After Qin Weidong had gone, returning to the quiet of the dorm room, Fang Li was suddenly struck by a strange emptiness, as if a vital part of him had been physically removed.
Qin Weidong had meticulously tidied his bed before departing. Fang Li sat down on the neatly made surface, a dazed feeling washing over him for a moment, before a realization dawned: ever since he had brought Qin Weidong back home, the two of them had never truly been apart, not even for a single night.
He was the type to act on impulse, a whirlwind of action once an idea took root, rarely pausing to consider the potential difficulties or long-term consequences. This time was no different. It might not have been so bad if someone had been there to provide a steadying hand, to temper his impulsiveness, but that someone happened to be Qin Weidong—and whenever Qin Weidong saw his tears, his resolve would invariably crumble, leading to compromise and concession.
Restless, Fang Li walked out onto the small, shared balcony where they hung their laundry. Peering down, his gaze happened to fall upon Qin Weidong just as he was leaving the campus grounds.
Qin Weidong’s back no longer bore the slumped posture of a desperate boy with nowhere else to turn. His shoulders stood tall and steady, squared against the world—he had undeniably grown into a man.
Seeing the sheer effort Qin Weidong poured into his work, a new resolve hardened within Fang Li. Then I can’t afford to fall behind either…
He pulled out the accounting textbook he had received earlier, flipped through a few pages, but the unfamiliar jargon and concepts swam before his eyes, making little sense. With a frustrated sigh, he dragged a small stool over to the window and sat down, determined to keep reading. He scratched his head in bewilderment as he started again, slowly, from the very beginning.
Before long, a gentle knock echoed at the door.
Fang Li looked up, but at first, he only heard the sound—he didn’t immediately see anyone standing there.
“H-Hello… I…”
The voice was soft, almost hesitant. Fang Li frowned slightly. A slender boy stood just outside the doorway, looking somewhat nervous as his eyes met Fang Li’s.
“Hello…! I’m… Qi Jian…”
So this was the Qi Jian that Feng Hui had mentioned. Fang Li gave him a quick once-over. The boy was thin, and his clothes were… unassuming, not unlike Fang Li’s own. But the skin on his exposed neck was surprisingly fair and delicate.
“I’m Fang Li. You know Feng Hui, right? Did he mention me? Let’s look out for each other from now on.”
“Y-Yes… he did. Okay… okay…”
“My name’s Li as in the break of dawn—Fang Li. Your surname is pretty rare. Which Qi is it?”
Fang Li spoke as he rummaged through his cloth bag, searching for something he couldn’t quite recall.
“It’s the Qi from ‘not grieving over poverty’… Qi…”
Fang Li turned his head back, his attention still on his bag, and he didn’t quite catch the last part of Qi Jian’s explanation. “What was that? Something about poverty?”
Qi Jian’s eyes widened slightly as he realized he had chosen an ambiguous word. He quickly gestured in the air with his finger, carefully tracing the strokes of the correct character. “This one, this ‘Qi’…”
“Oh… alright,” Fang Li said, still not entirely grasping the distinction. “Anyway, as long as you’re Qi Jian. So, just the two of us in this dorm?”
Qi Jian shook his head and pointed towards the bed situated near the door. “Th-There’s… one more. But he… doesn’t come around often.”
Fang Li looked up towards the indicated bed. “Sorry, but… are you a stutterer?”
Qi Jian froze for a fleeting second, then quickly shook his head. “N-No, not really. I’m just… nervous. When I get nervous, it happens…”
He scratched awkwardly at the back of his neck, his fingers brushing against the loose strands of his hair. “It’s not a speech problem… it’s inherited… inherited…”
“Oh, no worries at all. But what’re you so nervous about? I’m not gonna bite. Right, here—” Fang Li dug into his bundled belongings and retrieved the small box Feng Hui had entrusted to him that morning. He tossed it gently towards Qi Jian. “Feng Hui asked me to bring this to you.”
Qi Jian was visibly startled by the unexpected toss and rushed to catch the box, his movements a little clumsy. Only when he held it securely in both hands did he release a small, almost inaudible sigh of relief. He walked over to his bed and sat down carefully, still cradling the box protectively.
“How old are you? I’m nineteen.”
“I’m nineteen too…”
“You’re nineteen?” Fang Li looked genuinely surprised. He gave Qi Jian another thorough once-over, his gaze lingering for a moment. He had initially pegged the other boy to be sixteen or seventeen at most.
Fang Li grabbed a towel, intending to wash his face. Just before he headed out the door, he noticed Qi Jian meticulously placing the small box at the far end of his pillow and then gently covering it with a pillowcase, as if tucking it in.
“Feng Hui specifically gave that to you. Aren’t you going to open it and see what’s inside?”
Qi Jian looked down at the covered box, then shook his head slowly. “I’m afraid… if I open it, I’ll break it.”
Fang Li was momentarily speechless. “…Suit yourself.”
Whatever—it wasn’t his business anyway. After washing up, Fang Li returned to find Qi Jian still sitting beside his bed, holding the box in his hands as if it were a precious treasure.
It genuinely seemed to hold significant value for him.
The sun was already beginning its descent outside, casting long shadows across the room. Fang Li wasn’t feeling particularly hungry, so he simply sat down on his bunk and casually inquired, “So, you and Feng Hui were classmates?”
Qi Jian nodded in affirmation. “Yeah.”
“Then why didn’t you continue going to high school in the provincial capital?”
Staying in high school offered the clear path to a real college education. Even if one didn’t make it into a university, graduating from a standard vocational program still provided a decent chance at job placement. It was undoubtedly a thousand times better than this seemingly third-rate night school training program.
And besides—Jinyang was the capital city, a place brimming with opportunities.
“I… I couldn’t keep up with school…”
Qi Jian lowered his head, his expression clouding over. His voice was barely audible, a soft whisper that seemed to fade into the quiet of the room.
Fang Li didn’t quite catch what he said. He looked over at Qi Jian, who was still clutching the small box awkwardly in his hands.
“If you want to look, then just open it. Feng Hui specifically gave it to you, didn’t he?”
Qi Jian hesitated for another moment, his fingers tracing the edges of the box. Then, he seemed to recall something Feng Hui had said, a gentle encouragement to open it and take a look inside.
He carefully ran his fingers over the small clasp. Fang Li leaned in curiously, eager to see what Feng Hui had sent. Inside the box nestled a wristwatch, complete with a sleek, full steel silver strap—very much in vogue at the time. Fang Li glanced at the small logo on the watch face, a series of unfamiliar English letters. But knowing Feng Hui’s affluent background, he surmised it was likely not some cheap imitation.
“Put it on, let’s see how it looks.”
Qi Jian nodded shyly and carefully placed the watch on his slender wrist. However, he had never worn a watch before and seemed unsure how to fasten the intricate clasp. Fang Li wasn’t much help either, his own experience with such accessories equally limited, so the two of them fumbled with the delicate mechanism for a few moments. Finally, they heard a soft, satisfying click as the clasp snapped securely into place.
Qi Jian’s wrist was remarkably slim, and the small-faced watch only seemed to emphasize his delicate frame.
Fang Li commented with a hint of admiration, “Feng Hui’s got a pretty good eye for this kind of stuff.”
Before their evening class was scheduled to begin, Qi Jian tentatively asked if Fang Li would like his help carrying hot water. That simple offer struck Fang Li with a sudden realization—now that he was here, away from Qin Weidong’s constant care, everything, even the most mundane tasks, would have to be done entirely on his own.
He grabbed his empty kettle, and the two of them headed downstairs together.
On their way, they could hear the lively sounds of students joking and chatting. The dormitories weren’t exclusively for students from Changding Technical School; they also housed trainees from various companies, like their own, that had partnerships with the school. The residents were a diverse mix. From some of the boys’ dorm rooms, they could even hear the distinct sound of girls’ laughter drifting through the open doorways.
When they finally arrived at their designated classroom, the teacher hadn’t yet arrived. There were already about twenty people seated inside.
Fang Li scanned the room and—good grief—it was overwhelmingly female. Many of the women still wore their factory-issued protective sleeves, and they were engaged in loud, animated chatter. Fang Li and Qi Jian were among the very few male faces in the room. As they walked in and found seats towards the back, several of the women turned their heads to look their way, their gazes curious.
Fang Li chose a spot in the back corner, off to the side, and lowered his voice to whisper to Qi Jian, a hint of bewilderment in his tone, “Why are they all women?”
Qi Jian, equally new to the situation, replied softly, “It’s accounting… not many guys pick this major…”
Why hadn’t anyone bothered to tell me that? Fang Li thought with a growing sense of unease.
A moment later, the teacher finally entered through the front door, a large ceramic tea mug clutched in his hand. He was a man, appearing to be in his late thirties or early forties. Qi Jian immediately reached into his bag and pulled out a textbook.
Fang Li froze, his blood running cold.
Crap—he had completely forgotten to bring his textbook.
Without Qin Weidong’s constant reminders and preparedness, he truly was utterly hopeless!
Qi Jian, noticing the flush of embarrassment creeping up Fang Li’s neck, carefully opened his own textbook and quietly scooted a little closer on his chair.
“Do you… want to read mine?”
He remained still, his movements small and hesitant, clearly worried that Fang Li might find the offer intrusive.
Fang Li, however, seemed genuinely grateful and didn’t notice Qi Jian’s apprehension. He offered a sheepish smile and a sincere “Thank you,” then readily shared the single textbook with Qi Jian, their shoulders almost touching.
The teacher stood at the front of the classroom, diligently explaining the fundamental concepts of debits and credits. As a transfer student who had missed the initial weeks of instruction, Fang Li struggled to keep up with the rapid-fire explanations; much of it felt like an incomprehensible foreign language. Beside him, Qi Jian was diligently scribbling notes, his pen scratching steadily across the page. Fang Li found his attention drifting more than once, his mind wandering, and he had to consciously force his focus back to the lecture several times throughout the long evening.
During a brief pause, Fang Li leaned over and whispered, “Are you understanding any of this?”
Qi Jian nodded hesitantly, then shook his head in a gesture of uncertainty.
“Some parts… I studied a bit at home before.”
So it really was just him who had arrived completely unprepared, relying solely on a wing and a prayer.
Fang Li let out a quiet sigh of resignation. He had definitely underestimated the challenge that lay ahead. He had no foundational knowledge whatsoever and was essentially jumping into the deep end, halfway through the course. How was he ever going to manage to catch up?
As the days in class turned into a week, Fang Li’s mood steadily declined. His appetite waned, and he found himself eating less and less at lunch. Whenever a problem or a moment of uncertainty arose, his first instinct was to reach for his non-existent phone and call Qin Weidong. But then the stark reality would hit him—he was the one who had insisted on coming here in the first place, driven by his own desires. He couldn’t simply back out now, not after Qin Weidong’s reluctant agreement and sacrifice.
Besides, he wasn’t even enduring hard physical labor anymore. He had a solid roof over his head and wasn’t toiling away in the harsh elements. Qin Weidong, down in the dark, dusty mine, was likely facing a far more arduous existence than his own.
Fang Li gritted his teeth and stubbornly held on, pushing through the growing frustration.
For several nights in a row, he would pull out the daunting accounting textbook in the quiet darkness of the late night, attempting to review the day’s confusing lessons. One night, swallowing his pride and the lingering sense of inadequacy, he turned to Qi Jian, who was still awake in the soft glow of his bedside lamp, quietly reading.
“Qi Jian… could I maybe… borrow your notes to look at?”
Qi Jian paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face, and didn’t respond immediately.
Fang Li, misinterpreting the hesitation as reluctance, quickly backpedaled, a wave of embarrassment washing over him.
“Ah—never mind, it’s okay… I understand.”
Worst case scenario, he would just have to wait until Qin Weidong’s next visit and have him try to decipher the confusing concepts. Qin Weidong was undeniably intelligent and had a knack for grasping new information quickly. Back in high school, whenever Fang Li had struggled to understand a particular subject, he would always ask Qin Weidong to learn it first and then explain it to him in simpler terms.
Then, to Fang Li’s surprise, Qi Jian quietly got down from his bed, walked over to his small bag, and carefully pulled out his neatly organized textbook and notebook.
