Chapter 1: Paper Airplane.

【001】

Summer, 2010.

After school let out in the afternoon, the ceiling fan in Grade 11 Class 3 squeaked and spun so fast it was practically smoking, yet the classroom remained stifling hot like a steamer.

It was muggy and sweltering, no rain for over ten days. The scent of churning dust rose unceasingly from the sweeping brooms being swung around.

Yu Ting had just finished packing his bookbag when an exercise collection landed on his desk. A boy with thick glasses turned around to sit facing him, wiping sweat from his neck. “God Ting, there’s a math problem I can’t solve, help me figure it out!”

Yu Ting glanced at his watch: 5:01 PM. He unzipped his bookbag again, took out his pencil case and scratch paper. His slightly cold voice dispelled some of the scorching heat in the air. “Which one?”

The boy pointed out a problem. Yu Ting scanned the question, pulled a pen from his pencil case, lowered his head, and started writing rapidly on the scratch paper for a few minutes. He tore the paper out and handed it over.

Chatter drifted intermittently from the back of the classroom.

“Absolutely true, came from Jing City. My aunt works in his family’s kitchen.”

“A boy, around our age.”

“Won’t transfer to our school. He’s got some serious illness!”

“You guessed it! Came back specifically to recuperate. My aunt says he has to take a ton of pills every day. Saw him once from afar, skin as pale as a ghost, doesn’t talk, doesn’t go outside, just like a vampire!”

…

Yu Ting shouldered his bookbag to leave when Li Chengxi’s voice came from behind him. “Brother Ting, I’ll pick you up tomorrow at nine! Da Chen and the others are going fishing out at sea!”

Yu Ting didn’t look back. “Not going. Got family stuff.”

“What stuff? Need any help?”

Yu Ting waved a hand to signal it was fine and walked out of the classroom.

As always, no one was home when he arrived. Yu Ting set his bookbag down and carried the sea intestines he’d bought on the way into the kitchen.

After preparing the sea intestines, he opened the fridge, retrieving leftover rice, two free-range eggs, a white radish, and a small pack of dried shrimp.

He started stewing the radish and dried shrimp soup first. By the time the sea intestine claypot rice was ready, the soup was bubbling vigorously.

Yu Ting packed up the shrimp soup and a full container of sea intestine claypot rice. He stood in the kitchen and quickly finished off the leftover sea intestine claypot rice himself. After swiftly washing the bowls and chopsticks, he opened the fridge again, took out half a watermelon, and walked out the door.

Turning right outside the door, then walking straight for 500 meters and turning left onto Seaside Avenue, he continued forward for another 20 minutes until he reached the “Rufei Flower Nursery.”

He pushed open the small wooden gate. Walking a few steps in, he saw that familiar silhouette trimming a pot of blue Endless Summer hydrangea.

“Mom.” Yu Ting jogged forward, setting down the food and watermelon on the table under the tree. He bent down and patted the short-haired woman on the shoulder. “Eat first.”

Zhao Rufei had already heard Yu Ting’s footsteps. Her hands were covered in mud, so she set down the shears and wiped her hands on her apron, smiling as she turned around to gesture a few words in sign language.

Yu Ting returned the smile and nodded. “Already ate. You eat, I’ll trim.”

Zhao Rufei signed again. Yu Ting rolled up the cuffs of his shirt, crouching down to pick up the shears. “Not tired. The classes are easy.”

Zhao Rufei smiled, then finally washed her hands clean and went to eat.

When she lifted the thermal lid, steam and aroma wafted out together. Zhao Rufei gave a thumbs up.

Yu Ting skillfully pruned the flower branches while chatting with Zhao Rufei about what happened at school that day.

Yu Ting’s father had passed away early, leaving only Zhao Rufei, who was mute from birth. Teenage boys were prone to conflicts, and Zhao Rufei constantly worried about Yu Ting being bullied at school. So, Yu Ting reported everything in detail every day, to put Zhao Rufei at ease.

One of the mother-son pair ate and listened, while the other pruned and talked. The blazing sun was finally about to sink into the sea. A string of bicycle bells drifted in from outside the nursery. A woman slowed down her bike and shouted loudly, “Tomorrow morning at nine, absolutely don’t be late!”

Zhao Rufei immediately put down her lunchbox, extending her hand in a gesture that meant “Got it.” The woman cycled away swiftly in the wind.

Yu Ting finished trimming the hydrangea, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and went to turn on the water tap. He lifted the thickest water hose to water the hydrangea.

Hydrangeas need the most water. With the heat wave recently, the nursery’s hydrangeas needed watering at intervals all day.

The sunset went westward. Orange-red afterglow blurred the edge where sea met sky. The nursery wasn’t far from the ocean. The wind blowing in from the sea carried a faint, briny scent and saltiness. The moist air quickly diluted the day’s stifling heat.

