Childhood

After spreading the quilt, I said to Sister Ye, "If you want to sleep, come up; if not, do as you please."

She replied, "Is this how you treat your guests? You should get down and let me sleep."

I ignored her, collapsed onto the bed, and began to drift off. Memories of my first encounter with Jin Yulian surfaced in my mind.

Back then, I was just a child, dressed like a little beggar, always bullied by the other kids in the village. Especially those few troublemakers—they blocked my way, pinned me to the ground, and forced me to bark like a dog. When I refused, they beat me.

That day, Jin Yulian happened to visit our village to see relatives. She saw what was happening and couldn't bear it, so she chased away those bullies. I remember her as a graceful, lovely young girl, gentle as she helped me up. From that moment on, I regarded her as the kind goddess in my heart.

Later, I learned that Jin Yulian's mother had contracted a strange illness and needed wild honey as medicine. She had come to our village to ask her aunt for wild honey.

Wild honey is simply honey from wild bees, which are fiercer and bigger than domesticated ones. They usually build hives under rocks. When I went up the mountain to dig wild lilies, I had seen wild bee hives, but as a child, I was never prepared and wouldn't dare provoke wild bees—it was asking for trouble.

Upon knowing Jin Yulian needed wild honey, I kept it in mind. The next time she visited her aunt, I took a risk and went to collect some wild honey. In the process, I was stung several times, my face swelling up like a pig's head.

I intended to deliver the honey to Jin Yulian quietly, but she caught me. At first, she didn’t recognize me, because my face was so swollen, but after she saw my tattered clothes, she realized it was me—no one else in the village wore such ragged clothes. The impression was deep.

She took my hand and, smiling sweetly, asked, "Little brother, why are you giving me this honey?" I looked at her charming smile and blurted out, "Sister, you’re so pretty. I like you." At that age, I spoke without reserve, my mind simple and not weighed down by self-consciousness. Feeling shy, I ran off.

After running several dozen meters, I glanced back and saw her still smiling at me. Her smile was so beautiful, so warm. Later, during the New Year, all the village children had new clothes, but Granny Li couldn’t afford any for me, so I wore rags. That year, Jin Yulian visited her aunt and brought me two sets of brand-new clothes. That unexpected joy is something I will never forget.

In the village school, everyone knew my family circumstances, so wearing rags didn’t feel shameful. But when the village school closed and the children from nearby villages went to study in the town or the county, I grew older and started to feel embarrassed, especially when others wore new clothes and I still wore rags like a beggar.

At that time, the school issued uniforms, but they had to be paid for—ninety yuan per set, one hundred eighty yuan for two. Granny Li gave me all her savings, which only amounted to one hundred ten yuan. My own collection from scavenging was just over thirty yuan, still forty yuan short.

I will never forget the awkwardness and humiliation when I went to pay, the mocking looks from my classmates: "What kind of family can’t even scrape together a hundred yuan?" The teacher was incredulous: "Shuifeng, did you spend your parents’ uniform money on something else?" I wanted to explain, but felt it was pointless, so I simply stayed silent.

The teacher, frustrated, said, "Shuifeng, if your family really can’t spare forty yuan, I’m willing to help you. But if you’ve spent it secretly, there’s nothing I can do." Amid the laughter of my classmates, I lowered my head and asked, "Teacher, could I owe it for a few more days?" The teacher shook his head, about to leave. Just then, Jin Yulian came to the school to see her brother. She saw what was happening and walked over.

After asking the teacher what had happened, she took out money to cover the uniform and gave me two hundred yuan, saying, "I know you’re a good kid. Take this as your living expenses."

I was so grateful I almost cried, saying, "Sister Yulian, thank you. I’ll pay you back when I earn money in the future." Jin Yulian smiled, "Don’t worry about it. There’s no need to pay it back. Just study hard." As she spoke, she wiped away my tears. After she left, the classmates all took her as my sister, and from then on, no one bullied me again.

Jin Yulian had helped me, but she had also harmed me. Without her, my childhood would have been nothing but bitterness. Her presence brought warmth and hope to my bitter childhood. But she deceived me into taking the blame for her brother and serving time in prison, which ruined my life.

I didn’t know whether I should feel grateful to her or resent her. Lost in such thoughts, I fell asleep.

In my dream, I embraced a gentle, smooth-skinned woman, unable to distinguish whether she was Jin Yulian or Sister Ye. In my hazy dream, all I knew was a sense of comfort—the feeling I had always yearned for...

The next morning, when I awoke, Sister Ye was already gone. My encounter with her last night felt like a dream. But seeing the diamond ring on my finger and a woman’s blouse and bra drying by the bed, I realized it had not been a dream. I had truly rescued a beautiful woman; only, she had slipped away quietly.