Toon Chapter 11

Autumn.

The air was cool and crisp.

Every year, after the rice harvest, it was time to plant wheat. While every household was busy, Zhou Lingchun pushed his bicycle early in the morning, with Liansheng sitting on the seat, heading toward the town hospital.

Lately, the temperature drop in the foothills was faster than Liansheng’s mood swings. The night before, Zhou Lingchun had reminded Liansheng to put on an extra jacket the next morning. Liansheng, wearing his long-sleeved pajamas, agreed readily, only to start sneezing repeatedly the next day, each sneeze louder than the last. They first sought out the village doctor for some medicine, but it didn’t help; in fact, it seemed to be getting worse.

The tissues he used to wipe his nose could pile up into a mountain every day, and if they tried to kiss, he would complain about suffocating after just a few seconds.

Liansheng was forced to sit on the edge of the bed, wrapped in a blanket, his face drawn and worried, devoid of his usual smile. He spoke to the man washing his feet below him, “Am I seriously ill? Are you secretly keeping it from me?”

Zhou Lingchun lifted his eyes to look at him and said, “It’s a cold. We’ll go see the doctor at the town hospital tomorrow morning.”

Liansheng whined, “Let’s not go then. What’s the point of going to town? The medicine there won’t be any less bitter.”

His feet had been soaking in the hot water for a long time. Zhou Lingchun used his rough fingers to massage them, and Liansheng yelped if he pressed too hard. Both feet were now bright red from the heat. The man lifted his feet, rested them on his lap, and carefully dried them with a soft towel. He said, “We’re going. I’ll ask for sweet medicine.”

After drying his feet, Zhou Lingchun tucked Liansheng into the quilt, ordering him to sweat it out. Liansheng immediately grabbed the man’s hand and asked, “Then, after the appointment tomorrow, can we go to the market?”

“We’ll see about the time.”

That meant yes, so Liansheng lay down on the bed, comforted. He closed his eyes, his eyelashes casting a shadow beneath his lids. He rubbed his feet together under the blanket, his voice thick with congestion. “Then let’s get up early tomorrow. You have to dress me in the clothes we bought in the city last time. After the appointment, we’ll rush to eat breakfast at the market… Oh, and don’t forget to comb my hair. It’ll be too early for me to open my eyes.”

The dim yellow light in the room fell upon his fair face, making it look like a pearl bathed in warm light.

The two set off at dawn, just as the sky was turning the color of a fish belly. When they arrived at the town hospital, it was just opening. Zhou Lingchun found the doctor and placed Liansheng, who was sweating profusely from wearing two layers of clothing, on the bench opposite him.

The doctor was about forty, wearing glasses. Zhou Lingchun often came here to get medicine for his grandmother.

“What’s wrong?” the doctor glanced at Liansheng.

Liansheng was busy wiping his nose with a tissue. Zhou Lingchun answered for him, “My wife has had a cold for three days, and it hasn’t gotten better.”

“Did he take medicine?”

“Yes, but it didn’t work.”

Zhou Lingchun asked the doctor to prescribe something stronger so he would recover quickly.

Liansheng, his voice muffled by the cold, chimed in, “I want sweet ones.”

The doctor picked up a blank form from the table, asked for Liansheng’s name, and after writing it down, suddenly looked up at Zhou Lingchun, who was taking the used tissue from Liansheng’s hand. “Is your wife pregnant? If so, he shouldn’t take medicine indiscriminately.”

Zhou Lingchun paused for a moment. “I don’t know.”

He hadn’t considered that. The village doctor hadn’t mentioned it and just prescribed the medicine, which Liansheng had already taken several doses of.

The doctor looked at the two men, who were practically glued together. “Did you use protection when you had intercourse?”

Zhou Lingchun: “…No.”

The doctor said, “Then you should probably get him checked.”

Zhou Lingchun nodded blankly. Liansheng pinched the man’s hand and whispered, “Check for what? I’m definitely not pregnant.”

Zhou Lingchun led Liansheng outside, saying they shouldn’t rush to get the prescription.

Once outside, they found a secluded spot to talk. Liansheng stood with his hands on his hips, wearing his nice clothes, looking like a little peacock puffing up its chest in anger. “I can’t get pregnant! Hurry up and get the medicine! Once we’re done, we can go to the market.”

