Chapter 21: Don’t Sneak Out When You Wake Up at Midnight

Chapter 21: Don't Sneak Out When You Wake Up at Midnight

Shen Juanjuan ran while looking back and saw Wang Zhusheng's brother chasing him out of the cafeteria. Instantly terrified, he sprinted across the playground and dashed toward the faculty building.

Just as he was about to reach the base of the building, he looked back again to see if anyone was still chasing him. As he turned his head, he crashed into a wall with a loud bang.

Shen Juanjuan saw stars from the impact but ignored the searing pain and quickly rushed up to the stairwell, where he finally stopped to look back.

He saw that Wang Zhusheng's brother hadn't chased after him and was standing not far away on the playground, munching on a sweet potato. Wang Zhusheng had also run over to his brother, smiling at Shen Juanjuan, covering his forehead, and tilting his head back, mimicking being hit.

Knowing that the management was upstairs, Shen Juanjuan decided not to flee further. He casually patted his own forehead, indicating it didn't hurt, and tried to make a funny face.

But his forehead really did hurt, so he couldn't pull off the funny face. Instead, he defiantly wiggled his hips and pretended to scrape some paint off the wall before turning around and crying sadly.

Lin Duozhi and Tang Yuanyuan, along with a few other kids, soon sneaked around the playground and crept into the stairwell along the faculty building's wall.

"Shen Juanjuan, Shen Juanjuan."

"Wah..." Shen Juanjuan looked up, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Did you get beaten?" Tang Yuanyuan asked.

Chen Hongliang stared at his back, then moved to his front. "Have you been stabbed through? Were you stabbed? Were you?"

As soon as he said this, not only Wang Zhusheng and his brother, but several students strolling on the playground all turned to look.

Shen Juanjuan hastily shouted, "I wasn't stabbed through, ha, nobody can catch me, how hilarious." Then he whispered, "But my head hit the wall, Lin Duozhi, look, look, it must be bleeding... wah..."

Lin Duozhi reached out to touch his forehead. "It's not bleeding, just a small bump."

"Let me see, let me see too." The other kids crowded around to take a look.

Hearing that his head wasn't bleeding, Shen Juanjuan gradually calmed down, still sniffing. "My brother, my brother is sick. When he gets better, he'll help me beat them up." He made a gesture of grabbing something and slamming it to the ground, saying fiercely, "And smash it to pieces."

"Is your brother here?"

"Is it the brother who gave you the black blob?"

"Did he come to the orphanage?"

Except for Lin Duozhi, the other kids asked in a flurry.

Mentioning Chu Ya improved Shen Juanjuan's mood slightly. "He came to see me in a garbage flyer, but he's sick."

"Where is he now?"

"He's in my office. His foot is twisted, and he has a fever, lying there sleeping." Shen Juanjuan grew anxious again. "I need to go back and take care of him, but how do I get past? Wang Zhusheng's brother is still on the playground."

The kids took turns peeking out the stairwell entrance to check on Wang Zhusheng's brother's whereabouts.

"He's still there, talking to some senior students."

"Wang Zhusheng saw us, quick, pull back."

"He's still there, don't go out."

"Don't peek now, let's pretend to go to the bathroom." Wang Xiaoxi and Yu Datou held hands and walked out. "You don't understand; we need to pretend to do something else so he doesn't know we're watching him."

...

Wang Zhusheng's brother wouldn't leave, trapping Shen Juanjuan in the stairwell. The kids frowned, unable to come up with a good plan.

Liu Sijin passed by and, upon noticing them, curiously joined them in the stairwell. After understanding the situation, she patted her chest. "Don't worry, leave those stinky men to my sister and her friends."

Liu Sijin quickly ran back to the girls' dormitory area. Moments later, six or seven bald teenage girls emerged from the gate.

"Lice Queen! Liu Sijin called the Lice Queen!" Tang Yuanyuan perked up. "They are senior girls, very tough, and often fight with senior boys. They have a fierce name, and the senior boys call them the Lice Queen!"

"Wow..." The kids immediately gasped in awe, all crowding around the stairwell entrance to peek outside.

Those girls were only twelve or thirteen years old but tall and lanky. Led by Liu Sijin's sister, they slowly approached Wang Zhusheng's brother.

Upon seeing them, the senior boys stopped their conversation and stood straight.

Liu Sijin's sister stopped a few meters away from the boys, raising her chin. "Wang Chengcai, did you just insult my sister?"

"What? Who's your sister? Liu Zhen, are you talking nonsense?" Wang Chengcai looked stunned.

