Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Even though it was already seven in the evening and raining outside, Chu Ya could not let the pile of dirty, wet clothes sit overnight. He went next door to find a broken umbrella, fixed its frame with some wire, and picked up the dirty clothes and shoes to head to Mixin Town.

"I'm coming too." Shen Juanjuan kicked off the covers and tried to slip out of bed.

"You stay here; I'll be back soon."

"I want to go..." Shen Juanjuan hurriedly put on his slippers and stood in front of Chu Ya.

Chu Ya looked at the naked child: "I need to wash our clothes. You don't have anything to wear; how can you come?"

"So what if there's nothing to wear? I won't wear anything then." Shen Juanjuan seemed quite casual about it.

"That won't do." Chu Ya shook his head.

"What if I wear the work uniform?"

"It's too cold outside; you need to wear a down jacket or a hoodie like mine. The work uniform won't work."

Although Chu Ya's voice was gentle, it also conveyed an unyielding determination. Shen Juanjuan knew he had no hope of going out but continued to plead, "Let me come along."

"No." Chu Ya led him to the bed, "Get back in, don't catch a chill."

"Let me come along..."

"No, it's too cold outside."

Shen Juanjuan turned and climbed onto the bed: "No, let me come along."

"You can't come." Chu Ya pulled back the covers.

Shen Juanjuan obediently lay down as Chu Ya covered him, but continued to whine, "Let me come along..."

"Behave, I'll be back soon."

"I won't behave, I won't behave." Shen Juanjuan wriggled under the covers, laughing so hard his eyes were squeezed shut.

Chu Ya: ...

Shen Juanjuan seemed to enjoy this feeling immensely. Even though he had already lain down, he kept dragging out his voice, insisting he wanted to go. Chu Ya picked up the rechargeable lamp and left the room, hanging the bucket on the side of the wheelchair and holding up the umbrella as he headed to the small courtyard in town.

With the bright lights from the landfill illuminating the area, the town wasn't too dark. Chu Ya quickly washed all the clothes and, on his way back, stopped by Chunlan Supermarket to pick up a roll of plastic sheeting.

When he returned to the landfill, he saw that the door of the tin shack was half-open, and the naked child was peeking out. Upon seeing him, the child excitedly jumped up and down, calling, "Shen Miaomiao."

"Go back inside!" Chu Ya's voice carried a hint of sternness.

The child immediately ran back inside, but after two steps, turned around and slammed the door shut.

Chu Ya entered the tin shack and glanced at the child huddled under the covers. Thankfully, he had set the heater to its maximum setting, so the room wasn't too cold.

"Don't get up and run around; you might catch a cold." Chu Ya hung the washed clothes above the heater to dry.

"I didn't run around; I just ran inside."

Chu Ya hung all the clothes to dry and began cutting and trimming the roll of plastic sheeting.

Shen Juanjuan, full of energy, darted around the room naked, jumping on the sofa, rolling on the bed, or holding the armless teddy bear, lifting his legs high and then letting them drop, doing somersaults on the bed.

The heat from the drying clothes created steam in the room, so Chu Ya opened the door slightly. Looking out into the rain, he thought they couldn't stay here much longer. Those people might still come looking for him, so they needed to find a more secluded place in town.

If Yun Tuo came and couldn't find him, he would surely search the town. Chu Ya just needed to be more vigilant.

He flipped the clothes on the heater and adjusted the direction of the cotton shoes, continuing to cut and sew the plastic sheeting. Shen Juanjuan watched the plastic sheeting take shape in Chu Ya's hands and finally stopped running around, curiously watching from the edge of the bed.

"Is this a coat? Are you making a coat?"

"Yes, it's a raincoat."

"What's a raincoat?"

"A coat you wear when it rains."

"A coat for rainy days... I want to wear it! I want to wear it!"

Shen Juanjuan jumped off the bed and ran over, barefoot. Chu Ya put away the needle and thread and looked at him. Although he said nothing, the reproachful look in his eyes made Shen Juanjuan stop his antics and sheepishly crawl back onto the bed.

