HNYWEF -Chapter 23 That Person

By the time the sun had begun to slope westward, the shop had quieted down.

A few neighbors had come by in the morning—one to repair a kitchen knife, another to sharpen a pair of scissors. Zhou Xiong didn’t talk much while taking jobs, but he asked what needed asking and said what needed saying.

Zhou Yi squatted by the doorway, dragging a tree branch across the ground.

After scratching around for a while, he lifted his head and glanced toward the far end of the street.

Then he froze.

Several people were walking down the street.

The one in front wore a dark robe and looked like an ordinary merchant. But the woman beside him—

Zhou Yi recognized her.

Three months ago, she had come here before.

She had stood at the doorway, pale-faced, lips pressed into a thin line.

Lady Changsun.

Zhou Yi’s gaze moved away from her and landed on the two boys beside her.

One was thin, the other chubby. The thin one was half a head taller than him; the chubby one was a little shorter. Even the way they walked was different—the thin one steady, the chubby one loose and careless.

Zhou Yi’s eyes shifted forward again.

Onto the man leading them.

He had seen this man before too.

Also three months ago.

That day, the man had come out from inside the house, stood at the doorway, and exchanged a few words with his father.

His father had nodded.

Then the man had left.

Zhou Yi didn’t know who he was.

But he remembered those eyes.

When those eyes looked at his father, there had been something inside them.

He couldn’t describe it.

But he remembered.

The group came closer and closer.

Then stopped in front of the shop.

The man at the front lowered his head and looked at Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi tilted his face up and looked back at him.

Their eyes met.

Suddenly, the man smiled.

A very gentle smile, as though afraid of startling someone.

“You’re Zhou Yi?”

Zhou Yi nodded.

The man crouched down so they were eye level.

“My surname is Li. I’m an old acquaintance of your father’s. I came today to congratulate him on the opening of the shop.”

Zhou Yi blinked.

“You can call me Uncle Li.”

The man turned his head and glanced inside the shop.

Zhou Xiong stood behind the long worktable, a hammer in his hand, motionless.

He was looking toward the doorway.

Looking at the crouching man.

Those eyes—

Zhou Yi saw them.

His father’s eyes.

That layer of fog—

It had returned.

Not like this morning, when it had seemed to clear away.

It had come back.

But it wasn’t the same as seven days ago.

Not that empty feeling.

Something else.

Zhou Yi couldn’t explain it.

But he knew something was wrong with his father.

Zhou Xiong’s gaze moved away from Li Shimin’s face.

To the people behind him.

Lady Changsun stood there, looking at him.

Her eyes reddened slightly, but she said nothing.

The two boys stood beside her, one thin, one chubby, both staring this way.

Zhou Xiong’s gaze paused on their faces for a brief moment.

Then he lowered his head.

He set the hammer in his hand onto the worktable.

Turned around and walked toward the back courtyard.

After taking two steps, he stopped.

Without turning back, he said:

“Come in.”

His voice was terribly hoarse.

Then he continued toward the back courtyard.

The curtain swayed lightly.

Then went still.

Li Shimin slowly stood up.

He stared at the curtain for a while.

Then he turned back and looked at Lady Changsun.

Lady Changsun nodded.

Li Shimin walked inside.

The two boys were about to follow when Lady Changsun stopped them with an outstretched hand.

“Wait outside.”

The thin one said nothing.

The chubby one opened his mouth as if to protest, but the thin one tugged at him, and he swallowed the words back down.

Zhou Yi stood by the doorway, watching them.

He looked at the thin boy.

The thin boy looked back at him.

Their eyes met for a moment.

The thin boy said nothing.

Neither did Zhou Yi.

Suddenly, Zhou Yi felt that the way this person looked at him was different from everyone else.

Not the way adults looked at children.

Something else.

He lowered his head and picked up the branch again, scratching at the dirt.

But he wasn’t really drawing anymore.

He was thinking.

Thinking about the look in his father’s eyes just now.

Thinking about the way that man surnamed Li had crouched down to speak to him.

Thinking about the way that woman had stood at the doorway looking at his father.

Thinking about those words he couldn’t understand, those looks he couldn’t read.

He lifted his head and looked at the curtain again.

That man surnamed Li had gone inside.

His father was in there too.

Suddenly, he remembered his father’s expression from earlier.

He thought about it for a long time, unable to find the right word.

But he knew one thing.

That person.

That man surnamed Li.

Had something to do with his mother.

Zhou Yi lowered his head.

He continued dragging the branch across the ground.

Very slowly.

One stroke.

Another.

And another.

The chubby boy came over and stood beside him.

“What are you drawing?”

Zhou Yi didn’t look up.

“Nothing.”

The chubby boy crouched down and stared at the crooked lines on the ground.

“What’s this supposed to be? Looks like a snake to me.”

Zhou Yi said nothing.

After waiting a bit and getting no response, the chubby boy asked again:

“Your name’s Zhou Yi?”

Zhou Yi nodded.

The chubby boy grinned.

“My name’s Li Tai. That’s my older brother, Li Chengqian.”

Zhou Yi looked up at him once.

Then lowered his head again and kept scratching at the dirt.

Li Tai stayed crouched beside him instead of leaving.

He simply watched Zhou Yi draw.

After a while, he suddenly asked:

“Was your father friends with my father before?”

Zhou Yi’s hand paused.

Just for a moment.

Then he continued scratching.

“I don’t know.”

Li Tai scratched his head.

“My father said your father saved his life.”

Zhou Yi said nothing.

Li Tai continued:

“My father said he owes your father a life.”

Zhou Yi’s hand paused again.

This time for longer.

Then he lifted his head.

And looked at Li Tai.

Li Tai froze under that stare.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Yi didn’t answer.

He put the branch down and stood up.

He walked to the doorway and looked inside the shop.

No one was there.

The hammer still rested on the long worktable.

That gourd still sat on the windowsill.

Zhou Yi withdrew his gaze.

Then he looked toward the curtain.

And stood there for a very long time.