"I, I'm going home!" Ju Nian couldn't stand the way he looked at her like she was a thief.
The boy chuckled. "You're going home? Why can't you even insert the key?"
"My dad lives in there." Ju Nian turned around and knocked hard on the door. Mom and Dad, please come out and help me out.
“Keep pretending, keep pretending! Uncle Xie drove for my dad for seven years and lived downstairs from me for two years. You’re his daughter. His daughter has a problem and has been hospitalized. He only has an adopted son now.” The boy said, pointing to his head.
Daughter? Mentally ill? Hospitalized?
Ju Nian strung these words together and slowly bit her lower lip.
The door to my parents' house finally opened slowly, and my father, who had just woken up from his afternoon nap, stood behind the door with his eyes half-closed.
"Who's making so much noise? Oh, it's you, Ju Nian? What brings you here?"
Ju Nian asked herself this question: Was it a mistake for her to come back today?
"Ju Nian! You...you wouldn't happen to be Xie Ju Nian, would you?!" The boy was so surprised he almost jumped up.
"Han Shu, what are you doing..." Xie Maohua looked at the boy, his expression softening considerably, even showing a hint of ingratiation. Ju Nian thought that if he could, her father would probably want to call him "Young Master Han".
So he was Han Shu. Right, Han Shu, the boy whose name she could never remember—Ju Nian had studied with him for a year in kindergarten. They say a person should be looked at with new eyes after three days' absence, but now it was more than just a change of appearance; he'd been stripped bare. The skinny, ridiculous little dwarf with glasses had grown into a confident, dashing young man admired by girls, while the former Snow White had become a dazed girl chasing after her prince charming.
"Dad, can I go in and talk?" Ju Nian tugged at her backpack strap. Many times, she told herself that people should learn to forgive themselves, but it wasn't always so easy to let go.
"Uncle Xie, didn't you say that Ju Nian has something wrong with his head?" Han Shu asked bluntly. He seemed oblivious to Xie Maohua's panic and sudden change in expression. Perhaps in this compound, he never needed to worry about anyone's feelings.
Without waiting for her father's reply, Ju Nian slipped through the gap between her father's body and the door and entered the house. Before going in, she turned her head and glanced at Han Shu.
That one look made Han Shu, who was incredibly embarrassed by his unrequited love, feel that Xie Junian, whom he hadn't seen for many years, was full of intellectual superiority when facing him.
Chapter Twenty: Take Me Away
That day, Ju Nian received the registration fee smoothly from her father. She took it and said, "Thank you, Dad." Xie Maohua, who was usually taciturn, was inexplicably overwhelmed with emotion. He sighed, took out a fifty-yuan note from his wallet, and handed it to his daughter.
"Take this and buy something."
Ju Nian was also surprised and felt tears welling up in her eyes. She thought that she must be excited because she hadn't seen so much pocket money in a long time.
"What, you don't need it?" Dad frowned after waiting for a while and seeing that Ju Nian didn't reach out.
Ju Nian readily accepted the money; how could she refuse? The 50 yuan was a huge sum, enough to buy both her and Wu Yu a sports wristband, so their wrists wouldn't get chafed and swollen from playing ball anymore. She'd heard a small shop was planning to open near Wu Yu's house, and the remaining money would be enough for the two of them to buy some small items to enjoy under Wu Yu's pomegranate blossoms.
Mom came out of the bedroom and remarked that Ju Nian had grown taller. Ju Nian wanted to catch a glimpse of her younger brother, but he was asleep, and she was worried about being late for afternoon classes, so she quickly said goodbye. As she walked downstairs to her father's house, she glanced up and caught a glimpse of a snow-white school uniform on the fifth-floor balcony.
More than half a month later, the high school entrance exam had ended, but the results had not yet been released. It was during the summer vacation when shocking news suddenly came: Xie Maohua had lost his job. The reason was that, as a public official, he had violated the national family planning policy. After being reported and verified, he was dismissed from his post and was also required to pay a considerable amount of "social support fees."
Xie Maohua was the pillar of his family's livelihood, and this news was like a bolt from the blue for them. Ju Nian's younger brother had been born for several years. Although it was said to be adopted, most people who knew him knew the truth. Chinese people have a strong tradition of patriarchal values, and this matter concerned their livelihood. Since there was no direct conflict of interest, most people would have turned a blind eye and let it slide for three or four years. How could they have suddenly run into trouble?
Xie Maohua was the dean's driver, and when the news reached him, he did consider asking Dean Han for help. Dean Han had already received his appointment to be transferred to the municipal court, and he was known for his integrity. After hearing Xie Maohua's plea, he simply asked if the accusations were true.
