Feng Mingshu walked out of the hospital just as the last bus at the stop drove away, impossible to catch.
There was a guesthouse nearby, but it required an introduction letter for check-in. Besides, all the money she had, except what she kept for the bus fare, was tucked inside the letter she’d given to Zhou Jinshan as an apology.
After standing in the cold wind for a moment, she decided to walk back, hoping the chill would clear her mind of unnecessary thoughts.
The streets were nearly empty, the night sky devoid of stars or the moon. The streetlights were dim and sparse, with some stretches completely unlit. Fortunately, she didn’t suffer from night blindness.
Just as Feng Mingshu stepped into a pitch-dark section of the road, the jingling of a bicycle bell and shouts of “Wait!” sounded behind her. Instead of stopping, she quickened her pace.
Suddenly, a flashlight beam swept over her.
With a screech, a Flying Pigeon bicycle mounted the curb and blocked her path. The rider grinned at her, flashlight in hand: “Feng, it really is you! Why didn’t you stop when I called?”
Feng Mingshu discreetly slipped her hand into her schoolbag, looked up coldly, and said, “I don’t know you. Get out of my way.”
“Feng, no need to be so cold. We’re in neighboring classes—I’m Pi Dapeng. You sit by the window, right? I pass by your window every break. You really don’t recognize me… Ah!”
Pi Dapeng chuckled and leaned his pimply face toward Feng Mingshu, but before he could get close, a glint of cold steel flashed before his eyes. Startled, he jerked backward, tumbling noisily to the ground with his bicycle, letting out a yelp.
Staring at the disheveled Pi Dapeng on the ground, Feng Mingshu was overwhelmed by an indescribable surge of emotion. Clutching the gleaming short blade tightly, she gritted her teeth and warned, “If you dare harass me again, I’ll kill you without facing consequences!”
Pi Dapeng, who had been about to get up, froze in fear at the sight of the knife and the icy glare in her eyes. He hurriedly defended himself, “Feng, I was just saying hello—how is that harassment? There’s no need for a knife… Alright, alright, I was wrong. I apologize, I’ll make it up to you. Please put the knife away.”
Feng Mingshu didn’t sheathe the blade. Instead, she waved it at him. “Get up now and pick up your bike.”
“Yes, ma’am, whatever you say. I’ll do as you command.”
Pi Dapeng scrambled up, obediently lifted the bicycle, checked that it was undamaged, and then, following her order, wheeled it onto the deserted road and propped it up.
“Now get lost!” Feng Mingshu grabbed the handlebars and glared at him.
“Ma’am, if you wanted my bike, you could’ve just said so. I’d give you anything, even myself… Whoa, don’t swing that knife! I’ll go, I’ll go, alright?”
Pi Dapeng dodged her blade, smiling obsequiously as he backed away into the darkness behind him.
Feng Mingshu knew he was still lurking in the shadows, but she didn’t linger. She mounted the bicycle and pedaled forward with all her strength.
Finally, she spotted the familiar bright streetlamp in the distance—home was near!
She braked and jumped off, glancing back to see no one following. Her heart still pounded violently. She kicked the Flying Pigeon hard, sending it crashing into a crooked tree by the roadside with a loud clatter, then sprinted away without looking back.
“Ding ling ling, ding ling ling—”The quiet Feng family foreign-style house was suddenly stirred by the ringing of the doorbell. Wang Ma, startled awake, threw on her cotton-padded coat and had just stepped out of her bedroom when she saw the mistress already ahead of her, opening the main door and going out. She hurried to follow.
Soon, she saw the mistress open the courtyard gate and usher the young lady inside. Wang Ma exclaimed in surprise, “Miss, didn’t you have Old Yan send word that you’d be staying at the hospital tonight…”
But before she could finish, the mistress interrupted her: “Wang Ma, lock the courtyard gate and go prepare hot water.”
Seeing the cold expression on the mistress’s face, Wang Ma’s heart tightened. She quickly acknowledged the order and went to work, not daring to ask another word.
Once inside the house, Feng Mingshu drew enough strength from her mother’s embrace, lifted her face, and forced a smile. “Mom, I’m really fine. It’s just that I wasn’t needed at the hospital, so I caught a ride back. But the wind was strong on the way, and I got a bit chilled.”
Seeing her daughter’s pale face and trembling body, yet still managing a smile to comfort her, Yu Jingqiu’s heart ached unbearably. She regretted even more having let her go out tonight. Holding her close, she said as calmly as she could, “Zhuzhu, let Mommy help you bathe.”
“Mom, I’m all grown up. I can bathe myself.”
Feng Mingshu shook her head repeatedly but couldn’t overcome Yu Jingqiu’s insistence.
In the warm bathroom, as Feng Mingshu had just taken off her heavy coat, Yu Jingqiu’s gaze sharpened. She took her left hand, pushed up the sleeve of her sweater, and immediately revealed the red mark circling her wrist. Yu Jingqiu’s face changed. “Did he hurt you?”
Sensing her mother’s anger, Feng Mingshu hurriedly shook her head. “He didn’t hurt me. It’s just that on the way, before he lost consciousness, he grabbed my wrist. I couldn’t break free, so it left a mark. Uncle Yan knows about this too.”
Seeing that her mother’s expression still hadn’t softened, Feng Mingshu continued to explain, “Mom, you know how thin my skin is—it marks easily. He really didn’t use much force.”
Yu Jingqiu didn’t say whether she believed it or not, only looked at her daughter and said, “Zhuzhu, take off all your clothes.”
Feng Mingshu was taken aback for a moment but complied. Her jade-like skin, pale and smooth as congealed fat, bore no blemishes apart from the red mark on her wrist.
Even though they were mother and daughter, Feng Mingshu blushed deeply under the scrutiny. Yu Jingqiu realized this, took a step back, and drew the sheer curtain. From behind the curtain, she softly apologized, “Zhuzhu, I’m sorry.”
As the curtain closed, Feng Mingshu quickly stepped into the bathtub. The hot water drove away the chill in her body. Hearing her mother’s apology, a complex emotion welled up in her heart. She shook her head and said, “Mom, I don’t blame you. I know you’re just afraid that I’ve been hurt and haven’t told you.”
But the people and events she had encountered on her way home tonight—Feng Mingshu still wouldn’t tell her mother. She didn’t want to worry her.
After a moment of silence, Yu Jingqiu said, “I was wrong tonight. I won’t force you to spend time with any man again.”
Hearing her mother’s words, the events of the evening churned in her mind, finally settling on the image of Zhou Jinshan collapsing unconscious onto her. Her throat suddenly tightened, and she lowered her head. “I’ve disappointed you, Mom.”
She had already resolved to let him go and ease her own conscience, but it meant disappointing her mother.
Perhaps in ten years, when the situation had stabilized, she would find someone to make do with, and then her mother could rest easy.
…In the pitch-black alley, Pi Dapeng finally found his bicycle, but the smile on his face vanished upon discovering the handlebars were bent and the chain was broken. He cursed angrily, but soon started laughing again.
His laughter was particularly eerie in the pitch-dark night.
“Which bastard is losing their mind in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? I’ll smash you to death, you brat!”
A wooden ladle flew out from Old Lady Li’s courtyard and thudded against Pi Dapeng’s head!