A faint sound hovered around the boy's ears. Someone was calling him, poking at his arm with a stick, and leaning over him.
Another poke and he jolted his eyes open, gasping for air. The middle-aged man beside him freaked out and fell, his cane stick falling on the boy.
"My butt!" the man complained, rubbing his palms on his behind. He quickly regained his composure and grabbed the cane stick from the boy's bare chest, "You're alive," he uttered while gasping loudly for air, fog escaping around his mouth.
In such snow-capped mountains, it wasn't uncommon to find breathing difficult. The man quickly slipped his jacket off and covered the boy's bare body with it. After all, it was freezing and the boy wasn't wearing anything. The boy struggled to get up from the ground, but the man helped him sit up.
"Kid, what is your name?" the man asked, "Where are your parents?"
The boy looked at the man confusedly. Although he could hear and understand the man, the words felt foreign. He had never seen a man before, let alone heard him speak.
"I…" he opened his mouth and stunned himself with a voice.
He never imagined he could imitate what the man was doing. He gulped and pressed his lips shut. It felt so foreign that he would rather not do it.
The pile of snow underneath his body was cold, but he still felt warm. It was strange. Everything was unfamiliar.
"Aiyah," the man narrowed his eyes, "I'm Zhang Meng, a tea farmer. Do you want to come with me? Eat something… then figure out who you are."
The boy felt his head nodding in response. An odd response. Zhang Meng smiled and stood up, also helping the boy stand up. Seeing the boy's legs tremble as soon as he stood up, Zhang Meng carried the boy on his back without a word.
The boy had the comfort to look around and get an understanding of this world. As Zhang Meng descended the snowy mountain, the boy on his back stretched his eyes across the horizon, only to see nothing but piles and piles of white snow.
"Look at that!" Zhang Meng pointed down in excitement.
Far down the snowy mountains was a lush green valley with rows of tea shrubs and cozy cottages.
"That's my village," Zhang Meng couldn't contain his excitement returning home after a long day in the mountains.
He rushed down the mountain and entered the valley. The weather there was still cold, but humid given the greenery. Zhang Meng took the boy to a cottage by the corner of the road. The boy sat on a chair in the lounge with his help.
"Honey!" he called someone loudly, "Honey, bring a pair of our son's clothes, would you?"
Within minutes, a lady walked out of the backroom with a fresh set of clothes, staring at the boy as she set the clothes on the table.
"Who are you?" she asked in an alarmed tone before looking at her husband, "Who is this?"
Zhang Meng defensively put his hands before himself, "Just a kid I found in the mountains."
"Uh huh?" she crossed her arms and looked at her husband with suspicion.
Zhang Meng nervously brushed his elbow against the boy's arm, begging him to speak something through his eyes. Surprisingly, the boy was able to read the intention.
"He did find me in the mountains," the boy uttered to confirm the man's innocence.
The lady sighed and sat on the chair beside the boy, "Where are your parents? What's your name?"
"I don't remember," he replied truthfully. Talking felt strange, but he had to talk to get around.
The lady clicked her tongue and reached for the boy's pale face. Her fingertips touched his face, then traveled to his long purple hair that had never been trimmed. His eyelashes had been painted white from all the snow stuck to them. From suspicion, she instantly switched to concern.
"He's about Tao's age," she sighed, "Help him change first. He looks like he hasn't eaten in ages. Let me cook him something healthy."
Zhang Meng took him to a separate room and set the clothes on a table before the mirror, awkwardly standing and staring at the boy. The boy glanced at him from the corner of his eyes.
"I can change on my own," the boy clarified, "That, I remember."
Zhang Meng nervously chuckled and nodded, "I'll wait for you outside, then."
As the middle-aged man left, the boy turned to the mirror and slipped the large jacket off his body. He had lied just now. He had never seen clothes, let alone know how to change into them. He looked into the mirror quietly, wondering who he was, why he was there, and why he didn't remember anything.
He closed his eyes and tried to remember something - anything.
—
The sky was as gray as ever. Amidst the snowstorm, an old man dragged the boy over the snowy ground. He stopped before a strange pod, lifted the boy in his arms, and lowered him down inside the pod.
The boy could hardly open his eyes. He could tell it was an old man.
"I will come see you every year," The old man uttered in a sorrowful voice, "Live well, and don't escape for the sake of us."
With that, the old man closed the pod. Suddenly, everything became colder than the snowstorm outside. The boy felt his bones physically freezing. Darkness engulfed his eyes, and he fell asleep.
—
The boy opened his eyes and looked into the mirror again. That was the only thing he could recall. He was perplexed about many things but had enough knowledge to get around. At least he spoke the same language as others.
On his face was a strange birthmark. It was parallel to his left jawline. He shook his head and glanced away from the mirror.
He reached for the clothes and tried to figure out how to wear them. Thankfully, it was just a T-shirt and trousers, so he figured it out instantly.
He roughly combed his hair with his fingers to make himself look presentable before walking out of the room. The food was already served, and the kind couple called him over to have a meal with them.
As he sat down to eat with them, the lady randomly asked, "What are your plans for later?" she asked, "You look old enough to be decisive, so we don't dare decide for you."
The boy looked up at her, caught by surprise. He couldn't pinpoint why he was so surprised. Maybe adults were supposed to be more pushy than this in his head.
"I would like to know who I am, and if I have any relatives," he put forth the most logical plan.
The lady seemed satisfied with his answer, "Feel free to stay with us. We'll help you in any way we can," she said before turning to her husband, "Right?" she pressed her foot against her husband's under the table.
"Right, right," He nervously replied.
The boy could see through their words. It seemed that the lady was the boss of the house. After eating, the boy chose to help empty the table for them. As he stacked dishes on top of one another to bring them to the kitchen, he noticed the lady pulled her husband into a corner.
Curious about their conversation, the boy tried to walk past them with the stacked dishes in his hands.
"Do you also think the kid matches the appearance of the Capital's wanted kid?" the lady whispered to her husband.
He nodded, "I'll send a message right away. Keep trying to earn his trust and keep him here till then."
The boy quickly walked to the kitchen before they could notice him. He placed the dishes on the counter with a frown, wondering what their conversation meant. Just then, Zhang Meng walked up to him.
"Kid, you don't remember your name, right?" he asked randomly.
The boy nodded quietly.
"Do you want to follow me to the village head's place? We can get you a name there, too."
The suggestion didn't sound suspicious. The couple was certainly up to something, but the boy was too clueless to pass judgment at this moment. He didn't even know who he was let alone know about the complexities of this world. He hadn't been able to process his emotions either.
The boy decided to follow Zhang Meng to the alleged village head's place. They walked down the beautiful stone roads of the lush valley. Distant snow-capped mountains could be seen surrounding them.
The village was lively. People were working in the fields, using big machines to harvest the leaves, and the kids were running around the streets.
Right at the end of the road was a large cathedral-like building. It was bigger than the small cottages of the villagers.
"This is our main gathering hall," Zhang Meng explained, "Come, the village head should be inside."