Childhood Affection - Chapter 11 - A Tree for You

After Nie Feng left, things slowly returned to normal. However, it was uncertain whether Nie Weishan had just hidden his deep emotions away or if they had truly dissipated.

Yin Qianyang was still as concerned as ever. The very next afternoon, he skipped class to buy a jujube sapling from the landscape market outside the Third Ring. Upon his return, Yin Xiangdong gave him a thrashing right by the tree. After the beating, the father and son planted the tree together, working until late into the evening.

When Nie Weishan got off school, he parked his e-bike at the alley entrance and stealthily peeked outside the courtyard gate. He thought Yin Qianyang might have gone to an internet café or somewhere else to fool around. If he wasn’t back yet, Nie Weishan would have to cover for him.

Peeking in, he saw Yin Qianyang sitting in the courtyard peeling a pomegranate. Entering with a cough, Yin Qianyang looked up and smiled, “You’re finally home. Notice anything different?”

Nie Weishan didn’t look elsewhere; he just stared at Yin Qianyang and said, “Still the same old you, huh? Hair got longer?”

“It’s not me you should be looking at.” Yin Qianyang chuckled, nearly spitting out the pomegranate juice, “Never mind, wash up and let’s eat. It’s a waste of sentiment.”

Nie Weishan washed his hands at the basin and then went inside to eat. Yin Qianyang spat out the pomegranate seeds and turned to yell towards the door, “You really didn’t see it, huh! If you don’t like it, just dig it out!”

Carrying a bowl of noodles with gravy, Nie Weishan sat down next to him, his eyes on the jujube sapling beside the pomegranate tree, “I saw it the moment I walked in, but I feared you’d do something else that might touch my heart, so I pretended it was nothing special.”

Yin Qianyang, his mouth bittersweet with the fruit, said, “I wasn’t trying to move you, just wanted to make you happy.”

“I am really happy,” Nie Weishan gently patted Yin Qianyang’s cheek, “I even want to kiss you right here.”

Yin Qianyang covered half his face, “Cut it out, my dad will beat me again if he sees.”

The change in topic made Nie Weishan slurp up his noodles and laugh, “So it’s fine as long as Uncle Yin doesn’t see? Shouldn’t the normal reaction be to refuse to the death?”

“You’re living in the past,” Yin Qianyang finished a whole large pomegranate, “Bingbing and I have already kissed. Last year at the internet café during the big tournament, man, the moment we won, we almost burst into love. It was damn thrilling.”

Nie Weishan also finished his bowl of noodles, “Good thing you didn’t win the hospital battle, or you two would’ve ended up fixed at the People’s Hospital.” After washing the dishes, he walked over to the young tree and touched its slender trunk.

“In the future, this place will have both a pomegranate and a jujube tree, just like before, all part of our home.”

“Mm,” Nie Weishan said, “The jujube needs to grow faster; it looks like a chick next to the pomegranate tree.”

“The pomegranate tree will cover it,” Yin Qianyang said sentimentally, “And I’ll cover you.”

Nie Weishan turned and left, sensing that Yin Qianyang was about to get overly excited. Remembering the e-bike still parked at the alley entrance, he hurried back to find that, damn it, the battery was stolen.

The next day at school, Yin Qianyang, pedaling with Nie Weishan on the back, cursed the battery thief all the way.

Arriving exhausted, Yin Qianyang slumped against the wall during the first period, propping his chin with one hand and fiddling with his phone with the other. Just as he was about to play a game of gobang, a message popped up.

From Qin Zhan: “Have you thought it over?”

Yin Qianyang, whose memory was poor, pondered for a while before remembering what it was about. He hadn’t mentioned it to Bai Meixian yet and replied, “I’ll think about it some more, don’t rush me.”

During lunch, Bingbing joined them, and they shared their meals in the middle of the table like dining out. Bingbing suggested, “Shan-Ge, Qianyang, we haven’t gone out together since school started. How about hiking this weekend?”

Autumn was perfect for hiking. Nie Weishan agreed, “Sure, it’s almost National Day, we’ll go out after the holiday.”

