"Are you eating Dachangjin?"
"I've eaten it before!"
"It's very spicy!"
Zhou Li faintly heard a little boy's voice. It wasn't his own, and certainly not Brother Nan's.
The sound came a bit earlier than the imagery.
Like ripples on water gradually smoothing out, a stroke of sunset and an old, dilapidated aqueduct bridge appeared before his eyes.
Mountains layered upon mountains rose in the distance, with bamboo groves and homes nearby.
The aqueduct bridge was low at both ends and high in the middle. It had seemingly been abandoned for many years; moss had crept between the stones, and even two small trees had sprouted at its highest point, the finishing touch to the landscape.
A few children sat at one end of the bridge.
Zhou Li looked down at himself: blue jeans, a short-sleeved tee, and a pair of skateboard shoes. Whenever he pictured himself, this was his outfit. A small path lay underfoot.
He lifted his head again to look forward.
A little girl, who seemed to be only five or six, sat on the perilous edge of the bridge. Her hair was tied into two pigtails shooting skyward, with a stubborn tuft of hair sticking up at the very top of her head. She was happily munching on a snack called 'Dachangjin,' a cloth shoulder bag lay by her side.
The girl glanced casually at Zhou Li, then lowered her head again to her Dachangjin.
"It's so delicious!"
Her voice was crisp and pleasant, intentionally teasing.
Zhou Li was amused.
The young Brother Nan sat with two little boys, one on her left and one on her right, both ogling her. Across from them sat another little girl, who was kneeling in the dry canal bed doing homework, using its edge as a desk.
"I'll ask my mom to buy it for me!" said the boy on the left.
"Go ahead!" replied the younger Brother Nan.
"I'll ask my mom to buy extra packs. One for you, one for me, want them or not?" the boy looked at Brother Nan expectantly.
"Tsch!"
Brother Nan's face showed disdain as she glanced again at Zhou Li.
At this, the girl opposite her put away her pen, turned, and handed her notebook to Brother Nan, swallowing hard as she eyed the snack in Brother Nan's hand. "I've finished writing for you, Group Leader."
"Alright!"
Brother Nan shared half a pack of the spicy strips with her.
The boy on her left, seeing this, became anxious and blurted out, "Tomorrow I'll buy Dachangjin, and I'll eat it all myself! I won't give you a single piece! I'll buy twenty packs, one for everyone, but none for you!"
"Brag all you want!"
After saying that, Brother Nan glanced back at Zhou Li. She felt something was off—why was this person always looking at her?
Her delicate eyebrows began to furrow. She also noticed him smiling. Smiling at what?
Zhou Li smiled even brighter. The girl in front of him, though still very young, was definitely the Brother Nan of the future! And so tiny, too adorable!
Suddenly, he saw Brother Nan look up and stare straight at him with an arrogant and fierce expression—
"What are you looking at?! Your mom?"
"…"
Zhou Li's smile gradually stiffened.
The other children were startled, looking back and forth between Brother Nan and Zhou Li. In their eyes, Zhou Li was an adult, and they were scared he would come over and beat them.
Only Brother Nan wasn't frightened.
Far from it, she became even more belligerent. "Still looking?!"
Zhou Li: …
Huh? Wait a minute! What kind of dream did Brother Nan want to have? That's right, she wanted to go back to her childhood to beat herself up.
"Enmmm…"
As he thought about it, Zhou Li's expression grew more determined. To be cursed out of the blue and just swallow the insult, would that really be him? When had Zhou Li ever been bullied by Brother Nan like this? When had Zhou Li ever been someone who would be bullied by Brother Nan and not fight back? Tsch!
Brother Nan was taken aback for a moment, watching him approach her step by step. She wasn't backing down. Instead, she started yelling threats, invoking everyone from her big cousin to a locally infamous ruffian uncle, trying to scare Zhou Li.
But Zhou Li continued to step closer until he was right in front of her.
The two figures, one large and one small, stood close together. One looked down, while the other craned her neck upwards.
Eye to eye!
A clash of wills!
Brother Nan's large eyes were clear, the blacks and whites distinct. Her eyelashes fluttered non-stop, and her cheeks were pink and tender, looking as if they would be soft to the touch. She glared at Zhou Li, utterly unafraid.
The other children watched in astonishment.
Zhou Li spoke first, "Which school are you from? Shouldn't you head straight home after school? What are you doing lingering around here?"
Brother Nan responded with colorful language, "None of your damn business!"
Zhou Li: …
Unwilling to put up with such an attitude, he decided to take the initiative.
He reached out, swept his hand over Brother Nan's head, and lightly flicked that small, rebellious tuft of hair. Watching it dance in the wind, Zhou Li's lips subconsciously curved into a slight smile.
Brother Nan was completely dumbfounded.
A series of bleeps followed as Zhou Li lectured her about "not being so hot-tempered at such a young age," "lacking manners," and "not using profanity," all while picking up the small Brother Nan, who thrashed, beating and kicking against him. And believe it or not, the little girl was surprisingly strong for her size. Holding her actually felt quite good; she was small, soft, and squirmed in his arms.
"If you don't admit your mistake... that's fine too..."
"Pah!"
"…"
Kids at this age can be really annoying.
Another three minutes passed. Any other child would have been crying by now, but Brother Nan not only didn't cry, she kept hitting him fiercely. Zhou Li couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless. He couldn't handle the grown-up Brother Nan, and it turned out he couldn't handle the young Brother Nan either.
