Chapter 1: Time-Space Train
On New Year’s Eve, Chen Qiao, wrapped in a black trench coat, walked alone on the street holding his phone. He was doing an outdoor live broadcast.
“In a moment, at midnight, let’s watch the fireworks together with the brothers in the live stream. The countryside may not have much, but we can enjoy fireworks freedom.”
Chen Qiao had done food delivery, set up stalls, worked as an internet cafe manager, written novels, and worked in factories. Finally, during his off-hours, he started gaming and casually streamed, not expecting his audience to grow, eventually becoming a contracted streamer.
Every day, he would chat with his online friends, sharing his past embarrassing stories while occasionally singing Cantonese old songs, after all, he was a local of Guangdong.
He resigned to become a full-time streamer but soon faced a streaming winter. Contracts needed to be renegotiated, and income would depend on gifts rather than views.
The brothers in the live stream valued companionship, and while no money was involved, he discouraged gifting due to heavy cuts. On top of that, if a minor using Apple ever requested a refund for a gift, he would end up losing money after handling fees, which was frustrating since he wasn’t making much anyway.
Today was the last live stream of the year; after the holidays, he would return to the factory to work on screws.
No matter what he did, he had never caught a break, entering the industry during its decline, feeling like a loser.
The streets were festively decorated, firecracker sounds echoed, and occasional fireworks burst in the night sky. The New Year atmosphere seemed strong, yet Chen Qiao felt a deep emptiness inside, wondering if it was he who had changed or the environment. Celebrating the New Year didn’t feel as interesting as in his childhood.
Brothers, this is the black internet cafe I used to frequent; it’s now a umbrella factory. At that time, the little grocery shop was right here, and the next room had computers, locked away, very discreet; we weren’t scared of being caught by parents or teachers. The shop owner was female, a single mother with a cute little daughter, probably a year or two younger than I was then, who used to drag a little stool to sit by my side and watch me play games. Alas, I didn’t appreciate it when I was young. I now regret it.
The first part was true; the latter half was something Chen Qiao made up. He didn’t even know the shop owner’s or her daughter’s name.
Who wouldn’t want a non-troublesome girlfriend while gaming? The scent of her would be so nice, a little mischief wouldn’t matter—actually, it would be even better.
Chen Qiao had written novels and liked to weave this half-true, half-fake narrative, making it sound interesting—about a primary school classmate, a college student teacher coming to the countryside for volunteer work, or a widowed cousin-in-law. Some online friends knew he was joking but still enjoyed listening to his stories, watching him express regret. Wasn’t that a reflection of themselves, too?
Fortunately, as a transparent streamer, no one specifically targeted him, and sometimes the live stream title was simply a storytelling session where he’d share his viewers’ tales.
“This is my old primary school, and there aren’t many students left now.”
Chen Qiao greeted his former homeroom teacher, saying he wanted to return to visit. Surprisingly, the old man was now the principal and easily granted him permission.
The school had changed dramatically; the dangerous building from his school days had been leveled to create a playground and a podium.
This building was still under construction when I graduated without attending a single day. Now it has become the oldest, most dilapidated teaching building in the school, used to store discarded desks and chairs.
Memories flooded back; those were probably the most spirited days of Chen Qiao’s life. His dad wasn’t in jail, his mom wasn’t sick, and he had a notorious cousin who knew a lot of tough people, making it impossible for anyone to bully him. His grades were decent, though he had an older sister who was better, always being compared to her.
Then there was also a girl in his class, a bit darker-skinned, named Lin Na, whose QQ he added during the graduation recording.
Although they had never chatted, he had seen her posts of her once-abstract drawings evolve into something impressive, indicating she too had ventured into the real world, leaving childhood dreams behind.
Thank you for the gift now, sister…
Did he not say not to send gifts? Why not just send him a red envelope (angpau) directly? Otherwise, there would be platform cuts and taxes to pay.
The live stream’s bullet screen went wild, filled with excitement.
Is that your sister?
Your Highness Sister.
I want to see the sister; host, get out of the way! We’re not watching your pig head.
Sister, please step on me!
Those guys, forgetting one thing for another, the sister in question was Chen Qiao’s biological sister, Chen Feifei, who currently worked as a doctor at the First Hospital in the county. After Chen Qiao became a full-time streamer, he returned to the county town to live with his sister. The cost of living in the small county was relatively low; even with little income, they could still eat well, drink well, and sleep comfortably.
Feifei’s voice and shadow frequently appeared in the live stream. Occasionally, when Chen Qiao went to the toilet or ordered takeout, she would briefly fill in for him, and the viewers would eagerly demand her presence, preferring her over Chen Qiao.
He had let his sister stream for an hour once, and that turned out to be his highest-performing live session ever. However, it was not replicable; at first, everyone was excited, but over time, that novelty wore off. It was more entertaining when he acted like a clown in the stream, and his sister would just have to pop in occasionally.
The crowd began speculating about their sibling relationship, with some doubting that they were really siblings and suggesting they were in a romantic relationship. However, the taboo of being siblings made it even more intriguing, and indulging in that would only harm them.
As soon as Chen Feifei entered the live stream, Chen Qiao’s backup phone rang—it was a call from his sister.
“Chen Qiao, it’s New Year’s Eve, and yet you’re not back home?”
“Sis, I’m live streaming.”
“I know! I’m right in your stream. Don’t you see what time it is? It’s about to be New Year! Hurry up and come to find me!”
“I’m at the primary school.”
“What’s so interesting about an empty primary school? It’s better to look at me. If my home isn’t where you are, what kind of home is it? I want to see you within half an hour.”
“Are you on duty at the hospital again?”
