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墨書 Inktalez
Wen Sheng turned around upon hearing Wen Xin's call.
"Don't look back!" Jia Ao shouted urgently.
Wen Sheng quickly turned back, the car swaying dangerously as he did.
"Hit the brakes!" Jia Ao said, tense.
Wen Sheng managed to stop the car. He turned to Wen Xin and asked, "What's wrong? Wen Xin, what happened?" His voice was laced with concern.
Wen Xin's face had gone pale as she scratched her head. "Where's my money?"
"It can't be lost, right?" Jia Ao asked, a hint of worry in his tone.
"It shouldn't be! I remember holding it when I came out! How could it just disappear?" Wen Xin was starting to sweat.
She began rummaging through her clothes, checking every pocket, but she couldn't find the fifty dollars. The thought of losing it made her feel like crying.
"Are you sure you had the money when you came out?" Wen Sheng asked with a teasing smile.
"Yes! I distinctly remember having it in my hand!" Wen Xin frowned in frustration.
"Alright! Let's go home!" Wen Sheng said nonchalantly.
"What about my money? It's fifty!" Wen Xin exclaimed, her mouth agape.
Wen Sheng shot a mischievous grin at Jia Ao, who immediately understood: "Let's go home! Forget about the money!"
“No way, it’s fifty bucks! I’m going back to find it,” Wen Xin exclaimed as she jumped out of the car and actually ran back.
“Come back!” Jia Ao shouted after her. “Get it for your brother!”
Wen Xin turned around and saw Wen Sheng grinning. “Did you have money in your hand when you came out? If you did, then this bill isn’t yours!” Wen Sheng waved the fifty-dollar bill teasingly.
“How did it end up with you?” Wen Xin asked, a bit confused. She tried to recall the hazy memory but couldn’t make sense of it.
“I picked it up from the table!” Wen Sheng chuckled.
“It’s mine! Mine!” Wen Xin rushed over and hugged her brother, reaching for the money.
“Weren’t you holding it?” Wen Sheng held the bill high above her head, teasing her.
“I don’t remember how it got to you. You’re a thief, haha!” Wen Xin laughed, looking up at her own money.
“This time it’s secured! If I manage to keep it, it’ll go into the national treasury!” Wen Sheng joked.
“Not a chance!” Wen Xin giggled.
“Let’s go! You found your money! If we don’t hurry home, it’ll be dark soon,” Jia Ao urged.
“Wait, let me buy something for Aunt!” Although Wen Xin wasn’t particularly fond of Aunt, she still wanted to get something for her as a gesture for her cousin Jia Ao.
So Jia Ao stopped in front of a small fruit shop by the roadside. It wasn’t a big store; the sign hanging from the awning looked quite worn out, but they had a good variety of fruits and even sold cigarettes, alcohol, and instant noodles.
Despite Jia Ao insisting on spending his own money, Wen Xin decided to use her own funds to buy something for Aunt. She understood that this was the only way to express her feelings and show that she held no grudges against Aunt. However, deep down, Wen Xin did harbor resentment towards Aunt and planned to take revenge in the future! As Er Ge would say, they must pay for their past mistakes! But she didn’t want to show that; she wanted to bring gifts to Aunt’s house in hopes that Aunt wouldn’t say anything unpleasant. After all, sometimes gifts could silence people and even enhance their goodwill towards her. At her age, she understood that kindness could be conveyed through gifts.
The items they bought were not many. Wen Sheng helped her pick out some simple, rather ordinary things—apples, oranges, and bread—stuffed into a bag, which represented Wen Xin's heartfelt gesture for her Aunt.
As evening approached, the sunset painted the gray sky, and a cool breeze blew gently. The treetops swayed back and forth with the wind, and the road appeared dim.
When they reached the edge of the village, Jia Ao rode his motorcycle quickly. Suddenly, a person appeared around a bend. Fortunately, Jia Ao's skills were quite adept, allowing him to maneuver past her, but even so, the motorcycle still tipped over. Wen Sheng and Wen Xin fell off the bike.
Luckily, the fall wasn't too serious. Wen Xin scraped her elbow a bit, while Wen Sheng seemed completely unscathed. Seeing Wen Xin sprawled on the road, Wen Sheng quickly got up and rushed over to help her up. "Where did you fall?"
"My arm hurts!" Wen Xin said with a hint of petulance.
