Chapter 06: Shoe sole paper

　　A fourteen-year-old Jasper Lee.

Three Jetta sedans with taped windows.

Thirty days in a month.

Thirty-three children.

Jasper Lee was taken to the police station to give a statement, and Pascal Lee was anxious to be separated from him. The first question asked was: "Brother, should I tell them the truth?"

The policeman laughed, "If you don't tell us the truth, who will you tell the truth to?"

　　"That's what the police said at the local police station in Rye Town," said Jasper Lee. And what happened?"

"Don't worry, since you're here with us, we'll find a way to report it to the authorities. Go ahead."

Jasper Lee and Pascal Lee told the police everything. They had traveled all the way from Beijing south to Hebei, through Shandong to Henan, around Anhui, and into Hubei. We wanted to go to Shaanxi and enter Sichuan, but they said it wasn't a good idea and we would end up in Guangdong, so we went to Hubei instead.

　　Jasper Lee spoke methodically, from the route to the trafficking methods.

The young man taking the statement gasped when he heard that he had rescued the traffickers and taken them to the mine to work as illegal laborers.

　　"I know it's illegal, but I had no choice. Kidnapping or death."

"To atone for my crimes, I'm willing to provide specific information about these 33 children."

Jasper Lee took a piece of paper and started writing, from the ones he met when he first got on the bus to the ones still for sale when he was finally arrested. It took more than an hour, and when the police asked a third time if there was anything left, Jasper Lee finally got impatient and said, "I said there's nothing left, there's nothing left.

　　Pascal Lee finished the report before Jasper Lee and waited impatiently for him to come out. "Brother, what do we do now?"

Jasper Lee rubbed his eyebrows and said, "This matter is over for now. The police will take us home later.

"Home? Pascal Lee said, "Beijing? Is that the orphanage? I don't want to go, brother."

"I don't want to go either," Jasper Lee whispered into his shoulder. "That's why I didn't tell them."

　　"What did you tell them?"

"That we were unwanted."

"I don't understand," Pascal Lee said, confused. "What did you say? That we are unwanted."

"We have an older sister on the household registration," Jasper Lee said. "Cherry Adams, doesn't she live in Seoul?"

"Ah! That's why you decided to go to Hubei. But would Cherry Adams take us in?"

　　Jasper Lee was about to speak when the conversation was interrupted.

The police officer came out of the interrogation room and gave Jasper Lee an address: "We found your sister's address."

Jasper Lee nodded, and the policeman offered to drive them back, but Jasper Lee refused. Seeing that the two children were always on guard, he had to say, "Bail has been posted for you, so detention is not necessary, but we will have to wait for further instructions.

　　When they were outside the police station, Pascal Lee asked, "Why didn't the policeman let us go with him?

Jasper Lee gave an evasive answer, "I just lied and said that Cherry Adams was our guardian.

Pascal Lee didn't understand, of course he didn't, and what did a ten-year-old know anyway? Jasper Lee explained as simply as he could: But she's not really our guardian. Only a relative who is at least 18 years old and can afford to support us has to take on that responsibility.

　　"You mean Cherry Adams will definitely say that she is not capable and cannot take care of us?" Pascal Lee thought for a while, "Maybe we can do without her. I can go out and work, and I can play the piano..."

How naive. It was at this critical moment that Jasper Lee realized that his younger brother was not as stupid as he was.

"Have you ever seen an organization that accepts child laborers? We're not old enough and we don't have the right qualifications. Where can we go to make a living? Do you want to be sent back to Beijing to become orphans again?"

　　"Or do you think people will pay for a ten-year-old to play the piano? You can only work illegally. Can you be sure you won't be cheated? Haven't we survived all this time by cheating other people? Besides, what will those unscrupulous bosses do to you? Do you know how many child laborers are exploited and abused every year?"

Pascal Lee was moved to tears.

　　Jasper Lee suppressed his emotions and said sternly, "Pascal, we need a guardian, someone who can support us.

"I'm sorry brother, I'm just too stupid. I'm so useless, I can't think of a solution and I'm just slowing things down."

"You are just sick, and you haven't recovered yet. During this time, Pascal Lee had a low-grade fever that kept coming back.

"Let's rest for a while."

　　Jasper Lee helped him to the nearby grocery store. The two bought a bag of bread and a bottle of water, and after eating, they started asking for directions.

Toward evening, they finally found Cherry Adams' address. It was an old building in an old neighborhood, and it smelled like dust.

"Brother, do you think Cherry Adams will agree to be our guardian?"

It's hard, Jasper Lee thought, but he had to do it: "She will."

　　Pascal Lee fell asleep, leaning on his brother.

Time returned to the present. After Jasper Lee explained the circumstances, Cherry Adams burst out laughing.

"Why?" she said, rubbing her forehead. "Why should I raise you? You're just dreaming if you think I'm ugly."

　　To be fair, neither Pascal Lee nor Jasper Lee were ugly, and they stood out among the children. Pascal Lee looked like Lee's mother, and he had inherited her wide, doe-like eyes, pure and beautiful. Jasper Lee looked more like Lee's father, with deep sockets and slanted eyes that were standard tan eyes, with dark eyes that were black as a magnet. But whether they were beautiful or not had nothing to do with whether Cherry Adams would raise them.

