FWP Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Hawthorn

Zhōu Zhāo, carrying his ice skates, bought Wanderer a candied hawthorn stick.

Last night, Wanderer’s tone was so certain that Zhōu Zhāo forgot to ask if he knew how to ice skate. Only today did he find out that Wanderer had no idea how to ice skate. Wanderer, bundled up warmly, pointed at the trees beside the rink and said, “I can climb trees. Or I can sit up there and watch you skate?”

Zhōu Zhāo laughed and cursed, “Get lost.”

When he was alone with Wanderer, Zhōu Zhāo didn’t have so many worries. He didn’t know why.

The two of them found a place to sit. Wanderer chewed on the sugar coating of the candied hawthorn, glancing at Zhōu Zhāo once, then again, and again. Zhōu Zhāo was originally watching the line of skaters on the ice, but Wanderer’s actions were too obvious. If his eyes were any smaller, Zhōu Zhāo wouldn’t have noticed.

“Sweet? You don’t like sweet things?” Zhōu Zhāo turned his face. There was a scar on his right brow bone, only visible up close. Wanderer wanted to say no, but also wanted to find some special characteristic to be remembered by Zhōu Zhāo. Before he could decide on a direction, Zhōu Zhāo had already snatched the candied hawthorn stick from his hand.

Zhōu Zhāo took a bite of the hawthorn. Eating candied hawthorn in the cold wind made his teeth ache, but it melted into a sweet, sticky syrup in his throat. He crossed his legs, pressing on his knee with his left hand, crunching as he ate. “These hawthorns are getting smaller every year. When I used to buy them, the hawthorns were as big as my fist.” Zhōu Zhāo raised his fist.

“When was that?” Wanderer watched as Zhōu Zhāo ate the hawthorn he had already bitten, quickly searching for something to say.

Zhōu Zhāo licked the sugar crumbs from the corner of his mouth. “Eight? Or nine? Anyway, I was tiny.”

“You’re twenty now. If the hawthorns grew as big as your fist, would they still be hawthorns?”

“That’s true. But why are hawthorns called hawthorns? Do either of those words specify the size of the hawthorn?”

“I don’t think so, probably not.”

“Then let’s call them Big Hawthorns.”

“I guess?”

Wanderer and Zhōu Zhāo looked at each other, each pondering the question.

Later, Zhōu Zhāo took Yóu Lè Wángzǐ (lit. Amusement Prince, name of dog) across the ocean. One afternoon, he saw news about giant Missouri hawthorns in the United States. He suddenly wanted to talk to Wanderer. That day, he was very happy. He carried his ice skates around but didn’t skate. He walked with Wanderer on the road. Sometimes a gust of cold wind would blow, and Wanderer would hurry ahead, blocking Zhōu Zhāo. He was half a head shorter than Zhōu Zhāo and couldn’t block much wind. Zhōu Zhāo was startled the first time, worried about stepping on his shoes. After it happened a few times, Zhōu Zhāo looked at the top of Wanderer’s head and inexplicably hoped the wind would blow for a little longer.

Beijing was really cold that year.

Zhōu Zhāo got a trolley to move his luggage. He carefully placed the urn containing Yóu Lè Wángzǐ’s ashes on top and walked out. Li Tinglin saw Zhōu Zhāo from afar. Zhōu Zhāo had been gone for several years and didn’t often post photos on social media. Li Tinglin thought he would see a radiant young man.

“Yo, nice haircut,” Zhōu Zhāo also saw Li Tinglin. He stepped out of the flow of people and came to Li Tinglin. “What color is that supposed to be?”

“Grandma gray, I guess.” Li Tinglin took the luggage trolley from Zhōu Zhāo. The words he had prepared were a little difficult to say. Zhōu Zhāo smiled. “Grandma gray, I’m practically Grandpa white.”

He had lost a lot of weight. Because he hadn’t been going out much, his skin was pale. Li Tinglin had noticed from afar that Zhōu Zhāo was almost unable to support his clothes.