Wang Zhusheng chimed in, "Her sister is Liu Sijin, from the first-grade class."

"My sister said she heard you insulting her when she passed by."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Did you shave your brain along with your head?" one boy said.

One of the girls behind Liu Sijin's sister spat. "What's wrong with being bald? It's cool, unlike you stinky men who reek all the way to Keke Town."

"Lice Queen!" A boy stepped forward, shouting, "Do you have lice too, that's why you're itching?"

The kids hiding behind the walls immediately cheered, "Did you hear that? Lice Queen!"

Without another word, Liu Sijin's sister lowered her head, touched her bald head, and then swiftly charged at Wang Zhusheng's brother, kicking him in the stomach.

"The Lice Queen attacked."

"Counterattack!"

"Beat them up!"

"Revenge!"

A group of boys and girls quickly got into a brawl. At this age, the boys were generally not as tall as the girls and were soon pinned to the ground, taking a few punches. But they also managed to pull the girls down with them, and everyone ended up rolling on the ground, twisting each other's arms.

The dormitory building had separate wings for boys and girls on either side, and more senior students rushed out to help. Some encountered each other on the way and started fighting immediately.

Shen Juanjuan and his friends were thrilled, waving their arms in the stairwell and shouting, "Hit him! Hit Wang Zhusheng's brother! Hit!"

"Twist his leg, grab his hair... Louse King doesn't have any hair; they can't grab it, hahaha."

"I want to be the Louse King too."

"Mental attack! Attack individually!"

...

More senior students joined the fight, while the middle and younger students stood far away, watching the commotion. Even on the second-floor windows of the children's section, curious little heads appeared.

Shen Juanjuan and his friends were filled with excitement when they heard a loud whistle overhead, followed by the angry shouts of the supervisors: "What are you all doing? Have you lost your minds?"

The whistles kept sounding, and footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs.

"Hurry, hurry, the supervisors are coming. Let's go," Tang Yuanyuan rushed out first, and the other kids quickly followed.

Shen Juanjuan saw Wang Zhusheng's brother still rolling on the ground, knowing he couldn't bother with him now, so he wanted to watch the fun. But before he took two steps, he saw Liu Sijin standing across the playground, gesturing for him to leave quickly.

Shen Juanjuan remembered he had something important to do; his brother was sick in the office. He suddenly lost interest in watching and decided to say goodbye to the kids and leave.

"You're going to see your brother? Can I come too? I want to see as well."

"I want to see too."

"I want to see too."

But Shen Juanjuan hesitated and didn't respond.

He had only brought Chu Ya back a couple of days ago. If they saw him and wanted to take him, what would he do? After all, they often fought over things; even a cookie could spark a half-day battle.

He could share everything else with them, but not his brother.

Absolutely not!

His brother could only be his!

"Why don't you stay here? I'll bring you good treasures from the garbage mountain. Even if I find delicious cookies, I won't eat them; I'll bring them all to you, okay?" Shen Juanjuan asked sincerely.

The kids were just curious about Chu Ya. Hearing about good stuff, they abandoned their desire to see him. "Okay, go pick treasures."

"I won't go. You pick treasures for me."

"I want an elastic band, one that can make a slingshot."

"I'll search every day and find something for you." Shen Juanjuan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried towards the storage room.

He slipped through the broken hole smoothly but didn't circle around the backyard as usual. Instead, he headed straight for the front door.

The welfare home was in chaos, with the sound of pots and tables being banged echoing throughout. Heads popped out of every window, cheering loudly. The supervisors pulled apart the fighting seniors and blew whistles at the approaching kids, ordering them to return.

Shen Juanjuan walked and watched, thoroughly engrossed. When he saw Wang Zhusheng's brother being lifted by a supervisor, looking disheveled and getting kicked twice, he couldn't stop laughing.

Wang Zhusheng stood next to his brother crying and caught sight of Shen Juanjuan outside the fence during a breath. Shen Juanjuan exaggeratedly touched his leg: "Hahaha, ouch, ouch, it hurts so much, haha..."

Wang Zhusheng suddenly stopped crying and pointed at Shen Juanjuan, trying to complain to the supervisor. Shen Juanjuan was startled but saw that the supervisor was busy catching kids and didn't pay attention to him or look his way.

Relieved, Shen Juanjuan continued making faces at Wang Zhusheng, limping as if his leg hurt until Wang Zhusheng burst into tears. Then, he left contentedly.

