Chapter 37: If Only My Best Buddy Were a Girl
On the steps by the street,
With an excited look on his face, Lin Wan watched as Zhuo Feng tossed a box to him.
The box was square and made of sturdy cardboard, only a little bigger than a 250 ml milk carton. It had a dark red cover decorated with cloud patterns, making it look quite elegant.
He opened the box.
Inside, on a black cushion, were two pieces of amber about the size of quail eggs. They were clear and bright.
Each piece of amber seemed to contain a small rectangular jade tag.
He picked up one of them and held it in front of his eyes.
The jade tag inside had the name "Zhuo Feng" neatly carved into it.
He picked up the other one.
Just as he expected, the jade tag inside was carved with the name "Lin Wan."
So this was the "good thing" his best buddy had been talking about?
But... why was he giving this to him?
He put the amber back down and looked at Zhuo Feng with a puzzled expression.
"That night, didn't you go on and on with all those sad thoughts? You said you were afraid that the traces you left behind would disappear. So I ordered these online."
"Did I? Did I really say that?"
Thinking about how emotional he had been that night, Lin Wan felt embarrassed. His cheeks turned slightly red as he pretended not to remember.
"Oh? You didn't? Then maybe I remembered wrong. In that case, there's no use for these anymore. I might as well throw them away."
Zhuo Feng reached out to take the box back.
Lin Wan quickly hugged the box to his chest. He only placed the amber with "Zhuo Feng" carved inside into Zhuo Feng's hand.
"Tell me first, why did you buy these?"
"Amber can last for a very long time. And the jade tag inside, as long as no one purposely breaks it, should last for hundreds of thousands of years. Later we'll go buy a glass sphere and seal the amber inside it. Glass can stay undamaged for a million years…”
“...Then we'll find a place to bury it. With all those layers protecting it, your name should still be there until the day humanity disappears. Even if humans are forgotten, the mark you left behind should still remain."
After hearing those words, Lin Wan quietly scratched his finger.
A strange wave of emotions filled his heart.
Just because of a few sad words he had said when he was feeling down, his best buddy had gone and done all this.
Other than his family, no one had ever cared about him this much.
His nose stung, and his eyes slowly turned red.
"Thank you."
"We're brothers. You don't need to thank me for something like this. Come on, let's go buy that glass sphere."
Zhuo Feng stood up from the steps and brushed the dust off his pants.
"But why did you buy two? Isn't that a waste of money?"
"So I'm not allowed to leave my own mark behind too?"
"Oh."
Lin Wan got up and followed Zhuo Feng across the street. He held the amber in his hand, looking at it again and again.
The more he looked at it, the more he liked it.
"Brother, was this expensive?"
"Not really. It's artificial amber with Xiuyu jade. Just something that costs a few dozen yuan."
"A few dozen yuan? That's still quite a bit. How much exactly? I'll transfer the money to you later."
The moment Zhuo Feng heard that, he stopped walking.
"Lin Wan! Do you even have a heart?"
"Huh? I... I think I do..."
Why would he ask that? If I didn't have a heart, wouldn't I already be dead?
"Do you really think I'm short of those few dozen yuan?"
"I am—"
Before he could finish, Zhuo Feng gave him a serious look. Lin Wan immediately lowered his head and changed his answer.
"...You're probably not."
"Don't keep score over things like this between best buddies. Someone gives you a gift, and the first thing you do is talk about money. That just pushes people away and hurts the friendship."
Zhuo Feng let out a sigh.
To be honest, Lin Wan had never had a friendship like this before. No one had ever taught him how to handle something like this. He simply reacted based on what felt right.
In his mind, money was something very important. If someone spent money to buy him a gift, then he should pay them back.
Besides...
Wasn't there a saying? Don't talk about feelings, talk about money.
"Then which do you think is more important, a gift or friendship?" Seeing that Lin Wan stayed silent, Zhuo Feng asked another question.
Lin Wan answered uncertainly in a quiet voice, "...Friendship?"
"Which do you think is more valuable, my gift or our friendship?"
This time, he answered without hesitation.
"Friendship."
