Fluffy WangXian Oneshots Book Two

Trick Or Treat

At the beginning of autumn, in the year that Lan Zhan turns six, a new family moves in next to the Lan home in Suzhou.

They don't notice much straight away; the Lans are a private family, rarely interacting with their neighbours if at all, so Lan Zhan ignores the huge red and white moving van parked in next door's driveway, and the big burly men that shout at one another as they carry furniture into the property.

But as the days go by, this is the first thing to change.

Sometimes, Lan Zhan hears loud laughter from somewhere and shrinks away from the windows, not wishing to be seen. Sometimes, he thinks he might have heard a little voice, too, but he's too scared to look.

Instead, he stares at the golden leaves swirling all around the back yard like a bronze fire, some of them a deep, distinguishing red, mixed with vibrant burnt oranges. He likes looking at the trees when they change colours, like huge giants tossing off their green summer cloaks and donning their last red robes, before the frost and ice of winter steals their clothes for months.

One day, Lan Zhan hears a shriek and looks up without thinking. He's sitting at his desk, doing homework when it happens.

There's a little boy wearing a red hoodie, running, and first, Lan Zhan stands up, wondering if he's in danger, but then there's grown-up laughter following it and a lady chases after him. They run around their garden and tag each other, and Lan Zhan smiles because they're having such a lot of fun, and they're smiling so much that it's contagious.

The little boy has long hair and it's tied up with a red ribbon, and he looks around Lan Zhan’s age. When he smiles and laughs, Lan Zhan notices that his front two teeth are missing. He's cute.

The lady runs slow sometimes, just to let the little boy catch her, and she shows no mercy when it's her turn to catch him, running under the swings and the slides - where did they come from? - and when she catches him, she tosses him into the air like a sack of potatoes and his giggles explode into the air like fireworks bursting into life.

Lan Zhan looks at them and misses his mother.

**************

When the weather is nice, meaning only when it doesn't rain, the little boy is always outside, playing. Sometimes, it's with his Mama, sometimes it's with his Baba, and very rarely, it's all three. Sometimes, Lan Zhan opens the window just to hear them better, even if Shufu tells him off later for doing that.

Shufu doesn't like their neighbours.

Sometimes, when they're playing and laughing, Lan Zhan hears a stern voice going to the fence that separates them and he shouts at the lady and the little boy, telling them to be quiet.

Lan Zhan doesn't like that at all.

When that happens, their smiles disappear and they no longer laugh. They go inside, and Lan Zhan misses them, feeling sad that they're not playing outside anymore.

One time, tired out by raking the leaves into a huge pile, Lan Zhan watches the lady teach her son how to fall backwards into the soft and dry leaves, making them go everywhere. The little boy laughs and laughs and laughs.

And then suddenly, he looks up.

Lan Zhan freezes, watching him back and terrified out of his mind. Moments go by and neither moves, each one trapped by the other's gaze.

“A-Ying!”

Lan Zhan hears the name and then the lady appears, helping her son up. He points to the window, and Lan Zhan ducks, too terrified to do anything more than hug his knees to his chest and try to breathe slower.