickly.
When he got home and put his schoolbag down, Chichi handed his brass bell to Aisha. Aisha put the candy wrappers, labels, and the cat's bell into her small handbag, grabbed a handful of dried figs, and rushed out the door.
Following closely behind, afraid of running into acquaintances on their way home from school, Aisha rushed forward headfirst, the two of them running wildly through the alley.
They bypassed the open square, took a side path into Hussein Street, and arrived at Zelin's backyard with practiced ease.
Aisha pushed the door, but it wouldn't open. She stood on tiptoe and called towards Zelin's room, "Zelin, Zelin—"
A moment later, the window opened from the inside. Zelin pushed the glass window open with some effort, and her eyes lit up when she saw Aisha and Chichi: "You're here."
Aisha picked up the kitten and waited for the nanny to open the door for her.
"Wait a minute, please don't bring the cat into Zelin's room."
"It's alright." Zelin slowly walked out and asked the nanny, "Could you let them in?"
After hesitating for a moment, seeing that the two little girls looked pitiful, the other party had no choice but to nod.
Aisha carried Chichi happily inside. As soon as they entered the room, they felt a wave of heat, and the fragrance of jasmine was mixed with a faint bitter medicinal smell.
Although the outside temperature is dropping day by day, it hasn't reached winter yet.
The other person's room was just too hot.
"It's a bit stuffy," Aisha said. "Can we open the window?"
Zelin nodded: "Okay."
She jumped down from Aisha's arms and landed on the carpet. Aisha looked at Zelin's face, which was even paler than last time, and frowned, saying, "Why do you look so weak?"
"I'm having an attack," Zelin said, her voice as soft as a sheet of paper. "I just got back from the hospital today."
"What exactly is wrong with you? Why is it getting worse instead of better?" Aisha asked worriedly.
Zelin whispered, "Mom told me not to tell anyone, but my joints hurt a lot, I have no strength, I can't eat, and I have a sudden high fever. I went to the hospital for a blood transfusion yesterday because of anemia."
Chichi asked 1221, "What kind of disease is this?"
1221: "Joint pain indicates chronic inflammation. The preliminary diagnosis is idiopathic systemic arthritis. Also, she looks so weak and fatigued, so her heart might not be very good either."
He slowly approached Zelin and pressed his fluffy head against her cold hand.
Are you in a lot of pain?
Aisha unconsciously lowered her voice even further, afraid that if she spoke too loudly, she would hurt the other person.
"Sometimes it's really uncomfortable, like a lot of bugs are gnawing at my bones, it's sore and swollen, and it hurts if I move..."
Seeing Aisha grimacing, Zelin quickly said, "It doesn't hurt all the time, it's alright now."
"That's good."
Aisha breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered what she had brought and quickly opened her bag: "Look, I brought lots of pretty wrapping paper."
She took out the wrapping paper with cute patterns and the little bells one by one, and placed them on the carpet like treasures, sitting on the floor with Zelin to play with them.
"This is a treasure that the kitten found. She wants to give it to you. Let's label it and put it in the treasure box together."
Zelin picked up the bell and shook it: "The sound is nicer than ordinary bells, and there are patterns on it."
Chichi nuzzled the other person's hand holding the bell with the top of her head. After the other person put the bell back on the carpet, she nudged it with her nose to make it roll forward.
The kitten immediately pounced and grabbed the kitten with its two front paws, kicking it back and forth with its hind legs.
Every now and then he would kick the bell so high that it would be tossed into the air in an arc, then do a forward roll and catch it again.
With its short, furry legs and the jingling of bells, it looks just like it's performing acrobatics.
"My goodness!" Aisha stared in disbelief as the bell rolled between her paw pads, clapping and laughing. "You can do such a difficult move with the bell, that's amazing!"
Zelin was so amused by the kitten's antics that she doubled over with laughter, her fair cheeks flushed slightly, and she even coughed from laughing.
"Where did she learn that? It's so funny."
Finally, it tossed the bell in front of Aisha, and before she could catch it, it leaped over the bell and landed precisely in front of her, pinning it down with one of its front paws.
The bells stopped ringing abruptly, and the performance ended.
