An Jing loved the evenings in small cities the most.
The sky was neither fully dark nor still light, colorful lamps already shining but not glaring, brilliant signs getting ready to decorate the long night, while passersby’s elongated shadows mingled with mottled light and shade—daytime for lazy sleep was over, and a happy, indulgent night was about to begin.
” Half of Zhu Ying’s body hid in the shadow where the streetlight didn’t reach.
She tilted her head with a smile, hands clasped behind her back, “You should head home early too, okay?”
“What about the clothes?”
“They’re yours now.”
“Ew…”
“Bye-bye! Hurry home, it’s not safe if you’re out too late~”
“Fine, tomorrow I want to sleep in, so I probably won’t go out. And I still need to do homework and review, uh, that…”
“Then sleep well, all the way until the sun’s high in the sky~”
“Ahem, I-I mean—” An Jing cleared her throat and gently touched the side of her nose, “If you ever want, uh, to… to see me, just, just come find me! It’s fine even if you drag me out of bed or something!”
“Pfft. But, I want to sleep in tomorrow too.”
“Tch…” An Jing deflated like a leaky balloon. “Then I’m heading home.”
“See you tomorrow!” Zhu Ying gave a small wave to An Jing’s departing figure.
The girl’s slightly stooped figure immediately straightened up, and the dejection vanished from her face as she turned her head. She raised the black stuffed bunny that had accompanied her half the day and shook it energetically: “Bye-bye!!”
Zhu Ying didn’t reply, just kept waving her hand gently.
What could be more beautiful, more blissful, than knowing you’ll meet again tomorrow?
(2)
The covered market street was just a commoners’ department store—simple, unadorned decorations, shelves placed so blandly you barely remembered them—all for the sake of letting customers buy cheaper, better-value goods.
No pushy sales clerks chattering on, no overly enthusiastic greetings, just the lively ordinariness filled with a laid-back, easy air.
Zhu Ying stepped into a small shop specializing in various electronics. Not a single wall was left unused—they were all hung with goods.
They didn’t sell cell phones here, but you could find all sorts of MP3 and MP4 models, little computer speakers, big floor speakers for TVs, earphones, Universal Chargers…
Apart from a few items, most things were cheap. The kind of electronic parts you couldn’t find in big stores were spread out everywhere here.
The owner, a middle-aged man, was busy at his workbench repairing a Small Color TV no bigger than seven or eight inches. He didn’t seem to notice Zhu Ying’s arrival.
She didn’t bother calling out to him either, but tilted her head and started browsing on her own.
By the entrance on the left, right up against the wall inside a glass display case, sat all sorts of Radios and Cassette Players. There were extra-large Cassette Players favored by the aunties who danced in public squares, and those small, plain-looking English Repeaters—Zhu Ying didn’t like those, as they were just too ugly, especially the gaudy ad stickers that made “ugly” even worse.
“See something you like?” The owner’s lazy voice sounded from behind Zhu Ying. It was sudden, but not startling—like the casual chirping of insects in spring.
“Mm—boss.” Zhu Ying propped her chin with her index finger and crouched down, muttering, “Do you have any Cassette Players that are even smaller?”
“Smaller? Card-Style, huh? Those are expensive.”
“How big is Card-Style?”
“About the size of a cassette.”
“How much?”
“At least five or six hundred.”
“Whoa! For just a Cassette Player…”
“What kind of look do you like?”
“Something cute.”
“Rounded? Or what?”
“There’s a few on the bottom row, blue and pink—girls usually like those,” the owner said as he re-tightened the screws on the Small Color TV, not even glancing back.
“Mm—not cute enough.” Zhu Ying shook her head.
“Don’t like the rounded type?”
“Too rounded is just not cute.”
“Oh, maybe you’d like Square-Rounded Cassette Players.”
“Where are they?”
“Second row from the top.”
“So high up.” Zhu Ying tiptoed and scrutinized the Cassette Players on the shelf.
All of these Cassette Players had clear price tags, but they didn’t seem to be sorted by price—apparently, the best sellers were in the middle, the rest above and below.
“Be careful.”
“Boss! That one’s pretty cute, what’s the lowest price?”
“One hundred twenty.”
“But that’s exactly the price on the tag!”
“That is the lowest price.”
“Can’t go lower?” Zhu Ying turned, puffing her cheeks.
The owner picked up the Small Color TV and moved it onto the glass counter, then turned to glance at her twice: “I’ll throw in a pair of Original Earphones.”
