The Little Prince's Lonely Star

CHAPTER ONE

"THE LITTLE PRINCE AND THE LONELY STAR"

Xiao Zhan took a break from delivering some packages that was assigned to him today. Since it’s already lunch time, he made a stop to a small stool and ordered a bowl of street noodles.

He was born and raised at the countryside by his grandmother. Due to the lack of work availability in his hometown, he came to the big city of Beijing to look for a job with a decent pay. Luckily when he applied to a Delivery Service Center, he was hired right away.

He was not a graduate of any college courses, that’s why he was glad for the opportunity that was given to him.

While eating heartily his bowl of noodles, he suddenly remembers to video chat his Uncle Li.

“Uncle Li!” he greeted. “Thank you for your hard work Uncle Li. Sorry to make you come all the way to my house. Please let me take a look at my grandma.”

He saw that his Uncle Li shifted the phone and face it to his grandma’s face.

“Grandma! Grandma, it’s me!” he said while smiling. “Can you see me?”

His voice started to volume up since his grandmother has a problem in hearing. If you are a passerby who can hear him speaking, you can right away identify that he’s got a dialect and an accent that does not belong to the big city of Beijing.

“I didn’t go back! Mobile phone… I’m talking to you on my mobile phone, grandma.” he adjusted his face closer to the phone screen so that his grandmother could see him clearly. “Uncle Li, sorry for troubling you in helping my grandma to look at the phone. Uncle Li, thank you! Thank you!”

He paused for a moment and call at his grandmother once again while waiving his hand, “Grandma! Here! Waive your hand, grandma! Waive your hand!”

“What a noisy! Will you let the people sleep or not?!” a shout from one of the apartments behind.

Xiao Zhan kept quiet for a moment and looks again at his grandmother and signals her to waive his hand while smiling. The phone was a bit crooked to the other side and he could not see his grandma clearly.

“Uncle Li, sorry... The phone is a bit crooked. Will you adjust the phone for me please? And please tell my grandma to not block the camera with her hand. Thank you, Uncle Li!”

“Grandma! You can’t see me? Wait a minute.” he suddenly realizes that he’s still wearing his helmet with him so he takes it off right away. “Can you see me now? Do you miss me? Miss me?”

He stared at his grandma who could not really hear well while making a cute face and, “I’m asking if you miss me?”

He saw his grandma smiling while nodding to his question and said with a lower voice.

“Look at you… Grandma, when you smile your eyes disappear…” he bites his lower lips to prevent himself from crying. He saw his grandma looking at him with a puzzled look, so he joked at her “I’m saying… grandma, when you smile your teeth are gone. Now everyone knows you have no teeth…”

He heard her asked if he was cold and so he replied back that he was not cold even though it’s really cold outside. “I’m not cold! Don’t worry; it is not called at all in here… I’m really okay… By the end of the year, I’m saving money and buy you the hearing aid.”

His grandmother could not hear him at all so he enunciated the words clearly and slowly and said, “H-e-a-ring aid! When you wear them, you’ll be able to hear people talking. H-e-a-ring aid…” while pointing at his ear, “Ear… This one… Do you see it?”