Once in the car, Li Tinglin started the engine and drove into the busy traffic. “What do you want to eat? Anything you want.”

Zhōu Zhāo hugged the urn, looking at the scenery on both sides of the street like a general on parade. He rattled off a dozen restaurants. Li Tinglin said that two of them had closed, and some of the remaining ones had changed chefs. After counting, there were two that were still good. One was near their university, and the other was near Yu Zipei’s house. Li Tinglin said “Yu Zipei” and glanced at Zhōu Zhāo’s expression, finding that he didn’t change at all. “How about going back to school to take a look?”

“Forget it, I’m tired of that place. Take the Second Ring Road and let’s go near the U R Me house.”

Waiting for a red light at an intersection, Li Tinglin pretended to say casually, “I saw her a couple of days ago. She seems to be getting a divorce from her husband.”

Zhōu Zhāo asked, “Divorce? Why?”

“Hey, it’s always the same things with couples. Cars, houses, kids, the three big things. If you add a mistress, ha! It’s quite a show.”

Zhōu Zhāo thought Li Tinglin must be hooking up with a Tianjin man recently.

“A mistress? Her husband is seeing someone else?”

When men get chatty, they really get chatty. Li Tinglin opened the floodgates and rattled on for a while. Zhōu Zhāo understood the ins and outs of the situation.

Yu Zipei married a man introduced by her family right after graduating from university. The man was ten years older than Yu Zipei and often drank tea with Zhōu Zhāo’s father. The invitation was sent to his house that day, and Zhōu Zhāo was beaten by his father. He didn’t run, squatting on the ground and covering his face, saying not to hit his face, he had to be a groomsman. The wedding ceremony was grand. Zhōu Zhāo watched Yu Zipei walk down the aisle step by step. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling was huge and dazzling, the music romantic and solemn. He thought Yu Zipei would always be happy.

But Li Tinglin was right. The three big things hold a couple together, but a mistress cuts in, and even the most stable triangle will change shape. Yu Zipei’s parents were alive and well, and her child was still too young to remember anything. She had a very strong case for the lawsuit.

Zhōu Zhāo asked, “Is there anything she needs help with?”

“What do you mean?” Li Tinglin stepped on the brake and then the gas, the car struggling to move through the congested road. He winked and raised his eyebrows. “You want to win her back? Hey, what have you been busy with these past few years? Don’t you share with your brothers?”

Zhōu Zhāo smiled bitterly, busy raising a dog. The dog died. Besides that, his brother’s sexual orientation might be leaning towards you.

He didn’t say anything. Li Tinglin’s heart skipped a beat. “No way, you’re still thinking about that someone? You…”

The car in front moved. Zhōu Zhāo urged Li Tinglin to follow.

Li Tinglin might really be dating a chatterbox. After a song’s length of silence, he brought up the topic again. “Speaking of which, that someone gave you that dog, right?”

Zhōu Zhāo touched the urn and hummed in agreement, adding, “You keep saying ‘that someone, that someone.’ Which someone? He has a name.”

Li Tinglin coughed twice, covering his mouth with his fist, a little uncomfortable as he said, “I just forgot, Wanderer! I remember, it’s not a good name, always wandering around here and there, never settling down.”

Zhōu Zhāo felt a pang in his heart. He didn’t used to believe in these things. Wanderer wandering, free and unburdened, was great, but over the years, Wanderer seemed to have truly lived up to the name, never settling down. He remembered Wanderer telling him that he hated Beijing, that he didn’t have any relatives in Beijing. If only he could bring Zeng Haitang over to settle down. Wanderer clearly craved stability.

Zhōu Zhāo took out a cigarette. Li Tinglin’s car already smelled strongly of smoke; he smoked himself.

He paused, trying to sound as calm as possible as he inquired, “Is Wanderer still in Beijing? Do you have any news about him?”

Li Tinglin said no.

Zhōu Zhāo didn’t want the topic to drop. He lowered the car window and flicked the cigarette ash, saying lightly, “He probably went back to his hometown. He’s probably already a teacher at No. 16 High School.”

