Xu Nian simmered a fish for Chen Zhou and prepared a few side dishes. Chen Zhou ate until he was slightly stuffed and finally had to stop.
“Brother, I’m heading back.”
Xu Nian stroked his head. “Let your brother go with you.”
Chen Zhou hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “I want to go back and talk to my mom myself. Brother, you shouldn’t go. Take good care of Aunt Wang instead.”
“So sensible.” Xu Nian smiled. “All right then, go on by yourself.”
Reluctantly, Chen Zhou squeezed Xu Nian’s rough palm before turning around to head back.
All the way home, he kept thinking that even though he wasn’t ready yet to tell Li Jia’s parents and Xu Nian about his situation, he definitely had to address the matter of his job.
When he arrived home, Chen Hui was looking over the items Chen Zhou had bought. He had prepared gifts for both of his parents while he was in town.
“Mom.”
“Oh, you’re back?” Chen Hui smiled. “Look at these things you bought me, Mom almost feels bad using them.”
Pursing his lips, Chen Zhou shuffled closer. “Mom, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it? Go ahead, Mom’s listening.”
“Mom, actually… I lost my job in town.”
A dead silence filled the room.
Lowering his head and not daring to meet Chen Hui’s eyes, Chen Zhou spoke on his own accord, “I didn’t tell you before. I’m working at Brother Xu Nian’s restaurant now, and things are going pretty well…”
Chen Hui still said nothing, and Chen Zhou didn’t dare to continue.
“Mom…”
“Say that again?” Chen Hui’s voice trembled slightly. “Stop talking nonsense.”
Chen Zhou sighed. “Mom, I’m serious.”
“Do you have any idea how hard your dad and I worked to pay for your education? We did it all for your own good, and now you’re telling me you lost your job?”
Chen Hui’s voice suddenly rose by an octave, sounding somewhat on the verge of a breakdown.
Chen Zhou felt a headache coming on, and his heart ached too.
“But Mom, some things aren’t up to what I want either,” Chen Zhou stammered, nearly at a loss for words. “I actually never liked my old job to begin with, and getting that old job back wouldn’t be easy anyway. What I’m doing now is enough to support myself.”
“Enough!” Pointing a trembling finger at him, Chen Hui glared. “Don’t give me any of that nonsense, I don’t want to hear it, you…”
From the original owner’s memories, Chen Zhou knew what this mother, who loved deeply and thus was harsh in her demands, had done. Perhaps finding out that her son had turned out like this made it hard for her to accept, leaving her temporarily speechless.
Chen Hui had managed Li Jia every step of the way from childhood, arranging everything for him so that all he had to do was follow her instructions, while almost entirely ignoring Li Jia’s own thoughts.
Even so, she had rarely spoken harshly to Li Jia; this was likely the first time.
“Get out.”
Despite being words of fury, Chen Hui delivered them with a weary lack of strength.
Feeling rather saddened, Chen Zhou whispered, “Sorry, Mom.”
In the end, he went outside anyway. Giving Chen Hui some space to calm down was probably for the best right now.
Chen Zhou felt a sense of helplessness, a feeling of powerlessness stronger than any he had experienced before. He could easily imagine how furious Chen Hui would be if she ever found out about him and Xu Nian.
[Host, if you need it, I can help you.]
Crouching on the ground, Chen Zhou felt uncomfortable being baked by the blazing sun. [How can you help me?]
[By helping you find a job.]
Chen Zhou shook his head. [I have a job now, I can’t do that. Besides, I wasn’t lying; the original owner didn’t like that job. I don’t think expressing one’s thoughts is wrong.]
126 realized that at times, the host was truly stubborn, refusing to accept help no matter what. While everyone else took shortcuts, he insisted on walking every single step himself.
Having never encountered anyone quite like him, 126 couldn’t quite wrap its head around it.
Yet it figured that didn’t matter. People came in all sorts of varieties in this world, and it knew its host took people and matters very seriously.
[Do you think I’m being stubborn and unreasonable?]
Having his thoughts called out, 126 remained silent.
[Actually, I’m just like this, awkward sometimes. But I don’t think it’s a bad thing either.] Feeling the heat become a bit too much to bear, Chen Zhou stood up. [I believe there’s always a way.]
Under the scorching sun, Chen Zhou spent the entire afternoon wandering outside, even doing some farm work in the fields, before planning to go look for Xu Nian toward evening.
Xu Nian hadn’t shown up all afternoon, which felt a bit abnormal.
Chen Zhou checked several places where Xu Nian might be, but he was nowhere to be found, leaving him somewhat puzzled.
Since it was already late, Chen Zhou decided to head to Xu Nian’s house. The village was small enough that staying out for a night wouldn’t cause undue worry at home.
With that thought, Chen Zhou walked toward Xu Nian’s place.
Upon arriving, he saw that the lights were still on inside, likely because Aunt Wang was still reading. Crouching down, Chen Zhou peeked inside.
Aunt Wang looked rather pale and utterly exhausted, occasionally covering her face with a sigh as if she had been crying.
Strange, Chen Zhou thought, could it have something to do with Xu Nian?
Not daring to startle Aunt Wang, he circled around to the other side of the house. Remembering that Xu Nian’s room had a window, he figured he might be able to climb in.
Making his way to the window, Chen Zhou noticed the room inside was pitch black.
Had they gone to sleep this early?
Tapping lightly on the windowpane, Chen Zhou called out in a low voice, “Brother!”
Receiving no answer, Chen Zhou reached out to pry the window open.
Suddenly, the window swung open from the inside, presumably pushed by Xu Nian.
