The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class. The children poured out of the school either in formation or chasing each other joyfully. The three of us stood scanning the crowd for the little girl. Moments later, we finally spotted her walking toward the school gate with Wei Xiao and others.
She quickly noticed us, but her greatest excitement was clearly for Leyao. She almost ran to Leyao and hugged her leg tightly, expressing both happiness and sadness. Her complex emotions revealed to me the special attachment and feelings she had for Leyao—no one could ever replace Leyao’s position in her heart.
I called out to Wei Xiao jokingly, “Hey fatty, I hear you’ve been doing pretty well for yourself lately. Are you going to treat us to lunch today?”
Wei Xiao took a handful of loose change from his pocket and generously declared, “Wherever there are people, there is the jianghu (martial arts world), and where there is the jianghu, there is loyalty. Today’s lunch is on me!”
I nodded, and Wei Xiao then asked, “What do you want to eat?” Before we could answer, he continued, “How about seafood? Seafood tastes even better in winter!”
I questioned doubtfully, “Is the money you have enough?”
Wei Xiao grabbed Mi Cai’s sleeve and said confidently, “If not, I still have my big sister Cai to rely on. Don’t worry, don’t worry!”
Mi Cai smiled and said, “You’re even talking like someone from Taiwan just to get your way about eating seafood. How much do you really want it?”
Wei Xiao’s expression fully revealed his greedy nature, “Hehe, seafood from Anping Harbor in Taiwan is the best!”
I felt a surge of jealousy and asked Mi Cai, “Did you really take this little brat to Taiwan? And even to Anping Harbor to eat seafood?”
Mi Cai nodded and said, “Yes, I took him there once during our vacation earlier this year.”
Wei Xiao became even more smug and walked up to the little girl and Leyao, saying, “See, my big sister Cai treats me so well. Your Leyao hasn’t taken you to eat seafood. Yet you keep saying she’s great!”
I knew Wei Xiao’s comparison was purely childish and without malice, but to Leyao, it felt like a dull knife piercing her heart. She already felt deep guilt and self-blame toward the little girl, and now tears welled up in her eyes as she looked down at the child beside her.
Mi Cai pulled Wei Xiao back and scolded, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
Leyao tightened her grip on the little girl’s hand, choked up, but still smiling, she said, “Sweetie, after we send off your brother Luo Ben the day after tomorrow, I’ll take you to Taiwan to play. I’ll take you there no matter how busy I am!”
The little girl fully understood Leyao’s guilt toward her. While scolding Wei Xiao as a “pig head,” she also comforted Leyao tearfully, saying she didn’t really like seafood and didn’t like Taiwan at all. This emotionally painful scene filled me with guilt. Perhaps I really shouldn’t have scolded Leyao so harshly about the little girl, because it was Leyao who felt the most pain over the girl having nowhere to go.
…
Inside the seafood restaurant, Wei Xiao was his usual carefree self, seemingly never full, devouring various seafood dishes on the table while the rest of us were lost in our own thoughts and barely touched our chopsticks.
Finally, I said to Wei Xiao, “Stop eating for a moment. I have something I want to discuss with you.”
Since Wei Xiao had lost to me in racing before, he had always had a strong sense of admiration for me. Upon receiving my signal, he promptly put down his chopsticks and sat upright, asking, “Brother Yang, what do you need to talk to me about?”
“First of all, you need to tell me—Are you a responsible man?”
He might not have fully understood what responsibility meant, but he nodded his head anyway…
I continued, “If a little sister joins your life, can you fulfill your responsibilities as an older brother? If anyone dares to bully her, will you stand up for her?”
“Definitely.”
I nodded and then looked at the little girl, saying to him, “Your Leyao sister will be in Beijing all the time, so it will be hard for her to keep the little girl with her. So we discussed it and decided that the little girl should live at your house and become your sister. Is that okay?”
Wei Xiao clapped his hands and replied joyfully, “Great! Great! Then we can go to school and come back together, and we can also take care of Jingang (the teacup dog Leyao once gave him). Brother Yang, don’t worry. My grandpa and I will definitely take good care of her. Last time she visited our house, my grandpa really liked her!”
I looked at Leyao. Her eyes were filled with reluctance, but she still gritted her teeth and asked the little girl, “Sweetie, your sister can’t take you to live in Beijing for now. Will you stay in Suzhou, okay?… I promise you, I will definitely take you to Beijing someday!”
The little girl lowered her head and remained silent for a long time. Finally, she nodded understandingly, and the matter was temporarily resolved, although not entirely satisfying. After all, it would be most beneficial for her growth to stay with Teacher Wei Manwen, who was a teacher.
The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt, and the more I despised the unpredictable nature of this world. In a gloomy mood, I took out my phone and cigarette box and walked outside the seafood restaurant alone.
Lighting a cigarette, I almost finished it before dialing Wei Manwen’s number. I had promised Luo Ben to inform Wei Manwen about his departure.
After the ringing tone repeated several times, she finally answered the call, softly asking me, “Zhaoyang, is Luo Ben doing okay?”
I responded with emotion, “Do you really think he can be okay?”
Wei Manwen fell silent…
I painfully swallowed and finally said, “Forget it. At this point, talking about whether he is okay or not is meaningless. You don’t need to feel guilty either because Luo Ben doesn’t hate you and he respects your choice… I’m calling you just to pass on his message: he is going to America, leaving the day after tomorrow. He hopes you can come to see him off, just to say goodbye one last time.”
On the other end of the line, Wei Manwen burst into uncontrollable tears… Suddenly, she hung up on me!
In my shock, she sent me a message: “Zhaoyang, please tell him I’m sorry from me… I can’t go to see him off. I hope he has a safe journey!”
I was stunned! I truly hadn’t expected this woman to be so heartless that she wouldn’t even fulfill Luo Ben’s last request…
Filled with anger, I dialed Wei Manwen’s number again, but this time I received a voice message saying that the phone was turned off…
I stood there in shock, my heart feeling as if it were pierced by knives one moment and thrown into a fire the next. I struggled to breathe—not only for Luo Ben, but also because of my own fear and memories…
A woman who has changed her heart can be terrifying. Just like my past, like Jian Wei, who left me alone in the flames of hell for three years after saying “break up,” without even a word of comfort… I even felt that her claim of loving me all along was nothing but nonsense, because there’s no way someone who truly loves me would push me to the brink like that.
I will never forget: those three years stained every moment of my life with blood and tears!
Therefore, the sympathy I had recently felt for Jian Wei instantly vanished without a trace. Perhaps one day in the future, I could decisively draw a clear boundary between us, including in our business dealings.
Under the glaring sunlight, I once again had the urge to seek my own path. I detested her profit-driven business model and the endless entanglements between us…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage