MM | Chapter 37

Staying

Ten years ago, this courtyard felt even more cramped than it does now.

The apartment buildings outside Wutongwai had just been freshly painted, looking neat and pretty, making the few old houses in the corners seem even more rundown. Old Man Ding’s was the most dilapidated of them all.

But back then, he hadn’t shrunk with age, and he was still spirited and strong. He would stack porcelain pots and clay jars at the eaves and corners, tending to various flowers and plants. He even kept a tabby cat named “Captain” to keep the mice at bay.

“Captain” was the best cat Old Man Ding ever had, more human-like than a dog, following commands precisely. It was the reason Jiang Tian got lured into the house in the first place.

At five or six years old, Jiang Tian was as quiet as he would be later, always sullen. But being young, he was easily distracted and soft-hearted. Whenever “Captain” lay on his feet, he was helpless.

The residents of Wutongwai had been neighbors for decades, knowing each other well. The elderly, with little entertainment, loved to gather for chats and chess, discussing family matters over tea.

Old Man Ding wasn’t much for idle chatter, but he got hooked on chess for a while. During those games, he learned all about Jiang Tian’s grandmother’s illness. He already knew the Jiang family and liked Jiang Tian, so he almost treated him like a half-grandson.

The old man often commanded “Captain” to wait on the courtyard wall. When Jiang Tian passed by, the cat would pounce like a tiger.

Jiang Tian often found a cat suddenly dropping onto his head while walking. Even when he stopped abruptly, the cat would still fall straight onto his shoes, a soft bundle.

Old Man Ding especially enjoyed watching that scene—a child caught in uncertainty, unable to leave or stay, frozen in a standoff with the cat. At that moment, he’d call out to resolve the situation and pull Jiang Tian into the courtyard.

Sometimes it would be dumplings, sometimes simple porridge and vegetables, or steamed fish or soup. The old man tried every way to give Jiang Tian something to eat.

The child was thin-skinned and stubborn. When asked if he had eaten, he’d always nod and say quietly, “I have.”

When asked why he wasn’t going home, he’d always reply with a face that didn’t like to play, “Just out to play.”

The old man vividly remembered one evening when he heard Jiang Tian’s grandmother no longer recognized people and even locked her grandson out. Shortly after, he saw Jiang Tian outside his courtyard wall.

He was very thin then, with long limbs hinting at his future teenage self. He carried a school bag, and the keychain around his neck was wrapped several times around his fingers, tangled and unused.

Old Man Ding patted his shoulder, bent down, and asked, “Have you eaten?”

For the first time, Jiang Tian showed some hesitation but eventually nodded, saying, “I have.”

The alley lights were just coming on, and the smell of food wafted from every house, the most lively time of day.

Yet he stood outside someone else’s courtyard and said, “Grandpa, can I see the cat?”

*

Old Man Ding was lost in thought for a while, then smoothed the edges of the photo album and said, “You know Xiao Tian’s personality. It’s hard for him to ask for anything, always has been.”

“When he told me he wanted to see the cat, it meant he really had nowhere else to go.”

The noon sun should have been glaringly bright, but in this courtyard, it only illuminated a few square meters under the skylight, leaving the rest in shadow.

This was the most inconspicuous corner of Wutongwai, the only place Jiang Tian was willing to be close to now, and the only place that would keep him during a long-ago period.

Sheng Wang suddenly felt a deep sadness.

For the first time, he was overwhelmed by a sense of loneliness purely because of someone else’s experiences.

The person in the photo was frozen in that moment, unaware of everything outside the picture. Sheng Wang looked at him silently for a long time and finally said, “Aunt Jiang is nice, very gentle. I thought…”

“You’ve met Xiao Jiang?” Old Man Ding asked.

Sheng Wang was silent for a while, then said, “Aunt Jiang is with my dad. Actually, Jiang Tian and I aren’t just classmates; our families live together now.”

“Oh, oh.” Old Man Ding suddenly understood and mumbled, “I see. Xiao Tian doesn’t usually bring outsiders here. No wonder, no wonder. So, you two are like brothers?”

For a moment, Sheng Wang found the word “brothers” a bit awkward. It was strange because he had even told Jiang Tian before that he once wanted a brother.

But there really wasn’t a better way to describe it.

He hesitated for two seconds, then nodded, “I guess so.”

After saying that, he added, “We’re pretty close, anyway.”

Old Man Ding laughed. His usual stern face with sharp eyebrows looked fierce, but when he smiled, his kind nature showed, even a bit like a mischievous old man.

He asked, “Who’s older, you or Xiao Tian?”

“Him, I was born in December,” Sheng Wang replied.

“Oh, he’s at the beginning of the year,” Old Man Ding said. “Then you should call him brother. Why haven’t I heard you do that?”

Sheng Wang: “…”

The old man pretended to be unhappy.

Sheng Wang coaxed, “Next time, I’ll definitely remember to call him that.”

Old Man Ding: “You kids just love to lie.”

Sheng Wang: “…”

The old man teased him a bit more, then fell back into his memories. He thought for a moment and said, “It’s good that Xiao Jiang found another family. I watched that girl grow up. She was a diligent student, very strong-willed. In her twenties, she was fiery, but as she got older, she mellowed out, seemed to have no temper, all worn out by family matters.”

“Her dad used to gamble a lot, owed a lot of debt. Her mom was a teacher, couldn’t pay it back, so Xiao Jiang started a business to fill the hole. Later, her mom got sick, needed money for treatment, and kids need money to raise. How could she stop?”

“She feels guilty about Xiao Tian. There were a couple of times she came to pick him up, eyes swollen like walnuts from crying.” Old Man Ding clicked his tongue, “I haven’t seen her cry like that in over twenty years. She actually did better than Ji Huanyu back then, but Ji Huanyu is a prideful man.”

