IPT 2

Chapter 2 – Chu Ya

 

Seven or eight military vehicles stopped at the gate of the welfare home, and the director greeted them with the group of managers, and then accompanied the group into the welfare home with a smile on his face.

 

The people at the top of the clouds used to come to the welfare home, and everyone stood in the courtyard to accept the selection, waiting for the officers to select one or two lucky ones to take away, and then the others went back to the dormitory in despair.

 

But this time it was different, not only was the welfare institute rehearsing half a month in advance, but also so many cars and distinguished guests arrived. The children thought that a lot of people would be selected this time, and they all riveted their efforts to perform.

 

“Dean Liu, it’s very lively.” Walking on the far right was a young officer in his early thirties, smiling at Dean Liu.

 

Dean Liu hurriedly replied: “Colonel Gu, the children have long been looking forward to the presence of Senator Wu, Senator Wang, Senator Chen, Colonel Gu and Master Chu. Although the conditions of the welfare home were very difficult, they could not stop their enthusiasm for welcoming distinguished guests.

 

“Well, yes, it’s impressive, they’re very energetic.” Senator Wu, who was in the middle of the crowd, nodded.

 

The group was talking and laughing, but the young man who walked beside Senator Wu was silent, only looking down at a small piece of ground in front of him.

 

The young man is handsome and has a noble temperament, with a navy blue suit jacket and a woolen coat, which looks long and straight, like a green bamboo that is being jointed. He was carrying a small black leather bag, as if he was not interested in everything at the moment, and there was no superfluous expression on his face, revealing a kind of coldness that rejected people.

 

“…… So this time we came to inspect the abyss, and we said that we must not only see the mine, but also come to the Angel Welfare Institute. Senator Wu looked at the young man beside him as he walked, and said to the others: “Chu Ya is not very old, but he is calm. President Chu has important things to do, so he came to inspect for his father, which is much better than the bastard in the family who only knows how to play.”

 

“I have long heard that Young Master has a dragon and phoenix among the people, and his bearing is extraordinary, and it is really better to see it than to hear it.”

 

“Young Master Chu has entered a period of differentiation, and he will soon become a sentinel or a guide.”

 

“No wonder he grew so tall at twelve. He is 170 tall, look, about the same as me.”

“He entered the differentiation period, then this is a great joy, no wonder President Chu is in a good mood during this time.”

……

 

Listening to the many praises, the young man did not show joy, but he finally reacted to the current scene.

He bowed slightly, his voice was cold, and his attitude was polite: “Thank you uncles for your praises.”

 

“Don’t boast anymore, my cousin is thin-skinned and doesn’t like to hear about it the most.” Colonel Gu walked over with a smile and reached out to pat Chu Ya’s shoulder, “Isn’t what my cousin said right?” 

 

Chu Ya’s body moved, as if he wanted to avoid the hand on his shoulder, but he still held back, and only frowned imperceptibly.

 

The ceremonial team had already gone to the back of the queue, and after Senator Wu and his party approached, they stood in the position they had just now, lined up, and looked at the children who were still singing with a smile.

 

“…… How happy our lives are, how loud our songs, angels gather here to sow hope…… Lalala, my warm home, lalala, where I grew up……”

 

All the children were singing seriously, even the youngest in the Nursery class. They want to do well and be picked to take to the top of the clouds.

 

Shen Qianqian wanted to go to the top of the clouds.

 

He stood in the first row, singing with all his heart, his eyes closed, his head tilted, his features twisted and his head trembling. Before each sentence, he inhaled deeply and shout as hard as he can to make sure that every word is heard.

 

“Lalala, my warm home ……”

When he opened his eyes again, Shen Qianqian, who was raising his head and roaring, suddenly stopped his voice.

 

Somehow there was an adult in front of him—no, a big kid.

A big kid he had never seen before, but who had shocked him, stood in front of him, looking at him with his eyes down and expressionless.

 

Who is this?

He’s so tall, so good-looking……

Why is he here? Is he from the top of the clouds?

 

Shen Qianqian forgot to sing for a while. He only looked up at his face that was red from the cold, opened his mouth slightly, and stared at Chu Ya blankly.

After a few seconds, two lines of clear snot slowly trickled out of his nostrils.

 

Chu Ya’s pupils shrank sharply at this moment, and the two hands hanging on the sides of his legs slowly clenched, then turned his face sideways and turned his gaze away.

 

Shen Qianqian stood for a few more seconds before he came back to his senses, sucked his snot in, and continued to sing loudly while staring at the person in front of him without blinking his eyes.

 

“Lalala, my warm home.”

