Hello, Old Times c1

Part 1: The role playing games during childhood

Chapter 1

Five year old little girl Yu Zhou Zhou was curled up at the edge of the bed, with a sorrowful expression that didn’t fit her age. She was learning the scenes in the cartoon, ‘Mas.h.i.+n Hero Wataru’* to entertain herself with. She acted out all the characters:
[A j.a.panese anime series that was also broadcast in China and became a hit there in the 1990s]

“Are&h.e.l.lip;Are you okay? You’re losing so much blood!”

“s.h.i.+n.o.bibe, this bottle, take it with you!”

“No, I don’t want to leave you, I don’t want to walk away alone!”

“Quick, quick, we’re running out of time&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;”

Yu Zhou Zhou dropped on the bed, her chubby white little hands grabbed the blankets and with great effort, she propped herself up with her left arm. She raised her eyes and looked at the imaginary s.h.i.+n.o.bibe who was crying. She gave a sad and beautiful yet also brave smile.

It would be great if she could vomit blood at this moment.

Yu Zhou Zhou froze for two seconds then flipped over and got up. She ran barefoot to the living room and poured herself a cup of warm water from the thermos with effort. She drank a little of the water and kept it in her mouth. She then ran back into the small room, jumped on the bed and once again dropped down. She continued to hold an expression of great pain as she grasped the blankets, wrinkling the peony flowers prints on it. Then, she looked up again with a poignant smile. She controlled the strength of the water in her mouth and little by little, she let it flow out from the right corner of her mouth.

s.h.i.+n.o.bibe widened her eyes in fear but she didn’t say anything- naturally she wasn’t able to say anything because s.h.i.+n.o.bibe also needed Yu Zhou Zhou to dub her while Yu Zhou Zhou currently had a mouthful of water.

Thus, Yu Zhou Zhou could only imitate s.h.i.+n.o.bibe’s voice in her mind, “You can’t die! Don’t die!”

The ‘fresh blood’ rolled down her chin and dripped onto the bedsheets.

She was dead, she had forgot that her mom would definitely shout at her if the bedsheets got damp.

Thus, she decided that the ‘blood’ she had dripped was enough and quickly swallowed down the rest of the water in her mouth. She reached out and grabbed the bottle then pushed it towards s.h.i.+n.o.bibe- “You must&h.e.l.lip;You must&h.e.l.lip;Send it to&h.e.l.lip;”

The spirit in her eyes gradually disappeared, leaving only empty darkness.

Yu Zhou Zhou dropped her chin and quietly ‘died’ in the flames of Acheron*.
[A river of Hades]

Two seconds later, she jumped up, changed direction and knelt on the bed. Using her left hand to cover her mouth, she tried hard to widen her eyes, acting as if in disbelief.

“Wake up&h.e.l.lip;Don’t scare me&h.e.l.lip;Wake up, wake up!”

Right now, she was s.h.i.+n.o.bibe.

s.h.i.+n.o.bibe knelt on the floor, shaking her head. Her eyes filled with tears, she cried again and again, “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it, you are lying to me, you are lying to me!”

&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;

Yu mama brought a hot cup of Colacao* over, she was about to push open the door but her hand paused mid-air. Her mouth twitched and finally, she sighed and left. She walked into Yu Zhou Zhou’s grandmother’s room and looked at the bottle of salt water on the metal frame, “Mom, we can pull out the syringe needle in about five minute’s time.”
*[A powder drink similar to Milo]

Grandma nodded, “Where’s Zhou Zhou?”

“Being crazy.”

&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;

s.h.i.+n.o.bibe finally came out of her sorrow. She grabbed the bottle next to her and though her eyes were full of tears, with immense strength, she clenched her fist, “I promise, I will definitely take the sacred water to them!”

The so called sacred water was tap water in one of her grandma’s previously used infusion bottles, sealed with a stopper on the top.

Holding the bottle up, Yu Zhou Zhou put her right eye to the cylinder bottle. The early Spring light shone in from the window and pa.s.sed though the bottle.

“I see the light.” She said with deep feeling.