"Wow!"
The two little girls cheered at the same time, clapping their hands for the kitten until their palms were red.
Aisha picked up the smug kitten and gave her a big kiss on the head.
Zelin wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes: "It was so interesting, more exciting than any circus I've ever seen."
Feeling quite embarrassed by the compliments, Chi Chi handed the bell back to Zelin and lay on the carpet to receive the two people's unsolicited flattery.
“The bell is still a little small.” Chichi felt she could have done better and said to 1221, “Actually, I’m better at playing with you.”
"..."
1221: "I'll forgive you because you're a kitten."
Zelin took out her treasure chest and spread all the treasures inside on the soft carpet.
Pebbles, fragments of painted pottery shimmering with a cobalt blue luster, De Rosa ceramic figurines, and a cat's copper bell.
The wrapping paper Aisha got from Ujin was printed with cute patterns, including animals, stars, and the moon, and it even had a little bit of shimmering gold powder on it.
The two little girls huddled together, carefully selecting suitable "clothes" for each of their treasures.
They cut the wrapping paper into suitable shapes and sizes, wrapped half of the pebbles with blue wrapping paper, and tied them with pretty bows with matching gray ribbons.
The pottery fragments were given a bright yellow that complemented the cobalt blue, the ceramic ornaments were wrapped in transparent paper with gold flecks, and the copper bells were tied with a thin ribbon.
Aisha picked up a colored pen, ready to write on the blank labels, but then struggled with what to write. She simply tossed the question to Zelin, shoving the pen into Zelin's hand: "You think of their labels."
Chichi rolled over on the carpet and squeezed her head between the two people's knees.
Zelin soon wrote her name and origin on it.
"The whispers of the strait, found by Aisha in the Golden Horn..."
"You're really something, even the names you come up with are so poetic." Aisha was completely convinced. "No wonder the teacher always praises your speeches."
The little girl bent down and wrote neat characters on the label stroke by stroke. Everyone took turns writing, as if they were working together to create a work of art.
Once all the labels were hung up and neatly arranged in the middle of the treasure box, the once empty box instantly became full of meaning.
I drifted off to sleep in this warm and pleasant atmosphere, my head bobbing up and down with drowsiness.
Aisha and Zelin finished packing and lay side by side on the cushions on the bay window.
They played music on Zelin's learning machine while flipping through thick picture books, chewing on dried figs that Aisha had brought.
Aisha stumbled through the unfamiliar words, while Zelin patiently corrected her. Their soft laughter, like fragments of sunset, filled the room.
"Aisha!"
Hearing shouts coming from the street outside, I was so frightened that I couldn't fall asleep at all.
Almost simultaneously, she and Aisha looked out the window and saw several boys and girls, led by Lana, standing in a large group in front of the back gate.
Upon seeing her friends outside, Aisha jumped up from Zelin's side like a startled rabbit, instinctively creating distance. The picture book in her hand fell onto the mat, as if she had been caught doing something wrong.
"Why!"
Lana didn't seem very happy, but she still said to Aisha, "Let's go out and play football."
"I--"
"We even went around to your house to knock on the door, and here you are." Black hit the iron-carved side door with a football. "Come out, we've been waiting for you."
Zelin's smile faded, her fingers rubbing the fabric on the mat. She forced an understanding smile at Aisha and whispered, "Go quickly."
Aisha bit her lower lip, her gaze shifting between those dimmed amber eyes and the sounds of laughter outside the window.
Finally, urged by Lana and another girl, he picked up his bag.
“I’ll come back in a few days,” Aisha whispered, barely daring to look Zelin in the eye. “I’ll bring you some freshly baked sesame rings then.”
"Okay." Zelin nodded. "I'll wait for you."
Aisha dashed out of the room and ran from the backyard toward the "main group".
Instead of following them, he stayed in the room to observe Zelin's expression.
The other person didn't look at her, but watched as Aisha and the children chased the ball and left Hussein Street noisily.
After a long while, when it became quiet outside the window, she still didn't look away.
Chichi jumped onto the bay window and worriedly licked the back of Zelin's hand. Only then did Zelin turn her gaze away and gently stroke her fur.
"I wish I could get healthy again..."
