Extra Chapter
2. Lin Nan
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To Lin Nan, the county town was a totally foreign city.
Having lived his entire life in a countryside village where he’d be hard-pressed to find a building taller than five stories, he was used to two-story bungalows all lined up in neat rows. He attended the local primary school, and after classes, he would chase after wild chickens and roast sweet potatoes with his cousins in the fields.
The furthest he had traveled was to the small town where his grandfather lived. It took about half an hour by human-powered tricycle from his village to his grandfather’s place.
But this city? No familiar fields. Just towering buildings over ten stories high, streets lined with greenery, and almost no trace of garbage anywhere.
The people here carried a kind of air that made Lin Nan, a humble countryside kid, feel a pang of inferiority, especially since most of the new classmates he met were a year or two older, towering over him naturally.
They handed out textbooks, assigned desks based on height, and made a big mess with a thorough cleaning session under the watchful eye of the class teacher.
The first day of middle school lasted a mere half a day.
Lin Nan was feeling a bit dazed as he followed his new classmates out of the classroom, streaming out of the five-story “U”-shaped building. Glancing around the campus with its lush gardens and the massive playground on the side, his anxiety intensified.
He felt a bit scared.
Looking down at his feet, gripping his backpack straps, he hurried towards the school gate. But just two steps in, he bumped right into a tall figure.
“Sorry, sorry!” he exclaimed in a panic, looking up to find it was that classmate he had met earlier.
What was his name again? Chen Yao?
Chen Yao seemed to be distracted by the lovely legs of some girls from another class, and though initially irked by the bump, he relaxed and waved it off. “No problem.”
“Um…”
“Hey, check out that girl! Long legs!” Just when Lin Nan was about to leave, Chen Yao’s eyes lit up and he started ogling a girl passing by not too far away.
Lin Nan looked over, only to see a girl about 1.6 meters tall, dressed in leggings that showcased her lovely long legs. His face flushed red, and he promptly turned away, scurrying off.
Chen Yao, watching him flee, muttered, “Definitely a virgin—why so shy?”
His home was not far from the school in an urban village.
Stepping into this densely packed area, Lin Nan found his anxiety quickly fading.
To him, this urban village bore some resemblance to his little countryside town.
The stone-paved ground was mossy, narrow alleyways had a few bits of litter, and dark, damp corners exuded a faint odor that, while unpleasant, at least made him feel a bit more at ease.
He pushed open the gate of his family’s self-built apartment building and climbed the stairs, soon arriving at the front door of their fourth-floor unit.
The door was ajar, and he carefully pulled it open, peeking inside.
“Mom, the teacher said we need book covers!” He spotted his mother on the couch, engrossed in the TV, and a smile broke out on his face.
But his mother looked troubled, merely nodding at him while her eyes remained glued to the screen.
Lin Nan noticed she wasn’t actually watching; her gaze was distant, clearly lost in thought.
Glancing toward the kitchen, he saw the newly bought cookware still in pristine condition; it seemed that today would be another meal of frozen dumplings and fish balls.
He realized he had never seen his mom cook.
He rarely saw his parents anyway, just three or four times a month.
Since his mom wasn’t engaging, he pushed open the door to his own room, stepping into a tiny bedroom with just a bed and a desk.
Out of the three summer outfits he owned, one was on him, and the other two were neatly folded at the head of his bed.
He wanted a wardrobe, but the room was too small for even a normal-sized one.
Pulling out the ancient Nokia phone his cousin had given him, he sat at the foot of his bed, checking the time.
September 1, 2012, 12:30 PM.
He was hungry.
Placing his backpack on the bed, he wandered into the living room and glanced at his mom before asking, “Mom, what’s in the fridge?”
“There’s meatballs and dumplings. Cook whatever you want,” his mother replied, then added quickly, “Don’t cook my portion.”
“What about Dad’s?”
“He’s not coming home today.”
When Dad finished work, he usually went out with friends to eat and drink rather than come home, so he rarely spent time there.
Lin Nan sensed that his parents’ relationship wasn’t exactly strong; he hardly ever saw them together, possibly because driving trucks together had worn them out?
Not thinking too hard, he prepared to enter the kitchen when his mother called out, “Here’s a thousand yuan for your monthly living expenses. You’ll eat at the school cafeteria from now on—clean and cheap.”
Turning back, he saw his mother producing a few red bills, sliding them under a glass cup on the coffee table.
He’d never seen that much money in his life and nodded excitedly.
But to be honest, besides food, he couldn’t think of any other use for it.
About ten minutes later, his meatball dumplings were ready, and he devoured them standing in the kitchen, thoroughly enjoying his meal with vinegar—he’d loved sweets since childhood.
After washing the dishes, Lin Nan returned to the living room only to find his mom had retreated to the bedroom.
Honestly, whenever his parents were around, there was always this suffocating atmosphere in the house that made Lin Nan feel it was better to live alone.
He picked up the thousand yuan from the coffee table, counting it carefully before pocketing one bill and stashing the rest under his pillow in the bedroom.
The class teacher had specifically instructed that they needed to get book covers today.
But having just arrived in the county town a few days ago, the naturally introverted Lin Nan didn’t really want to venture out to interact with unknown adults.
Going to school alone today had basically drained all his courage.
Fortunately, his new classmates seemed relatively easy-going, especially Chen Yao, who towered over him like a gentle giant.
Lost in thought, his legs carried him from home, ending up outside a small convenience store in the urban village.
Peeking inside the shop, he found no sign of book covers and decided to head toward the school. Typically, shops near schools would likely sell such supplies.
After a ten-minute walk, he reached the convenience store directly opposite the school, only to find it swarmed with newcomers.
Students were packed like sardines at the entrance, all clamoring to buy book covers, and the shop owner was grinning from ear to ear.
“Hey! What a coincidence!” Suddenly, he felt a pat on his shoulder, jolting Lin Nan out of his thoughts as he instinctively jumped aside. Turning back, he found it was Chen Yao.
He had just been thinking about making friends with Chen Yao, but now, seeing him, he didn’t know what to say. After a long pause, he noticed Chen Yao had already wormed his way into the crowd inside the store, lost from sight.
