[Translation] Stray Dog Bones (野狗骨头) by Xiu Tu Cheng (休屠城): Chapter 6: Biological Sister, Dear Sisters My Sister!

 

Chen Yi and Miao Jing attended the same middle school but passed each other like strangers. Even when circumstances forced them to speak, their interactions were so cold and distant that no one suspected any connection between them. The only exception was Bo Zai, who also studied at the school. He lived near the Chen family, knew Miao Jing, and would occasionally greet her when trailing behind Chen Yi.

The school had built a new five-story dormitory building where boys and girls lived together. The first two floors housed boys, while the third floor and above were for girls. The building had two separate staircases—one exclusively for boys and the other for girls.

Chen Yi lived on the first floor, while Miao Jing’s dormitory was on the fourth. They often crossed paths at the bottom of the building and occasionally ran into each other in the cafeteria or on the playground. Every day, Chen Yi played basketball or soccer, and during evening study sessions, he would sneak out to internet cafes. By this time, he had grown into a typical adolescent boy—towering to a height that seemed almost unattainable, with long limbs and loose pant legs. He had developed an Adam’s apple, his voice had broken, and he secretly smoked. Rumors spread that the school’s physical education teacher wanted to recruit him for the sports team, with plans to send him to a sports school later on, though for some reason, it never happened.

The third year of middle school was the graduation year, and the school was focused on improving high school entrance exam rates. Apart from wandering aimlessly, Chen Yi didn’t seem to get into many fights or cause much trouble. Having a dedicated homeroom teacher was every troubled student’s luck, and it was one of the reasons Chen Yi stayed in school. His homeroom teacher, surnamed Li, was a short, sturdy middle-aged man. In the second year, Old Li had vouched for Chen Yi to prevent his expulsion. Every semester, Old Li would drag Chen Yi back to school, even contacting Chen Libin directly about tuition fees. Chen Yi’s grades weren’t the worst. Once, he scored in the top ten of the class—reportedly because he made a bet with classmates, with the entire class putting money on him losing. He ended up winning over a thousand yuan but was publicly criticized by the school.

Chen Yi was also incredibly popular at school, especially during basketball games and sports meets, drawing large crowds of onlookers. Sometimes, Miao Jing would overhear older girls in her dorm gossiping about him, frequently mentioning his name. They described him as cool and handsome, with fierce yet bright eyes. They said his smile was mischievously dazzling, exuding a rebellious charm that made even the school beauty secretly in love with him. Miao Jing couldn’t imagine so many strange adjectives being applied to one boy. She only remembered what he looked like when he was being beaten or sleeping.

Miao Jing had also grown a bit taller during middle school and her skin had become slightly fairer, but she still looked childish. Washing her hair at school was inconvenient, so she cut it into a short style like Chibi Maruko-chan’s. Her cheeks still had a bit of baby fat. When she passed by Chen Yi and his group of delinquents, she would lower her eyes and step aside, her long, fluffy lashes framing her delicate, quiet appearance. Some boys would frequently turn their heads, saying she was cute and they wanted to pursue her. Chen Yi, walking lazily with his hands in his pockets, sneered coldly, “Interested in an elementary school kid? If you’re sick, go see a doctor. Don’t make a fool of yourself here.”

The boys burst into laughter, and Miao Jing felt secretly displeased, furrowing her delicate brows.

Both children boarded at the school. Wei Mingzhen, having nothing to do at home, found a job as a waitress in a tea house. Over the years, she hadn’t gotten pregnant, which seemed to prevent her from fully entering the core of the family. Chen Libin, meanwhile, was obsessed with stock trading and online games, chatting passionately with strange women on the internet. Despite working at the power supply bureau—a highly beneficial unit with amazing bonuses and benefits—Wei Mingzhen had never managed to gain control of the family finances. Even playing mahjong required her to scrape together money.

