Chapter 3: There is a girl named Xu Yuting

Because her mother snatched the TV remote, a young Xu Yuting chose to run away from home in a fit of pique, hiding alone in the children’s park to cry.

Lin You unintentionally came across this petulant girl and tried to persuade her to go home early.

“All Mom cares about is watching TV. She won’t worry about me at all.”

Xu Yuting held a deep grudge against her parent, all because her mom wouldn’t let her watch her favorite show.

“But your dad will worry, won’t he?”

Lin You, who had been obedient and sensible since he was little, couldn’t understand the girl’s way of thinking.

“Oh, that’s right. If Dad finds out I’m missing, he’ll definitely cry his eyes out.”

Yuting slapped her forehead, finally realizing the error of her ways.

“But… if I go back just like this, it’ll be so embarrassing. It’s not like I did anything wrong.”

She fidgeted as she confided her little dilemma to Lin You.

Even a seven-year-old girl was starting to have self-esteem and understand the ethereal concept of “face.”

“Then I’m leaving.”

Lin You said no more. He was already worried his grandmother would discover he had snuck out and didn’t want to waste any more time on the girl.

“Where are you going? It’s so dark, aren’t you afraid of ghosts?”

Yuting tried to widen her eyes, attempting to see Lin You’s face through the darkness. Unfortunately, it was too black; she could only make out a rough outline.

Even though the other party was a boy, she had to admit he was super brave.

Even a girl like her, who prided herself on being brave and strong, wouldn’t dare run around randomly at night.

Coming to the park to hide tonight was purely an impulsive act. Now that her little temper tantrum had mostly subsided, she was starting to get quietly scared.

“Home.”

Lin You’s words were concise as he turned to leave.

“Don’t go.”

The darkness was already terrifying, and now the only person she could talk to was leaving. Frightened, Yuting subconsciously reached out her arm and grabbed onto Lin You.

“What are you doing?”

Her hand touched Lin You’s stomach. He disliked such actions, and his calm tone turned cold.

“Just chat with me for a bit, talk to me… um, I’m all alone… and so bored.”

Yuting awkwardly scratched her delicate cheek with a fingertip, sheepishly finding an excuse to hide her fear.

“I don’t have time.”

Lin You turned and walked away without a hint of hesitation.

Helping someone is a kindness, not helping is one’s right.

He and the girl were just passing strangers; he owed her nothing.

“Don’t abandon me!”

Yuting grew anxious, crying out as she shamelessly followed him.

Leaving her alone in this gloomy park would be worse than killing her.

“You, can you please stop getting in the way of me going home.”

Lin You was being pestered and began to regret meddling in the first place.

“Don’t be mad. Um, I want to go home too.”

Feeling as if she were being looked down upon by the boy, Yuting’s pretty face burned hot, but she really didn’t have the courage to run back alone in the dark.

“Then go back. I told you to go home a long time ago.”

Lin You was about to roll his eyes. He usually had very little interaction with outsiders and never expected that his first conversation with a peer would be with such an oddball.

“Hey, hey… it’s so dark, I’m scared.”

Yuting first stammered, but sensing the boy’s impatience, she steeled herself, closed her eyes, and finally managed to say the words that were so hard to admit.

“Then I’ll walk you to a place with light.”

Lin You thought for a moment, then glanced at Yuting’s embarrassed little expression and came up with an idea.

“Okay, okay, my house is at number three, Huimin Road.”

The girl had come to rely on this brave boy and quickly reported her home address.

“Follow me.”

Lin You had no desire to chat. He just wanted to get Yuting back quickly so he could go home himself.

Speaking of which, Yuting was practically his neighbor, just two streets away.

“Okay!”

Yuting obediently followed behind Lin You. To avoid getting lost, she even pinched the corner of his shirt.

She looked at the silhouette of the boy in front of her. He was half a head shorter than her, yet he brought her an immense sense of security.

“My name is Xu Yuting, what’s your name? For this great kindness today, I will surely repay you handsomely someday!”

Lin You was focused on leading the way and didn’t say a word. It was the girl who broke the quiet atmosphere, introducing herself and even mimicking the lines of a swordswoman from a wuxia drama she had seen.

“…I don’t want to tell you.”

Lin You’s small frame paused noticeably, nearly causing Yuting, who was following closely behind, to bump into him.

It was perfectly normal for children to get to know each other.

But for Lin You, it had always been an extravagant hope.

“Huh? Why not? You’re so stingy.”

Her attempt at goodwill failed. Yuting pouted; she had really thought they could become friends.

He was her first male friend. She had never played with boys before, thinking them too timid and always crying over nothing.

“Walk faster, there’s a streetlight up ahead.”

Lin You changed the subject, his pace quickening.

“Fine, don’t tell me. It’s not like I care to know your name anyway.”

Her warm face had been met with a cold shoulder. Yuting felt she was being looked down upon and instantly grew grumpy.

“…”

Lin You remained silent, single-mindedly playing the role of the guide.

The street entrance was just over ten meters ahead, where a high-hanging streetlight illuminated the road.

“Hey, why did you stop walking?”

Because Lin You had suddenly stopped, Yuting’s chest bumped into his back.

“You can walk the rest of the way yourself. I should go home too.”

Lin You gazed at the light in the distance, feeling no desire to approach it.

“That’s fine. I’m no coward, I can get back on my own.”

Yuting’s home was less than a hundred meters away. She no longer needed to rely on the boy as her only support, and her tone became more assertive.

“Bye-bye!”

Yuting waved goodbye and then ran towards the bright street.

Lin You, on the other hand, quickly melted back into the deep darkness. He moved through the gaps between the houses, heading towards his own home.

By the time he got home, it was already past eleven at night.

Lin You was a bit sleepy, but there was one last thing to do.

He lightly and quietly placed the bottles, cans, and some cardboard he had collected into his grandmother’s large snakeskin bag.

His grandmother was old and her memory wasn’t good; she probably wouldn’t notice.

After he was done, the boy sniffed his palms. There was a slight odor. He rubbed them together forcefully, then returned to his room without a sound, lay down on his small bed, and drifted off to sleep.

The next day.

The sky had just brightened when the boy woke up early. He and his grandmother prepared a simple breakfast and went out scavenging together, working hard to survive.

His days were monotonous and simple, but the coming of elementary school life might change everything.

“Youyou, try on this backpack. You’ll be a student soon. You can use it to carry your textbooks and stationery…”

His grandmother had bought the boy a small black backpack in advance, with a vibrant cartoon character printed on it.

“It’s so expensive. A snakeskin bag would have been fine. You didn’t need to buy a backpack.”

Lin You became sullen. He realized that going to school seemed to be a very expensive affair, which meant he would need to collect many, many more bottles. But after he started school, his grandmother wouldn’t let him help. Could she bear the burden alone?