Chapter 52
Having become a doll, Xing Nuo’s ugly little face was filled with confusion.
He listened to the green-haired doll explain how to become human again, his little head spinning.
“Little Green, I…don’t understand…”
Little Green, having explained it multiple times, seeing Xing Nuo’s still-confused expression, his ugly little face adorned with a small, red, yarn heart, sighed in exasperation.
“Ugh, you’re really unsightly. Fine, I’ll make it simple for you.”
“We’re wish-granting dolls now. Once someone buys us, and we fulfill their wish and receive their sincere gratitude, we can turn back into humans!”
“This is the only way for us to become human again! Compared to those who fail other instances and get swallowed by monsters, at least we still have hope!”
Little Green was quite good at self-consolation, a hopeful smile appearing on his face.
Xing Nuo, understanding vaguely, touched his rough, cloth face with his small, round hand, and nodded.
“Okay, but…what if…I can’t…fulfill…wishes…?”
He was just a small doll; even moving was difficult, how could he possibly fulfill someone’s wishes?
Little Green’s optimism instantly deflated.
“Can’t you think positive for once?! What if we succeed?!”
He angrily placed his small, round hands on his hips, his already comical appearance even more ridiculous now.
Xing Nuo gave a couple of placating “Mm-hmms” and patted Little Green’s tummy with his small, round hand.
“Little Green…no angry…”
Little Green brushed Xing Nuo’s hand away, went to a corner of the display case, and, pouting, refused to speak to him.
Xing Nuo shuffled closer to him, his little cloth face wrinkled, the little red heart on his cheek facing Little Green.
“Little Green…don’t be sad…here’s…little heart…for you…”
Little Green looked up, saw the yarn heart on Xing Nuo’s face, and grimaced.
“Go away! I don’t want to look…at your ugly face!”
He had been looking at it for so long, he was about to be sick!
Xing Nuo, having been scolded, mumbled an “Okay” and huddled in the corner, not moving.
Little Green, seeing the little clown doll motionless, felt a pang of regret, thinking he might have been too harsh.
“Um…Xing Nuo, was it? What did you…do before…?”
Trying to make conversation, he looked around the display case, pointedly avoiding Xing Nuo’s gaze.
Xing Nuo, drifting off to sleep, then waking up again, seeing he was still an ugly doll trapped in the display case, sighed sadly.
Zaizai wasn’t dreaming.
He spoke, his voice rough and scratchy:
“I…went to…kindergarten…woke up…early…every day…”
Little Green was puzzled.
“Kindergarten? What’s that?”
Having been a doll for so long, his memories were fading, the human world becoming distant and unfamiliar.
He had never heard of “kindergarten.”
Xing Nuo, not mocking him for his ignorance, patiently explained:
“Place…to learn…many things…teachers…children…slide…swing…”
As he spoke, he felt a pang of longing for kindergarten.
Little Green, seeing Xing Nuo becoming sad, interrupted him:
“Okay, okay, I don’t want to know.”
Xing Nuo stopped, his clown face pressed against the glass, staring longingly at the bright, golden sky outside.
“Little Green…why…no people…outside…?”
The display case, similar to a claw machine, was located at the corner of an alley.
Behind it was a dilapidated, nameless shop.
According to Little Green, this was the shop owner’s store. He collected dolls and displayed them in the window for customers to choose from.
Almost all the dolls had been bought, leaving only him and Xing Nuo, the two ugliest ones.
Little Green glared at Xing Nuo, exasperated.
“Are you stupid? It’s the middle of the day! Of course there are no people!”
Xing Nuo simply mumbled an “Oh.” Now that his sleepiness had passed, he felt a little more energetic, pressing his small body against the glass.
As Little Green’s snores echoed softly, Xing Nuo remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the outside world.
The bright, golden sunlight gradually faded, the interior of the small display case no longer as brightly lit.
Xing Nuo looked at the sky, the dilapidated street, the occasional passerby hurrying by, his little mind working.
Little Green woke up, yawned, and, seeing Xing Nuo’s serious, thoughtful expression, sneered.
“What are you thinking about? No one’s coming to buy us, you can’t just run away, you know?”
Xing Nuo turned his head, his messy hair making him look even more like a factory reject.
But his words surprised Little Green.
