"Yao Yuan, your cousin is coming to stay with us. Don’t forget to pick him up at two o'clock." A man’s voice called out, followed by the ring of the phone and the sound of the door closing.
"How long is he staying? Dad!" Yao Yuan shouted angrily, "I'm busy today! Why didn't you say so earlier? Which cousin? Don’t tell me he's from the countryside!"
His father was already gone.
His summer homework was tossed aside, unfinished. School was starting in a week, and today he had plans to go to the bookstore with his classmates to buy new study materials for the semester.
Yao Yuan played games for a while before shutting down the computer. He glanced at the clock; it was twelve o'clock.
Before leaving, he saw the note on the refrigerator, left by his dad. It had the name on it. The person he was picking up was called "Tan Ruikang." The train number was written, but there was no phone number.
As one might expect, a cell phone costs several thousand yuan. Even Yao Yuan himself was using his dad's old Nokia 8310. How could a cousin from the countryside possibly afford a cell phone? He probably doesn't even have a pager.
From the rural areas of Hunan… Yao Yuan's mom's surname was Tan, from Tan Family Village. Yao Yuan remembered going to that place when he was very young. He was only five years old that year. His mom got sick, and his dad took her to Beijing for treatment. Yao Yuan was left at his maternal grandmother's house. Back then, it seemed like a cousin took him around to play, and he almost drowned in the water. The cousin was beaten by his maternal grandfather when they got home.
That was in the summer when he was five years old. Yao Yuan didn't go to kindergarten. That year, his dad made a phone call to the village, and his seventy-five-year-old maternal grandfather rode his bicycle to take him to the bus station. The uncle waiting there took him to the county town to transfer buses. When he got home, Yao Yuan's mom couldn't even speak anymore.
They left in a hurry back then. The cousin went to elementary school, and there was no telephone in the village. Not long after returning, Yao Yuan forgot everything about the countryside. A few days later, his mom passed away. His dad took care of him, and they hadn't contacted their old home in years.
A few days ago, Yao Yuan and his classmates came back after singing karaoke. In the middle of the night, he found his dad on the phone and immediately thought he was looking for women. He made trouble and had a fight with his father, only to find out that it was a call from his maternal grandmother. He had to drop it sheepishly.
Yao Yuan was very possessive and absolutely wouldn't allow his dad to remarry. He would make a fuss over even the smallest things. Even if he was wrong, he wouldn't admit it. He wouldn't eat, and he would lock himself in his room until his father gave in. Having lost his mom at a young age, his father almost always indulged him. The spoiled temper that came out of it gave him a headache. The son didn't understand how to be considerate, and the dad was busy with business. He didn't know how to educate his son and didn't understand adolescent psychology at all. Other than giving money, he had no other way.
Fortunately, Yao Yuan was only a bully at home. Usually, he only threw a tantrum with his prince-like temper at home. He was still sensible outside. After all, his dad let him get away with things, but other people wouldn't necessarily do the same. If he acted like a little prince, people might not fight him but they’d definitely ignore or isolate him. The angsty teenager didn't have many friends in elementary school. He learned to behave in middle school. He would rather bully his dad than oppress his classmates.Once his temper softened a bit, his good looks and family wealth made him popular. He was generous with food, games, and whatever else money could buy. Middle school students admired rich students the most, especially those who were rich and had a mild temper.
When his dad took him out to eat, Yao Yuan also knew to be polite to the older generation. Other people praised him and said he looked like his mom. He just smiled when he heard it.
He was good-looking, cared about appearances, dressed well, had a sharp mind, and despite playing around, he never fell behind in school. He was even the class cultural affairs committee member, he had it all.
The end of August in the South was still unbearably hot. Outside, the sky was gloomy, and the sweltering heat made his whole body covered in sticky sweat. His shirt felt like it was glued to his body. As soon as he entered the bookstore, the air conditioning immediately made him feel much more comfortable. He was about to go into the third year of middle school, so he had to buy teaching and supplementary materials. Yao Yuan flipped through the books and threw everything useful and useless alike into the shopping cart. His dad Zhao Guogang valued teaching and supplementary materials very much. Buying more would put his mind at ease.
"My relatives from the countryside visit all the time too," said Lin Zibo, a classmate who had come along. Hearing Yao Yuan complain, he sympathized. "They always say they’re job-hunting, but just lie around watching TV and eating. My mom can’t stand it."