Yin Qianyang stirred his rice, “Let’s not talk about playing yet, I need your advice on something. A friend from the Sports School asked if I’d like to join their track and field team. What do you think?”

Bingbing immediately knocked his chopsticks, “Of course not! What if you run into Qin Zhan?”

“It’s Qin Zhan who asked me to join,” Yin Qianyang put down his bowl, “It’s a bit complicated. We’ve already buried the hatchet. Forget the irrelevant stuff and just tell me whether I should join the track and field team or not.”

Nie Weishan put the last piece of pork belly into Yin Qianyang’s bowl, “Don’t listen to others. If you want to go, go. If not, just say no. Why make it so complicated?”

Yin Qianyang ate the pork, “Asking you was pointless, I’ll ask my mom at home.”

That evening, Yin Xiangdong was supposed to take a walk with Bai Meixian, but Yin Qianyang intercepted them, claiming a family meeting was needed. He even called Yin Qianjie back from school. The family of four gathered around the dining table, Bai Meixian and Yin Qianjie playing with their phones while wearing facial masks, Yin Xiangdong reading the evening paper. Once the tea was served, Yin Qianyang announced, “Wait another minute.”

He dashed out the door and ran to Uncle Yin’s place next door, calling out, “Shan, come over, we have a meeting at my place.”

Nie Weishan, who had just finished wrestling with his English homework, came out still holding his vocabulary notebook. The two returned, turning the group of four into five. Yin Xiangdong asked, “Can we start now? I’ve read the missing person notice in the paper several times already.”

Yin Qianyang and Nie Weishan sat together, “Here’s the thing, a friend from the Sports School track and field team thinks I’m pretty good and wants me to join.”

Yin Qianjie asked, “Do you want to join?”

“I’m not sure yet, I’m torn, so I wanted everyone’s opinion.” Yin Qianyang refilled his sister’s tea.

Yin Xiangdong turned to Bai Meixian, “Wife, what do you think?”

With her mask still on but undeterred from speaking, Bai Meixian questioned, “What’s the point of joining the track and field team? Is it just a hobby? How much time will training take? If you go, will you pursue sports as a career later? Does joining the team automatically make you a talented student, or do you need to win local competitions first? Why would they train you for free, and how much are the tuition fees?”

Yin Qianyang was baffled, “I… don’t know.”

Yin Qianjie said, “Go back to your homework, meeting adjourned.”

The family meeting lasted only five minutes. Yin Qianjie went to wash her face, Bai Meixian and Yin Xiangdong went for a walk, and Yin Qianyang, still baffled, returned to his room and sat at his desk, somewhat dazed.

Nie Weishan leaned against the doorframe, “Burned out?”

Yin Qianyang nodded, “How did my mom come up with all those questions? She stumped me completely, and it’s my fault for not thinking things through.”

“If you really wanted to go, those questions wouldn’t matter. If you don’t want to go, no answer, no matter how favorable, would be useful,” Nie Weishan pocketed his vocabulary notebook, looking like he was about to leave, “So figure out what you really want, and don’t ask anyone else. Just ask yourself.”

“I do like running around aimlessly, and I’m pretty active. But track and field isn’t exactly our country’s strong suit, right? What if I trained in table tennis? Ah, I’m getting sidetracked. I think if I trained in sports, the academic requirements would be much lower, which is good. But what if I twisted an ankle and ended up disabled?” Yin Qianyang rambled on, then fell silent.

Nie Weishan still leaned against the door, accompanying the silence.

Finally, Yin Qianyang looked up, “No more dilly-dallying, I want to go.”

Once decided, he notified Qin Zhan to find a day to test at the Sports School. The “test” was actually just a physical fitness test, not very difficult because it’s not hard for students from other schools to train at the Sports School. The real challenge was whether they could persevere.

After school, Yin Qianyang stood outside the teacher’s office and knocked. Entering, he headed straight for Liu Jiangang’s desk, “Mr. Liu, I might be joining the Sports School’s track and field team. I’ll need to take leaves frequently for training and competitions.”

Liu Jiangang responded, “Understood, train hard and don’t fool around.”

