Chapter 25: Shen Miaomiao

Chapter 25: Shen Miaomiao

Shen Juanjuan didn’t waste any time on the way and soon returned to the orphanage. After slipping through the fence hole, he saw several workers carrying steaming iron buckets heading to the cafeteria and happily realized it wasn’t breakfast time yet.

Shen Juanjuan sneaked into the dormitory building, where the hallway was filled with children holding basins for washing up. He slipped back into his room and shouted at the few kids inside, "Whoa!"

"You scared me."

"I was also scared by him."

Shen Juanjuan: "Whoa!"

"If you do it again, I’ll whoa too!"

"Whoa whoa!"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!"

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!"

Shen Juanjuan leaped forward, raising his hands beside his ears like claws: "Whoa wah wah wah wah wah..."

The other kids followed suit: "Whoa wah wah wah..."

"Chen Hongliang, have you washed up yet? Why are you shouting over there? Everyone in your dormitory, go wash up now. I’m going to check each one of you," came the voice of the supervisor from the other end of the hallway.

The children stopped and started chattering.

"The supervisor checked last night. Lin Duozhi spread out your blanket, and the supervisor didn’t notice anything."

"Is your brother still sick?"

"Hasn’t he died?"

"It’s almost breakfast time. Are you going to get food?"

"Did you bring any treasures?"

Shen Juanjuan answered one by one: His brother was sick but not dead; he would eat; he hadn’t picked up new trash today, but he would bring treasures after picking it up. He added that he had fought ghosts last night and would tell them about it later.

"The supervisor is calling us to wash our faces and brush our teeth. Let’s first check if Wang Zhusheng’s brother is in the washroom," Chen Hongliang said as he ran out.

Wang Xiaoxi grumbled unhappily, "This is something I and Yu Datou usually do. He’s taking over, and he doesn’t even know how to keep watch. He’ll definitely be caught by the enemy."

Yu Datou took his thin hand, "Let’s go."

"Okay, we’ll go too."

Shen Juanjuan dragged his small basin from under the bed, placing his toiletries and two water flasks inside. The washroom also had hot water, so he planned to fill both flasks to avoid going to Mixin Town for water.

Thinking of Mixin Town reminded him of the terrifying experiences of last night, causing him to shiver involuntarily.

Yu Datou and Wang Xiaoxi quickly reappeared at the door: "He’s not there, let’s go."

Chen Hongliang also ran back: "Wang Zhusheng’s brother isn’t in the washroom. He must be in the cafeteria."

"Who? Who? Who’s calling me?" Wang Zhusheng’s voice echoed down the corridor.

The children feared his brother but not him, so they ignored him and carried their basins to the washroom together.

There weren’t many people left in the washroom, only one supervisor standing at the entrance. As Shen Juanjuan followed the others into the washroom, the supervisor grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Why are you so dirty?" the supervisor asked incredulously, "Didn’t you wash your face last night? Or did you roll around on the ground in the middle of the night?"

The children looked at him nervously, but Tang Yuanyuan spoke up, "He has sleepwalking issues. Supervisor Chen said he wanders around at night."

Seeing Tang Yuanyuan wink at him, Shen Juanjuan immediately understood and cleverly closed his eyes, feeling around with his hands in front of him: "I think I’m starting to dream again. I’m already dreaming."

The supervisor didn’t listen to their nonsense but heard the words “Supervisor Chen” and stopped questioning, only pushing away Shen Juanjuan’s reaching hands: "Go wash your face and hands thoroughly. If there’s even a speck of dirt, you won’t be allowed into the cafeteria."

Shen Juanjuan washed his face, brushed his teeth, and washed his hands quickly, rubbing his face until it turned red. But he didn’t stop talking, whispering about his experiences last night to the children.

"My brother wanted water, but I had none left. Guess where I went?" Without waiting for an answer, he revealed, "That’s right, I went to Mixin Town."

The children covered their mouths, letting out restrained yet excited exclamations.

"Wow!"

