The moment Eli and Jin finished setting the last box down in their new living room, the knock came.
Three polite taps.
Eli looked at the door, then at Jin, who had collapsed on the couch and was already halfway into a nap.
He opened the door.
Standing there was an older woman with short, curly silver hair and deep smile lines. She wore a cardigan with a bright sunflower pin and held out a small covered bowl.
"Hi there! I'm Mrs. Tang from 3B. Welcome to Blue Fern. Brought you some lotus root soup—nothing fancy, but good for settling in."
Eli blinked, surprised. "Oh—thank you, really. I'm Eli. And that's Jin, my…" he paused, "my kid."
Mrs. Tang smiled warmly. "Well, welcome, both of you. Everyone here heard someone new was moving in. Expect a few more knocks."
She gave a wink and shuffled off.
Barely a minute passed before the next knock came—this one faster, more impatient.
A guy in his twenties stood outside wearing pajama pants, mismatched socks, and thick glasses. He had earbuds in and kept glancing at his phone.
"You got the unit next to mine?" he asked, popping a bubble of gum. "Name's Zhihao. I work nights, so... if you ever hear screaming at 2 a.m., it's probably just my horror podcast."
"Uh... good to know," Eli said.
"No judgment. Anyway, you game?" Zhihao held up a spare controller.
"Not today," Eli said with a chuckle. "But maybe another time."
Zhihao nodded and walked off.
Then came the third knock. Slower. More hesitant.
A small girl peeked around the edge of the doorframe, maybe eight years old, holding a crumpled drawing of a dragon in one hand and a juice box in the other.
"I'm Hana. I live upstairs with my grandpa. He's grumpy. Do you have a cat?"
"No cat," Jin answered from the couch, now fully awake and looking over the top.
"Oh," she said with mild disappointment. "Okay. Bye."
She walked away without further explanation.
Eli closed the door gently, leaning against it.
Jin raised an eyebrow. "That's... a lot."
"Yeah," Eli said, glancing around at the scattered boxes and bare walls. "But maybe a good kind of a lot."
Another knock echoed.
Jin groaned. "Should we just leave the door open?"
Eli laughed. "Might not be a bad idea."
Blue Fern was already starting to feel like home—messy, noisy, welcoming.
Just the kind of place his mother would've liked.
After greeting the neighbors, paying the movers, and finally resting for a bit on their new couch, Eli stretched and let out a slow exhale. The warmth of Blue Fern's welcome still lingered in the room like the scent of Mrs. Tang's lotus root soup. But now, it was time to shift gears.
He opened his account and checked his account balance.
Balance: 110,000 yuan
He called out toward the hallway.
"Hey, Jin—you wanna go shopping for school and to decorate your room?"
From the other room, there was a shuffle, then a voice: "Yeah, why not."
Ten minutes later, they were zipping through Briggon's afternoon traffic on Eli's dented but dependable scooter. The city shimmered in a wash of gold light. As they rode past colorful food stalls and quiet tea shops, Eli glanced at Jin in the rearview mirror. The kid's face was relaxed, even a little excited.
Their first stop was Main Street—Briggon's central business area, where local businesses stood shoulder to shoulder with glass-fronted boutiques and bubble tea store. On the far end of the street sat the Corner Pocket store, its sign half-flickering but still proudly lit, like a tired old man watching over the block.
Eli made a mental note to stop by and check in with Mr. Duan later.
But first: shoes.
They parked just outside Hanri, a newly opened luxury shoe store with sleek black signage and shining gold lettering. The store was a recent arrival in the country but already a sensation, Hanri had clawed its way into the fourth-largest market share in just four years, a name now whispered in fashion circles and promoted by influencers across social media feeds.
As soon as the automatic doors hissed open, Eli felt it — the shift.
Cool air. Polished silence. A smell like leather, citrus, and something faintly metallic.
The floor tiles shone so brightly he could see his own reflection in them, distorted slightly by the scuff on his left sneaker. The lights were carefully positioned to cast dramatic glows on every single shoe, like they were sacred relics instead of footwear.
He hesitated at the threshold, one step inside, like he wasn't sure if he belonged here.
He didn't. Not really.
Back in Henxhi, stores like this were just ads on metro posters or unboxed carefully in influencers' livestreams. The idea of walking into one, much less shopping in it, had always felt laughably distant—like trying on someone else's life for a few minutes.
Still, he followed Jin inside, pretending his palms weren't getting sweaty.