“Yes! Anyway, you’re the only family I have left, along with Xin Yu. I switched shifts with someone, a favor among adults. Bring Xin Yu over, and we can celebrate New Year together and have something to eat.”
Chen Xinyu was the daughter of his cousin, but that cousin was uneducated, dropped out of school, smoked, drank, and stole wire; he was a little notorious in town and had even gotten a girl pregnant, giving her a bit of money for an abortion before disappearing to work in Shenzhen, not to be heard from for years.
But the girl still had the baby and even wanted to marry him, hopelessly infatuated, but the cousin adamantly refused to marry her. Their miserly, gambling-prone uncle and aunt wouldn’t part with even a small betrothal gift, leaving behind just the child. In the end, the girl remarried elsewhere and never returned.
Chen Xinyu didn’t even have the funds for middle school tuition, which was covered by Chen Qiao and his sister. They continually supported her through college. Fortunately, she was studious and got into a prestigious university, unlike Chen Qiao’s mediocre school, and even worked to earn her tuition and living expenses. All the family’s morality seemed to reside in this little girl.
Chen Qiao had actually played quite well with that cousin in childhood, messing around with video games, and could only sigh at how unpredictable life is. He had been a good student and a good child for so long, and yet here he was, still a virgin at this age.
If he could live his life again, he would definitely let his younger brother fulfill his true potential! What a waste!
But it was just a thought; it was likely that life would stay this way.
Leaving the school, Chen Qiao walked down a long slope before reaching the street. Like many schools, this primary school was built on a grave hill.
At the street corner stood a sign for a school speed limit with a petite figure dressed in a pink down jacket, huddled, rubbing her hands and blowing warm breath.
This was in the countryside of Beijiang City, Guangdong Province, close to other provinces. It got cold after winter set in, and sometimes it even snowed on the mountain, a rare chance to see snow in Guangdong.
“Hey, Uncle! Happy New Year! I guess it’s a bit early to say that now,” Chen Xinyu said, tilting her head.
“Weren’t you supposed to call me brother? Here you go, your red envelope.”
Chen Qiao pulled out a pre-prepared red envelope from his pocket; this year it was a bit flatter due to a poor market.
“Hehe, thank you, brother.”
Chen Xinyu flashed a sweet, silly smile, which made it feel worthwhile for Chen Qiao to work hard; living was for moments like this.
He instinctively reached out to pat her head but realized she had long outgrown being that snotty, mud-playing little girl, so he withdrew his hand, only for her to lean in, rubbing against his rough palm.
“Brother?”
If there was one wish Chen Qiao had, it would be to have a little sister, but that was hopeless in this life—though having a daughter would be a slight hope, yet close to zero.
“Have you bought new clothes? Why are you still in old clothes? Isn’t that the one I bought you last year?” Chen Qiao asked, inspecting Chen Xinyu’s collar.
“It’s not damaged, and I hardly get to wear it during the year; I only wear it when I go home for the New Year. Buying new ones would be too wasteful.”
“You’ve been wearing those clothes for two or three years, right? The one who should be buying new clothes is you. Look, there are even holes and stuff coming out.”
Chen Xinyu pointed at Chen Qiao’s arm, as it seemed like it had gotten scratched somewhere in school.
“I’m not a kid anymore; I don’t need new clothes.”
“I’m not a kid either.”
“Then let’s both act like kids and go buy new clothes. It’s late, so let’s go with sister tomorrow to the market. Maybe we can find some cheap ones.”
That was the strategy for buying new clothes during New Year in their childhood—wait until the price dropped on the first day of the New Year to buy clothes. However, living had gotten better over the years, and online shopping was so convenient that they rarely went through this trouble anymore.
“Let’s go, get in the car.”
“Should I call her Auntie or Sister?” Chen Xinyu obediently fastened her seatbelt and asked.
“If you call her wrong, I can’t save you.”
Women are more sensitive to these names, especially as they get older.
Chen Qiao had kept his live stream running. Since Chen Xinyu appeared, the bullet screen exploded with comments.
Another little sister? What a life winner.
Your daughter is so grown up already, what a surprise.
Brothers, I need to go off-screen for a bit. I’ll come back later to stream…
Even after Chen Qiao finished work, many were still in the live chat, either expressing envy and hate in their comments or waiting for the stream to resume.
The national road to the county town was in terrible condition, full of potholes, making it very difficult to drive. This road was often overcrowded with overloaded trucks, but on such a festive night, there weren’t many cars out.
Inside the car played a song about doctors, and listening to it again as he grew older brought many emotions to Chen Qiao.
Suddenly, he heard a strange noise in his ears. After turning off the music, it became clearer.
“Xinyu, do you hear that noise? It’s like a train clanging.”
“I don’t hear anything. Our county doesn’t even have a train yet. They’re planning one, but I don’t know if it’ll be done before I graduate college; it would make traveling so much easier.”
“Could it be that I’m hallucinating from lack of sleep?”
Chen Qiao pinched his brow and restarted the music, but then a strong light hit the car, blinding him.
“Ah! Brother! What is that?”
Chen Xinyu was startled as well, hugging Chen Qiao tightly.
A steam train, seemingly defying the fabric of time and space, came soaring from the sky, its front belching steam, transforming the night into day, making the trees along the road clearly visible. The sound of gears was thunderous.
“I don’t know either.”
Chen Qiao sharply turned the steering wheel 180 degrees, flooring the gas pedal to charge forward, but the rough road paired with the run-down car could not escape the descendent train.
Chen Qiao could clearly feel the impact coming from behind, as a blinding light seemed to engulf them.
Was this how his life was going to end, absurdly and confusedly?
Chen Qiao let go of the steering wheel and held Chen Xinyu tightly, determined to protect this child…
