Chapter 88
Childhood Sweetheart 2

The young boy, tall and thin, was still growing. He didn’t yet have the broad shoulders and abs that would later become so admired. But as he bent down, looking over with a hint of impatience, Lin Qiao couldn’t help but smile, finding him utterly adorable.

Who would have thought that Ji Duo, so serious and self-restrained, would have been like this as a child?

She didn’t hesitate, taking a few quick steps forward, tiptoeing to wrap her small arms around the boy’s neck.

It was Ji Duo’s first time carrying a girl or even a child.

Ji Ze, six years younger, was a boy who always ran after him. Lin Qiao was different—small, short-legged, and the daughter of his father’s comrade. If she fell while running, she’d definitely cry and annoy everyone. Thinking this, he felt her arms around his neck and her small, light body on his back. She was so light and soft that he couldn’t help but adjust her, “Hold on tight.”

“Okay,” Lin Qiao tightened her short arms around him. Knowing he was afraid of dropping her, she smiled and kissed his cheek.

Ji Duo, who was just getting up, felt something wet and soft touch him, making him stiffen and almost lose his balance.

“What are you doing? Move again, and I’ll put you down!” he glared back at her.

The winter morning sun was bright, and Lin Qiao clearly saw the boy’s cold face with a hint of red on his ears from the warm sun. He was so cute, even more so than the stern man he would become.

Lin Qiao’s short legs swung as he carried her, and she asked, “Brother, aren’t you going out to play?”

“Not if you keep moving,” Ji Duo’s tone was still harsh, but he opened the courtyard door and stepped over the threshold steadily.

With long strides, the tall boy quickly reached the alley entrance, where, as Su Zheng had said, several half-grown kids were waiting.

In those days, it was common for families to have many children and older kids often took care of the younger ones. However, Ji Duo’s appearance with Lin Qiao on his back drew a lot of attention.

“When did your mom have another sister for you?” someone couldn’t help but ask.

Lin Qiao peeked her little head out from behind him, but before she could say anything, Su Zheng burst out laughing, “That’s his child bride.”

Despite all the warnings, Lin Qiao didn’t say anything, but Su Zheng, with his big mouth, couldn’t keep quiet.

“She’s my dad’s comrade’s niece,” Ji Duo said, not putting Lin Qiao down but kicking at Su Zheng.

This time, Su Zheng had somewhere to run, turning and darting away. “Your little wife is still on your back. Aren’t you afraid of dropping her?”

Ji Duo got even more annoyed but subconsciously tightened his grip on Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao noticed and hugged his neck tighter. “I’m not afraid, brother. Chase him!”

So, Su Zheng didn’t get far before Ji Duo, suddenly speeding up, caught up and kicked him in the butt.

“You’re really not afraid of dropping her?” Su Zheng stumbled, quickly hiding behind someone else, looking at them in disbelief.

Then Ji Duo feinted and kicked him again.

This guy was a troublemaker, always looking for something to provoke, even though he was at the bottom of the food chain. After being subdued, he finally behaved.

Lin Qiao laughed at his grimace, “You didn’t carry anyone, and you still couldn’t run faster.” Her childish voice was almost mocking, making everyone around laugh.

Su Zheng raised his fist, pretending to be fierce, “Watch out when your brother Ji Duo isn’t around. I’ll beat you up.”

When it came to being intimidating, who could match her brother Ji Duo’s presence?

Lin Qiao wasn’t scared at all. She looked down at him from Ji Duo’s back, “You can’t reach.”

Su Zheng, who indeed developed later, was still shorter than Ji Duo even when he grew up. Hearing this, he immediately got riled up, pretending to roll up his sleeves, “Little girl, you think I can’t beat you?”

Lin Qiao shrank her head back, hiding behind Ji Duo, “Brother Ji Duo, save me!”

Ji Duo turned his body to shield her.

“Put her down, brother!” Su Zheng tried to charge forward but was pulled back by someone, “You’ve never beaten him, and you still provoke him.”

Lin Qiao peeked out and saw a face with thick eyebrows and a warm, bright smile.

A face she was very familiar with but had never truly seen.

Su Zheng, just pretending, turned and asked the newcomer, “Shaoping, why are you so late?”

The lively Gu Shaoping, only thirteen this year, was holding a basketball. He looked back and said, “Shao Zhen lost her top. I helped her find it.” His eyebrows were lively, unlike the black-and-white photos that forever captured that moment.

Following his gaze, Lin Qiao saw a little girl of about six or seven behind him. She looked shorter than her actual age, holding a whip and a top, with heroic eyebrows but a timid expression.

Seeing Lin Qiao looking over, she stood behind her brother. Gu Shaoping, knowing his sister was shy, raised his hand to protect her.

Afterward, he said embarrassedly, “She’s a bit afraid of strangers.”

Lin Qiao, more easily affected by emotions in her current state, felt her eyes warm as she looked at the siblings. She thought it was wonderful that Shaoping was still alive and that Shaozhen hadn’t gone missing yet.

