TBWE Chapter 5

White Bird

 

Xin Tong was staying at Leyang District Second People’s Hospital.

 

When Chu Li and Huo Xiu arrived at the hospital, she was already awake. She had a mild concussion and needed to stay for two days of observation.

 

Facing this misunderstanding, she didn’t complain, only becoming more worried about Chu Li’s mental state. The two sat together chatting for a long time, until the nurse came to check the room and turn off the lights. Chu Li got up to say goodbye.

 

Xin Tong glanced at the tall figure waiting outside the door and grabbed her hand. “Li Bao, I’ll apply for discharge tomorrow. Come stay at my place for a few days.”

 

Chu Li was stunned. “You… feel there’s something wrong with him?”

 

“I… can’t tell.” Xin Tong shook her head. “But if you think he’s strange, you must have your reasons. Maybe changing environments and living elsewhere for a while will make things better?”

 

The lights were off in the hospital room, with corridor light streaming in from outside, illuminating Chu Li’s somewhat pale face.

 

She squeezed Xin Tong’s hand and slowly let go. “I’m the patient here. What I say doesn’t count. Don’t take it to heart, just focus on staying in the hospital and recovering.”

 

On the way out of the hospital, Huo Xiu held her hand the entire time, walking at an unhurried pace that accommodated her speed.

 

They took a taxi home.

 

Cars were prohibited in the villa district, so the roads were quiet. The sultry summer night breeze blew gently, tousling her hair.

 

A hand reached over to smooth the stray strands and tuck them behind her ear.

 

Huo Xiu’s attention seemed to be constantly focused on her.

 

Chu Li thought hazily: take the medication, maybe taking medication will make everything better.

 

May the gods and Buddha bless that all this strangeness is just post-illness delusion.

 

****

 

Chu Li and Huo Xiu could be called childhood sweethearts.

 

When she was young, her parents constantly moved with her and her twin sister Chu You. When she was seven, the whole family moved to Hai City, where they settled permanently without moving again.

 

Their new home was a three-story villa with front and back gardens.

 

On the third day after moving into the new house, her parents took them to visit the neighbors.

 

The neighbors were a middle-aged couple—the man refined and gentle, the woman elegant and beautiful. They invited Chu Li’s family to have afternoon tea in the garden, accompanied by their eldest son Huo Li, who was about to enter high school.

 

He was almost cut from the same mold as his parents, with handsome and gentle features. He would actively play with Chu Li and Chu You, patiently answering their childish questions.

 

Little Chu Li really liked this gentle older brother.

 

The adults exchanged pleasantries, chatting about everything from their respective business fields to family and children. Chu Li’s father casually asked if the Huo family parents had only one child.

 

The smile on Mrs. Huo’s lips froze for a moment, then relaxed again. She picked up her black tea and took a sip. “There’s a younger one, but he’s rather withdrawn and shy. He doesn’t like meeting guests and is probably off playing somewhere by himself right now.”

 

Accompanying adults in conversation was always long and boring.

 

Huo Li didn’t stay long, politely excusing himself to go back to his room to do homework. Chu You had been sickly since childhood and was already asleep in their mother’s arms, leaving only Chu Li swinging her legs, counting how many butterflies were perched on the rose bushes.

 

Using butterfly catching as an excuse, she escaped the tedious socializing.

 

The Huo family garden was very large with lush flower beds. Chu Li chased a blue butterfly, running all the way until she finally cupped it in her palms on a rose.

 

“Thunk—“

 

A red cherry hit the back of Chu Li’s head. Startled, the blue butterfly slipped through her fingers and disappeared into the flower beds in an instant.

 

“Who threw that at me!” She picked up the cherry indignantly and turned around to look behind her.

 

The sunny day was beautiful, the small lake in the back garden was covered with golden light, and the cherry tree by the lake was lush with red fruit adorning its branches.

 

A boy with pale skin sat on a branch, holding a white bird in one hand and tossing red cherries with the other, looking down at Chu Li from above.

 

He had beautiful eyes, more lovely than the small lake filled with sunlight. They easily reminded her of expensive gems locked in display cases.

 

“Are you the one who just moved here?”

 

Chu Li realized this must be Aunt Huo’s younger son, who looked a bit older than her. Remembering her mother’s words about being polite and well-behaved when visiting others’ homes, she didn’t hold the red cherry against him and looked up at the person in the tree with a smile. “Hello, I’m Chu Li, Li as in dawn. We’ll be neighbors from now on.”

 

“Huo Xiu.” He threw away the cherry in his hand, gripped the white bird’s wings, and climbed down from the tree.

 

Exchanging names was proof of initially establishing friendship.

 

Chu Li curiously came closer and poked the white bird, asking with interest, “Did you climb the tree to catch it? Why isn’t it moving?”

 

Huo Xiu bore about sixty percent resemblance to Huo Li, but his features were more refined and defined, and his eyes were darker, like flawless black glass balls. He said, “Because it’s dead.”

 

Chu Li stood frozen in place, then took two steps back. “Why… why did it die?”

 

“It got stuck in the tree branches, so it died.”

 

The white bird had a red beak, snow-white feathers, cloudy eyes, and its neck hung limply.

 

If it were alive, it would surely be a beautiful bird. Chu Li felt somewhat sad.

 

“How pitiful. Let’s bury it.”

 

“No.” Huo Xiu refused. “If we bury it in the soil, it will rot and grow worms. That’s disgusting and ugly.”

 

“Then what should we do?”

 

“If we make it into a specimen, it won’t rot.” Huo Xiu’s tone was matter-of-fact. He stroked the snow-white wing and asked, “Do you think it’s beautiful?”