 

After Shen Qianqian roared, Chu Ya, who had a sideways face, closed his eyes.

 

“Lala-la-a-a-” Because of screaming with all his might, Shen’s curled throat suddenly itched, and he couldn’t help but start coughing: “Ah-cough-cough-I grow-cough-cough-cough.”

 

As soon as he coughed, he couldn’t stop a little, and finally gave up after forcibly singing a few words, only coughing breathlessly, and his eyes were watery.

 

The others were far away, but Chu Ya could hear his movements clearly, so he turned his head and looked at him indifferently.

 

Shen Qianqian stared at Chu Ya with tears in his eyes, but now his throat was not only itchy, but also dry, and the upper and lower walls seemed to be stuck together, and he couldn’t help but let out a retching cough: “Wow……”

 

Chu Ya, who was staring at Shen Qianqian, suddenly froze, and a trace of shattering cracks appeared on his cold and waveless face.

 

Fortunately, Shen Qianqian finally calmed down, only gasping for breath and not coughing again, and the chorus at this time had ended.

 

“Next, I would like to invite Senator Wu to speak, Everyone warmly welcome him.”

“I would like to invite Senator Wang to speak, Everyone warmly welcome him.”

……

 

As the light grew brighter and brighter during the continuous long speech, the temperature was still very low, and the children exhaled white air and clapped vigorously with their hands that were red from the cold, shivering slightly.

 

Shen Qianqian was looking at Chu Ya, undisguised his curiosity.

This person is so good-looking, better looking than his brother who is a shell Lin Duozhi, and better looking than the best-looking children in the welfare home.

He is so tall, he must be very good at fighting, and he will also be very good at grabbing food.

He wore a cloth belt around his neck like an adult, and he looked good. If he had this kind of cloth belt, I would tie it like him.

 

“…… The children are living happily, and we are very happy to watch, and with everyone’s efforts, the abyss will definitely be built better……”

 

Although Chu Ya stood quietly, he still couldn’t bear the irritability in his heart. He knew that this was the mood swing of the differentiation period, so he looked at Colonel Gu who was standing on the other side.

 

Colonel Gu met his gaze, smiled understandingly, and then turned his head to say a few words to the manager. The management connection nodded and walked towards Chu Ya.

 

“Mr. Chu, please, you can go to the lounge and sit for a while.”

 

Chu Ya immediately followed the management to the rest area, and as soon as he stepped up the steps, there was thunderous applause behind him. He subconsciously turned his head and saw that the person who was talking was smiling, and the person next to him was also bowing his head frequently.

 

He withdrew his gaze disinterestedly, and in the blink of an eye he saw that the child was still looking at him without blinking, with two lines of proboscis hanging from the bottom of his nose.

 

Chu Ya’s gaze only stayed on the child for half a second, and then he saw him suddenly raise his hand, crossed the back of his hand to wipe his nose, and the left side of his face was covered with a layer of shiny luster.

 

Chu Ya stumbled under his feet, and the management hurriedly said, “Master Chu be careful.”

 

He quickly turned around, took a deep breath, and quickened his pace.

 

The lounge is well heated, the sofas are soft, there are oil paintings on the walls, and flowers from the top of the clouds are placed on the coffee table. Obviously, in order to welcome their group of people, the welfare institute also tried its best to exert its strength.

 

After Chu Ya and the other managers left, he hung the coat he had taken off on the hanger, first took out a small medicine bottle from his leather bag, poured out a pill and swallowed it, and then took out a small brush to brush the dust that did not exist on the coat.

 

He has a habit of cleanliness and does not like to be touched by others.

Especially the dirty child, who howled at him so loudly that he could see the little tongue trembling in his throat. He coughed at him like a machine gun, and he didn’t know how many spittle stars were fired. He suspected that if he got any closer, the child would rub his snot against him.

 

Thinking of this, Chu Ya carefully brushed his coat again, then took out a small bottle of disinfectant from his leather bag, rubbed his hands, and sprayed his coat and himself. Finally, he tore off his tie, folded it, and put it in his coat pocket before slowly walking to the window.

 

Outside the window was the playground, and through the thick glass, the applause and speeches became very distant. Only the children were still standing in the cold wind, raising their hands and applauding from time to time.

 

Chu Ya looked into the gray distance and then raised his head.

The field of vision was still a cloudy gray sky, but the outline of a black object could be faintly seen at the extreme height, like a miniature star.

 

It was the city that floated above the abyss, and where he lived—the top of the clouds.

 

Knock knock.

The door was pushed open, and Colonel Gu walked in.

