The Healing Sunshine Chapter 3

Chapter 3: So many things in the past

The Healing Sunshine Chapter 3: So many things in the past

Happy belated new post/Chinese New Year! 

Little uncle Ji left quickly after. They said he will only be back again in the new year.

It should already be winter break by then.

When she was in school, she always felt that time pa.s.sed very slowly. Especially during the primary school and junior secondary school years, she was always counting with her fingers to the end of each day. By the time winter break came, she already had faded memories of him, and began again to look forward to when she could pa.s.s the winter break with her mom and dad. Out of the approximately twenty something days of winter break, there would only be two days when her mother had time to pick her up and take her over.

From when she was young, in her mind, home, was her mom and dad’s house, and her grandfather’s house. In her mind, there was never a concept of “her own home”. Her parents’s house was unfamiliar to her, she only came here once every several months, but every time she was there, she always felt at ease. Perhaps this was the power of blood ties.

She took the bus, found the door without any problems, and used a key she wore on her neck to carefully open it.

There was n.o.body at this time.

She changed into slippers, walked in, and went around each room once. Only afterwards did she finally put down her school bag and started to consider whether there were some new objects she had never seen before. Seeing everything, but she was just looking on. She did not dare move anything casually as she pleased. When she saw two gift boxes of Nescafe coffee in the balcony, she suddenly remembered…a fragrance.

The fragrance which, on that night after she had a fever, caused her to lose sleep all night.

She wanted to open and taste it, but she would have to wait until her mom came home.

The only bad thing about staying here is that there was no one cooking at a regular schedule, because there was n.o.body during the day. Nonetheless, she very quickly found a box of rice and a lot of prepared food in the refrigerator, should be the ones especially prepared for her. However, most of the food were nutritious dishes which she did not like, so she only took out the green chili mixed with pickled vegetables1 that her mom loved to eat with rice porridge in the morning.

So spicy, mixed with rice, Ji Yi very happily ate it. This was what mom liked to eat, so she of course also needed to like it too.

Afterwards when mom came back, she finally curiously asked whether she could take the coffee back to drink. Mom seemingly did not feel that there was anything wrong, and agreed. So the next day when she went home, she carried two big red gift boxes of Nescafe coffee and got on the bus. There was especially few number of people on the bus. When the solider uncle who always drove the bus saw her, he laughed to death, “Xixi, who are you carrying them home to give to?”

Give to who?

How could she not have thought about this? Then just give one box to little uncle Ji.

She smiled, “One box to give away, one box left for me to drink myself.”

“This is not something for small children to drink.”

She smiled with her lips pressed together.

Well there’s no one to stop her anyway.

Because the things she was carrying were very heavy, after the bus already entered the living quarters, the solider uncle specially changed the route and made a detour to stop in front of the building where her grandfather’s house was located. Ji Yi hopped off the bus. Whoever she met, be it a salesperson in the supermarket, or familiar uncles and aunties, she called out to each and every one of them. Regardless of the number of bars and stars on their shoulders, or if they were simply family members of the rear services, to her, there was no difference. 

At that time, she thought that everyone was equal, until an incident happened three days after completely overturned her way of thinking. 

Every weekend, Nuannuan and she would have one morning scheduled to go to the Jing Shan Children’s Palace3, depending on when the weather was cooperating.

She went there to study dancing. Nuannuan, only because she was bored, took up model ship building.

The bus always pa.s.sed through Beiheyan main street, where Zheng Yuanjie’s speciality store4 was located. After cla.s.s finished, they would always loitered around the store once, before taking the bus back to the compound. Pipishou and Shouxixi4 are their most beloved characters, as well as Zhao Xiaoying’s. Therefore, every weekend when they went there, Zhao Xiaoying would send them off on the noon bus with great envy, then again at exactly five p.m., she would wait for them to come back at the same spot where they got on.

In this particular winter break, Ji Yi finally thought that they must take Zhao Xiaoying out to play. Taking advantage of when Zhao Xiaoying’s mother was not home, Nuannuan and she worked together to tempt, and finally managed to lure Zhao Xiaoying onto the bus. All along the way, the three girls were so happy. They took turns singing for the soldier uncle who drove the bus. Throughout the journey, they were in high spirits. When they reached the place, Ji Yi even excitedly took Zhao Xiaoying to see the place where her cla.s.s was held.

Although it was not as beautiful as in the summer time when the walls were red and the trees were green, it was still somewhere else out of the world inside the compound.

Zhao Xiaoying patiently waited for them to finish their cla.s.ses, then they walked together into the specialty store. From toothpaste to hats, there was everything one could ask for. It was simply a paradise for young children. She kept looking, inspecting everything.

“Landlord lady, quickly take out your money.” Nuannuan pressed Ji Yi.

Because Nuannuan’s parents were afraid that she would stray here and there, they intentionally did not give her any money. Therefore, every time they came, it was always the landlord Ji Yi who paid.

Ji Yi also did not mind, since she also did not know where to use the allowance money she had been given each time. So Nuannuan was responsible for choosing, and Ji Yi was responsible for paying for, the day-time and night-time toothpaste for Zhao Xiaoying, as well as a hat, and a short-sleeved top. They were in such high spirits, as if it was the new year, and as a result, missed the time for the bus.

So…they could only take the evening bus back to the compound.

On the way, Zhao Xiaoying already started to get nervous, afraid that they would not make it in time before her mother got back home.

“Don’t worry about it,” Nuannuan put an arm around her shoulder, “Your mom specially like me. With me here, she won’t scold you.”

Ji Yi also felt nervous. After all, Zhao Xiaoying’s mother was very strict, and could really give beatings.

In the end, the situation only turned out in the worst possible way. When the three of the got out of the bus, it was already pitch black. Zhao Xiaoying’s mother was standing at the bus stop, her face pale. Without saying a word, she came forward and pinched Zhao Xiaoying’s ear, “I have already told you to stay home and do the homework, how did you learn to go running about! Ah?!”

“Auntie…” Yi Ji looked on, feeling somewhat scared.

“Auntie, we were just taking her out to see…” Nuannuan came forward with her chest tall, already started dutifully blocking.

However, it seemed that Zhao Xiaoying’s mother was truly very angry, and only had the mind to scold Zhao Xiaoying, without caring about the two little girls on the side. Ji Yi had always been scared of seeing people fight, and so was quite dumbstruck. Nuannuan who was standing on the side, on seeing that Zhao Xiaoiying’s arms were all pinched blue, finally could not contain herself and shouted: “Auntie, if you hit her again one more time, I will go and tell my mom!”

Everyone was silent.

A primary school teacher, yelled at by the Princ.i.p.al’s daughter, such an open, unadorned threat. In reality, Nuannuan actually did not know the meaning behind the words she had said. She only knew that Zhao Xiaoying’s mother was a very fierce person, but would always be good-tempered around her mother…She thought, only this way would it be effective, and could rescue her friend.

The result turned out to be very scary.

“Did you hear that? You heard it, right?!” Zhao Xiaoying’s mother swung a big slap on Zhao Xiaoying’s back, “How can you compare with other people? Someone like Nuannuan, when she goes to see her (maternal) grandparents, she always takes a special plane5 while you take a public bus! Can’t even afford to use the subway train! Someone’s mother says a word, your mother don’t dare not listen! Ji Yi is a child prodigy, her grandfather is a scholar! Your grandfather is a farmer! Can you see the difference?! Even if she can’t do anything, there would still be a bunch of schools waiting to take her! You get terrible grades and don’t even study hard. Just wait to pick up the leftovers that people don’t want then!”

All was said in one go, as if it was said for them to hear. Ji Yi understood, understood every single word, and also felt pain from what she had heard.

The things she gave to Zhao Xiaoying were thrown on the ground. In the end, none of them was taken.

Nuannuan was so angry that she cried. She picked up those things in her arm and shoved them into the garbage.

She just dumbly stood there.

Some adult persuaded Zhao Xiaoying and her mother to leave, but did not dare provoke Nuannuan the little overlord, until someone finally stroke the back of Ji Yi’s head and said something like “Auntie Zhao just has a mouth of a knife, but a heart of bean curd, wasn’t blaming them”…

From then on, she never had the courage to visit Zhao Xiaoying’s home even once. She did not dare step inside. The truth was that she especially liked their home, although the rooms were small, but there were handicrafts made by Zhao Xiaoying all the way from when she was in kindergarten plastered all over the place. There were all types of dolls arranged in order. Moreover, everyday, her mother would nag her to eat her meals, to do her homework, to shower…

Very heart-warming.

At noon on the next day, she woke up very late. While she was brushing her teeth, she was still thinking about what happened the night before. She could not tell the difference between two-mao6 public bus and three-yuan subway train, because she had always taken the free buses…

She silently brushed her teeth until she was done, then took the key for the milk cabinet and  walked downstairs to get milk.