Yao Yuan replied, "What can I do? I haven't contacted that side of the family since my mom died. I still have to pick him up in a while…"
A muffled thunderclap sounded outside. The two of them looked together towards the transparent glass wall outside the bookstore. The sky was dark and oppressive, looking like it was about to rain. Yao Yuan put his arm around his classmate's shoulder, casually lining up outside the cashier. The summer vacation was coming to an end, and there was a dark mass of students coming to buy books. Lin Zibo standing next to Yao Yuan was like a foil in fact, his friends were all like foils when they were with Yao Yuan.
Yao Yuan was dressed in bright clothes. Although his appearance was still very young, he was dressed very neatly. His features carried an aloof, sharp energy. When he brushed his hair back with his fingers, there was a cocky "don’t mess with me" kind of swagger.
"Look at that girl," Lin Zibo whispered.
Yao Yuan sized up the girl indifferently, "Foreign language school uniform. She's altered her skirt…"
Just as he was speaking, Yao Yuan's phone rang.
"Hello," Yao Yuan said.
There were a few more muffled thunderclaps outside, and it started to rain. Heavy rain poured down, and there was a commotion at the bookstore cashier.
"What?" Yao Yuan's tone was a little impatient, "Speak louder!"
The voice on the line said, "Uncle? It’s Ruikang!"
Yao Yuan remembered. He grabbed Lin Zibo's wrist to check the time – 2:30.
"I don't have time right now!" Yao Yuan said, "Take a taxi here yourself! Are you at the station?"
Yao Yuan gave him the address. There was another thunderclap. He didn't know what the other side said. Yao Yuan didn't hear it clearly. The other side of the station was very noisy, and the bookstore he was in was also very noisy, so Yao Yuan hung up casually.
The line was moving very, very slowly. Yao Yuan was getting a little impatient. First, he felt that his tone on the phone just now wasn't very good, and second, he was afraid of being scolded by his dad. His eyebrows furrowed into a knot. Lin Zibo said, "I'll buy it. I'll bring it to you when school starts?"
Yao Yuan glanced at their pile of things. Lin Zibo would be exhausted if he carried them all himself. He said, "It's okay, I'll keep you company."
After waiting another full half hour, he finally bought the books and came out at 3 o'clock. A bunch of people without umbrellas were standing at the entrance of the bookstore, all flipping through books and reading. Yao Yuan went out and hailed a taxi, shouting against the rain, "You go first!"
Lin Zibo: "What about you?! Let's go together!"
Yao Yuan waved his hand, signaling him to get in the car quickly. He casually stuffed twenty yuan to him, turned around, and ran to another car. He pulled open the car door and said, "Go to the bus station."
In the pouring rain, Yao Yuan got out of the car at the bus station, getting soaked to the bone. He didn't bring his father's note, but there was only one bus from his hometown every day. After asking around, he found it.
There was no one at the entrance anymore. Yao Yuan, soaked to the bone, lit a cigarette on the platform before taking a taxi home.
When he got home, it wasn't raining anymore. The heavy rain here came and went quickly. The sky was still dark and oppressive, but the air was much fresher.
Yao Yuan lived in a multi-story apartment complex. He asked the security guard at the entrance. The security guard said, "Is he your relative? He came in and even called your dad."
Yao Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He was done for. He was going to get scolded tonight.
He dashed upstairs, skipping the elevator, taking the fire escape stairs two steps at a time. On the third floor, he saw someone standing at their door, not too soaked by the rain.
That person was carrying a dusty travel bag, like a migrant worker entering the city. He had one strap tucked over each shoulder. He was wearing a baseball cap that was once white but was now gray. He was wearing a short-sleeved sports shirt on top and fluorescent green school uniform pants on the bottom. There were two white stripes on the side of the pants. He was wearing a pair of warrior shoes, and his hair was dirty, greasy, and sticky.
He was thin but lean and fit. He looked good, taller than Yao Yuan by a head. His skin was no longer dark, now a healthy bronze. His eyes and eyebrows were sharp. Yao Yuan suddenly recalled a photo that had hung in the main room long ago, of his maternal grandfather in his military days.
For some reason, the photo of his maternal grandfather when he was young was deeply imprinted in his mind. The cousin's lips, the bridge of his nose, and his sword-like thick eyebrows were simply cast from the same mold as his maternal grandfather.
"Tan… Ruikang?" Yao Yuan asked.
Tan Ruikang nodded and said, "Yao Yuan, hello."