Suddenly, a series of cries and curses came from the alley.
One of the voices sounded very familiar.
Ah Heng listened intently, finding the sounds increasingly familiar. After figuring it out, he ran towards the source of the sound, instructing the child as he ran, "Little Shrimp, come home with Grandpa and don't worry about this."
She was terrified of children's tendency to join in the fun.
The little shrimp was unhappy. "Why can't I go see the excitement? If you won't let me, I'll go anyway!"
So, he followed along, his feet bouncing along.
As they ran deeper into the alley, Aheng sighed.
More than ever, she hoped she had misheard, but it turned out she had—Sier.
Si'er was huddled in the corner, while two slick-looking young men with dyed yellow hair were uttering filthy words and groping her.
"Winsel, what are you pretending to be so serious about? Didn't you just go clubbing with us yesterday? Why are you acting like you don't recognize us today!" One of them grabbed Winsel's chin and teased her.
"Get away! I don't know you!" Si'er resisted, looking at the other person in fear, her voice almost cracking from crying.
"Er'er, it's so late, why aren't you going home?" Aheng called out loudly, smiling as she looked in Si'er's direction.
The two were taken aback, probably not expecting to find anyone in such a remote alley.
Taking advantage of the moment when the two turned around, Si'er broke free from her restraints and ran behind Aheng, her body trembling.
"Who are you?" the two men asked menacingly.
"I am Er'er's older sister." Ah Heng's expression was calm and gentle. She took Si'er's hand, turned around, and shouted into the empty alley, "Dad! Come quick, Er'er has been found!!"
"They're here! They're here!" A man's voice could be faintly heard in the distance.
"Winsel, didn't you fucking say you were an orphan, without parents, and that you asked us to take you along? What a fucking jerk!" One of them, seeing this, cursed and lost interest, called to the other one, and hurriedly left.
After the two had gone far away, Si'er collapsed to the ground and burst into tears while holding Aheng.
"I'm so scared, Ah Heng, I'm so scared..."
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, it's alright, it's alright." Ah Heng's expression softened as she gently hugged the girl and comforted her.
A child wearing a hat came running from afar.
"Hehe, sister, did I act well?"
Ah Heng smiled radiantly—"What do you think?"
Oh. The kid's mouth has fallen flat.
"Sis, I'm not taking advantage of you. You have to believe that Xiaoxia loves you!"
Ah Heng nodded, "I believe it, I believe it."
It was just that the distance was too far, and the bad guy lost his composure, so he didn't notice how childish the "father's" voice sounded when he appeared.
Unable to hold back, the girl in his arms chuckled.
"The kitten pees, then cries and laughs!" The child teased Si'er, rubbing her rosy cheeks.
Ah Heng patted the girl's back to help her catch her breath, but when she looked up, her tears fell even more fiercely.
"Aheng, I want to go home..."
*****************************Divider***************************
Ah Heng walked into his grandfather's study, looking somewhat reserved and stiff.
"Aheng, what's wrong?" The old man, who had been reading the newspaper, looked up and smiled. He couldn't bear to see his granddaughter's obedient and silly appearance; she was truly endearing.
"Grandpa, are you busy?" Aheng asked softly.
"Not busy." The old man shook his head, guessing, "Is something wrong at school? Or did your brother Yan Xida and the others gang up on you?"
Ah Heng shook his head, like a rattle-drum. He sighed inwardly, thinking that the three of them really were all bad in the eyes of the adults.
"Grandpa, I'm telling you, please don't be angry, okay?"
The old man nodded, looking at her with tolerance and kindness.
Ah Heng lowered her gaze—"Grandpa, please take Er'er home, okay?"
The old man was stunned; only faint breaths filled the air.
Silence.
After a long pause, the old man finally spoke, "Aheng, do you know what the result will be? Your mother will think more about Er'er than you; Siwan will consider Er'er's feelings and ignore you..."
His voice was authoritative, yet tinged with pity.
Ah Heng chuckled softly, interrupting the old man, and gently said, "And Grandpa..."
The old man was stunned.
"Grandpa, I'm worried that I might do the same thing."
"Grandpa misses Er'er very much, but he's thinking of me and won't agree to it, Mom Siwan."
"Grandpa, loving more, even just a little bit, isn't wrong."
1
"Grandpa, Er'er misses you so much."
The old man sighed, rubbed his temples, and softened his voice—"Aheng, you're just a child, you can be a little more willful."
“Grandpa, if every child is willful, it will be very hard for adults.” Ah Heng smiled, her expression gentle.