It was surprisingly snowing outside.

From a twenty-degree room, suddenly stepping into a heavy snow falling all over the sky. It seemed to have been snowing all night, on the withered and yellow turf, on top of the carport, on the bicycles parked beside the carport, there was a thick layer of snow everywhere. She put the empty milk bottle into the milk cabinet and took out a bottle filled with cream-white milk. She should have gone back into the house, but instead suddenly stepped out, lowered her head, then trampled around in a circle on the snow-covered ground beside the building

This time last year, they had a snow fight. It can’t be that from yesterday’s night onwards, Zhao Xiaoying can’t play with them anymore right?

Suddenly she felt something heavy on her body, a wave of warm air enveloped her.

She dazedly turned around.

It was that little uncle Ji whom it had already by half a year since she last met, holding a cigarette in his mouth as before, smiled and asked her with an unclear mumble: “What are you doing with your head down? Looking for gold?”

Because he had taken off his down jacket to wrap around her, naturally, only a brown checkered shirt was left on his body.

At the building entrance, there was also a big cabinet. The top of the cabinet was covered with a layer of snow which had just fallen down.

…

She just discovered, his appearance had changed, or in fact, she wanted to look closely at his face.

So, he actually have double eyelids.

Hugging the milk bottle, she shook her head.

Since he saw her, Ji Chengyang did not return home immediately, but sent her home first.

Ji Yi poured the milk into the pot and warmed it up, then she peeled an egg which had already been boiled, and put it in the milk. After she had prepared her breakfast, she took the box of coffee which had already been torn opened. One at a time, she took out coffee and coffee-mate, and prepared a cup of coffee for him. When she finally carried the cup into the living room, Yi Chengyang was quite surprised. He lowered his head and smelled it, “coffee?”

“Um,” she poked the egg inside the milk with a spoon, “But the one I make doesn’t taste as good as the one you made…”

He could not help but laughed. He took up the cup, had a sip then knitted his brows, “It tastes quite bad.” 

She continued to poke at her egg…

“I’ll teach you how to make it. But you’re this old, shouldn’t drink coffee. Your family…” He wanted to ask why n.o.body had stopped her, then gave up on second thought. It was the same as asking a superfluous question.

He really did got up and walked into the kitchen and threw away the coffee. He was surprised after seeing the box of coffee which was already empty by more than half, surprised that she would have used up so much all by herself… Then he started to teach her. When making coffee, follow the ratio of half a spoon of coffee and one spoon and a half of coffee-mate. The coffee would then be good. The truth was that Ji Chengyang himself must use one spoon of coffee and two spoons of coffee-mate. However, considering how young Ji Yi was, he reduced the proportions by half.

Ji Yi nodded her head, quietly mumbled: “So the reason why it’s used up so quickly is because I have been putting in too much.”

“If you think it’s bitter, you can add sugar.” He stirred the spoon, and for a second, thought about whether he should buy a set of coffee cup for her…but such a young child drinking coffee…Ai.

“Do you add sugar?” Ji Yi, with her hands leaning on the cabinet, lifted up her head to look at him.

He bent down his head, “I don’t.”

“Then neither will I.” She thought that his way of drinking must be the most authentic.

Ji Chengyang laughed, then suddenly remembered to ask her whether she had encountered some problem again that made her so unhappy, “Didn’t do well on a test?” Ji Yi slighted pouted her lips, “I have always been the first.”

“Then what’s wrong? Why didn’t you stay inside and keep warm, but went outside in the snow looking for gold?

“I was getting milk.”

She considered for a moment, then told him everything, from what Zhao Xiaoying’s mother had said to what happened.

She said it in a narrative style, with some emotions. However, it was not the same as that irascible style of Nuannuan’s. It was mingled with confusion and hurt. Ji Chengyang seemed to have understood. He lowered his body, held the coffee beside her mouth. She lurched forward and took a sip.

Um… the familiar taste.

“What her mother said is not wrong. You get to eat what she doesn’t get to eat,  go where she doesn’t get to go, play what she doesn’t get to play. These had already been determined since birth.” Ji Chengyang himself also moved forward on the other side and drank some coffee to dissipate some of the chill from the snow-covered ground just now. “However, if you believe that everybody is equal, then you can work toward it. You cannot control other people, but you can control yourself. Or you can think of it this way, your superiority from birth can be used to help other people even better. This is your duty.”

Yi Ji thought… that she somewhat understood, “I understand, little uncle Ji.”

