Victory Zhao and Success Liu couldn't do much with that, so they gave him a kick, cursing, "That fucking kid…"
They used to call him just "kid," but now they called him "fucking kid." Baldy Li often caught sight of Sun Wei. He frequently wandered the streets by himself, his head cocked, and sometimes he leaned against the bridge railing. No one hailed him, no one patted him on the shoulder, and when Victory Zhao and Success Liu saw him, they would pretend that they didn't recognize him. Only Baldy Li still acted the same as always, and would either run away or plop himself on the ground.
Baldy Li eventually grew tired of running away. Every time he would run until he was out of breath, his lungs burning. He decided that he'd rather just plop himself on the ground, which would not only be more relaxing but would afford him a view of the street. Now whenever he ran into long-haired Sun Wei, he'd sit right down as if he were trying to snatch a good seat. Cocking his head up at Sun Wei, he'd say, "I'm already down. The most you can do is give me a kick."
Sun Wei — who still called Baldy Li "kid" and not "fucking kid" — chuckled and nudged the boy's bottom with his foot. "Hey, kid, why do you plop down whenever you see me?"
Baldy Li answered craftily, "I'm terrified of your sweep-kick."
Long-haired Sun Wei chuckled some more. "Get up, kid, I won't kick you."
Baldy Li shook his head. "I'll get up after you leave."
"Fuck," he said. "I really won't kick you anymore. Get up."
Baldy Li didn't believe him. "I'm quite comfortable sitting right here."
"Fuck," Sun Wei spat out and stalked off. As he walked away he recited a line from Chairman Mao: "I ask, in this boundless land, who is master of his destiny?"
These two lonely fellows would often run into each other on the streets. At first Baldy Li would either keep a safe distance from Sun Wei or he would immediately plant himself on the ground, and each time Sun Wei would chuckle. Baldy Li always guardedly watched Sun Wei's legs to make sure that they wouldn't sneak in a kick. One day at noon Baldy Li finally let down his guard. At this time most people in town were locking up their faucets; in a great thirst, Baldy Li tried faucet after faucet until, on the eighth try, he found one that hadn't been locked up. He turned it on and filled his belly with water and also stuck his head underneath to cool himself off. Just as he finished twisting the faucet shut, someone came from behind him, turned it on again, and drank for a good long time, his mouth sucking on it as if it were a sugarcane. As this person drank he stuck his backside in the air and let out a string of farts, making Baldy Li giggle. When the person finished, he turned to Baldy Li and said, "Hey, kid, what are you laughing at?"
Baldy Li now saw that it was Sun Wei, but he was so busy giggling, momentarily he forgot to sit down. He said to Sun Wei, "Your farts sound like snores."
Sun Wei chuckled as he turned the stream of water down to a trickle. He dabbed some water on his fingers to comb his hair and asked Baldy Li, "Where's that other kid?"
Baldy Li knew he was referring to Song Gang and replied, "He went back to the countryside."
Sun Wei nodded. He turned off the faucet and shook out his long hair, then waved for Baldy Li to follow him. Baldy Li walked a few steps before he suddenly remembered the sweep-kick, whereupon he immediately planted himself on the ground. Sun Wei walked a bit farther before noticing that Baldy Li wasn't following, and when he turned around, he saw that Baldy Li was again seated on the ground. Curious, he asked, "Hey, kid, what are you doing?"
Baldy Li pointed at Sun Wei's legs. "You have sweep-kicking legs."
Sun Wei burst into laughter. "If I had wanted to kick you, I would have already done so."
This struck Baldy Li as logical, but he still didn't fully believe Sun Wei. Cautiously, he suggested, "You just forgot to kick me earlier."
Sun Wei waved his hand, saying, "Nah. Get up, I won't kick you anymore. We're friends now."
The words "We're friends now" thrilled and surprised Baldy Li, and he almost leapt up. Sun Wei indeed didn't sweep-kick him; rather, he placed his hand on Baldy Li's shoulder, and they walked down the street as if they were old pals. With a toss of his long locks, Sun Wei intoned, "I ask, in this boundless land, who is master of his destiny?"
Baldy Li beamed with excitement. Sun Wei, who was seven years older than he, was his friend. Now that Song Fanping had passed away, Baldy Li's new friend was certainly the Number One Sweep-kicker in town. Sun Wei's hair, which usually covered his ears, blew in the breeze, and he recited the Chairman's verses as he ambled along, sometimes adding an "Alas!" at the end of the line for emphasis. Sun Wei's improvements on the originals impressed Baldy Li. He also felt that walking alongside Sun Wei brought him great clout. He was no longer intimidated by anyone, not even the armband-wearing men.
As they ascended the bridge they ran into Victory Zhao and Success Liu, both of whom looked upon Sun Wei walking with the young Baldy Li with great curiosity. Ignoring them, Sun Wei continued with his recitation of Chairman's Mao verse, "I ask, in this boundless land…"
Baldy Li rather overeagerly rushed to complete the couplet: "… who is master of his destiny?"
Victory Zhao and Success Liu whispered to each other, laughing. Sun Wei knew that they were making fun of him, so in a low voice he scolded Baldy Li, "Hey, kid, stop walking next to me. Follow behind."
Baldy Li's swagger instantly dissipated. He no longer had the right to walk shoulder to shoulder with Sun Wei and could only follow behind him like a little lackey, his shoulders slumped and his head drooped. Trailing behind Sun Wei, Baldy Li now understood that the only reason Sun Wei had recruited him as a friend was because he had none left. All the same, he still followed closely behind Sun Wei, since trailing him was better than being on his own.
What Baldy Li didn't expect was that the next day long-haired Sun Wei would come knocking on his door. Baldy Li was just finishing breakfast when he heard Sun Wei reciting Chairman Mao's verse outside the door: "I ask, in this boundless land, who is master of his destiny?"
Overjoyed, Baldy Li opened the door. Sun Wei beckoned him like an old friend. "C'mon, let's go."
The two of them walked for a bit. Baldy Li cautiously followed alongside Sun Wei, relieved not to see any reaction from him. When they reached the end of the alley, Sun Wei suddenly stopped and asked Baldy Li, "Take a look for me. Do I have a rip in my pants?"
Baldy Li crouched down and peered at the seat of Sun Wei's pants but didn't spot anything. He replied, "No rips."
Sun Wei said, "Look more closely."
By this point Baldy Li's nose was almost touching Sun Wei's butt, but he still didn't spot anything. Suddenly Sun Wei let out a loud fart, blasting Baldy Li's face like a gust of wind. Sun Wei guffawed and, walking off, chanted loudly, "I ask, in this boundless land …"
Baldy Li quickly chimed in, "… who is master of his destiny?"
Baldy Li knew that Sun Wei was taunting him, but he didn't care. He only cared that Sun Wei let him walk alongside him, rather than making him trail behind.
For the rest of the summer, Baldy Li and Sun Wei spent all their time together. They loafed about in the streets past sunset, sometimes staying out long after the moon had come up. Sun Wei didn't like deserted areas, preferring the crowded main streets. Like a fly hovering over a pile of dung, Baldy Li trailed him everywhere; and the two wandered the streets, not knowing what else to do. Sun Wei was enamored with his own long hair, and at least twice a day he would walk down the steps to the riverbank and, squatting down, take up some water to style the locks framing his face. He would then admire his blurry image in the river and blow a few smug whistles. Baldy Li eventually figured out why Sun Wei liked to amble up and down the main streets: What he liked were the large glass windows of the stores. Whenever he stopped in front of one and started whistling, Baldy Li knew even without looking that Sun Wei was once again tossing his hair about.