The young man’s posture was lean and upright. The sea breeze lifted his black hair, revealing a small red mole behind his left ear, stained a deep, rich gold by the sunset glow.

He had inherited his fair, translucent skin from Zhao Rufei. Even under the blazing sun, he remained fresh and impeccably clean.

Zhao Rufei finished her meal and cut open the watermelon. Yu Ting put down the hose and walked over. Zhao Rufei immediately handed over the reddest slice of watermelon. He didn’t take it. Instead, he pulled a chair over, sat down, and leaned forward to take a bite. He squinted his eyes. “Sweet!”

Zhao Rufei gave a silent grin and stuffed the rest of the watermelon slice into Yu Ting’s hand, signing to ask, “Going out with classmates on the weekend?” She then signed, “Don’t go out to sea, very dangerous.”

Yu Ting paused his chewing for a second and said, “Not going.” He lowered his head to bite the watermelon. “Nothing going on tomorrow. Going with you to deliver flowers.”

Bringing up tomorrow’s big order, Zhao Rufei’s eyes lit up again. That order would bring in a large sum, equal to two or three years of her income. They wouldn’t have to worry about Yu Ting’s university tuition and living expenses.

There was still a year until Yu Ting’s college entrance exams, but Zhao Rufei had already started marking the calendar, wholeheartedly looking forward to the day Yu Ting would leave this small seaside city.

She hated the sea. She wanted her Yu Ting to get far away from this place that swallowed people whole.

~

The next day, before dawn, Yu Ting and Zhao Rufei were already out working.

The flower nursery usually handled small business. Zhao Rufei’s small pickup truck couldn’t carry today’s large order in one trip. It was only by first light that they finished loading the first shipment—

Endless Summer hydrangea, parlor palm, dragon trees, monstera, elephant ears, plus one Chinese snowball viburnum, two magnolias, three white camellias, five osmanthus trees…

Zhao Rufei signed, “Still need two or three more trips.”

Yu Ting nodded and got into the passenger seat.

It hadn’t rained the night before. The sun hadn’t even climbed high yet, but the weather was already stiflingly uncomfortable. Zhao Rufei started the car and turned on the AC. She drove out of the nursery at the lowest speed. Even after getting on the lane, she didn’t accelerate. Yu Ting looked at the bicycle in the rearview mirror that hadn’t been shaken off the whole way, but said nothing.

Zhao Rufei’s timing was precise. They arrived at the destination exactly at nine o’clock.

The lush estate didn’t look luxurious from the outside. It even seemed a bit simple. The guardhouse window pushed open, and the woman who’d cycled past Rufei Flower Nursery yesterday stuck her head out, smiling. “Little Ting is helping his mom with deliveries again! Rufei, drive to the end and turn left. Drive in for a bit, and you’ll see the gardeners in their uniforms. That’s the place.”

The woman’s name was Zhang Minhua, a good friend of Zhao Rufei’s. She was the one who had introduced this job to Zhao Rufei. Zhao Rufei grinned and took out the notebook she’d prepared, which had a message written on it— “Come over for dinner tonight!”

“Will do!” Zhang Minhua smiled as she opened the ornate iron gate.

Zhao Rufei drove into the estate. Unlike the modest exterior, the inside was expansive. Several beautiful Western-style mansions were visible through the trees in the distance. The front yard even held a large fountain, grander than the one in front of the city’s biggest hotel.

Zhao Rufei didn’t dare to look around much. She drove to the end, then turned left, passing a golfing lawn before finally spotting a few women in work uniforms chatting. The small path in the yard was wide enough. She parked by the roadside, and Yu Ting got out first.

The several gardeners were surprised to see Yu Ting. “Just you moving everything?”

The young man was tall and slender, wearing a white t-shirt and black baggy shorts, with pure black beach flip-flops. His wrists seemed even thinner than their grandchildren’s. Did he even have the strength to move things?

They said, “We’re not helping!”

“Mm.” Yu Ting efficiently opened the truck bed. Zhao Rufei was about to get out too, but he quickly signed, “You still need to drive later, let me handle these.” He then respectfully asked, picking up two pots of Endless Summer hydrangea, “Where should the hydrangeas go?”

The left side of his shirt rode up from the flowerpot, revealing a small sliver of his lean, firm waist. It was perhaps too pale, but you could tell he worked often. It was strong.

One of the gardeners pointed to a partially dug empty patch of ground nearby. “Put them there for now.”

By near noon, Yu Ting had finished moving everything. His head was covered in sweat. He casually wiped it before getting back in the truck to follow Zhao Rufei back to the nursery for the next load.

