(1)
Small cities have many mountains, and they also have many rivers.
Although they are all small rivers, they weave into a giant net that enshrouds the entire city.
Where there are many rivers, there are naturally many bridges. Aside from the large bridges that accommodate cars, there are many stone arch bridges built decades ago. Some of these bridges are only wide enough for tricycles, and some are so narrow that three or four people walking abreast would find it a struggle.
Beneath these arch bridges are the favorite spots for homeless people. Those with a bit of education write poetry and inscriptions on the walls, while those who cannot even write leave their own marks in various corners.
Well… they certainly aren’t anything pleasant.
Ninth Love stood with her hands behind her back, looking at the small river filled with floating trash. She tapped the ground impatiently with the toe of her right foot. She had already spent the money the man had tucked into the business card yesterday, and now she finally felt that she really should have… the latest iPhone.
That money hadn’t been fake. Otherwise, even if she could trick one shopkeeper, it wouldn’t have been accepted as normal currency everywhere she went.
“He’s still not here… Is he not coming?” Ninth Love pouted, impatiently brushing a lock of hair from her temple. The weather was a bit warm, and it wasn’t as cool under the bridge as she had imagined. Instead, it was stuffy and humid, yet the meeting place the other party specified was right here.
Over half an hour had passed since the appointed time, and her patience was being worn away with every passing second. If she hadn’t considered that the other party wouldn’t go to such lengths with that much money just for a prank, she probably would have walked away long ago.
Finally, a faint sound of footsteps echoed through the bridge tunnel, which had previously only held the sound of flowing water and the stench of garbage.
The person didn’t seem to be deliberately lowering their voice, yet the sound was still soft — or rather gentle — as if they were afraid of leaving footprints on the dirty concrete floor.
“I am truly very sorry.” A man who looked to be about thirty years old appeared. Despite the 20-degree weather, he wore a somewhat thick, plaid suit. He wore a pair of rimless glasses, giving him a refined and scholarly appearance. “Something delayed me, and I kept you waiting.”
“Mhm… I thought you weren’t coming.” Ninth Love breathed a sigh of relief, tilting her head slightly as if she didn’t care. “You said on the phone that we should talk in person. Now that we’ve met, can you say it?”
“Are you willing to accept the conditions I proposed last time?”
“30,000 a month, and I don’t have to be with you every day, right? Are there specific standards? For example, how many days off I get each week?”
“My work is always very busy.” A smile hung on the man’s face that Ninth Love wasn’t quite used to — it felt like an actor in a television drama. Although the smile looked real, it felt somewhat unnatural. “So you only need to accompany me on weekends. What you need to do is eat with me or go for a walk. I don’t ask for much; I just want the company of a young girl.”
“Fine… Are you sure that’s all?”
“Of course, though there is one extra thing.”
“What?”
“I hope you can get a little closer to a certain boy.”
“Huh?”
“It’s like this…” An appropriately embarrassed smile appeared on his face. “I have a bit of a… special fetish. I want you to date a boy I designate, but… you will still accompany me on the weekends.”
Ninth Love’s lips curled, and a curse was almost at the tip of her tongue. But when she saw the man’s sincere expression and thought about the 30,000-per-month salary, she swallowed her words back down.
“What kind of… fetish is that?”
“I like other people’s girlfriends. However, I can’t actually do that. So, I hope you can fulfill this small wish of mine. Please rest assured, no one will know about this except the two of us. I will tell that boy that you are just my niece.”
Ninth Love took a deep breath and stared into his eyes. “You… you really are the strangest person I’ve ever met.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I also think I’m quite strange.” A touch of well-timed loneliness flickered across his face. “So, are you willing to agree to this excessive request?”
“It doesn’t matter to me. But I actually have a boyfriend right now. Does it have to be the person you designate? What about my current boyfriend?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t want that person to be your real boyfriend.”
“It’s not necessarily a real… forget it. Do I have to break up then?”
“If you can handle it yourself, it’s fine if you don’t break up.”
“…”
“I know this makes things difficult for you, and I understand that perfectly. A girl like you…”
“Alright, alright…”
“The living expenses I promised will be given to you starting today.” As the man spoke, he took out a beautiful woman’s wallet. Although she didn’t know the brand, the texture of the leather showed it wasn’t something from a street stall.
“This is…”
“The first month’s 30,000. I’m giving it to you now.”
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll just run away with the money?”
“It doesn’t matter. I believe you must be my soulmate. You wouldn’t do something like that. I give you these living expenses, and you…”
“You want me to love you?”
“Please love me.”
“You talk so weirdly.” Ninth Love squeezed the wallet he handed over. Although she was frowning, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but turn upward. “But, loving someone takes a bit of time, doesn’t it?”
