Trafford’s Trading Club

Tao Xiaman didn’t say anything on the way. Zhou Zihao knew that companionship was more important than words at this moment.

Finally, the car stopped at the destination. Tao Xiaman had been here… before. But she hesitated and didn’t get off.

At this time, Zhou Zihao carried her out of the car and smiled, “I can bring you upstairs.”

“Let me down.” Tao Xiaman was shy. She said lightly, “Help me up.”

In this way, they went upstairs step by step. Tao Xiaman felt relaxed even with her injured leg. She realized that time had flown by once she saw the familiar old lock on the door.

“Master Zhou, are you at home? Master Zhou?” Zhou Zihao knocked at the door but there was no response. He frowned, “Is he out?”

“Zihao, the key may be at the top of the door.” Tao Xiaman pointed at the left part of the door, “It should be near here.”

“Fine.” Zhou Zihao nodded and found the key after several attempts. “There it is!”

“I couldn’t reach it when I was a child.” Tao Xiaman added.

Zhou Zihao led Tao Xiaman into the room… There was still no response in the room. He had observed the layout of the living room last time. “It seems that nobody is at home. Does your uncle have any family?”

Tao Xiaman walked toward the work station along with the wall…She couldn’t help stopping at the workstation and look vacantly at the wedding dress.

“It’s done!” Zhou Zihao came close, “No wonder he called me yesterday. It’s for you to try!”

“Did he… call you?” Tao Xiaman asked.

Zhou Zihao nodded, “I know why he sounded worried. I called him back but it failed to connect.” Zhou Zihao looked at the wedding dress. “It seemed that he went out for something urgent so that he had no time to fold the dress up.”

“Maybe…” Tao Xiaman tried to say something.

“Maybe what?”

Tao Xiaman shook her head, “Nothing… I want to wait for him.”

“Fine.” Zhou Zihao nodded, “Let’s sit there.”

“No…” Tao Xiaman refused, “I want to stay here.” She noticed the marks at the corner, “Zihao, take me there.” Zhou Zihao knew that these remarks were for measuring height. “Are these marks for your cousins?”

“For me.”

Tao Xiaman touched one remark which fitted her height exactly. Her hand covered the remark slightly as if touching the face of an old person.

“For me.” She stuck to the wall subconsciously. Zhou Zihao saw her eyes filling with tears.

“It might be made last time when Master Zhou measured your height for you.” Zhou Zihao thought for a while and said, “Your uncle must have treated you well. But strangely, he seemed to know about me before. I actually found his contact on a website and we have never met before.”

“I don’t… understand, either.” Tao Xiaman shook her head.

“Er…” Zhou Zihao said gently, “No more thinking. We can ask him directly when he is back. Oh, do you know where is the washroom?”

Tao Xiaman pointed for him…She was too familiar with this house. She sat down and sorted out the wedding dress slowly… She knew that it took great effort to finish the dress in a such short time.

There were many needles and threads on the box and many tissues with blood in the trash can. Blood from being pierced by needles

“Who…are you?” Tao Xiaman took a deep breath. She had a feeling that… the old man would never return here. She seemed to have kicked something at that moment and found many plastic lunch boxes under the workstation… It seemed that he ate take-outs all the time.

—‘I am buying it for a new friend. He is busy with work and always forgets to eat lunch.’

She bent down and held these boxes up while the conversations rang around her ear.

—‘He will always eat them no matter if the food is good or not.’

…

“Xiaman, are you hungry?” Zhou Zihao came out from the washing room. But he didn’t find her after searching all the rooms. Then, he found her cell phone on the sofa as well as her bags.

She vanished!

…

…

With the help of the wall, she moved jerkily towards a noodle shop.

The grey-haired boss of this noodle shop was doing the accounts. It was not lunch time, so he was stunned upon seeing Tao Xiaman walk in. “Hi, Miss. We have not opened yet.” However, noticing her injured leg, he helped to support her, “Are you OK?”

“I am fine…” Tao Xiaman shook her head, “May I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

Tao Xiaman hesitated for a while and asked, “Do you remember a young man who always ordered two set of noodles?”

“Er…” The boss thought for a while, “You mean the man ordering sliced noodles and topping noodles?”

“Yes. Did you see him today?”

“No… I also wondered why he didn’t come today.”

“What time does he come every day?”

“Er, usually in the morning or evening. But it depends, do you want to find him?”

“Boss, may I sit here for a while?”

“Of course you can.” The boss helped her sit down, “Miss. Coffee or tea?”

“No. Thank you.” Tao Xiaman asked him, “Did that man say something strange?”

“No.” The boss shook head, “He was quiet and paid the money without a word…. I need to do the accounting if nothing is needed.”

“It is alright, go ahead.”

Tao Xiaman sat alone and realized that she forgot to inform Zhou Zihao when she left. However, she found out she didn’t bring her phone with her when she wanted to call Zhou Zihao. She wanted to head back but just then, a boy with a ball came in at this time.