"Wow!"

"Wow!!"

"Wash properly, what are you ‘wowing’ for?" the supervisor shouted from the doorway.

Shen Juanjuan continued scrubbing his face while lowering his voice: "He might have wanted to eat me... rub rub... how could I let him eat me... rub... I pretended not to attack, but actually hit him with an iron rod..."

Lin Duozhi helped clean the two water flasks, filled them with hot water, tightened the caps, and hung them on Shen Juanjuan.

After putting the basin back in the dormitory, Shen Juanjuan was surrounded by several children as they walked to the cafeteria together.

"I saw those footprints and knew it was a ghost, but I couldn’t see him."

The supervisor was counting breakfast portions outside the cafeteria. Inside, Shen Juanjuan stood in the line for the younger children, vividly recounting his experience. A group of children listened intently around him, even Liu Sijin and a few other girls stood nearby, gasping repeatedly.

"Come out, I know you’re here, come out!" Shen Juanjuan, holding a broom he had just grabbed from the doorway, pointed ahead and shouted, looking alertly left and right, spotting Wang Zhusheng’s brother.

Wang Zhusheng’s brother was standing not far ahead, speaking fiercely to Wang Zhusheng. However, Wang Zhusheng wasn’t afraid at all, only clinging to his brother, threatening to cry.

"I made you an iron ring just the day before yesterday. Where am I supposed to find steel marbles now?"

"I want the steel ball car, not the iron ring. I want the steel ball car..."

Wang Zhusheng's brother just happened to look over, and his gaze met Shen Juanjuan's.

It seemed he had forgotten about the previous incident, as his eyes didn't linger on Shen Juanjuan. But Shen Juanjuan was still in the position of thrusting the broom forward, which made Wang Zhusheng's brother turn back, then show realization, with anger rising in his eyes.

"Tell me quickly, why aren't you talking?"

The other children were still urging the motionless Shen Juanjuan, but when they saw Wang Zhusheng's brother approaching aggressively, they instantly froze like a bunch of quails.

Wang Zhusheng's brother grabbed Shen Juanjuan by the collar, lifting him off the ground: "What do you want now?"

Shen Juanjuan's mind went blank, staring blankly at the person in front of him, mechanically repeating: "What do you want now?"

Wang Zhusheng's brother clearly took this as a provocation. After a moment of shock, his expression turned menacing.

"What do I want? I want to kill you!"

He pushed Shen Juanjuan backward. Although it wasn't far, Shen Juanjuan stumbled upon landing, hit the table leg, and fell to the ground, the two water bottles on his body clattering loudly.

Shen Juanjuan tried to get up as if nothing had happened, wanting to secretly make a face to show he was fine. But this time, the impact was severe, leaving him lying on the ground, unable to move, with sharp pains in his back.

"Shen Juanjuan is being beaten to death by Wang Zhusheng's brother!" Lin Duozhi suddenly screamed.

There was no supervision in the cafeteria, and the other children were gathered in small groups, none noticing what was happening here. When Lin Duozhi's scream echoed, the cafeteria fell silent, and everyone looked over.

Liu Sijin pointed at Shen Juanjuan, complaining to her sister: "Wang Chengcai beat Shen Juanjuan to death!"

Wang Chengcai was stunned for a moment, then yelled at Liu Sijin: "Who said he's dead? I didn't even use any force; he hit the table himself! If you keep lying, I'll beat you too!"

"Wang Chengcai, try beating my sister?" Liu Zhen led a group of girls with unfriendly faces surrounding them.

"So what if I did? Are you going to bite me with lice?" Wang Chengcai asked, chin raised.

"Very arrogant, punish him! Go!"

In just a few words, Wang Chengcai and the girls started fighting. The conflict quickly spread throughout the cafeteria, involving middle and senior students, while only the junior students hid under tables and in corners.

"Shen Juanjuan, Shen Juanjuan, don't die, Shen Juanjuan." Lin Duozhi shook the prone Shen Juanjuan, his voice trembling with fear. Shen Juanjuan finally moved, slowly raising his head, his face covered in tears.