When Shen Juanjuan returned to the garbage dump, it was already dusk. As usual, he checked if the door was securely closed and then went to the corner to check the concrete bricks blocking the hole. Only after confirming that Chu Ya hadn't left did he push the door open and enter.

Chu Ya was still lying flat on the cart, pale but breathing more steadily. Shen Juanjuan sat beside him, feeling his forehead and noticing it wasn't as hot. He then looked at his thigh.

"Is this thinner or thicker?" The lights in the garbage dump weren't on yet, and the room was dim. Shen Juanjuan leaned close, using his hands to measure Chu Ya's thigh.

Chu Ya's leg hadn't swollen further, but the skin color was still abnormal. Shen Juanjuan gently touched the plaster on his leg, observing for a while before pulling out a sweet potato from his bag.

"A fragrant sweet potato." Shen Juanjuan deeply inhaled, closing his eyes in delight: "So fragrant, such a delicious sweet potato, I can eat a lot."

He held the sweet potato under Chu Ya's nose: "Smell it, smell it." Then, swallowing, he said, "There's only one sweet potato, so I'll take a bite, and you take a bite."

Shen Juanjuan began peeling the sweet potato, carefully gnawing on each piece of skin, not wasting a single bit of flesh stuck to it. After peeling it, he placed it on the lid of the water pot and skillfully pried open Chu Ya's jaw with a spoon.

"I'll take the first bite; it's a bit hard here." Shen Juanjuan bit the tip of the sweet potato, chewing noisily, and then leaned close to Chu Ya's face: "I'm eating the less tasty part and leaving the best part for you. Am I good to you?"

Chu Ya, with his eyes closed, showed no reaction. Shen Juanjuan smacked his lips loudly: "You should be good to me too and help me beat up Wang Zhusheng's brother."

Finally swallowing the sweet potato in his mouth, he bit off another piece and spat it into his palm: "Here, this is softer; it's time to feed you."

Shen Juanjuan tried to feed Chu Ya the small piece of sweet potato. As he extended his hand, he noticed Chu Ya's face twitch, and the spoon handle tilted, about to fall out of his mouth.

He quickly reached out to steady it, feeling Chu Ya's tongue pushing it outward.

"Hey, the spoon is falling; don't push, or I can't feed you."

Shen Juanjuan held the spoon steady, pressing it against Chu Ya's teeth, trying to pry his jaw open. After two attempts without success, he realized Chu Ya was biting the spoon tightly.

"Don't bite so hard; there's only a small gap in your mouth, and I can't feed you like this." Shen Juanjuan said.

Chu Ya still clenched his teeth, with his jaw muscles bulging. Shen Juanjuan watched him, tilting his head in thought, remembering how he refused to eat the bean cake earlier. He suddenly understood.

"This is delicious, better than the bean cake. Try it." Shen Juanjuan patiently coaxed: "It's very soft; you don't need to bite hard. It's softer than the pills. If you really don't want to bite, I can chew it for you and feed you?"

Gah...

Chu Ya's face twisted as the sound of his teeth grinding against the metal spoon echoed.

Shen Juanjuan stared at him helplessly for a moment before asking, "Do you not want to eat?"

Sweat had already beaded on Chu Ya's forehead, and a faint flush appeared on his pale face. Although he kept his eyes closed, after Shen Juanjuan asked this question, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.

This was the first conscious response he had given, and Shen Juanjuan was overjoyed, repeatedly asking if he was feeling better. But Chu Ya neither opened his eyes nor nodded again, as if he had fallen back into a deep sleep.

Shen Juanjuan sighed, "But if you don't eat, you'll get hungry. I'll eat half and leave the other half for you. When you're ready, I'll feed you."

Shen Juanjuan removed the spoon from Chu Ya's mouth, ate half of the sweet potato himself, and placed the remaining half in the lid of the water bottle. He said regretfully, "You have no idea how delicious warm sweet potatoes are. Once they cool down, they're not as good; they become just like bean cakes."

Night had fallen completely, and the large lights in the landfill finally flickered on, casting light into the tin shack. Shen Juanjuan remembered that Chu Ya needed to take his medicine twice a day, and today he had only taken it once. So, he fed him another dose.

This time, giving the medicine wasn't too difficult. Shen Juanjuan remembered that the pill would stick to the tongue, so he tossed it deep into Chu Ya's throat. Then he poured the last bit of water from the bottle into his mouth and lifted his head.

"Ah... you're so heavy."

Shen Juanjuan squatted down, using his back to support Chu Ya's head gently, rocking him for a while before laying him down and checking his mouth.