This time, everyone was still young and lively, with no one leaving and no one burdened with unresolved issues or grief, which was a stark contrast to the fourteen years that followed.

Lin Qiao blinked hard and gave a bright smile, “It’s okay, hello, brother.”

Her bright, almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile, with a playful mole at the corner, making Su Zheng pause and ask Ji Duo, “Why doesn’t your child bride call me brother?”

Ji Duo didn’t say anything, took the basketball from Gu Shaoping’s hands, and threw it directly at Su Zheng.

In 1965, basketballs and footballs were rare in China. Back home, they still played with balls made of bundled newspapers. After walking a distance, they finally found an outdoor basketball court. It was called a basketball court, but it was just two hoops without nets, with simple lines drawn on the ground with white chalk.

Because there were few balls, the court wasn’t crowded. Ji Duo placed Lin Qiao at the edge of the court, then thought better of it and moved her further out, holding her under her arms. Even though there was only a nine-year age difference between them, Lin Qiao had never felt it was significant when interacting with him before. However, eighteen-year-old Lin Qiao and twenty-seven-year-old Ji Duo had a maturity gap. A three-and-a-half-year-old Lin Qiao in front of a twelve-year-old Ji Duo was just a little bean sprout.

Ji Duo effortlessly lifted her, “You stay here and don’t run around.” He then remembered, “I should have brought you some marbles.”

Lin Qiao, not really three and a half, nodded, “I’ll stay here.”

The boy was still worried, “Don’t go to the court. If someone bumps into you or you get hit, you’ll cry.”

Lin Qiao continued nodding and found a small stone to sit on, indicating she wouldn’t move.

“How about letting her play with me?” someone suggested softly.

Lin Qiao looked over and saw it was Gu Shaozhen, holding a small whip and a top.

Seeing Lin Qiao looking at her, the little girl was a bit shy but repeated, “Let her play with me.”

“That works,” Ji Duo, familiar with his friend’s sister, relaxed his frown.

Just then, Su Zheng called out to him, “Are you playing or not?” The boy responded with a cold face and hurried back to the court.

Now, only the two little girls were left. Gu Shaozhen looked at Lin Qiao but didn’t dare to speak. Lin Qiao, however, was straightforward, her eyes falling on the items in Gu Shaozhen’s arms, “Are you going to spin the top?”

“Yes.” She nodded and handed the items to Lin Qiao. “You can play with it.” She was quite generous, willing to share her toys even with a little sister she had just met.

Lin Qiao took the items and found that the top was carved from wood, with a steel ball inside, making it a bit heavy. The whip was made of nylon rope, with a thick handle and a thin tip, just the right length for Gu Shaozhen’s height but a bit long for Lin Qiao.

In her previous life, Lin Qiao had many toys but had never played with this one. She tried placing the top on the ground and whipping it. After two failed attempts, she finally hit it on the third try, but the wooden top just wobbled and didn’t spin.

“You have to wrap the top first to make it spin,” Gu Shaozhen demonstrated from the side.

Seeing that Gu Shaozhen dared to demonstrate but not approach, Lin Qiao handed the whip back to her, “You spin it, sister. I’ll watch.”

Gu Shaozhen’s face turned red, “I, I’m not…”

Lin Qiao simply put the whip in her hand, her eyes curved into a smile, “Sister, spin it for me.”

Gu Shaozhen, always taken care of by her brother, rarely had such a soft and cute little sister calling her “sister.”

Feeling the trust in those bright eyes, she tightened her grip on the whip, picked up the top from the ground, and carefully wrapped it. Later, she was able to get into a good school because she was very focused when doing things. Soon, she forgot all her other worries. With a flick of the whip, the top hit the ground, bounced once, and started spinning.

Gu Shaozhen was clearly skilled at this. Her eyes were fixed on the top, and she always managed to whip it at the right moment to keep it spinning. Her expression was no longer timid. After several successful spins, she remembered Lin Qiao beside her and stopped, “That’s how you play it.”

Lin Qiao wasn’t impatient at all and clapped her hands, “Sister, you’re amazing!” Her clapping was loud, and her expression was very sincere, making Gu Shaozhen’s face turn completely red, but her eyes were bright.

Shy children need encouragement the most. After clapping, Lin Qiao gestured for her to continue, “Sister, spin it again.”

Gu Shaozhen’s ears turned completely red, “I, I’ll teach you.”

“Sure,” Lin Qiao tilted her little head.

Soon, the whip and the children’s admiring voices filled the court again, “That’s amazing! Can you do it again?”

Ji Duo glanced over and saw the little girl with her big almond-shaped eyes wide open, her small hands almost clapping red.

“What are you looking at?” Su Zheng intercepted his ball, dribbling and laughing back at him.

Ji Duo didn’t say anything, jumped up to block Su Zheng’s shot, and seamlessly dribbled past him to score a basket.

“Nice shot!” Gu Shaoping praised as he ran back to defend.