“I know.”
“I’ll try my best.” Ninth Love felt that saying this was a bit perfunctory, so she cleared her throat and adopted a “service attitude” fitting for 30,000. “I will definitely do my best. Mmm, I’ll make you fall in love with me too. Don’t worry, Uncle who lacks a girl’s care!”
“Thank you very much.”
“So now what? Do you want me to go home with you?”
“Yes… from now on, we can speak more casually. To the outside world, you are my niece.”
“Got it, Uncle. By the way, your name is…”
“Lu Ye.”
“My name is Ninth Love. You can call me Xiao Ai.”
“That’s a very cute name. I like it very much.” A moved expression appeared on Lu Ye’s face. “Thank you for being willing to choose me.”
“…Should I call you Uncle or Lu Ye?”
“Just call me Uncle.”
“Uncle.” Ninth Love put the wallet back into her pocket, hesitated for a moment, then took off her backpack and stuffed it inside. “Did you drive here?”
“I took the bus.”
“…Huh?”
***
(2)
On Sunday morning, Sun Wei, who was unable to go out, was bored out of his mind, teasing a big yellow village dog with a bone. However, the dog kept its tail tucked between its legs and tested the waters from a distance, refusing to take even a single step forward.
The clear water in the vat reflected the blue sky. A dragonfly lightly skimmed the surface of the water a few times, creating ripples one after another before buzzing its wings and flying into the distance.
Sun Wei tossed the bone away and used his hand to shoo away a bee that was frantically circling his head — he didn’t know what about his oily, unwashed hair had attracted it over the past two days.
Just then, a medium-sized bus stopped at the station in front of his house. After a brief pause, a puff of black smoke billowed from the exhaust pipe. Accompanied by the sound of the broken engine coughing like an old man, it turned the corner and disappeared down the small village path.
The station, which had been empty a moment ago, now had two people. One was his family’s tenant — the young man named Lu Ye — and the other looked like a ninth grader or a high school student. She wore a red dress, her short skirt fluttering in the wind, tugging at Sun Wei’s heartstrings.
“Sun Wei, morning.” Luqiao Jingye walked past the gate and waved with a smile.
“Morning… what do you mean morning? It’s not early anymore.” Sun Wei struggled to pull his gaze away from the girl’s fair, delicate thighs and turned to the other side, pretending he hadn’t seen anything. “This isn’t your girlfriend, is it?”
“Of course not. This is my niece.”
“Niece?”
“Yes.” Luqiao Jingye glanced at Ninth Love. “This is my landlord’s son. His name is Sun Wei.”
“Hello.” Ninth Love looked at his face, which seemed like it hadn’t been washed properly, and his messy hair. Her eyelids twitched slightly. “Sun Wei…”
“You can call her Xiao Ai. Her parents are away on a business trip recently, so she might come over to play often. Is that alright?”
“Alright? Of course it’s alright!” Sun Wei nodded vigorously. “It’s absolutely fine. It’s no problem at all.”
“Thank you.” Ninth Love gave a sweet smile, leaving Sun Wei dazed. By the time he snapped out of his trance, the girl and the young tenant had both vanished from his sight.
‘She looks a bit familiar…’ Sun Wei rubbed his temples. ‘Have I seen her somewhere before? Could she be a student at our school? She smiled at me just now… Does she like me? Damn… Probably not…’
***
(3)
“Zhou Chao, you’ve been really free lately. You’re calling me out for a ride again?” Fang Qiang wiped the sweat from his forehead and put down the bottled water he was carrying on his shoulder. “I’m not off work yet!”
“It’s fine. I’ll wait for you for a bit. You’re almost done anyway, right?”
“Almost. After I finish this trip, there’s one more. At the fastest… half an hour.” Fang Qiang straightened his body and pounded his lower back. “Damn, I delivered too many today. My back hurts a bit.”
“Watch your health, kid. Accompany me for a ride after work.”
“Aren’t you going to treat me to a meal then?”
“When have I ever not treated you?” Zhou Chao laughed and cursed. “When did you become as stingy as Wei?”
“I’m just short on cash.” Fang Qiang scratched his head. “On the way to deliver water today, I saw Xiao Ai. she was with an uncle.”
“Oh.” The smile on Zhou Chao’s face vanished instantly.
“To be honest, she’s probably changed quite a bit now. If someone hasn’t seen her in a long time, they might not even recognize her.”
“What the hell does that have to do with me?” Zhou Chao was a bit unhappy. “How long has it been? Why do you keep bringing it up?”
“I just said it in passing…” Fang Qiang immediately swallowed the words he had planned to say next. “Alright then, I’m going to deliver the water. You just wait for me here.”
“Fine. What drink do you want? I’ll go buy it for you in a bit.”