Chapter 10

Su Xiaoxiao repeatedly knocked on the door, interrupting…
Dong Xiaohong had been at a colleague dinner, finishing near nine o’clock. She was a little surprised not to see Jin Qishan at the door, but only for three seconds before she pulled out her key to open it, thinking, Let him stay out then, whatever.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go her way. Grandma Su heard the door open immediately: “Xiaohong, why are you back so late? Qishan is at our house. He’s already eaten and is doing homework with Xiaoxiao.”
Dong Xiaohong’s face darkened; she disliked Grandma Su’s interference. But to maintain appearances, she forced a smile.
Grandma Su, oblivious to her mood, continued: “Ah, you should also buy Qishan some proper notebooks and pens. Look at his pencil box, all just pencil stubs. That poor thing, the notebook’s been used so many times, almost worn out. Kids these days compare with each other.”
Dong Xiaohong’s smile was on the verge of collapse. She shouted from the doorway: “Qishan, come out! Time to go home.”
Jin Qishan had begun packing up when he heard Grandma Su talking. By the time Dong Xiaohong called him, he was already outside.
He hung his head, his mood sinking to rock bottom.
Home, which should have been a warm harbor, felt more like a cold prison to him, trapping both body and heart.
Su Xiaoxiao, worried that Jin Qishan would be tormented by Dong Xiaohong, followed him outside. She wanted to say something to him, but she was still a child, and Dong Xiaohong definitely wouldn’t pay her any mind.
Su Xiaoxiao tugged at Grandma Su, mouthing the word “key.”
Grandma Su understood immediately and hurriedly said, “Xiaohong, you should give Jin Qishan a key too. He can’t be locked out every day. Look at you, these past few days, always something going on.”
Dong Xiaohong explained, “Qishan has a key. He probably just forgot to bring it today again.”
“This child really is so forgetful,” Grandma Su scolded Jin Qishan briefly, then added, “Tie a string to the key and hang it around his neck. If that’s not enough, and you really want peace of mind, give me a spare key, I’ll keep it safe for him.”
Dong Xiaohong’s smile was on the verge of collapse: “Fine, tomorrow I’ll hang the key around Qishan’s neck.”
“Good, Xiaoxiao will help watch over Qishan. If the key gets lost, it’s on her,” Grandma Su said proudly, patting Su Xiaoxiao’s head. “Our little girl is really sensible now.”
Dong Xiaohong half-heartedly smiled, pushed Jin Qishan inside, and slammed the door shut.
No sooner had the door closed than Dong Xiaohong’s hand reached for him. Jin Qishan shut his eyes tightly, clutching his backpack, afraid he might make a sound.
Knock, knock, knock.
Dong Xiaohong took a deep breath, put on a smile, and opened the door. Just as she did, Su Xiaoxiao’s head popped in.
“Jin Qishan, why don’t you have the lights on? Grandma wants me to give you a pencil.”
Dong Xiaohong turned on the light, smiling as she took the pencil: “Thank you, Xiaoxiao.”
Su Xiaoxiao ignored Dong Xiaohong and slammed the door shut with a “pop.”
Dong Xiaohong’s face darkened.
This little girl, did she even have an eye for her? She really wanted to strangle her.
Then came another knock.
Knock, knock, knock,
Dong Xiaohong forced a smile and opened the door again.
“Jin Qishan, Grandma wants me to bring you a notebook,” Su Xiaoxiao said, tossing it into the living room at Jin Qishan’s feet.
Throughout the whole process, she completely ignored Dong Xiaohong.
Dong Xiaohong’s face darkened further, veins popping, and in frustration she tried to snap the pencil by hand. Her palms turned red, but the pencil didn’t budge an inch.
In a fit of rage, she grabbed a kitchen knife, using all her strength, chopping the pencil into two pieces.
She exhaled, feeling slightly better, and tossed the pieces into the trash.
Less than a minute later, there was another knock.
Dong Xiaohong opened the door, knowing without looking that it must be Su Xiaoxiao again.
As usual, Su Xiaoxiao just poked her head in: “Jin Qishan, let’s go to school together tomorrow morning. Remember to wear your key.”
Before anyone could react, she closed the door herself.
Dong Xiaohong’s anger twisted into a bitter laugh; hands on her hips, teeth clenched, she watched to see if Su Xiaoxiao would come back.
Three or four minutes later, just as Dong Xiaohong exhaled, Su Xiaoxiao returned.
Knock, knock, knock,
Hearing the “knock, knock, knock” again, something stirred in Jin Qishan’s empty eyes, a spark of life returning.
Dong Xiaohong deliberately refused to open the door; the longer Su Xiaoxiao knocked, the happier she seemed.
Eventually, after a while, Su Xiaoxiao left on her own.
For a moment, her knocks had disrupted Dong Xiaohong’s original plan.
Now, Dong Xiaohong wished she could strangle Su Xiaoxiao, leaving no time to bother with Jin Qishan’s feelings.
She ripped apart the notebook Su Xiaoxiao had brought and threw it on the floor.
Turning to Jin Qishan, she said, “If anyone asks, tell them you don’t care about the pencil and notebook, so you threw them away. Got it?”
Jin Qishan pressed his lips together, nodding slightly.
Dong Xiaohong brushed off her clothes: “Clean this up, I’m going to bed.”
Once Dong Xiaohong returned to her room to sleep, Jin Qishan carefully picked up the scraps of paper from the floor, dusted them off, placed them in a plastic bag, and hid them deep inside his wardrobe.
Then, he retrieved the pencil from the trash, carefully cleaned off the dirt, sharpened it, and placed it in his pencil case.
His pencil case, bought by his grandmother, had two layers. He had originally put the two broken pencils in the first layer with the others, but reconsidered and placed them carefully in the empty second layer.
Exhausted from tidying up, Jin Qishan collapsed onto his bed. He wanted to sleep but couldn’t stop thinking about the day’s events.
So he packed his towel and change of clothes and went to wash up.
Afraid of disturbing Dong Xiaohong, he didn’t use the shower. He turned on the tap at a trickle, filling a washbasin with warm water.
After washing his hair, hesitating, he stood on a stool to reach the soap he never normally used.
The next day, when Dong Xiaohong woke up, she realized how impulsive she had been the day before, nearly ruining the carefully cultivated image of a perfect wife and mother.
That child from the Su family was definitely her nemesis. Ever since her arrival, Grandma Su wasn’t as biased toward her as before, she even doubted her.
To maintain her image, Dong Xiaohong strung the key onto a cord and hung it around Jin Qishan’s neck: “Keep the key outside your clothes. Walk around the community a bit later so no one thinks I didn’t give it to you.”
Then she thumped Jin Qishan on the back of the head.
At that moment, Grandma Su came by and knocked: “Xiaohong, open the door.”
Dong Xiaohong hurriedly opened it, smiling: “Aunt Tian.”
Grandma Su peeked inside: “Qishan, are you ready? Let’s go to school with us. I’ll ride and take you both.”
Dong Xiaohong, helpless, glanced at Jin Qishan: “I really can’t handle this on my own. Let me ask Qishan first.”
Jin Qishan shook his head.
He knew that some things were only meant to be admired, not possessed.