Silent Era - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

After being kissed by Lin Heng at the horse farm, Bai Sihuan was stunned for days. He couldn’t concentrate on his homework, and he couldn’t help but think back to that day.

That night, he recalled the look and feel of Lin Heng’s kiss, and it brought back a reaction he had never experienced before. He was horrified, unsure what to do, and too afraid to go find Lin Heng. In the middle of winter, he took several cold showers.

On the third day, a distinguished guest arrived at the Lin family’s home. The distinguished guest was a portly, middle-aged man, and the guest was a tall, thin man.

The Lins called the middle-aged man “Mr. Zhu,” and the thin man was Lin Huan’s nephew, Chen Ying, a cousin of the Lin children.

Bai Sihuan heard that this cousin, Chen Ying, was ten years older than his eldest sister, Lin Musheng.

Lin Huan’s previous generation had many children, and Lin Huan was the youngest, so his age was only eleven or twelve years younger than his eldest nephew.

None of the Lin family children were allowed to eat at the table today.

Only Lin Huan, Cheng Sutang, his cousin Chen Ying, and Mr. Zhu sat at the long, spacious dining table.

After serving the dishes, the servants returned, closed the dining room’s sliding glass door, and lowered the bamboo curtain, concealing the four-person dinner behind a hazy curtain.

Bai Sihuan, having finished his meal, passed by the dining room when he saw a crack in the bamboo curtain. Through the glass door, he saw the four people inside had also finished their meal.

Butler Lao Pei entered and neatly placed five large boxes of cigarettes on the table—a mix of tobacco, cigarettes, and hookah. He then brought out five sets of smoking utensils made of different materials and placed them next to the cigarettes.

Lin Huan chose a pack of cigarettes with a gold outer wrapper and a set of ivory smoking utensils.

The butler took out four cigarettes, each fitted with an ivory holder, and passed them one by one, from the distinguished guest to the host.

After lighting the cigarettes, the group smoked and chatted. Mr. Zhu pointed at the cigarettes, his brows dancing, as if praising them. Cheng Sutang then instructed Old Pei. Old Pei nodded and opened the glass door.

Mr. Zhu’s voice followed him out: “It’s truly a heaven-sent elegant cigarette! It tastes delicious! Hahaha!”

Old Pei went upstairs and soon returned with two packs of limited-edition Yellow Crane Tower. Bai Sihuan remembered these cigarettes. The day before yesterday, in the study, Lin Huan and Cheng Sutang had exchanged everything inside for cash, throwing the thousands of yuan worth of cigarettes into the trash.

He entered with the two packs of “cigarettes.” This time, Old Pei hadn’t closed the sliding door properly, so Bai Sihuan could clearly hear the noises from within.

The guest, his mouth wide open, held the two cigarettes in his hand, “Really substantial!”

Cheng Sutang sneered, exchanged a few pleasantries, then got down to business, his tone soft and gentle: “I’m about to retire, and before I go, I’ve always wanted to leave something behind. Not just for myself, but for all my children and grandchildren.”

Mr. Zhu continued smoking his unfinished cigarette and said with envy, “I really envy you two for having so many children and grandchildren. Unlike me, I’m still single.”

Seeing that he was deliberately avoiding the subject, his cousin Shen Ying chimed in: “Mr. Zhu, to be honest, you’ve heard of my aunt, Cheng Sutang. Almost everyone in this business out there knows her name. For the business you’ve recently spotted abroad, my aunt’s status and connections will be very useful… But as you know, her position has its sensitive aspects, and some of the more public work requires…”

Before Bai Sihuan finished his words, Lin Heng suddenly appeared.

He seemed to have been searching for Bai Sihuan for a long time. Upon seeing Bai Sihuan, his frown relaxed as he asked, “What are you looking at here?” Before Bai Sihuan could answer, Lin Heng took his hand and said, “Come upstairs with me.”

Bai Sihuan gave the dining room door one last glance. By then, the housekeeper had noticed the commotion outside and had come up to close the door and draw the bamboo curtains.

Lin Heng brought Bai Sihuan back to the room. They lay on the bed. Lin Heng exhaled, but he still held Bai Sihuan’s hand.

Bai Sihuan stared at the plaster molding on the ceiling, not withdrawing his hand. He listened to each other’s breathing, silent, his mind swirling with thoughts.

Lin Heng skillfully rolled over and hugged him, asking half-pleadingly, “Will you stay here for college?”

Faced with Lin Heng’s sudden question, Bai Sihuan froze, unable to come up with a complete answer. “I haven’t thought about it yet. I’ll decide after the exams.”

This ambiguous answer left Lin Heng unsatisfied. “Have you ever considered what I’d do if you went somewhere else?”

“I…” Bai Sihuan wasn’t sure how to respond.

Before, he had only wanted to leave this place, to study abroad. But now, with this sudden connection between him and Lin Heng, his resolve was no longer as resolute.

Seeing him falter and unable to answer, Lin Heng closed his eyes and said, “Forget it. Wherever you go, I’ll go too. That’s all.”

After lying in the room for a while, Bai Sihuan said he had left something downstairs and needed to go get it. Lin Heng followed him downstairs.

As they descended, they heard noises coming from the hallway.

Lin Xianyan, returning from a secret painting session, accidentally bumped into Mr. Zhu as he was leaving, splashing him with paint. Now, under Cheng Sutang’s nose, she was apologizing to him.

Lin Heng never missed an opportunity to mock his second sister in front of Bai Sihuan: “Second sister is always so reckless. This time, she’s dead.”

Bai Sihuan saw the fierce look Cheng Sutang gave Lin Xianyan and couldn’t imagine how Lin Xianyan would be treated. He grabbed Lin Heng’s arm and pleaded, “Can you please go and plead with Aunt Cheng?”

