Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"...... the one staring at me, his eyes were two holes! I stared back at him..."

Shen Juanjuan kept talking all the way to the street. It wasn't until Chu Ya wanted to enter a household appliance store that he stopped and immediately held Chu Ya back.

"Forget it, forget it, there's nothing good in there. Let's go back, go back."

Chu Ya knew he was scared by what had happened earlier and said, "Then wait here for me. I'll look for a heater."

"No need to go, don't bother looking. Let's just go back."

"Then we'll have to wash with cold water."

"Haha, I love washing with cold water."

Shen Juanjuan was about to push the wheelchair when Chu Ya grabbed his hand and pointed at his fingers, which looked like little red carrots: "Washing with cold water will make them like this. Wait here for me; I'll be quick. You can watch from the doorway."

Chu Ya turned the wheelchair and entered the store. Shen Juanjuan scratched his head, looked around the empty streets, and then followed him to stand at the store entrance.

Perhaps when the whole town was engulfed in fear, medicine and food were the most sought-after, while small appliances were ignored. So the store’s doors were wide open, but the shelves inside were well-stocked.

Knowing Shen Juanjuan was scared, Chu Ya didn’t linger. After finding an electric kettle, he left and casually picked up a bird-nest-like heater.

"Can we go back now?"

"Yes, we can."

Shen Juanjuan was still shaken. When they returned to their familiar street, Chu Ya stopped the wheelchair and waited for him to start the car, but he kept urging, "Let's go, let's go back."

Back at the scrapyard shack, Shen Juanjuan immediately tried to climb onto the bed, but Chu Ya pulled him back, making him sit on a stool. Chu Ya then boiled a pot of hot water and pushed him towards the shower.

"Why do we need to bathe? Today isn't bath day!" Shen Juanjuan exclaimed.

"If you're dirty, today is bath day."

"There's no faucet, I can't stand and wash without a faucet."

Chu Ya said, "I've prepared a basin of hot water. You can sit in it and wash."

"That won't work. That's not bathing. In the orphanage, we always showered. I won't wash." Shen Juanjuan rolled his eyes.

"You're very dirty, and we went to the hospital. We both need to bathe."

"I won't wash."

"Don't you listen to management anymore?"

Shen Juanjuan said, "But management wouldn't make us bathe today."

No matter what Chu Ya said, Shen Juanjuan was determined not to bathe. Chu Ya's tone became slightly harsher: "Look at how dirty you are, covered in germs. You’re going to bathe today whether you like it or not!"

Chu Ya usually kept his emotions in check and spoke to Shen Juanjuan gently. Rarely did he show impatience, even on his usually serene face.

Though he quickly adjusted his mood, the momentary irritation didn't escape Shen Juanjuan's notice.

He stood stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly raised his voice: "I won't wash! You're not management, you're Shen Miaomiao!"

"Regardless of who I am, you're going to bathe," Chu Ya sternly replied.

Shen Juanjuan clenched his fists: "You're Shen Miaomiao, the one who loves me the most!"

He glared at Chu Ya, then rushed to the sofa, grabbed the armless teddy bear that hadn't been sent to dorm 321, and slammed it on the sofa, standing motionless with his neck twisted.

Chu Ya pursed his lips, said nothing more, and made two trips, carrying the prepared basin of water and the newly boiled kettle, heading to the farthest shack.

Shen Juanjuan stood in the room for a while, pouting as he picked up the teddy bear, touched its broken arm, and looked outside, his expression filled with a hint of grievance.

Hearing no sound from the bathroom, he put down the bear, walked to the door, and leaned against it, slowly poking his head out.

After watching for a few seconds, Shen Juanjuan left the house, leaning against the wall and inching forward. After a few steps, he stopped and started scraping the metal wall, making a screeching noise.

"What's this? How did a good thing appear?"

Suddenly, Chu Ya's puzzled voice came from the bathroom shack, and Shen Juanjuan perked up his ears to listen.

