Similar nesting doll stalls were plentiful on the fourth floor; Xu Qingfan, leading Xia Xiaoxiao, did a walkaround but couldn't find the stall from his past life.
[It's probably further back.] he thought.
Unfortunately, at this moment, this place didn't have the trendy game of dolls with numbers.
Whether it was ring tossing or throwing bamboo sticks, he wasn't particularly good at either. Although ten bamboo rings cost only one yuan, without any guarantees, Xu Qingfan felt playing would just be giving them money.
Xu Qingfan, holding Xia Xiaoxiao's hand, was ready to leave; however, Xia Xiaoxiao appeared as if an immobilization spell had been cast on her and just stood there without moving.
The little girl stared unblinkingly at a plush toy; Xu Qingfan looked over, and it was a large Dragon Cat.
Then he glanced at the stall's game, which involved throwing chopsticks into beer bottles, and hitting nine would win the big prize.
Even a dog would shake its head at that; five yuan a play, and not even selling me would hit nine!
"Which anime is that from?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked.
"Dragon Cat; this animal exists in reality too."
Xia Xiaoxiao's mouth formed an astonished 'O' shape.
"Why haven't I seen it in the zoo then?"
"It seems to be a foreign animal, not yet introduced to China."
"The kid knows so much, huh? Do you want to play a round? I'll give you a discount," the shopkeeper said after hearing the two small kids converse in front of his stall for so long and couldn't help eavesdropping.
Xu Qingfan gave the boss a sidelong glance; nice try, trying to swindle money from kids!
"We don't have money."
"Oh, then next time have an adult bring you to play," the boss sat back down, propped up his legs, and started cracking sunflower seeds.
Xu Qingfan pulled Xia Xiaoxiao away, the little girl looking back every three steps.
"Stop looking, I'll take you to the computer city to buy the anime DVD."
"The Dragon Cat anime just now?" Xia Xiaoxiao excitedly turned her head towards Xu Qingfan.
The two moved from the fourth floor to the fifth floor, stopping at a shop selling pirated DVDs.
A large pile of DVDs was carelessly stacked at the entrance, with a sign saying 'three for ten yuan' and then ignored.
Xu Qingfan still had more than twenty yuan, buying three DVDs would still leave him with more than ten yuan as spare cash.
He riffled seriously through the stacks from front to back, and ultimately couldn't hold back his hands, picking six that interested him.
Two were from the Jiaye's Journey to the West series, one Dragon Cat, one Spirited Away, and to make up the numbers, he also grabbed two frequently mentioned titles, The Shawshank Redemption and Forrest Gump.
When he was ready to pay after selecting the DVDs, he discovered the hidden surprise inside.
There were also DVDs for sale at the very top, prominently displaying covers of two scantily clad blondes.
Xia Xiaoxiao, frightened, quickly covered her eyes, while Xu Qingfan merely glanced briefly and paid it no mind.
Joking aside, although he couldn't watch frame by frame, as a seasoned driver, he had seen all the scenes that needed to be seen.
Be it a husband who can't wake up in the bedroom, indifferent passengers on a tram, or a teacher awkwardly hiding from the rain in a classroom, nothing could destroy Xu Qingfan's steely will.
After handing over a hefty sum of twenty yuan, Xia Xiaoxiao took Xu Qingfan's hand and ran out as if escaping.
Only when they reached the elevator did Xia Xiaoxiao, out of breath, say, "Let's go home quickly, I'm never coming here again!"
[Do kids really know about these things?] Xu Qingfan wondered curiously.
"Why though?" he asked.
"That... that woman in the DVD... she's not... not wearing any clothes!" Xia Xiaoxiao stuttered out, "My mom says a girl's body shouldn't be seen by others!"
"What if someone has seen it, though? I heard from my mom that we used to bathe together when we were little. We even have photos at home!"
"That doesn't count! My mom said it doesn't count when you're little. It only counts when you've grown up!" Xia Xiaoxiao glared at Xu Qingfan, puffing with anger.
He thought to himself that Aunty Lin sure started her enlightenment education early, thinking back to when he was six and knew nothing.
There was something Xu Qing Fan remembered very clearly: in junior high, a dormmate with a sleazy face asked him if he had ever "flown a plane."
At the time, Xu Qingfan thought to himself, I've never even been on a plane, how could I possibly have "flown" one? If it broke, I couldn't afford to fix it.
He told the truth, and the whole dorm burst into laughter.
Later, during high school, a wealthy classmate brought an MP4 filled with a trove of resources back to school, and Xu Qingfan finally opened the door to a new world.
"Let's go, let's head back." With a potential million-plus still in his pocket, Xu Qingfan did not dare to linger too long in the square.
Twenty minutes later, the two little short legs finally returned to Lianhua Courtyard.
Xia Xiaoxiao insisted Xu Qingfan help her play the Dragon Cat DVD. Reluctantly, Xu Qingfan set it up for her before returning to his own house to hide the lottery tickets he bought.
"Doudou Dragon, Doudou Dragon~"
The theme song "Neighbor Totoro" suddenly seemed to pull him back to his childhood days in a previous life.
No matter how many years pass, Totoro's theme song still sounds so beautiful.
There was also "The Wind's Path," which had once been his favorite instrumental music to listen to while solving problems in high school.
Dragon Cat is a truly magical anime; it seems to have a magical power that soothes one, making the heart softer.
The plot of Dragon Cat, seen twenty years later, might be considered dull or even tedious.
But it still retains its popularity because that is our childhood, seeking joy in the simplicity of everyday life.
It's like a cool summer night, sitting under a banyan tree looking up at the moon.
Or like the early days of autumn, when the wheat fields are golden, sitting by the fields under the setting sun, adults busy cutting wheat, children chasing each other around.
"Is there a Dragon Cat this big in real life?"
On the TV, the scene played where the girl and Dragon Cat were waiting for the bus in the rain, and the little girl lent her umbrella to Dragon Cat.
"No, it's not that big, just a bit bigger than Big Yellow's dog head," Xu Qingfan thought, using the large yellow dog downstairs as a reference.
The arrival of the Dragon Cat bus captured Xia Xiaoxiao's attention, and she stopped bothering Xu Qingfan.
The movie was only ninety minutes long, and when the end credits came on, both felt a sense of longing for more.
"I wish I could have a Dragon Cat too," Xia Xiaoxiao said.
A very innocent thought—Who didn't wish as a child to own a Dragon Cat, a Dinosaur Baby, or a Dingdang Cat to solve all their problems?
Remembering the water bottle Xia Xiaoxiao gave him, Xu Qingfan said, "No worries, I'll ask Lin Wanning to draw one for you!"