The Creatures that We Are

It was the first time Gao Shou realized clearly how fragile life was and how fickle fate could be.

Only afterward did Gao Shou learn that a three-wheeled car carrying coal had made a sharp turn to avoid a kid running across the street out of nowhere, which was how it ended up slamming into the shop. Unfortunately, the owner of the shop happened to be sitting at the entrance then, thus resulting in the tragedy.

And she had been sitting there because it was time for students to come out of the school across the street—because she wanted to look at her granddaughter…

“I remember that the ambulance arrived quickly and took Lin Yue’s grandmother away. Lin Yue got into the ambulance as well.”

Gao Shou said in a grave voice, “I later heard that her grandmother had passed away before arriving at the hospital. And in her dying moment, she clutched Lin Yue’s hand, trying to say something but couldn’t.”

Gao Yang and Little Qing Ling didn’t know what to say, so they listened.

The story continued.

The next few days, Lin Yue didn’t come to school because she had to deal with her grandmother’s affairs.

Overnight, everyone at school learned that the beautiful, aloof Lin Yue actually came from a poor family, and that she only had her grandmother. Out of a sense of vanity, she pretended to not know her grandmother after school. Now that her grandmother had passed away, she became an orphan. Her aunt showed up and claimed ownership over the rammed earth house and the storefront in town, fighting for the inheritance.

Gao Shou didn’t care about the rumors. He waited for Lin Yue to leave school every day after work like he always did, and he walked her home quietly while maintaining distance, making sure that she didn’t get harassed by adult men. Only after she reached home safely would he leave.

Because it was his promise to Lin Yue’s grandmother.

Lin Yue knew Gao Shou had been secretly escorting her every day, but she never talked to Gao Shou. She never even spared him a glance. It was as if they were strangers.

Gao Shou didn’t find any fault in that. In fact, he felt partly responsible for Lin Yue’s Grandmother’s passing. If he had gone to the shop earlier, perhaps he would be able to prevent the tragedy from happening. It only made sense for Lin Yue to resent him.

Soon, Lin Yue graduated from high school.

The evening the college entrance exams ended was the last time Gao Shou would walk Lin Yue from the school to her home.

He thought that Lin Yue would walk into the house and shut the door behind her like she always did, but instead, she stopped at the rural path leading to her place, looking at the house from a short distance.

Gao Shou would never forget that summer evening. The earlier drizzle had cleansed the air. The sky was red on the horizon. The frogs inhabiting the fields croaked loudly. His skin felt sticky and itchy with the warm breeze drying his sweat.

Gao Shou stopped a little more than ten meters from her, watching her from the back. He didn't know what Lin Yue was thinking for the next silent thirty seconds.

He would never have expected Lin Yue to make a decision that would change his life, and even the fate of the world.

Lin Yue dropped her backpack into the field. When she turned around, her gaze was more determined and heated than ever before.

She strode up to Gao Shou. Heart racing, Gao Shou looked at her blankly, at a loss of what to do.

“Do you like me?” Lin Yue came up to him and stared at his eyes.

“Huh?” Gao Shou jumped. “I, I…I made a promise to your grandmother to protect you, so I walked you every day. If you don’t like me, I’ll see if my friend…”

“I like you,” said Lin Yue.

Gao Shou gaped.

Lin Yue took a step forward and stood on her toes, hooking her arms around Gao Shou’s neck to kiss him.

During those two seconds, Gao Shou felt like he had died, and the world was gone.

Then he came back to life, and he was back in the world again.

Under the setting sun, Lin Yue’s long black hair danced with the wind, her black eyes glittered with sparkling light, beautiful to the point of looking surreal.

Lin Yue said calmly, “The house is now my aunt’s. I don’t have a home anymore. May I come home with you? I’ll find a job tomorrow, and we’ll get married when we’re of age. I want to have a child with you. My grandmother wants me to be happy. We will be happy.”

Gao Shou finally came to his senses, and he slapped himself hard in the face, sputtering, “Not a dream…not a dream…”

Lin Yue still looked as collected as ever. She stared at Gao Shou for a few seconds before a laugh escaped her mouth. Her eyes were brimming with tears.

“You’re a giant idiot, Gao Shou, and I like you that way.”

…

Gao Shou was a little bashful after the story. “Haha, it’s a little embarrassing to talk about this when my son is listening.”

Gao Yang was just getting into the story. “Wait, that’s it? What happened next? Did you just bring Mom home? And Grandpa and Granny just agreed?”

“Yeah, I took your mother home, and your grandparents welcomed her after I told them what happened.”

Gao Shou chuckled. “Especially your grandpa. He dragged me into his room that night and told me that it was rare for a treasure to just fall onto my lap, that I must seize the opportunity.”

“After that, your grandpa had a drink with his friend and gave his friend a red envelope, and your mother started working at the textile mill too. Your mother was beautiful and well-educated. The number of workers who had a crush on her could form a line from the canteen to the dorm.”

“The textile mill closed down due to poor revenue two years later, and the workers lost their jobs. Your grandfather’s health declined. He got ill, and we lost most of our savings to that.”

“Many rich men pursued Lin Yue then, but she stayed with me through thick and thin. We got married. Due to our financial situation, we didn’t hold a wedding. Never mind a proposal, I didn’t even get her a ring.”

“Since we had to take care of your grandfather, we couldn’t go to the big city for better-paying jobs. Thus, we opened a small shop in the rural area to support ourselves. We had you a year later, then your sister. The rest is history.”

Gao Shou sighed again. “All these years, your mom has given up too much for the family. If not for me, she could’ve led a much better life.”

“Uncle.” Little Qing Ling looked at Gao Shou. “Don’t think like that. The fact that Auntie chose you means that this is the best life in her mind.”

Gao Shou paused, breaking into a smile. “You’re right, Little Ling.”

Little Qing Ling smiled too. “Don’t worry, Uncle. The proposal will be successful.”

“Haha, that’s reassuring!” Gao Shou was glad.

“Oh, right.” Then he remembered something. He lifted his collar and took a circular white jade pendant out. The jade pendant was smooth with a quaint pattern, the years it had been through evident in its appearance.

Gao Yang knew that it was a lucky charm of his father’s, and his father never took it off.

“This jade pendant was a gift from Lin Yue’s grandmother, Son.”

He stroked the jade pendant and lamented, “Unexplainable things happen sometimes. Back then, her grandmother seemed to have foreseen her looming death, which was why she was in such a rush to introduce Lin Yue to me. She entrusted me with the jade pendant, telling me that this would be Lin Yue’s dowry should we get together. And if we didn’t, this would be a thank-you gift to me for taking care of Lin Yue.”

“Wearing this, I feel like her grandmother is still watching over the whole family.”

Gao Yang reached out to grab it.

Gao Shou quickly pulled back. “What are you doing?”

“Didn’t you say all that as a prelude to you giving it to me?” Gao Yang said like it was obvious. That was how the TV dramas went.

“What are you talking about?” Gao Shou responded with exaggerated surprise. “This is my treasure!”

He smirked and stroked his chin. “I may consider giving the jade pendant to you once you and Little Ling get married. That’ll be a family heirloom, and it’ll be passed down properly. You get it?”

Gao Yang huffed in exasperation. “Keep it. I don’t want it.”

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