After leaving the factory, Xie Yucheng rode his motorcycle to another place.
He stood outside the gate of a particular house and smoked an entire cigarette before finally walking over.
The man inside heard the noise and came out. When he saw who it was, his expression immediately darkened, the muscles on his face twitching slightly.
“Brother Cheng, w-what brings you here?”
He showed no intention of inviting Xie Yucheng inside.
Standing in the courtyard, Xie Yucheng looked stern, his deep voice low and cold.
“I had some business nearby, so I came to see you while I was in the area.”
Yuan Li stepped forward, looking troubled.
“Brother Cheng, I-I don’t have any money to pay you back right now.”
Xie Yucheng got straight to the point.
“Yuan Li, it’s been two years. Do you know what those twenty thousand yuan I lent you two years ago meant to me? You told me your wife was sick. I didn’t hesitate. I lent you the money because I considered you a brother. And how did you repay me? Your wife got better, your family moved into a new house, and you even bought a television. But you just happen to have no money to pay me back, is that it?”
Yuan Li was distantly related to Xie Yucheng’s maternal family, and the two had grown up playing together.
Back then, when Yuan Li came to borrow the money, it had been a matter of life and death, and he had even knelt in front of Xie Yucheng.
Xie Yucheng had only thought about helping him through the emergency first.
Who could have imagined that Yuan Li would drag it out for more than two years, with absolutely no intention of paying him back?
“No, Brother Cheng. The house and furniture were all paid for by my father-in-law. I really don’t have any money right now. If I had money, I’d definitely pay you back.”
“Yuan Li, to be honest, I’m trying to buy a truck right now. I’m short on money and really need it. I’m not asking you to pay everything back at once. Just give me whatever you have on hand for now.”
A woman carrying a child came out of the house. When she saw Xie Yucheng standing there to collect a debt, the smile on her face instantly froze.
Her lips tightened as she walked over.
“Brother Cheng, we really don’t have any money right now. Not even a penny. Please don’t pressure us.”
Xie Yucheng was so angry that he actually laughed.
These people were all the same. When they wanted to borrow money, they acted like obedient grandchildren. When it was time to pay it back, they suddenly acted like the ones doing the favor.
His patience had run out.
He gave Yuan Li one final warning.
“Pay me back in full before the end of the year. If you don’t, forget about keeping your job at the unit.”
After Xie Yucheng left, Yuan Li’s wife spat toward his retreating back.
“What kind of person is he? You owe him a little money and he struts around like he owns the place. What’s he so proud of?”
Yuan Li irritably ran a hand through his hair.
“Brother Cheng is really being unreasonable. We already told him we don’t have money right now, yet he still insists on forcing us to pay.”
His wife rolled her eyes at him.
“You borrowed the money yourself. Figure out how to deal with it yourself.”
He frowned, rubbed his face dejectedly, and followed his wife into the house with his head hanging low.
After the hen Ali, the one her brother had given her, died, Wen Shiqing took on the responsibility of caring for her chick.
The little chick became her last hope.
She named it Sansan, a name that represented her three wishes:
“Sansan, this time, I’ll protect you.”
Her slender fingers gently stroked the chick’s soft feathers.
Inside the house, Yang Ying carefully outlined her red lips in front of the mirror.
She touched her hair at the temples, the corners of her lips curving upward as she admired her beautiful, glamorous reflection.
“You’re going out?”
Xie Guoli, who had been reading the newspaper nearby, suddenly looked up at her.
Yang Ying cleared her throat.
“To buy groceries.”
“Why are you dressed so beautifully just to buy groceries?”
The woman gave a soft snort.
“Who says I’m not allowed to dress like this when I’m buying groceries?”
Xie Guoli couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.
He had always known Yang Ying loved looking beautiful, and that had brought him plenty of pride over the years.
“Buy some things Yucheng likes and keep them ready. He’s been staying in the city lately. He could come home at any time.”
Yucheng, Yucheng…
That was all he ever had in his eyes.