Wei Mingzhen began arguing with Chen Libin, fighting fiercely. But having lived in Tengcheng for several years, it wasn’t easy to break off the relationship. She couldn’t return to her hometown. The years of free room and board, plus the children’s school expenses, meant that while Chen Libin wasn’t particularly generous, he wasn’t overly stingy either. Their relationship was like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat but a shame to discard.

Miao Jing knew the couple fought often. Wei Mingzhen worked every day, and Miao Jing remained wary of Chen Libin. Although she went home every week to get her living expenses, she only stayed for one day—returning Saturday morning and leaving Sunday afternoon. Chen Yi, in his third year of middle school, barely came home at all. Occasionally, he would stop by to pick something up. How he received his living expenses was unknown; perhaps he had his own ways of making money.

Every Sunday afternoon, boarding students would return to school with their living expenses. The commercial street outside the school gates was bustling with people. Miao Jing and her dormmates would sometimes stroll around, buying stationery or snacks.

Near the school gates were small restaurants, stationery stores, and gift shops. Farther along, near the residential areas, there were small internet cafes, arcades, and pool halls. The girls would say that the boys in their class secretly went there to play games. The school’s gang leaders—both male and female—also frequented the area. Curious, they would glance over. The shop fronts on the alley were open, their rolling shutters half-raised. Voices could be heard from inside, but only green pool tables were visible, with groups of people walking around them. The arcades were similar, with pinball machines at the entrance and booming sound effects coming from within.

The young girls didn’t dare go inside; they just watched out of novelty and excitement. Turning at the end of the alley and heading back toward the school, they noticed a group of boys ahead—some squatting, some standing, smoking arrogantly, exuding a thuggish aura. The group stopped two girls, exchanged a few words, and waved them off. Then they stopped a passing boy, who reluctantly pulled something from his pocket and walked away dejectedly.

“They’re extorting money.”

“What should we do? Should we keep going?”

“Let’s take another route. I’m scared…”

Miao Jing followed her friends, quickly turning back the way they came.

“Hey, you few! Where do you think you’re going?” a voice shouted from behind. “Yeah, you! Dare to run? Come here!”

Five or six girls trembled, stopping in their tracks. They shrank back, turning around one by one and shuffling forward.

The one shouting was a dark-skinned boy in a denim jacket, a cigarette dangling from his lips and a wooden stick in his hand. His eyes scanned the group of young girls. “Where were you planning to go?”

“B-back to school.”

“Back to school for what? To tattle to the teachers or call the security guard?”

“N-no, we’re going back for evening study hall.”

“If you dare report us to the school, you’re asking for trouble, got it?”

“Got it!”

A chubby, fair-skinned boy walked over. Noticing the snacks in the girls’ hands, he knew they had money on them. “How much money do you have? Let’s see.”

“N-not much…” The girls were panicking.

“Brother Yi said not to rob girls. It’s shameful,” the dark-skinned boy said, swinging his stick and tapping his chubby companion. “Let them go. Girls are the biggest tattletales.”

“Go on, get out of here. But if the school finds out…” The fat boy’s eyes sharpened as he spotted a student ID in one girl’s pocket. “Class 5, Grade 7. You’ll regret it if you say anything.”

“Okay…”

The group walked forward timidly, heads bowed and hearts pounding, their steps hurried and chaotic.

A boy with a buzz cut, who had been squatting nearby, threw his cigarette to the ground and stood up slowly. With his hands in his pockets, he leaned lazily against the wall and stretched out his long leg, blocking Miao Jing, who was at the back.

His voice was equally lazy, almost devoid of energy. “You—”

His dark eyes swept over her. Noticing the skewer of fried meatballs in her hand—and feeling hungry—he snatched it away. Miao Jing hadn’t expected him to do that. She let go abruptly and shrank back. Seeing her startled reaction, he half-closed his eyes and smirked disdainfully. “Are you scared to death yet?”

He downed the meatballs in one go, tossed the skewer to the ground, and clapped his hands. Then, brazenly extorting his younger schoolmate, he said, “How much money do you have on you? Hand it over.”