“I… I don’t mind lending them to you at all. You… really want to read mine? You don’t think they’re…”
You don’t think they’re too messy or dirty? The unspoken question hung in the air.
“Of course I want to. I really appreciate it, Qi Jian.”
Fang Li gratefully took the offered notebook and quickly flipped through a few pages, his eyes scanning the neat rows of characters and diagrams. He then gave a small wave of acknowledgment to Qi Jian.
“Thanks.”
Fang Li dedicated himself to his classes with quiet diligence. Knowing he was starting far behind his peers, he understood the necessity of putting in extra effort to bridge the gap.
During the daytime hours, Qi Jian had to return home to assist his mother at their family shop, leaving Fang Li to his studies alone in the quiet solitude of the empty classroom. As the weeks passed, his relationship with Qi Jian blossomed into a genuine friendship, and the nervous stammer that had initially punctuated Qi Jian’s speech gradually faded away whenever he spoke to Fang Li.
One afternoon, Feng Hui paid a visit to Qi Jian, arriving with a generous offering of fresh fruit. He also handed Fang Li a small velvet pouch, explaining that it was a gift from Qin Weidong.
Fang Li carefully opened the soft pouch and discovered a delicate pearl pendant suspended from a length of intricately twisted cord. The deep red, handwoven string held a single, luminous white pearl. A warm smile touched Fang Li’s lips—he had never seen the vast expanse of the sea, but Qin Weidong had thoughtfully brought him a glimpse of its beauty in this precious pearl.
He held the pendant up to the light, admiring its gentle iridescence. When he noticed Feng Hui preparing to leave with Qi Jian, he quickly asked, a sudden urgency in his voice, “Did Qin Weidong come with you?”
“Nope. He’s been incredibly busy working down in the mine all day. My second uncle really trusts him now—once this current project wraps up, he’s even planning to give him another mine to manage. He’s got absolutely no free time at all.”
A subtle shift occurred within Fang Li, a quiet longing stirring in his chest. Still clutching the pearl in his hand, he hurried downstairs.
He rushed to the small newsstand just outside the school gate, fumbled in his pocket for fifty cents, and used the public phone to call the mine.
The phone rang twice before someone on the other end answered. Fang Li said a tentative hello, but it wasn’t Qin Weidong’s familiar voice—it was one of the other miners. The man informed him that Qin Weidong was still working deep underground.
A wave of slight disappointment washed over Fang Li. “Oh, okay… I’ll call again later… Just let him know that Fang Li called.”
As soon as the miner heard his name, his tone shifted to one of immediate recognition. “Oh, oh, you’re Fang Li! Hang on just a second!”
The worker continued, his voice carrying a hint of urgency, “I’ll go get Captain Qin right away. He specifically told us that if you ever call, we have to find him, no matter what. Otherwise, I’ll be the one getting yelled at. So just hang tight, alright?”
With that, the worker set the phone down, the receiver crackling with static. In the distance, Fang Li could faintly hear the man’s voice echoing as he called out for Qin Weidong.
Fang Li held the receiver to his ear, patiently waiting. Soon, the static intensified, followed by the distinct sound of someone picking up the phone on the other end.
“Lili?”
Fang Li recognized the slight breathlessness in Qin Weidong’s voice and quickly reassured him, “I’m fine! Everything’s okay! I just missed you, so I wanted to call…”
On the other end of the line, Fang Li could clearly hear the sound of a relieved sigh escaping Qin Weidong’s lips.
The area around the school was bustling and noisy that afternoon, filled with the usual throng of students and vendors lining the street. Fang Li cupped his free hand over the receiver, trying to block out the surrounding clamor and hear Qin Weidong’s voice more clearly.
“I’m really okay… You don’t mind me spending money just to call, do you?”
“Of course not.” Qin Weidong took off his heavy mining helmet and set it down on a nearby table, the clunk echoing in the small office. “How’s school going? Are you getting used to it?”
“It’s alright…” Fang Li wanted to confess that he wasn’t quite accustomed to the demanding pace and unfamiliar material, but the words seemed to get lodged in his throat. Instead, he said, “I got the pearl you sent me. Feng Hui brought it over—he came to see Qi Jian. I mentioned him before, my dormmate. He’s a decent guy, just a little timid.”