"This thing looks interesting," Chu Ya muttered to himself.

"There's no good thing; he's lying." Shen Juanjuan mumbled softly, but his feet continued to move slowly toward the shack.

"This thing Shen Juanjuan would definitely like. I loved playing with it as a kid, but he's angry. If I give it to him, he probably won't want it. Better throw it away."

Hearing something drop in the room, Shen Juanjuan stopped scraping the wall and rushed over, pushing open the metal door: "I haven't seen what it is yet. How do you know I won't want it?"

Chu Ya, dressed neatly in his wheelchair, held a piece of thin wire and pliers. Seeing Shen Juanjuan enter, he wasn't surprised and simply nodded toward the basin: "Oh? Then take a look now?"

Shen Juanjuan saw something lying on the ground and quickly picked it up, examining it closely, asking in surprise, "Is this a teddy bear?"

"It's a rabbit."

"...... This is a rabbit, huh."

Chu Ya watched him: "Do you like it? If you do, it's yours."

Shen Juanjuan lowered his head, not answering whether he liked it, but from Chu Ya's angle, he could see his lips curling upward.

In his small hand lay a rabbit made of wire, with long ears and a round body, sitting on its front paws. Though simple, it looked lively.

"This is a rabbit, this is a rabbit..." Shen Juanjuan's eyes sparkled with delight, and he smiled toothlessly at Chu Ya, "I've never seen a rabbit before. Is this what it looks like?"

"Sure, the little rabbit is like that." Chu Ya thought for a moment. "Not entirely, though. I'll draw it for you later; that will be more accurate."

Shen Juanjuan fondly stroked the wire rabbit. When Chu Ya reached out to pull him, he naturally leaned over and let Chu Ya take off his cotton jacket, even extending his neck and arms cooperatively when removing his T-shirt.

Chu Ya stripped Shen Juanjuan naked, lifting him by the armpits and placing him in the basin. Shen Juanjuan did not resist, only murmuring softly, "I don't want to wash..."

Chu Ya pressed down on his shoulders, and he slid into the basin, saying, "Oh, I don't want to wash..."

Chu Ya splashed water over him and began applying soap. Shen Juanjuan swayed left and right but kept his head down, playing with the little rabbit.

"Close your eyes," Chu Ya said, rubbing Shen Juanjuan's hair and wiping away the soap suds about to drip into his eyes.

Shen Juanjuan obediently closed his eyes. Chu Ya was about to pour a cup of water over his head when he suddenly heard, "I didn't like how you looked at me just now."

"What?" Chu Ya paused.

Shen Juanjuan mumbled, "I didn't like how you looked at me. It made me unhappy and sad, and I wanted to hit someone."

Chu Ya stared at the top of his head for a few seconds before pouring the water and responding, "I understand."

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and a naked boy, wearing only slippers, darted out.

"Wow, it's so cold!" Shen Juanjuan shouted, hugging his arms.

Chu Ya wheeled himself out. "Quick, get back inside and under the covers."

"It's so cold, oh my..." Shen Juanjuan stomped his feet and complained about the cold but refused to go back inside. Seeing Chu Ya trying to catch him, he ran around the small open space.

"Hahaha, hahaha, I'm not afraid of the cold. I'm so awesome, I'm a sentinel guide, you can't catch me." His voice trembled from the cold, but he was excited, checking if Chu Ya was catching up as he ran.

Chu Ya said, "Alright, play outside then, but come back soon." He then wheeled himself back inside.

Shen Juanjuan lost his enthusiasm, quickly running back to the tin house and diving under the blankets.

"Cold, cold, cold." His teeth chattered.

Chu Ya boiled another pot of hot water and carried it to the bathroom to bathe.

"Do you need help? You don't have any feet," Shen Juanjuan asked, poking his head out.

"No," Chu Ya replied, turning slightly at the door. "Stay under the covers."

"Okay, stay under the covers, hehe."