No more staying indoors, no more taking medicine, getting injections, or being hospitalized, and no more eating bland, nutritious meals. Instead, they can go out like healthy children, go to the places they want to go with Aisha, eat the things they want to eat, and make more friends.
The once joyful room suddenly cooled down after Aisha left, leaving behind a sense of desolation.
While Chichi stayed here to keep Zelin company, Aisha was also distracted and made several mistakes.
She noticed that Lana and the others hesitated several times before finally saying nothing, and didn't mention seeing her at Zelin's window earlier.
The fact that there was no "torture" as she had imagined at least gave Aisha a sigh of relief.
She felt that Lana and the others weren't so opposed to becoming friends with Zelin; they just needed to find an opportunity to clear up the misunderstanding and reconcile their relationship.
As for how to reconcile the two, Aisha hasn't figured it out yet.
If Zelin could go back to school, that would be wonderful. If they could spend every day together, she would definitely help the other students get to know Zelin better.
But the other person's illness—
Aisha kicked the ball a few times hastily, then lagged behind the others and walked back, kicking away the stones under her feet and letting her mind wander.
She couldn't think of a good solution, and all she could think about was going to the temple to pray for the other person's well-being.
And then there's the Eye of the Devil. If this ancient legend really can bring good luck, then Zelin is the one who needs it the most.
She needs 500 lira to buy the Eye of the Devil and give it to the other party as a protective charm.
*
A week has passed, and these past few days I haven't gone anywhere else, but instead stayed in Zelin's backyard playing with the little girl.
Aside from Aisha, the other person had almost no friends of the same age. Seeing that the other person secretly opened the window to wait for people every day despite the nanny's objections, Chichi felt uneasy.
The other person was in poor health, and with autumn approaching, opening the window to let in cold air could easily cause them to catch a cold. Within two days, they developed a high fever.
She was extremely anxious and at a loss, and could only watch as the family doctor came every day to give Zelin IV drips.
Fortunately, it was just a cold, and her fever subsided after a few days of IV drips. However, Zelin's cough became more frequent than before, and sometimes she coughed so hard that she felt chest tightness and shortness of breath. The doctor strictly forbade her from eating any irritating foods, including all desserts.
I hesitated to tell Aisha the news, but Aisha was very busy.
The school's drama performance is about to begin, and rehearsals are in full swing. Aisha's free time after school is also being compressed, and she simply can't find time to go see Zelin.
She secretly hoped the performance would end soon so she could be free.
After the anniversary celebration ended on Friday and the performance was over, Aisha didn't go to the market early Saturday morning. Instead, she went to Zelin's house to find her, only to learn that Zelin had gone to the hospital for treatment and wouldn't be back until next week.
Disappointed, Aisha left the backyard, only to see a familiar flower in a stone flowerpot in the corner of the yard.
"kitten."
Aisha reached out and let the other person jump into her arms: "Have you been here with Zelin the whole time?"
He nodded slowly.
"How has she been feeling lately? Could she come with us to the anniversary parade?"
After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head.
If the doctors couldn't help, then all they could do was rely on their faith. Aisha resolutely led the kitten toward the Suleimaniye Temple.
Legend has it that in a corner beneath the central dome of the temple, a mysterious symbol was carved. If you stand directly beneath it and whisper your wish, it will reach God directly.
He lingered outside the courtyard, peering inside.
Aisha stood alone under the chandelier beneath the dome. She carefully located the chandelier and asked several people who came to pray for blessings about the exact location of the mysterious symbol before clasping her hands together and pressing them to her chest.
Sunlight streamed in through the hundreds of high-hanging windows, making Aisha's figure appear exceptionally small against the backdrop of the magnificent space.
She closed her eyes, pressed them tightly to her heart, and silently recited her wish, just like a believer.
"Allah, may you grant my friend Zelin a speedy recovery and free her from illness."
"To relieve her joint pain."
"Let her run and jump, and eat and drink to her heart's content."
"Let her go back to school and play with us."
"..."
Her wish became more and more specific. She straightened her body, closed her eyes tightly, and prayed wholeheartedly that God would hear her voice.