"Let me see!" Wen Sheng examined Wen Xin's arm, feeling around gently. "Does it feel serious?"
"Not really!" Wen Xin forced a smile at Er Ge. "But how did that person just appear out of nowhere on the road?"
Jia Ao had nearly lost control as well; he slammed on the brakes and turned back anxiously. "Are you guys okay?"
"We're fine! Wen Xin just got a little hurt!" Wen Sheng replied.
"That person!" Wen Xin pointed to a disheveled middle-aged woman wandering by the roadside.
Wen Sheng turned to look at the ragged woman. She appeared to be around forty years old, not very tall, with unkempt hair that seemed like it hadn't been brushed in ages. Her complexion was pale, marked with faint scars, and her gaze was vacant and unfocused. She walked unsteadily and had bits of weeds clinging to her clothes. It was evident that she had no home or hadn't stayed in one for a long time. Recently, she might have been sleeping in a pile of materials by the roadside since there were bits of dry grass tangled in her messy hair. She wandered back and forth as if searching for something.
Wen Xin's apples and oranges had scattered all over the ground. She walked over and crouched down to try picking up a bruised apple from the dirt. When she turned to look at Jia Ao, she instinctively withdrew her hand and stood up again, gazing downcast while shaking her head gently. The wind tousled her hair, occasionally causing some dry grass to fall from her flowing locks.
Her eyes reflected helplessness as she offered a faint smile—a somewhat pale expression that hinted at sorrow. It was that kind of faint smile that lingered on her lips; she tucked away some hair that had fallen by her temples and moved her lips as if contemplating something but said nothing—just staring at Wen Sheng and Jia Ao.
"I'm a bit hungry! A bit hungry!" she murmured softly to herself.
Perhaps she was speaking for Wen Sheng and the others, or maybe she was speaking to herself; no one took the time to ponder her words.
Wen Xin picked up the undamaged fruits and a bag of bread, cradling them in her arms as she turned to Wen Sheng: "These are good!"
"Mm!" Wen Sheng seemed not to have heard clearly.
"Do you want the ones on the ground?" the middle-aged woman asked tentatively.
"No, thank you!" Wen Xin replied softly.
Only then did the middle-aged woman squat down, picking up a bruised apple from the ground. She wiped it with her dirty, tattered sleeve before slowly putting it in her mouth. She turned around and gathered the other bruised fruits from the ground, wrapping them in her clothing.
Wen Sheng stared blankly, then looked up at the gray sky and the few streaks of reddish clouds hanging at the edges. He sighed deeply: "Wen Xin! Go give her a bag of your bread! She looks really hungry!"
"Okay!" Wen Xin agreed and ran over to catch up with the middle-aged woman.
"Wait! Auntie!" Wen Xin called out sweetly.
Hearing Wen Xin call her Auntie, she turned around and smiled faintly, her body swaying slightly. She looked at Wen Xin, carefully examining the girl.
"Er Ge asked me to give you this bag!" Wen Xin said as she handed her a bag of bread.
With trembling hands, the woman accepted the bag of bread, her quivering lips forming two words: "Good person!"
Wen Xin smiled sweetly and asked, "Why aren't you going home?"
"Home! Do I even have a home? Where is my home?" She looked up at the distance helplessly.
“Where are your relatives?” Wen Xin asked earnestly.
“I don’t know. They are all dead.” Her eyes were filled with endless sorrow.
“Wen Xin! Come back!” Wen Sheng shouted from a distance.
Wen Xin slowly turned back, glancing over her shoulder repeatedly.
“Why give her anything? It’s useless! She’s a fool!” Jia Ao shook his shoulders.
“Do you know her?” Wen Sheng asked casually.
“Of course I do! She’s from our village. She went mad after being replaced by someone else when she got into university. A few years ago, someone from our village married her, and she had a son. One day, while she was washing clothes by the river with the child, she wasn’t paying attention and he drowned. Because of that, her husband abandoned her and kicked her out. Now she wanders around the village, and only kind-hearted people give her some bread to eat. There are also some unscrupulous men.” Jia Ao shook his head without going down. “Let’s go home!”
Wen Sheng fell silent, lost in thought. Perhaps one day I too will end up picking up scraps to eat by the roadside. Would someone help me then? Wen Sheng let out a cold laugh as darkness gradually enveloped him.
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