"You're not dead." Lin Duozhi exclaimed with joy.

Shen Juanjuan sobbed: "I'm not dead... sniffle..."

Two senior students rolled on the ground nearby, almost crushing Shen Juanjuan. Tang Yuanyuan, who had hidden under the table, came out again, dragging Shen Juanjuan under the table.

Shen Juanjuan slowly sat up, crying: "I can fight ghosts... sniffle... but it doesn't work against people..."

"Don't cry, don't be sad." Lin Duozhi patted Shen Juanjuan's face.

"I'm not sad, really not sad." Shen Juanjuan sniffled: "I have a brother, but he's sick, otherwise he would beat him to death."

He emphasized the words "beat him to death" fiercely, and Chen Hongliang made an attacking gesture: "Good, we'll find him and beat him with mental power, but I need a guide now."

"Then I'll be your guide, I'll help with mental power." Tang Yuanyuan gestured behind her, afraid Wang Chengcai would see.

Chen Hongliang: "Last night you said you were a sentinel."

Tang Yuanyuan: "Now I'm a guide."

"Oh, okay then."

Liu Sijin also crawled under the table to comfort Shen Juanjuan: "Don't worry, my sister will help you take revenge."

The cafeteria was in chaos, and several supervisors rushed in, whistling and hitting people with rulers, creating a dull thudding sound as the rulers struck cotton coats.

The fighting gradually stopped, and Supervisor Chen strode in, kicking a senior student who was still fighting, making him fall backward. He then hit another student's back with the ruler, shouting: "Everyone who was fighting, stand up straight!"

Everyone stood obediently, and the cafeteria fell silent. Supervisor Chen asked: "Who started it?"

All eyes turned to Wang Chengcai.

Wang Chengcai, with disheveled hair and red marks on his face, defiantly held his chin high.

Supervisor Chen shouted again: "Besides Wang Chengcai, who else started the fight?"

Everyone looked at Liu Zhen.

Liu Zhen's coat had lost a few buttons, and there was a scratch on her neck, but she looked unconcerned. Her bald head made her appear more rebellious than Wang Chengcai.

Before Supervisor Chen could speak, a voice from the crowd cried: "It was me."

Shen Juanjuan emerged from under the table, crying as he walked through the crowd, gasping between sobs: "It was me... cough... it was me who fought with Wang Zhusheng's brother."

Supervisor Chen silently watched Shen Juanjuan, then looked at Wang Chengcai, who lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.

"Liu Zhen and Wang Chengcai, both to the punishment room. Liu Zhen can come out before dinner, but Wang Chengcai bullied a junior student, so he stays for two more days. Everyone else who fought, run five laps on the playground now."

Wang Chengcai and Liu Zhen left first. As Wang Chengcai reached the door, he turned and glared fiercely at Shen Juanjuan. The other fighting seniors followed, with Shen Juanjuan trailing behind.

"What are you doing?" Supervisor Chen called out to Shen Juanjuan.

"I, I fought too, I, I'll go run..." Shen Juanjuan sniffled.

Supervisor Chen showed no emotion: "You don't need to go. Stay and eat breakfast."

"...Okay... sniffle."

"One-two-one, one-two-one."

In the cafeteria, only a few people remained, lining up in sparse rows to receive breakfast as the cadence of students running laps outside echoed through the windows.

"Today's breakfast is yams."

"Wow, yams!"

Shen Juanjuan stood in line, and upon hearing the word "yams," he stopped crying, his tear-blurred eyes peering up at the iron bucket ahead.

"Hey, it really is yams!" He exclaimed with delight, his tear-soaked pupils black and bright.

Lin Duozhi turned around. "Are you still going to take some to your brother?"

"Yes." Shen Juanjuan nodded without hesitation, then patted the two water bottles hanging from his waist. "But we can't fill them with soup, or we won't have enough water to drink."

