37. Save it for later

Zhang Tan had never met Xiaobai’s uncle, only hearing about him a few times; his impression was that the man liked to drink.

Prior to this, Xiaobai had been very concerned about whether he had been drinking, even running away once the moment she heard he had. Hearing her speak this way again, Zhang Tan couldn’t help but ask with cautious concern, "Has your uncle ever hit you when he’s drunk?"

"Hit me?" Xiaobai retorted boldly. "Not a chance! I’m fierce, I am."

As she spoke, she let out a growl, acting like a mad dog, snapping at the sky, the ground, and the air, demonstrating just how fierce she was—even fiercer than someone who was drunk! Dare to hit her? Even the air would be bitten into confetti and vegetable scraps; she wasn't joking!

After a bout of snapping at the air, Xiaobai stopped, still feeling unfulfilled, and asked Zhang Tan if she was fierce.

"Fierce, fierce, super fierce," Zhang Tan replied, playing along, though he thought to himself that she was actually just adorably fierce.

Xiaobai was quite satisfied with his response and expression, as well as her own performance. She had used this act to scare off many who wanted to bully her, including her uncle. Once she had bitten him until he was shrieking, he didn't dare provoke her anymore, and even constantly called her "Spicy Girl."

Xiaobai held her little bear-shaped drink bottle, reluctant to finish it, and kept examining the label, asking Zhang Tan if it was expensive.

Zhang Tan said it was five yuan a bottle.

"Can't afford it," Xiaobai said decisively.

"Do you know how much five yuan is?"

"It’s two shoe shines for my aunt."

Zhang Tan didn't know how to respond to that.

"I won't drink it anymore." Xiaobai returned the drink to Zhang Tan.

"What's wrong? Don't you like it?" She had clearly been enjoying it just a moment ago, looking as happy as a flower.

"I'll drink it tomorrow."

After learning the price, Xiaobai felt the drink was too expensive; her aunt had to shine shoes twice just to earn one bottle. It was too much to drink all at once. Since less than half was gone, she wanted to store it in the fridge and finish it when she came back tomorrow.

Zhang Tan told her there were more in the fridge and it was fine to finish this one, but Xiaobai couldn't bring herself to do it. She had never had anything so expensive. Once, when they passed a KFC, her aunt had snuck in and swiped a burger and some cola left behind by others, and that cola had been the best drink she’d ever had.

Zhang Tan didn't know what to say. He patted her head, placed the half-finished drink in the fridge, and stuck a small label on it with "Xiaobai" written on it.

"Uncle, what do you do for a living?"

***

After closing the fridge herself, Xiaobai asked Zhang Tan with curiosity. The fridge was full of bear drinks; he seemed so rich, and she was quite envious.

Zhang Tan said he wrote stories, as she wouldn't understand the term "screenwriter."

Xiaobai looked at him with envy, saying it was no wonder the "Windmill and A-Fo" stories he told were so good. She added that when she grew up, she wanted to be a story writer too.

"So, what is your dream? To be a story writer like me?" Zhang Tan asked. Children her age usually started to have their own dreams—scientists, doctors, police officers, and the like.

Xiaobai seemed to have forgotten about writing stories the moment she said it, instead saying, "My dream is to grow up quickly."

"Huh? Grow up quickly? That's not a dream. A dream is what you want to be when you grow up. Like a teacher?"

"Police officer."

Xiaobai said that when she grew up, she wanted to be a police officer.

Very well, Zhang Tan decided not to quibble over whether she meant a policeman or a policewoman; he knew she meant the police.

Without waiting for Zhang Tan to ask, Xiaobai continued. Once she was a police officer, she would have a gun, could protect good people, protect her grandma, and protect herself, so no one could bully them. Plus, there was one more important thing: she was super fierce, perfect for catching bad guys. Her aunt said she was cut out for the job.