“I’ve got loads of earphones at home.”
“These are different, they have Inline Control.”
“What’s Inline Control?” She blinked curiously.
“Means you can control it from the earphone wire, without pressing the buttons on the Cassette Player.” The owner explained simply. “That player’s a high-quality Counterfeit Sony—functions are almost identical, but the price is only a third.”
“Counterfeit, huh?”
“Don’t worry.” The owner gripped the cigarette that had been hanging from his ear. “This batch is top quality, almost as good as the real thing. They’re so cheap because it’s the last few on clearance.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You can try it yourself if you don’t believe me. The manufacturer’s included Copper Wire Earphones sound great too.”
“Mm…can I try it?”
“Sure, I’ll take it down for you.” The owner tossed the lighter he’d been holding onto the glass case, came out from behind the counter, unlocked the glass cabinet on the shelf, and asked, “Which color do you like? All these are the same model.”
“No purple… The black one looks so ordinary, the red’s too flashy…then, white?”
“It’s not pure white—top and bottom are black.”
“That’s fine, let me have a listen.”
“Hold on.” The owner walked slowly back behind the counter, bent down and pulled out something shaped like a green gum stick. Zhu Ying was curious, then saw him slot it into the battery compartment.
“Eh—is that a battery?”
“Yeah, a Gum Battery.”
“Gum Battery, what a fitting name.”
This Cassette Player wasn’t ultra-thin, but was still small. It didn’t have the big old-fashioned buttons, just a few neat little ones.
“It can auto-reverse, so you don’t need to take the tape out to flip it. Here’s the Original Earphones with Inline Control.” The owner plugged the earphones in and handed the player over. “Is Jay Chou’s music okay?”
“Sure!”
The owner picked out a Jay Chou “Capricorn” album tape from a box full of cassettes, popped it in, and closed the player with a satisfying click.
As soon as play was pressed, music flowed into Zhu Ying’s ears. She blinked in surprise—it sounded unexpectedly good, at least much better than those MP3 files she’d downloaded on her phone.
There was also a soft rustling as the tape turned, like someone gently brushing her ear with a cotton swab.
Zhu Ying found herself instantly smitten with this Cassette Player’s feel.
—She often used an English Repeater for language tapes, but this felt completely different.
“Mm… mm! So, boss, what’s the warranty?”
“One year. Even after that, you can bring it to me for repairs—replacing a few parts or belts is cheap.” Even for Zhu Ying, spending one hundred and twenty yuan at once was a big deal, so she examined the Cassette Player inside and out several times before finally making up her mind. “Then… I’ll take it! Oh, and give me a new Gum Battery and a Charger!”
“Fine.” The owner seemed a little reluctant, but still got a sealed Gum Battery and a brand-new Charger, then put the Cassette Player, earphones, and charger into a paper bag. “Want a tape?”
“For free?”
“For free.”
“Then… I want one…”
“You can only pick from the ones we have plenty of stock for.”
“As long as it’s Jay Chou, any’s fine!”
“This one?” The owner picked up a brand new tape. “Intial J” was printed in English on the cover, featuring a black-and-white car and Jay Chou leaning thoughtfully on the window. “Matches your Cassette Player’s colors—pretty fitting.”
“Great! That’s perfect!”
“Here, it’s yours.”
“Thanks, boss!”
“Mm, come again.” The owner finally lit his cigarette, eyes drooping as if about to fall asleep.
“Right, if I charge it up… how long does it play?”
“A dozen hours or so.”
“Wow, that long!”
“Green light means it’s fully charged,” the owner said, blowing out a puff of smoke. “If you’re not using it for a while, take out the battery and store them separately.”
“Got it~! Thanks, boss!”
The owner smiled faintly, waved her away, and bent his head back to fiddling with the little gadgets on the counter.
Zhu Ying had planned to wait until she got home to listen, but she couldn’t help herself—she slipped the tape An Jing had given her into the player, tucked it into her pocket, and pressed play on the Inline Control earphones.
At first, there didn’t seem to be any sound, so she cranked the volume up to max.
That gentle rustling, like the tape turning, like a breeze softly blowing by.
Then, the sound of an electronic piano started, with a KTV-like echo.
But what was playing wasn’t the A-side, but the B-side.
Which meant…it was the side recorded with Japanese songs.
The first song was the one Yi once sang for her in her dream world—
“Memories of the Blue Night.”
(I just want to quietly fall asleep like this…)