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墨書 Inktalez
"Are you Lin Ye?"
I paused at the hallway, facing a woman who had just walked out of Xu Wenmo's room, momentarily at a loss. The woman had a beautiful and charming face, a tall figure, and a calm yet resolute demeanor. She appeared to be in her thirties, without any makeup, with faint fine lines at the corners of her eyes.
"Don't be afraid, I am Xiao Mo's mother."
No wonder she looked somewhat familiar; besides having a slightly similar face to Xu Wenmo, she also carried the unique scholarly aura of a teacher.
"Hello, Auntie, I am Lin Ye," I obediently nodded at her.
"Mm," she smiled gently, " Xiao Mo will be staying in the hospital for a while. I'm here to bring her some change of clothes. My husband and I probably won't have time to take care of you these days. Just stay well at home; the housekeeper will come on time for your daily needs. If you have any questions, you can call Xiao Mo's dad or me; my number is saved in the landline downstairs."
Her words, tone, and smile were like the gentle spring breeze, refreshing and soothing. Some people possess such charm that it makes one submit at first glance; this likely stemmed from her attitude and upbringing.
"How is Xiao Mo?" I asked anxiously. "She suddenly fainted during gym class while running; it scared me to death. Is it serious? Can I go see her?"
"She has congenital heart disease, but fortunately, nothing major happened this time. You don't need to worry; she'll be back in a few days. Just focus on your classes and don't think too much about her," she said gently with a slight frown.
"Okay," I lowered my head with concern.
"By the way, what happened during gym class? Why did she faint?"
"Um..." I recounted every detail of the class to Xu Wenmo's Mother, "Our gym teacher is new; he might not know about Xiao Mo's condition, which is why he said that."
"Mm, that's not surprising," she showed no signs of anger but instead analyzed the situation seriously. "Xiao Mo ever tell you? I'm also a high school teacher; I teach math. It's common for students to skip gym class and run around on campus, which is something many gym teachers find troublesome. Your gym teacher might not understand this situation and has encountered many girls avoiding exercise under the pretext of their period, so he probably meant no harm. We shouldn't blame anyone for this; just don't spread rumors at school tomorrow to avoid damaging that teacher's reputation."
Her every word was deliberate and calm, making it hard not to agree with her.
"Mm, I'll remember that."
"Then I'll take my leave now; the housekeeper has prepared dinner. You should tidy up and head downstairs."
"Goodbye, Auntie," I stood at the stairway watching Xu Wenmo's Mother gracefully walk down the steps and out of the villa until the sound of her car starting echoed in my ears.
With a powerful father, a gentle and amiable mother, and an enviable family background, what more could Xu Wenmo possibly want? She always wore that cold and indifferent expression.
Complaints aside, even though Xu Wenmo was hospitalized, I continued to enjoy my little life—riding in a car alone, eating meals by myself, relishing all the attention solely for me; I hoped she would stay in the hospital a bit longer.
"Xiao Ye?"
That afternoon, after throwing away the lunch prepared by the housekeeper into the trash can, I took the living expenses left by Uncle Xu, linked arms with my friends, and headed outside the school gate to buy what they called junk food.
In the crowded throng of people, I suddenly heard someone calling out; it sounded uncertain and weak.
I turned towards the source of the voice and immediately recognized Aunt Wang, who used to be my mother's card-playing friend and often came over to invite my mother for games.
Things are not what they used to be. I didn't want to pay attention to her, but she took the opportunity to see me clearly and rushed over. I pushed my friends aside and approached her. "Aunt Wang, what are you doing here?"
"Well, your uncle lost his job and has nothing to do, so I set up a stall at the school gate selling Jianbing Guozi. Did you just get out of school?" She grabbed my hand affectionately, and I couldn't shake her off, so I could only force a smile in response.
"Yeah."
"Ah, it's really pitiful," Aunt Wang said, patting the back of my hand. "Who would have thought your mom sold the house for two hundred thousand? What a shame! Land is worth so much now. Your dad was planning to ask for eight hundred thousand or so. Now look, your mom ran off with the money. When your dad gets out, where will you two live?"
I had no idea about this matter and was momentarily stunned.
"Do you have any news about your mom?"
"Ah? No," I replied absentmindedly.
"Then where are you living now?"
"At a classmate's house."
"What about school? Didn't your dad not pay your tuition?"
"My classmate's parents helped cover it."
"That's good at least; you have a place to stay." Aunt Wang sighed. "You've met some good people, but don't forget to find your mom. You should at least get some money back—half would be fine. Otherwise, when your dad gets out, what will he do?"
I felt very irritated. Aunt Wang was an old stubborn person; as an outsider, she wouldn't consider my feelings and thought that no matter how my father treated me, I had to serve and support him—that was just how it was.
Damn that sense of duty!
"Aunt Wang, do you know when my mom decided to sell the house?" I usually didn't care about family matters, but my mother was someone who couldn't keep things to herself. If she had worries, she would definitely complain to these card-playing friends.
"Well..." Aunt Wang squinted as she recalled. "Just a few days before the demolition. She told me and your Aunt Liu that she wanted to sell the house; otherwise, you two wouldn't have money to live on. Originally, the head of the real estate company came to hold a meeting with the residents in our area about compensation for each household, but your dad refused because he wanted more money. Who would have thought he would be arrested shortly after? Your mom is just an ordinary woman without much ability; she didn't know what to do and discussed selling the house with us. At that time, selling it did seem like the right choice, so we supported her decision. But we didn't expect she was only thinking of herself—once she got the money, she turned around and disappeared. Xiao Ye, don't blame your aunt; she's regretting it now and thinks about you all the time."
"Hehe, it's fine; I don't blame anyone. Auntie, you go ahead with your work; my classmates are waiting for me to eat."
Aunt Wang wouldn't let go. "Don't go! Come to my stall; I'll make you Jianbing Guozi. It's not expensive—two fifty each, with plenty of filling."
I was really annoyed. With a strong pull, I yanked my hand away and stepped back far away from her before heading towards my friends without looking back.
What else was there for me to understand? That despicable person Xu Wenmo!
I thought we weren't that close back then; why did she come looking for me at home and even urged me to report my dad? Turns out she was waiting for me here.
My dad refused the demolition and wanted to be a stubborn holdout; under the guise of helping me, she got my dad arrested and then manipulated my mom—now I've ended up homeless because of her!
No wonder she supported my return to school but wouldn't explain why; she's feeling guilty!
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