Hadn’t the dark-skinned boy just said not to rob girls?

Miao Jing’s eyes flickered with a hint of panic. She glanced at Chen Yi twice, then pressed her lips together and stayed silent.

He was wearing clothes she had never seen him in—a black hoodie and jeans. Tall and slouching, he looked every bit the rogue. His chin bore a faint stubble and a few small cuts from a razor blade. His eyes stared at her with a predatory intensity, carrying a subtle sense of pressure but also a lazy indifference.

Miao Jing clutched the hem of her school uniform, furrowing her delicate brows. Her lips moved as if to speak, but no words came out. Her slender frame looked timid, as if she were too scared to make a sound.

Chen Yi noticed her expression—clearly angry but too afraid to speak. He raised an eyebrow slightly, unfolded the folding fruit knife in his hand, and wiped the blade clean. His voice was cold. “Hand over the money. Or do I have to search you myself?”

The group around them stared, and Miao Jing’s female classmates watched her nervously, not daring to breathe. Miao Jing glanced at the cold, silver blade, swallowed hard, and slowly pulled a roll of bills from her pocket, holding it out to him.

“How much is it?”

“Ninety-eight yuan…”

She didn’t need to buy daily necessities since she used the supplies Chen Libin received from work. Her weekly living allowance was only one hundred yuan, covering three meals a day, access to the bathroom and hot water room, stationery, and a little leftover for pocket money. She had just spent two yuan on two skewers of meatballs—one she had eaten, and the other Chen Yi had just devoured.

Chen Yi nodded, took the money, folded the knife, and gave her a nudge on the shoulder. “Go.”

Miao Jing stumbled forward, but her classmates caught her and quickly pulled her away.

The boys watched, wide-eyed, and asked in confusion, “Brother Yi, didn’t you say we don’t rob girls? Why’d you go after the prettiest one? No mercy at all.”

“She’s different,” Chen Yi said indifferently, not bothering to look back. “Come on, let’s eat. I’ve been hungry all day.”

That evening, only Miao Jing had been robbed by the delinquents. The girls in her dorm were uneasy. “What should we do? Should we tell the teacher? Or call home?”

Miao Jing sat dejectedly on the edge of her bed, staring blankly. “Forget it…”

If she told Wei Mingzhen, she feared Chen Libin would beat someone again. She also feared Chen Yi would bully her like he did when they were children.

Miao Jing borrowed thirty yuan from a dormmate. She had twenty yuan left on her meal card. With a daily food budget of ten yuan, she could barely scrape by for a week. Unfortunately, she also had to pay fifteen yuan in class fees during evening study hall. After deducting money for bath tickets, she had less than thirty yuan to last an entire week.

She ate steamed buns for breakfast and dinner and ordered only one vegetable dish for lunch. It was a time when she was growing, and she often felt hungry. The school had daily exercise breaks and two physical education classes a week. After running two laps around the track, she would feel dizzy and her legs would go weak.

Embarrassed by her predicament, Miao Jing didn’t want anyone to see her. She hid on a garden bench, pretending to read an English book while secretly eating steamed buns.

Suddenly, a stone flew and hit her arm before rolling to her feet. Miao Jing looked around to see who had thrown it. The delinquent who had stolen her allowance was crouched in the bushes behind her, holding a cigarette. He took a couple of quick puffs, exhaling smoke that obscured his dark, defiant eyes.

Looking down at her feet, she noticed a small stone wrapped in pink paper. Curious, she picked it up. Inside was a large sheet of meal vouchers for the cafeteria.

“Don’t you know how to go home and ask for money?” His voice was hoarse and raspy but not unpleasant. “Are you stupid enough to starve to death?”

Miao Jing, long accustomed to his tone, replied coldly, “Where did these come from?”

She smoothed out the vouchers. They were prepaid meal tickets sold at the counter, each valid for a set meal with one meat dish and two vegetable options. There were twenty in total.