Li Tinglin couldn’t help but sneer. Zhōu Zhāo’s face slowly turned white.

It seemed that Li Tinglin and the others knew about Wanderer’s situation.

Everything in 2009 was ridiculously like a dream. Wanderer disappeared after the Spring Festival.

Zhōu Zhāo sent him a message on New Year’s Eve, wishing him a happy birthday. Wanderer replied with “thank you.” The next day, Zhōu Zhāo wished him a happy New Year again. Wanderer still replied with “thank you.”

Zhōu Zhāo’s family was as busy as a vegetable market during the New Year. People his father knew from work started coming to give gifts from New Year’s Day and continued until after the Lantern Festival. Whenever a guest came to the door downstairs, Zhōu Zhāo had to go down to accompany them. He complained to Wanderer that he was like a “three (péi)” [someone who accompanies people for food, drinks, and entertainment], but Wanderer’s side was also very noisy. After hearing that, he laughed very loudly, saying that the rich young masters in literary works all held their eyes on top of their heads and never accommodated anyone. How did you Zhōu Zhāo become a “threeaccompany”?

Zhōu Zhāo laughed too, saying that it was already 2009, and no one was still saying “literary works” all day long. It was old-fashioned.

Wanderer stopped laughing. Zhōu Zhāo was even happier. He took advantage of the nanny’s offering fruit to run to the hall to call Wanderer. The floor of the hall was full of gift boxes. Zhōu Zhāo’s eyes wandered around. “Don’t you like kiwi fruit? I’ll send you some? There are also cherries, pineapples, watermelons, etc. What does your grandmother like to eat?”

Wanderer didn’t answer. His breathing gradually quickened. Listening to it, Zhōu Zhāo felt like he was crying.

“Hey, why are you crying? I’m telling you that this doesn’t cost any money. It’s all gifts from other people. You also have the chocolate you used to eat. Do you still want it? It won’t melt if it’s shipped in winter.”

Wanderer was really crying. He sobbed and thanked Zhōu Zhāo. Zhōu Zhāo thought to himself that if he became rich in the future and bought a house for Wanderer, he would have to emulate Meng Jiangnu and cry down the Great Wall again.

After that day, Wanderer never answered the phone again. After Zhōu Zhāo’s express delivery arrived in his hometown, Wanderer sent Zhōu Zhāo a photo. In the photo, he and Zeng Haitang were each holding a Hami melon. Zeng Haitang’s hair was all white. The old lady was neat and particular, looking at the camera with a radiant spirit, while Wanderer sat beside her, restrained.

Wanderer: Thank you for the gifts. I also sent you a gift. It’s not valuable. They are all things from our own mountain. Don’t dislike them.

Zhōu Zhāo: You cut your hair

Wanderer: Yes.

Wanderer: Is it ugly?

Zhōu Zhāo: Energetic But you look good with long hair

Wanderer: Okay.

Zhōu Zhāo: Do you have guests at your house?

Wanderer: Yes, how did you know?

Zhōu Zhāo: You’re stupid You and your grandma are at home You’re both in the photo Ghosts took the photo

Wanderer: Oh, right. My great-uncles came to see her today, I’m going offline.

Zhōu Zhāo pressed off the screen, and the phone suddenly rang again. It was still Wanderer. He asked if it was okay for the elderly to eat seasonal fruits such as watermelons and pineapples. Zhōu Zhāo waved his hand and replied that they could eat. Even if they couldn’t finish them, there were more. His family was only poor in that it only had money left.

Wanderer returned an ellipsis, a total of six dots.

These six dots were Wanderer’s last message. Then, he disappeared without any warning.

At first, Zhōu Zhāo thought his phone bill was overdue and recharged it with a thousand yuan. He called Wanderer three times a day, but there was no response. Zhōu Zhāo had to dig out his parental notification from a certain semester at No. 16 High School from the basement and found the phone number of his senior year homeroom teacher, but it didn’t go through after two calls. Zhōu Zhāo began to suspect that the heavy snow had broken the signal tower near No. 16 High School, causing people throughout the entire city to not answer their phones.

