Ding Sha sat up straight with her bulging belly at the table, slapping the small ledger to make it go “snap snap”, and said, “Let’s settle accounts and see how much money we’ve earned!”
Xiao Jun did not like this kind of detailed and tedious work, so he pulled over a stool and sat to one side watching Ding Sha as she frowned and bit her pen, with a serious and solemn look on her face as she carefully calculated the income and expenses of their little family.
Xiao Jun was very familiar with the way Ding Sha wrote, because for the past ten-odd years, he had countless times secretly watched Ding Sha in the not-so-outstanding village school.
At that time, he had just been abandoned by his mother. He was thin and small, dirty all over. The children of other families avoided him and threw rocks at him, calling him "little trash", saying that nobody wanted him.
The adults were superficially kind to him, but secretly called him a jinx behind his back, saying he brought misfortune on his parents and had a tough fate.
Xiao Jun didn’t understand back then, and felt wronged. Even when others snatched his hard-earned belongings, he silently hoped that they would forgive him afterwards and play with him.
It was so scary to be alone in the dark and vast room.
Xiao Jun smiled at the thought, suddenly feeling that he was quite funny when he was little.
A little bunny that nobody wanted, who cared about you?
Ding Sha looked up, "What's the matter?"
She looked at Xiao Jun in confusion, "Did you say something just now?"
"No," Xiao Jun fondly stroked her head, "Hurry up and calculate, we’re going shopping tomorrow after you finish, remember?"
Watching Ding Sha continue to concentrate on the tedious calculations, the once cold gaze due to memories became warm again.
He had no good memories from his childhood experiences, except for meeting Ding Sha.
The day he met Ding Sha, he was so hungry. It was a bad harvest that year, and no one in the village had extra food to give him. He had to climb the hills behind the village to dig for wild vegetables and fruits to fill his stomach.
But all the edible stuff had been dug up by the village women, even scraping off a layer of the ground.
Little Xiao Jun felt dizzy from hunger.
In the end, he couldn't stand it and burst into tears sitting on the hillside.
Perhaps he cried so sadly that it attracted a beautiful, fair and clean little girl.
Little Ding Sha asked him, "Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?"
The little man also had his pride. Little Xiao Jun wiped his tears and stopped crying, even hiccupping from the crying.
Before he could speak, his stomach growled loudly.
Little Ding Sha suddenly realized, "You are hungry!"
She took out something from her pocket wrapped in a clean handkerchief. Unwrapping it, it was a shiny golden little rice cake that looked and smelled sweet and tempting. Xiao Jun almost reflexively swallowed.
Little Ding Sha sat next to him and broke it into two pieces of exactly the same size, giving one piece to little Xiao Jun.
He was starving, and didn't know what refusal was. He only felt the rice cake was so sweet and soft. He wolfed it down and stuffed it into his mouth.
Seeing him eat so quickly, little Ding Sha knew he was extremely hungry. Hesitantly, she gave him the other half as well.
Only after eating both pieces did the burning feeling of hunger subside a little. Xiao Jun felt embarrassed.
Ding Sha smiled and asked him, "Is it delicious? I made it myself."
Xiao Jun was still tasting the flavor in his mouth, "It's delicious, but not enough to fill me up. If it was a steamed bun this big I could eat my fill."
Little Ding Sha was dumbfounded for a moment, a little angry, "You really..."
She wanted to find a word to say, but couldn't think of one for the moment. She got up and left angrily in the end.
Xiao Jun didn't know why she was unhappy. He only felt the rice cake was so sweet, and the little girl was so pretty.
It was only later that he learned Ding Sha had given him her lunch to eat and went to school hungry.
Xiao Jun, who was often hungry year after year, felt that hunger was the most unbearable thing in the world. The little girl actually gave him her own lunch!
Xiao Jun thought he must repay her, but he had nothing and did not know how to repay her. He remembered the older kids all said saving a life meant pledging yourself to the other person. Xiao Jun secretly decided to pledge himself to her!
He sneaked into the village school to watch Ding Sha in class, watching her sit up straight holding her textbook, reciting out loud well-behavedly, watching her secretly cry when she couldn't solve the math problems, watching her bounce back home from school with braided pigtails during busy farming seasons.
He only watched for ten years.
Ding Sha grew into a charming young woman, with big eyes, a melon seed face, gentle and beautiful.
Young men from ten li around all secretly admired her, but still slandered her in private because of her rejections.
This was how Xiao Jun practiced his fighting skills.
When Ding Sha treated his wounds, she complained, "You got into a fight again?"
Xiao Jun had a bruise on the corner of his eye, and grinned unconcernedly, "They were more badly injured than me, no problem!"
Ding Sha glared at him, "Ganging up on someone?"
"What ganging up, it was one against many!" Xiao Jun refuted unhappily.
Ding Sha deliberately pressed the swollen corner of his eye.
"Owww!" Xiao Jun almost jumped up.
Only then did Ding Sha lighten her actions, "I've told you I don't care what they say, don't keep getting yourself hurt."
Xiao Jun didn't agree, "Their mouths are as filthy as cesspools, have to wash them out to stop the stench."
Ding Sha knew Xiao Jun wouldn't listen, she could only buy more medicine and keep it at home.
The year Ding Sha graduated from high school, her stepmother brought up a marriage proposal, wanting to marry her to a widower in the village, so that she would have money to send the son she bore to study in a big city.
Ding Sha knew that man, not only was he much older, but also beat his wife.
Ding Sha knew she had to leave, or her life would be ruined.
She secretly took out her household registration and split households, then at the village gate saw Xiao Jun holding a bag, smoking with a somber expression, seemingly lost in thought.
Ding Sha walked up to him, before she could speak, tears streamed down her face.
Xiao Jun threw away the cigarette. His rough fingers smelling of tobacco gently wiped away her tears and took her into his arms, "Don't cry, I'll take you away."
They immediately took the midnight train to unknown places, buying tickets randomly.
The train was crowded. Xiao Jun held Ding Sha and let her sleep in his arms. He didn't dare fall asleep, vigilantly watching this completely unfamiliar world like a wolf cub.
The only thing accompanying them was the tobacco smell on Xiao Jun gradually becoming stronger.
Only when they arrived at Nanjiang City did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Getting off the train at the bustling station, they were somewhat at a loss. Xiao Jun saw many young women holding cups of white liquid that looked like egg custard. Turning his head, he saw it was sold in the shop beside them. He let Ding Sha sit down while he went to buy a cup of something called Double Skin Milk.
Ding Sha had an expression of delight and blame.
The two of them shared this cup of soft, cold, bean curd-like but far tastier, sweet and creamy treat.
The red beans were soaked in sweetness.
Xiao Jun snapped back from his reminiscing, stood up and went to the kitchen.
Ding Sha looked up to see Xiao Jun with a warm and gentle smile at the corners of his mouth, handing her a cup of Double Skin Milk.
"Still remember this?"
