Civil Engineering in the Mortal World: Ten Years Without Knowing Today's Events

On Saturday afternoon, I went to the county town again.

When I saw Xiaohui, she was alone; Aunt Wang wasn't with her.

I said to Xiaohui, "Let's go to the supermarket."

"Okay," she said.

She was wearing the same pink coat and white canvas shoes as last time, and her hair was tied in a ponytail.

I then took her on my electric scooter.

She sat in the back, gripping the edge of the seat with both hands, too afraid to hold onto me. The wind blew her hair up, brushing against my neck, making it tickle.

"Help me up," I said.

She didn't move.

"Hold me up, don't fall."

After a while, two hands gently grasped the clothes on both sides of my waist. It wasn't hugging, but pinching, as if pinching a piece of paper that was afraid of being torn.

The supermarket is in the center of the county town, a ten-minute ride by electric bike.

I parked the car, and she stood next to me, looking at the supermarket entrance, her eyes lighting up.

"Have you been here before?" I asked.

She shook her head.

I was a little surprised.

She lives in the county town, which is only a ten-minute bike ride from this supermarket, but she has never been inside.

Later I thought about it, maybe her parents were worried about letting her go out alone, or maybe she just didn't want to go out.

I'm twenty-six years old and have never been to a supermarket before. I didn't know what to say, so I just said, "Let's go."

The supermarket was large, brightly lit, and the floor was covered with white, reflective tiles.

When Xiao Hui walked in, her steps slowed slightly, as if she were blinded by the light. She followed behind me, two steps away, her eyes darting around, but she didn't dare to turn her head too much.

"What do you want to buy?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Then let's just wander around."

I led her between the shelves. Everything looked new and interesting to her, but she didn't touch anything.

When she passed the candy section, she stopped and stared at the row of colorful candies, her eyes fixed on them.

Which one would you like to eat?

She pointed to a type of fruit hard candy in transparent packaging, strawberry flavored.

I grabbed two bags and tossed them into the shopping cart. She looked at them for a while, then pointed to another type—milk flavor. I grabbed two more bags. She glanced at me, didn't say anything, but her lips twitched.

"anything else?"

She shook her head.

As she passed the toy section, she stopped in front of a row of plush toys, picked up a pink rabbit, hugged it to her chest, and stroked its ears.

"Does it look like yours?" I asked.

She nodded and put the rabbit back. Before putting it back, she stroked its ears again.

"Buy one?"

She shook her head, tugged at my sleeve, and left.

She pulled at my sleeve. Not my hand, but my sleeve. Her fingers gently pinched my cuff, as if afraid of wrinkling it.

I glanced down at her hands. Her nails were trimmed short and neat, her fingers were slender, and her knuckles were distinct.

When she went to pay, she took a plastic bag out of her pocket, which contained change: one-yuan notes, five-yuan notes, and a few coins. She opened the bag and rummaged through it.

"It's my treat," I said.

She looked up at me and shook her head.

"It's my treat," I said again.

She clutched the plastic bag in her hand, lowered her head, and remained silent. I paid the money, put the candy in the bag, and handed it to her. She took the bag, hugged it to her chest, like she was hugging a plush rabbit.

Stepping out of the supermarket, the sun was blazing. She squinted, clutching the bag of candy, standing at the supermarket entrance, a thin layer of red on her face. It was unclear whether it was from the sun or something else.

"Shall we go sit in the park?" I asked.

She nodded.

There were more people in the park than last time. Several children were running on the grass, and an old man was flying a kite. The string was very long, and the kite floated in the sky like a bird that couldn't find a place to land.

I found a bench under the shade of a tree and sat down. Xiao Hui sat next to me, put the candy on her lap, and held the bag with both hands to prevent it from being blown away by the wind.

"What do you usually do at home?" I asked.

"watch TV."

"What are you looking at?"

"cartoon."

"What cartoon?"

She thought for a moment. "Bear in the Wild."

I paused for a moment, then said softly, "Is it pretty?"

She nodded. "Bald Qiang is funny."

"You like Bald Qiang?"

"Yeah. He can never seem to cut down the trees."

I looked at her.

When she said that, she had an innocent expression on her face, like a child telling a story she truly loved. Her eyes weren't empty anymore. There was a light in them, faint, but definitely there.

"I'll take a look next time," I said.

She turned to look at me, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly. This time I was sure, it was a smile.

We sat in the park for over an hour.

She didn't talk much, and neither did I.

The two of them just sat there, watching the children run, watching the kites fly, and watching the magpies hop on the grass.

Occasionally she would say, "That bird is so big."

I said "Mm".

Occasionally I would ask, "Are you thirsty?"

She shook her head.

Around four o'clock, her phone rang. She answered it, said "Hmm," then "Okay," and hung up.

"My mom wants me to go back," she said.

"I send you."

I stood up, and she stood up too, picking up the bag of candy. As she left, she glanced back at the park, seemingly looking at something.

On the way home on my electric scooter, she sat behind me, holding candy in one hand and clutching my sleeve with the other. The wind blew her hair up and brushed against my neck.

She lives in an old-style walk-up building, six stories high, with red brick walls, and her home is on the third floor.

When we arrived at her building, she got out of the car, stood at the bottom of the stairs holding candy, and looked at me.

Goodbye, Brother Chen.

"goodbye."

She turned and went upstairs, but after a few steps, she turned back.

"Brother Chen, have a great day!"

Then she went upstairs. Her footsteps grew fainter and fainter in the hallway until they disappeared from sight.

I stood downstairs and looked up at the third-floor window. The curtains moved slightly; I wondered if someone was watching.

My phone vibrated. It will be sent later.

"Brother Chen, the candy is sweet."

I replied with two words: "That's good."

Then I rode my electric bike to the construction site, my mind replaying her words, "Have a good day today."

When I returned to the construction site, the sun was already setting. The site was quiet; the workers hadn't started work yet. I went into the office, sat down, and saw a note on the desk.

Written by Xiao Liu.

"Brother Chen, the supplier delivered three truckloads of steel bars, and I signed for them. The warranty certificate is on your desk."

I picked up the warranty certificate and flipped through it; the model, specifications, and quantity were all correct. I signed it and put it back.

Leaning back in my chair, I took out my phone and scrolled to Xiaohui's chat window.

She posted a photo—the two bags of candy on a floral tablecloth, next to her plush bunny.

"Brother Chen, even rabbits eat candy."

I smiled.

Rabbits don't eat sugar.

"That rabbit watched me eat."

Then I put my phone on the table and leaned back in my chair.

Time flies, and the sun outside the window slowly sets.

People started moving around on the construction site. The sound of a pump truck starting up came from afar, rumbling, deep and powerful.

I stood up and put on my helmet.

Step out of the office.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I didn't look at it and kept walking.

Then Old Wang saw me and came over.

"Engineer Chen, has the supervisor changed his ways these past few days?"

I said, "I don't know."

"Could he be preparing some amazing move?"

"Maybe."

Then Old Wang shook his head and walked away.

For no reason, I felt uneasy, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.