Yu Zipei came to play at home. Seeing Zhōu Zhāo scratching his ears and cursing the phone company, she said sarcastically, “Anyone who didn’t know would think he’s your wife. What’s wrong? Are you going to promote me to be your mistress during the New Year? Do I have to kowtow three times and flatter you, praising you and your first wife for your deep love?”

Zhōu Zhāo had goosebumps all over, and he almost didn’t recognize the word “you.” He heard that Yu Zipei’s father was working as a literary consultant for an ancient costume palace fighting drama, so he was not neglecting his duties.

“What nonsense are you talking about? What first wife? What the hell is that?” Zhōu Zhāo curled his lips. “Wanderer is my friend. I can’t find him, so I have to keep looking.”

Zhōu Zhāo sat down on the armrest of the sofa. Yóu Lè Wángzǐ was sleeping on the sofa. He was awakened by the noise and leaned against Zhōu Zhāo’s hand, acting cute. Yu Zipei didn’t believe him and rolled her eyes. “Everyone is a friend. Li Tinglin hasn’t been heard from for several days. Why aren’t you lighting a lantern and looking for Li Tinglin all over the street?”

“Is Li Tinglin the same as him? Li Tinglin has a father, a mother, and a man. Didn’t he say that not replying to messages means that he is doing it? I’m so bored that I’m looking for Li Tinglin. If his mom calls and he gets ED, will you pay?”

Zhōu Zhāo spoke twice as fast when he met Yu Zipei. The two were evenly matched and made Zhōu Zhāo quick-witted, almost forgetting what he was originally going to do. Yu Zipei was choked and speechless, cracking melon seeds angrily.

Zhōu Zhāo touched the dog listlessly for a while and then floated to Yu Zipei’s side. He was like a father, saying to Yu Zipei, “You don’t know, Wanderer’s family situation is a bit bad. His parents both gamble, losing everything. In the end, they even used him as collateral. If it weren’t for his grandmother, this child might have been sold to a mine to work as a black laborer, or someone else would have raised him, cut off some of his organs and sold them for money.”

“I get scared just thinking about it,” Zhōu Zhāo made a gesture of length. “A child this small, going to mine, you can’t even imagine. Even so, he still saved dogs, what a kind child… Why are you looking at me like that?”

Yu Zipei had a melon seed stuck in her teeth for a while. She kicked off her slippers and squatted on the sofa like a farmer on a rural TV channel. “Zhōu, tell me the truth, did you lose a bet when you were with me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why do I feel like you… um, why do I feel like you are especially, especially…”

“Do you have a melon seed stuck in your throat? Are you playing a call transfer with me? I’m especially what?”

Yu Zipei “tsk”ed, grabbed the back of Zhōu Zhāo’s neck, pulled him into her arms, and kissed him hard. It was more like a collision than a kiss. Their teeth hit their lips, and Zhōu Zhāo suddenly had a bloody cut on his mouth. He wiped his mouth, opened his eyes wide, and cursed, “Are you out of your mind! Just talk, are you a donkey? Are you a donkey?”

Yu Zipei wasn’t made of iron either. She also had a mouthful of blood. She didn’t know if Zhōu Zhāo’s mouth was more (jiàn, cheap/bitchy) or his teeth were harder, but Yu Zipei was injured more severely. The blood flowed down almost like a small stream. “I’m not a donkey, but you might really have to go look for Li Tinglin.”

The winter vacation ended with the scream of the nanny. She found the two blood-stained lovers in the living room. At that time, Zhōu Zhāo was grabbing Yu Zipei’s shoulders, and Yu Zipei was stepping on Zhōu Zhāo’s little toes. The two were at a stalemate like two goats butting heads. When asked if they had fought, they all answered fiercely: I love her/him to death, I can’t wait to kiss her/him to death.