Outside, her mom who was walking past tripped on the door sill.

s.h.i.+n.o.bibe held the bottle tightly and vigilantly looked around. She suddenly dropped down on the bed and started crawling slowly, then, she got up and moved close to the wall, holding her breath. In the tiny room, she travelled a long and arduous journey through the demon kingdom.

“s.h.i.+n.o.bibe s.h.i.+n.o.bibe, Bibe Bibe change!”*
[I a.s.sume these are some magic words she calls out to change]

She skilfully put her magic to good use and changed into a small rabbit. Yu Zhou Zhou used her front teeth to bite her bottom lip to make a rabbit face. Then, she hopped around on the bed, pa.s.sing through the gra.s.slands in her mind that stretches as far as the eye can see.

“Finally&h.e.l.lip;I’ve arrived.”

She stood up and without the slightest fear, stared at the terrifying Demon King who was grinning hideously in front of her.

The Demon King put his hands on his hips and gave a bellyful of laughter, “Hahahaha, my heartless and cunning trick has been discovered by you. But no matter, your doomsday is already here, oh hahaha&h.e.l.lip;.”

Yu Zhou Zhou changed back, she held the bottle close to her chest, “You, you, you&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;You go die!”

It didn’t seem right.

“You&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;” Yu Zhou Zhou put down the bottle and frowning, started to seriously think about what she, as a solitary hero, should say.

“The days of you doing whatever you want are over. Be awakened, watch me right your wrongs.”

Outside, her mom’s voice suddenly called out.

Yu Zhou Zhou smiled and her eyes squeezed into two pretty crescent moons, “Thanks mom.”

“&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;You’re welcome.”

“Ha, the days of you doing whatever you want are over. Be awakened, watch me right your wrongs!!!” Yu Zhou Zhou shouted. She raised her leg and gave a beautiful circle kick. Then, she got into a fighting pose, dodged, did a side tumble, jumped, bent over&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;

The small room reverberated with strange m.u.f.fled sounds.

Finally, she jumped up and grabbed the feather duster off the hook on the wall. Like a j.a.panese warrior, she held it with two hands. First, she drew a circle with it in the air, then, taking a deep breath, she struck down!

After completing this move, she immediately turned around and knelt on the bed, covering her forehead with her hands. She shouted in disbelief: “How? How did I lose to you? I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it, I- don’t- believe- it-”

&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;

Mama Yu was helping grandma pull out the syringe needle as she heard the final loud m.u.f.fled bang in the small room. After she finished feeding Yu Zhou Zhou’s grandma the rice porridge, she was about to take the bowl to the kitchen to wash it, but as she walked past the small room, she heard the sound of a sad and shrill cry.

Didn’t she defeat the Demon King, why was she still crying? She stopped and put her eat to the door, secretly listening.

“Heroine*, heroine, don’t die&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;.”
*[女侠- swordswoman, usually heroine, in wuxia stories]

“I&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;From today onwards, don’t go and compete for the position of the leader of the martial arts alliance. That position is filled with blood ah&h.e.l.lip;&h.e.l.lip;”

Mama Yu sighed. In the future, she should stop Yu Zhou Zhou watching all these television dramas with no control-what nonsense were all these.

“Chief, Chief!*” A deep ‘male’ voice.
*[She is referring to Chief of the Red Flower Sect in the Book and Sword by Jin Yong]

“Chief!” A shrill ‘female’ voice.

Yu Zhou Zhou imitated five different voices in one breath to create the impression of all the people crying at once.

Wasn’t she just a heroine, how did she turn into chief? Mama Yu frowned and continued to listen.

Yu Zhou Zhou started singing the theme song to ‘White Browed Hero’.

Mama Yu couldn’t listen any further, anymore and Yu Zhou Zhou would probably start re-enacting the advertis.e.m.e.nts after the ending song. Mama Yu shook her head. She walked to the kitchen and opened the tap, the sound of the water covering Yu Zhou Zhou’s little theatre.

At this age, she couldn’t even go to kindergarten or play with friends.

But it couldn’t be helped.

It couldn’t be helped, Zhou Zhou. Mom also has no solutions, please don’t blame mom.

As Mama Yu thought about it, tears started falling, mixing with the tap water in the sink.

Generation after generation, life was just like a spinning top, moving back and forth, round and round.