The long summer days stretched on, with the asphalt roads almost seeming to melt under the intense heat. The bus weaved through the greenery, and in this weather, the exhaust fumes mixed with the burnt smell of asphalt, amplifying the scent endlessly.

This was the smell Li Wenshui often encountered during the summer. The bus was crowded, and Li Wenshui was pushed to the window side, where the window was open, and the summer wind, like a heat wave, tousled his damp black hair. He held a cheap fan with an advertisement printed on it in his hand and quietly watched the passing private cars, his clear eyes full of envy.

Li Wenqing followed Li Wenshui’s gaze, thought for a moment, and then hummed long, “Hmm—” She knew exactly what her brother was thinking. “Ge, let’s buy a car? I’ve saved up some money, and it should be enough to buy a used one.”

Li Wenshui’s gaze returned to Li Wenqing’s face, and he firmly rejected her, saying, “How can I take your hard-earned money? You should keep it for yourself.”

Li Wenqing was puzzled. “Ge, you ride the bus every day, it’s so tiring. We don’t have any debt, and I can work and earn my own tuition. You don’t need to be so frugal, let’s just buy a car, okay?”

Li Wenshui didn’t tell Li Wenqing about the family’s debts. If it weren’t for those debts, he would have enough to not only cover his expenses but also save a good portion, and he could even afford a used car. But the reality of the huge debt had left him impoverished, and every penny he earned went toward repaying it. Even after paying for years, it was all just interest. Unless he won the lottery or a foolishly rich benefactor appeared to pay off his debts in one go, he would be squeezed dry by the debts and trapped in an endless cycle of poverty.

“I don’t have a driver’s license,” he said—this was the only legitimate excuse he could offer for not buying a car. He hadn’t passed the driving test, and even if he could afford a used car, he couldn’t afford to maintain it, didn’t have anywhere to park it, and had no way of getting a license plate in Beijing, where vehicle restrictions applied.

The bus reached the Commercial Building’s terminal station, and the two were pushed out by the crowd.

“Ge, wait for me to get my driver’s license and make some money, then I’ll buy a car and drive you around,” Li Wenqing promised, re-arranging her disheveled hair.

Li Wenshui responded with a simple “Hmm” and walked toward the commercial street opposite.

Li Wenqing stopped him and pointed to the old department store in the west. “Ge, the computer market is over there. Why are you going there?”

“I’m not going to the computer market,” Li Wenshui winked playfully, “I’m taking you to buy something better.” His sister was in the computer science field; how could he not buy her a computer with better specifications?

Li Wenshui bought the latest high-end laptop at the Apple store, spending nearly 20,000 yuan. When it came time to pay, Li Wenqing was shocked; she never imagined her brother would buy such an expensive computer for her. She kept trying to signal him not to buy it, adhering to the life principle of “I shouldn’t make myself suffer, but I won’t let my sister suffer either.” Nevertheless, Li Wenshui happily had the cashier swipe the card.

He also proudly bragged about his sister’s impressive score of 715 on the college entrance exam, speaking with gleaming eyes and a beaming smile full of pride. After leaving the Apple store, Li Wenqing carefully held the computer, her joy mixed with a heavy heart. She couldn’t accept such an expensive gift, especially when her brother didn’t even have a computer. It was hard to imagine someone becoming an internet influencer without a computer, but her brother really didn’t have one. He shot and edited videos using his old phone, and sometimes when the phone froze or blacked out, videos he’d been editing were lost, forcing him to start over. Several times, she had seen her brother lose videos because of phone issues and then stay up all night re-editing, which made her feel deeply upset.

“What are you thinking? Not looking at the traffic lights while crossing?” Li Wenshui playfully flicked his sister’s drooping head, laughing, “What’s wrong? Too happy to speak?”

His voice suddenly stopped, his smile froze, and his eyes locked onto the crowd across the street, searching. There were too many people on the sidewalk, and Li Wenshui hurried ahead a few steps, trying to get a better view through the people, but the fleeting figure was gone.

