“I made some money from the stocks I bought. Is there anything you’d like to buy?”
Hearing Shen Zhiyi’s footsteps, Pei Xu placed his laptop on the coffee table.
“You made money? How much did you make?”
Shen Zhiyi stretched lazily. She had just woken up and reacted calmly to the news of Pei Xu’s stock gains.
“Two hundred thousand.”
“How much?”
Shen Zhiyi thought she had misheard and quickly asked Pei Xu again.
“Two hundred thousand. Do you want to buy a bag or some jewelry?”
“I don’t want a bag or jewelry. I just want to know if there are more investment opportunities like this.”
With that kind of return rate, Shen Zhiyi wanted to hand over all the money in her bank account for him to invest.
“It might just be a stroke of luck.”
“Don’t say that. It’s called talent, understand?”
Just as Pei Xu had a keen sense for investments, she had a natural talent for cooking.
After making breakfast, Shen Zhiyi planned to spend some time downstairs with Aunt Jiang.
“Pei Xu, go ahead and eat first. Aunt Jiang asked me to help her figure out how to use her new washing machine.”
Aunt Jiang’s daughter had bought her a new washing machine yesterday.
But for someone older, these new products were often too complicated to understand.
“I’ll wait for you to come back and eat together.”
Pei Xu sat on the sofa, insisting on waiting for Shen Zhiyi.
“Aunt Jiang might keep me chatting for a while, so I’m not sure when I’ll be back. You should eat first and don’t wait for me.”
Shen Zhiyi changed her shoes at the door and went out, closing it behind her.
Listening to the light footsteps fading down the stairwell, Pei Xu got up and returned to his room to check the stock market.
“You’re here, Xiao Shen. The washing machines we had before were all upright. Look at this one—why is it lying down?”
Aunt Jiang was wearing reading glasses and holding the instruction manual.
But the text in the manual was too small, and even with her glasses on, Aunt Jiang couldn’t read it clearly.
“Aunt Jiang, washing machines are designed like this nowadays.”
Shen Zhiyi explained with a smile.
“Actually, using this kind of washing machine isn’t that complicated. You just stuff all the clothes you want to wash inside, close the door properly, and then press this button…”
Shen Zhiyi demonstrated the steps once.
Seeing that Aunt Jiang still seemed a bit confused, she took a sticky note, wrote down the steps, and stuck it on the washing machine.
“Stuff all the clothes into the washing machine, close the door, and then press this button.”
“Right, isn’t it that difficult?”
Seeing that Aunt Jiang had memorized the steps, Shen Zhiyi smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.
“My daughter and son only visit during holidays. If it weren’t for you teaching me, this washing machine would just sit here collecting dust.”
Aunt Jiang took off her reading glasses and tucked the manual into a small drawer under the TV cabinet.
“Xiao Shen, have a seat. I have some good tea here. Try it.”
“No need, Aunt Jiang. I actually wanted to chat with you and ask about Pei Xu.”
Aunt Jiang’s hand, holding the tea canister, paused for a moment.
She poured some tea leaves into a glass cup and filled it with boiling water from the kettle.
The jasmine tea was indeed excellent. The fragrance wafted out almost as soon as it was brewed.
Aunt Jiang placed the cup beside Shen Zhiyi.
“Pei Xu moved here with his mother when he was in fifth grade. When they first arrived, both mother and son were quiet and reserved, rarely speaking to the neighbors.”
“But they were both good-looking, so the neighbors couldn’t help but notice them.”
Although Aunt Jiang didn’t say it outright, Shen Zhiyi understood the meaning behind her words.
The “attention” Aunt Jiang mentioned likely included the gossip behind her back.
A beautiful woman raising a child alone could easily become the center of conversation in the neighborhood.
“What about Pei Xu’s father?”
Aunt Jiang shook her head. “I never saw him. Even when your mother-in-law, Pei Jiarong, passed away, Pei Xu’s father never showed up.”
Pei Xu took his mother’s surname. It seemed that from the time he could remember, he had never met his own father.
“Aunt Jiang, I’d like to know how my mother-in-law passed away.”
Aunt Jiang closed her eyes, as if recalling the past or perhaps unwilling to bring up those events from years ago.
“Little Rong had depression. While Pei Xu was at school, she took sleeping pills at home and ended her own life.”
The book didn’t describe Pei Xu’s childhood, and Shen Zhiyi had only just learned about this from Aunt Jiang.
“Pei Xu was in his first year of high school back then. He was still just a child himself. After handling his mother’s funeral arrangements, he shut himself inside the house for a week. I was afraid the boy might do something drastic, so I ran upstairs to check on him several times a day…”
At this point, Aunt Jiang’s eyes grew slightly moist.
“When did Pei Xu move away from here?”
“About a month after his mother passed away, he moved out. Before leaving, the boy thanked me in person. I gave him two thousand yuan, thinking that wherever he went, having some money on him would make things a little easier.”
He wouldn’t accept it…
Based on Shen Zhiyi’s understanding of Pei Xu, he definitely wouldn’t have taken the money Aunt Jiang offered.
Sure enough, Aunt Jiang’s next words confirmed Shen Zhiyi’s guess.
“Pei Xu probably didn’t want me to worry. He pretended to accept the two thousand yuan, but when I went to get the newspaper from the mailbox after buying groceries, I found the money tucked inside with the paper.”
“He was only sixteen. I couldn’t bear to think how a child like him would manage without any money.”
Shen Zhiyi’s emotions were also affected by Aunt Jiang’s words.
“After Pei Xu left here, he never came back, right?”
“He never returned in person, but he occasionally sends me nutritional supplements. At first, I thought my daughter or son had sent them, but when I called to ask, they both said no. This tea, for example, was sent by Pei Xu last year during the New Year. My son said this tea isn’t cheap—just a small amount might cost a few thousand yuan.”
Shen Zhiyi looked at the tea leaves floating in her cup, picked it up, and took a sip.
“Can Pei Xu’s eyes still be treated?”
“The doctor said only conservative treatment is possible now…”
Mentioning Pei Xu’s eyes, Shen Zhiyi felt the emotions she had just suppressed beginning to stir again.
“Such a good boy… why does he have to suffer like this…”
Seeing Shen Zhiyi’s reddened eyes, Aunt Jiang didn’t continue.
“Xiao Shen, I brewed some plum wine. Take it home to drink. The alcohol content isn’t very high. I’ve gotten into the habit of brewing wine every year around this season, but once it’s done, no one drinks it.”
“Then I won’t stand on ceremony, Aunt Jiang. Oh, and about the questions I asked you today… could you please keep them confidential…”
Shen Zhiyi took the jar of plum wine home and placed it on the entryway cabinet first.
“I’m back.”
“Mm. What did you and Aunt Jiang talk about?”
Seeing the untouched breakfast on the coffee table, Shen Zhiyi couldn’t help but frown.
“Why haven’t you eaten breakfast?”
“I was waiting for you to come back, I just didn’t expect Aunt Jiang to be so talkative—she kept you for so long.”
Shen Zhiyi sniffled and planned to take the breakfast on the table to the kitchen to reheat it.
“Shen Zhiyi, have you been crying?”
Pei Xu noticed her voice sounded off, with a heavy nasal tone.
She had been perfectly fine when he left in the morning.
“Aunt Jiang told me stories from her youth, and I think she had it really tough.”
Pei Xu pursed his lips, unsure whether he should comfort Shen Zhiyi or Aunt Jiang…
“I’ll go reheat the porridge. Let’s eat first.”