Chu Ya went to the bathroom, removed the plastic board and straps from his legs, and carefully washed his body. Thanks to his sentinel constitution, the swelling around the broken bone had already started to subside, and he estimated it would be gone in two days.

As he moved, his gaze fell on a mark on his left wrist, surprised to find that the dot resembling a birthmark had changed shape, becoming an elliptical droplet pointing upward, as if growing towards his forearm.

Chu Ya studied the black mark, unable to figure out what it was until he felt the chill, prompting him to quickly wrap his broken leg with a splint and bandages before putting on clothes.

Without assistance, this took over an hour, leaving him pale and covered in cold sweat due to the pain from moving his injured leg.

After resting in his wheelchair until he regained his strength, Chu Ya returned to the room. Upon opening the tin door, he saw Shen Juanjuan sound asleep, his face flushed, long curly lashes resting on his lower eyelids, and lightly snoring.

Chu Ya gently removed the bear Shen Juanjuan was clutching and tucked his hand under the covers, then took out several bags of surgical gowns found at the hospital.

These gowns were sealed and sterile, each bag containing a top and pants. After removing the outer packaging and confirming there was no odor, he took out needles, thread, and scissors and began cutting.

He had worn his current set of clothes for a long time, and although they had no smell, he could no longer tolerate them. The temperature in the abyss was lower than in Cloud Peak, and winter was approaching, so he needed sufficient clothing.

Although he could find clothes in the houses in Mixin Town, he preferred making his own rather than searching through garments worn by unknown people.

Fortunately, Ah Qin knew how to sew and often discussed techniques with her mother, such as how to taper the waist and handle the armpit area, which he had picked up inadvertently.

With the pre-made surgical gown, he felt confident, cutting the bottom part off.

After preparing the fabric, he grabbed a new quilt from the corner, cut a corner of the cotton core, and pulled out large clumps of cotton, laying them evenly on the cut fabric.

There were plenty of cotton cores in Chunlan Supermarket, and he planned to make a padded jacket for himself and a lined jacket for Shen Juanjuan. Although the child wore a welfare home jacket, it was loose and not very warm.

The cotton, though old, was still fluffy and not damp or infested, so he sewed it in place every few inches to prevent it from slipping down while wearing.

Finally, he put another surgical gown over it and roughly stitched it together to create a padded jacket.

Chu Ya took off his hoodie, put on the padded jacket over his T-shirt, and checked himself in a small mirror.

Despite not caring much about the appearance of the clothes, he couldn't help but grimace and silently put down the mirror, lost in thought.

He realized this style of round-necked garment with ties at the back was familiar; some children in Cloud Peak wore similar surgical gown-style jackets called smocks.

He quickly took it off, adjusted the neckline, and switched the front and back.

Wearing it again, it still looked odd, but the row of tie-like buttons on the chest was better than the strange smock.

Seeing Shen Juanjuan still asleep, Chu Ya wheeled himself to the bathroom, placed his hoodie and Shen Juanjuan's dirty clothes in separate buckets, and brought soap to Mixin Town.

Upon reaching the courtyard in Mixin Town, he tore the lining of Shen Juanjuan's cotton jacket, discarded the old cotton, and washed only the fabric layer.

He planned to stuff it with fresh cotton once it dried, making it warmer.

When Chu Ya returned to the tin house, Shen Juanjuan was still sleeping, so he turned on the small heater and hung the clothes to dry.

Shen Juanjuan slept deeply, waking up without opening his eyes and calling for Chu Ya.

"Shen Miaomiao..."

"Mmm."

Shen Juanjuan rubbed his eyes and looked outside the bed, seeing Chu Ya sitting on the sofa facing away, bent over doing something.

"Ya! Shen Miaomiao, is that a new outfit you're wearing?"

"Hmm."

"Is it the one we found at the hospital?" Shen Juanjuan recognized the surgical gown.

"Yes."