As they whispered, Shen Juanjuan noticed Wang Zhusheng standing in the other line, glaring at him angrily.

Unfazed, Shen Juanjuan glared back fiercely.

"You're in trouble," Wang Zhusheng said.

Shen Juanjuan wiggled his hips and taunted, "Come on, come on, hit me if you dare. I want the steel ball car, not the iron hoop, I want the steel ball car..."

Tang Yuanyuan and Chen Hongliang joined in, twisting their bodies. "Come on, come on, hit us if you dare."

Wang Zhusheng looked like he was about to cry, turning away with red eyes.

Shen Juanjuan soon reached the front of the line and leaned over to inspect the plump yams. The manager, Chen, glanced at him. "Stand up straight, don't fall into the bucket."

Although Shen Juanjuan straightened up, his eyes darted around the bucket, searching for the biggest and fattest yam.

Manager Chen handed him a large yam, but before Shen Juanjuan could turn away, he placed another one on top of it.

"Can you finish both?" Manager Chen asked.

Shen Juanjuan laughed so hard his eyes crinkled. "Haha, yes, I can finish them."

A hint of a smile appeared on Manager Chen's stern face. "Move along, next person."

Shen Juanjuan, still thinking about Chu Ya in the office, saw no one paying attention and slipped the two yams into his bag. He quietly bid farewell to a few classmates and sneaked out of the cafeteria.

The punished students were running laps on the playground, so Shen Juanjuan kept an eye out for the supervisors and hid under the building's wall, successfully leaving the orphanage.

Chu Ya had just managed to put on his underwear and lay pale on the stretcher, panting heavily, drenched in cold sweat from pain.

He didn't know how long it would be before Yun Tuo arrived, and whether Gu Lin would find him first. His mental domain was damaged, and his broken legs wouldn't allow him to walk anytime soon. His only hope was a five- or six-year-old child.

But he didn't think the child would return, given that they had no connection beyond a brief encounter at the orphanage. Moreover, Shen Juanjuan was too young; if something interesting caught his attention, he might forget all about Chu Ya.

Chu Ya didn't know what to do next. If he had to fend for himself, where could he find water and food? He tried to ignore his panic and focused on staying calm, thinking of ways to solve his immediate problems.

He turned to look at the pile of scrap metal, knowing it led to the garbage dump.

...No, there must be another way to get food.

But where could he get water?

He had seen Shen Juanjuan fetch water in Mixin Town, but with his legs immobile, reaching the courtyard a few streets away would take an unknown amount of time...

Chu Ya decided to start with the first step: moving from the stretcher to the ground. But as he shifted just a few inches, a sharp pain shot through his thigh.

He endured the agony and continued moving until his vision blurred and cold sweat poured down his face. His arms trembled, and he finally collapsed.

Drenched in sweat, Chu Ya knew he needed to immobilize his broken bones first; otherwise, he couldn't even move off the stretcher.

After the pain subsided, he surveyed his surroundings, looking for something to support his broken bones. But Shen Juanjuan preferred flashy items, and the room mostly contained plastic objects, lacking any sturdy long items.

Chu Ya checked his watch; nearly two hours had passed since Shen Juanjuan left. Though he believed the child wouldn't return, he stared at the watch for a long time.

Just as he was about to lower his hand, he noticed a black dot on his wrist, like a speck of ink from a pen. Though small, it stood out against his pale skin.

He rubbed it with his fingers, but it wouldn't budge. Bringing his wrist closer, he realized the dot wasn't dirt but a mark beneath the skin, like a birthmark.

Chu Ya knew he had no birthmark there, but since it neither hurt nor felt abnormal, he set it aside for now.

Continuing his search, he spotted an iron rod leaning against a stack of cardboard boxes outside the door, likely left there by Shen Juanjuan.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Ya struggled to move his body. Although the stretcher was low, it was still half a foot above the ground. Enduring the pain, he moved his upper body to the floor and slowly lowered his legs.

This simple action took ten minutes, and his hair was soaked in cold sweat.