"Yes, but you are Wen Muxin's granddaughter, so you have the right to be willful," the old man said in a deep voice, with a hint of arrogance and wisdom.
"Grandpa, this isn't fair." Although he knew she was his biological granddaughter, not every silly girl born and raised in Wushui Town would fantasize about one day rising to prominence. Just like Wen Si'er, who had the capital to be willful and arrogant, she probably never imagined that she would lose everything overnight.
The old man smiled, his eyes filled with a mixture of relief and helplessness—"Let Er'er come back. Anyway, this situation won't last much longer."
***************************************Divider line*******************
On Sunday noon, Aheng took the bus, carrying his lunchbox. When he arrived at the stadium, the game was nearing its end. Xilin won the semi-final by a large margin, 108-80.
The crowd cheered, and Da Yi excitedly jumped onto Si Wan, his hard head and big white teeth shining brightly.
Yan hope sat in the stands, but looked drowsy.
Aheng pursed her lips and sat down beside Yan hope without making a sound.
"Siwan Dayi, look, Yanxi is asleep. Eat quickly, don't tell him, I made ribs..." A soft, sweet voice spoke seriously to the air.
Siwanda Yimingming was far away on the field.
Yan Xi suddenly sat up, her bright, empty eyes wide open—"Who stole my ribs?! Who ...
Ah Heng, holding the lunchbox, smiled so hard that Xiao Mi's eight teeth were showing.
Yan hope snapped out of his daze and stared blankly at the arena—"Did we win?"
Ah Heng nodded repeatedly.
"Oh, kid, we don't even know each other well, why are you teasing me like this?" Yan hope said to Aheng insincerely, as if she wanted to make a joke.
Ah Heng laughed, "Yes, yes, we're not familiar with each other. Oh, what's your name again? I've forgotten."
Yan hope rolled her eyes—"That's too much, that's too much. We can get a little closer than that."
How much is one point?
Ah Heng tilted her head, thinking, but didn't ask.
Xin Dayi and Siwan rushed over from afar. One hugged Aheng, her eyes reddening with excitement. "Aheng, Aheng, where's my stir-fried mutton with scallions? I'm starving!" The other wrapped her arms around Yan Xi's neck and rubbed her head against the boy's back. It was Yan Xi who roared, "Wen Siwan, get out of my way! You're covered in sweat and filthy!"
"Aww, Sister Heng, Brother Yanxi, Brother Siwan, Brother Dayi, I'm here, I'm here! Do you have abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and Manchu Han Imperial Feast?!" Just then, a little kid wearing a hat came running over from outside the venue.
It was a mess, a chaotic scene.
The place truly quieted down when the food was completely devoured and a group of teenagers, bellies bulging, burped and gazed at the blue sky.
"Life is so wonderful. If only I could eat crayfish and drink beer tonight..." Xin Dayi dreamed as she picked her teeth.
"Fresh Australian lobster is best..." Yan hope continued.
“Then Carlsberg beer flown in from Denmark…” Xin Dayi continued.
"Ideally, it would be my treat..." Yan hope smiled.
"Then Siwan paid the bill..." Xin Dayi chuckled.
Siwan suppressed a sob—"Why am I paying the bill?"
"You two have the nerve to ask us to treat you to a meal?" Xin Dayi said, head held high, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Siwan, always gentle and gentlemanly, smiled, tacitly agreed, and nodded.
Ah Heng, however, sniffled and got angry.
Damn it, they ate all that stir-fried lamb with scallions into the dog's belly...
Chapter 27
Chapter 27
In the afternoon practice match, perhaps due to the effects of the free lobsters, Xin Dayi was exceptionally fierce, scoring a third of the goals himself, leaving Siwan dumbfounded.
"So, where do you want to eat? Seine or Avone?" Siwan asked helplessly, still smiling despite being teased by her friend.
“Seine”
“Avone”
Yan Xida and Yi shouted with smiles, but upon hearing that they disagreed, they stared at each other, sparks flying.
"What is that?" Ah Heng asked in a soft tone.
Siwan smiled and explained to her sister, "They are both Western restaurants that specialize in cooking lobster. Chef Seine's lobster is exceptional, and while Avone's lobster isn't as delicious as Seine's, the owner's secret stash of beer is something you can't find anywhere else."
"Oh." Ah Heng nodded.
"Brother Siwan, can you please stop saying shrimp? It feels like I'm being eaten." The child in the hat puffed out his cheeks, clearly unhappy.