Before today, eating for 243 had simply been a way to stop his stomach from hurting and his legs from going weak.
He did not think nutrient liquid tasted bad, but that did not mean there was anything wrong with his sense of taste. It was just that he had no point of comparison.
It was like how, before he ever felt full, he had no idea what that word truly meant.
Likewise, before he tasted something delicious, he would not know what made something taste bad.
As the sweetness melted on his tongue, 243 got so excited that he wanted to dive headfirst into the three-layer cake and bury his face in it.
This was a habit he had picked up under the feeding tube in the Outer District. It was only after arriving at the education field, where there was no feeding tube, that he gradually got used to eating with his hands.
Today, in his excitement, he almost could not hold back.
But just before burying his head in it, 243 remembered something. He slammed on the brakes, stopping short of touching the three-layer cake. His whole body swayed from the sudden halt.
The only thing that could make him rein in his impulse so quickly was the sudden realization that this was his little brother’s.
The fairy tale candle had been a gift from Big Brother to his little brother, so of course the cake it produced belonged to his little brother.
If the candle had still been with Big Brother or Second Brother, he definitely would have snatched or stolen it if he wanted it.
But he did not want to do that to his little brother.
He wanted to love him.
“Love” was another word his little brother had taught him.
He did not fully understand its meaning, but he knew it was a very, very good word.
So, 243 fought back his impulse and reached out with one hand to push the cake toward his little brother.
At the same time, he shot a vigilant glance at his two older brothers, eyeing them like thieves.
He figured that if Big Brother and Second Brother tasted how good the cake was, they might not have his level of self-control.
They might even try to steal his little brother’s cake!
So, it was best if Big Brother and Second Brother did not eat any cake from the start.
241 and 242 completely ignored their silly little brother 243’s actions. They felt like 243 had not been quite right in the head ever since that time he cried.
But like 243, they also turned their gazes to their youngest brother.
Su Ximu smiled at his little brother pushing the cake toward him and did not refuse.
He picked up the knife and fork that had appeared along with the cake. With somewhat clumsy movements, he cut the first slice, then another, carefully transferring the large piece onto a plate.
After cutting the first piece, the little guy thought for a moment and handed it first to Big Brother.
Because Big Brother was Big Brother, and the candle that produced the cake had been a gift from Big Brother.
241 took the cake and glanced lightly at 243.
243: ? Hmph!
After the first piece, the little guy’s movements grew more practiced.
In order of age, he cut pieces for Second Brother, Third Brother, and himself.
During this, he thought of Neighbor Grandpa, who had been so good to him lately, so he cut another piece, got up, and ran next door. It took him a good while to come back.
When Su Ximu returned, he discovered that his brothers were still waiting for him. No one had started eating the cake.
So the little guy hurriedly picked up the plate in front of him, grabbed the little fork with his right hand, and demonstrated by scooping up a small bit of cream and cake base, putting it in his mouth. Then he squinted his round eyes in bliss.
Seeing this, 242 did the same, scooping up a piece and putting it in his mouth.
As all his senses were enveloped by an unprecedented sweet fragrance, 242 reacted more restrained than 243. After a pause, he smiled at the little guy who was watching him expectantly. “Mm! Is this… delicious?”
“Delicious.”
241, 242, and 243 had all learned that word from him.
Su Ximu nodded as he put another piece in his mouth and gave a thumbs-up with his little hand, thrilled. “Yes!”
He thought he must be a very lucky little kid. Even after dying, with no grandma, no mom or dad around, he had met his brothers.
Here, he had a home~
With that thought, the little guy shoved another big bite of cake into his mouth.
He kept going until the piece on his plate was gone. Only then did he rub his belly, feeling a bit cloyed.
Unlike his little brother, who had eaten cake before, the brothers had no concept of “cloyed.”
They just thought the cake was delicious and wanted to keep eating.
Seeing that his brothers liked it, Su Ximu kept cutting more for them.
Big, huge pieces!
It was not until his fifth piece that 243 slowed down, eyeing his uncooperative belly in dissatisfaction.
241 and 242 said nothing, but their eating speed showed they loved it too.
However, they left the final top layer untouched.
242 reached out and patted the little guy’s equally full belly, pointing at the cake to indicate they could eat it tomorrow.
The satisfaction and fullness from the cake felt completely different from what nutrient liquid provided.
243 lay on the floor, too stuffed to sleep.
Seeing this, Su Ximu suggested, “Big Brother, Brother, Little Brother, shall we go for a walk?”
