◎ Covering Eyes ◎

Zhao Yue’s topics of conversation were wide-ranging. At one point, he even criticized the male students from nearby schools who came to their school’s English Corner under the guise of cultural exchange but were really just trying to flirt with girls. Since Xiao Jia had been going to the English Corner frequently lately, Zhao Yue laughed and said to him: “As for these guys with ulterior motives, you need to firmly put them in their place. Just spend more time talking with the pretty girls — don’t give those guys a chance to get a word in…”

Luo Peiyin glanced at Zhao Yue, and Zhao Yue said no more. Joking around with others was one thing, but teasing Xiao Jia was bullying someone who was too honest to fight back. If the measure of kindness was not bullying the meek, then Luo Peiyin could indeed be counted as kind.

Xiao Jia had actually wanted to ask Zhao Yue about someone. Zhao Yue’s head seemed to contain a database of faces — there was practically no one at the school he didn’t know.

Yesterday, Xiao Jia had gone to Zhongguancun to buy parts. On his way back to school, a girl had suddenly rung her bell from behind, overtaken him, and cut across his path, parking her bicycle sideways in front of him. She rang her bell again and made a stopping gesture at him.

If it hadn’t been a girl blocking his way, he would have almost thought he was being robbed.

The girl was wearing a blue sweater with yellow flowers and a yellow headband. Once he stopped, she said to him, word by word: “Hey, your bag is open — something fell out.” It turned out she had already picked up what he’d dropped and had called out to him many times from behind, but Xiao Jia had been deep in thought and hadn’t heard her. With no other option, the girl had chased after him.

Xiao Jia kept saying thank you, and by the time he thought to ask her name, the girl had already ridden off. He felt that pretty girls were all similarly hard to describe — what he could describe was her bicycle with its little bell.

But since Zhao Yue had just teased him, Xiao Jia didn’t bring it up. With Zhao Yue, asking might just invite another round of jokes. Of course, he hadn’t even considered asking Luo Peiyin. He felt that Luo Peiyin wouldn’t pay attention to such things.

Zhao Yue suggested to Luo Peiyin: “Let’s go play billiards on Sunday — it’s been a while.”

“I have other plans on Sunday.”

On Saturday evening, Luo Peiyin returned home to find the others had just finished dinner. He brought back three electronic watches — one each for Gu Qiao, the third child, and the fourth child. Luo Peiyin said they were gifts their elder sister had brought back from Hong Kong.

The fourth Luo child immediately tore open the packaging on the spot — he had already owned many electronic watches before. But this one was a little different from the previous ones; it was a sports watch that could measure pulse. After examining his own, he wasn’t satisfied, and asked his second brother: “Second Brother, is the watch Sister sent you the same as ours?”

The fourth Luo child figured it must surely be different. Their elder sister had a closer relationship with Second Brother, and Second Brother’s mother had given their elder sister quite a few gifts over the years. He’d heard that the car their elder sister now drove was a gift from Second Brother’s mother — their father had even thrown a fit over it, though their father was strange enough as it was. Still, the fourth Luo child remained quite skeptical about all this. If Second Brother’s mother were so generous, then why was Second Brother still borrowing cars to drive?

Luo Peiyin ignored him. The fourth Luo child then tried to look at the third child’s and the cousin’s watches. The third Luo child was at the age where she found her little brother insufferable just by looking at him; she shot him a withering glare and swatted his hand away with disdain, telling him to stay away from her watch. So the fourth Luo child came over to look at his cousin’s instead, urging her to open the box and let him see.

Luo Peiyin smiled and said: “Go ahead and open it. Otherwise, Old Four will suspect your gift is better than his and sulk about it in secret.”

The fourth Luo child felt called out — he’d thought Second Brother was just cold and indifferent, so when had he become as cutting as Third Sister? He said quietly to Gu Qiao: “Cousin, let me have a look. I’m not that petty. Even if yours is better than mine, I won’t try to trade with you.”

Since the fourth Luo child put it that way, Gu Qiao felt she couldn’t very well refuse to open it. She had been wondering whether to accept it in the first place.

Gu Qiao had met the elder sister twice before, and she was perfectly polite. Out of courtesy, when giving gifts to the younger siblings, if Gu Qiao happened to be present, the sister might have felt awkward leaving her out and could have given her a small gift as well — that was plausible. But to go all the way to Hong Kong and think of her, to specially prepare a gift for her and have Luo Peiyin bring it back? Three watches — wasn’t that exactly the right number for the other three Luo children? She suspected her cousin had given her his own watch. But the suspicion wasn’t entirely convincing.

The fourth Luo child examined Gu Qiao’s electronic watch and then strapped his own new one onto his wrist. The pulse button on his cousin’s was yellow, while his was blue. Other than that, they were identical.

He announced to the room at large: “I’m not as petty as you all say. I just wanted a look.”

