That afternoon, Qin Weidong had bought two buns from a small shop along the street. They split them between the two of them, and Fang Li’s fever had gone down slightly.
Staying overnight at the clinic came with extra charges—a “seat fee” and a “heating fee.” It was an unwritten rule at the town’s little clinics during winter. Twelve yuan for the two of them, and even then, it was just a hard wooden bench. Fang Li couldn’t stand the smell of medicine in the air and insisted Qin Weidong carry him back to the car.
But even the car wasn’t safe anymore. Qin Weidong was worried someone might recognize the license plate, so he parked in a secluded spot and carried Fang Li on his back for quite a while before reaching it.
All around them, lights glowed from houses, and the crackling of firecrackers echoed nonstop.
The boys trudged through thick snow. The acrid scent of gunpowder from the fireworks made Fang Li cough uncontrollably. When they finally reached the car, Qin Weidong stripped off as many clothes as he could to wrap Fang Li’s chilled body, holding him tightly in his arms and settling him into the seat. The moment Fang Li touched it, he cried out, “It’s freezing…! So cold!”
The windshield was broken, and the car’s seats had been exposed to the bitter wind all day. A thin white layer of frost had formed on the cheap vinyl upholstery. Qin Weidong brushed it off with his hands, climbed in with Fang Li in his arms, using his own body to block the cold, letting Fang Li sleep on top of him.
“Still cold?”
Fang Li shook his head but couldn’t stop coughing.
“Qin Weidong… After the New Year, I probably can’t go back to school, right?”
Qin Weidong gave a quiet “Mm.”
Fang Li pressed his lips together. “That’s a shame… I heard we were supposed to get a new music teacher from the city this semester. I even asked you to help me wrap all my books and got new notebooks… What a waste…”
Fang Li’s grades in regular subjects weren’t particularly good. Out of all the classes, music was the one he loved most.
Seeing the downturned corners of his mouth, Qin Weidong reached for the last few hawthorn slices by the steering wheel, popped one into his mouth, licked off the sour sugar powder, and then passed it to Fang Li.
“Close your eyes. Try to get some more rest.”
Fang Li nodded and thought about the school’s one and only accordion—the one brought in by a teacher from the city.
He coughed a few more times. Soon after, perhaps realizing that the thought of playing the accordion was now just too far-fetched, his heavy eyelids drooped, and he fell asleep.
Qin Weidong sat in the seat, the stillness of night settling in the distance. He held Fang Li in his arms, the boy’s sharp features looking even more defined in the cold night air. He wasn’t the least bit sleepy.
He knew they couldn’t keep dragging things out like this.
They had escaped in such a rush, with barely any money on them—what little they had wouldn’t last more than a few days. Now that returning to Chongsi was no longer an option, he had to get Fang Li to the county hospital soon, and every single test there would cost money.
He had been preparing for this. A while back, he’d gone to the county a few times to check the ledgers with Accountant Li. When he saw those unaccounted-for stone material expenses, he had a gut feeling something was going to happen with Fang Hongqing. But he hadn’t expected everything to unravel so quickly.
Even more so, he hadn’t expected Fang Hongqing to be this ruthless—so calculating, so final. Not even the slightest hint of fatherly concern for Fang Li.
In the end… it was because he hadn’t seen enough of the world. He was still too young.
Qin Weidong still had a few loose cigarettes in his jacket pocket. He wanted to smoke. But when he looked down and saw the jacket draped over Fang Li, who was sound asleep, the sleeve clutched tightly in his hand, his fingers rubbed together briefly before he gave up and pulled them back.
He had started smoking with the miners at just fourteen. But if you really counted, even now, he was still just a boy—a year younger than Fang Li.
Qin Weidong remembered nothing before the age of six. From the time he could remember, he had lived with the Fang family in Chongsi Town. Granny Fang had found him and raised him. He went to school in town with Fang Li. Fang Hongqing had only allowed him to study through middle school before pulling him out to help in the mines. After that, he studied from Fang Li’s textbooks while managing things at the mine for Fang Hongqing. That had been their whole life.
If it weren’t for this sudden disaster, maybe he and Fang Li would have spent their lives quietly in Chongsi Town. Every penny he earned would’ve gone to his young master Fang Li first—help him marry a good wife, build a life—before he ever thought of himself. They would’ve lived and died with the mountain, their souls returning to it in the end.
Night deepened. Fang Li, uncomfortable in his sleep, stirred restlessly, eyes barely open with exhaustion, jacket sliding halfway off his body.
“It’s hot… Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Qin Weidong’s thoughts were cut short. He adjusted the coat back up around Fang Li, tucking it snugly around his neck. “Stop squirming. Even if you’re hot, don’t move. Put your hands where they belong and close your eyes.”
