Chapter 94:
Innocent Playmates
THE TWO BOYS stared at each other. Li Jinglong attempted to speak, but Hongjun pressed a hand to his chest. He lifted the bowl of medicine to his own lips to take a sip. Then, leaning forward, he sealed Li Jinglong’s mouth with his own, feeding the bitter liquid to Li Jinglong using his lips and tongue.
The first mouthful was followed by a second, and a third.
Hongjun’s eyes went wide as he watched his childhood self press close to little Li Jinglong, feeding him medicine.
“Your fever’s breaking,” little Hongjun murmured as he curled up against Li Jinglong. He fell asleep with his small arms wrapped around the other boy’s waist, head tucked into the hollow of Li Jinglong’s throat—exactly the way he did now when he slept with Li Jinglong as an adult.
Li Jinglong was still shivering, but as the medicine took effect, his breathing gradually evened out. He turned on his side and clung to Hongjun in return, whimpering in his sleep. Waking, Hongjun looked at Li Jinglong in surprise. The boy sobbed quietly in pain until he at last sank into a deeper slumber.
“Why is that kid always home alone?”
“You leave Chouxing locked up at home all the time as well.”
“How is that the same? What kind of man gets transferred to Luoyang and doesn’t bother bringing his son? If Xing-er hadn’t happened across him, he would have died of that cold. You men are all the same—you think that you can toss a child onto the ground and they’ll grow, just like that.”
“What does this have to do with me? Invite him over then, when you see him alone at home. Xing-er’s lonely as well; this way he’ll have a companion—isn’t that a good thing?”
“We’ll see. Kong Xuan, I just find it strange—that Li boy has no one to look after him. Apparently, he used to spend all his time loafing about in the streets instead of going to school.”
“Mm, what about it?”
“Then why has that child been staying home every day ever since we moved in next door?”
“Maybe he likes playing with Xing-er. Stop being so suspicious all the time—how do you hear this stuff anyway? Yuze, you can lock him up now, but you can’t lock him up for a lifetime. When he grows up, he’ll inevitably come into contact with others.”
“Li Jinglong!” Hongjun called out.
Li Jinglong had recovered from his illness, but he remained wan as he waited dazedly in the flower garden, holding a box of candy for Hongjun.
Hongjun climbed over the row of trees. Kong Xuan had promised to get rid of this final barrier to make it easier for the children to meet, but he’d been so busy he had yet to finish the task. Having overheard his parents’ discussion of the Li family, Hongjun asked, “Why don’t you go out to play anymore?”
Li Jinglong waved a hand. Hongjun didn’t understand; he tried asking again. “Why don’t you play with anyone else?”
“I don’t want to,” Li Jinglong said with utmost earnestness. “It’s more fun playing with you.”
Still puzzled, Hongjun plopped down next to Li Jinglong in the courtyard. Li Jinglong studied him carefully. “Do you want to go outside?”
Of course he did—but his parents had scarcely agreed to let him be friends with Li Jinglong. He could tell his father liked this boy, but his mother was still uneasy. She had told him time and again he could play if he liked, but he wasn’t to take a single step out of the house.
“I’ll take you out,” Li Jinglong said quietly. “Come on. It’ll be fine as long as we’re home before your mom gets back.”
Hongjun’s stomach twisted in a knot. Since he was born, he’d rarely spoken to anyone besides his parents.
“My mom said I’ll get stolen away by monsters if I go out.”
“I’ll protect you,” Li Jinglong declared. “I know how to use a sword.”
“Monsters can’t be defeated by an ordinary sword…”
“My sword has special powers! Don’t worry!” Li Jinglong grabbed Hongjun’s hand and dragged him up. Hongjun hesitated, conflicted, but soon found himself being half carried out the door.
Horses and carriages swept past in an endless stream amid the hustle and bustle of city life. Along the streets, thousands of family homes rose toward the sky in a scene as peaceful and prosperous as heaven. Hongjun had taken only half a step out of the alleyway leading to his home when he jerked to a halt, stunned by the sight.
He had spent the ride into Chang’an fast asleep, and by the time he arrived, the sky had been dark. Seeing the flourishing scenery of Chang’an now, he could hardly stand to blink. Li Jinglong led him by the hand through a warren of streets and alleys. He stopped to buy snacks, handing them back to Hongjun without taking a bite himself. In the West Market, Hongjun spotted Jia Yuze selling her handmade perfume pouches. He watched people haggling with her as they picked through her wares, his face flushing with distress.
He saw the pharmacy where his father worked. Watching from afar with Li Jinglong, he observed that those who came to seek his father’s help were all destitute commoners with nowhere else to turn. Kong Xuan looked up and met his son’s eyes.
Oh no! thought Hongjun in a panic. Just as he was about to hide, his father smiled and gave him a wink, as if to say Hurry home.
As the sun sank toward the west, Li Jinglong swung a toy water pump in one hand and gripped Hongjun’s hand in the other as he led him back home. Hongjun clutched a brush and a stack of paper to his chest, his prize from their outing.
“I have to start going to school tomorrow,” Li Jinglong told Hongjun. “I won’t be home during the day, but I’ll be back as soon as school lets out.” He sounded extremely reluctant, as if he was unhappy to leave Hongjun behind.
Hongjun had no idea what “going to school” was. It was only when Li Jinglong packed his bag and left the next morning that he realized what Li Jinglong had meant. There was nothing he could do but wait around in boredom within his family’s courtyard until Li Jinglong came back.
The yellow leaves withered and fell as winter drew near. One evening, he brought up going to this “school” with his parents, prompting yet another terrible argument between Kong Xuan and Jia Yuze.
Hongjun feared his parents’ arguments greatly, for he always had a feeling they were because of him. After each fight, his mother, overwhelmed with sorrow, would hide away to shed tears where she couldn’t be seen, while his father would stare at him in silence with guilt written across his face.
When he was younger, he’d often fallen sick. Each time, he felt as though his heart had caught fire and would burn his entire body to ash. His parents had quarreled especially fiercely back then. Later—after several of Xie Yu’s visits—his health had gradually improved. Yet Jia Yuze never forgot how sickly he’d once been and continued to fear for her son.
“He’ll have to do these things eventually!”
“Kong Xuan! He’s just a child; he doesn’t understand anything!”
After this latest row, husband and wife settled on a compromise: Jia Yuze would teach Hongjun to read, and Kong Xuan would teach him to write—but this wasn’t what Hongjun wanted. He wanted to go to school with Li Jinglong, not pace the courtyard till the skies were nearly dark waiting for Li Jinglong to run home, rub his cheeks, and tell him, “I missed you so much.” On those days, Li Jinglong would only sit down to chat for a short while before slipping back over the trees.