No. 68 Weary Eyes Filled with Hope
Xiaodie and I walked under a shared umbrella, the path ahead shrouded in a gloomy haze. The school grounds bustled with students heading home after another long day.
“Wanna play some games tonight?”
“Sure, I’ll be your support Yasuo. I’m amazing!”
“Hey, did you hear about that girl from Class 9?”
“Really? Didn’t she just get caught sneaking off to a hotel last week? Did she find someone new?”
“Nope, same guy. But this time, someone filmed them. It’s all over Weibo…”
“Why does English even exist? I bombed the test again…”
“Math is way harder! I couldn’t even answer the last few questions.”
A symphony of chatter, a tapestry of youthful anxieties and fleeting joys.
Like parallel worlds momentarily intersecting.
“Why…?”
Xiaodie stopped abruptly as we reached the row of mango trees lining the path.
“It’s not fair… You and your father… you tried so hard…”
Her voice cracked with despair, tinged with anger and frustration.
I simply watched her, my heart aching, and gently stroked her hair.
“Yi Yao…”
She looked up at me, tears welling up in her eyes.
I forced a smile. “It’s okay.”
It’s okay…
This was life, wasn’t it?
A few days ago, my father, following the doctor’s advice, had made the difficult decision to discontinue treatment and bring my mother home.
The infection had spread, her organs failing.
Just like in my memories, she spent her final days at home.
Our ancestral home in the countryside, a place of serene beauty.
Hospitals often discouraged patients from dying on their premises. When all hope was lost, they would persuade families to take their loved ones home. Most families, understanding the unspoken rule and yearning for a sense of closure, complied.
“I’m sorry… I should be the one comforting you…”
Xiaodie hugged me tightly, her tears soaking through my shirt.
The sky rumbled with thunder, the rain intensifying.
“It’s okay. Let’s go home.”
“Home” was now Xiaodie’s house.
With my mother back in the countryside, our apartment was deemed uninhabitable according to some local superstition. My father, worried about disrupting my studies, had arranged for me to stay with Xiaodie.
We reached the bicycle shed. As I unlocked my old, faded blue bicycle, memories flooded back—our first encounter, and fragments of Yi Yao’s childhood.
“Here, hold the umbrella.”
I handed her the umbrella and mounted the bicycle.
She obeyed, her arms wrapped around my waist.
“Should we go to Ouyang Dati’s place first?”
“Yes.”
I nodded and started pedaling.
The white tiger cub we had found in the cave had been identified as a protected species. We couldn’t abandon it or harm it. And to make matters worse, it refused to stay at the zoo. Ouyang Dati, unable to care for it alone, had reached out to us for help.
We found him sitting on a bench outside his apartment building, his white shirt soaked through, his shoulders slumped.
I parked the bicycle, retrieved another umbrella from my backpack, and approached him.
“You’re here.”
His face was haggard, as if he had aged decades overnight. The weariness in his eyes contrasted sharply with his muscular physique.
“And Xiaodie. Have you two eaten dinner?”
Xiaodie shook her head.
“What are you doing here?” I asked softly.
“Sorry, I forgot you were coming today. I didn’t mean for you to see me like this.”
He forced a smile, his usual confidence replaced by a weary resignation. He stood up, wiping the rain from his face. “My cousin killed someone. He’s on the run. I’ve been ordered to convince him to surrender within a month.”
“I see…”
I didn’t know what to say.
According to online records, Ouyang Dati was only in his early twenties. He had joined the military after high school, known for his integrity and loyalty. He had risen through the ranks, securing a respectable position upon his return. But his success didn’t guarantee his family’s well-being. There were countless stories of families sacrificing one child’s future to secure a better life for another. I couldn’t judge him.
Everyone in this world carried their own burdens, their own tales of heartbreak and despair.
“Anyway, take that little menace off my hands. I’m going crazy,” he said, leading us inside.
The moment he opened the door, a low growl echoed from within.
“Alright, alright, your highness. They’re here.”
He entered a small room off the main hallway and emerged moments later, a metal chain leash in hand.
The creature at the other end of the leash bolted out the moment the door opened, its speed and ferocity catching Ouyang Dati off guard. He stumbled, almost losing his grip on the chain.
“Rrrrrrr…”
The tiger, now the size of a large dog, pounced on Xiaodie, pinning her against the wall.
“S-stop… licking me…”
She tried to push it away, her hands covering her face.
It behaved more like a dog than a tiger, its ferocious appearance a facade. Were tigers this affectionate?
“The vet said there’s something wrong with its brain,” Ouyang Dati explained, regaining his footing. “It’s a rare neurological condition in felines, practically incurable. That’s why it’s behaving like this. It must have imprinted on Huang Yingdie’s scent back in the cave. It sees you two as its family now.”
“Is that why it’s so… hyper?” I asked, pointing at Xiaobai.
He shrugged. “We tried socializing it with police dogs for a while.”
“I don’t know if that helped or made things worse…”
“Hey, look at the bright side. It might look like a fearsome predator, but it’s professionally trained. It won’t be picky about food, it’s housebroken, and it understands basic commands. You’re not losing anything by keeping it. It’ll even protect your home from burglars.”
Except for the cost, my friend.
The tiger cub had grown considerably in the past month. It was now the size of an adult husky. Which meant…
It probably ate more than Xiaodie and I combined.
“Will you cover its food expenses?” I asked.
“Come on, I pulled a lot of strings to get you permission to keep it. Can’t you afford to feed a little tiger?”
I shook my head. “No.”
Besides, it wasn’t like we had asked for this. At least cats were cute and cuddly. What good was a tiger, apart from eating us out of house and home?
“Alright, alright, I’ll see what I can do. I’ll drop Xiaobai off at your place later. Just keep it for now. Let me know if you need any money.” He sighed. “And about Shadow… Pai Ge told you, right?”
“Yes.”
Pai Ge had warned us that Shadow, for reasons unknown, had shifted their focus from the government officials to the Black Dragon Society. Xiaodie and I, as the victims of their previous attack, were now their primary targets.
“We have a lead. It’s the same issue as before. There’s a mole within the Black Dragon Society.”
“What?” I was stunned. “The mole is still active?”
“Yes.” He sighed. “It’s good news for us, in a way. The mole is in the Black Dragon Society, not the Jiangnan Association. But be careful, Yi Yao. I’m worried they might come after you directly. The government is planning a major crackdown in two months. There’s going to be a massive reshuffling of power in Upper Capital City. Shadow’s days are numbered.”
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