Fang Li’s breath was warm against his skin. He hated when Qin Weidong spoke to him in that bossy, commanding tone.
So he deliberately pulled his arms out from under the thick jacket and, just as Qin Weidong started to frown, lightly slapped him across the cheek. “Getting all cranky again, huh? Try being a hard-ass with me one more time—I dare you.”
Fang Li glared at him.
Qin Weidong turned his head, eyes narrowing, fixing his dark gaze on Fang Li.
Fang Li suddenly felt a jolt in his chest. It was as if, without him realizing it, the boy who used to follow him around all day had grown sharp wolf-like teeth.
But the feeling vanished in an instant. Even if Qin Weidong did one day grow claws and fangs like a wolf, they would never turn on him. Of that, Fang Li was absolutely certain.
He rubbed the spot where he’d slapped him and wrapped his arms tightly around Qin Weidong’s neck.
“You’re too bony… I can’t sleep well like this. I’m still sick, you know…”
“You brat.”
Qin Weidong frowned but still shifted his legs, adjusting into a position that made it easier for Fang Li to lie comfortably. Then his eyes settled on the end of the street.
Across from them, two or three hardware shops lined the alley. They were closed now, but during the day, this was where foremen gathered to hire casual laborers.
“I’m going to check it out. You stay here and get some sleep.”
Fang Li didn’t want to stay, but under Qin Weidong’s stern glance, he gave a reluctant nod.
“Don’t get out of the car.”
“What if I need to pee?” he asked on purpose.
“You need to go now?”
“What if I want to and can’t hold it?”
“Then call me.”
Qin Weidong had snapped at him earlier, and now Fang Li felt stifled, too annoyed to throw a tantrum. He buried his head and stopped talking altogether.
Qin Weidong closed the car door and walked across the street, shuffling through the job notices scattered and crumpled in the snow.
In the mines of Baishanling, bosses had ears everywhere. News traveled fast. By now, word that Fang Hongqing had fled with the money had surely spread. Workers in these parts were particularly united—if one crew didn’t get paid, the others would rally behind them. After all, no one could guarantee it wouldn’t be them next time.
They couldn’t stay anywhere near Chongsi now. The nearby towns and counties were out of the question. Suixing was too close as well—not a place to linger.
He’d have to start over. Figure out how to move forward from here. How to build a future for himself and Fang Li. No matter what, he had to earn enough to support the both of them.
All ten of Qin Weidong’s fingers had gone numb from the cold in the snow, but he finally found a job posting from the south—hauling construction materials for roadwork. The only requirement was being able to drive a truck. He picked up the piece of cardboard and noted down the number written on it.
As he turned to head back to Fang Li, he suddenly saw two men at the end of the alley. They were pointing toward their vehicle and circling it a few times before running off—like they were going to report what they’d found.
Qin Weidong’s heart dropped. Something was wrong. He broke into a run toward their car.
Fang Li was still in the car, squirming with a full bladder. Damn it—it was all Qin Weidong’s fault. He hadn’t even needed to pee, but just talking about it had made it worse! He was just about to call out when the car door suddenly flung open with a loud clack, and a gust of icy wind burst in, making him shiver.
“Let’s go! Fang Li!”
Qin Weidong’s expression was tense and grim as he reached in and lifted Fang Li up in a hurry.
“What happened?!”
“Someone spotted our car—they’re coming!”
There was no time to explain. Qin Weidong’s forehead was slick with sweat from stress. He knew that if those angry workers caught him and Fang Li, they’d be lucky to escape with their lives.
He grabbed the hunting rifle wrapped in cloth. Fang Li was shouting that their clothes and dishes were still in the car, but Qin Weidong didn’t even look back. Slinging Fang Li onto his back, he bolted into a side alley—just in time to hear voices shouting from behind:
“That’s them! They’re running!”
“Get them! That’s the Fang kid!”
The stillness of the night shattered under the sudden chaos of angry shouts and pounding footsteps.
Qin Weidong ran as fast as he could, carrying Fang Li on his back. Seven or eight men were chasing after them, brandishing sticks. Both ends of the alley were blocked. Qin Weidong scanned his surroundings and darted into a pitch-black, narrow passageway.
Luckily, this area was full of old houses—at night, it was completely dark, and the alleyways were a confusing tangle of twists and turns.
“Goddamn it! Did anyone see which way those two ran?!”
“I think they went this way!”
“That Qin Weidong is a slippery bastard—we’ll split up and search both sides!”
“Captain Yang, are we gonna get arrested for grabbing people like this?!”
“Pah! If the police won’t deal with it, we’ll handle it ourselves! Debts must be repaid, and a son must pay his father’s dues—that’s only right and proper! Fang Hongqing must’ve left his son plenty of money. If he won’t let us live, then we won’t let his son live either! Let’s go!”