Xie Maohua fell silent in resignation. Dean Han also expressed his helplessness, saying, "Old Xie, you can only blame yourself for being too foolish. If no one had spoken up, perhaps this would have passed, but now the whistleblower's letter is posted on the secretary's office door. How am I supposed to clean this up for you? I'm about to step down, so my words might not carry any weight. You need to reflect on this yourself. Here's the arrangement: dismissal from your public office is inevitable, but since your child is still young, you can stay at the institute as a contract driver..."
Now that things had come to this, Xie Maohua knew there was no going back. He was a man of pride, and he couldn't bear to stay as a temporary worker. Gritting his teeth, he left the procuratorate and went to drive a long-distance truck. Earning a living out of the elements was naturally incomparable to his life driving a small car. Xie Maohua's family cursed the person who had secretly reported him, wishing them a terrible death. But thinking of his son, they decided that for him, it was all worth it.
Ju Nian heard about this from her aunt, and her only reaction was surprise, utter surprise. Her father had lost his job; would she become a homeless child? Thankfully, she had graduated from junior high school. Even if she had to drop out of school, and no one wanted her, she wouldn't starve. Closing her bedroom door, she lay on her small bed, unable to stop thinking about whether this was related to her going back to her father that day to ask for money. There was no evidence to prove this guess, but…
This deviation just appeared out of nowhere.
Surprisingly, she felt no particular sadness. Over the years, her parents had ignored her existence because of her younger brother, even going so far as to call her intellectually disabled. Was she resentful? Ju Nian thought about it for a long time. No, no, she understood her parents. She wasn't lovable; her parents needed someone else to love them. Perhaps when she was still a child, lost on an unfamiliar path, watching the sky gradually darken, she understood. She kept her world closed, and outside, thunder roared. She heard it, and only felt melancholy.
Just then, she heard a strange noise coming from the window. Ju Nian quickly opened the window, and sure enough, Wu Yu was secretly waving at her from outside. Her aunt had gone out, and Ju Nian was quite free. She closed the door, and Wu Yu, having stood in the sun for a long time, had a face that was flushed red.
Ju Nian waved the change in her hand at him, "Wu Yu, let's go to the convenience store for soda."
Wu Yu shook her head.
Ju Nian remembered that Wu Yu didn't like that little shop.
The owner of the small shop was her uncle's cousin, who was actually quite a distant relative of Ju Nian. Her uncle's cousin's name was Lin Henggui, and the small shop he ran was called "Henggui Shop." Ju Nian found the name a bit funny, as it seemed to imply that the goods inside were perpetually expensive.
Whether it's expensive or not is another matter. Lin Henggui and his cousin were born and raised in this area, but he was more restless than his cousin. He went out to make his way in the world a few years ago, but it didn't seem to work out, so he returned to his familiar surroundings and settled down by opening a small shop. In shops in the urban-rural fringe, they only sell simple daily necessities. Lin Henggui liked to take advantage of small gains, and when he encountered elderly people, children, or confused people, he would often "miscalculate" the change. If someone came to him angrily, he would apologize repeatedly and berate himself for not being smart enough. If the other person was even less smart than him, then naturally, he would get away with it without anyone noticing.
Because of this, Ju Nian disliked her uncle's cousin, but there weren't any shops closer to her. Wu Yu's dislike for Lin Henggui was different. Ju Nian pressed her many times before Wu Yu finally told her.
It turned out that Wu Yu's father had also grown up in this urban village, and was about the same age as Lin Henggui. In his youth, Lin Henggui was a scoundrel, often womanizing. Once, he got involved with a married woman from the neighborhood, and in a fit of rage, the woman's husband pulled out a knife and, along with his friends, went to fight Lin Henggui. The two sides' friends ended up in a brawl. Wu Yu's father was a friend of the cuckolded husband, and having had a few drinks that night, he "righteously" stood up for his friend, stabbing one of Lin Henggui's accomplices to death. This act turned him into a murderer, and he met his end.
Lin Henggui bore little legal responsibility in this matter; he was only summoned for questioning and then released. Wu Yu's father acted impulsively while drunk, and no one else was to blame, but the root of the problem lay with Lin Henggui. His indiscretion indirectly led to Wu Yu becoming an orphan, left destitute and alone from a young age. Wu Yu had heard her grandmother talk about him since childhood, inevitably harboring resentment towards him. Ju Nian regretted her slip of the tongue; she had almost overlooked this aspect.
So she said to Wu Yu, "How about this, you wait for me over by the bamboo forest, I'll be right there."
After saying that, Ju Nian ran into the convenience store. It was afternoon, and Lin Henggui was dozing off on a broken recliner behind the counter. There was no one else in the store, except for his dog named "Zhao Fu," which barked at Ju Nian.