On the way, they saw clam pancakes. Yu Ting got out and bought two servings, plus two bowls of fresh fish ball soup. The mother and son simply filled their stomachs in the car and rushed back.

After moving another truckload, Yu Ting’s back was soaked in sweat. The thin fabric of his shirt clung tightly to his shoulder blades, outlining two sharp angles. Zhao Rufei hesitated for a moment, then picked up her phone, ready to find some temporary workers to help.

Before she could send the text, Yu Ting took her phone away, smiling. “I’ll regain my strength after a night’s sleep. Don’t waste money.”

Zhao Rufei knew Yu Ting was doing it for her. She hated spending money on labor, preferring to do everything herself. Big city housing prices weren’t like the small town’s. She wanted to save up enough for another house for him before he went to university.

Zhao Rufei walked quickly to wring out a cold towel. Coming back, she carefully wiped Yu Ting’s face and found a sun hat for him to wear, signing her instructions: “Don’t come to the nursery to help anymore. Starting senior year soon, time should be spent studying.”

Yu Ting adjusted the brim of his hat and said, “The teacher said I’m physically weak, need to balance work and rest with more exercise. Otherwise, I won’t hold up during senior year.” He winked. “I’m doing work-life balance right now.”

Zhao Rufei was amused. She gently patted his arm, signing, “I’ll make you seafood hot pot tonight.”

“Okay!”

Going back and forth like this took two trips. For the last trip, only a few osmanthus trees were left, so Zhao Rufei drove back to the nursery alone. Yu Ting was kept there by Zhang Minhua.

“Little Ting, move these few pots of hydrangea to the back courtyard.” Zhang Minhua pointed the way. “Go down this path, the very end has a white Western-style mansion. Find a random spot to transplant them.”

She had just gotten a call from the butler; the Young Master wanted blue hydrangeas planted specifically.

Glancing at the sweat on Yu Ting’s forehead, Zhang Minhua felt quite sorry for him. She took out a paper-wrapped snack from her pocket and stuffed it into his hand. “Worn out, aren’t you! Eat this before going. Once you’re there, keep quiet. The Young Master of this house is still sleeping.”

The paper package was ice-cold. Yu Ting looked down at it. It seemed to be a cold rice cake. He casually placed it on the cart’s frame, smiled, and nodded. “Thank you, Aunt Min.”

Both sides of the path leading to the end were lined with trees, quite old, tall and lush. Layers upon layers of leaves blocked the overhead sun. Scattered sunlight filtered down, casting spots of light, large and small, onto the clean, smooth ground.

This estate was the most mysterious place in the small city. The owners had long since moved away, hiring people to look after it year-round.

Silence reigned along the way. The cart’s wheels produced barely a sound rolling over the ground. Ten minutes later, the brick-red rooftop hidden among the green trees came into view.

The mansion was extremely far from the main villa, as if isolated there. In front of the mansion stood a loquat tree. Its crown was even taller than the mansion. Its lush green leaves covered the roof, finally reducing the oppressive heat somewhat.

Yu Ting found an empty spot and stopped the cart securely. He washed his hands clean and took the snack, unwrapping the paper. But it wasn’t cold rice cake.

Beneath a layer of crystal-clear cooled skin, a rich golden yellow color was revealed. Yu Ting lowered his head and took a small bite. It was ice-cold, the glutinous rice skin soft and chewy. The sweet taste of mango filled his mouth.

Yu Ting liked this little snack without any cream. He took small bites and finished it slowly. His fingertips got a bit of glutinous rice flour on them. He licked it off, then went to rinse his hands at the tap and started moving the flowers.

The loquat tree provided shade, so he took off his sun hat and carefully transplanted the large-bloomed Endless Summer with its soil into the fresh earth.

A gentle breeze blew by. A few blue petals drifted down to the muddy ground. Yu Ting was bent over pressing the soil around the flower roots when a faint rustle of wind sounded by his ear.

Something landed gently on Yu Ting’s head.

Yu Ting freed his left hand and reached up to his head. It felt light and crisp. He grabbed it and brought it down to see— it was a paper airplane, folded from white paper.

Holding the paper airplane, he turned around. There was no one behind him. His gaze then moved upward and unexpectedly crashed directly into a pair of deep, dark eyes on the second floor.

The second-floor window was open. A boy with black hair and a white dress shirt sat leaning by the window, his right leg lazily bent, foot resting on the window sill. His cool, pale complexion had an icy coldness in the sweltering heat. He still held another identical paper airplane in his hand. Seeing Yu Ting look up, he threw it downwards. That paper airplane passed through the golden rays of light filtering between the leaves, riding the wind to land perfectly in front of Yu Ting.

The boy looked down at Yu Ting, his voice carrying the low, hoarseness of just waking up.

“Does it really rain blue here, true or false?”