The fourth Luo child resented his Second Brother terribly, yet the moment Second Brother suggested taking him and Third Sister to the amusement park the next day, he immediately agreed — even forgetting that his cousin had promised to treat him to KFC. By comparison, the amusement park was simply more appealing. Besides, he could always have Auntie Zhang fry chicken for him at home, even if the taste wasn’t quite the same.

The fourth Luo child didn’t bring up the fried chicken, and no one reminded him. Luo Peiyin looked at Gu Qiao: “Come with us tomorrow.”

The fourth Luo child chimed in at once: “Cousin, come with us! We’ll ride the Ferris wheel, the roller coaster, the pirate ship…” For some inexplicable reason, the fourth Luo child always felt that Third Sister found him irritating these days no matter what he did. She was supposed to be his own flesh-and-blood sister, yet it seemed like she preferred their elder sister and Second Brother — there was simply no reasoning with it. As for Second Brother’s dullness, that went without saying. And although Second Brother wasn’t particularly warm to anyone, he was still nicer to Third Sister than to him. Playing with those two could cut the fun of even the best attractions in half.

Though the fourth Luo child had just passed the age when everyone finds a boy insufferable, in Third Sister’s eyes his behavior showed no sign of improvement — so Third Sister now felt annoyed the moment she laid eyes on her little brother. She didn’t find Second Brother annoying, but she respected him so much that she couldn’t quite imagine playing with him either; she was even a little afraid of bothering him, though Second Brother had never actually shown any sign of being bothered by her. So although Third Sister found her brother irritating, it didn’t stop her from agreeing with his suggestion: “Cousin, come along!”

Gu Qiao’s gaze drifted past Luo Peiyin to the ceiling light above: “Sure!”

Back in her little room, Gu Qiao thought about what to wear the next day. The blue sweater with yellow flowers that she had bought herself had been washed just before dinner and wouldn’t be dry by tomorrow. She held the electronic watch in her hand and pressed the yellow button. Then she pulled out her clothes and went through them again, ultimately putting on her yellow blouse with the white cardigan her aunt had given her draped over it. She rummaged through her drawer for the little bird brooch Luo Peiyin had given her and, as she had done before, used the beak of the little bird to peck at her fingers one by one. She held the brooch up against her chest to see where it should go — that spot was of course not quite right. She pinned it to her front and examined herself in her small round mirror again and again.

The next day, Gu Qiao put the brooch back in the drawer. She did not wear it.

Gu Qiao enthusiastically braided a French braid for the third child, which she felt suited the third child’s face shape better. Third Sister asked her: “Cousin, if you like long hair so much, why did you cut yours short?”

“Because I have to work.”

“How’s work going lately?”

“Very well!”

“Really?”

“Many things — if you keep believing they will, they’ll actually come true.”

The third Luo child rendered her verdict: “That’s pure idealism!” She lowered her voice and said to Gu Qiao: “Actually, for your job situation, you shouldn’t go to Mom — you should go to Second Brother. Mom will only find you the kind of job she thinks is good for finding a husband. There’s no real future in that.”

Gu Qiao had been spending more time with her younger cousin lately and had discovered that, young as she was and quiet as she usually seemed, the things going on in that little head of hers far outnumbered whatever her brother was thinking. Among the four Luo children, only the fourth seemed to be the odd one out — all he ever thought about from morning to night was fried chicken and having fun.

To her cousin’s advice, Gu Qiao said neither yes nor no. She didn’t want to rely on anyone else to solve her employment problems anymore — she intended to handle it herself.

On the way to the amusement park, Gu Qiao didn’t exchange much with Luo Peiyin. She had originally planned to sit in the front passenger seat, but she ended up becoming a barrier between the third and fourth Luo children in the back.

At first, the fourth Luo child had intended to show Second Brother some friendliness — after all, Second Brother was taking him out to play, and he was genuinely appreciative.

“Second Brother, I heard this amusement park is modeled after Disneyland. You’ve been to the real Disneyland before — is it really that amazing?”

“If you’re in a good mood, anywhere can be fun.”

The fourth Luo child felt Second Brother was spouting nonsense, so he gave up trying to talk to him and began listing the park’s attractions for his cousin one by one. Since the park had opened, he had been there quite a few times already.

Third Sister, worn down by her brother’s chatter, said impatiently: “Cousin can figure it all out herself once she’s there.”

The fourth Luo child shot back: “It’s her first time here — what’s wrong with me giving her an introduction?”

“You’re just showing off. So what if you’ve been a few more times than us? You act like that makes you something special.”

“At least I’m not as cold as you two.”

“Us two? Are you lumping Second Brother in with me? Me, cold? At least I didn’t tell Cousin to treat me to KFC the moment she got her paycheck. That’s barely any salary she’s getting — how could you?”