“Did you steal them?”

Chen Yi snorted disdainfully. “Old Li gave them to me. A reward.”

He didn’t specify what the reward was for. He took two more quick drags of his cigarette, stubbed it out in the dirt, stamped on it, and walked away.

Miao Jing tore off one voucher and headed to the cafeteria before it closed.

When she went home for the weekend, Miao Jing stayed overnight. After lunch the next day, she put down her chopsticks and said, “I’m heading back to school.”

Wei Mingzhen pulled a red hundred-yuan bill from her wallet and handed it to her. Miao Jing obediently took the money and stood up to leave, but then turned back and asked casually, “Mom, what about my brother’s living expenses?”

Wei Mingzhen and Chen Libin, both still eating, froze for a moment, their chopsticks in mid-air.

“What’s going on?” Chen Libin set down his glass and looked at Miao Jing gently. “What’s wrong with your brother?”

“Nothing. He’s just really busy with his studies. He hasn’t come home in months. Does he have enough money for living expenses?” Miao Jing’s voice was barely audible. “He’s grown taller too. His pants are too short.”

Chen Libin studied Miao Jing for a moment and smiled warmly. “Is that so? It has been a while since he’s been home. Tell him to come stay for a couple of days when he has time.”

Before she left, Chen Libin went to his room and took out a thousand yuan, asking Miao Jing to pass it to Chen Yi. Miao Jing carefully tucked the money into her backpack. As she walked out the door, Wei Mingzhen secretly poked her on the forehead.

It was a large sum of money, so Miao Jing didn’t dare keep it on her for long. Back at school, she looked for Chen Yi but couldn’t find him. After evening study hall, she waited in front of the dormitory building. Just before lights-out and the dorm inspection, Chen Yi climbed over the wall and hurried past her.

“Brother,” she called out to him.

Chen Yi stopped and looked at her quizzically.

She handed him the stack of bills. “Your living expenses from your uncle. A thousand yuan.”

Chen Yi’s gaze swept over her face, then over the stack of red bills in her hand, then back to her face. His brows furrowed deeply, his eyes intense. His calm expression carried a hint of anger and coldness. After a long pause, he let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Thanks, dear sister.”

He snatched the money from her hand, and an inexplicable tension hung in the air. Chen Yi turned and strode away. Miao Jing followed behind him, watching his back, which appeared especially thin and dark against the brightly lit dormitory building ahead.

That thousand yuan was gone within two days.

Over time, Miao Jing got to know the group around Chen Yi. Besides Bo Zai, the dark-skinned boy who had stopped them that day was named Shen Hong, and the chubby boy was A Yong. They were all part of the same gang. Another group, led by a guy nicknamed Big Head Yuan, was also notorious at school, but they kept to themselves and didn’t bother ordinary students.

The school bathroom and hot water room were next to the dormitory building. The girls lived on the higher floors, and at night, standing in the hallway with the room lights on, they could vaguely see the boys below, wearing slippers, vests, and sports shorts, coming and going from the bathroom. They also gathered in groups in the open area in front of the building, chatting and roughhousing. Chen Yi was often among them. Many girls at school had crushes on him, but rumor had it he was indifferent to their affections, preferring only games and pool. He didn’t like hanging out with girls. The older girls in the third year were more mature and would sometimes secretly watch him come out of the bathroom, dripping wet, his loose vest unable to hide his broad shoulders and firm biceps.

After evening study hall, there was always a line for the bathroom. Miao Jing preferred to go later, just before it closed, when it was quieter and the water pressure was better. She would wash her dirty clothes there too. When the cleaning aunt came to shoo everyone out, Miao Jing would put on her clothes and jacket, grab her small pink basin, and head back to her dorm. By then, the lights in the classrooms and on the playground had all been turned off, leaving only the dormitory building illuminated. A gentle evening breeze blew, making the walk back especially pleasant and peaceful.