Moving should happen as soon as possible, without delay. By the time Chu Ya finished both raincoats, it was already nine o'clock. He didn't let Shen Juanjuan sleep but kept talking to him, occasionally checking the clothes on the heater.

By eleven o'clock, Shen Juanjuan started yawning repeatedly, barely keeping his eyes open while talking to Chu Ya. Chu Ya checked the clothes again, confirming they were dry enough to wear, and told Shen Juanjuan to get up; they were leaving the tin shack now.

"Why are we leaving? This is my office, our dormitory! I'm not leaving!" Shen Juanjuan, suddenly wide awake, exclaimed in shock.

Chu Ya packed their belongings into a woven bag: "We can't stay here; we need to find another place to live."

"Why?" Shen Juanjuan couldn't understand why they had to move.

Chu Ya explained, "We need to move tonight; it's easier to be seen during the day."

"But why do we have to move?" Shen Juanjuan frowned.

Chu Ya remained silent. Shen Juanjuan pursed his lips and stared at him for a moment before suddenly grabbing the armless teddy bear and slamming it down hard. "We can't leave, nobody can leave!"

"Don't throw tantrums," Chu Ya said.

The armless teddy bear rolled to the side of the bed. Shen Juanjuan crawled over, picked it up, turned to look at Chu Ya, and raised the bear again, slamming it down once more.

He pointed at the bear, reminding Chu Ya, "It's not behaving, look at it, look."

Chu Ya let out a soft sigh and said, "Did someone come to your orphanage today? Were they looking for someone there?"

Shen Juanjuan was about to grab the little bear but stopped upon hearing this. The anger on his face dissipated instantly, replaced by a look of panic.

Chu Ya's dark, deep eyes looked at him as he continued, "Actually, the person they're looking for is me. They want to take me away from the abyss and lock me up in Cloud Peak. If we were still living here, there's a high chance they would have found me."

With every word Chu Ya spoke, Shen Juanjuan's face paled a little more. Finally, he sat there with his mouth half-open, his face full of fear.

Chu Ya sat down next to him, took the little bear from his hands, and examined it, whispering, "Stop hitting it, okay? It already lost its arms; it must hurt so much." Then he asked the bear, "Do you want to move somewhere else?" He pressed the bear's head a couple of times, as if it were nodding: "I do..."

"It can't talk; you're the one talking," Shen Juanjuan said, lowering his head. His voice had become much softer. Without waiting for Chu Ya to speak, he added, "I don't want them to take you away."

Chu Ya remained silent for a moment before saying, "Mm."

"If they dare to take you, I'll fight them."

"Mm."

"I'll hit them hard, so hard they'll be scared." Shen Juanjuan raised his voice again, lifted his head, and grabbed the little bear with a face full of indignation. "I'll tear them apart, send quantum beasts to bite them, stab them through and through!"

Chu Ya quickly moved the bear aside. "I know, but don't tear the wrong thing. This is your toy, not them."

Shen Juanjuan thought for a while, then asked, "Can we move back here later?"

"Maybe," Chu Ya replied.

"What does 'maybe' mean?"

"Maybe means... we might move back here."

Chu Ya knew they wouldn't return to this tin shack or stay in the abyss for long. But Shen Juanjuan didn't object further. He just reached for the armless bear in Chu Ya's hand. Seeing that Shen Juanjuan's emotions had stabilized, Chu Ya handed over the bear, which Shen Juanjuan promptly stuffed into a woven bag by the bed.

"Come on, put these on. The clothes are all dried and warm now."

Chu Ya shook out the clothes and helped Shen Juanjuan put them on piece by piece.

As he dressed Shen Juanjuan, Chu Ya thought about how once Yun Tuo arrived, he would return to Cloud Peak, save his parents, and deal with Gu Lin. Once everything settled down, he would go back to Angel Orphanage to take Shen Juanjuan away.

He planned to ask his parents to adopt Shen Juanjuan and let him live in the room next door, making it easier to help him break his bad habits of being untidy...

He also needed to find a school for Shen Juanjuan, who was already six years old and couldn't count past three.