 

Chu Li hesitantly nodded.

 

Huo Xiu showed his first smile since they’d met. “When I’m finished making it, I’ll give it to you.”

 

“Huo Xiu!” A sharp call interrupted the children’s conversation.

 

Huo Xiu put his hands behind his back, watching the woman who was walking quickly toward them, unable even to maintain her composure. He obediently said, “Mother.”

 

Half a wing dangled behind him. Mrs. Huo frowned deeply, took several deep breaths, and barely maintained her dignity in front of the guests. “Go to your room.” Her voice was very cold.

 

Huo Xiu calmly withdrew his gaze and walked toward the villa without looking back.

 

Mrs. Huo crouched down halfway and gently gripped Chu Li’s shoulders, her tone gentle. “Xiao Li, what was Huo Xiu doing here just now?”

 

Chu Li was very sensitive to emotions.

 

Looking at the silent retreating figure, she opened her hand toward Mrs. Huo, revealing a red cherry lying in her palm.

 

“He gave me a cherry.”

 

The figure that hadn’t walked far stopped, turned around, and made eye contact with Chu Li. She blinked, then grabbed the cherry stem and waved it at him, finally smiling with curved eyes.

 

****

 

Huo Li was about to take the high school entrance exam, Chu You needed quiet recuperation, so Chu Li and Huo Xiu naturally became friends.

 

Initially, when she went to the Huo house to play with Huo Xiu, seven or eight times out of ten would be fruitless. The Huo parents would always receive her very warmly, especially Mrs. Huo, who showed her great affection.

 

But whenever she mentioned wanting to play with Huo Xiu, they would often make excuses like “he’s sick,” “doing homework,” or “at tutoring.”

 

Looking up from Mrs. Huo’s embrace, Chu Li would occasionally see a solitary figure in the second-floor window of the villa.

 

She knew Huo Xiu was at home.

 

She didn’t understand why uncle and auntie didn’t like Huo Xiu playing with her.

 

Young Chu Li was very curious, and the more adults forbade something, the more she wanted to do it. She came very frequently, and the Huo parents couldn’t find excuses to decline every time.

 

The two of them gradually became familiar, finding opportunities to spend time together.

 

The cherry tree turned from red to green, and from green to red again, and they were both growing taller.

 

The Huo parents finally stopped interfering with their playing together.

 

They went to and from school together, did homework together during holidays, and would climb the cherry tree together when the adults weren’t paying attention.

 

But Huo Xiu never took her to visit his specimen room. The white bird specimen he had promised to give her was never actually given to Chu Li.

 

The Huo Xiu of that time very much fit Mrs. Huo’s description of being “withdrawn and quiet.” At school, he also kept to himself.

 

As his only friend, Chu Li often found that she would say three sentences to his one response.

 

She once thought this friendship would last for a long time.

 

****

 

When Chu Li entered middle school, Huo Xiu was about to graduate from middle school.

 

By then she had many friends around her and often invited her good friends to play at the Chu house. Huo Xiu would also be invited by Chu Li to join them, but he was always the most out of place one, sitting quietly to the side reading various obscure and esoteric books while everyone else laughed and chatted.

 

The summer vacation was long and boring, and someone suggested going boating at Thousand Lakes.

 

Chu Li enthusiastically agreed and pulled Huo Xiu along.

 

Hai City was built along the coast. Thousand Lakes wasn’t actually lakes, but a shallow sea area that got its name from the scattered islands dotting it like stars.

 

They rented manual boats that were small and could only accommodate four people.

 

All the friends wanted to sit with Chu Li, but seeing that Chu Li and Huo Xiu were in the same boat, they abandoned this idea.

 

The boat with just the two of them rowed slowly and quickly fell behind their companions.

 

This was Chu Li’s first time rowing by herself, and everything seemed novel to her—the ripples the oars made on the water surface, the seabirds perched on the reefs, and their companions racing ahead.

 

Huo Xiu suddenly said, “Do you really want to sit with them?”

 

A large flock of seabirds suddenly took flight with a fluttering of wings, attracting Chu Li’s attention. She watched intently and didn’t hear clearly what he was saying.

 

Then, the small boat seemed to hit a reef and lurched violently, losing its balance.

 

Chu Li’s vision spun, and in the chaos she saw a hand reaching out, grasping her fingertips.

 

The boat was rocking too violently, and she fell too heavily. Their clasped hands eventually came apart.

 

Chu Li fell backward into the water.

 

The subsequent memories were somewhat blurred. She only remembered being rescued by a lifeguard at Thousand Lakes.

 

Chu Li’s parents and the Huo parents, having received the news, rushed over in a panic.

 

Her parents held her tightly in their arms, with her mother muttering words like “blessed” and “safe” under her breath.

 

What left the deepest impression on Chu Li was—

 

The usually refined and gentle Mr. Huo, upon arriving, flew into a rage and slapped Huo Xiu hard across the face.

 

The force was so great that he was knocked to the ground, his right cheek quickly swelling, blood seeping from his lips and teeth.

 

Mrs. Huo didn’t spare him a glance, only apologized most sincerely to Chu Li’s parents, saying: “We will give Xiao Li an explanation.”

 

Chu Li didn’t understand the meaning of those words at the time.

 

After returning home, she ran a continuous high fever for over half a month before fully recovering. Her parents gently touched her head and told her that the Huo parents had taken their two sons abroad.

 

The villa next door was empty. Huo Xiu had left her a gift—

 

The white bird specimen.

 

After special treatment, although many years had passed, it looked as if it were alive.

 

Snow-white feathers, bright red beak, clear and lively eyes.

 

Under the specimen was a note—

 

“I will come back, Li Li.”