Shen Juanjuan got up to look for his T-shirt but couldn't find it. He then searched for his pants and jacket, but they were nowhere to be seen. Deciding to just go with it, he threw back the blanket, naked, and walked over to Chu Ya.

"Huh? What are you doing? Is this my clothes? Are you cutting my clothes?"

"Hmm, I'm adding new cotton to your clothes; they'll be much warmer." Chu Ya didn't look up, only stuffing the cotton into the clothes. "Go back to bed."

"I don't want to..."

Shen Juanjuan's refusal was cut short when he saw Chu Ya slightly turn his face, about to look over. The rest of his words died in his throat.

He didn't want Chu Ya to look at him with that uncomfortable gaze again.

Not at all.

"Okay, I'll go back to bed." Shen Juanjuan changed his tune.

Chu Ya glanced at him calmly before returning his attention to the padded jacket. Shen Juanjuan let out a breath of relief and quickly ran back to the bed, kicking off his shoes and climbing up.

"Cover yourself with the blanket," Chu Ya said without turning around.

Shen Juanjuan lay face down at the edge of the bed, the blanket over his head, saying, "Move a bit, please. I can't see, move a bit."

Chu Ya shifted to the side, and Shen Juanjuan was satisfied. He watched while asking questions nonstop.

"Did you make these clothes for me?"

"Just replaced the cotton."

"These clothes look so nice."

"Aren't they the same as before?"

Shen Juanjuan scratched his face, "No, they're different."

"You're right; after washing them, I realized the sleeves are blue too. I thought they were black." Chu Ya smiled slightly, "Just washing the sleeves used up half a bar of soap."

"Can you make clothes, Shen Miaomiao?" Shen Juanjuan asked as Chu Ya finished stuffing the cotton and started sewing.

Chu Ya continued working, "Didn't you say I was your brother and we lived together? Didn't you see me make clothes before?"

"Ah... I, ah..." Shen Juanjuan felt a bit guilty, scratching his face repeatedly, his gaze wandering, "I think I did see you, but I forgot. Ha, I actually forgot too, just like you, yeah, forgot."

After watching for a while, Shen Juanjuan felt very hungry and cautiously got up, moving towards the sofa, eyes fixed on Chu Ya, reaching into his bag for a bean cake.

"Hungry?" Chu Ya checked the time and realized it was already two in the afternoon.

"Yeah, hungry." Shen Juanjuan pulled out a bean cake, put it in his mouth, and offered another to Chu Ya.

"My hands are busy, just leave it there; I'll eat it later."

But Shen Juanjuan didn't put it back, stuffing one into his own mouth and extending the other to Chu Ya's lips.

"You must be hungry too; let me feed you."

Chu Ya looked at Shen Juanjuan's cold, bumpy arm and set aside the clothes, taking the bean cake. "I'll eat it myself; go back to bed."

Once Shen Juanjuan was under the blanket, Chu Ya reminded him, "Keep your head outside the bed; don't let crumbs fall on the bed."

After finishing the bean cake, Chu Ya resumed sewing, while Shen Juanjuan lay on the bed, hugging a teddy bear, watching him. Shen Juanjuan kept talking, and Chu Ya patiently answered.

"I only lost one tooth, but a kid from the kindergarten class lost a big chunk; there's a huge gap here, now that's funny..."

As Shen Juanjuan spoke, Chu Ya turned around, shook out the newly padded jacket, and wheeled himself to the bedside.

"Try it on." He handed the jacket to Shen Juanjuan.

The freshly washed and dried jacket had a faint scent of soap. Shen Juanjuan eagerly put it on, sniffing, "It smells so good; it looks great now."

Chu Ya had stuffed thick layers of cotton inside, and Shen Juanjuan immediately felt warm. He laughed happily, rubbing his cheek against his shoulder, eyes closed in bliss, "So soft, so cozy."

Chu Ya also handed him the corduroy pants, and once Shen Juanjuan had dressed fully, he walked around the room contentedly. Chu Ya continued cutting a piece of fabric, and Shen Juanjuan, looking at his profile, felt an urge.