"The pill is gone; you've swallowed it." Shen Juanjuan panted with exhaustion but was elated, "When I was in the toddler area, there was a little baby who wouldn't take his medicine. The older kids would hold him and shake him, and he'd swallow it. How did I become so good at this? I feel like I'm as smart as Tang Yuanyuan."

After giving Chu Ya his medicine, Shen Juanjuan prepared to sleep. At the orphanage, when it was bedtime, the caretakers would remind each dormitory to ensure everyone used the restroom, even if they didn't need to go.

Shen Juanjuan slipped out of the tin shack, went to urinate behind a metal block in the corner, and quickly returned. He took off his cotton jacket and pants, lay comfortably next to Chu Ya, pulled the blanket over both of them, and laughed happily, "There's no water here, so I can't wash my face. If the caretaker asks, I'll tell them it's not intentional; there's just no water, ha ha."

As he laughed, Shen Juanjuan suddenly thought of something and sat up abruptly, pulling back the blanket.

"You haven't urinated yet! Can you get up and do it before sleeping?" he asked Chu Ya.

Chu Ya lay still, his chest rising and falling slowly. Shen Juanjuan gently nudged his arm, "I can feed you and give you medicine, but you have to urinate by yourself. Don't think you can skip it just because the caretaker isn't here. Even if you have to force it out, you should."

Shen Juanjuan stared at Chu Ya for a moment, realizing it might be too difficult for him to get up and urinate, especially since there were no caretakers around to enforce the rules.

"Okay, let's pretend you've already done it. Time to sleep." He lay down and warned Chu Ya, "You should go to sleep too, or the caretaker will come."

Shen Juanjuan was quiet for a few seconds before exclaiming, "If you need to urinate, do it on the floor over there, not on me... Oh, you're wearing underwear, which won't work; it will block it."

He sat up again, slowly removing Chu Ya's underwear, sighing with relief, "Okay, now you can... Just aim at the floor... Never mind, urinate wherever; if the blanket gets wet, it will dry eventually."

Finally, Shen Juanjuan closed his eyes to sleep, feeling much different than the night before.

Last night, alone, he had been terrified by the thunder and rain pounding against the tin shack. But now, lying next to Chu Ya, even though Chu Ya was unconscious, he felt incredibly safe, almost wishing for another stormy night, so he could laugh and sleep here.

Excited, Shen Juanjuan couldn't fall asleep for a long time and turned to look at Chu Ya.

The light illuminated Chu Ya's profile, and Shen Juanjuan's fingers traced slowly down his forehead, over the prominent brow ridge, slightly sunken eye sockets, and high nose bridge...

"The scarf you gave me got wet, but it will definitely dry by tomorrow, and I'll put it back on you. The black balls you gave me were delicious. If you wake up in the middle of the night, will you run away? Please don't run away like my little cat and dog did... It would make me very sad..."

He whispered softly, pressing his face against Chu Ya's arm, finally drifting off to sleep.

In his dream, Shen Juanjuan held a scorching hot stove with an empty water bottle on top. The lid kept popping and calling out, "...water, water."

He wanted to put the stove down, but his arms wouldn't release it, and the water bottle kept demanding more water, threatening to explode if he didn't.

He looked everywhere but couldn't find any water. As the water bottle started smoking, he woke up with a start.

Shen Juanjuan sat up quickly, throwing aside what he had been holding, shouting for Lin Duozhi and Tang Yuanyuan. But he soon realized he was in the landfill office, and what he had thrown aside was actually Chu Ya's arm.

"Water, water..." Chu Ya murmured weakly beside him.

Shen Juanjuan turned to look, and under the light from the landfill, he saw Chu Ya turning his head in pain. His face was flushed, his hair drenched with sweat as if he had been caught in the rain, and his lips were cracked and peeling.

"Water..."

Shen Juanjuan immediately got up, grabbed the small water bottle from the sofa, and found it completely empty.

"There's no water left." He shook the bottle at Chu Ya, showing him the bottom to prove it.

"Water, water." Chu Ya, with his eyes closed, still croaked for water. Shen Juanjuan explained as he climbed next to him, "When I went to get dinner, Wang Zhusheng's brother chased me, so I couldn't fill the water bottle."

He touched Chu Ya's forehead, feeling its burning heat, and jumped back in alarm, "You're running a fever again."

Chu Ya frowned, groaning in pain, and continued to mumble for water. Shen Juanjuan glanced outside, quickly putting on his pants and jacket, reassuring Chu Ya, "Don't worry, I'll go find some water for you right away."