“Do you like the pearl?”
Fang Li gave a small, genuine laugh. “I do. It’s beautiful. Where did you even get it?”
Qin Weidong explained, his voice a little distant, as if recalling the moment. “Boss Xu came by a couple of days ago. Took me and a few other foremen out to eat at the mountain lodge. On the way back, we passed someone selling them by the roadside.”
“You actually bought it? How much did it cost?”
“Not much.”
“‘Not much’ is how much?” Fang Li pressed, a hint of suspicion in his tone.
Qin Weidong had no choice but to divulge the amount. “Ten yuan.”
Fang Li gasped, the sound sharp and incredulous over the phone line. “Ten yuan?! That tiny little pearl cost you ten whole yuan?! Qin Weidong, why on earth would you spend that much?!”
Qin Weidong patiently explained, “The lady selling them said it was a natural pearl. And I only bought one.”
“You mean to tell me you paid ten precious yuan and only got a single one?!”
On the other end of the line, Fang Li clutched his chest dramatically, exaggerating his dismay with a theatrical exhale. “Qin Weidong, I swear—ever since I left, you’ve been spending money like you’re made of it! What’s the point of buying a single pearl for ten yuan? It’s not like you can even eat it! And I’m not some little girl who’s going to wear a fancy necklace! Did you even hear what I’m saying?!”
He continued his mock tirade, his voice rising and falling with mock indignation, and Qin Weidong nodded along in understanding—only to abruptly remember that Fang Li couldn’t possibly see him through the telephone.
He knew ten yuan wasn’t a small sum. He wasn’t entirely sure why, but when he had seen that small basket filled with glowing white pearls by the dusty roadside, his first and only thought had been of Fang Li. He had only had enough spare cash on him to purchase one. But one day, he promised himself silently, he would buy Fang Li more pearls than he could ever possibly count.
“Why didn’t you come with Feng Hui…” Fang Li’s voice softened slightly, a hint of his earlier playful anger fading.
Qin Weidong sounded genuinely apologetic. “It’s the absolute busiest time right now. Even running two full shifts, we’re still critically short on workers. I really can’t get away from the mine. Just give it a few days, and I promise I’ll come see you.”
Fang Li’s lower lip jutted out slightly in a pout. “A few days?”
Qin Weidong considered the demanding work schedule for a moment. “Five days, then? Would that work?”
Fang Li remained silent, the lack of an immediate affirmative speaking volumes.
Qin Weidong quickly revised his estimate, wanting to soothe Fang Li’s disappointment. “Alright, how about three days? Can I make it in three days?”
Fang Li finally relented, a hint of resignation in his voice. “Alright…”
He knew Qin Weidong never offered empty excuses. Even five days was likely stretching his already packed schedule thin, and squeezing it into a mere three days would undoubtedly mean an even heavier workload for him.
Qin Weidong repeated his usual parting words, “Be good for me, okay?”
Sometimes, the gentle way Qin Weidong coaxed him felt exactly like calming a petulant child. Fang Li glanced at the payphone and realized their call was likely nearing the point where overtime charges would kick in. “I’m putting the necklace on now, alright? But you’re absolutely not allowed to buy such expensive things again without asking me first.”
“Okay, I promise,” Qin Weidong replied readily.
“Then… I’m hanging up now. Good night.”
Qin Weidong echoed his farewell.
With a reluctant sigh, Fang Li ended the call, the click of the receiver amplifying the sudden silence. He carefully slipped the pearl pendant over his head, the cool smoothness of the pearl a stark contrast to the warmth of his skin. He adjusted the twisted red cord until the pearl rested just at the lower edge of his collarbone, nestled directly over his heart.
Suddenly, a vivid memory surfaced from his distant childhood—the very first time he had truly noticed Qin Weidong, it had been the ordinary buttons on his worn clothes that had caught his eye. Those simple buttons had seemed to shimmer with a brilliance even greater than this precious pearl. But that cherished shirt had been lost a long time ago during one of their roughhousing games, and he had never managed to find it again.
Axolotl Translations 
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