Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Youth Palace
Thanks to the lollipop, his body, which had been covered in wounds just moments ago, was gradually scabbing over as the swelling subsided. The process was slow, but the recovery was still visible to the naked eye.
Zhang Wenda was utterly shocked. ’In this world, this thing actually works like a major health potion?’
’So that’s why that damn Fatty wasn’t the least bit surprised to see me so badly injured. Turns out this level of damage can be healed easily?!’
With the lollipop still in his mouth, Zhang Wenda thought for a moment before calling out to Fatty nearby, "Fatty! Thanks for the candy! When I’m rich, I’ll definitely make you my godson!"
"What’s with you? I give you a candy out of the kindness of my heart, and you try to get one over on me."
He took the lollipop out of his mouth and examined it curiously. It looked just like a normal piece of candy, but the effect it was having on his body was undeniable.
’Alright. This world is incredibly strange, but it seems there are good kinds of strange and bad kinds of strange. I’ll have to figure out the rest for myself.’
Zhang Wenda’s spirits lifted. He was ready to face this world again. So many things in his past had failed to crush him; what was a little thing like this in comparison?
With the candy back in his mouth, he pulled out the *Student Handbook* and started memorizing it on the spot. He refused to believe something this simple could stump him.
Along the way, Zhang Wenda trailed behind the other students, their stop-and-go pace making it feel a bit like a school field trip. It would have felt even more so if not for this bizarre place.
He had almost finished memorizing the whole thing when Xiaopang, who was walking in front of him, suddenly stopped short. Caught by surprise, Zhang Wenda bumped right into his back. "Why’d we stop?"
"Haozi, we’re here."
At Xiaopang’s words, Zhang Wenda looked up. A large, rainbow-colored archway stood before them. It looked like it was made of cheap plastic, with white, smiley-faced clouds hanging from it.
"This is the Youth Palace?" Just as he spoke, the rainbow archway suddenly lit up with flashing bulbs, making Zhang Wenda jump.
As he scrambled back like a startled animal, a cheerful, catchy children’s song began to drift over from the archway.
"It rained all night long~ Waking up to good weather~ Dreamed of you again last night~ We played our happy games together..."
’Isn’t... isn’t that the theme song from Animation City?’ Zhang Wenda thought, stunned. The music hooked him, pulling him back to his childhood, back to the days of plopping down in front of the television every day at 6 p.m., waiting for the cartoons to start.
But in his current situation, hearing that familiar, slightly distorted children’s song drift out from the Youth Palace only sent a chill down his spine.
"Fatty, is this really the Youth Palace? It doesn’t seem right," Zhang Wenda asked his companion.
"What do you mean? Aren’t all Youth Palaces like this?" Little Fatty asked.
As they spoke, the other students, still bickering amongst themselves, had already passed through the rainbow arch and were heading down a concrete staircase littered with snack wrappers.
After a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Wenda decided to trust the local and followed them in.
As he started down the stairs, a wave of damp air washed over him. ’The Youth Palace is underground?’ he thought hesitantly.
After one flight of stairs, they came to a landing and a second flight that switched back in the opposite direction, like the staircase in an old apartment block, only wider and more dilapidated.
The flashlight that should have been in his schoolbag was now, somehow, in Zhang Wenda’s hand.
They continued their descent. In stark contrast to Zhang Wenda’s tension, the others seemed completely unfazed, still deep in a heated debate. This time, the topic was whether orange soda tasted better than Coca-Cola.
Zhang Wenda nervously scanned his surroundings. The concrete staircase seemed to descend endlessly. Above them, there was nothing but damp wooden planks, with caged lightbulbs that flickered on and off.
That familiar melody was still playing, growing louder as they approached, but now it had switched to a different song.
"Every night I remember what Mama said, shining tears like the lupine flower... The stars in the sky are silent, the child on the earth misses their mother..."
"I’m telling you, Coca-Cola is way better than orange soda. Have you guys ever had it with ice? I have! Once, for my birthday, my mom got me a special bottle from the co-op. It was ice-cold! That first sip... man!"
Zhang Wenda followed them down and down. After about two minutes, a platform roughly the size of a classroom appeared before them.
The walls of this area were draped in black cloth. The platform itself was tiled in a black-and-white checkered pattern and was piled high with an assortment of junk: boxes, bottles, and even an old-fashioned bicycle. The clutter was so dense it nearly filled the entire platform.
A figure in a plush mascot costume was sorting through the junk. Hearing their footsteps, the mascot twisted its oversized head and turned to face them.
It was a purple rabbit with red eyes. The costume seemed ill-fitting; the head sat crookedly on its shoulders, and the figure had to keep adjusting it, which looked almost comical.
"Hello, Teacher!" All the students shouted in unison at the rabbit, making Zhang Wenda jump.
’That’s the teacher?’ Zhang Wenda furtively sized up the figure. This was outside his frame of reference; he had no idea if the Youth Palace actually employed teachers in rabbit costumes to play with kids.
’Then again, maybe so,’ he mused. ’Otherwise, why would Xiaoming go to the Youth Palace so often?’
When he saw the rabbit mascot walking toward him, Zhang Wenda’s heart leaped into his throat. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to look, terrified of triggering another rule.
As the ceiling lights flickered, the plush mascot began to speak. Its voice was a normal man’s, but it was overlaid with the faint, whirring sound of a cassette tape.
"During the event, you must remain disciplined. If anyone deliberately causes trouble or misbehaves, we’ll be sure to tell your regular teacher, okay?"
While Zhang Wenda, his head still bowed, was trying to figure out what these "Youth Palace rules" were, a pair of furry rabbit legs suddenly stopped right in front of him.
The atmosphere instantly solidified. Cold sweat began to form on Zhang Wenda’s forehead, and the sight nearly made him stop breathing.
’What did I do wrong this time? Is looking down not allowed either?!’
After what felt like three very long seconds, a small, brightly-colored booklet was held out from beside the rabbit’s legs. On the cover, seven large words were scrawled in crooked, colored crayon: *Mr. Ding’s Guide to the Youth Palace*.
Below the word "Palace," there was a stick-figure drawing of a smiling old man. It was Old Ding—the very same one from the children’s drawing rhyme: "Old man Ding, he owes me two cents, said he’d pay in three days, then he said four instead."
When Zhang Wenda took it with a trembling hand, he saw the rabbit legs in front of him finally move away toward the next student.
’Shit, that scared me to death. I thought something had gone wrong again.’ Zhang Wenda raised his head slightly and saw that everyone had received one of the Old Ding guides. Apparently, this was part of the normal procedure.
Once everyone had a booklet, the rabbit pulled aside a curtain, revealing an old wooden door bearing the words "Serve the People" in red letters.
With the JINGLE of keys and a loud CREAK, a long, narrow corridor was revealed before Zhang Wenda.
"Students, the Youth Palace is open from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM. No one is permitted to stay overnight. If you encounter any problems, consult your guide immediately. If anything occurs inside the Youth Palace that is not covered by the guide, return to this entrance at once."
Comments