Chapter 8: The Stubborn Mule Lu Yu

Chapter 8: The Stubborn Donkey Lu Yu

The two little kids walked slowly along the winding path. The stone path was slick with snow, and one wrong step could send you tumbling.

Lu Yu asked, "Where do you live?"

Cheng Miao pointed ahead. "Just follow this path down—the house on the slope is mine. Hey, where do you live?"

Lu Yu replied, "The second house."

Cheng Miao thought that was weird. "That can't be right. There's only our house on the slope, and no one lives further up."

Lu Yu said nothing. So he was a new addition—then what was the point of that? Why would someone like him be added?

As they slowly climbed the slope, Cheng Miao grabbed Lu Yu's hand and pulled him to a door. "Look, this is my house."

Lu Yu looked around. The courtyard was square, neat, and tidy. Snow had been swept to both sides of the yard, clearing a path to the front door.

Cheng Miao pointed to a tricycle in the yard. "That's the cart my parents use for work. They should be back by now."

Lu Yu gave a faint "Mm." Then he said, "I live in the house up above," and kept walking.

Cheng Miao hurried after him. "I haven't even seen your house yet!"

"There's nothing to see," Lu Yu said slowly, though he didn't stop him.

The two yards were separated by just a wall. It took only a few steps to reach Lu Yu's house. Part of the east wall had collapsed, garbage was piled in the corner, and the whole place was falling apart.

They went inside, but it wasn't much warmer than outside. In the north, people cooked on the heated brick bed in winter—cooking and warming the bed at the same time, so the room would heat up fast.

Cheng Miao looked at the iron pot on the brick bed, with steamed buns inside that had clearly been reheated many times. He leaned down to peek into the firebox and saw only a few pieces of wood, like it hadn't been lit in ages.

"Ugh, you can't live here in winter. What kind of life is this?" Cheng Miao said, looking worried.

"Why don't you come stay at my house? My mom's tough on me, but she's really nice to other kids."

Lu Yu said flatly, "It's fine. I'll just clean things up."

Cheng Miao was getting annoyed. Why was this guy so stubborn? He tried to reason with him. "You're just a kid. How are you gonna fix this up? You need to chop wood, you need to cook—can you even do that?"

Lu Yu said, slowly and clearly, "I can."

Cheng Miao wasn't giving up. "You really won't come? How about just coming for lunch? My mom's cooking is amazing!"

"No," Lu Yu said curtly, poking around in the firebox, trying to figure out how to get a fire going.

Seeing he couldn't convince him, Cheng Miao had no choice but to head home.

As soon as he walked in, a wave of warmth hit him. His mom was busy cooking.

When she saw Cheng Miao, she said, "Miaomiao's back! It's freezing out there today." Then she urged, "Hurry up and get on the kang. We're having stew for lunch—I steamed two big buns for you."

Cheng Miao took off his shoes and climbed onto the kang. The steam from the buns and the heat from the bed warmed him from both ends, and soon the chill faded, leaving him all warm and cozy.

Cheng Miao wasn't in a good mood. He was worried about Lu Yu and kept glancing at his mom.

Finally, once the stew was simmering and the buns were in the steamer, his mom had a free moment.

Cheng Miao took the chance to ask, "Mom, what's up with Lu Yu's family next door? I went to his house just now and no one was there."

"Why'd you go to his house?" His mom frowned, immediately on guard.

Cheng Miao chose his words carefully. "Some older kids were picking on me today, and Lu Yu helped me out. I walked home with him."

Cheng Miao had always been good-looking, so older kids often teased him—just pushing him around or pinching his cheeks, the usual kid stuff.

But every time, Cheng Miao would end up crying. So his mom had always worried about him getting bullied, and the fastest way to win her over was to protect her son. Cheng Miao planned to score some points for Lu Yu.

Sure enough, his mom's face darkened. "Who? Who's picking on you again?"

Cheng Miao quickly reassured her. "It's fine. Lu Yu's helped me a few times now. If we can't handle it, we'll tell the teacher."

His mom nodded approvingly. "Right, go to the teacher if something happens. Lu Yu... ah, he's a pitiful kid too."

"What happened to his family?" Cheng Miao asked quickly.

"His mom was crossing the train tracks at night and got hit by a train. Lu Yu was only about three then. His dad was never any good—loved drinking, and when he got drunk he'd beat his wife. After she died, he beat his son instead. That little kid was beaten until there wasn't a patch of good skin left on him."

His mom took a sip of water and paused. "Now, I hear he's remarried—living with a widow who has a daughter. That man's got a screw loose too. Won't take care of his own son, but raises someone else's kid."

Cheng Miao's face fell. "So he just doesn't take care of Lu Yu?"

His mom sneered. "Sometimes he comes back to check on him, gives him a little money, and maybe beats him too. Honestly, it'd be better if he never came back. Over the years, the neighbors have brought Lu Yu some food now and then. That kid's tough—he's survived."

Cheng Miao felt a knot in his chest. He scrambled to his feet—he had to go see that stubborn mule Lu Yu. The one who had suffered was the old Lu Yu, but the current Lu Yu was his real roommate now.

"Where are you off to?" his mom said, grabbing Cheng Miao as he hurriedly put on his shoes. "Dinner's almost ready!"

Cheng Miao looked up, gazing at his mom very seriously, and asked, "Mom, can I bring Lu Yu to our house? Let him stay with me, okay?"

His mom said instinctively, "He has a home of his own. Why would you—"

Cheng Miao looked at her with pleading eyes. He knew his parents were still supporting him, and he couldn't ask them to support Lu Yu too. But he really didn't want Lu Yu to live alone in that icebox—especially since Lu Yu might have been brought here because of him.

Cheng Miao took his mom's hand, his eyes begging. His mom looked at her son's reddening eyes—he always got teary when upset—and couldn't help but find it amusing.

His dad happened to walk in, and the moment he saw Cheng Miao's pitiful expression, he teased, "Who's gone and upset my little girl?"

Cheng Miao had always been a crybaby and was good-looking to boot. His dad had always wanted a daughter, so Cheng Miao played double duty—his mom's good son and his dad's little girl.

"Your little girl wants to bring Lu Yu from next door home as a live-in son-in-law!" his mom said with a laugh.

"That sounds great. That Lu Yu kid seems decent to me," his dad said with a chuckle.

His mom turned around and wiped the corner of Cheng Miao's eye. "Alright, don't cry now. Aren't you going out? The wind will make your eyes swell up."

"Then I'll bring him back, and you guys can raise him together," Cheng Miao insisted.

"Ha, then you'll have to eat a bit less," his mom said, giving him a gentle push. "Go on, go get him!"

Cheng Miao hugged his mom and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom!"

With that, he dashed out the door, heading straight for Lu Yu's house. Snowflakes began to fall again.