Ji Duo couldn’t help but think of the similar praise he had just heard. As he walked back, he glanced at the sidelines.

The little girl wasn’t even looking at him, “Sister, you’re the best sister I’ve ever seen!”

By the time the game ended, the two little girls were holding hands, with no sign of Gu Shaozhen’s earlier shyness.

Seeing Ji Duo come off the court, Lin Qiao let go of her hand and walked towards him, waving back at Gu Shaozhen, “Sister, teach me again next time.”

Gu Shaozhen, blushing, shyly replied, “Okay.”

As they walked back, she tugged at her brother’s sleeve, “Can we find my shorter whip?”

“Why do you need that?” Gu Shaoping wiped his sweat, initially not understanding.

“For Qiao Qiao,” Gu Shaozhen whispered, holding the whip, “Qiao Qiao is small and can’t handle this long one.”

“Did you mean that Ji Duo’s little child bride?” Gu Shaoping finally realized.

“Her name is Qiao Qiao,” Gu Shaozhen corrected softly.

“Yes, Qiao Qiao.” Gu Shaoping followed suit, looking at his sister’s rare expectant face, “Do you like Qiao Qiao, Shaozhen?”

“Do you like Shaozhen?” On the way back, Ji Duo also asked Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao nodded her head, not stingy with her praise: “Sister is amazing. She’s so good at spinning tops.”

As if anyone couldn’t spin a top…

Ji Duo didn’t say anything, carrying her all the way back, and they ran into Ye Minshu coming out. She was there to ask Grandpa Ji for help, but perhaps because of the child bride issue, things weren’t going smoothly. Seeing Ji Duo and Lin Qiao, with Ji Duo carrying Lin Qiao on his back, she couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy, “You two had fun.”

Ji Duo didn’t understand her implication, nodded, and called out, “Sister-in-law.”

As they were about to go inside, Lin Qiao turned her head and mimicked him, also calling out, “Sister-in-law.”

Hearing the childish call, Ye Minshu was momentarily stunned.

Actually, Lin Qiao’s way of addressing the Ji family members was quite mixed up. She called Grandpa Ji and Xu Li “Grandpa” and “Grandma,” called Ji Duo “Brother,” and called Ji Ze “Little Nephew.”

Ji Ze couldn’t understand it at all. Clearly, he was younger than Lin Qiao, so how did he become the “Little Nephew”?

To correct this, he brought over some cards he had collected from cigarette boxes and even gave Lin Qiao two shrimp-flavored candies, saying, “Call me brother.”

Lin Qiao accepted the candies from her “Little Nephew” and seriously said, “No.”

“Why not?” Little Ji Ze was obviously shocked by this.

Lin Qiao, with a serious face, said, “I call you brother, I call your uncle brother, what do you call him?”

Ji Ze thought about it and, at six or seven years old, his little brain got confused. Getting him confused was good. Otherwise, if he kept chasing her to call him brother, he might end up being beaten by his uncle and calling her grandma in the future.

Ji Duo didn’t like sweets, and he hadn’t liked them since he was a teenager. So, Lin Qiao ended up sharing the two shrimp-flavored candies with Gu Shaozhen, who came to play with her. The awkward and shy little girl tried to give the candies back to her.

Lin Qiao was very insistent, “Sister taught me how to spin the top, so it’s for her.”

Finally, Gu Shaozhen put it in her pocket and handed Lin Qiao something she had brought, “Here, you can play with this.”

It was a smaller set of a whip and a top. Lin Qiao tried it and found the length and weight just right, her eyes immediately curving into a smile, “Thank you, sister.”

Gu Shaozhen looked relieved and gave a shy smile, “You’re welcome.”

Ji Duo went to school, and with nothing to do at home, Lin Qiao held hands with Gu Shaozhen and went out to find a smooth place nearby to spin the top.

The smaller set worked perfectly since she was small and not very strong. She could finally get the top spinning, and her aim with the whip also improved. The two little girls took turns playing until noon.

Lin Qiao looked at the sky, “Should I go back?”

Gu Shaozhen nodded and was about to pick up the top from the ground when an eight- or nine-year-old boy ran over and kicked it away. The top hit a nearby courtyard wall with a “crack,” and laughter erupted around them.

Gu Shaozhen was stunned, her eyes turning red, but she bit her lip and didn’t make a sound. The boys who had just come back from school laughed even louder, kicking the top further and further away. One of them shouted at Lin Qiao, “Her parents are dead, and you still dare to play with her? Aren’t you afraid she’ll bring you bad luck?” Before he could finish, he got a solid hit on his front teeth from the small top Lin Qiao threw.

At the age of losing his baby teeth, the boy had a loose front tooth that hurt so much it brought tears to his eyes, “You!”

He angrily stepped forward, reaching out his hand, but before he could touch her, the little girl had already fallen to the ground, followed by a cry loud enough to lift the roof.

“Brother Ji Duo, someone hit me!”