Are You Addicted?

“Son, this girl is calling you again.”

At that moment, Bai Luo Yin had just eaten a few mouthfuls of rice. But, after he heard those words, he no longer had any appet.i.te.

“Dad, just hang up immediately.”

Just as Bai Han Qi was about to turn it off, Bai Luo Yin suddenly s.n.a.t.c.hed the phone away from his hand.

“Forget it, just give it to me.”

After many months, autumn has finally arrived and with it came the strong wind. The wind was blowing strongly in the yard.  Bai Luo Yin stood under the tree, he felt like his own body temperature decreased. For quite some time now, every night after he went home, Bai Luo Yin would be doing long video calls with Shi Hui. It was very tiring for him. It e felt like he has been lowering his defenses.

He didn’t want it to be this way, so last night he deliberately didn’t call Shi Hui.

As a result, Shi Hui called him today.

“Do you think I"m a bother?”

“Let’s not contact each other anymore in the future.”

“No. You absolutely can’t do this. If you do this to me, I will bother your father instead every day.”

“Just do what you want to do.”

Bai Luo Yin hung up the phone, removed the SIM card and went back inside the house.

“Finished with your call already?”

“Yes.” Bai Luo Yin nodded.

Bai Han Qi asked him out of curiosity, “Who was that?”

“Even if I tell you, you wouldn’t know her. By the way, how much credit do you have left in your SIM card?”

Bai Han Qi thought about it. “Less than 20 yuan.”

“Then just get a new one.”

Bai Luo Yin’s hands were fast and quickly broke the SIM card into two.

Bai Han Qi tried to stop him, but it was already too late. He just stared at the broken card that he had been using for several years now He felt bad.

“There are so many contact numbers inside that card, now everything is gone…”

Bai Luo Yin patted Bai Han Qi’s shoulder to comfort him.

“Don"t worry. Your phone is at home all day, yet there is not even a single phone call coming in. It"s useless to keep those numbers, might as well delete them all.”

Bai Han Qi sighed and glanced at Bai Luo Yin’s mouth.

“Your inflammation these past two days, do you feel any better?”

"How"s the sore in your mouth? Are you feeling much better?"

“It’s better now.” Bai Luo Yin walked towards his room. “Probably applying some more ointment will do. Where did you put it?

“It"s inside the second drawer in the room, the one with a yellow tube.”

Before, Bai Han Qi used to help applying the ointment on Bai Luo Yin’s mouth with a cotton bud. Now, Bai Luo Yin wanted to do it himself. He searched the drawer and finally saw it.

“Ma Ying Long Hemorrhoid Ointment.”

This can"t be it, he thought….  Bai Luo Yin searched again, yet he couldn’t find it. He rummaged the first and third drawer as well until his hands were dirtied with dust.

“Dad, where did you put it?” Bai Luo Yin shouted.

Bai Han Qi was trying to put the SIM card back together, but found out that it was a futile attempt. In the end, he gave up and put it away.

“Isn’t it inside the second drawer?”

“I searched it already, it’s not there!”

Bai Han Qi walked towards Bai Luo Yin, picked up the yellow ointment. “Isn’t it this one?”

Ma Ying Long Hemorrhoids Ointment…….

Bai Luo Yin’s face darkened. “This is near my mouth, and you used hemorrhoid ointment on it ?!”

“What"s wrong?” Bai Han Qi smiled widely. “The last time your grandma got beriberi, I used this to cure it too!”

“Beriberi and inflammation, is it the same?!”

“Is there any difference? That 502 glue, it can be used on plastic and can be used on shoes too, right? Just don"t mind what kind of ointment it is, the most important thing is your sore is healing, right? You see, isn’t it getting better?” Bai Han Qi said while reaching for Bai Luo Yin’s mouth.

Bai Luo Yin irritably pushed Bai Han Qi, went inside his room, and shut the door.

Bai Han Qi knocked while shouting, “It"s not that I don"t want to spend any money, but this ointment really works. This is a multipurpose medicine. If you do not believe me then just ask the doctor! He would definitely say that this medicine can cure everything.”

There was no movement nor sound from the other side.

Bai Han Qi knocked repeatedly. “Son, you used this cream for quite a while already, just apply this for a few more days, it will be fine.”

Bai Luo Yin had difficulty sleeping that night.

…….

The following morning was another start of a gloomy day. Bai Luo Yin’s daily life has become a routine; he struggled with Gu Hai at day, and at night, he has to keep himself busy with Shi Hui.

Bai Luo Yin became mentally exhausted. That day was one disaster after another. When he woke up, his nose was stuffed. He sat up and looked around. He found out that his blanket was on the floor.

Getting colds was inevitable

Bai Luo Yin wore one more layer of clothing.  On his way to school, he stopped by at a small clinic. The doctor examined him and prescribed him a pack of Bai Jia Hei medicine [1].

When he arrived at school, Bai Luo Yin didn’t look at the medicine. He just took out one pill and drank it.

Later, he found out that he took the black pill.

Bai Luo Yin suddenly remembered this reminder.

“Take the white pill in the day, and you won"t be sleepy; Take the black pill at night, and you will sleep soundly l.”

Translator note:

[1] Bai Jia Hei medicine: literally, this medicine is called "White plus Black". It is a popular, over-the-counter cold medicine in China. The brand slogan is translated as, "White pill for the day, will not make you sleepy. Black pill for the night, you will sleep soundly." The success of this medicine is probably due to the usage of powerful and intuitive codes to communicate with the consumer’s, white symbolizing day and black symbolizing night. They give a sense of balance and harmony with the nature, e.g.: yin and yang.