“You agree?” Yin Qianyang was surprised, “I thought you’d scold me.”

“Scolding you would be a waste of saliva,” Liu Jiangang handed him a stack of papers, “You’re a senior next year. It’s good to plan ahead. Now, take these papers and distribute them.”

Yin Qianyang grabbed the papers and ran, finishing distributing them and even changing the water and cleaning the blackboard. It was the first time he felt so fond of Liu Jiangang. Nie Weishan, drinking water at his desk, beckoned, “Bend over, let me wash you off.”

After washing his hands clean of chalk, Yin Qianyang said, “Today’s Tuesday, I’m testing at the Sports School on Sunday afternoon. I need to run a kilometer after school.”

Nie Weishan screwed on the bottle cap, “I won’t wait for you then, you won’t have to carry me and tire yourself out.”

“You could carry me, the subway is so crowded,” Yin Qianyang spotted the e-bike keys on the table, “Oh, you’re going to get a new battery, then don’t wait for me.”

Nie Weishan walked straight home after school, habitually taking the keys without intending to get a new battery. Once out of the school gates, he headed directly to the book wholesale market.

The market was closing at eight, but some shops on Xiang Street were still open, and the goods were cheaper at this time. He entered a magazine shop with a few hundred yuan won from motorcycle racing.

“Boss, give me two whole packs, I’ll pay in full but won’t take them all at once. I’ll come back tomorrow for another trip.” Nie Weishan paid and opened the woven bag, which contained two hundred out-of-date magazines. He packed about sixty to seventy books into bags.

After buying the magazines, he went to a nearby wholesale market to buy beaded bracelets. The previous ones in the shop were fifteen yuan for three, but this time he bought them for ten yuan for five. With books and bracelets in a large bag, he went to the night market.

He set up his stall and paid the booth fee. Facing a spread of periodicals and beaded bracelets and the passing crowd at the night market, Nie Weishan hesitated.

After a few minutes of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and shouted, “Tuesday special, five yuan per book, ten yuan for three! Fashion, gossip, military, science-buy a magazine and get a ‘Storytelling Session’ for free, limited quantity, once they’re gone, they’re gone!”

His shout attracted quite a few people. After picking and choosing, he sold most of them. A girl squatting down to look at the magazines noticed the bracelets in the dish next to her and asked, “Young man, how much for these bracelets?”

Nie Weishan, proud of his craft but not much of a scholar, managed to hawk the magazines loudly but couldn’t bring himself to do the same with the bracelets. Finally, someone asked, and he replied, “Twenty yuan for three, that’s all there is. If you like them, try them on.”

By nearly ten o’clock, he had almost sold out, only a few very old ones left. The stall owner next door asked, “Brother, your business is too good, is it because you’re handsome?”

Nie Weishan tidied up the few remaining magazines, “I have less stuff, you have several big boxes, replenishing one for every one sold, of course, it doesn’t look like much. And you can’t sell them one by one, you have to do three for so much, four for so much-it sounds cheaper and it’s easier to give change.”

With fewer people around, he decided to wait a few more minutes before closing up. He hadn’t had dinner yet, so he got up to buy a couple of stuffed buns across the street, then sat back down on the curb, his eyes catching a pair of spike shoes.

Qin Zhan and a few from the track and field team, having just finished their Malatang¹, strolled by and spotted a school uniform-clad figure. They took a closer look and realized it was Nie Weishan. Qin Zhan was startled, “Shan-Ge? What are you doing here?”

Nie Weishan thought it was quite a coincidence and replied, “Setting up a stall, only the ‘Storytelling Session’ left. If you’d come earlier, you could have picked a couple.”

“No worries! We love ‘Storytelling Session’.” Qin Zhan waved the others over, everyone squatting down to pick a book, then placing fifty yuan down, “We’ll take them all, no games tonight, just reading!”

Nie Weishan pushed the fifty yuan back into Qin Zhan’s pocket, “These are free, no charge. Besides, we’re friends, no need to be strangers.”