The fourth Luo child, realizing Third Sister was expanding the battlefront, quickly said: “When did I say anything about Second Brother? I meant just you! Cousin likes me and is happy to treat me — what’s it to you? You’re just jealous — jealous that Mom likes me, that Cousin likes me, that everyone likes me…”

The third Luo child gave a dismissive snort.

Having heard Third Sister mention that his cousin’s salary was low, the fourth Luo child felt a twinge of guilt: “Mom barely does anything all day and still gets a decent salary — surely Cousin, who’s busy from morning to night, can’t be earning that little, right?”

“Ignorant!”

Sandwiched between the two of them, Gu Qiao had no choice but to try to broker peace.

Luo Peiyin asked Third Sister to act as the guide once they were inside the park — what to do first, what to do next, all up to her to arrange.

With the responsibility of planning the itinerary, Third Sister had too much to think about and lost all interest in arguing with her brother.

The fourth Luo child muttered that Third Sister had been there fewer times than him — why should she be the guide.

“We’ll go for roast duck on the way back.”

One sentence from Luo Peiyin, and the fourth Luo child was satisfied again.

At her brother’s spinelessness, the third Luo child gave a scornful snort. At that moment, Luo Peiyin asked Gu Qiao what music she wanted to listen to.

Gu Qiao thought for a moment and said: “Anything that sounds cheerful will do.”

The car’s player only took cassette tapes. Luo Peiyin looked through the tapes in the car — it seemed there was only classical music. He hadn’t listened to any of this in a long time. Since Gu Qiao wanted something cheerful, he found a lively waltz.

Listening to it, Gu Qiao’s mood grew cheerful too.

It was Gu Qiao’s first time seeing so many European-style castles in one place. Luo Peiyin had brought a camera and took a group photo of the three cousins, then photos of each pair, and finally individual shots.

Looking at the Cinderella castle, the fourth Luo child said: “When I grow up, I’ll meet my own Cinderella, who’ll come looking for me in a pumpkin carriage.” By his tone, his longing for the pumpkin carriage far outweighed his longing for Cinderella.

Third Sister burst out laughing: “Old Four, even when you grow up, you won’t be part of that story. Your story can only be found in *Snow White*.”

Third Sister’s intention was to laugh at her brother for being one of the seven dwarves in *Snow White*, but the fourth Luo child assumed Third Sister was saying he’d be the prince in *Snow White* — well, either way he was a prince, so it didn’t much matter which story.

Gu Qiao took the initiative to suggest taking a group photo of the three Luo siblings. The third child had long since grown tired of group shots with her brother, and only wanted a photo with Second Brother. As for the fourth Luo child, he didn’t care either way whether the other two wanted to take one together. But when taking the photo with his siblings, Old Four still cooperated with the camera and smiled happily.

After the photos, Luo Peiyin said to Gu Qiao: “You all go and have fun. At one o’clock, meet at the restaurant inside the park — I’ll be waiting there for lunch.” Then to the fourth Luo child: “Listen to Third Sister about which attractions to go to, and don’t wander off.”

“Cousin, aren’t you coming with us?”

“I have a few other things to take care of.”

Once Luo Peiyin had gone, Third Sister said: “Second Brother just thinks all these rides are too childish for him. That’s why he’s not coming with us.”

Gu Qiao said: “Still, your brother is very good to you — he brought you here even though he doesn’t want to play himself.”

Third Sister then told the fourth Luo child: “Don’t tell Mom that Second Brother left in the middle — otherwise Mom will think he didn’t take proper care of us, and then Second Brother won’t take us out to play anymore.” Sometimes Third Sister felt her mother was too contradictory: she measured everything against Second Brother’s standard when it came to her brother’s independence, yet she never applied that same standard in the one area that mattered.

The fourth Luo child was delighted that Second Brother had left — now he was free. He agreed without hesitation.

The fourth Luo child wanted to ride the Ferris wheel first. Third Sister immediately vetoed it — the queue was too long; they’d save that for last. Since Gu Qiao sided with Third Sister, it was two to one, and Old Four had no choice but to bow to the majority.

Before going on the roller coaster and the pirate ship, the fourth Luo child reassured Gu Qiao that she shouldn’t be scared — there was no real safety risk. Gu Qiao wasn’t afraid, but she thanked her younger cousin for the warning all the same. Then, at the haunted house, the tables were turned — it was Gu Qiao’s turn to encourage the fourth Luo child. He refused to go in, but both his Third Sister and his cousin were going. Not wanting to be left alone, he reluctantly agreed. He decided his cousin simply wasn’t human — not only was she completely unfazed by the scary masks, she actually responded by pulling faces back at them.

Gu Qiao timed their arrival at the park restaurant precisely as she and Luo Peiyin had agreed, leading her younger cousins inside by their hands.