—I want to give him good things, the best things.

But those treasures don't seem to interest him, so I'll get more food, the fattest and biggest sweet potatoes.

Shen Juanjuan stepped towards the door, and Chu Ya asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to collect treasures," Shen Juanjuan replied loudly.

Chu Ya's forehead twitched, "You just had a bath; do you want to roll in garbage again?"

Shen Juanjuan: "Why keep mentioning baths? Can we not talk about unhappy things?"

"If you don't want baths, stop crawling through garbage piles."

Shen Juanjuan, troubled, said, "But if I don't go to the garbage mountain, I won't find any treasures. I need those treasures to trade for food; I want to take care of you."

Chu Ya was stunned, and Shen Juanjuan explained, counting on his fingers, "Three pretty papers can get a bean cake, and new things can also get a bean cake. If I collect more, I can even get sweet potatoes."

Chu Ya didn't say anything, remaining silent for a long moment before lowering his head to continue cutting the fabric. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his expression looked grim.

"Can I go?" Shen Juanjuan asked tentatively.

Chu Ya spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Wait a bit longer, just a few more minutes."

After a while, Chu Ya unfolded the clothes in his hand: "Come, put this on."

He had shortened the body and sleeves of the surgical gown, putting it over Shen Juanjuan's cotton jacket, then tied the row of cloth strips on the back, turning it into an overshirt.

Wearing his new overshirt, Shen Juanjuan kept pacing in front of the tin shed, occasionally glancing at the tip of the garbage mountain in the square, then looking back at Chu Ya, who was still making clothes inside, scratching his head anxiously.

The older kids hadn't come today, so there were many treasures in the garbage mountain. Now that it was almost dark, if Chu Ya didn't let him go scavenging, the garbage would be taken away by a forklift and burned.

"Can I really not go pick now? I'll be very careful and won't get my new clothes dirty," Shen Juanjuan tiptoed to the door, holding the hem of the overshirt. "I'll walk like this." Then he squatted down, pretending to pick something up with his fingers. "I'll pick things up like this."

Chu Ya said without looking up: "Wait two more minutes."

"You've said 'two more minutes' many times already," Shen Juanjuan said, somewhat annoyed. "How long is two minutes? I need to go work."

Just as Shen Juanjuan was about to lose his temper because he couldn't wait any longer, Chu Ya put down the scissors: "Alright, two minutes are up."

Then he unfolded a pair of large blue pants: "Put these on. From now on, wear these whenever you're not at the welfare home."

Chu Ya had shortened the pants from the surgical gown and tightened the waist, allowing them to fit over Shen Juanjuan's corduroy pants to keep out the dust.

Shen Juanjuan put on the new pants and walked back and forth in front of Chu Ya: "Do I look good? Am I good-looking?"

Although the waist had been made smaller, the pants were still loose around the hips and legs, making Shen Juanjuan look like he was stuffed into a blue sack. Only his small feet could be seen moving alternately, while the rest of his legs remained still.

Chu Ya replied calmly: "You look good."

Shen Juanjuan looked down at his pant legs, and Chu Ya added: "This is called an overshirt and overpants; it's your work uniform."

Hearing the words "work uniform," Shen Juanjuan's doubts about the pants vanished instantly, and he broke into a smile: "Work uniform, right, this is my work uniform. It looks good, really good. These pants are the best-looking. I've never seen anyone wear them before. Those older kids who play drums, their pants aren't as nice as mine."

Chu Ya continued: "You have an office and a job, so you should wear your work uniform to avoid getting your cotton jacket dirty and hard to wash. But when you go to the welfare home, don't wear it and don't tell anyone that your cotton jacket has been modified. Okay?"

Shen Juanjuan examined his new clothes: "Got it. But why can't I wear it when I go back to the welfare home? Isn't it a shame not to show others such nice clothes?"

Chu Ya paused for a moment before replying: "Because others might discover me through these things, and then they'll take me away."