Banjaxed

Chapter 1 - Birthday

"Banjaxed" is used to describe something that's not working or is broken

Broken, ruined, shattered; confounded.

Chapter 1

'Birthday'

"Jiayi, is today your birthday?"

At her deskmate's unexpected question, Lin Jiayi nodded shyly. It was surprising that someone from school would remember her birthday. She made no attempt to remind anyone, and preferred to pass the day without commotion.

"Will your family bring you to eat nice food?"

A little wary of the sudden questions, Lin Jiayi shook her head. "My dad will be cooking dinner today."

"Ah? Well, it's not bad."

Living in the countryside that was far from the city, there were not many restaurants, much less fancy ones. Most families prefer cooking on their own with their self-planted vegetables and self-cared animals. It was only for special occasions that they would dine at restaurants for their environment and service, but even then their heart would bleed at how expensive it was.

When the last bell rang, Lin Jiayi hurriedly packed her books unlike how she would usually have waited until half of her classmates left first to avoid colliding with anyone.

Lin Jiayi's desk mate seems to have an inner debate. When Lin Jiayi was about to leave, she finally called out in a hurry. "Jiayi! This is my present for you!"

The gift was not wrapped at all, so Lin Jiayi immediately saw what her gift was. It was a red string bracelet with a single seven-coloured bead.

When Lin Jiayi only stared and not accepting it, her desk mate quickly explained. "I brought it from the temple. It's said to protect the wearer from danger."

"That's thoughtful. Thank you." It was a simple gift, but the thought behind it was sincere.

Lin Jiayi left the school wearing her new gift and her smile never disappeared from her round cheeks. Her short, straight bob bounced along with her backpack as she ran out of the school and towards the school bus.

One of the classmates finally spoke up to Lin Jiayi's desk mate after the said person left long after. "Xuexi, why did you give her that? Isn't that what you want to give to your ill grandpa?"

"I didn't prepare her present beforehand. As for my grandpa, I can go back and buy another one for him."

"Another one? Isn't it tough to get the head monk to enlighten that bead for you?" Their village has a small temple with only five monks staying there. But their prestige spread to nearby villages and cities for how accurate they were, so their village never lacked visitors.

"We had been classmates for many years and we never gave her any present before. Did you finally pity her?" A classmate seated behind Xuexi asked.

Xuexi sighed. "How could I not? From morning till now, no one wished her any birthday greeting. Even I don't dare to wish her. The bead is nothing expensive and if it can make her a little happy, why not?"

Xuexi's friend clicked her tongue. "Only you dared to sit so close to her when no one dared to get close to her even a meter away."

"Because I'm one of the few people in the class that do not have a phone."

"Even if you don't have a phone, that does not reduce much danger. Did you not remember that she had killed her own mother?"

In Shengzhang village, there were less than one thousand people and the majority were above fifty years old. The school currently only have fifty-seven students and offers eleven years of education, until high school. After that, if they want to further their studies, they could only go to the city. There was only one school among a few nearby villages, and the villagers knew almost everyone and were friendly with each other.