If it weren’t for the boys from the first and second floors being herded outside for a search, gathering in the open area, while the principal and four or five male teachers searched the dormitories, it would have been a wonderfully breezy, beautiful night for Miao Jing.

Seeing the crowd of boys, she knew this was a surprise dorm inspection aimed at cracking down on troublemakers and improving school discipline. To get back to her dorm, she had to take a detour around the group to the staircase entrance.

“Xiao Jing.” Chen Yi’s eyes lit up, and he called out to her loudly from the crowd.

Miao Jing kept walking steadily until she saw Chen Yi, questioning her own ears. From childhood to now, no one had ever called her “Xiao Jing.” The person before her had never even addressed her by name—at most, he’d said, “Hey.”

“Chen Yi, stop right there. It’s not your turn yet,” the dorm supervisor shouted sternly. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“She’s my biological sister,” Chen Yi said casually, pointing at Miao Jing. He was wearing only a loose black T-shirt and stood with his hands on his hips, grinning mischievously. “I’ve been looking for her forever. She’s going home tomorrow, and I need her to bring something back for me.”

“Teacher, just a few words. One minute. You watch the clock. When it’s my turn for the search, I’ll come running.”

Chen Yi took two steps forward and waved at Miao Jing. “Little sister, when you go home tomorrow, can you find…”

Miao Jing stood frozen in front of him. His face wore a silly grin, and his voice was clear, but his brows pressed heavily over the corners of his eyes, and his gaze was unusually sharp and fierce.

“Got it? Come back to school early tomorrow. I need it,” Chen Yi said, reaching out to ruffle her damp hair, messing up her short locks. His voice was surprisingly gentle. “Why didn’t you dry your hair? It’s still a bit chilly. Don’t catch a cold.”

Miao Jing stood stiffly, blinking in confusion. Then she nodded blankly. “Got it, brother.”

“Don’t move. Let me dry your hair for you. You’ve always had a weak constitution. Catching a cold would be a problem.”

He stepped closer and lifted the hem of his T-shirt. Miao Jing caught a glimpse of his firm, honey-colored skin and small, defined muscles. Before she could look further, Chen Yi’s frame completely enveloped hers as he moved in close. She flinched and closed her eyes. The smell of a boy—soap, water, skin, and a faint trace of tobacco—was clean, crisp, and not unpleasant.

Then, the fabric, still warm from his body, was draped over her head, and a hand carelessly rubbed her wet hair.

“Hold this. Don’t let it be seen.” Only she could hear the suppressed volume of his voice. With his other hand, Chen Yi quickly pulled a cloth-wrapped bundle from his waist. It was hard, long, and heavy, radiating a burning heat as he pressed it into her hand.

“Hide it under your clothes.”

The atmosphere between them grew unusually heavy and dark.

Panic rising in her heart, Miao Jing used her jacket and basin as cover to quickly tuck the bundle under her shirt, pressing it against her stomach with her hand.

The dorm supervisor was watching closely from behind. They had been close for only a few dozen seconds when Chen Yi cheerfully stepped back, steadied the small basin in Miao Jing’s hands, and bent down to look at her stunned face. His smile was warm and bright. “Go get some rest.”

Her hair standing on end, Miao Jing moved stiffly like a puppet, carrying her basin and taking small, hurried steps away. Only when she reached the stairs did she dare to look back. The boys stood in rows, being searched one by one by the male teachers. Chen Yi stood out prominently in the crowd, his deep eyes fixed on her.

Back in her dorm, her classmates were chattering away. There had been a major dorm inspection for the boys, during which weapons like iron rods and daggers had been found hidden in some rooms. The girls’ side had also been checked earlier, with the dorm aunt rummaging through everyone’s drawers and boxes before leaving.

Miao Jing trembled slightly and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Two sheathed, razor-sharp daggers—brand new, with expensive-looking engravings and decorations—had been hidden against her stomach all along.