v2c2: The Seagull’s Destination
By the time Zou Yameng limped out of the bathroom, the ending theme of “You From The Sun” was playing on TV. Lu Li changed the channel and made space for his sister on the sofa.
“Sis, I need to talk to you about something.”
“Hmm?”
“A while back, I contacted the government about our situation. They were very receptive and said they wanted me to gather information about the current status of all the unaccompanied minors in our Low-Rent District. They also said they would try to resolve our issues as soon as possible.”
“Why would you bother contacting those fat cats?”
“They asked, and I just told them the truth.”
Zou Yameng picked up the remote and lowered the TV volume before looking at Lu Li with a strange expression. “The official you spoke to, was it your classmate’s parent? The parent of your class monitor?”
“Yes. So what they said is quite credible.”
Zou Yameng felt a pang of bitterness. “We’ve managed just fine on our own for so many years. Why do we need them to worry about us now?”
“We managed, but others didn’t. Remember that kid who lived next door, the one who always fought with me? I heard he was trafficked to Southeast Asia and had his kidney harvested. He was a year younger than me.”
The topic was a heavy one, and Zou Yameng sat up straighter.
“…Where were they all this time?”
“…”
Seeing that Lu Li didn’t answer, Zou Yameng leaned against his shoulder, staring blankly at the TV. “Just do what you have to do. My little brother is all grown up now, with his own career. It has nothing to do with me.” Lu Li chuckled and put his arm around her. “What career? It’s just a small task. Sis, you haven’t told me about the Six-Province Tournament yet. How did you injure your leg?”
“I pushed myself too hard against He Ping and couldn’t hold on during the finals. But every cloud has a silver lining. Even though I was the runner-up, I got a better deal than the champion.”
“Oh?”
“The champion only received an invitation from the provincial team. I got an invitation from the national team the night after the finals.”
Zou Yameng proudly opened her phone’s email app, showing Lu Li the official invitation from the Shenzhou Women’s Table Tennis National Team. They praised her performance in the Six-Province Tournament and invited her to join the second team in the Capital City after the New Year. They also specifically advised her to focus on recovery.
“Why only the second team?” Lu Li asked, pretending to be disappointed.
Zou Yameng laughed at his teasing. “Silly, I’m just a newcomer. It’s already amazing that I could skip the training camp and join the second team directly. It’s all thanks to Coach Dan’s connections. She never said anything, but I overheard her calling her old teammates that night, asking them to try their best to get me into the second team…”
“We should visit her and express our gratitude.” Coach Dan had always taken special care of his sister. She had played a crucial role in Zou Yameng’s journey in table tennis.
“Okay. I’ll listen to you~” She nuzzled against him like a cat.
Lu Li closed his eyes, feeling a sense of relief that everything was finally falling into place. His sister had secured a ticket to the world championships, he hadn’t rekindled his relationship with An Baili, and his game development was progressing well. If only life could always be this smooth sailing.
***
October 4th. Morning.
The morning mist hadn’t dispersed yet, the air heavy with moisture. The skyscrapers in the distance were shrouded in fog, their reflections shimmering in the damp air. In contrast to the quiet and spacious city center, the Low-Rent District was bustling with activity. People wearing worn-out, pilling beanies walked numbly towards the city. It was October 4th, 2017. The alcohol ban hadn’t been implemented yet, the plane to Sanya hadn’t crashed into the Pacific Ocean, the amendment to the Marriage Law was still being debated in Congress. Nothing had happened yet; there was still time to change things.
He was fully aware that his actions would have a profound impact on everyone in this Low-Rent District, including himself.
Deep within the Low-Rent District lay Chuanhai’s “urban village,” a densely packed area with narrow, dirty streets. Beside a small food cart selling rice noodle rolls was an open sewer, its stench mingling with the aroma of the food, creating an indescribable odor. Lu Li approached the cart and looked at the vendor’s youthful face. “One rice noodle roll, with two eggs, please.”
“Coming right up!” The vendor looked up, his eyes lighting up. “Brother Lu, what brings you here?”
That simple question, “What brings you here?” made Lu Li’s heart ache. Since he had transferred to Chuanhai No. 1 High School, he rarely came to the Low-Rent District. His old friends had become somewhat distant. People always encouraged striving for advancement, for climbing the ladder of success, but they often ignored the ordinary people left behind by the relentless march of time. Shuming was his friend, or at least he had been.
“Ming Zi, how much?”
Shuming waved his hand dismissively. “Brother, you don’t need to pay me. It’s on the house! Have a seat, have a seat.”
The “seat” was a small round table and a rickety red plastic stool. Lu Li sat down, not mentioning the payment again. He just watched quietly as Shuming busied himself, the small stall surprisingly busy. Shuming seemed to have fully embraced his role as a street vendor, bowing and scraping, thanking customers profusely. He had lost the spark he once had as a boy. He was the same age as Lu Li, but standing next to each other, Shuming appeared much older.
The rice noodle roll was delicious, but eating next to an open sewer was unsettling. Lu Li stood up and waited to the side. Shuming, who came to collect the dishes, looked at him hesitantly. “Brother, didn’t you like it?”
“It was delicious. I just wanted to talk to you about something. We can talk after you close up.” Shuming’s overly respectful attitude made Lu Li uncomfortable. He remembered how they used to steal bird nests together in elementary school. Shuming had gotten scared of being caught by the park warden and run away, leaving Lu Li stranded in a tree. For a whole month after that, Shuming had avoided eye contact, calling himself a traitor, someone who deserved to be publicly shamed.
“Brother Lu, you should sit down. You must be tired standing.”
Shuming had always been timid and cowardly, the kind of person who trembled when talking to strangers. The first time Lu Li met him, he was being bullied by his classmates. How different he was now. Time truly was a mysterious force.
Lu Li stood silently, watching as Shuming quickly got back to work, sweating profusely even in the cool autumn weather. Two hours later, after the last of the breakfast crowd had dispersed, Shuming began to pack up his stall. Suddenly, he smacked his forehead and looked at Lu Li apologetically. “Brother, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot! I’m so sorry!”
Apologizing too much wasn’t a good habit. It made you seem like an easy target.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I had things to do as well. It’s no big deal.” Lu Li stepped forward to help Shuming pack the small tables and chairs into the cart. Shuming stopped him, flustered.
“Brother, please, let me do it.” From “you” to “Brother,” seemingly more respectful, but actually more distant.
It reminded Lu Li of a conversation between two seagulls, discussing the ultimate purpose of life. The question itself was an embodiment of nihilism, as was the answer. Perhaps the ultimate goal of life was simply “to get some chips at the pier.” Some people spent their entire lives searching for the answer, while others reached the endpoint of meaninglessness at a young age. Shuming was the latter.
After packing up his cart, Shuming wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Lu Li apologetically. “Brother Lu, what did you want to talk to me about?”
“I just wanted to ask about you and Wei Ge, how you guys are doing.” Lu Li was uncharacteristically awkward. “I haven’t been in touch with them much, and I don’t know how to find them…”
Shuming’s expression was calm, as if he wasn’t surprised that Lu Li had lost contact with them.
Unlike ten years ago, this time, Lu Li was the traitor among them.
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