Lin Henggui heard the dog barking, lazily opened his eyes, saw the person who came in, and sat up.
"Oh, who is it? Ju Nian? Don't you have to go to school?"
Because of her uncle-in-law's relationship with Lin Henggui, Ju Nian still had to show him respect. She obediently said, "I'm on summer vacation. Uncle Henggui, give me two bottles of soda, take them with you, I'll bring them back for you later." As she spoke, she handed over the money.
Lin Henggui said, "We're family, why are you talking like that?" but he took the money. As he took a soft drink from the freezer, he turned around and looked at Ju Nian. "Our Zhao Fu is very shrewd. He knows how to greet ordinary people. Ju Nian, you rarely come to your uncle's place. You're almost in high school now, you've grown into a young lady."
Ju Nian didn't know what to say, and just wanted to get the soda quickly, so she simply didn't answer and looked down to tease Zhao Fu.
Lin Heng held the two bottles of soda for a long time. Just as Ju Nian was feeling surprised, she heard him say in the store, "Hey, Ju Nian, there's something wrong with your money."
Ju Nian was stunned when she heard this. She handed Lin Heng a ten-yuan bill, the leftover from the fifty yuan her father had given her last time. She never thought she would receive counterfeit money.
"How could that be? Uncle Henggui, please look more closely." She said anxiously to Lin Henggui.
"Why don't you come in and take a look? You're such a careless child, you can't even tell that it's an obvious counterfeit."
Ju Nian, without a second thought, ran to Lin Henggui's side and took the bill from his hand. How come she hadn't noticed before how thin the bill was?
Ten yuan was not a small amount for Ju Nian, and the thought of the money turning into worthless paper made her eyes red.
Lin Henggui looked very sympathetic. "How about I go and talk to your aunt and uncle and ask them to give you an extra ten yuan?"
"No, no need." Ju Nian was startled again. She hadn't told her aunt about the money her father had given her. Although it wasn't anything shameful, given her aunt's temper, if she knew, she would definitely scold her as "ungrateful wretch, ungrateful, and even knows how to hide money."
With Lin Henggui's cunning, how could he not see Ju Nian's panic? He quickly lowered his voice and asked, "Ju Nian, this money wouldn't happen to be yours...?"
"I didn't steal it, my dad gave me this money." Ju Nian was still just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old child, completely absorbed in her own little world, unaware of the dangers of the world, or perhaps too naive. Hearing Lin Henggui's words, she felt both angry and wronged, and tears immediately streamed down her face.
Lin Henggui comforted her repeatedly, "Silly girl, what's there to cry about with just ten yuan? Come in, Uncle will think of a way to help you."
Before Ju Nian, her eyes still blurry with tears, could even reply, Lin Henggui half-dragged and half-persuaded her into the back room of the small shop. There was a bed there, clearly Lin Henggui's usual place of residence.
After Ju Nian went in, he also felt that something was wrong.
"Uncle Henggui, I'm going back now."
She wanted to go out, but Lin Henggui blocked the doorway.
"What's the rush? Uncle will figure something out for you. Ju Nian, Uncle has always felt sorry for you. Among the children in this area, you are the most well-behaved and the most beautiful."
His eyes lingered on Ju Nian, and his hand was already seemingly casually reaching out to touch her.
"Uncle, I really have to go home." Ju Nian panicked and just wanted to escape. She struggled to squeeze her legs through the gap between Lin Henggui's body and the small door, but Lin Henggui pushed her back with his body.
"Uncle, what are you doing? I'm going to scream! I'm going to tell Auntie! Ahhh!" Ju Nian screamed.
Lin Henggui covered her mouth with one hand and pulled a thick wad of loose bills from his pants pocket with the other. "Be good, listen to me, Uncle will give you money."
"No... Waaah..." Ju Nian's hand brushed away the money, but Lin Henggui restrained it again. She could only whimper. Lin Henggui's hands roamed over her budding body. She struggled and struggled again. The difference in strength between a man and a girl, an adult and a child, was so great. When she heard the slight sound of a button falling to the ground, despair began to rise in her heart.
It was at this moment that Wu Yu pushed open the window of the shop and rushed in. He had been waiting outside for a long time, his instinctive distrust of Heng Gui making him worry about Ju Nian's safety. This time, his suspicion saved Ju Nian.
Wu Yu pounced on Lin Henggui like a little leopard. The two rolled on the ground, and Ju Nian managed to escape. She hugged herself and stared blankly at the scene before her.
At first, Lin Henggui was caught off guard and was pinned to the ground by Wu Yu, who punched him several times, causing blood to seep from the corner of his mouth. Wu Yu hated him to the core and showed no mercy, shouting, "You didn't even spare her, you're not even human!"