“Why not? Little Green, if…we run away…we can…find…brother…and Dad…”
Staying in this display case, they might have to wait for a day, a week, a month?
If they were lucky, a kind passerby might stop and buy them.
But if they were unlucky, they might have to wait forever.
Although young, Xing Nuo wasn’t one to passively wait for fate to decide his future. He had an adventurous spirit, always wanting to take control.
He snorted softly at Little Green’s mockery and lifted his ugly little face.
“We…dolls…but…can move…if Zaizai…keeps walking…will find…Dad!”
Little Green, hearing Xing Nuo’s determined tone, his lips twitching, said:
“And what will you do if you find him? I’ve forgotten who I am, I don’t even remember if I have any family. Even if you remember, can you be sure your dad and brother will recognize you?”
Little Green’s voice was cold and mocking:
“You’re just…an unlovable…clown doll…now!”
No one will recognize you!
Xing Nuo, though slightly disheartened, wasn’t deterred.
He nodded emphatically.
“Dad and Brother…will recognize me…Dad said…Zaizai…one of a kind!”
Even if he looked ugly and strange now, he was still Zaizai!
Dad would definitely recognize him!
Seeing Xing Nuo’s unwavering conviction, Little Green didn’t bother arguing.
Leaning against the glass, he said languidly:
“If you’re so capable, figure out how to get out of this display case first.”
Then he remembered something and added:
“Oh, and the shop owner comes to check every night before closing. If he finds out you’re trying to escape, you’re dead.”
Xing Nuo nodded.
“Okay…I’ll wait…until tonight…after shop owner…checks…then leave…”
Little Green felt sleepy again. After becoming a doll, he was always tired, sometimes sleeping for two or three days straight.
“Fine, I’m going to sleep. Don’t wake me up when you leave.”
He yawned, lay down in the display case, and fell asleep.
Xing Nuo sat by the glass, watching the fiery sunset, counting the clouds as they drifted across the sky.
Finally, night fell, the sky turning a deep, inky black.
The shop owner, a portly man who moved with difficulty, arrived, carrying an old gas lamp, and walked over to the display case.
He looked inside, saw the two remaining ugly dolls still there, and snorted.
“Useless things! Can’t even attract a single customer!”
He looked down at the clown doll, its small, black button eyes staring up at him, and clicked his tongue impatiently.
“So ugly, no wonder no one wants you.”
Xing Nuo shook his head, protesting.
“I’m…not ugly…and even if…ugly…someone…will like…”
The shop owner laughed, his voice cruel.
“Like? No one would ever like a little freak like you!”
Xing Nuo snorted, tilting his head up, showing the shop owner the little red heart on his cheek with his small, round hand.
“Uncle…look…Zaizai…has…little heart…very pretty!”
Not all dolls had one!
Zaizai really was one of a kind!
The shop owner, looking at the poorly stitched yarn heart, his lips twitching, said nothing.
“Be quiet, little clown doll, and stay put in the display case tomorrow. Try to attract some customers, maybe someone will buy you and the green-haired one!”
“So I can at least recoup my losses.”
The shop owner grumbled, turned around, and waddled away, muttering to himself:
“I don’t know what I was thinking, picking up these two ugly dolls, no one even wants them.”
Xing Nuo wasn’t bothered by the insults. He leaned against the glass, poking the little red heart on his cheek, which was visible in the reflection.
It was pretty, he nodded to himself, convinced.
Although his round doll face was strange, with loose threads sticking out everywhere, his eyes like two small black dots, and his outfit a hideous fluorescent orange.
But it was…unique.
Xing Nuo, having experienced a lot lately, wasn’t as easily upset as before.
Although young, his determination was stronger than most.
He was definitely going to escape and find his dad and brother!
He sat patiently in the display case, waiting for nightfall.
The inky blackness outside seemed to seep into the alley, the only light coming from a few old streetlamps, the street quiet and deserted.
Xing Nuo peeked into the shop, confirmed the shop owner wasn’t coming back, turned around, and prepared to escape.
There was a small window on the front of the display case that could be opened, and another exit at the bottom.
If a customer wanted a doll, they would insert a coin, select the doll, and a claw would grab it and drop it into a chute.
The doll would slide down the chute and land outside.
Xing Nuo, having been to the mall with his dad and seen children playing claw machines, knew this was his way out.
He climbed up to the chute opening, stood at the edge, and jumped.