He pointed to a boy in the photo album who looked like Jiang Tian, “He had a tough childhood, too, no parents. Later… he and some kids were picked up and raised in a courtyard.”

“An orphanage?” Sheng Wang asked.

“Not that formal,” Old Man Ding shook his head. “It was like picking up stray cats and dogs, feeding them out of pity. His name was given then, taking the surname of the person who picked him up. A few years later, it was shut down for being informal, and the kids scattered. Only Ji Huanyu stayed in the area.”

“He was about to start middle school then, always lived at school. In high school, he somehow got involved with Xiao Jiang, and after college, they got married. He was often bullied as a child, always wanted to make a name for himself, leave the province, go abroad, do big things, so he wasn’t willing to stay home and take care of the child.”

“They argued several times over Xiao Tian, but nothing ever came of it,” Old Man Ding said. “There was a time Ji Huanyu changed, stopped making Xiao Tian run around, and stayed at Wutongwai with him for a year. Xiao Tian hadn’t graduated elementary school, and Jiang’s grandmother had just passed away, so it was just the two of them living there.”

“At first, it was fine, at least Xiao Tian wouldn’t be locked out. But later, it didn’t work out,” Old Man Ding said. “Ji Huanyu couldn’t take care of people, so Xiao Tian started coming to me again. Once I saw a burn on the back of Xiao Tian’s neck, he stayed with me for two days, had a fever and was vomiting. Then he was taken away by Xiao Jiang, and not long after, I heard she divorced Ji Huanyu.”

Sheng Wang remembered the scar on Jiang Tian’s neck and frowned, “It wasn’t Ji… his dad who burned him, was it?”

“I asked at the time. Xiao Tian said no, and it didn’t seem like he was being stubborn. I can tell when he’s being stubborn,” Old Man Ding said. “Ji Huanyu, though not great, wouldn’t do something like that.”

“Then how did it happen?” Sheng Wang was puzzled.

“I don’t know,” the old man shook his head. “Xiao Tian is very stubborn and tight-lipped. If he doesn’t say, no one knows. I don’t dare to bring it up; it upsets him. He doesn’t have it easy, and happiness is rare for him. How could I make him unhappy?”

Elderly people like to ramble, their stories of the past fragmented and sometimes out of order. But Sheng Wang still glimpsed a corner of Jiang Tian’s childhood from these tales.

He finally understood why Jiang Tian’s relationship with his mother was so strange—because of a lack of belonging. He could understand Jiang Ou’s struggles and guilt, so he always protected her, but he couldn’t see the place where Jiang Ou was as home.

Just like how Sheng Mingyang only worried if Sheng Wang would ignore people when upset, Jiang Ou had to worry if Jiang Tian would leave.

Because he was always leaving.

Sheng Wang suspected that for Jiang Tian, his former residence or the courtyard in Baima Alley might not feel as much like home as the school dormitory. At least in the dorm, he knew how many years he could stay, how long his luggage would be unpacked before being packed again.

Outside the courtyard, someone slowly rode by on an old bicycle, ringing the bell as they turned into the alley.

Sheng Wang finally snapped out of it and stood up straight.

His phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw someone had added him as a WeChat friend through the class group, with the verification message saying “Li Yu.”

Sheng Wang accepted, and a message popped up immediately.

Seven-colored Koi: Sheng Wang, where did you go? A teacher came to check lunchtime discipline, and I’m on duty today.

Affiliated High School’s lunchtime rules were strict; students couldn’t leave the classroom at will. Teachers patrolled occasionally, and getting caught would mean losing discipline points.

Sheng Wang suddenly remembered that lunchtime was almost over, and he’d been out for half an hour.

Sticker: Sorry, class monitor, I’ll be back soon.

Seven-colored Koi: Hurry up

Seven-colored Koi: I said you weren’t feeling well and went to the clinic for medicine, don’t get caught

Sticker: Thanks

Sheng Wang was about to put away his phone when he remembered something.

He asked: Class monitor, can I still apply for a school dormitory?

Seven-colored Koi: …

Sticker: Hands together in prayer

Sticker: I know this is a bit much to ask

Seven-colored Koi: Well… okay…

Seven-colored Koi: But the room might be at the end of the list

Sticker: Okay

Sticker: Thank you

He said goodbye to Old Man Ding and hurried back to school. Just as he was about to step out, he turned back and asked, “Grandpa, what about the cat named Captain?”

“Not here anymore,” Old Man Ding said. “Old cat.”

Sheng Wang lowered his eyes and nodded.

He tossed his phone back into his pocket and ran all the way to school.

By chance, he saw a familiar figure as he passed Duxing Building. Jiang Tian had just come out of the computer room and was heading towards Mingli Building.

A stray cat darted through the flowers in front of Duxing Building, jumping onto the windowsill in a few leaps. Jiang Tian paused for a moment, looking up at the cat.

In that instant, Sheng Wang seemed to see Wutongwai from ten years ago, the boy in the old photo becoming clear as he crossed through time.

But the cat that once stayed with him was long gone.

Sheng Wang stopped for a moment, then quickened his pace to catch up with Jiang Tian.

That day, the school was as peaceful as ever. The bell for the end of lunch hadn’t rung yet, and even the birds were dozing in the shade. The person rushing from behind was the only vibrant presence in the calm—

Jiang Tian felt someone hook his neck, and the momentum caused them both to stumble a few steps. He turned in surprise and saw Sheng Wang’s spirited smile.

He heard him say, “Jiang Tian, let’s live in the dorms together.”