Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 97

In Rong Jingtang’s memory, the images of his parents had long since blurred into obscurity. The only thing he could vividly remember was being sent to the countryside of Qing City as a child.

At that time, the Rong family had been struck by a devastating fire. Following the tragedy, he was sent away. He was only a boy of ten, accompanied by no one but Uncle Cheng, who had watched him grow up. Uncle Cheng took over all the household duties—managing their food, housing, and every detail of their daily lives.

Despite this, the young Rong Jingtang felt a profound sense of loneliness. He had no interest in playing with the other local children, who always had runny noses. He didn’t know anyone else, and at school, the children chattered in dialects he couldn’t understand. After school, his world consisted of nothing but his computer and the television. He felt he desperately needed a friend.

One day, Uncle Cheng brought a child home. The boy was dressed very neatly, had large, expressive eyes, and wore a traditional red bib. Uncle Cheng explained that he was a neighbor’s child; the parents had to go away for a few days and couldn’t take him along, so they had entrusted him to their care.

As luck would have it, Uncle Cheng had noticed Rong Jingtang’s lack of playmates. Thus, the five-year-old Jiang Rui became his sole companion. Jiang Rui was an incredibly well-behaved child—he didn’t cry or throw tantrums, and he did whatever Rong Jingtang told him to do.

During a school break, Rong Jingtang decided to take Jiang Rui out to play, as they had nothing else to do. Little Jiang Rui was still wearing the tiger-head shoes and red bib common in the countryside. According to Jiang Rui’s mother, dressing a child this way made them “brave like a tiger” and less likely to fall ill.

Rong Jingtang didn’t quite understand the tradition, but he felt the outfit wasn’t suitable for a day out. He had Uncle Cheng buy some new clothes. Once Jiang Rui changed into them, the cute “little landlord” was transformed into a beautiful “little prince.” Jiang Rui wasn’t shy; he swung Rong Jingtang’s hand as they walked and leaned against his leg, acting spoiled because he wanted to go play.

On the way, Rong Jingtang bought him a stick of candied hawthorns. The child had been staring at them with longing but hadn’t said a word—a sight so pitifully sweet that it moved Rong Jingtang. Passing another child who was rolling on the ground and crying his heart out, Rong Jingtang silently noted how much better his “Rui-Rui” behaved.

“Brother Jing,” Jiang Rui said (he was already speaking quite fluently), “I can’t eat any more.” He held out the stick with four or five hawthorns left.

Rong Jingtang, hating waste, took it from him. Looking down at Jiang Rui, who barely reached his waist, he couldn’t help but pat the boy’s head. “Rui-Rui is such a good boy.” He led Jiang Rui into the amusement park, choosing the safe, gentle rides while Uncle Cheng followed behind to pay for tickets and take photos.

Time passed peacefully. As neighbors, the two families grew closer. There was never a shortage of snacks at the Rong house. Since Jiang Rui was at the age where he was losing his baby teeth, his mother forbade him from eating too much sugar. Consequently, he would linger at Rong Jingtang’s house every day until he had eaten his fill.

Rong Jingtang prepared a stash of treats every day. Whenever Jiang Rui saw the candy on the table, his eyes would light up like a hungry little hamster. Because of Jiang Rui, Rong Jingtang began to socialize with the other children in the neighborhood. The older kids were no longer “mud monkeys” but were dressed like little princes and princesses. As the oldest, Rong Jingtang naturally became the leader of the group.

One day, the children decided to play “House.” Since there were only two girls, the numbers were uneven. They suggested that one of the boys play the “mother.” None of the boys wanted to do it, until Jiang Rui spoke up: “If Brother Jing is the father, I’ll be the mother.”

Rong Jingtang, who had been sitting nearby reading a book, was stunned for a moment. Looking at Jiang Rui’s innocent face, he smiled and nodded.

Halfway through the game, the “father” became ill and had to lie on the bed, waiting for the “mother” to kiss him awake. Amidst the cheering of the other children, Jiang Rui looked at Rong Jingtang’s rosy lips, then at the back of his own clean hand. He carefully wiped his mouth, puckered his lips, and gave Rong Jingtang a “stamp” of a kiss.