It seemed they had hit on a topic of interest, and the little girl spent the next while chatting away about the police. In reality, she didn't know much, so Zhang Tan ended up educating her.

When the topic of the police finally came to a close, Zhang Tan invited Xiaobai to sit on the sofa to watch a movie.

Speaking of movies, Xiaobai suddenly cried out in alarm, "Liuliu is still outside!"

She ran to the door, opened it, and didn't see Shen Liuliu. She ran out to the stairwell and finally found the mini-child sitting on the steps, facing away from the door, looking bored.

Zhang Tan welcomed Shen Liuliu inside, speechless at Xiaobai’s awkward giggling. It turned out that after the two children had snuck into the teaching building, they had come to the third floor together, but Shen Liuliu had never been there before and was a bit scared. She told Xiaobai to go first and scout for danger. Who knew that Xiaobai would forget all about her, leaving her sitting on the stairs for so long she almost fell asleep.

Shen Liuliu was lively and mischievous; she dared to go see drunkards with Xiaobai, unlike Xiaomi and Meng Chengcheng.

Zhang Tan said, "Don't be shy, make yourself at home."

Shen Liuliu looked up at him, nodded, and said, "I won't be shy. Good Uncle, hurry up, we kids want to watch a cartoon."

She certainly wasn't shy. Zhang Tan had wanted to watch a popular movie, but to satisfy the children, he had to select a cartoon instead.

He settled the two children on the sofa and prepared some fruit for them.

Shen Liuliu curled up on the sofa, looking tiny, like a baby hamster. She glanced at the fruit, then at Zhang Tan, then at Xiaobai, licking her lips, wanting to eat but hesitant to reach out.

It wasn't until she saw Xiaobai pick up a grape and eat it that she scrambled up, grabbed two, held one in her hand and stuffed the other in her mouth, then curled back up, her little feet dangling and twitching.

***

The cartoon started, but Xiaobai got up from the sofa and went to Zhang Tan, whispering that she wanted to get her drink to give to Liuliu.

"You couldn't even bear to drink it yourself, and you're giving it to Liuliu?" Zhang Tan asked.

"She doesn't have a dad," Xiaobai said craftily.

Who told you Liuliu doesn't have a dad? Her dad is just working out of town! But Zhang Tan didn't say anything; he took out her saved half-bottle and then pulled out a new one.

"This one is yours, keep drinking it. Give this bottle to Liuliu. Go on."

Xiaobai paused, lost in thought for a moment. After weighing it in her little head, she didn't refuse this time; watching cartoons without snacking just didn't feel right.

The two children curled up on the sofa, watching the cartoon with intense focus. Zhang Tan sat nearby, reading a book.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Someone knocked on the door.

"Zhang Tan, it’s me. Is Xiaobai here?"

Xiaobai was startled the moment she heard the voice. She recognized it—it was Auntie Director!

"Oh no, oh no..." Xiaobai whispered.

Shen Liuliu recognized it too and chimed in, "Oh no, oh no, what do we do? Are we going to lose our lives?"

Zhang Tan broke into a cold sweat. That was a bit extreme; Auntie Director was so kind and gentle, she wouldn't kill them. He didn't know why they were so afraid of her.

"Do you want to hide?" Zhang Tan asked.

Xiaobai immediately flopped onto the sofa, squeezing into the corner. Seeing this, Shen Liuliu squeezed in beside her, burying her head and acting like a baby ostrich.

Surprisingly, because they were so small, they were hard to spot tucked into the sofa. Plus, due to the angle from the door, Auntie Huang didn't notice them at all when she stood at the entrance.

But the moment Auntie Huang left, Xiaobai and Shen Liuliu scrambled off the sofa in a hurry, abandoning the cartoon to rush back and "repair the fence after the sheep had escaped."

"Come back tomorrow, Uncle!"

"Bye!"

The two little ones left hand-in-hand, not forgetting to wave with their free hands to their host, and made an appointment to arrive promptly the next day.