Shrouded Seascape

"Big Sister, it's time to eat," Gao Zhiming said as he struggled to pull Anna's body out of the pile of garbage. Anna was young, so she wasn't very heavy, but her weight was still too heavy for the eight-year-old Gao Zhiming.

Wiping away the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Gao Zhiming opened the plastic bag and used his fingers to pick up a mutton chunk before placing it into Anna's mouth.

Gao Zhiming then held her chin with both hands, moving it back and forth to get her to chew the meat. However, it was useless. In the end, Gao Zhiming dug the meat out of her mouth and placed it into his own mouth.

After chewing it into a paste, he spat it right into Anna's mouth. He had seen someone do this to a baby, and he found it to be a novel way to feed someone, so he committed it to memory.

After feeding Anna all the mutton chunks, Gao Zhiming was worried that she was still hungry, so he tore off the leftover meat from the chicken bones and fed them all to her.

Having fed Anna, Gao Zhiming started eating the leftovers. His meal consisted of some skin from some rotting fruit as well as their meat, a few bones to suck on, and a layer of soup that looked more like thick oil with bits of scallion inside a tin foil container.

Obviously, these weren't enough to fill the stomach of the growing Gao Zhiming. He even chewed the chicken bones into pieces and swallowed them, but he was still angry.

Having slightly assuaged the burning and growling of his stomach, however, Gao Zhiming seemed already satisfied. When it came to starvation, he was considered an expert with ample experience.

He curled up to Anna's right and hugged her arm with both arms.

"Big Sister, Uncle Mask said that he would be back soon, but it has been several days since he left. Why hasn't he returned yet?"

Gao Zhiming's question was destined to go unanswered, but he continued talking to himself. "Don't worry; I promised Uncle Mask that I would take good care of you, and we'll definitely wait for him to come back."

"Big Sister, are you hungry? Don't worry; the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up soon. By then, there will be a lot of discarded mooncakes in the dumpster. We can eat our fill by then," Gao Zhiming said. However, his words were both for Anna and himself.

Gao Zhiming salivated like crazy and swallowed hard. He felt even hungrier at the mention of food, so he stopped that train of thought and started thinking about something else.

He sat up, staring at Anna's delicate face in a daze. "Big Sister, you're so pretty."

Then, he couldn't help but lean over and kiss her smooth cheek. Immediately afterward, he became shy and buried his head into Anna's arm before giggling.

His giggling gradually disappeared. Just as silence was about to reign, Gao Zhiming spoke again, sounding a bit downcast as he said. "Big Sister, when you wake up, can you not beat me again?

"I really like you. I like you a lot. I'll do whatever you want me to."

Gao Zhiming's breathing gradually evened out as he drifted off to sleep.

Just then, the moon hiding behind the clouds in the sky was revealed, casting its faint light upon Anna and Charles, draping over them as if it were a blanket.

A joyous smile tugged at Gao Zhiming's lips. Whatever he was dreaming, it had to be a happy dream.

Gao Zhiming woke up early the next morning. He was awakened by the protests of his stomach, and his head was buzzing. He felt like he was having a fever out of hunger.

Gao Zhiming walked to the window and tiptoed to peek at the streets down below. Seeing that the streets were desolate, Gao Zhiming decided to take advantage of that to get some food.

He just had to eat his fill, and his head would surely stop hurting.

Gao Zhiming walked for thirty minutes before reaching the city's downtown area. Then, he wasted no time, rummaging through the dumpster. Perhaps because the garbage truck had just collected the trash, but he found nothing except a piece of hardened gum.

The number of people going to work and school was rapidly increasing, making Gao Zhiming feel anxious. It would soon be rush hour, so he had to hurry back.

Gao Zhiming turned around and was about to leave when he spotted a dumpster in the distance. Gao Zhiming froze at the sight of it. The intense burning sensation in his stomach made him decide to search that dumpster before going back.

Lifting the lid, Gao Zhiming stuck his head inside and searched for anything edible with all his might. There was half a fried dough stick, and the sight of it made Gao Zhiming's eyes light up in delight. His big sister's breakfast was settled.

Just as he gleefully stuffed the fried dough stick into his coat, a voice echoed from behind him, making him feel as if he had instantly arrived inside an icy cavern.

"Gao Zhiming?"

Gao Zhiming turned around slowly as if there were rust in his joints. A little girl—looking to be around seven or eight—appeared before him. Gao Zhiming recognized her, as she was his deskmate at school—Miaomiao.

"Ah! It really is you, Gao Zhiming! I thought I had mistaken someone else for you. I haven't seen you since you dropped out. You... how did you end up like this?" Miaomiao asked.

Gao Zhiming frightened into a cold sweat had no intention of explaining anything at all. Putting away the fried dough stick, he turned around and walked away with his head down. Uncle Mask had told him not to trust anyone before his return.

"Wait! What exactly happened to you? Why did you become a beggar? Do you want me to call the police for help?" Miaomiao asked, chasing after Gao Zhiming.

Upon hearing that, Gao Zhiming's brisk walking became running.

"Stop running! Stop! You're too fast!" Miaomiao exclaimed. Just as she started running, her red sandal twisted the wrong way, and she fell to the ground.

Gao Zhiming stopped and watched Miaomiao from afar as she clambered up from the ground with a pained look.

"I'm not going to chase you anymore. I'm not going to ask you any questions, either, so can you wait for me here?" Miaomiao said. She rubbed her scraped knees and limped toward a shop selling breakfast across the street.

Soon, Miaomiao returned with a plastic bag full of steamed buns and stuffed buns. The aroma wafting over made Gao Zhiming unconsciously gulp a mouthful of his own saliva.

"Take these and eat them. Stop rummaging through dumpsters. The things inside them are all rotten and smelly."

Gao Zhiming really wanted to refuse, but his body was more honest than his mind.

"Thank you, but where did you get the money to buy these?"

"Mommy had me come out to buy these buns. Since you're so hungry, I think you need them more than us, so go ahead and eat them," Miaomiao replied with a sweet smile.

Gao Zhiming's expression was complex as he turned around and ran away. He ran without stopping, allowing him to return to that unfinished building in less than thirty minutes.

He stuffed the fried dough stick into his mouth and barely chewed on it before swallowing it. Gazing at the piping hot, snow-white steamed buns and stuffed buns in his arms, a smile bloomed on Gao Zhiming's face. "There's so much food! We can eat these for several days if we ration them! This is so great!"

Gao Zhiming stepped onto the stairs and dashed rapidly to the top floor, excited to share the news with his big sister. Just as he was about to reach his destination, he came to a screeching halt.

He could hear people talking inside.

Gao Zhiming nervously made his way into the living room of a bare, unfinished apartment with exposed rebars and saw two young men squatting while smoking cigarettes.

The two young men—one chubby and one skinny had tattoos all over their arms and similar necklaces hanging in front of their chests. Their long hair was also dyed orange.

After just one glance, Gao Zhiming knew that he couldn't afford to mess with the two young men. He couldn't afford to offend them at the moment.