Together, they packed their belongings. Over the past few days, Chu Ya had acquired many items, and after packing the blankets, heaters, and toolboxes, they ended up with three large woven bags.

"We won't bring the treasures from 321 Dormitory, right? They don't need to move with us," Chu Ya said when he saw Shen Juanjuan hesitating.

"Let's leave them behind," Shen Juanjuan agreed readily.

Although it was just a pile of junk, it had been neatly organized, showing clear signs of human effort. Chu Ya scattered the items around and threw some into the bathroom, sprinkling dust over them to make it look messy again.

Chu Ya unfolded a newly made raincoat and draped it over Shen Juanjuan, covering him from head to toe. The raincoat was oversized and long, reaching the ground. Chu Ya looked at Shen Juanjuan, stroking his chin, thinking, "It seems a bit too long... Come here."

He took scissors and cut off the bottom hem of the raincoat, revealing Shen Juanjuan's feet.

"This coat looks really nice, ha ha," Shen Juanjuan said, lifting his hand to touch the plastic, making a squeaking sound, and smiling excitedly at Chu Ya.

Chu Ya took two plastic bags and slipped them over Shen Juanjuan's feet, tying them around his calves.

"What are these? Foot raincoats? Ha ha ha." Shen Juanjuan laughed uncontrollably, finding something amusing.

Chu Ya explained, "They're not foot raincoats; they're rain boots."

Shen Juanjuan lifted his round, wrapped feet. "They're not rain boots; they're foot raincoats, foot bean cakes... Ha ha ha, foot bean cakes, for you to eat, yummy..."

Ten minutes later, the light in the tin shack went out. Using the light from the garbage dump, Shen Juanjuan pushed the cart parked beside the house, and together they loaded the four woven bags onto it, covering them with a plastic sheet.

Chu Ya also put on his raincoat, and they both worked in the darkness, finally closing the door and heading towards Mixin Town.

Chu Ya rolled his wheelchair, pulling the cart with a rope attached to the back. Shen Juanjuan supported the cart's handle, helping to push.

"I'm so strong; I can push all this stuff. Do you know why?" The rain pattered against the plastic raincoat, and Shen Juanjuan's voice was loud.

Chu Ya knew what he wanted to hear and asked, "I don't know. Why?"

Shen Juanjuan burst into laughter. "Because I'm wearing foot raincoats! Ha ha ha, because of the foot raincoats!"

The lights from the garbage dump couldn't penetrate the heavy rain, making Mixin Town even darker than usual. However, the sound of the rain provided some comfort despite the low visibility.

Chu Ya pulled the cart with his wheelchair, and Shen Juanjuan pushed from behind. They slowly made their way through the streets of Mixin Town. When they passed the bakery, they stopped in unison. Chu Ya waited in his wheelchair while Shen Juanjuan ran to the street corner and climbed onto a bench on all fours.

"Child, life is like this; instead of being unhappy, sing and bask in the sun with Grandpa—" Shen Juanjuan recited, then paused, holding the steering wheel, silent for a moment. Then he started over: "Child, life is like this; instead of being unhappy, sing and get drenched in the rain with Grandpa... Grandpa's car goes vroom vroom, vroom vroom, vroom vroom... foot raincoat goes vroom vroom, vroom vroom, vroom vroom..."

When Shen Juanjuan returned to his spot, Chu Ya resumed pushing the wheelchair and pulling the cart forward.

"Are we going to stay at the courtyard where we fetch water? There might be ghosts there," Shen Juanjuan said reluctantly as they entered the familiar alley.

"Not staying there, just a bit further in."

Yesterday morning, Chu Ya had explored and found a suitable place deeper in the alley.

The alley was lined with small courtyards. Chu Ya stopped in front of one and pushed open the left iron gate. "Here we are."

This was a compound courtyard. A passage led through the front yard and houses to a hidden courtyard at the back, which was not easily noticeable unless one entered. Even if people were active in the courtyard, it wasn't visible from outside.