“Thanks, Shan-Ge, I’ll get you a cup of congee.” Qin Zhan ran across the street to buy a cup of congee and brought it back, then prepared to leave. Nie Weishan sipped the congee and said, “Hey, don’t tell Yin Qianyang.”

Qin Zhan nodded, “No problem, anything else?”

Nie Weishan thought for a moment, “When he joins the track and field team, please go easy on him.”

Returning home at eleven-thirty, after a shower, he lay in bed feeling the fatigue. His pants were next to the pillow, his pocket filled with the money he’d earned that night. Nie Weishan was too tired to count his profits, turning over and falling into a deep sleep.

The next two days were similar. On Wednesday evening, while setting up his stall, he received a call from Yin Qianyang asking where he was. He said he was helping out in the shop.

On Thursday evening, he said he was playing basketball with Lei Zheng.

On Friday evening after school, Yin Qianyang, who had stopped training, said, “I guess I won’t see you anymore, huh? Do you have plans tonight? If not, come home for dinner, then watch the game.”

Nie Weishan walked away, “Some materials arrived at the shop, I have to tidy up the warehouse tonight, then I’ll sleep there.”

Yin Qianyang pedaled back home alone, had dinner, then went to watch the game with Nie Yingyu, “Where’s third uncle? Let’s call him over.”

“My dad went to the shop, grandpa asked him to organize the warehouse.” Nie Yingyu did a couple of problems during halftime, “Actually, my brother knows more than my dad, but my brother has been mysteriously absent lately.”

Yin Qianyang threw down the remote and ran out. He had never lied to Nie Weishan. What the hell was going on?!

Today, Saturday, Nie Weishan didn’t finish packing up until after midnight, then headed to the antique market, unaware that Yin Qianyang had waited for him in the alley until the middle of the night.

His phone battery was dead, and the neatly arranged bills scattered on the workbench mixed with a few coins. In truth, this money was just a couple of nights’ worth of motorcycle racing, but he had promised his dad not to gamble on anything. A promise was a promise.

Early on Saturday, Yin Qianyang went to the antique market, his demeanor like capturing a criminal, but it was a wasted trip. Elder Nie said Nie Weishan had already gone back. He turned around and headed home, but after searching two alleys, there was still no sign of Nie Weishan.

Yin Qianyang felt a sudden drop in his heart, his anger dissipating. He grabbed a broom to sweep the courtyard, then applied some nutrient-rich soil to the jujube tree, and watered it last. His physical fitness test was tomorrow afternoon, and Nie Weishan hadn’t even said a word of encouragement, still hiding whatever he was doing.

At noon, sitting on the doorstep eating a popsicle, the flowers next to the door wilted from the heat, Yin Qianyang suddenly heard a bell. Turning his head, he saw Nie Weishan riding an e-bike.

Nie Weishan stopped at the door, “Getting a battery was quite a hassle, took me all morning.”

Yin Qianyang, holding the popsicle stick, “What have you been doing these past nights? Don’t lie.”

“I was setting up a stall, made some money,” Nie Weishan admitted. Yin Qianyang was about to speak, a mix of feelings inside, “Just to buy a battery? I’ve been riding for free, I’ll pay too.”

Nie Weishan lifted a bag from the bike basket, stepped up, and squatted down before handing it over. Yin Qianyang took it, pulling out a box of new running shoes.

“Since you’re joining the track and field team, here’s a gift. Run well and don’t fall.”

Holding the shoebox, Yin Qianyang was stunned. After recovering, he looked up and kissed Nie Weishan on the face, surprising himself. Nie Weishan was also stunned, touching his face and muttering, “It’s a new society, a kiss on the cheek is pretty normal.”

Yin Qianyang walked into the house holding the shoes, feeling flustered as he went. Why does it feel different from being close to Bingbing? Can he ever fix this problem of treating people differently?

Footnote:

1. Malatang(麻辣烫):Malatang is a popular Chinese street food consisting of a spicy and numbing hotpot-like dish. Diners select various skewered ingredients, such as vegetables, meats, and tofu, which are cooked in a flavorful broth made with Sichuan peppercorns and chili oil.