When Rong Jingtang opened his eyes, Jiang Rui’s face turned an unprecedented shade of red. His watery black eyes looked at the older boy, and he whispered shyly, “Brother Jing, I… I will take responsibility for you!”

He had seen this on TV; although Brother Jing wasn’t a girl, the TV said that when a boy said this, the girl would happily jump into his arms and cry. Rong Jingtang looked at the child’s serious face, thought for a moment, and nodded gravely. “Okay.”

And just like that, the “childhood betrothal” was settled by the two children themselves.

After “confirming their relationship,” the two became even closer. Because Jiang Rui’s parents often returned home late, the Rong house became a second home. Rong Jingtang even kept some of Jiang Rui’s clothes and tiger-head shoes there.

Jiang Rui often slept over. In his words, Brother Jing’s house was comfortable: it had air conditioning, popsicles, candy, and the bed was big and soft.

One night before bed, Jiang Rui watched Rong Jingtang reading under the lamp. He suddenly sat up and started fiddling with the quilt. “Brother Jing,” he said with what he thought was great subtlety, “Mama says that if two people are together, they have to kiss.”

Rong Jingtang, now fifteen, blinked at the eight-year-old. “Then tell me, how should we kiss?”

Jiang Rui, feeling like a big boy now, puffed out his chest, puckered his lips, and closed his eyes. “I don’t know… maybe just a ‘chu’?”

Rong Jingtang smiled without a word. He put down his book, leaned over, and kissed the boy’s lips. When Jiang Rui opened his eyes, the watery black depths made Rong Jingtang pause. Later, as Jiang Rui was drifting off to sleep, Rong Jingtang suddenly said, “Let’s have two kisses every day from now on, okay?”

Jiang Rui, who was dreaming of roast duck, smacked his lips and mumbled an agreement. From then on, the morning and evening kiss became a staple of the Rong and Jiang households.

When Jiang Rui started middle school, it was time for Rong Jingtang to go to university. He lacked the typical impulsiveness of youth and had become very steady. Over the years, Jiang Rui often saw educated-looking strangers visiting Rong Jingtang’s room for hours. Jiang Rui assumed they were teachers and felt pity for his “Brother Jing” for having so much homework while still making time to play with him. He sighed and swallowed a grape in sympathy.

The days of childhood innocence passed until one day, Jiang Rui’s mother returned home and announced that the neighbors next door had moved away. At first, Jiang Rui didn’t react; he was busy sneaking to the door to share a new toy with Brother Jing.

But then he heard his mother say, “The Rong family moved in suddenly and left just as suddenly. They didn’t even say goodbye. So mysterious.”

Jiang Rui froze. The toy fell from his hands, startling his mother. When she came out, she found her son standing at the door looking soul-shattered, tears pooling in his eyes but not falling.

“Rui-Rui, don’t cry,” his mother said hurriedly. “Brother Jing left a lot of things for you. See? I’ve put them all away for you.”

Jiang Rui sobbed. He didn’t want to cry, but the tears wouldn’t stop. Looking at the large box of his favorite toys and beef jerky, he hugged his mother’s leg. “Mama, tell me, when is Brother Jing coming back? I miss him…”

His mother’s eyes reddened. she truly liked the Rong boy, who had tutored her son and helped him stay at the top of his class. She was a bit angry herself that they had vanished so abruptly.

Jiang Rui took the items to his room. He sat on his bed among the beautiful toys, crying as he wrote a letter in his messy, “dog-crawl” handwriting. After finishing, he packed a small suitcase with his favorite clothes, his tiger-head shoes, and his handkerchief. Seeing his mother leave the house, he sobbed his way to the Rong’s front door. He took the spare key from his pocket and tried the lock. It opened.

He wept in the empty house, placed his little suitcase by Rong Jingtang’s bed, wiped his tears, and hugged the letter Rong Jingtang had left for him. He went back to his own room and fell asleep from exhaustion.

No one knew that after Jiang Rui left, the door to the Rong house opened once more. A figure emerged carrying Jiang Rui’s small suitcase. The person stood outside the Jiang house for a long moment before stepping into a black car and driving away, never looking back.