Yet when it came to Shiqing’s future, he never seemed to care enough to help.
Yang Ying’s brows furrowed slightly as she pursed her lips.
Then she turned around and gave Xie Guoli a gentle smile.
“I know. Even if you didn’t remind me, I’d remember.”
After finishing getting ready, Yang Ying slung her little purse over her shoulder.
Her slender waist swayed like a snake as she walked into the courtyard.
She stopped when she saw her daughter crouching beside the chicken coop.
“Sweetheart, Mommy’s going out. Is there anything you want me to buy?”
“Mom, there’s nothing I really want.”
Wen Shiqing was completely focused on giving Sansan fresh water and food.
“It’s too sunny outside. Go inside soon. Don’t let yourself get tanned.”
“Got it.”
After the weather finally cleared up, Xie Yucheng returned home briefly to pick up some fresh clothes.
The moment he stepped through the courtyard gate, Sansan waddled over to his feet.
He frowned and gently nudged it away with his foot.
Sansan lost its balance and rolled once across the ground.
But after getting back up, it immediately toddled over to him again.
No matter which direction he walked, the chick followed him in tiny, quick steps, even pecking at his trouser leg with its little beak.
A faint glimmer passed through Xie Yucheng’s dark, gleaming eyes.
He clicked his tongue and muttered,
“Annoying, just like someone else.”
He crouched down, grabbed the chick by the neck, tossed it back into the coop, and promptly shut the door.
Eight years ago, Xie Guoli had brought a strange woman into the house.
Behind her was a little girl of about ten.
Xie Yucheng had been furious that his father had forgotten his mother so quickly. He also saw that woman as an enemy who had invaded and taken over his home.
He had been fifteen at the time, right in the middle of a rebellious adolescence.
After his mother died, he became even more despondent and unruly. He stopped studying properly and spent his days fooling around with a group of friends.
The first time he saw Wen Shiqing, his fierce glare frightened her so badly that she hid behind Yang Ying and only dared to peek at him timidly.
Xie Guoli had smiled gently and pulled the little girl forward by the hand.
“Shiqing, this is your brother.”
She blinked her grape-like eyes and softly called,
“Brother.”
Her little mouth and soft, gentle voice reminded Xie Yucheng of a sparrow he had once shot down from a tree with a slingshot.
Xie Yucheng glared viciously at his father.
He felt as though not only had another woman taken everything his mother had enjoyed while she was alive, but she was also about to take away his one and only place in his father’s heart.
He shoved Wen Shiqing hard, then ran outside.
Wen Shiqing fell to the ground and burst into tears.
That was also why Yang Ying disliked him from the very first moment.
At that time, there were only two bedrooms in the house.
He and Wen Shiqing had to share one, separated by a cloth curtain.
Xie Yucheng often bullied her in secret, using her as an outlet for his resentment.
“Your mom is a fox spirit, and so are you.”
“One day, I’ll drive both of you out of my house.”
Ten-year-old Wen Shiqing didn’t understand why her brother hated her so much.
But she liked her brother very much.
Having an older brother was something to be proud of.
She often followed him around.
Whenever he went out to get into fights or did things like stealing chickens and dogs, she followed behind him like a little shadow.
At first, Xie Yucheng was afraid she would go home and tell Xie Guoli everything.
Later, he realized that she simply liked following him around.
Ten-year-old Wen Shiqing had endless strange and wonderful questions.
For example:
“Brother, why do you fight?”
“Brother, what’s inside an anthill?”
“Brother, you caught the mother bird. What will happen to her babies?”
Xie Yucheng couldn’t be bothered to answer her.
Once, when he was particularly annoyed by her constant chatter, he slapped her on the butt.
“Can you be quiet for once?”
Wen Shiqing’s eyes immediately filled with tears.
She looked at him like a pitiful little puppy, her expression full of hurt.
Yang Ying came outside and saw what had happened.
She looked at Xie Yucheng unhappily, pulled her daughter to the side, and asked in a low voice,
“Sweetheart, did your brother bully you?”