The back courtyard had four blue-brick houses, and there was a laundry area and sink. Shen Juanjuan stood in the courtyard, looking around. Chu Ya pulled the cart under the eaves and reached out to open the door.

But as his rain-soaked hand touched the door, he froze.

He felt his long-dormant mental domain suddenly shake violently, like an instant earthquake. The intense tremors caused the shell of his mental domain to compress and rise repeatedly, as if it were about to collapse into countless fragments.

A wave of dizziness swept through his mind, accompanied by intense pain, but he struggled to stay conscious, vaguely hearing Shen Juanjuan's panicked voice: "Shen Miaomiao, Shen Miaomiao, what's wrong with you..."

The world spun before Chu Ya's eyes, painting twisted lines of bizarre colors. It all left him disoriented and agitated, making him want to grab something and tear it apart, to destroy everything in sight.

A coaxing voice whispered in his ear: "It's the person beside you, kill him, kill him."

Chu Ya slowly turned his head. In his distorted vision, he saw only a face filled with panic, lips moving as if shouting at him. Filled with unexplained rage and madness, he repeated the voice's words: "Kill him, kill..."

Chu Ya's gaze fell on the thin neck of the person, and he slowly raised his hand. The voice grew excited, urging him to pounce, to use his fangs to tear out the other's throat.

"Bite him, snap his neck, make sure he can't make any sound, bite him to death..."

As Chu Ya watched his fingers about to touch that neck, Shen Juanjuan's voice became clear.

"Shen Miaomiao, Shen Miaomiao, what's wrong with you? Shen Miaomiao!"

The voice pierced Chu Ya's ears like a thunderclap, drowning out the rain and whispers, clearing away the chaos and violence.

He suddenly withdrew his hand, and his vision changed. Instead of seeing Shen Juanjuan and the courtyard, he was back in the strange space filled with meteorites and hurricanes.

Once again, he met the gaze of the Black Wolf standing in the hurricane.

The Black Wolf's eyes were icy, filled with the bloodlust and cruelty of a beast, its claws impatiently digging into the rocks beneath it, both anxious and excited.

Chu Ya hadn't previously connected the strange space with himself, but now he suddenly realized that this space was his mental domain—his mental domain that had been destroyed by Gu Lin.

The once snowy world no longer existed; glaciers and snowfields had turned into meteorites and hurricanes, leaving the entire mental domain dark and chaotic.

And his quantum beast, the Silver Wolf, was inciting him to kill, first the miners, now Shen Juanjuan, almost succeeding.

Looking steadily at the Black Wolf, Chu Ya thought about nearly strangling Shen Juanjuan, feeling fear, anger, and disappointment.

"What do you want? What are you trying to do?" Chu Ya asked hoarsely.

"Roar!" The Black Wolf paced back and forth, its green eyes filled with cunning and malice.

Chu Ya couldn't control the tremor in his voice: "You're terrifying. Do you want to control me? Turn me into a madman? A killer?"

"Roar..." The Black Wolf bared its teeth at him.

"Don't try to make me hurt anyone. Get out, leave my mental domain, go away."

The Black Wolf slowly crouched, ready to pounce, its eyes cold and menacing.

Chu Ya pointed at it and shouted sternly: "Never have anything to do with me again. Go! Leave now! Stay away from me!"

The entire space shook with a loud rumble as meteorites collided into dust, and the hurricanes twisted and swayed. A dim yellow light entered the space, mixing with the darkness, creating a murky yellowish-black hue.

The Black Wolf let out a long howl, then looked at Chu Ya with eyes full of hatred and resentment. In the next moment, it leaped without hesitation into the source of the yellow light, disappearing into the hurricane.

"Shen Miaomiao, Shen Miaomiao."

Shen Juanjuan shook the unconscious Chu Ya in his wheelchair, touching his forehead and then his own: "Are you running a fever? Why did you fall asleep again? Are you sick again?"

He hugged Chu Ya and rocked him, then reached into the woven bag to find the unfinished medicine. But just as he opened the bag, he heard Chu Ya's weak voice: "It's okay, I'm fine..."