The Night the Door Wouldn’t Open

“Health clinic.” Wang Chunying replied.

“You probably don’t remember, but when you were very little, you had a fever once, almost forty degrees. I took you to the community health clinic in the middle of the night,” Wang Chunying, lost in thought, stopped swaying. “As I recall, the child ahead of us in line for the emergency room was named Xiao Chang.”

“I remember thinking at the time, what was wrong with this child’s parents? They didn’t even write his full name when registering. That’s why it stuck in my memory so clearly.” Wang Chunying murmured. “But there are so many people with the same name. Lots of kids are called Xiao Chang. I don’t know if it’s the Xiao Chang you’re looking for.”

Su Lai was silent for a moment, then closed his eyes again. “I understand. Thanks, Mom.”

“Little Four, is Xiao Chang your friend?” Wang Chunying asked softly.

Su Lai nodded. “Sort of.” “It’s from a long time ago. I’m not even sure if he was a friend. That’s why I want to confirm it.”

Wang Chunying readjusted the amplitude of her swaying. Her shadow on the wall was like a swing swaying alone.

“If you find Xiao Chang, bring him home for a meal.” “Mom will cook you something delicious…” “Mom still wants to pick up her old skills, reopen a wonton shop. But I’m too old to make a fuss, and I don’t have enough help…” “If we had a wonton shop, wouldn’t it be something when you bring friends home?” “Thin, crispy wrappers, tender meat filling. The wontons would be ready before dawn…”

Wang Chunying’s voice, imagining the future, gradually faded.

“Sleep, Little Four. Have sweet dreams.” Wang Chunying began humming a lullaby in dialect. The world had quieted down.

On a sweltering urban village night, the temperature in Wang Xiaosi’s room was just right.

Su Lai slept well. When he woke up, the hanging Wang Chunying had left the ceiling.

The black cat plushie was tucked behind his neck like a cervical pillow. The stains on the plushie had vanished. It was clean now, its soft, fluffy fur pressing against the back of his head, making him want to stay in bed.

Su Lai lazed around for a while before getting up and going downstairs.

“Cousin, morning.” Bai Ke greeted him listlessly, the dark circles under his eyes even darker.

Bei Yao was slightly better off, but she also looked like she hadn’t slept well.

“How was your sleep last night? Was Wang Xiaosi’s… your room… anything strange?” Bai Ke leaned in and whispered.

Su Lai: “Great. Quiet. Cool.”

Bai Ke: “Did Auntie… last night…?” He still had a vivid memory of Wang Chunying appearing with a cleaver in the middle of the first night. Now, every time he closed his eyes, the mucus and minced meat stuck to the cleaver tormented his nerves.

Su Lai nodded. “Mom came to see me again.”

Bai Ke’s eyes widened with sympathy. But soon, the sympathy in his eyes turned to disbelief.

Because Su Lai said: “The AC broke. Mom fanned me all night.”

After a moment of silence, Bai Ke commented sincerely: “Mother and son, deep bond.”

“Cousin, what’s the plan for today? Go look for clues about the peeper together?” Bai Ke asked.

Su Lai: “Don’t we have an unfinished side quest on our hands?”

Bai Ke was delighted. “You mean the ‘Is Granny Xu Still Scamming People Today?’ quest?” He had originally thought Lai-ge had lost interest in this hidden side quest, letting Wang Chunying chase off the scamming Granny Xu and then abandoning it. He’d secretly regretted it and planned to try advancing the quest himself once the situation became clearer.

Su Lai nodded. “We promised Granny Xu we’d take responsibility for her once the bike was fixed.” “Can’t break our word.”

* * * *

The fragmented Granny Xu sneezed, her body parts becoming even more fragmented.

She had searched all night and discovered her right thumb was missing. Granny Xu was a bit dejected. A perfectly good scam, and she’d gotten nothing out of it. Instead, she’d lost her own thumb.

Once, she had used that thumb to count money, knit sweaters, cook for her family. But now she didn’t go home. She was dependent on each other with the road and its tires. If she could run into a generous driver, that would be even better.

The buzzing of an e-bike approached. Granny Xu fragmented herself on the ground first, getting ready to scam. It had become her body’s instinct.

But the moment the pink flip-flops jumped into her field of vision, Granny Xu panicked. She hurriedly gathered her scattered limbs, hugging her dirty body parts, preparing to flee.

She didn’t want to encounter Wang Xiaosi, who had tricked her around, ever again. She even less wanted to provoke the crazy Wang Chunying. ‘Like mother, like son. These two are equally crazy, equally scary.’

But she couldn’t outrun Su Lai’s two wheels.

“Auntie, don’t panic. You missed a finger.” As he spoke, Su Lai handed over the finger he had hidden. “If some kid passing by picked it up to play with, you’d definitely never get it back.”

Granny Xu glanced at the ground, then at the thumb Su Lai was holding out. This was it! The thumb she had lost!

Granny Xu snatched the thumb back, pieced herself together perfunctorily, and made to leave.

“Auntie, no scamming today?” Su Lai’s tone was as if…

Granny Xu waved her reassembled hand. Even if she starved to death, she wasn’t going to scam Wang Chunying’s kid. Losing body parts was the most terrifying “consequence.” She didn’t dare provoke it.

“Don’t worry. Uncle Wang already fixed my tire.” Sitting on his little e-bike, Su Lai said. “Auntie Xu, I came specially to take responsibility for you.”

Granny Xu paused mid-step. She turned back to look at the helmeted…

“I’m taking you to the health clinic for a comprehensive check-up.”

Granny Xu pressed her lips into a straight line. “I don’t want to push the cart.”

Su Lai: “The tire’s fixed. No need to push.”

Granny Xu’s gaze shifted to Bai Ke on the back seat. “No room.” She didn’t believe this young man was so kind-hearted. After all, she had just tried to scam him yesterday.

Bai Ke patted the delivery box he was holding again. “Auntie Xu, you can sit in here. It’s clean, very comfortable. No bumps.”

“My cousin will take full responsibility for you.” Bai Ke found that after mixing around for a day and a night with Lai-ge, he was getting a bit crazy too.

Truly, the whole “family” was neatly crazy.

Granny Xu: “…” Though she felt more and more that something was off, she inexplicably sat down inside the delivery box.

“Sit tight.” Su Lai started the e-bike and headed towards the health clinic.

“Are you really Wang Xiaosi?” Granny Xu, tidying herself up inside the box, asked.

Su Lai: “Yes. Didn’t you meet my mom yesterday?”

Granny Xu was silent for a moment, then blurted out: “Your mother, she’s crazy.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Su Lai accelerated. “My mom loves me.”

Granny Xu choked on his firm tone. Finally, she sighed secretly inside the box. “To each their own fate.”