Little Fish and Mint - Chapter 27
They walked a few steps, then Xu Yitong suddenly stopped. “Wait!”
Yu Ge looked at her, puzzled.
She scanned their surroundings.
A pile of construction debris lay near a flowerbed, waiting to be cleared away.
Her eyes lit up. She hurried over and started rummaging through the pile, picking up a few bricks and wooden planks.
He watched her, confused.
A few minutes later, she returned, looking fierce, armed with her chosen weapons. “Okay, let’s go.”
He didn’t say anything, observing her silently.
“What are those for?” he finally asked.
“Protection,” she said seriously.
“…”
“We might need to fight,” she explained her battle plan.
“We’ll hide these by the elevator. I’ll try reasoning with them first, but if they don’t listen…”
“Then we fight!” she declared, her eyes flashing.
Yu Ge stared at her, realizing she was serious. He wanted to laugh, but it didn’t seem appropriate. He’d rarely felt so amused and exasperated at the same time. His head hurt more than his scraped elbow.
“You want to fight them?” he asked.
“We look too young and innocent. Bullies target those who seem weak. We need to look tough. What if they get violent?” she explained, then added reassuringly, “Don’t worry, just stay behind me.”
Yu Ge sighed, for the nth time that night.
“You don’t need these,” he said gently, taking the makeshift weapons from her. “I know how to fight.”
Xu Yitong stared at him, a strange thought crossing her mind.
No matter how ridiculous my plan, he’ll go along with it.
Then she changed her mind.
“Actually… no.”
“Not going?” he asked.
“Of course not!” She bit her lip. “I just… don’t want you to get hurt again.”
He paused, looking at her.
“It’s tempting to just yell at them,” she said calmly, “But it’s just the two of us. We can’t actually fight them.”
“Let’s just call the police.”
✧✧✧
They waited for half an hour. The police arrived.
After getting a brief account of what happened, the officers checked the security footage, identified the unit, and went upstairs.
A family of four came down.
The woman and child stood to the side, while the grandmother wailed and clutched her chest.
“You’ll have to cover the medical expenses, and as for emotional distress…” the officer started.
“They were standing right under our window! My grandson didn’t do it on purpose!” the grandmother shrieked before Xu Yitong could speak.
“So anyone standing under your window deserves to be killed by a flowerpot?!” Xu Yitong retorted, her voice even louder.
“They’re fine! The flowerpot didn’t even hit them!” the grandmother clutched her chest dramatically.
“Quiet!” the officer yelled, exasperated.
The woman led the grandmother away.
The man approached them. Yu Ge instinctively stepped in front of Xu Yitong.
“I’m so sorry. We were watching TV. We didn’t realize our son was playing on the balcony,” the man explained.
Seeing his apologetic demeanor, Xu Yitong held back her anger.
“Throwing things from a height is illegal, even if it doesn’t hit anyone. Don’t take this lightly,” the officer warned.
“Yes, of course, officer,” the man said quickly.
“Since there were no serious injuries, we can mediate a settlement here, and you won’t have to go to the station to file a report,” the officer looked at both parties.
“Yes, yes, of course!” the man pulled out his phone. “Let’s exchange contact information. Get your injuries checked, and we’ll cover the medical expenses.”
“We’ll accept a settlement, but there’s one more thing,” Xu Yitong said.
“What is it?”
“He needs to apologize,” she pointed at the crying child.
The woman quickly brought the child over. “Say sorry to the auntie and uncle,” she urged, trying to soothe him.
The child continued crying and struggling.
“He’s… scared…” the man said, his face etched with worry.
Xu Yitong crossed her arms. “I’ll wait.”
The small crowd that had gathered started recording with their phones. People urged her to let it go. “It’s just a kid. He doesn’t know any better.”
“So he can just hurt people because he’s a kid?” she said coldly, her gaze sweeping across the onlookers.
They continued filming her. She didn’t care, but she glanced at Yu Ge, a thought striking her.
He was a public figure. This video, if it went viral, wouldn’t be good for his image.
“Where’s your mask?” she whispered.
“What?”
“Put it on. They’re filming you.”
He looked at her for a moment, then pulled out his mask and offered it to her. “I’m fine. You wear it.”
“No, neither of us should wear it. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
After a few minutes, the child’s mother snapped. “I’ll apologize on his behalf! Why are you making things so difficult for a child?!”
“No. He needs to apologize. Otherwise, we’re going to the police station,” Xu Yitong said coldly. “I don’t know why you think I’m making things difficult. I’m just asking for a simple apology. It’s the decent thing to do.”
The onlookers exchanged uneasy glances.
✧✧✧
✧✧✧
By the time the crowd dispersed, it was almost 11 PM.
They walked back the way they came.
The lights in the alley were out, the only illumination coming from the distant stars. The air was thick with the smell of mildew. Xu Yitong quickened her pace, eager to leave the dark, deserted alley.
“You sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?” she asked Yu Ge, making conversation to mask her unease.
“A pharmacy will be fine.”
“Okay.”
A sudden rustling sound from a nearby trash can, followed by a shadowy figure darting past, made her jump. “What was that?!” She moved closer to Yu Ge.
“Probably a cat,” he said, listening.
