Twenty-two
Then they began to climb and they were going to the East it seemed, and then it darkened and they were in a storm, the rain so thick it seemed like flying through a waterfall, and then they were out and Compie turned his head and grinned and pointed and there, ahead, all he could see, as wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was the square top of Kilimanjaro. And then he knew that there was where he was going.
“Please come again soon!”
The glass door closed behind them. With his stomach full of hot food, Xu Ping felt warm and lazy as though he were in a steamy sauna. “Let’s go home.” Xu Ping turned around to tell his brother. “Okay.” The moon was especially bright tonight, and with the fragrance of jasmines hovering in the evening air, the ground seemed to be covered with a thin layer of snow. Although the past week had been tough and the following week was not going to be any easier, Xu Ping felt content for the brief period of rest. As he unlocked the bicycle lock, he asked, “Do you want to ride the bicycle home or walk home?” Xu Zheng kept his head low in contemplation. Xu Ping looked up at the moon and said, “We haven’t taken walks in the evening for a long time. Let’s take a walk and digest some of this food.” Without a peep, Xu Zheng reached forward to grab his brother’s hand. The younger boy’s hand was different from Xu Ping’s in that it was constantly warm. Once upon a time, Xu Ping could easily wrap the boy’s fist in one hand, but now he had the impression that he wouldn’t be able to break free from the hand around his fingers. When did his baby brother get this big? “We haven’t measured your height and weight in a long time. Remember to drop by the health clinic next time we pass it.” “Okay.” He had taken his brother around on the back of the bicycle ever since he could remember, but recently he was beginning to find it taxing. He could no longer go over a hill by stepping harder on the pedal but instead had to let Xu Zheng off and walk the hill together. Xu Ping put a palm flat on Xu Zheng’s shoulder and eyeballed his height. “I think you grew again this month. My head reached your eyes before, but now it’s only at your nose. If this goes on, you’ll hit six feet before the end of summer.” Xu Zheng took his brother’s hand from his head and placed in against his own chest. After a moment of faltering, a bashful Xu Ping gently pulled his hand back. “Okay, it’s getting late now. We have to go home. Come on now.” He hurriedly pushed the bicycle along, but after a few steps he realized his brother wasn’t following him. He looked back with the same haste. Xu Zheng was standing in the same spot staring at his brother with a gaze so intent and still that Xu Ping felt his heart skip a beat. “What’s wrong, Xiao-Zheng?” Xu Zheng stepped towards his brother and hugged the older boy before beginning to rub his head on his brother’s shoulder like a dog trying to get its owner’s attention. Both a little annoyed and entertained, Xu Ping lifted his brother’s face up. “What’s wrong?” Instead of answering, Xu Zheng took a few sniffs of his brother’s shoulder and neck like a hound before burying his face again. Xu Ping gave a few pushes, but the other boy would not budge. “What is it? Something you want me to buy for you?” Xu Zheng shook his head. Xu Ping let the bicycle lean against him while he wrapped his arm around his brother. “You know, Xiao-Zheng, you can tell me if you have any troubles.” He rubbed his brother’s back lovingly. “There’s a lot I can’t do, but if it’s something I can do, I will make your wishes come true.” Xu Zheng muttered a quiet “okay.” “Did you get bullied at school?” Xu Zheng shook his head. “Did the teacher scold you?” Xu Zheng shook his head again. “Don’t like him.” “Huh?” Xu Ping was confused. “Who?” “He kept touching your shoulder! I don’t like him! Don’t like him!” As Xu Zheng said this, he kept nuzzling his brother’s shoulder as if he were trying to cover the scent of another dog who had invaded his territory. It took Xu Ping a while before he recognized the situation. He pulled Xu Zheng up by the collar and chided, “You’re acting up ‘cause of that? You had me worried!” He explained while pinching his brother’s cheeks, “That guy is my friend, and your brother isn’t a piece of antique art that can’t be touched.” Xu Zheng continued his strong hug of his brother. He did not understand this bitter discontent inside him, and while Xu Ping did understand, the older boy could not say a thing. Feeling a bit of bitterness but also sweetness, he patted his brother’s back lightly as he comforted, “All right now. You’re not a doggy, are you? Well, even if you are, I’m not your play bone.” As expected, Xu Zheng could not grasp the metaphor. The boy only looked up briefly before embracing his brother tightly again. He breathed in the fresh scent from his brother again and again, never tiring of it. The hand brushing along his spine brought this tingly feeling that slowly heated his body. Something vaguely familiar seemed to be racing and crashing around in his veins as though his flesh and bones themselves were declaring their desire for the person in his arms. The bicycle toppled to the ground with a bang. After a moment of silence, Xu Ping pushed Xu Zheng. “Let go.” Xu Zheng only tightened his arms. “Are you disobeying me? I’m going to count to three. You’d better have let go before I do. One…two…” Xu Zheng let go obediently and hung his head low like a child who had misbehaved. Eyeing the tent in his brother’s pants, Xu Ping heaved a long, silent sigh. He took off his own jacket and tied it around his brother’s waist. “Don’t get horny in public,” he reprimanded as he straightened the bicycle. Xu Zheng was still standing dumbly in the same spot. Xu Ping reached for his brother’s hand but almost tripped and fell on his face. “Gege, I feel bad.” Sighing, Xu Ping ruffled the younger boy’s hair. “You’ve really grown up, all right.”
His dad had bought the Phoenix bicycle that Xu Ping used from a second-hand dealer. The black paint had mostly fallen off after all these years, the artificial leather on the saddle was so smooth from wear that it shone, and the bell on the handlebars had been replaced three times. Even the gold and red Phoenix logo had rusted and was not discernible under a coat of maroon grime.
Chapter end
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