　　"You just have to support us until we turn 18," Jasper Lee said, changing his tone. "Just support me until I turn 18. I can go out and earn money when I grow up."

"Eighteen? How about I support you until you are 108? That's just wishful thinking. Keep dreaming! Cherry Adams didn't want to waste any more time arguing with him, so she took out the key and unlocked the door. "Get out of here quickly. If I find you here in the morning, I'll call the police."

　　Jasper Lee added, "By then our relatives will be looking for us, and they will definitely be paying you child support.

Cherry Adams was only willing to stop when she heard words related to money: "Alimony? How much?"

"How much do you need? We can talk about all that when we get inside."

"I'll never let you in. Cherry Adams teased him, "Do I believe you about alimony?"

Jasper Lee's heart, which had just been broken, was now in the balance again.

　　"Do you think I believe that you have such a powerful relative, or that I am the first emperor of China?" Cherry Adams said as she opened the door, "Don't be stupid, if a relative had come earlier, you all would have found me, which means that no one took care of this mess at all.

　　Jasper Lee had been expecting this. Of course, Cherry Adams was not a good person, or even if she was the nicest person in the world, she would hesitate for a moment if she was asked to bear the burden of two children for no reason. Jasper Lee had no expectations for her, and there was no other way but to do her best.

"...Cherry Adams!" The young man's face turned dark again, "If you don't want to raise us, at least return our family's money.

Cherry Adams' movement to close the door froze.

　　"What do you mean? You're here to collect a debt?"

"On the day of the accident, you took our family's belongings, which is considered theft. How much did you pawn? You must pay us back in full, or else... we'll take you to court. You said you had the money to buy a car and the money from the pawnshop, who would believe you if you said you couldn't support us?"

"Hey, you have some knowledge of the law." Cherry Adams expressed her appreciation, but that was all.

　　"Jasper Lee, listen. I don't care how many idiots you cheated, but your sister will always be your sister. If you want to go to court, sue the servants who have nothing to do with you. They've stolen more than you can imagine. How can you blackmail me? You're so naive, Jasper Lee. I won't give you any money."

　　She poked him in the chest: "I won't give you a penny, not a dime, for you or your brother! Just get out of here!"

Jasper Lee froze.

Up to that point, all the blood had drained from his face.

His only bargaining chip had been trampled.

It would be a long, long time before Jasper Lee realized that no matter how down and out or successful he was in the world, as long as he stood in front of Cherry Adams, he would always be, and could only be, that helpless teenager standing under the voice-activated lamp.

　　The door slammed shut.

The only light was extinguished.

Only Jasper Lee's heavy breathing remained.

And the hopelessness of tomorrow.

.

Jasper Lee carried his brother back to the street.

Pascal Lee's illness seemed to be worsening.

"Brother..." he murmured softly, "I'm a little tired...sorry...did we not talk about anything? Is Cherry Adams still unwilling to adopt us..."

　　"It's okay," Jasper Lee still showed composure even though it was the end of the road, "There are always other ways, we definitely won't go back there."

"Brother... Am I kind of useless?" he said, "If it really doesn't work out, you can just leave me behind. I've been like this since I was little, I'm not healthy, and I always cause you trouble. It's like that at home, and I can't help you outside. You're so smart and resourceful, there's always somewhere you can go.

　　"What nonsense are you talking about?" Jasper Lee sat him down on the park bench. Do you have a fever again?"

He felt Pascal Lee's forehead, which was burning hot.

"I'll go to the police station," Pascal Lee said, "the police will definitely send me to the hospital, and after I'm cured, I'll go back, back to Beijing.

　　"Go back to being an orphan?" Jasper Lee frowned, "Pascal, no, there must be a way. You just rest for a while."

"Resting for a while won't help... Pascal Lee smiled weakly, "Back home, I was only kept alive with medicine. That's what they said behind my back... Brother, I don't want to be a burden to you. Please just leave me at the police station.

Jasper Lee didn't want to do that.

He took his brother to the hospital for an IV.

　　Pascal Lee will feel better after the infusion. Prescriptions are useless, and these small clinics are really only for minor illnesses. Pascal Lee's poor health has not been an issue for a day or two. Countless famous doctors in the capital have been unable to figure it out, so there is no reason to believe that it can be cured now.

Until Jasper Lee had to admit that the last of his money had been spent.

They ate the last piece of bread and drank the last drop of water on the stairs.

　　Jasper Lee wanted to work illegally, and Pascal Lee suddenly remembered, "Don't you still have the money you hid in your shoe?"

Pascal Lee said this and leaned over to take off his shoe, while Jasper Lee looked at him with a complex expression. Until Pascal Lee took off his shoe, he looked at the white paper on the sole of the shoe in shock.

　　"...it was long gone." Jasper Lee closed his eyes, "I lied to you.

Hope. The future. But the blank piece of paper on the sole of the shoe.

It gave people unfounded expectations and reasons to persevere.

In the end, all it left people with was the emptiness of reality.

Jasper Lee ended up covering his face and crying.