She again moved forward to take a sip of the coffee, “Nuannuan was especially hurt. If little uncle Ji after this go and talk to her a bit, she should feel happy.”

“Her?” Ji Chengyang was not really concerned, “She doesn’t have a heart nor lungs, she could have already forgotten by today.”

She automatically nodded her head, then suddenly reacted, “She is not that heartless. Last year when when you gave her a call and didn’t talk to her past three minutes, she was hurt for a long time.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then next time I’ll just give her a call for four minutes. I will count the time to make sure.”

“…”

Hugging the coffee cup, Ji Yi walked out of the kitchen with him.

Suddenly, there was a sound from a BB pager. While she was looking everywhere, Ji Chengyang and already walked to the sofa, picked up his down jacket. He fished out the pager from a pocket, took a look, then slightly knitted his brows as if he was not very happy.

Without saying a word, he picked up Ji Yi’s home’s phone, intending to return a call, but Ji Yi stretched out her hand and cut off the line. 

Ji Chengyang lifted his brows.

“This is the military line,” Ji Yi picked up the receiver of another phone and handed it to him, “This is the phone for exterior line.”

He quickly understood, took the receiver, then dialed a continuous string of telephone numbers. Ji Yi was on the sofa, eagerly straining to hear. She heard Ji Chengyang held the phone and did not utter a word for a long moment while a female voice came from the other side; her voice was quite loud.

In the end, Ji Chengyang simply placed the receiver on the table, as if he was too lazy to bother, then picked up the coffee that Ji Yi had put on the table and finished it after several gulps. Ji Yi did not say anything and as she could not understand the situation and quietly abode. After a while, she finally saw him pick up the phone again, “I’ve just come back, didn’t have any need to meet up with you alone.”

What did the other side say? She did not know.

After a moment, she heard Ji Chengyang again replied: “Do as you guys please for the cla.s.s reunion, I don’t want to take part in the organizing, just let w.a.n.g Haoran tell me when and where is enough.”

The phone was hung up. He seemed unaffected.

He left very quickly after.

Two days afterwards, Ji Yi received a new year present, a rabbit.

One each for Nuannuan and her. It was not known where Ji Chengyang had managed to get them. Small white rabbits, seemingly had just been born for not long, conveniently suitable pets. Nuannuan played with hers for an afternoon then left it at a corner. Ji Yi on the other hand, was very patient. She took the little rabbit to the rooftop to sunbathe, then after a while, she also took out her towel and rubbed the little rabbit’s four paws.

In the afternoon, she had finished showering when she suddenly came up with the idea of giving the rabbit a shower.

When she finished showering it, she began to feel that there was something wrong.

The rabbit began to shiver. Even after blow drying its hair, it still did not stop shivering. At first, she thought that it was feeling cold, so she took a blanket to wrap around the rabbit, carefully consoling it. However, afterwards, she discovered that that the longer she waited, it only got worse. The rabbit had already started to convulse.

This time, Ji Yi was terrified. She did not dare leave the house, so she picked up the phone and phoned Nuannuan’s home.

“Ji Yi?” Nuannuan could tell it was her, “What’s up? You miss me?”

“Is your little uncle home?” She was quite anxious, fearing that something wrong would happen to the rabbit.

“He’s in, wait a moment.”

When the phone was finally pa.s.sed into Ji Chengyang’s hand, her voice quickly changed from normal, anxious sobbing could already to be heard.

“Little uncle Ji, the rabbit you gave me…seems to be sick, can you come a take a look?”

Ji Chengyang quickly hung up the phone and came down to see.

Besides shivering, the tiny little rabbit no longer had any other response. He picked up the rabbit with his two hands, felt around its still slightly damp hair, and quickly understood what was the problem.

“This rabbit was born not for long. It had probably gotten cold from showering in the winter.”

Ji Yi was dumbfounded, then her face went pale, “It almost no longer shivers anymore…”

Seeing the rim of her eyes had turned red, Ji Chengyang suddenly felt irritable. He did not know whether he was angry at himself for giving her a rabbit that turned out to make her so sad, or at Ji Yi, whose reaction at the moment would be to blame herself yet again…He used his two hands to cover the rabbit. He did not utter a single word, so Ji Yi was completely unaware of his anger, and only kept on blaming herself, kept blaming herself for being too sanitary that she had harmed a rabbit.

She a.s.sumed the worst, with a trembling voice, “Little uncle Ji…”

“That’s enough! The rabbit will be okay!”