"I'm not human, I'm not human, I was just teasing her," Lin Henggui pleaded, trying to defend himself. "Stop hitting her, stop hitting her."
As Wu Yu vented his anger, his hand gradually slowed down. Lin Henggui's repulsive face was completely disfigured under his hand, and he wished he could kill this scumbag. But the thought of the word "kill" made Wu Yu's blood run cold. He was the son of a murderer. Was he destined to follow this path? No, he refused to accept this fate. He did not want to be like his father.
As if sensing Wu Yu's hesitation, Lin Henggui suddenly retaliated at this moment. With a "bang", Wu Yu was knocked to the ground. Before he could get up, Lin Henggui grabbed his neck. Wu Yu struggled, but he was not yet an adult and was no match for that scumbag when it came to a serious fight.
Ju Nian trembled on the side, unable to even cry out. She tried to help Wu Yu, but was kicked down by Lin Henggui as soon as she got close.
"Go, go quickly!" Wu Yu uttered these words with difficulty, his eyes urging Ju Nian to leave this place of trouble as soon as possible.
In TV dramas, the female lead always refuses to leave and insists on staying to live and die with the male lead. But Ju Nian doesn't want to die here. Neither she nor Wu Yu should die here. She's useless and can't save her best friend, but she has to find someone to save him.
Lin Henggui tried to stop her, but Ju Nian barely dodged his outstretched hand and pulled back the curtain. The light outside was blinding. Inside, Lin Henggui was still not letting Wu Yu go.
"You little brat, you're no better than your father, both of you are destined to die young. Just wait and see how I deal with you."
Lin Henggui cursed and the sounds of their fighting sent a shiver down Ju Nian's spine. Hatred ignited within her like a spark. Must kindness always lead to being bullied? She and Wu Yu only wanted to be good children, but who would grant their wish besides themselves? Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
Two bottles of soda that Lin Henggui had brought out caught Ju Nian's eye. They were orange-flavored, with orange liquid and clear glass bottles covered in water droplets. Ju Nian didn't run out the door. She grabbed one of the bottles, turned around, and rushed back into the inner room. Facing the back of Lin Henggui's head, she swiftly and decisively smashed the bottle down without hesitation, just like her sure-win backhand smash in badminton—fast, accurate, ruthless, and clean.
A dull thud echoed as something struck him, and everything froze. Then, as if in slow motion, Lin Henggui slowly turned around, staring intently at Ju Nian. Ju Nian took a step back, thinking she had failed. However, a red earthworm slowly snaked down Lin Henggui's neck. He opened his mouth, made no sound, and then collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Wu Yu was also stunned by the sudden turn of events. She got up from the ground, looked at the childless Ju Nian, and then kicked Lin Heng Gui's limp body with her toe.
"I killed him?" Ju Nian murmured.
Wu Yu took a deep breath and took Ju Nian's hand, who was still in a dream.
"Run!" he said.
Ju Nian was dragged along by him. Did anyone outside notice all this? Maybe yes, maybe no. Gradually, Ju Nian went from passively following to running as hard as Wu Yu. For many years, they had run one after the other in the mornings, but today their fingers were intertwined as they headed towards a goal of seeking knowledge.
They ran so fast that Ju Nian felt as if she were flying, not running. Fear, sorrow, and anger could not keep up with their pace. The past was like fleeting clouds, and the unknown remained nothing. They only had the present moment of running, like, like the only two people in the world, like, like Xiao Qiushui and Tang Fang in the cool autumn breeze and leaves.
"Take me away." Ju Nian said these words silently. She was shy and didn't dare let Wu Yu hear her, but her heart was saying the same thing.
Wu Yu, of course, could neither hear nor see Ju Nian's lips opening and closing, but he suddenly glanced at Ju Nian and forced a smile.
The tightly closed door in Ju Nian's heart suddenly swung open, and she heard familiar footsteps lingering outside. Although she didn't know if he had come to knock, she was willing to separate her little world from him—the beautiful, the wondrous, the absurd, and the sorrowful. This was the first time in her life.
Chapter Twenty-One: The Medicine is Made in the Blue Sea, But It's Hard to Flee There
They ran past the only bus stop nearby, through sugarcane fields, and along the muddy roads of the urban village. Along the way, they nearly knocked over a speeding bicycle. Startled, the boy on the bicycle threw it aside, and the girl on the back almost fell to the ground.
Wu Yu turned to the girl and said "I'm sorry." They didn't linger, but Ju Nian seemed to hear a voice behind her shouting, "Xie Ju Nian, you're crazy... Is a ghost chasing you? What kind of hellish place are you running to...?"
Ju Nian replied with the same words, seemingly listless.