Xiao Zhan took a break from delivering some packages that was assigned to him today. Since it’s already lunch time, he made a stop to a small stool and ordered a bowl of street noodles.

He was born and raised at the countryside by his grandmother. Due to the lack of work availability in his hometown, he came to the big city of Beijing to look for a job with a decent pay. Luckily when he applied to a Delivery Service Center, he was hired right away.

He was not a graduate of any college courses, that’s why he was glad for the opportunity that was given to him.

While eating heartily his bowl of noodles, he suddenly remembers to video chat his Uncle Li.

“Uncle Li!” he greeted. “Thank you for your hard work Uncle Li. Sorry to make you come all the way to my house. Please let me take a look at my grandma.”

He saw that his Uncle Li shifted the phone and face it to his grandma’s face.

“Grandma! Grandma, it’s me!” he said while smiling. “Can you see me?”

His voice started to volume up since his grandmother has a problem in hearing. If you are a passerby who can hear him speaking, you can right away identify that he’s got a dialect and an accent that does not belong to the big city of Beijing.

“I didn’t go back! Mobile phone… I’m talking to you on my mobile phone, grandma.” he adjusted his face closer to the phone screen so that his grandmother could see him clearly. “Uncle Li, sorry for troubling you in helping my grandma to look at the phone. Uncle Li, thank you! Thank you!”

He paused for a moment and call at his grandmother once again while waiving his hand, “Grandma! Here! Waive your hand, grandma! Waive your hand!”

“What a noisy! Will you let the people sleep or not?!” a shout from one of the apartments behind.

Xiao Zhan kept quiet for a moment and looks again at his grandmother and signals her to waive his hand while smiling. The phone was a bit crooked to the other side and he could not see his grandma clearly.

“Uncle Li, sorry... The phone is a bit crooked. Will you adjust the phone for me please? And please tell my grandma to not block the camera with her hand. Thank you, Uncle Li!”

“Grandma! You can’t see me? Wait a minute.” he suddenly realizes that he’s still wearing his helmet with him so he takes it off right away. “Can you see me now? Do you miss me? Miss me?”

He stared at his grandma who could not really hear well while making a cute face and, “I’m asking if you miss me?”

He saw his grandma smiling while nodding to his question and said with a lower voice.

“Look at you… Grandma, when you smile your eyes disappear…” he bites his lower lips to prevent himself from crying. He saw his grandma looking at him with a puzzled look, so he joked at her “I’m saying… grandma, when you smile your teeth are gone. Now everyone knows you have no teeth…”

He heard her asked if he was cold and so he replied back that he was not cold even though it’s really cold outside. “I’m not cold! Don’t worry; it is not called at all in here… I’m really okay… By the end of the year, I’m saving money and buy you the hearing aid.”

His grandmother could not hear him at all so he enunciated the words clearly and slowly and said, “H-e-a-ring aid! When you wear them, you’ll be able to hear people talking. H-e-a-ring aid…” while pointing at his ear, “Ear… This one… Do you see it?”

Before he continued speaking, he heard a notification on his mobile phone connected to their company’s app, “You have a package order! Please select an action to accept it quickly.”

He smiled at his grandma and shifted to his Uncle Li, “Uncle Li, sorry… I have to work soon. Could you let me take a look at my grandmother’s whole body? Thank you, Uncle Li.”

He watches his grandmother a bit and then gives her a bright smile once again. In his mind, “My toothless grandma, give me a little more time… I’ll let you hear the world…”

On the other hand, Wang Yibo slouched himself to a sofa in the living area of his condominium while covering his whole body with a blanket that he dragged earlier from his room.

Since he just woke up, you could not really read any expressions on his face. He was just spacing out while grabbing his SpongeBob pillow and hugs it.

Wang Yibo is a third generation heir of a big corporation in China that imports and exports cars, motorbikes and other means of transportations in the country.

Growing up, he used to be alone and was taken good care by the trusted employee of his parents. That’s also the reason that he decided to live separately from his family when he graduated high school. He reasoned out to them that he wanted to live independently and that he can stand on his own.

While yawning, he heard his phone ringing and saw an unknown number on the register. He paused and showed a puzzled expression as to whom the number belongs to. He’s not the kind of person who usually answers phone calls to people he doesn’t know. But since it keeps on calling his number, he doesn’t have a choice but to answer it.

“H-Hello? Is this Mr. Wang?” asked the voice from the other line making sure if he speaks at the right person.

Hearing the guy talked from the other line, he can immediately tell that the guy’s accent was not originally from Beijing.

“Uhm…” the only replied he utter to the person calling.

“Aiyahhh, this is from the Delivery Service Center and I’m one of their couriers. I’m here at the lobby of your condominium, I just want to ask if it’s convenient for you to pick up the package here or ----------“

Before the guy on the other could finish his line, he immediately answered him, “No, just bring it here.”

“O-Oh, okay. Right away!” said the courier with enthusiastic voice.

He waited for 5 minutes before he heard the door bell. With the blanket on his whole body, he went directly and opened the door.

He saw a guy smiling in front of him wearing a red jacket and faded pants while holding the package.

“I was the one who called you earlier…” the guy introduced himself but still smiling.

Now that he takes a closer look to the guy that standing in front of him, he noticed that the courier is a good looking one. If the guy happens to wear a designer clothes, you can say that he can be compared to an actor.

There was a paused on him for a moment, despite his serious look he was struck to that smiling face of the person and just keeps on staring at him.

Xiao Zhan continues to politely smile at the owner of the package even though the person is giving him a dead stare. He also noticed that the boy’s body is covered with blanket but he didn’t mind that. Ever since he worked as a courier, he already met a lot of people with different habits and mannerism.

“Mr. Wang, here’s your package.” He said and supposed to hand the package to him but the boy just keep on staring at him. “M-Mr. Wang?”

There was a silent of awkwardness between them until the boy said something to him.

“Do I need to sign something?”

“Uh, yeah…” he replied back and then gives him a piece of paper where the boy could sign.

The boy signed it and before he gives him the piece of paper, he looks at him again. He just brightly smiles to him as what he always does with the other customers.

“Your smile------“ the boy said and paused.

“H-Huh?” he uttered with a puzzled look.

“Forget it. I’m just having a fever and it’s my birthday today so I’m not really in myself so if you’ll excuse me, I------------“ the boy stopped in the middle of his sentence and realizes what he had just said.

Though it’s the first time for Xiao Zhan to encounter a weird person like this, he didn’t creep out. Instead, he was amused by what the boy is saying and he also said something without thinking.

“I’m sorry to hear that you have a fever but happy birthday, Mr. Wang.” he said with sincerity.

~END OF CHAPTER ONE

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

First part of Chapter One was credited to the Short Film of Xiao Zhan entitled “Buying Ear”.

Second part of Chapter One was the idea of my best friend and fellow WangXian Cultivator.