After what seemed like an eternity, he finally raised his head, took a deep breath, and poured out his heavy thoughts before going out to put on his shoes.
"broken!"
Aisha said to Chichi, "I have one more wish that I forgot to mention."
Chichi tilted his head slightly. What was his wish?
Aisha stood at the doorway, clasped her hands together again, and closed her eyes: "I hope a windfall will come my way, and I'll have five hundred lira."
Aisha made her wish, but she wasn't sure why she didn't make the last wish while standing under the mysterious symbol.
After leaving the temple, Aisha thought it over and over again, struggling with the decision, but ultimately decided to withdraw her wish for a windfall.
Fearing that the true God would think she was too greedy, she decided to first focus all her piety on Zelin's wish to recover.
As for the five hundred lira.
She has to figure out a solution herself.
“Let’s go to the market,” Aisha said to Chichi. “If I behave well, Dad might agree to give me the money.”
Chichi meowed, "Okay!"
Aisha helped out at the shop for two days. Besides weighing spices, calculating bills, and greeting customers at the stall, she was also busy running errands.
Before closing the shop on Sunday, she hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up.
"Dad...can you...give me five hundred lira?"
Ahmed was somewhat surprised: "What do you need five hundred lira for?"
“I want to buy a gift for Zelin,” Aisha gestured, “it’s for that classmate in our class who’s sick and on leave.”
“Zelin…” Ahmed remembered the name. He said seriously, “Is it because her family is rich that you want to give her an expensive gift?”
"no."
Aisha lowered her head, fidgeting with her fingers: "I just think that thing suits her well, if you don't want it, then forget it."
"Aisha—"
Before Ahmed could finish speaking, the little girl ran out of the store.
He glanced at Ahmed, and was about to open his wallet to give Aisha money, but Aisha felt her pride was hurt first.
Ignoring everything else, the kitten chased after it.
Aisha ignored the other vendors' questions and ran out of the market with her head down. She passed the jewelry store across the street, but this time she forced herself not to even glance at it and strode forward in a random direction.
Fearing that Ahmed would find her and take her back, Aisha didn't follow the route home, but instead went into a small alley.
She hid in the shadows of the alley, huddled in a corner, her hands clasped in front of her legs, her head listlessly resting on her arms.
He had never seen her so depressed before, so he quietly leaned over, nuzzled her hand that was hanging limply by her legs with his head, and made comforting purring sounds.
“I didn’t buy an expensive gift on purpose, Dad just doesn’t understand me…”
"Don't be sad. Your dad was just asking. He even offered to give you money to buy a gift."
The kitten made a low, trembling sound in its throat. Aisha couldn't understand what it was saying, but the sound comforted her.
He stayed with her for a while, letting the girl complain and vent her emotions.
Aisha sniffed and looked up: "Never mind, the gift I found myself is just as good."
She stood up bravely, seemingly calmed down, but it was hard to tell that the grievances in her heart had not completely disappeared. Aisha touched the crumpled candy wrappers in her pocket.
I can't go see Zelin today; she's not in the mood.
As Aisha slowly walked home, Ahmed greeted them from the street. It seemed he had been looking for Aisha in the neighborhood and had even left his motorcycle at the market.
Aisha opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say, so she pouted and lowered her head.
“Why did you run off without listening to your father? That’s not right.” Ahmed’s expression was unusually serious.
He glanced at Aisha for a moment, but she looked aggrieved and stubbornly refused to apologize, turning her head away from Ahmed.
Ahmed could only sigh and put the money in her hand: "Go buy your friend a gift."
Aisha looked down at the banknotes in her hand, the edges of which were burning hot from being squeezed so tightly.
This is not just about money; it's also Ahmed's unspoken apology.
"Thank you, Daddy," Aisha whispered, going over to hug him.
The other person patted his daughter's back gently: "Okay, you wait here, I'll go get the motorcycle. Don't keep your mother and brother waiting."
When Ahmed arrived on his motorcycle, Chichi hitched a ride and jumped onto the back seat.
The wind whistled past her ears, Aisha whispered to Chichi.
"I'll go buy a gift after school tomorrow afternoon. Wait for me at the store entrance, and we'll go see Zelin together with the gift."
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