Qin Weidong had eaten nothing but a single bun over the past two days. At his age—on the cusp of manhood—he was burning energy fast. He leaned against the crumbling wall of the alley, blinking as sweat dripped down his face. He strained to listen. “What did they say? Did they go west?”
Fang Li was too frightened to even breathe. “I think… I think they’ve gone further away… No!”
His voice jumped with panic. “Someone’s coming!”
It was too late. One of the workers’ nephews came running through by chance and stumbled upon them.
“Uncle! They’re hiding here!!”
“Over here! Hurry!!”
Qin Weidong cursed through gritted teeth and turned to flee, but the young man lunged at him, grabbing at them in an attempt to stall their escape.
Qin Weidong was focused on protecting Fang Li and couldn’t shake him off. Hearing the workers’ footsteps drawing closer, he grabbed the wrapped hunting rifle and slammed it into the young man’s shoulder. The blow sent the boy howling in pain, loosening his grip.
By the time the rest of the workers arrived, they found only the injured nephew lying on the ground crying out. Qin Weidong and Fang Li were already gone.
“They got away again!!”
Fang Li clung to Qin Weidong’s back as his breathing grew faster and harsher, the sound of it mixing with the howling wind in his ears. By the time they finally lost their pursuers, the sky had begun to lighten. They hid beneath the frozen underside of a bridge.
Qin Weidong was gasping for breath. The stitches on his brow had torn open during the struggle, and fresh blood glistened in the wound.
“How did they know where we were…”
Fang Li was still in shock, unable to catch his breath. Then, from the distance, both of them heard the sudden wail of a police siren. In the gray haze of the county town, a pillar of fire shot into the sky, black smoke billowing thick into the air.
Their car was burning.
Fang Li stared in disbelief at the rolling black smoke. A while later, the flames were extinguished, likely by the police who had rushed over.
But the smoke lingered, clouding the sky in a gloomy haze. Fang Li’s eyes stung, but no tears came—he had already cried too much in the past few days.
“…Our car’s gone… Everything’s gone…”
Qin Weidong remained silent, regretting his hesitation in not selling the car sooner. Seeing no response from him, Fang Li assumed he had run out of ideas too. Their most valuable possession was gone, and now, even Qin Weidong didn’t seem to know what to do. That thought plunged Fang Li into deeper despair.
“Are we going to end up begging on the streets…”
Never before had the future looked so bleak to him. Anguish surged through his chest. “I know—take a life for a life, pay your debts—fair and just… But I really have no money…! They’re pushing me to my death… I have nothing! Fang Hongqing won’t even acknowledge me, he’s forcing me too… Why won’t they go after him instead! Cough, cough!! Just because he can run far, we don’t get to run at all!”
Fang Li was wracked by violent coughs. Qin Weidong hurriedly patted his back, trying to soothe him.
“Don’t panic, don’t panic, I’ll think of something.”
Suddenly, a sharp pain struck. Fang Li clutched his chest. “It hurts…! Qin Weidong, it hurts!”
His face turned pale in an instant, as if suffocating. Qin Weidong panicked—there was nothing he could do. He just held Fang Li tightly, rubbing his thin back again and again, kissing his cheeks and eyelashes in desperation.
Fortunately, after several labored breaths, Fang Li gradually calmed down.
In just a few minutes, he was drenched in sweat, and Qin Weidong was soaked in cold sweat from fear.
“Maybe I should just die to pay for Fang Hongqing’s sins… That’d count as repaying him for all those years of raising me, right…”
Qin Weidong glanced at Fang Li’s chest with growing concern. Something didn’t feel right. “We need to go to a proper hospital.”
Fang Li shook his head. They didn’t even have money to eat or sleep anymore—how could they afford a hospital visit for something that wouldn’t kill him?
A sense of despair took root in his heart. He wasn’t good at dealing with hardship; in fact, he wasn’t trying to think anymore. He leaned against Qin Weidong’s shoulder, and the two teenagers, having lost everything, huddled together for warmth.
“My eyes hurt too…” Fang Li murmured.
Qin Weidong said nothing, but lowered his head and gently licked Fang Li’s swollen, reddened eyelids. The burning pain gave way to warmth and moisture under the touch of his lips and tongue.
“I won’t let you beg on the streets.”
Suddenly, in the silence, Qin Weidong answered Fang Li’s earlier question.
“…Hm?” Fang Li had forgotten he even asked it.
“I’ll find a way to make money. I’ll take care of you.”
Fang Li opened his eyes. Inside the shabby space beneath the bridge, cigarette butts littered the ground. The cold air reeked faintly of years-old mildew and rot. Qin Weidong said, “Trust me. I promise.”
Axolotl Translations 
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