Then a fat woman shouted at the boy, “I told you not to play ball by the road. Now, you kicked it into the shop!”

“Mummy! I didn’t kick it, but it went in itself!” The boy was aggrieved.

“How could it be! You are lying even when you’re so small!” The woman came close to the boy and wanted to beat him. But the boy hid behind Tao Xiaman right away.

“Chen Cheng, come here!” The woman stood with arms on her waist. She felt sorry and apologize to Tao Xiaman, “I am so sorry. My son is very naughty…Oh? Are you Xiaman? Feng Xiaman? It’s me, Jiang Xiaomei!”

…

The two women began chatting while the boy was drinking a soda. “You went abroad, no wonder…” Jiang Xiaomei sighed, “I didn’t imagine that we would meet today.”

However, Tao Xiaman had met her once… but she didn’t call her out last time. She was looking at that boy and said gently, “Years have passed, you have had a son already.”

“Do you know who his father is?” Jiang Xiaomei asked.

“No.”

“Chen Zimu!”

“It’s him!” Tao Xiaman was shocked, “Oh, my God, you two got married!”

“Is that amazing?” Jiang Xiaomei smiled sweetly. “Everything’s possible. For example, we didn’t imagine you would transfer to another school so suddenly.”

“It’s nothing.” Tao Xiaman shook her head.

Jiang Xiaomei stopped this topic… She felt this Tao Xiaman was not the one she was familiar with before. Maybe they became estranged because of their families instead of the passing of time. “So why did you come back?”

“I am going to get married. My fiancé was born here.”

“Congratulations!” Jiang Xiaomei held her hands but loosened them soon.

Tao Xiaman grasp back her hands back, “Will you attend my wedding?”

“Of course!” Jiang Xiaomei lowered her head, “Xiaman, I felt sorry the way I treated you…”

“Forget about the past.”

Jiang Xiaomei smiled bitterly. She touched her boy’s head and said, “Our classmates, including me, shouldn’t have treated you that way. Since my child was born, I know that kids are innocent. They can understand what adults mean when they speak. And maybe they will keep it in their minds forever.”

Tao Xiaman said, “Just let it go. We can still sit down and chat together, right?”

“Yes, we are lucky. I am a full-time housewife and would pick up my son every day at this time before going to the market. I didn’t expect to see you again today.”

Tao Xiaman smiled.

“I remembered, Uncle Feng always took you here to eat. I haven’t been here for a long time,too… Oh, sorry.”

Tao Xiaman said nothing.

Jiang Xiaomei said after a pause, “Have you ever visited your father?”

“No. We haven’t met since he was arrested.”

“Do… you hate him?”

“Maybe.”

“Do you plan to visit him?” Jiang Xiaomei held her hand, “Actually, I can understand how parents feel since I am a mother. I love my child even when he makes me angry. So would Uncle Feng. He has paid for his mistakes and raised you up since your mother passed away. No matter what happened, he is your father.”

“Meimei…”

“Xiaman, you have been surrounded by happiness all this time. You have nice foster parents, a beloved fiancé. But you never felt happy, why?”

“I…”Tao Xiaman wanted to say something but failed.

“Xiaman! You are here!” Zhou Zihao ran over and held her hand at once, “Are you OK?”

“I am fine.” Tao Xiaman shook head.

Zhou Zihao noticed that there was a mother and a son here. “This is…”

“My classmate, Jiang Xiaomei.”

“Hello, nice to meet you.” Zhou Zihao said politely.

Jiang Xiaomei nodded and smiled to Tao Xiaman, “Aren’t I right? Who said you are not blessed. You are the one that never forgave yourself.”

…

“What did you talk about?” Jiang Xiaomei went to the supermarket with her son. Zhou Zihao asked Tao Xiaman curiously.

“Nothing special. She became naggy these years.”

“Parents are always naggy. Will you be like that someday?” Zhou Zihao asked seriously.

“You’re dead!”Tao Xiaman gently hit Zhou Zihao.

Who said she wasn’t blessed?

…

They went back to the old house again. Zhou Zihao hugged Tao Xiaman on the sofa and waited until the sky turned dark. The clock showed 9 p.m, then it showed 11 p.m. However, Master Zhou didn’t come back and the place became dark at night since there was no electricity.

Tao Xiaman fell asleep and had a strange dream. She was invisible in this house with only a small lamp on the workstation.

On a quiet night, an old man was sewing a wedding dress while squinting his eyes. She sat next to him for a long time. Yet, in an instant, she travelled to another strange place.

It was a cave. She heard a familiar voice saying, “…It is enough to chat and have a meal with her. It’s enough.”

“I shouldn’t be in her life. I can’t ruin her happiness. Send me back, please.”

She saw the old man disappearing in the mist and she herself sleeping in the cave. The, she woke up suddenly. It was dawn already and she was still with Zhou Zihao. Touching her face, she found tears filling her eyes.