By the time they reached the restaurant, Gu Qiao’s trouser legs were wet — they had just finished the water ride, and she had rolled her trousers up to her knees, exposing her calves.

Gu Qiao insisted on paying for everyone herself. She was eighteen now; she couldn’t lump herself in with Old Three and Old Four as a child and comfortably let Luo Peiyin foot every bill. Besides, she had already mentally braced herself for the expense back when she’d planned to treat the fourth Luo child to KFC.

Having just been scolded by Third Sister for letting his cousin treat him to KFC, the fourth Luo child didn’t proactively order anything. Gu Qiao offered to pay, but no one responded.

In the silence that settled, it was finally Luo Peiyin who spoke: “Since everyone’s being so polite, I’ll order first. We’re having roast duck this afternoon, so I’ll eat a little less now. Old Four and I will share one set meal.”

Since Second Brother had already said so, the fourth Luo child couldn’t very well object. Third Sister immediately declared that she and their cousin would share one set meal between them.

That morning, Gu Qiao had packed for the outing as though preparing for a school excursion, stopping by the nearby grocery shop to buy bread, drinks, and fruit. Now she brought out the food and peeled a pomegranate to share among everyone.

As she ate the pomegranate, she coaxed Luo Peiyin: “Cousin, I’ve seen plenty of people in their twenties and thirties here, and even people in their forties and fifties. Come along with us this afternoon — more people makes it more fun.” The unspoken implication being: at your age, no one will laugh at you for playing with us.

Gu Qiao nudged Third Sister’s elbow, and Third Sister immediately echoed: “Second Brother, come with us.” The fourth Luo child had no choice but to say the same.

The four of them rode the Ferris wheel together — six people to a gondola. Since there was a long queue, gondolas had to be filled to capacity, so sharing their gondola was a young couple. By Gu Qiao’s estimation, this couple was very fashionable indeed. The young man was about as stylish as Zhao Yue — despite the cold, he was wearing a floral shirt, his hair parted down the middle, clearly with no small amount of pomade worked in, his sunglasses perched on top of his head doing double duty as a hair clip.

The couple found it hard to make sense of the four of them: two young adults with two half-grown kids, though all of them exceptionally good-looking. The young man initially made conversation with Luo Peiyin, asking where he’d bought his leather jacket — it looked very sharp, and he’d been wanting one just like it.

“Sorry, I’ve forgotten.”

The girl in the couple disagreed with her boyfriend’s notion of imitation: “Your neck is too short — you’re not suited for that kind of lapel.” Hearing his girlfriend say so, the young man just laughed it off. He then asked Luo Peiyin: “Out for the day with your girlfriend, bringing along your younger brother and sister? You two are very patient.”

This couple had ridden the Ferris wheel more than once before and weren’t particularly eager to look at the scenery outside. They were only there this time because of a movie they’d seen — they’d decided to complete a small ritual of their own.

As the Ferris wheel rose higher, Gu Qiao’s attention remained entirely on the scenery outside. When she heard those words, she turned around at once and said to the young man inside the gondola: “We’re all relatives.”

Gu Qiao said this with great seriousness, then gave an awkward little smile.

By the time the Ferris wheel reached its highest point, Luo Peiyin could still see Gu Qiao’s red ears.

As previously planned, the young couple leaned in and kissed. The fourth Luo child poked Gu Qiao — whose gaze was entirely on the view outside — to make her look. The moment Gu Qiao turned and saw this, she immediately reached out and covered the fourth Luo child’s eyes. The world suddenly went pitch-black before Old Four.

Third Sister’s attention was already correctly placed — Gu Qiao had nothing to worry about on her end. And Luo Peiyin naturally didn’t need her attention either. With one hand keeping Old Four’s eyes covered, Gu Qiao couldn’t bear to stop looking at the distant cityscape. She kept watching outside, occasionally glancing back inside to judge when the fourth Luo child might be safe to uncover.

The young couple finished their kiss. The fourth Luo child’s eyes were still covered.

The third Luo child reminded Gu Qiao: “Cousin, you don’t have to keep covering. It’s over.”

Only then did Gu Qiao withdraw her hand.

The fashionable young couple hadn’t thought anything of kissing in front of others, but now they felt a bit embarrassed — especially seeing that the young woman’s face was far redder than either of theirs.

Off the Ferris wheel, the fourth Luo child complained to Gu Qiao: “Cousin, you’re so old-fashioned. What era is this? These kinds of scenes are in movies all the time. The people doing it aren’t even embarrassed — what’s wrong with us watching? Besides, I didn’t even want to look at that kind of thing.”

The third Luo child corrected her brother: “Cousin isn’t old-fashioned. She only covered *your* eyes.”

The fourth Luo child was even more indignant: “Cousin, why didn’t you cover *your own* eyes?”

Gu Qiao replied with complete confidence: “Because I’ve been over eighteen for a while now.”

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