Uncle didn’t ask why the Pokémon went missing, but after that incident, he no longer left early and returned late like before. Sometimes, he would even take the two of us little ones out to have fun.
For the first time ever, I had a Birthday, though I have to say it felt a little hasty. Uncle decided to make the day he met me my Birthday.
Even so, I was still very happy.
That day, Uncle took us to the Water Park and also to a Used Bookstore in the Old Town.
Maybe Uncle did it on purpose. He had the two of us little ones line up by ourselves to buy tickets. I knew Uncle meant well, but the Yaoxi Kid ran off to his side and insisted, “I’m with Dad!”
“Xixi, be good. This is a game for kids. How can Dad join in?”
“Then I won’t play! Hmph!”
“Xixi, today is your brother’s Birthday. Dad doesn’t want to scold you.”
The prize was two beautifully made cartoon Keychains, but of course, neither the Yaoxi Kid nor I won.
We went to ride the Merry-go-round. As the horses spun, it was as if the distance between the Yaoxi Kid and me looked close, but in reality was so far apart. Still, seeing Uncle behind us laughing heartily like a child made me let go of that feeling.
After that, we went again to the Used Bookstore in the Old Town.
As soon as we entered, Uncle started enthusiastically introducing everything to us—Detective Conan, Dragon Ball, Naruto, and also Cardcaptor Sakura. These were all things he watched as a kid, and he was even more excited than us when talking about them.
Speaking of which, isn’t Cardcaptor Sakura a shoujo manga?
I was a bit curious why someone like Uncle would like things like that.
I started searching around the bookstore, but suddenly noticed the Yaoxi Kid acting all sneaky. So, pretending to pass by, I glanced over and saw her writing on a Bookmark: “This is mine,” before secretly tucking it into the farthest corner of the bookshelf.
I shook my head. When we left, my hands were empty. Uncle saw I hadn’t picked a single book and forced several volumes of Detective Conan into my hands, joking, “Go ahead and read them. If you make it to the end, you win.”
I felt a bit unconvinced—it’s just a few comic books.
On the way back, it started to drizzle. Uncle stuffed one Umbrella into my hand. The Yaoxi Kid ran over, but Uncle stopped her: “Dad’s big. Are you sure you want to share with Dad?”
“Go find your brother.”
The rain grew heavier. The Bus Stop was still some way off. After crossing a street, Uncle said, “Let’s go over there.”
Many people were sheltering from the rain there.
The Yaoxi Kid’s childish voice piped up: “We have Umbrellas, Dad. Why are we going there?”
Uncle looked very serious. We had no choice but to follow. After climbing a few steps, Uncle closed the Umbrella, looked at me, then at the Yaoxi Kid, and squatted down to pat her on the head. “Have you ever been caught in the rain?”
“Go and try it. Then you’ll understand.”
“I won’t get wet in the rain, I have brother, see, brother.”
Only then did the Yaoxi Kid notice my whole side was soaked and bedraggled.
“It’s fine.”
Uncle interrupted me: “Xixi, Dad hopes you understand that only after you’ve been through the rain can you know what it means to hold an Umbrella for others.”
“So, next, there will be a contest. Whoever gets the most wet, Dad will grant a Wish when we get home. Any Wish at all.”
The Yaoxi Kid dashed out, but after just a few seconds, she came running back, soaked like a drowned rat: “Dad, the rain’s too heavy…”
On the way back, the Yaoxi Kid and I secretly competed, both wanting the other to get less wet. In the end, we were both drenched.
The Yaoxi Kid sneezed a few times and, as soon as we got home, grabbed several Hand Warmers, glaring at me as if blaming me for not letting her win.
But every now and then, she looked a little lost. Soon after, looking very awkward, she whispered to me, “Lin Mo… brother, I’m sorry, Xixi really didn’t mean to lose it…”
I blinked, trying to see if she was sincere. She lowered her head, eyelashes trembling. I said nothing and instead pulled out an Orange Soda from my pocket. “You’re only saying that because you want this, aren’t you?”
“Brother, I can’t open the bottle cap…”
“Brother, can you carry Xixi on your back… Other brothers always carry their little sisters everywhere…”
Uncle came into the room just then and, seeing this, laughed heartily: “There are no losers in this contest, everyone gets a Wish. Lin Mo, you first.”
“I wish… I don’t really have any Wishes… Hmm… that Uncle and Xixi stay safe? And, to remember who I really am… That’s all.”
“You’ll remember who you are, kid.”
“My turn, my turn!” The Yaoxi Kid chirped excitedly from my back, “I Wish for brother to move back to his own home! Stop following us around!”
Uncle’s cheerful face froze instantly, and for a moment, I too felt like I’d turned to stone. The room went dead silent. The Yaoxi Kid clapped her hand over her mouth and didn’t move on my back, as if realizing she’d said something wrong.
“You’ll get your Wish.”
That was the second time I realized I didn’t really belong here.
“Brother… I’m sorry… Xixi was just talking, it’s not true…”
That day, Xixi cried loudly.
In the end, we passed it off as a joke, but I didn’t eat a single bite of the Birthday Cake in the living room. The next day, I saw a note there: “Kid, Happy Birthday.”
A Limited Edition Optimus Prime and Megatron.
This time, the Transformers didn’t go missing. The Yaoxi Kid tiptoed up to me, arms full of Cardcaptor Sakura: “Brother… this is for you… Happy Birthday…”
After that, the Yaoxi Kid and I seemed to go back to our old routine. I’d prepare Orange Soda for her, and even though it was cold in winter, it was the perfect time to buy Candied Hawthorn. There were often people selling them by the school gate on Electric Tricycles, and so my pocket money shrank a little more.
Luckily, Uncle would always “accidentally” give me more pocket money.
During that time, he took the two of us to lots of fun places. He took us to the Amusement Park to ride Bumper Cars. One round cost twenty yuan—pretty expensive—but Bumper Cars were so much fun. Every time, I’d deliberately crash into Uncle’s car, because lately, he’d been avoiding me.
I asked him if I could go back to the Welfare Home.
I said that making Uncle and the Yaoxi Kid happy was my Birthday Wish.
I didn’t belong here. If I stayed, Yaoxi wouldn’t be happy.
After telling Uncle my Wish several times, one day he called me into the room with a very serious face. He asked, “Are you really sure about this?”
I said, I was sure.
Uncle seemed like he wanted to talk me out of it, but he’d already tried so many times. If it was any use, it wouldn’t have dragged on until November.
“All right. Remember to come back and visit sometimes. This will always be your home.”
I felt a thousand regrets, but also a sense of relief.
And then on 11.09, I’ll never forget that day.
Very late at night, someone knocked hard on our door. The Yaoxi Kid was sound asleep, so I peeked through the peephole and saw someone I didn’t know, wearing a white lab coat.
I didn’t open the door for her. Through the door, I asked: “Who is it?”
“Is any adult home? Could you come out for a moment?”