Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Liu Wenyi leaned against his chest, choking back tears, "To be honest, I'm not afraid to say that in this vast world, there are jobs everywhere. One of the reasons I came back is because of you. When I was in contact with Li Wen, she casually mentioned that you were back home. After hearing that, I inexplicably returned. I was hoping to run into you at some occasion, but I never thought about what would happen after meeting you. I just wanted to see you again. Do you know how conflicted I feel? After all these years, who knows how much you've changed? Do you even remember me? I'm afraid it's just my one-sided feelings..."
Li Cheng tightly wrapped his arms around Liu Wenyi and said emotionally, "How could I forget you? The reason I'm still here is that I want to visit the school often and reminisce about our days together. Without you, what would life be?"
Liu Wenyi struggled weakly for a moment and sobbed, "But now that I've seen you, everything has changed. You told me you're married. What do you want me to do? Stay at the Night Market, facing the reality that belongs to someone else every day, suffering minute by minute? Li Cheng, this is too cruel for me. It would be better to change cities and live my life in a daze..."
"I'll find a way, okay? Don't leave. I'll figure something out."
A month later, in Yue Town, at the Li Family's home.
An Audi parked in the narrow alley, blocking the entrance completely. Li Cheng got out of the car with bags in hand and shouted before even entering the door, "Dad, Mom—"
"Coming!" A woman's voice responded from inside.
Li Cheng turned back and nodded at Liu Wenyi sitting in the passenger seat, "Get out of the car. Why are you just sitting there?"
Liu Wenyi reluctantly got out of the car with her bag.
The two wooden doors creaked open slowly as Wang Surong greeted them with a smile, "Chengzi, you're back! Come in; your dad is inside."
Liu Wenyi leaned against the car and looked Wang Surong up and down. Her expression was dim; although her hair was neatly arranged into a bun with gray and white strands mixed in, she wore a checkered coat over black printed pants and soft-soled cloth shoes—an entirely cheap look with nothing appealing.
"Take your time," Li Cheng shot Liu Wenyi a glance. "Do you see who this is?"
Wang Surong cautiously examined Liu Wenyi—long brown curls, an oval face, fair skin—quite pretty and stylishly dressed in a dark green fitted dress and black high heels. Wang Surong thought for a long time but couldn't recall who she was.
"This is Ali's classmate; she came to our house when she was little. Don't you remember?" Li Cheng said seriously.
"Ali's classmate?" Wang Surong showed an incredulous expression. "Ali didn't even graduate from elementary school; does he still have classmates?"
"Ma'am, I'm his elementary school classmate," Liu Wenyi straightened up and stepped forward. "A few days ago we had a class reunion, and when someone mentioned him, I thought I'd come visit. It just so happened that I know Mr. Li; he kindly gave me a ride today."
"Oh, I see! It's impressive that you still remember Ali."
Liu Wenyi crossed her arms and smiled shyly, "You might not believe it; my parents passed away early, so I grew up with my grandparents. That's why I'm quite mature for my age. Back in school, Ali was the best-looking boy in class and did well academically. As a little girl, who knew I'd still remember after all these years? I took this opportunity to see how he's doing now. By the way, where is Li Li working now? Is he home today?"
"This..." Wang Surong looked awkwardly at Li Cheng. "Did you not tell her about Ali?"
Li Cheng shook his head and sighed, "How could I bring it up?"
"What happened to Li Li?" Liu Wenyi asked curiously.
Wang Surong stammered and couldn't get a word out.
"Come on, Mom; let her in first so they can at least meet," Li Cheng urged.
"Oh, come in," he said, looking down at what Li Cheng was holding. "Hey, it's not like you're a stranger. Every time you come home, you bring something. Your dad can't finish it anyway; it's just piling up there."
"The expiration date is good for several years. We can take our time eating it," Li Cheng called to Liu Wenyi. "Come in, Ali is home."
As they entered the courtyard, an elderly man in his sixties, thin as a rail but full of energy, walked out from the main room and immediately complained, "What are you mumbling about at the door? Why are you taking so long to come in? Can't you say whatever you want inside?"
Wang Surong pointed to Liu Wenyi behind her. "This is Chengzi's elementary school classmate who came to see Ali."
"Just a fool, what's there to see?" Li Weimin waved his hand dismissively and turned to sit on a small stool under the eaves, tilting his head back to scrutinize Liu Wenyi. She had fair skin, a slender neck, a large chest, and rounded hips; her bare legs were long and thin... Li Weimin's eyes narrowed further.
Li Weimin's gaze was lewd, making Liu Wenyi uncomfortable. She rolled her eyes and hid behind Li Cheng.
Wang Surong rubbed her rough hands on her clothes and turned to Li Cheng. "Have you eaten lunch? I can make something for you."
"Not yet, I came back in a hurry."
"What do you want to eat?"
"Anything is fine."
"Alright," Wang Surong said as she headed into the kitchen.
"Dad, you rest for now. I'll take her to see Ali," Li Cheng said to Li Weimin before giving Liu Wenyi a glance and leading her into a low small room on the right side of the courtyard.
Li Weimin's eyes remained fixed on Liu Wenyi's backside until she turned into the room before he withdrew his gaze.
"What kind of eyes does your dad have? It's so uncomfortable," Liu Wenyi said as soon as they entered the room, linking her arm with Li Cheng's and speaking softly. After that, she looked around the dimly lit room; it was less than twenty square meters and very dark. The square windows were small and broken, covered in dust, and the oiled paper on the window seemed to have cobwebs on it. However, some faint light still managed to filter through, helping Liu Wenyi see that there was a small bed piled high with blankets where a person-shaped figure was curled up snoring. In front of the bed was a small table cluttered with various items; it looked less like a bedroom and more like a storage room or perhaps a garbage dump.
"You think too much; my dad's eyesight isn't good, that's just how he looks at people," Li Cheng said as he felt along the wall until he found the light cord and pulled it. With a click, an old-fashioned light bulb covered in dead insects flickered on, casting a dim yellow light that did little good and instead made one feel dizzy. Dust danced under the light, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Liu Wenyi covered her mouth and nose. "What is that smell?"
"I told you he's a fool; it's normal for him to have incontinence," Li Cheng said as he kicked aside an empty can by his feet and moved to the bed, grabbing the back of the person's collar and yanking him up. "Wake up! What time is it to be sleeping?"
The person flailed his limbs and mumbled, "Let go, let go, I'm sleeping."
"Li Li!" Li Cheng called sharply.
Li Li immediately quieted down, rubbing his dirty hands over his eyes and pitifully calling out, "Brother—"
Li Cheng patted his messy hair and pointed at Liu Wenyi behind him. "Do you see who she is?"
Li Li turned towards Liu Wenyi; only then did she see his face clearly. Not to mention his appearance—half of his face was buried in filthy long hair and dirt, making it impossible to discern what he looked like. Just wearing that wrinkled old shirt and knee-length pants was enough to make anyone nauseous; thinking about what might be in those pants made Liu Wenyi's stomach churn uncontrollably.
"Wow, pretty donkey—" Li Li clapped his hands excitedly and exclaimed dreamily.
"Have you been watching Hong Kong and Taiwan films again?" Li Cheng chuckled and said, "Remember, she is your elementary school classmate, and from now on, she will be your wife."
Comment 0 Comment Count