Her tears which had originally been revolving around her eyes, because of his one growl, abruptly poured down.

He was suddenly startled, did not know what he was doing. He stretched out his hand to wipe her tears; his fingers quickly became wet. What is he, a grown man, growling at a little child for?

He paused for a moment, with a softened and slower tone, “Ji Yi be good, not your fault.”

As he spoke, Ji Chengyang felt that the rabbit really could not bear it any longer.

He also was at a loss, so he simply unb.u.t.toned his flannel shirt, and just placed the rabbit against his chest, in contact with his skin, hoping to use his own body warmth to revive the rabbit. It was winter after all, even if there was central heating, tucking such a cold rabbit against his body was still not pleasant. Ji Yi clearly had not relaxed and wiped clean the tears by herself. However, on seeing how Ji Chengyang’s shirt was half open, exposing his skin, she felt even more guilty.

As Ji Chengyang was thinking about what to say to console her, the door bell suddenly rang.

Seeing Ji Yi with reddened eyes and only focused on the rabbit, Ji Chengyang got up and walked to the door himself. When he looked through the peephole and saw the people on the outside, his brows suddenly twisted up.

Opening the door, he did not even have enough time to say anything when a white hand hand appeared and held on to this arm, “Ji Chengyang, you left me at your home…”

Ji Chengyang raised his right arm and blocked the woman’s hand, “How long do you plan to keep making a fuss?”

On seeing that his shirt was half-opened, the woman’s eyes reddened, pushing him as if to settle the ending, “Who is Ji Yi? Tell me, why have I never known about her before?”

“Su Yan.” Ji Chengyang’s left hand was taking care of the rabbit, while the right had been blocking the woman’s hand. He narrowed his eyes and through an earnest attempt to conceal his anger, “In your brain, other than matters about men and women, what else is there? Don’t…”

Su Yan finally caught a sight of Ji Yi and was taken aback.

Ji Yi stood in the living room looking at them. She had already been dumbfounded for a while.

However, a man behind Su Yan stuck out his head and, seeing Ji Yi, it was as if he suddenly remembered something in the past and broke into a smile, “Xixi?”

A man as tall and big as a horse like that…

Ji Yi discovered that she really did had an impression of a man like that.

Although it was a vague feeling of familiarity, where it had come from, she really could not recall.

So the misunderstanding was cleared.

The fiery anger of that woman Su Yan turned into awkwardness.

Fortunately, that man called w.a.n.g Horan was also there. Explaining with a sigh, he explained that Su Yan, on hearing Nuannuan said that he had came out to see Ji Yi, quickly found an excuse to follow down. Luckily, he also came down with her.

“But Su Yan, I say, why do you look like you are catching your lover in an affair, such a little young lady, ai—you already made her so scared.” w.a.n.g Horan, as the in-between person, acted as a peacemaker.

This young aunt…or sister, is little uncle Ji’s girlfriend?

It doesn’t look like it.

This kind of look, it’s more like, in school level, when a woman chases a man…

Ji Chengyang seemed as if he did not want to keep talking to them. Su Yan’s eyes were still red as before.

Ji Yi head w.a.n.g Haoran softly advised Ji Chengyang: “It’s been so many years since Su Yan had always been unreasonable when it comes to anything related to you. It’s not like you don’t know. Just let it rest. But Ji Chengyang, in such a winter, what are you doing with your shirt disheveled like this?”

Ji Chengyang heaved a sigh and showed him the rabbit in his embrace.

“Ai you, since when had you gotten a loving heart?” w.a.n.g Haoran patted the rabbit, freezing cold, “Is it dead?”

Ji Yi’s heart made a thump and quickly glanced at Ji Chengyang.

Ji Chengyang shoot w.a.n.g Haoran a look.

w.a.n.g Haoran realized that he had said something wrong. Although he did now know exactly which part was wrong, he quickly changed topic as a boat turned its bearing with the winds. He smilingly looked at Ji Yi, “Little Xixi, do you still remember me?”

Ji Yi looked at his eyes,  “I seem to have…met you before.”

“Little children’s memories are not bad at all,” w.a.n.g Haoran patted her hair, “Back then you were so little, I remember you hugging a doll, crouching outside the building under the window pane, didn’t make any sound. Do you still remember? When I talked to you, that time this…” He did not know what Ji Yi called Ji Chengyang, so he just said what came to mind, “This Ji big brother of yours was also there.” 

…She felt like she finally remembered. 

