Maybe it was because of those few words Chen Chao said at the time, but for a long time afterward, that motorcycle and that man never appeared on that country road again. Although Chen Chao didn't know anything then, his words would make one think he already knew everything. A middle-aged man who molested a middle school boy, in a small village like this, would be finished if anyone spoke out.

The other party probably didn't expect Miao Jiayan to tell anyone about this, as children his age are usually terrified of such things. So even though Chen Chao didn't say much then, the mere suspicion that "someone already knows" was enough to make the man have second thoughts.

Chen Chao kept Miao Jiayan practically glued to his side every day. Although the man never came back, it didn't make them feel much safer.

Miao Jiayan's parents weren't around, and usually, only his grandparents were at home. He himself was thin and small, a completely vulnerable target. After Chen Chao's initial anger subsided, he slowly began to realize many things.

Miao Jiayan's uniqueness made it inevitable that he would encounter this kind of trouble in the future.

"Miao'er." Chen Chao glanced at Miao Jiayan, who was picking at the label on a piece of paper beside him, and called out his name.

Miao Jiayan's back shot straight up. Caught slacking off, he said "Mhm" with a bit of a guilty conscience and lowered his head to continue with his homework.

Chen Chao tapped on his homework and asked, "Are you done?"

"Almost..." Miao Jiayan lowered his head, feigning concentration. "Just about."

"Just about what? You've barely written anything at all." Chen Chao exposed his lie, lifting the first worksheet to look underneath, where several other blank worksheets were still lying.

Miao Jiayan smiled sheepishly. He never focused when doing homework anyway, and besides, it was only Saturday morning. There was no rush.

"This is wrong," Chen Chao pointed at a major problem he had just completed. "Can't you be more careful?"

Miao Jiayan looked and saw that although his calculation had clearly resulted in "1," he had written "-1" as the final answer.

"Oh, oh," Miao Jiayan quickly crossed it out to rewrite it. "I copied it wrong."

Miao Jiayan crossed out the small "-" sign, but Chen Chao said, "Don't just cross out half of it. Cross out the whole thing and rewrite it."

"Okay, okay." Miao Jiayan had no choice but to cross out the entire thing and rewrite "1".

That wasn't why Chen Chao had called him over in the first place. Seeing Miao Jiayan's dazed and confused look, Chen Chao said, "Why don't you go back to your parents?"

Miao Jiayan didn't even process it at first. He froze for a moment, then looked up. "...Huh?"

"You're like a left-behind child here," Chen Chao said. "Without your parents around, anyone can bully you."

"I do... have parents..." Miao Jiayan said innocently.

"You have parents, but they aren't here," Chen Chao added. "It makes no difference. When people bully you, there's no one to back you up."

Miao Jiayan looked at Chen Chao but didn't say something like, "I have you," because they both knew Chen Chao wouldn't be here forever.

He never belonged here.

"You can't stay here forever. Sooner or later, you'll have to leave," Chen Chao said.

Miao Jiayan normally didn't like to hear talk about this, but since it was Chen Chao saying it, he was willing to listen.

"What will you do for school after I leave?" Chen Chao thought of that long country road flanked by cotton fields, with very few lights along the entire stretch. Next year, Miao Jiayan would have to start attending evening self-study sessions, and he would be all alone then.

The words "after I leave" pricked Miao Jiayan slightly. His eyelashes trembled imperceptibly.

"What will you do if someone corners you then?" Chen Chao frowned. "Aren't you scared?"

"I'm scared," Miao Jiayan said honestly.

"You're getting older, and you don't want to cut your hair. All sorts of people will come looking for trouble with you," Chen Chao added.

"I can take the school bus..." Miao Jiayan said softly, his head lowered.

"Then why don't you take it now?" Chen Chao asked directly.

Miao Jiayan fell silent again.

On the school bus, no matter where he sat, the seat next to him was always empty. No one would sit with him; they would rather squeeze in with someone else. The students on the bus would always make nasty, veiled remarks. The first time Chen Chao saw Miao Jiayan on the road, it was because Miao Jiayan couldn't stand being on the bus any longer and had to get off.