He let Brother Nan go.
Brother Nan was furious. Cursing, she stormed off home to summon reinforcements. The Old Li's Family was not to be trifled with.
The other kids scattered as well.
Zhou Li stood there, a smile still on his face.
On the whole, it was satisfying. Having been oppressed for so long in reality, he'd finally gotten to throw a punch in his dreams.
That small figure, carrying her cloth bag, walked further and further down the mountain path. She kept one hand on her head, her pace brisk. After reaching a safe distance, she even turned her head to yell at Zhou Li, "Don't you run! If you've got the guts, wait here!"
Zhou Li waved at her.
The little figure was hidden for a moment behind a clump of wild shrubs, then reappeared around a corner. Standing on higher ground with hands on her hips, she yelled again, "If I don't throw you into the weir pond, then my surname isn't Li! I'll take yours! By the way, what's your surname?"
"My surname is Zhou."
"Toad Skin Zhou!"
"?? "
After thinking for a moment, Zhou Li suddenly took two large steps, as if to chase after her.
Brother Nan let out a startled "WAH!" and turned to run.
Zhou Li burst into a joyful laugh, even laughing out loud. It had been a long time since he'd laughed so heartily.
The Brother Nan from his high school memories had the same temperament. Although they weren't in the same class, Brother Nan was a prominent figure in the school. Zhou Li remembered hearing her talk tough to a senior student in the corridor during his first year, in a similar tone. The difference was that, later on, she had actually managed to cow that student. But now, the winner was Zhou Li (he mentally struck a victorious pose).
The small figure disappeared completely. Zhou Li sat down on the aqueduct bridge, in the spot where Brother Nan had been sitting, and calmed his heart.
His fingers subconsciously traced the stone surface of the footbridge.
The footbridge was made of bluestone. The texture of the stones was rough and granular, interspersed with shiny particles. Over the years, black mud from the rain had collected in the water channel beneath it. When pinched, the green grass emitted a slightly astringent scent. A breeze blew, the corn was in bloom, and suddenly, in the distant mountains, a pheasant took flight... These details clearly went beyond Brother Nan's memories.
Tao Zhi had said this world was fake, but Zhou Li felt it was incredibly real.
It retraced the memories of the entire world and then recreated them into a nearly real one.
This thing was too powerful!
Zhou Li suspected that Tao Zhi and the others were staying here, most likely to research it.
Thinking too much made his head hurt.
Zhou Li shook his head.
Brother Nan was five or six years old, and he was half a year younger than her.
Not knowing how big this world really was, he decided to try and walk out of it—from Brother Nan's childhood to his own.
But he remembered Brother Nan's hometown was far from his own, in the opposite direction from Yan City, which was the central point. He patted himself down and found he had nothing but his clothes. That added a significant challenge, although it wasn't enough to make him give up.
Zhou Li looked into the distance, where he saw a road.
Just as he took a step towards it, he suddenly felt soft paws padding on his chest. At the same time, the scene before his eyes began to sway, ripples spreading from small to large across the entire world.
「Darkness.」
「Then clarity.」
Zhou Li opened his eyes.
Tuanzi was standing on his chest, staring intently at him with an urgent expression. Seeing him awake, she immediately asked, "Zhou Li, why can't Lord Dumpling find Your Highness to play with?"
How would Zhou Li know?
After thinking for a moment, he asked in a soft voice, "Why did you wake up? What did you dream about?"
Tuanzi looked aggrieved and glanced toward Brother Nan. "Lord Dumpling first dreamt of this human's younger self. She started plucking at me, and Lord Dumpling was woken by the plucking! Then Lord Dumpling fell asleep again twice. Once, Lord Dumpling dreamt of eating, and woke up after finishing. The other time, Lord Dumpling dreamt of this human again, and it scared Lord Dumpling awake!"
"I see."
"Lord Dumpling wants to find Your Highness to play," Tuanzi said pitifully.
"Keep trying," Zhou Li could only say. "But next time don't wake me up again, I have important things to do... Didn't Lord Dumpling tell us not to disturb you before going to sleep?"
"You're not supposed to disturb Lord Dumpling because Lord Dumpling needs to find Your Highness to play!"
"But you disturbed me..."
"Because Lord Dumpling couldn't find Your Highness to play with."
"Please, Lord Dumpling."
"Okay~~"
"Good!"
Seeing her lower her small head with an obedient and pitiful look, Zhou Li couldn't resist patting her forehead before closing his eyes.
All of a sudden, he heard Huai Xu's voice beside him. "You've already slept once, aow?"
"Hm? You haven't slept yet?"
"I can't sleep," Huai Xu said.
"That's what you get for usually sleeping so late," Zhou Li said.
"It's not about my routine. I'm just too excited; I can't control myself," Huai Xu spoke softly, glancing at Brother Nan. "Li Daimao normally sleeps late too. How come she's sleeping so soundly tonight?"
"I don't know." Zhou Li also looked towards Brother Nan, a smile returning to his face as he remembered the recent dream.
"She's smiling too," Huai Xu said.
"Is she?"
"Yes," Huai Xu nodded. "You just can't tell easily because she's asleep. She only moved a tiny bit."
"I see."
Who knows what Brother Nan was dreaming about.
Zhou Li thought for a moment, then closed his eyes again and said to Huai Xu, "Go to sleep. You might not dream about what you want to. What I dreamt about wasn't what I was deliberately trying to think of before I fell asleep either."
Huai Xu did not answer.
The hollow fell silent.