He Lang had been gone for a week and still hadn’t returned.
One evening, Wang Shumin suddenly showed up.
"I’m sorry. I went to see Uncle Zheng and got your address from your brother. I don’t know where else I can go."
Wang Shumin’s eyes were bloodshot and her voice was a little hoarse. Her hair was a ss, and it was a wonder how she’d even made it here.
Seeing her poor condition, Xue Yue pulled her into the house.
Wang Shumin was on the verge of breaking down. The mont she stepped inside, she threw her arms around Xue Yue and started to cry. Xue Yue was a bit confused, but she knew Shumin was upset, so she just let her cry for a good while. The shoulder of her shirt was soaked with tears.
"My dad... he... he disowned . He even... even took out a notice in the newspaper—"
Wang Shumin’s voice was choked with sobs. She pulled a newspaper from her pocket and pointed out the notice to Xue Yue.
Xue Yue followed Wang Shumin’s finger and sure enough, she saw a notice announcing the severance of father-daughter ties.
Xue Yue frowned. "Why would your father disown you?"
Wang Shumin shook her head and started crying again. "I don’t know. My father won’t tell . He just said it was for my own good and wouldn’t let ask anything else. He told to go back to school and not to co ho for the ti being... No, I guess I don’t have a ho anymore. How could he do this? What did I do wrong?"
Xue Yue was even more confused. "What about your mother? Isn’t she going to do anything?"
At the ntion of Li Wanqing, Wang Shumin’s tears flowed even more freely. "My mother wouldn’t say a single word to . She’s never really liked , and now she’s finally gotten her wish. But my father... why would he do this? What on earth did I do wrong to make them punish like this?"
"If your father won’t say, maybe he has his reasons? Perhaps it really is for your own good."
Although Xue Yue had never t this uncle of hers she’d only heard about, she had learned from Uncle Zheng that he held considerable power in the Revolutionary Committee. While he couldn’t exactly do whatever he pleased in Beijing City, his influence was still significant.
Hearing Xue Yue’s words, Wang Shumin’s expression froze. Her eyes held a lost look. "Could that be it? But what kind of trouble could they be in? And what does it have to do with ?"
Xue Yue shook her head. "Don’t panic just yet. You’ll probably find out in a few days."
Knowing that Wang Shumin had taken leave from school and had no desire to go ho, Xue Yue had no choice but to take her in for the ti being, especially since He Lang wasn’t around.
It was a good thing Wang Shumin didn’t go to school. Not two days later, the campus was buzzing with gossip—not about the newspaper notice of her being disowned, but about Wang Tianzhu being arrested for investigation. Li Wanqing had been arrested as well.
Wang Shumin was still at Xue Yue’s place, oblivious to all this. Xue Yue had only heard bits and pieces at school, but by patching together the rumors, she started to understand why Wang Tianzhu had disowned his daughter.
Xue Yue felt this was too big to hide. Wang Shumin would have to face it sooner or later. She didn’t keep it from her. After hearing the news, Wang Shumin stood stunned for a long ti before running off with red-rimd eyes.
That sa day, Xue Xingzhou ca over with Zhang Qian. They had also heard the news and ca to talk to Xue Yue about it.
Xue Xingzhou knew that Wang Shumin had co to Xue Yue’s place. "Don’t get involved in this. Even if Wang Shumin cos back, you should try not to take her in. If she asks you to do anything for her, don’t agree."
Xue Yue hesitated for a mont. "But her family has already disowned her, so it should be fine, right? Besides, I’m just a student. What could I possibly do to help her?"
Xue Xingzhou said gently, "You can’t be too careful. This is no small matter."
Xue Yue nodded. "I know."
Another week or so passed, and Wang Shumin didn’t co back.
Then one night, He Lang returned.
He Lang had been gone for half a month, and Xue Yue almost didn’t recognize him. He was scruffy with stubble, and his hair was much longer than when he’d left, completely unkempt. His clothes were so filthy they were hard to look at. As soon as Xue Yue got close, she was hit by the sll of sour rice. She covered her nose.
"Have you been fleeing a famine or sothing? How long has it been since you showered?"
"I haven’t had ti for that! Quick, pour so water. I’m dying of thirst." He Lang’s lips were chapped and dry; he had been cooped up on a train for the past few days.
Xue Yue quickly poured him a full glass of water from the table and handed it to him.
"What happened to you? Didn’t you go to Yangcheng to source goods?"
He Lang gulped down the water in the glass and handed it back to Xue Yue. "Another one."
Xue Yue poured him another glass. He Lang drank this one slowly before he finally started talking about his trip to Yangcheng.
"When I got there, I realized Yangcheng is completely different from when we went a few years ago. I spent several days observing the markets and found that clothes move the fastest, especially won’s clothes. There was this one stall that could sell tens of thousands of items in a single day. Just think of the profit! So I’ve decided to start by setting up a stall to sell clothes, too."
Xue Yue looked at him. He didn’t have a single bag with him. "So you didn’t buy any clothes?"
He Lang smiled at her. "Of course I did. What else would I have gone there for?"
"Then where are they?"
"At the train station. I couldn’t carry it all back by myself. I need to find a vehicle to go pick it up."
"Won’t they get stolen if you leave them at the station?"
He Lang shook his head. "It’s fine. I paid one of the station workers to keep an eye on them."
"I’ll go with you, then."
He Lang nodded. "Alright."
When Xue Yue arrived at the train station with He Lang, she saw several huge bundles. "Is all this... clothes?"
"Yep."
They were busy until the middle of the night, but they finally managed to haul all the clothes back ho, where they now covered the floor.
The first thing Xue Yue did was make He Lang go take a shower. She really couldn’t stand the sll anymore.
While He Lang was showering, Xue Yue went to the kitchen and cooked him a large bowl of noodles.
He Lang ca back, finished his al, and glanced at the ti. It was already two in the morning.
Xue Yue had classes the next day, so she didn’t have ti to look at any of the clothes before He Lang pulled her off to bed.
Xue Yue was almost late the next day. Daya had made breakfast, and Xue Yue dashed into the classroom just as the bell rang.
The teacher walked in just as she sat down.
Behind her, Wei Yuyang stared at Xue Yue’s back for a few seconds before lowering his gaze.
After class, Song Wenli asked her, "You were almost late this morning. Are you still staying at your uncle’s house? If you live that far away, wouldn’t it be better to just live in the dorms?"
Xue Yue smiled at her. "No, I’ve already moved out. I just need to wake up a little earlier."
Song Wenli pouted. "I’d say you’re just making things hard for yourself. Look at , free as a bird. I went ho for a month during sumr break, and all the family drama drove crazy. I couldn’t wait to get back. Living in the dorms is so much better."
"Oh, right, you said you moved out. Where did you rent a place? Must cost a lot per month, huh?"
Xue Yue pressed her lips together and replied softly, "It’s alright."
User Comments
0 comments from readers