Rental Room

Rental Room

After Zhang Feng read the diary I wrote, the comment he left showed me he scoffed at my experiences; I knew he didn't believe it since he's an atheist. I met Zhang Feng in the first year of junior high at the experimental school, and until now, we've remained close friends. I know she's very ambitious, and many people think so. Memories take me back to the ninth grade; that kid Zhang Feng rented a second-story room at Liu Shanren Village. He said he didn't want to live in the Talent Apartments anymore. At that time, Wang Zhenjie had not yet become Zhang Feng's roommate. Coincidentally, Zhang Feng's rental place was only a little over 30 meters from my grandmother's house. We would always look for her after lunch and then go to school together. I also knew Zhang Feng's landlord, but every time I saw him, I felt a bit scared because the landlord's entire appearance was intimidating, with a sallow complexion and an expressionless face. I never saw him smile; he looked like he had been doing drugs for a long time. However, his daughter Liu Yan was very pretty, around 20 years old, with a petite figure and revealing clothes, exuding a flirtatiously charming aura. His brother, Liu Jie, is the person I miss the most. I called him Brother Jie. He was five years older than me. When I was bullied as a child, he would always teach those bullies a lesson.

He also took me to the arcade to play King of Fighters. Even though I always lost to him, he would often treat me to food, and I admired him greatly. But it's been over a year since I last saw Brother Jie; I have no idea what he's been up to. After lunch, I went to find Zhang Feng; the staircase leading to Zhang Feng's second story was built by the landlord himself. The steps were honestly a bit shaky. Zhang Feng's room was the second one; I went in deliberately, although I had visited many times before, but each time, the room was just as messy. Looking around, near the door was an old, large table with an electric pot boiling instant noodles, and the various kids' instant noodle seasonings and wrappers piled up on the table. Zhang Feng was lying on what could be considered a relatively clean, worn-out bed. Beside the bed was a small broken desk. The landlord was really stingy. I knew this room used to be Brother Jie's, and back then, it was spotlessly clean with exquisite decorations everywhere. But since Brother Jie moved out, the landlord had replaced his things with the junk that Zhang Feng now used. Seeing me arrive, Zhang Feng perked up a bit and said, "A new song has come out; why haven't you eaten yet?" while cooking instant noodles. I took out several sticks of sausage from my pocket and handed them to Zhang Feng, who didn't hesitate to take them. I looked at the book.

The water was almost boiling. I told him, "Your meal is ready; go eat," as I pulled Zhang Feng off the bed and lay down myself. Zhang Feng took his bowl to fill up on his instant noodle feast. I closed my eyes, ready to nap, and said, "Call me when you leave." I heard Zhang Feng's voice, accompanied by the sound of him slurping his meal, and I fell asleep. Summer is a sleepy season. In a daze, I felt the bed sink a little; I thought Zhang Feng had sat down on the bed after eating. I extended my foot, intending to kick him, thinking he was good at dodging. I kicked again, and still didn't hit anything. Something felt wrong because if Zhang Feng had dodged, the bed would have shaken, but I didn't feel any movement. I opened my eyes abruptly, and I was alone in the room. Where was Zhang Feng? However, the buzzing of the water pump downstairs told me that Zhang Feng was pumping water. Before going to school, he always liked to pump water to wash his hair, face, and smelly shoes. I thought boredly. At that moment, I felt the bed dip again, like someone had sat down and then stood up. In the hot weather, my back went cold. I was scared.

So there I sat stupidly on the bed for three minutes, not feeling the bed change anymore. Then I exhaled, thinking maybe I was just groggy from waking up, my body's system was a bit disordered, and my brain made a misjudgment. I comforted myself with these thoughts. That night, I quickly fell asleep in my bed. In the dream, I was in Zhang Feng's rented room, which had been transformed anew, spotlessly clean with new furniture all around. A man sat on the bed with his back to me. I saw the man's familiar silhouette and excitedly ran over, "Brother Jie, when did you come back?" I exclaimed excitedly. The man slowly turned around; it was Brother Jie, who had taken me to the arcade and stood up for me. His complexion was unnaturally pale, but his familiar smile hung on his lips. Then he opened his mouth and softly said, "Xiaoxin, it's been a year; how have you gotten fatter?" Hearing Brother Jie's joke, I wasn't upset but eagerly asked, "Brother Jie, where have you been this past year? There was no news from you." Brother Jie sighed upon hearing this and didn't answer directly but said, "Xiaoxin, if I'm gone, don't be sad. Just like when you were small, I taught you to be strong." Hearing Brother Jie's words, I felt uneasy. Could it be Brother Jie didn't let me think further? He said, "Actually, I was hit by a car and died a year ago when I went out to work. I just wanted to come home to see my parents and sister again, and to see you one last time. That afternoon, when you felt the bed suddenly sink and then lighten, that was because of me. Every time you came to see your classmate, I saw you, but you couldn't see me." Tears fell uncontrollably as I cried out loud, "Why? Why is this happening, Brother Jie?" Seeing me like this, Brother Jie pretended to be serious and said, "Xiaoxin, why are you like a child, crying at the drop of a hat?" I didn't retort. Brother Jie couldn't control his emotions either. His death was too much for me to accept at once. Then Brother Jie said, "Xiaoxin, actually, I came to let you see me one last time. I have to go; I can't wander the world any longer. You have to work hard in the future and do what you like." Hearing Brother Jie's words, I reached out my hands desperately to hold onto him, but my hands passed through his body. Brother Jie's body was like air, always out of reach. His body slowly dissipated, but the pale smile on his face was deeply imprinted in my mind. I woke up, touching the pillow dampened by tears.At the high-tech park, a group of four or five-year-old boys were throwing stones at another boy of the same age. The targeted boy couldn't dodge in time and was hit in the stomach, crying out in pain. Just then, an eight or nine-year-old boy quickly ran over and stood in front of the crying child, angrily pointing at the stone-throwing boys, saying, "If you dare throw another stone, I'll hit you." The younger boys, frightened, ran away. The older boy turned around and, addressing the crying boy, said, "Be brave, stop crying. Why are you crying like my sister? Men shouldn't cry." The crying boy gradually stopped and wiped away his tears, then said to the boy in front of him, "Thank you, Brother Jay."

Inside the arcade, the crowd was bustling. In front of a "King of Fighters" game machine, two boys were playing. The older one had a natural expression and skilled moves, executing combos without pause. The younger boy beside him was sweating profusely, vigorously tapping the controls for his character, Kyo Kusanagi, who was unable to move. With a sound from the game machine indicating defeat, the younger boy looked up at the older one with admiration and said, "Brother Jay, you're so good. It's always you who beats me alone." The slightly older boy smiled modestly, patted him, and said, "Just practice more and you'll be as good as me."

Remembering my childhood, the tears couldn't stop falling. "Brother Jay, I will remember your words. I will work hard to do the things I love." These are things I've never told Zhang Feng; I know he wouldn't believe them.