“Ge, what are you looking for?” Li Wenqing tugged at his arm, confused.

Li Wenshui snapped out of it, scanning the crowd but seeing only strangers. The figure he had glimpsed earlier seemed like it had never been there, almost as if it had been a fantasy.

“It’s nothing,” Li Wenshui said, hiding his surprise. He had thought he saw their mother. He closed his eyes and recalled carefully: the woman was fashionable, her hair had gone from the long locks he remembered to a short, neck-length cut. Despite the change in style and demeanor, he couldn’t have been mistaken. The woman he had briefly seen had the exact same face as his mother.

Li Wenshui’s emotions were hard to describe. Was his mother back?

That afternoon, Li Wenshui installed a battery on his tricycle, converting it into an electric tricycle. With the electric tricycle, he could go anywhere much faster than before. Despite a slight noise, he was generally satisfied with it. As he passed a photo studio, Li Wenshui stopped. He used the last remaining photo of his mother from her youth and had it restored using AI, framing it as well. In the photo, the woman had black, smooth hair and gentle features, holding a tiny baby in her arms. She was beautiful, a face that would leave a lasting impression. Li Wenshui had inherited her exquisite appearance.

He placed the photo on his tricycle’s handlebar and rode home, with the photo swaying back and forth. After buying the computer for Li Wenqing, Li Wenshui had spent all the savings he had accumulated over the past few months. He had originally planned to use this money to rent a stall at the night market, but now, with that money gone, he would have to continue working as a street vendor, chased by city management officials.

At the end of July, the rain became more frequent, and the weather was unpredictable. Two days ago, Li Wenshui had twisted his ankle while running from the city officials. The silver lining was that his tricycle wasn’t confiscated, and at the time, Li Wenqing had recorded the chase on his phone, which was then edited into a short video and posted online. Normally, the videos he posted about making cakes got average views, but surprisingly, the video of him being chased by city officials went viral, bringing him some unintended benefits.

Li Wenshui guessed that the short-video audience liked content with contrasts, so he changed his approach and started recording his daily street vending life. To his surprise, the videos did very well, with each one receiving tens of thousands of likes, and even fans started seeking him out to buy cakes.

Thanks to the revenue from the views, Li Wenshui quickly saved enough to rent a stall at the same street where he had seen his mother. In addition to selling cakes, he expanded his offerings to include cold noodles, fruit salad, and grilled sausages. With a fixed stall in the busiest part of the night market, his daily earnings rivaled those of working in a hotpot restaurant. Though his ankle hadn’t fully healed, it didn’t affect his daily energy.

Everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction, and Li Wenshui felt full of determination. He worked at the hotpot restaurant during the day, ran his stall at night, and on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he went to the old house to tend to the flowers and spent time with Liang Jin. Li Wenshui often fell asleep midway through and slept deeply.

Liang Jin was working in the field when he looked up and saw that Li Wenshui’s face was flushed red from sleep, his mouth slightly open, breathing heavily. He pinched Li Wenshui’s face and squeezed his bottom, but Li Wenshui wouldn’t wake up.

At first, Liang Jin found it amusing when Li Wenshui fell asleep. He could play around and move him as he wished, but when it happened repeatedly, Liang Jin became annoyed. One day, after Li Wenshui had fallen asleep again, Liang Jin forcefully woke him up. Li Wenshui’s eyelids were heavy, and his body felt uncomfortable. He struggled for a long time before opening his tired eyes, his voice tinged with a cry.

Liang Jin smiled, but his smile was far from friendly. “Baby, what have you been up to lately? You look so tired.” This was the first time Liang Jin asked about Li Wenshui’s work.

Li Wenshui weakly pushed him away, exhausted, his legs trembling. “Wuw—setting up a stall,” he said, then suddenly couldn’t bear it anymore and let out a gasp, his hands falling limply, before he passed out.

Liang Jin: “…”