At that time, it was not often that dad and mom finally came back, but it turned out that they were just going leave again in the afternoon. So she came up with an idea and planned a fake run away from home. She thought that perhaps she would be able to persuade them to take her home. But she was also scared that if she went too far, dad and mom would not be able to find her, so she only hid outside the window pane holding onto her favorite doll. In the end, she waited for over an hour but no one noticed that she was gone and came to look for her. 

Afterwards, she cried until she was about to go home herself…At that moment, seemed like a big brother talked to her, as to what was said, she could no longer recall, but she remembered, that big brother had really big pair of eyes that looked more like a girl’s. 

A flash of realization crossed her face, but she really could only remember the person who talked to her, but not Ji Chengyang. 

w.a.n.g Haoran could tell that she had already remembered, “Finally remember? So little but already running away from home, you say, how hard would it be to rest easy about her? 

She did not say anything, but only looked at Ji Chengyang.

Ji Chengyang seemed to understand her doubt, nodded and said: “That was the first time I met you.” 

So… That was the first time. 

This time, Ji Yi felt motivated to think about that incident, how old was she when it happened. 

At that time, she was truly too young, the memories had already faded. 

These two people who came out of nowhere also deserved some acknowledgment, since they gave Ji Chengyang an excuse to take away the rabbit, which seemed to have already died.

Right before he left, Ji Chengyang again placated her: “I will definitely make the rabbit well again.”

Ji Yi could already guess what the final outcome was. However, in front of the two strangers, she did not cry anymore. She gave an “um” and saw them off, saying “Aunty and uncle, good bye.” w.a.n.g Haoran was amused, and in the end, complained to Ji Chengyang: “I am ten years older than her, why am I being called an uncle? I say, Ji Chengyang, this uncle t.i.tle of yours is too senior it also made me old as well.”

It was not clear what Ji Chengyang was thinking, but he just said: “Whatever makes you happy, let her call you big brother, and you can call me uncle like she does.”

w.a.n.g Haoran was so enraged he laughed, “I say, Ji Chengyang, why does whatever you say always makes people want to hit you?”

In the end, the rabbit did not make it.

On the next day, Ji Chengyang brought her Tanghulu, it was the one with haws and red bean paste. He watched while she ate, and did not say anything to the end. Ji Yi could tell what he wanted to say. She bit off half of the hawthorn and stopped, then she held the other half that still had all of the bean paste to his mouth. “This bean paste tastes so good.”

I will never cry in front of your anymore.

To people who are good to me, I want them to only see me smile.

 

Note:

兵叔叔 (bīngshūshu): literally soldier uncle, meaning an older man who works in the military. Calling an older man “uncle” is a form of respect and endearment in Chinese culture. In this case, the driver of the bus is an old man working in/for the military. I am not sure if this is related to how public bus system worked during the period in the past. It is possible that the bus Ji Yi takes is for use by the people in the compound and is run by the military. However, would it also be possible that at that time, all public services were run by the military? I’m not knowledgable enough about Chinese Modern History to say for certain. If anyone knows about the actual situation or has any further detail to add, please let me know. 青辣椒拌咸菜 (qīnglàjiāobànxiáncài): a side dish made of green chili mixed with pickled vegetables. Image credit 景山少年宫 (jīngshānshàoniángōng): literally Jing Mountain Children’s Palace. Jingshan is an artificial hill located in Jingshan Park near the Forbidden City in Beijing. Children’s Palaces are like extra-curricular activities – music, arts, sports-schools run by the Chinese Communist Youth League. For more information, refer to https://www.thechinastory.org/dossier/beijing-childrens-palace-leaves-jingshan-park/ Zheng Yuanjie (郑渊洁－Zhèng yuānjié) is a famous Chinese Children’s book author. Pipishou (皮皮兽 － Pípíshòu) and  Shouxixi (兽西西 － Shòuxīxī）are two twin brother and sister characters from his cla.s.sic books. The Specialty Store was an actual store in Beijing which sold his books and related merchandises, including Shouxixi toothpaste! I’ve checked. For more information, refer to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_Yuanjie. Image credit 

专机 (zhuānjī): Special planes, planes whose flights are specially arranged for certain group of people and/or for a specific purpose. This usually refers to planes/flights for national leaders and people serving high positions. It may also refer to military planes. 毛 (máo): a unit of money equivalent to ten cents/a dime. 糖葫芦 (Tánghúlu): sugar coated haws on a stick. For the one in the store, the haws are halfed and bean paste is inserted in between. Image credit