"Then how much do you think my friendship is worth? If you're going to pay me back, then pay me for the value of that friendship too."
Lin Wan carefully glanced at Zhuo Feng.
"Ten... no... one... one hundred?"
"Ha!"
Zhuo Feng was so speechless that he laughed.
He reached out, originally planning to flick Lin Wan on the forehead, but when his hand reached him, it turned into a gentle pat instead.
He rubbed Lin Wan's head and continued,
"Friendship is priceless! Remember that, okay?"
"Okay."
What you're saying makes sense... but isn't there also a saying that people would stab their own brothers in the back for money?
Of course, he didn't dare say that out loud.
"From now on, if your best bro gives you something, just accept it. Stop bringing up money every time. Got it?"
"Got it."
After listening to Zhuo Feng's long explanation, Lin Wan felt completely confused and no longer dared to mention paying him back.
Looking at the amber, he felt that burying something that cost several dozen yuan would be a little wasteful.
"So... can we not bury it?"
Hearing that, Zhuo Feng looked at Lin Wan's reluctant expression and immediately knew his stingy side had appeared again.
"What? Are you thinking about selling it instead?"
"Huh?!"
Lin Wan's eyes lit up for a second, but after remembering what Zhuo Feng had just said, he quickly gave up on the idea.
"I want to keep it. Can I treasure it first and bury it when I'm old instead?"
So he wants to keep it for his whole life?
Zhuo Feng's annoyance disappeared, and a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"But by then, I might not still be by your side to bury it with you."
"Why would you have to take me? It's not like I don't have legs. I can go by myself."
"Hmm?!"
"Uh..."
Seeing Zhuo Feng's expression, Lin Wan quickly corrected himself.
"When the time comes, I'll ask you to come with me!"
Best buddy... aren't you being a little bossy?
"That's more like it! Best brothers for life!"
Since they decided not to bury the amber for now, Zhuo Feng had metal frames added around both pieces and threaded cords through them, turning them into pendants.
Then he gave both pendants to Lin Wan.
His excuse was that he was too careless and might lose his own.
But the real reason was different.
He wanted to give Lin Wan a sense of responsibility. That way, when Lin Wan finally wanted to bury them someday, he would naturally come looking for him.
After all...
The two pendants should always stay together.
Only then would the words "best brothers for life" truly mean something.
On the way back to school, Lin Wan carefully hugged the box containing the pendants.
This was the first time a friend had ever given him such a thoughtful gift.
He had to treasure it.
Even though his best buddy had strangely scolded him today, everything Zhuo Feng had done still deeply moved him.
My best buddy is handsome. Except for today, I've never seen him lose his temper. He's also thoughtful and caring.
If my best bro were a girl... I'd definitely marry her!
Too bad he isn't...
"Hey, what are you thinking about so deeply?"
Zhuo Feng suddenly grabbed Lin Wan just before he walked straight into a streetlight.
"I wish you were a girl!"
"???"
Zhuo Feng looked at him with a face full of disgust and confusion.
"If you were a girl, I'd definitely chase after you!"
"You think you've got the guts? Besides, if I were a girl, why would I marry a skinny monkey like you?"
"Don't let my size fool you! I've got muscles!"
Lin Wan raised his arm proudly to show off his biceps.
Zhuo Feng reached over, grabbed his biceps, and gave it a firm squeeze.
"Hiss! Ow! Let go!"
The tiny muscle that Lin Wan had proudly flexed only stayed firm for a few seconds before being squeezed soft again.
"That's it?"
Zhuo Feng let go.
"I've seen how much you eat every day. How come you never gain any weight?"
"That's because I have one of those bodies that never gets fat no matter how much I eat! Lots of people wish they had that!"
"Come on. People who never gain weight no matter how much they eat usually have stomach or digestive problems. Don't tell me you've got that too?"
Lin Wan thought about it for a moment.
"My stomach is perfectly fine, but I do have an illness."
"What illness?"
"Hehe, I'm not telling you. If I die someday, remember to take the pendants back, okay? And bury the one with my name together with me."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up and spit three times!"