 

“These people talk endlessly. Even I can’t stand it.” Colonel Gu closed the door with his backhand and strode to the coffee table with a thermos cup, “It’s cold and wet, this ghost weather.”

 

He lifted the water bottle and filled the thermos cup with water, and asked, “Have you taken the medicine?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“The differentiation period is like this, emotional instability, in the first half year of my differentiation as a sentinel, I broke five sandbags and taking medicine didn’t work.”

 

Colonel Gu walked up to Chu Ya and handed him the thermos cup: “Come, drink some hot water.”

 

Chu Ya didn’t respond, and Colonel Gu said again: “I know that you love cleanliness, I haven’t used this water cup today, and I’ve washed it before.”

 

Chu Ya glanced sideways slightly, and then retracted his gaze: “I’m not thirsty.”

The smile on Colonel Gu’s face froze for a moment and a dullness flashed in his eyes. His appearance was originally feminine, and he looked a little cold at this time.

 

But his expression quickly regained his warmth, took a sip of the thermos cup, and said jokingly: “You had been raised finely since you were a child… I can remember this matter…… By the way, what were you standing here looking at?

 

Chu Ya replied: “Looking at the top of the clouds.”

 

Colonel Gu also looked up: “I know you’re tired of being here, but you can go back if you hold on for a while.”

 

Chu Ya was silent, his face was reflected on the window glass, and his sharp facial features were blurred a lot, looking handsome and clean.

 

Wow! The playground was clapping again.

“…… With the jurisdiction of Yunding, the children of the abyss can thrive, and everyone can have no worries about food and clothing……”

 

Chu Ya lowered his head and saw that the person holding the microphone had already become Dean Liu, and knew that this speech had come to an end. His gaze naturally fell on the first row to see the dirty child.

 

The dirty child’s gray cotton coat was too large, a small neck protruding from the neckline, and the hem of the dress was almost up to the calf, revealing a short leg in gray corduroy pants. He also wears a dusty cotton hat and the left and right pieces hang down to cover his ears, looking a little silly and funny.

 

Chu Ya found that although he was standing straight, he was making small movements. With his hands behind his back, he can take turns with his two index fingers up and down, as if he is rhythmically tapping something. The kid standing behind him, his hands hanging down on the sides of his trousers, also tapping his thighs left and right.

 

Chu Ya subconsciously guessed his action, Colonel Gu turned the kettle beside him and said indifferently: “Who is not tired of being here?” This is the abyss, the abyss of cold, dirt, despair, rancidity.

 

Chu Ya withdrew his thoughts from the dirty child, calmed down, and replied seriously: “Actually, I’ve always been curious about what the abyss is like. My father called me to the study out of the blue yesterday and said I should come to see the abyss, so I came. I’ve imagined the abyss many times, and I know that life here isn’t as good as at the top of the clouds, but it’s still ……”

 

“Or is it beyond your imagination?” Colonel Gu asked.

 

Chu Ya frowned: “We went to the mine in the middle of the night, and the horishi collected by those mine workers is the energy needed by the suspension machine to float in the sky. But they don’t have enough to eat—”

 

“So what?” Colonel Gu raised his hand to interrupt Chu Ya’s words: “Because of the change in the soil, the abyss is not suitable for growing grain, and now everyone’s rations are produced by Yunding.” But how big is the top of the clouds? It’s good enough to be able to feed so many people.

 

Chu Ya had a cold face: “But no one in the top of the clouds has ever been hungry and cold.”

 

Colonel Gu’s light-colored pupils stared at Chu Ya: “This world is the weak and the strong, the strong go to the top of the clouds, and the weak stay in the abyss. Don’t think of the injustice, you see those people in the abyss, as long as you give them a bowl of rice, you give them hope. They are very obedient and satisfied. Although they live in a muddle, they are also very happy.

 

Chu Ya pursed his lips and didn’t make a sound, only looking out through the glass window.

 

Colonel Gu said again: “The conditions of the abyss are indeed not good, and there is a certain gap between them and us, but we are also trying to change the status quo of the abyss, otherwise we will not come to inspect. You are the son of President Chu, you were born noble, don’t care about these low-level things-“

 

Before he finished speaking, Chu Ya suddenly turned around without the slightest warning and strode towards the door.

 

Colonel Gu’s words paused: “Where are you going?”

 

Chu Ya took off the coat on the hanger and put it on, then picked up his leather bag, opened the door, and walked out without saying a word.

 

The footsteps disappeared at the top of the stairs, and there was no one in the house. Colonel Gu picked up the thermos cup, gently blew off the rising water vapor, and then turned to look out the window.

The pale light shone over his head, making the light on his face dim and a little colder for no reason.