"Schools in the city are actually like this too, not necessarily better than here," Chen Chao didn't have high hopes for city schools either. "But at least people won't corner you or provoke you. You'll be much safer."

Chen Chao always gave off the impression of a very reliable older brother. Even though he was only in his third year of middle school, there was always something "different" about him compared to the other kids here. He patiently explained these things to Miao Jiayan, and Miao Jiayan answered him earnestly.

"I don't want to leave my grandparents, and I don't want to go to my parents' place either," Miao Jiayan said in a low voice. "My mom dislikes me a little, and so does my dad."

"Then you can board at school," Chen Chao said. "And not come home on weekdays."

Miao Jiayan didn't respond. After saying it, Chen Chao himself suddenly felt that making Miao Jiayan leave the familiar place where he had lived for over ten years for a strange, indifferent environment might not actually be better than his current situation.

Summer passed, and autumn passed. When the snow began to fall in winter, they could no longer hear each other shouting across the windows.

Chen Chao would often collect a few small stones and place them on his windowsill. When he wanted to get Miao Jiayan's attention, he would use a small stone to tap on the opposite window. As soon as the window made a sound, Miao Jiayan would know.

One day, Chen Chao threw a stone with just the right amount of force, and a crack appeared on Miao Jiayan's window.

Miao Jiayan looked at the diagonal crack, opened his window, and whispered to the person opposite, "You broke my window."

Chen Chao said, "Impossible."

"It's true," Miao Jiayan stuck his arm out, tracing the line of the crack. "It's cracked."

Chen Chao squinted and looked carefully. Against the light, there really was a fine crack. Chen Chao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Miao Jiayan made a "shh" gesture at him.

After that, Miao Jiayan placed an empty flowerpot outside and told Chen Chao to throw stones into it for fun. This way, even if his aim was off, the clattering of the small stones would still be audible.

Over time, a shallow layer of small stones accumulated at the bottom of the flowerpot.

Heating in the village was self-managed. Grandpa Chen was always afraid Chen Chao would be cold, so he kept the fire burning strong in the winter. Even so, it would only get warm in the afternoons; the mornings were always cold. When he got up in the morning, the sky outside would still be dark and the room would be cold. As soon as winter arrived, Chen Chao became someone who had trouble getting out of bed.

Miao Jiayan had already gotten up early, washed and dried his hair, and gotten ready. When he came over to wait for Chen Chao to go to school together, Grandma Chen said, "He hasn't come down yet."

"Huh?" Miao Jiayan glanced at the wall clock, surprised. By this time, Chen Chao should have usually been finishing his breakfast.

Miao Jiayan went upstairs with his schoolbag on his back. Seeing Chen Chao was still asleep, he quickly called out, "Brother Chao!"

Chen Chao's eyes flew open. He reacted instantly, jolting upright in bed.

"What's wrong?" Miao Jiayan reached out to touch his forehead. "Are you not feeling well?"

"No, I overslept." Chen Chao stood on the floor, pulling on his clothes as he spoke.

Miao Jiayan grabbed his pants and handed them to him, asking, "You're still not wearing long johns? It's really cold."

"I don't wear them. I don't have any long johns." Chen Chao was already dressed and ran to the bathroom. Standing in front of the toilet, he yelled to Miao Jiayan, "Pack my schoolbag!"

"Okay!" Miao Jiayan helped Chen Chao pack his schoolbag. While putting in the English book, an envelope fell out. It was sky-blue with a cartoon cloud drawn on it. The seal on the envelope hadn't been broken yet; it clearly hadn't been opened.

Chen Chao had always been popular and often received love letters from girls.

Miao Jiayan quickly tucked the envelope back into the book and put them both into the schoolbag.

Chen Chao quickly washed up and went downstairs, with Miao Jiayan following, carrying his schoolbag.

There was clearly no time for breakfast. Grandma Chen had gotten up early specifically to make sweet pancakes, wanting them to eat before they left.

"There's not enough time. We'll eat them tonight when we get back," Chen Chao said.

"Then should I pack a couple for you to take?" Grandma Chen asked.