Inside, the air was crisp and scented faintly with leather and clean citrus. The décor was minimalist: smooth white tile floors, matte black shelving, and spotlights that made each shoe look like a work of art. A low hum of ambient music played through invisible speakers.
Not long after they stepped in, a young saleslady in a sharp black vest and red lipstick approached. She was poised and professional, but her eyes quickly swept over Eli's faded hoodie and Jin's worn sneakers. Her initial thought was polite skepticism—They don't look like the type to splurge—but there was something about the way Eli walked that made her pause. Calm. Direct. Maybe they weren't here to browse.
"Welcome to Hanri," she said with a practiced smile. "How can I help you today?"
Eli nodded. "Could you point us to the teen shoe section?"
"Of course," she gestured to a series of smaller shelves toward the left corner of the store. "Right this way."
The shelves there displayed rows of carefully designed sneakers—streetwear fusions, high-tops, even a few limited editions with LED accents or color-shifting fabrics. The price tags were subtle but unmistakable. Most hovered between 800 yuan and 2,000 yuan.
Eli turned to Jin. "Pick three. Whatever you like. Don't worry about the price."
Jin's eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure?"
Eli smiled. "Yeah. School's a fresh start. Might as well look good doing it."
Jin didn't move right away. He lingered near the edge, fingers brushing a pair of white-and-navy athletic sneakers with curved soles. Then his gaze slid to a set of charcoal black mid-tops with an embossed dragon motif curling near the heel—sharp, quiet, a little intimidating.
He glanced back at Eli, who gave a nod like go ahead.
"I'll try these two," Jin said softly, lifting both pairs.
The saleslady offered a small, surprised smile. "Good choices. Very popular this season. I'll get your size."
As she stepped away, Eli looked around the store. A mother and daughter were whispering over a neon pink pair of platforms. Two teens in branded hoodies were taking selfies in the mirror near the men's section. The place buzzed with style and quiet ego—but it didn't feel off-putting.
It felt... normal.
Jin sat to try on the shoes, and for the first time in a while, Eli saw a small spark of something brighter in his expression—hesitation giving way to curiosity. A glimpse of boyhood, unburdened.
Eli leaned back against the bench.
Maybe the shoes didn't matter that much. But moments like this?
They did.
Jin returned with a confident gait, cradling three shoeboxes in his arms. His expression was neutral as always, but Eli could see the faint gleam in his eyes—a quiet kind of satisfaction.
"I picked three," Jin said simply. "All right," Eli replied, nodding. "Let's go pay."
As they walked toward the counter, the polished aisles reflected back their steps. Eli's eyes wandered over the surrounding displays—sleek runners, limited editions, designer collabs he'd only ever seen online. He was about to keep walking when something caught his eye.
A pair of storm grey low-tops with deep navy detailing and a matte-black trim. Clean, understated, but sharp. Exactly his style.
He paused.
For a moment, he just stared at them. The tag read: 1,600 yuan.
He hesitated—he never bought things for himself, not unless it was on clearance or absolutely necessary. His last pair of decent shoes had been a gift from a cousin two years ago, and they were starting to spoil along the sole. Truth be told, he barely thought about it anymore.
But standing there in Hanri, something shifted.
Maybe it was seeing Jin looking a little more comfortable in his skin. Maybe it was the realization that he deserved to have something nice too.
Eli reached out and picked up the box in his size.
By the time they reached the counter, the saleslady's smile had softened into something more genuine. She scanned the boxes quickly and neatly, tapping into the register with practiced ease.
"Three youth sneakers, one adult sneaker," she confirmed. "That comes to 6,000 yuan even."
Eli pulled out his card. His fingers hesitated over the reader for just a second—a tiny flash of doubt—before he tapped it.
Beep. Transaction approved.
He exhaled as the receipt printed. A strange feeling flooded his chest—part nerves, part relief, part pride. He wasn't wasting money. He was buying for both of them. For this new chapter.
The saleslady packed the shoes neatly into glossy black-and-white Hanri bags and handed them over with a nod.
"Thank you for shopping with us. Hope to see you again."
As they walked out of the store, the late afternoon sun glinting off the storefront glass, Jin glanced over at Eli.
"You never buy anything for yourself."
Eli shrugged, holding his bag loosely. "Figured I needed one good pair. Can't be showing up to parent-teacher meetings in busted sneakers."
Jin gave him a rare, crooked smile. "You mean your busted sneakers."
Eli chuckled. "Exactly."
"okay now, to the clothes store " Eli said