Standing once again at the mouth of the alley, Shuxin looked out at the bustling main street with its endless stream of pedestrians and traffic. Was this a fast-paced country? Everyone on the street seemed to be in such a rush. Thinking of her hometown back home, where the pace was so slow—on a fine, sunny day like today, people there would certainly be lounging lazily, with elderly folks and children soaking up the sun everywhere.
Adhering to the principle of not troubling the same person twice, Shuxin walked into the small grocery store at the end of the alley. It was the same uncle with a sharp tongue and a soft heart, wearing his glasses and reading the newspaper.
A newspaper. Sure enough, this was the past; it had been a very long time since she had seen anyone reading a physical newspaper intently. Apart from government offices, everyone else just glued themselves to their phones, endlessly scrolling away.
"Hello, uncle," Shuxin said as she walked up to the counter, calling out to him. "I need some waterto." Damn it, what was the word for face-washing again?
The store owner looked thoroughly displeased, frowning as he stared at Shuxin. It was this filthy kid again; this time she had actually wandered right into his shop. How greedy—she had eaten his bread, and now she wanted water.
Seeing the store owner lift his head and stare at her in silence, albeit with an expression of deep displeasure, Shuxin caught her breath, smiled, pointed to her face, and mimed a wiping motion as she spoke again, "I need some water. I have money." With that, she pulled out a single one-dollar bill.
Shuxin knew very well that one should never flash one's wealth. Back in the alley, she had already hidden her money in separate places: five ten-dollar bills in one breast pocket, three five-dollar bills in another breast pocket, and the two-dollar and one-dollar bills tucked separately into her trouser pockets. This time, she simply pulled out the single one-dollar coin.
In the shopkeeper's eyes, this kid had emptied out her entire worldly possessions, only to produce a single penny. Still, the shopkeeper understood: the child wanted to wash her face.
Accepting the coin from Shuxin's hand, the shopkeeper walked out from behind the counter with a resigned look, tilting his head to gesture for Shuxin to follow him.
True to his reputation as an uncle with a sharp tongue and a soft heart, Shuxin followed the shopkeeper into the back courtyard, walking properly and obediently without looking around wildly.
After setting down a basin filled with hot water, Shuxin began to clean herself up, once again taking a serious look at her own face. If God had a blind spot, this face would be hers for the rest of her life.
The former Shuxin had looked quite ordinary—a plain face that could become somewhat pleasant with a bit of styling. But this face was far superior in terms of sheer attractiveness. Shuxin touched her short hair, which felt like a boy's. Short hair was good; it was easy to manage. If only she could wash her hair, too. Oh well, she couldn't ask for too much; being too greedy would make people annoyed.
Shuxin didn't dawdle over her appearance; she simply scrubbed earnestly at the grime on her face, neck, and hands, and finally rubbed down the most noticeably dirty spots on her clothes and trousers as best as she could.
"Thank you, uncle," Shuxin said, returning the water basin and thanking the uncle. A polite child was bound to be more likeable.
Without a word, the shopkeeper put the basin back in its place and returned to the shop. Shuxin quickly followed on his heels. Standing once again in front of the counter, Shuxin decided to push her luck.
"Do you know Chinatown? I want to go there."
"Chinatown? What were you doing there?" The shopkeeper looked slightly puzzled.
Though the shopkeeper spoke a bit fast, Shuxin managed to catch the drift. "Please."
"Hmph." Shuxin felt the shopkeeper emit an ironic sound. "Chinatown is... a... kilometers from damn here."
Damn it, she missed the most crucial part, but judging by that recent "hmph," it must be pretty far away; otherwise, the shopkeeper wouldn't have looked at her with such an astonished expression.
It occurred to Shuxin belatedly that since the original owner had been sleeping in an alley not far from here, she might have seen the shopkeeper before. Would the shopkeeper happen to know anything about the original owner?
"I heard it today." Shuxin originally wanted to say she was from Hua Guo, but the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back.
"I miss home." Shuxin's tone carried a slight nasal twang. "I want to go home." She wondered if the shopkeeper could hear the grievance in her voice.
"Girl, have you forgotten your way home?" The shopkeeper leaned forward, frowning, though his tone had softened considerably.
"Then you should go to the police. They can take you back."
"Did you run away from home? I saw you walk past my window yesterday evening."
The shopkeeper said a lot in one breath, but fortunately, they were mostly simple words that Shuxin could understand.
So the original owner had arrived at this place yesterday afternoon. That meant—hopefully, probably—no one knew anything about the original owner's background yet.
"Yes, yesterday morning."
Shuxin stopped herself. She had wanted to say that she had gotten into a huge fight with her mother yesterday morning and that was why she had run away from home, but she didn't know how to say "fight" in English.
She regretted more and more not studying hard when she was in school. Boohoo.
Shuxin put on an embarrassed expression, pinching the corner of her shirt with her right hand while her eyes darted about evasively.
"Hmm, go home quickly. Your parents must be very worried about you."
The shopkeeper couldn't help letting out a chuckle. A kid who had run away from home was acting shy now? Wasn't she just a bold little girl a moment ago? Tsk tsk tsk.
Little did the shopkeeper know that while Shuxin looked shy on the outside, she was actually reading the newspaper lying on the counter.
Saturday, April 13, 1991. It was 1991 now. Damn it, what date did this say? At least it wasn't May.