If he hadn’t thought about going to the market after the doctor’s visit, he wouldn’t have been so eager to come and take medicine.

The man asked, “How do you know you can’t?”

Liansheng opened his mouth, then suddenly crashed into the man’s arms, throwing a childish tantrum and hitting the man with his hands. “I don’t care! If you don’t want to see the doctor, we can just go home! You’re the one who wanted to come, and now that we’re here, you won’t get me the medicine! What kind of person are you?”

Zhou Lingchun was used to this. When he didn’t respond for a few seconds, Liansheng pressed his advantage. “I knew you didn’t truly care about me! If you really cared, you’d hurry up, get the medicine, and let’s go eat! I’m about to starve to death!”

He should have eaten first, and then just gone straight home!

“Stop messing around,” Zhou Lingchun’s tone became slightly sterner, and Liansheng immediately fell silent.

Zhou Lingchun thought he had hurt Liansheng’s feelings, so he pinched the back of Liansheng’s neck and pulled him back, intending to say something nice to explain. But then he saw Liansheng’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes darting around—clearly a look of shyness.

Liansheng whispered, “I can’t give birth. You put it inside me every day. If I could get pregnant, you’d have ten kids by now.”

The man smiled silently and turned his head away, seemingly unable to handle Liansheng’s frivolous remark. When he turned back a few seconds later, his expression was serious. He said, “No messing around. It’s not about having a child. We’ll check first so we can take the medicine without worry.”

After getting the medicine, Zhou Lingchun rode his bicycle, taking Liansheng to the market for breakfast.

Even if they hadn’t eaten pork, they had seen pigs run. Cars or large cargo trucks would pass through here on their way to the city. By paying the drivers a fee, they could hitch a ride, significantly reducing the travel time to the city. There were dedicated bus routes to the city, but they were often overbooked, and the journey was long.

As soon as they arrived at the market, a bucket of water had spilled on the ground. People were coming and going, stepping through the mud. Liansheng immediately got off the bike and demanded that Zhou Lingchun pick him up, complaining that his new shoes were getting dirty.

A man nearby, about forty, with a kind face and wearing a gray cloth jacket, heard Liansheng’s outcry and chuckled twice. He said, “This delicate child looks like he’s from the city. Are you heading into town? I can take you on my motorcycle; it’s much cheaper than those cargo trucks!”

Liansheng replied casually, “No, I’m not going. My home is in Pingshui Village.”

Zhou Lingchun looked down at Liansheng, a flash of light in his eyes.

The two turned left and entered the shop Liansheng had insisted on. Liansheng ordered food and sat happily on a large wooden bench to wait. The steamed buns had thin skins and generous fillings, paired with a bowl of savory cornmeal soup, seasoned with a few drops of sesame oil—it was incredibly delicious! When the food arrived, Liansheng seemed starved. He held a large bun, taking three quick bites and swallowing it down. He then pouted and blew on the steaming cornmeal soup before cradling the large bowl, which was nearly the size of his face, and taking a small sip, wetting his lips until they glistened.

“Delicious!” Liansheng squinted in enjoyment.

Zhou Lingchun was eating a savory flatbread and replied, “Eat slowly. You can try the new medicine after you finish.”

Liansheng sniffed and said in surprise, “No need to take it. My nose suddenly cleared up.”

Zhou Lingchun handed Liansheng a large bun from the plate beside him, telling him to eat. Liansheng took a big bite, chewed it many times, and swallowed it, but then refused to eat more, wanting to save room for the cornmeal soup, telling Zhou Lingchun to eat the rest himself.

Zhou Lingchun didn’t particularly like the soft buns; they weren’t filling enough for hard work. He swallowed the bun in three bites and went back to gnawing on his flatbread.

He remembered that Grandmother liked these things, so Liansheng fished some money out of Zhou Lingchun’s pocket and said he was going to buy some.

Liansheng bought two and was about to head back after paying. He hadn’t walked two steps when he felt his clothes being tugged. Before he could turn around, someone whispered, “Child, were you actually kidnapped?”

Liansheng uttered a confused “Ah,” and turned to see the uncle who offered motorcycle rides.