Lin Heng met his pleading eyes, took a deep breath, and reluctantly said, “Okay—I’ll go and plead for my second sister later.”

After Mr. Zhu left, Cheng Sutang wanted to grab Lin Xianyan and give her a lecture. At Bai Sihuan’s request, Lin Heng spoke up for her, and Cheng Sutang finally let her go.

The next day, Lin Heng stopped Bai Sihuan on the first floor and said, “You haven’t thanked me for what happened yesterday yet.”

Bai Sihuan thought for a moment, figuring he was referring to the incident with Lin Xianyan. Unsure how Lin Heng would thank him, he politely said “thank you.”

As he walked up the stairs, Lin Heng followed him, quickly kissed him on the cheek, and whispered in his ear, “Next time you ask me to do something like this, remember to kiss me.”

Bai Sihuan was startled, his face flushed, and he looked around, afraid of being seen.

Luckily, Cheng Sutang was on the second floor, concentrating on her phone and unaware of the scene on the stairs.

Bai Sihuan couldn’t get angry with Lin Heng, and frantically said, “You…don’t do that in a place like this next time!”

Lin Heng shrugged, acting nonchalant.

Bai Sihuan, unsure of what to say to him, hurried upstairs.

On the second floor, Cheng Sutang’s impatient pacing on the balcony became increasingly audible. She angrily said, “We clearly agreed on it then, and now you’re saying no? Weren’t the two Yellow Crane Tower bottles I gave him last enough? How much more does he want? What’s the point of him being stuck here? What? What do you think he wants?”

The next day, Lin Xianyan, wearing a white dress, was dragged out by Cheng Sutang.

That evening, only Cheng Sutang returned.

Upon her return, Cheng Sutang went straight to the top floor and hasn’t come down for the past few days.

The top floor of their house is a Buddhist shrine, and no one except Cheng Sutang is allowed up there. Cheng Sutang spends three days in the shrine at the beginning of each month and three days in Thailand at the end of each month. This is her habit, a very regular one.

After the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Lin Siying returned to Canada, and Lin Huan left for work. The festive atmosphere gradually faded, and the Lin family’s home returned to its empty and deserted state.

As the start of his senior year drew near, Lin Heng grew increasingly attached to Bai Sihuan. Whenever Bai Sihuan wasn’t around for a moment, he’d call out to him everywhere.

At that tender age, the two boys’ feelings were pure. Lin Heng loved holding Bai Sihuan’s hand, enjoying the sunshine and studying with him on the balcony. He’d cuddle him to sleep at night, kissing him from time to time.

These borderline feelings were always contained by Bai Sihuan’s unyielding opposition.

Three days later, the snow stopped and the sun shone brightly. Cheng Sutang emerged from the Buddhist temple, clutching a string of Buddhist beads and reciting the Ksitigarbha Sutra.

Lin Heng dragged Bai Sihuan out for a stroll. He remarked that Bai Sihuan always gave Lin Xianyan a ride on his bicycle, but never him, and he felt uneasy.

On their way out, they ran into their older sister, Lin Musheng, rushing in.

Lin Musheng’s face was pale. When he bumped into them, he forced a stiff smile and asked Lin Heng, “Heng, how have you been lately?”

Lin Musheng had been kicked out of her home when Lin Heng was very young because she was told to marry a poor street vendor, so Lin Heng didn’t have a close relationship with her.

In response to her concerned greeting, he simply replied indifferently, “I’m fine. Mom’s in there. We have to go out for a while, so we’ll be leaving first.”

Lin Heng left with Bai Sihuan, and Lin Musheng went back in to look for Cheng Sutang.

Less than five minutes later, Bai Sihuan heard Lin Musheng frantically screaming in the living room, “Isn’t this enough for me alone? Isn’t this enough for me alone!”

Bai Sihuan asked worriedly, “Are Big Sister and Aunt Cheng okay?”

Lin Heng assured Bai Sihuan, “She’s always like this when she can’t get the money. It’s nothing new to her.” He pushed Bai Sihuan and said, “Go get your bike! Let’s go for a walk by the river.”

The two of them pulled the bike onto the still-snowy road and walked for a while. When they reached the cleared snow, Bai Sihuan finally got on.

Lin Heng was over 5 feet 4 inches tall, and his weight was completely different from the petite Lin Xianyan. When he got on the back seat, Bai Sihuan felt a noticeable strain, and the bike swayed from side to side several times before he could steady himself.

Lin Heng unceremoniously put his arm around Bai Sihuan’s waist. Although the back seat was uncomfortable, he still enjoyed the ride.

When they reached the riverbank, the bike slowed noticeably. Bai Sihuan gasped, white mist puffing into the air and hitting him in the face. He said with difficulty, “I’m so tired. I can’t ride anymore.”

“You can’t ride anymore after just a while?” Lin Heng laughed heartlessly. “How did you manage to take Ah Yan to and from school every day?”

Bai Sihuan said honestly, “She’s much lighter than you… Come to think of it, I haven’t seen her in a few days. I wonder where Aunt Cheng took her that day.”

“Why would you miss her when you’re with me?” Lin Heng scratched his waist in displeasure.

Bai Sihuan shivered at the tickling and muttered innocently, “You were the one who brought it up first…”

Lin Heng, noticing his increasingly rapid breathing, jumped off the back seat and said, “Alright, alright. You look so tired. Get off. I’ll take you.”

“Oh, okay.” Bai Sihuan stopped the bike, slowly got out, and handed the bike to Lin Heng.

Lin Heng was riding, Bai Sihuan on the back. He pedaled, and they both fell.

Lin Heng had never ridden a bicycle before.