“This place is creepy… Are there ghosts here…?” she shivered.
“Are you… scared of the dark…?”
“I never said I wasn’t!”
He turned on his phone’s flashlight, illuminating the path.
Xu Yitong froze, all traces of her earlier bravado gone, her eyes wide with fear.
He looked at her, a strange feeling blossoming within him, spreading through him like warmth.
“I thought you were brave,” he said, his voice quiet, not teasing.
“Why?” she asked, slightly puzzled.
“You were pretty fierce earlier,” he said, a mix of statement and question.
He wasn’t eloquent, but she understood. She nodded slowly. “If someone bullies you, you fight back.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“You’re welcome.”
He wasn’t good at expressing himself. He wanted to say more, but didn’t know how.
As they emerged from the dark alley, the bright streetlights momentarily blinding them, he noticed how bright the moon was tonight. “Thank you,” he repeated.
“Huh?”
“For… getting justice for me.”
Something he’d buried deep within him since childhood had resurfaced, a broken piece gently picked up and mended by her. She’d insisted on an apology, and they’d gotten one.
A wave of warmth washed over him.
“I’m awesome, right?” she said, a proud smile on her face.
✧✧✧
At the pharmacy, Yu Ge grabbed a bottle of antiseptic.
“Wait here,” Xu Yitong said, then proceeded to gather an assortment of disinfectant wipes, anti-inflammatory medication, painkillers, bruise relief ointment, and even cotton swabs.
The other customers stared.
“Do you have any Fengyoujing?” Yu Ge asked the cashier as they paid.
[Fengyoujing is a Chinese medicated oil, often used for insect bites and headaches.]
“Yes.”
Outside, he handed her the small bottle.
“For me?” she asked, surprised.
“For the mosquito bites.”
“How did you know?”
“I saw them.”
“Good eyesight,” she said, smiling.
They found a place to sit and clean his wound.
“I’ll do it,” she offered, seeing he was struggling to reach his elbow.
He handed her the supplies.
The scrape, now clearly visible under the light, looked worse than she’d thought. She carefully cleaned the dirt and grime around the wound with an antiseptic wipe before gently dabbing at the scraped skin.
“Does it hurt?” she asked, looking up at him.
“It’s okay,” he didn’t flinch.
“I’ll continue then?”
“Mm.”
She used a fresh wipe, dabbing at the dried bl00d. “Really doesn’t hurt?” she asked again.
The scrape was minor, and he’d barely felt it before, but her concern made him suddenly aware of the stinging sensation.
“It’s fine. I can handle it,” he said, not good at lying.
She paused, looking at him. “Why don’t you feel pain? Do you get hurt often?”
He was silent.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it,” she continued cleaning his wound, her touch gentle.
He hadn’t intended to share, but the quiet night amplified the hollowness within him, a need to unburden himself.
“When I was younger…” he started, then stopped.
She pretended not to hear, focusing on his wound.
He watched her intently.
That strange feeling returned, a nameless warmth spreading through him, a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“I used to get hurt a lot. Not anymore,” he said quietly.
Xu Yitong paused, her hand hovering over his wound.
She’d suspected as much, but hearing him say it so casually made her heart ache.
She wanted to hug him, but knew he wouldn’t allow it. After a long silence, she asked gently, “When you were younger… did your father… hit you?”
“When he was drunk,” he said simply.
“It must have hurt,” she said softly.
“It was okay…” Staring into space, he repeated, “I don’t really feel pain.”
“Everyone feels pain. You’re not Iron Man,” she said.
He chuckled softly.
She pressed a little harder on his wound.
He winced.
“Does it hurt now?” she asked, a childish glint in her eyes.
“A little.”
“I’ll be gentle,” she mumbled. “It’s okay to say it hurts. Saying you’re fine just makes people worry more.”
He didn’t reply.
She continued cleaning his wound, her touch soft and careful. After a while, she heard him murmur, “I know.”
…
…
Cars stopped in the street, people leaning out of their windows, taking pictures with their phones. Xu Yitong, looking up, finally saw it. The meteor shower.
Streaks of light, like fireworks, flashed across the dark blue sky, falling towards the horizon.
“Have you seen a meteor shower before?” she asked, mesmerized.
“No.”
“When I was little, I thought shooting stars were stars crying,” she said, gazing at the sky.
“Crying?” He pictured it.
“Look!” she suddenly exclaimed, pointing. “That one looks like a fish’s tail!”
“Mm,” he agreed.
“It’s the Little Fish star!” she declared childishly.
He didn’t respond, his usual calm returning.
“Want to see a magic trick?” she asked.
“What kind of magic trick?”
“I can catch a shooting star. Believe it?”
He wondered about her maturity level, this strange mix of childishness and… something else.
“Close your eyes,” she urged.
Unsure what she was planning, but willing to play along, he closed his eyes.
She fumbled with something.
“I’m going to count down. Open your eyes when I’m done.”
3…
The evening breeze rustled.
2…
The crowd murmured.
1…
He opened his eyes.
The wind seemed to still.
A small fish pendant dangled in front of him, catching the light, a colorful, transparent charm.
He blinked, his expression softening as he heard her say—
“I caught the crying Little Fish star!”