Back when he overate, Grandma would take him out for a slow walk.
242 nodded, stood up, and took the little guy’s outstretched hand.
243 jumped up just as quickly and followed.
241 watched this incredibly smooth, practiced scene and vaguely felt like he had missed something during the days he was away.
That night, Education Field 104 was exceptionally quiet and dark.
But Su Ximu, holding his brother’s hand, was not afraid. After these past few days, he had gotten used to going out at night.
Everything around was pitch black, so out of boredom, he looked up at the sky.
Tonight, the night sky cooperated nicely. The hazy smog that usually blanketed the city had dispersed for once, revealing a few scattered stars in the east, south, west, and north.
Just walking in silence was too boring.
The little guy looked up at the stars and seized the chance to start a conversation. “Brother, Big Brother, Little Brother, look, stars~”
The three of them looked up too.
“My name is Star.”
“Sigh, I wonder if the star Grandpa saw when he named me was one of these.”
The little guy sighed like a little adult.
Little brother, stars?
So little brother was… a star?
And what was a name?
Though Su Ximu had been playing little teacher these past days, teaching his brothers the bits of common knowledge he knew, he was still young and could not remember everything. He could only teach whatever came to mind.
243 asked curiously, “What is a name?”
Hearing Little Brother’s question, the little guy himself was stumped for a moment.
He wanted to say a name was just a name.
But that felt like not answering at all, so he started recalling seriously.
“The picture book said…”
“A name is a person’s beginning. It represents a person.”
As long as someone still remembered your name, you were not completely gone.
A name represented themselves?
That made it something very important.
Then the little guy added, “I also know that a name is made of a surname and a given name. The surname comes from Dad, who got it from Grandma. Grandma’s surname was Su, so Dad’s was Su, and mine is too.”
The three instinctively thought about their own names.
In their empty memories on this topic, there were only a few cold numbers.
They were District 13 Block 13252-241, District 13 Block 13252-242, District 13 Block 13252-243.
They were the next generation of Outer District residents, bred in the breeding room from District 13 Block 13252-009 and District 13 Block 13252-049.
13 was the district, 252 the collective code for that block of tin shacks.
Only the last three digits belonged to them.
242 looked at the shackles on his wrist, where their codes and birth dates were engraved.
Ever since Big Brother was taken away, he and 243 had been shackled together.
He thought his name must be 242.
So he held out his wrist to show the numbers to the little guy beside him.
Su Ximu leaned in close.
He had actually been reflecting just now.
Because he suddenly realized he did not know his brothers’ names.
He had introduced himself before, but back then they could not speak yet.
Later, he just got used to calling them Brother.
But that was not right.
They were family now. How could family not even know each other’s names?
But when Brother brought his wrist with the cold shackles closer and told him in a somewhat dazed tone that he was called 242, Su Ximu suddenly felt like he hated that name.
He asked Brother, “Brother, do you like this name?”
242 thought for a moment but neither nodded nor shook his head.
He still could not muster emotions as rich as the little guy in front of him, so the engraving on the shackles did not stir much in him.
After a brief pause, he said, “I like your name.”
“Very much.”
Su Ximu.
242 repeated the name silently in his mind, linking it firmly to the child before him.
In that instant, he felt this name was perfect, utterly adorable.
Nothing could be cuter.
But Su Ximu misunderstood. He blinked, stood there thinking for a bit.
Then he generously offered, “Brother, if you like it, I can give you my name. It’s different from Ximu, but it also means little star~”
He had just thought of another name that meant little star.
As soon as he said it, 242 was no longer impassive. His narrow, handsome eyes lit up in a blink, the corners reddening with excitement.
“I like it!”
“I want it.”
Brother’s enthusiastic affirmation fired up the little guy too.
Hands behind his back, he confidently announced the name he had just come up with. “Yuzi!”
“Su Wuzi. It’s a really cool name!”
Because it was hard to write. No one knew it.
241 gazed at the child standing so close to him. He zoned out for several seconds.
He knew what a name meant.
Over the past dozen days, he had been sent to a completely unfamiliar place.
There was a little prince there who could not turn his head.
The little prince kept searching and searching for his own name.
In the end, the little prince wanted to kill him. But he wanted to live, to go home.
So he killed the little prince.
When the little prince died, his head fell off. He saw the words written on his back.
That was his name.
The little prince was dead, but he was happy.
So he gave him the candle.