Using his elbows to push himself, he crawled toward the door, finally reaching it.

Reaching out for the iron rod, his trembling fingers barely touched it when it toppled and rolled further away.

Chu Ya lay on the ground, watching the rod, his breath forming white clouds. Wearing only his underwear, his skin pressed against the cold floor, rapidly cooling his body except for the warmth in his chest.

After regaining his composure, he attempted to crawl forward again, but suddenly, the stack of cardboard boxes beside the door collapsed.

He quickly raised his arm to protect his head, but fortunately, the boxes were light, and only a couple fell on him. When he lifted his head, the small doorway was blocked by the boxes.

Chu Ya tried to drag the boxes, tossing each one behind him, but every movement caused sharp pain in his broken thigh.

When he tossed another box, a sudden surge of pain made him grunt, and his vision darkened.

After enduring the pain, a wave of helplessness and despair washed over him. He slowly lowered his head onto his forearm.

He lay motionless until footsteps approached, making him abruptly lift his head, his red-rimmed eyes still wet.

"Ah! What happened? Why did my boxes fall? Ah! Ah!"

Hearing Shen Juanjuan's voice, Chu Ya was stunned for several seconds before he came back to his senses, his eyes reddening once again. He tried to speak, but his throat was so constricted that no sound came out.

"Shen Miaomiao, Shen Miaomiao." Shen Juanjuan called anxiously.

"I'm here." Chu Ya finally managed to speak, his voice hoarse.

"Shen Miaomiao!" Shen Juanjuan didn't hear him, his voice sharp with panic.

"I'm here!" Chu Ya shouted loudly.

Shen Juanjuan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Don't worry, just lie down and rest. Go to sleep, I'll move the boxes. When I'm done, I'll wake you up."

Chu Ya wiped away a tear that had rolled down his cheek, rubbing it on his shoulder, and replied, "Okay."

Shen Juanjuan looked up at the mountain of cardboard boxes in front of him, silently exclaiming, then gestured to measure their height. He took off his hat and placed it on the ground along with his bag and water bottle.

He hugged the box at the edge and shouted, "Class Two, let's go!"

These boxes were quite large, almost as tall as Shen Juanjuan. After picking one up, he couldn't see the path ahead, so he waddled sideways like a penguin, his belly sticking out and his back arched.

"Shen Miaomiao, why are these boxes falling over?"

"Maybe the wind blew them over."

"Oh... Shen Miaomiao, are you asleep?"

"No."

"What are you doing then?"

"Just listening to you talk."

"Do you know what I'm doing?"

"Yes, I do."

"Hehehe..."

Throughout the process of moving the boxes, Shen Juanjuan kept talking.

"Guess what happened when I was getting breakfast? Yes, I got into a fight. Can you guess with whom? It was with Wang Zhusheng's brother, that big dung beetle... Shen Miaomiao, are you asleep?"

"No, I'm listening." Chu Ya felt strength returning to his body and began moving toward the cart.

"You should sleep, go to sleep... Wang Zhusheng's brother grabbed me, and I grabbed him back. He asked me, 'What do you want now?' But I wasn't afraid of him, so I asked him the same thing... Shen Miaomiao, are you asleep?"

"Not sleeping, I'm listening." Chu Ya blinked, flicking sweat from his eyelashes, and responded between breaths.

"Class Two, let's go... He threw me out, but I'm actually very clever. As soon as he threw me, I started using my mental attack. Even Tang Yuanyuan might not be able to do it, but I can... Are you listening? Did you fall asleep?"

Chu Ya, supporting himself with both hands on the cart, pulled his upper body onto it and then moved his left leg, his forehead creasing with pain.

"Shen Miaomiao? Shen Miaomiao?" Shen Juanjuan's voice grew tense again.

Chu Ya took a couple of deep breaths. "I heard you, you're amazing."

Shen Juanjuan finally cleared the boxes blocking the door, creating a passage. Chu Ya also managed to climb onto the cart and pulled the blanket over himself.