Scrambling upward to jump inside, Chen Zhou lost his balance and tumbled right in. Xu Nian caught him and pulled him onto his bed.
Making Chen Zhou lie down right beside him, Xu Nian pinned him down with a hand, facing him face-to-face.
“Brother, how did you know it was me?” Hugging him, Chen Zhou felt all his gloom instantly vanish.
“Your brother just knew.” Xu Nian’s voice was slightly hoarse, sounding somewhat abnormal.
Sensing keenly that something was off with Xu Nian, Chen Zhou leaned closer to hold him. Xu Nian’s breathing felt scorching hot, prompting Chen Zhou to quickly reach out and touch Xu Nian’s forehead.
“Brother! You have a fever! Your head is burning up!”
Chen Zhou’s voice involuntarily rose. “Did you take medicine? Should we go to the hospital?”
Chuckling dully, Xu Nian caught Chen Zhou’s hand. “Your brother is fine.”
Refusing to be reassured, Chen Zhou insisted that Xu Nian take some medicine. Yet Xu Nian stubbornly refused, even threatening to throw him out if he kept making noise.
With no other choice, Chen Zhou gave up and instead pulled himself as close to Xu Nian as possible, wrapping an arm around his back and stroking his spine.
Xu Nian let out a soft hiss. “Don’t touch my back.” Pulling Chen Zhou’s hand back, Xu Nian gave his nose a pinch.
“Why not? Brother, what on earth is wrong with you?”
Growing increasingly worried, Chen Zhou had the urge to pull back the blankets right then and there.
Alas, being tall and long-legged, Xu Nian firmly pressed Chen Zhou down into his embrace. “Stop fussing, your brother is fine, go to sleep.”
Xu Nian must have been truly exhausted; Chen Zhou could hear the weariness weighing down his voice.
Pressing a kiss to the top of Chen Zhou’s head, Xu Nian began patting him gently. “Tomorrow morning, your brother will send you back.”
Yet sleep was nowhere to be found for Chen Zhou. Keeping his eyes open in the dark, he whispered, “Brother, I can’t sleep.”
Left with no alternative, Xu Nian slowly patted him just as one would soothe a child, then began, “Your brother will sing you a song.”
Xu Nian started humming that same tune again. Though Chen Zhou couldn’t name the song, it felt inexplicably familiar. Every time Xu Nian hummed this melody, he felt a strange sense of recognition.
Closing his eyes to listen, Chen Zhou found himself still awake while Xu Nian slowly drifted off to sleep.
Staring at his features in the darkness, Chen Zhou noticed that Xu Nian looked unsettled in his dream, his brows knitted tightly together as he shifted every now and then.
Touching his forehead once more, Chen Zhou found it still burning hot.
[126, could you please help make him feel a bit more comfortable?]
126 replied promptly, [No problem.]
Sensitive to Xu Nian’s abnormal state, Chen Zhou felt certain that something bad must have happened; otherwise, Xu Nian wouldn’t be acting like this.
[126, can you let me know what happened? Specifically during the time this afternoon when I didn’t get to see Xu Nian.]
After a brief silence, 126 answered, [Host, are you sure you want to watch?]
[What is it?]
[I just feel like you might end up very sad after seeing it.]
A knot tightened in Chen Zhou’s chest. Looking at Xu Nian, he felt a foreboding intuition.
[Show me.]
Before long, the afternoon’s events projected into Chen Zhou’s mind, visible to him alone.
It took place inside the house, where Xu Nian was tidying up the room while Aunt Wang talked to him from the side.
“Xiaonian, you’re not a kid anymore, and you don’t like any of the girls Mom introduces to you. This won’t do and that won’t do, what do you suggest we do?”
Accustomed to his mother’s routine, Xu Nian kept working. “Mom, don’t bother. I’m not good enough for anyone.”
Aunt Wang flared up at once. “What are you talking about? Stop running yourself down all the time. In a couple of days, Mom will find you a nice young woman to meet. We’ll find someone suitable, okay?”
Stopping what he was doing, Xu Nian said, “Mom. I told you, there’s no need. I have someone I like.”
Hearing that, Aunt Wang perked up instantly. “Who is it? Which family’s daughter, tell Mom, how old is she? What does she do? What does she look like?”
Yet Xu Nian unexpectedly fell silent, uttering not a single word.
Guessing what was coming, Chen Zhou suppressed his heartbeat and bit down hard on his lower lip.
“It’s not a girl.”
Silence stretched on.
After a long while, Aunt Wang asked as if in a daze, “What did you say?”
“I said it’s not a girl.”
Chen Zhou heard Xu Nian’s voice ring out with absolute clarity. “I like Li Jia.”
“Mom, I’m serious. I’m not playing around, I’m not just saying it casually. It’s real.”
After a long pause, looking at Aunt Wang with the same expressionless face, Xu Nian said, “Mom, I…”
Slap!
Instead of listening further, Aunt Wang stood up and struck Xu Nian across the face. Looking as though she found it utterly unthinkable, she pointed at him. “You, you…”
She couldn’t get another word out.
Xu Nian’s face was flushed red from the blow, yet he showed no intention of stopping. “Mom. I’m the one who led him astray, it’s all my fault. But I really do love him, and I won’t change my mind.”
Aunt Wang slumped back down, trembling all over as she pointed a finger at him. “Go, go get the broom.”
Biting his lip underneath the blanket until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth, Chen Zhou couldn’t bear to watch any longer.
He suddenly pictured Xu Nian’s back.
Tears welled up in his eyes. He could no longer hear anything else; his ears were filled with a dull ringing, and Chen Zhou found himself trembling all over, unable to stop.
Xu Nian’s body was probably covered in injuries.