Chapter 120: He Probably Should Have Come

Lu Zhixing thought of Xie Yunshu’s words. He knew she had always been tough-mouthed but soft-hearted. Although she had suffered so much from Zhou Yuè, she never took it out on the child. If only he hadn’t insisted on having a child early for the sake of his career—how much better things might have been.

He had regretted it more than once. Lu Zhixing held little Wei’s hand and walked out.

Lu Xueting was furious at her brother’s attitude, and she had lost her appetite. “What’s so great about Xie Yunshu? Sister Zhou Yuè is the real victim. The child she raised turned into an ungrateful brat. I’ve interrogated little Wei for days, and he hasn’t said a word. One day with Xie Yunshu and he’s already gone bad!”

Lu Jianshe turned and went into the study. Liang Yuxiang didn’t want to argue with her daughter anymore about how Zhou Yuè had abused the child. After all, from the beginning, she was never concerned about little Wei’s well-being—only about how Zhou Yuè’s actions might implicate the Lu family.

In the blink of an eye, the dining table was empty. More than half the bowl of rice little Wei had been eating was still there. Not a single person cared whether the child had eaten enough, not even Lu Zhixing—he was lost in his emotions and didn’t notice.

On the way back, Lu Zhixing suddenly remembered to ask, “Wei, why did you think to go look for Yunshu that day?”

Little Wei rarely spoke—sometimes Lu Zhixing even thought he might be mute. But this time, he spoke two words: “Mama.”

Lu Zhixing’s expression darkened. “Your mom hit you like that, and you still think of her?”

Little Wei shook his head. “Not that mama.”

Lu Zhixing didn’t understand what he meant. He placed little Wei on the back of the bicycle and unknowingly rode again in the direction of the tube-style apartments. Even if she didn’t want to see him, he just wanted to take a look at her.

But afraid of seeing the disdain in Xie Yunshu’s eyes, Lu Zhixing only parked his bike outside the alley and gazed from a distance at the dimly lit streetlamp in front of the building.

Lu Zhixing stood there like a statue. He was still wearing the ring Xie Yunshu had given him. When they first got married, he found it annoying to wear—especially since he had to remove it during surgeries. But now, he wore it constantly. Only now did he realize that taking it off was never the real burden.

What he didn’t notice was that as soon as little Wei saw the building, his eyes lit up. He jumped off the bike and ran inside.

Lu Zhixing frowned and called out, “Wei! Where are you going?”

He was just about to run after him but stopped. Little Wei seemed to really like Yunshu, and Yunshu would soften toward him too. So maybe he could use little Wei as a way to see her, to have a simple conversation?

Using a child might be despicable, but Lu Zhixing couldn’t help thinking it.

Xie Yunshu had just finished eating. She sat under the desk lamp reading a book. She had finished self-studying the basics of architecture and was now reading a thick volume on global architectural design case studies—filled with fascinating knowledge.

Xie Jingcheng was also studying. Though confident about the upcoming college entrance exams, the pressure was immense. A piece of scratch paper in front of him was filled with densely packed numbers and symbols. Test papers and exercises from 1988 were precious and expensive, so he copied many questions by hand from the teacher to ensure he had enough practice.

Both siblings were studying, and Li Fenlan wasn’t idle either. She had taken on a sweater-knitting job, earning two yuan per piece. Though each one took several days to finish, she was diligent. Xie Yunshu had tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn’t listen, so she gave up trying.

She knew her mother simply wanted to help ease her burden in any way she could. If work brought her peace of mind, then it wasn’t really a hardship.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Li Fenlan put down her knitting. “Is that Cuiping? She asked me yesterday to put in a good word so she could come watch TV tonight.”

Xie Yunshu didn’t even look up. “No. Jingcheng needs to study tonight.”

But Li Fenlan’s voice faltered, then rose sharply as she rushed to let the child in. “Oh! What are you doing here, child? Did you get beaten again? Or are you starving?”

Little Wei shook his head and took a piece of candy from his pocket, placing it in Li Fenlan’s hand. “For you.”

He still remembered when he left Li Fenlan’s house, there had been a candy in his pocket. This one he’d saved since New Year’s Day, when someone came to visit the Lu house and Liang Yuxiang, for appearances’ sake, stuffed it into his hand.

A single piece of White Rabbit milk candy, kept for an entire week—its wrapper had already changed color.

Xie Yunshu paused her breath. She pulled little Wei over coldly and looked at his clothes—they were still the same old padded coat that Lin Xiaohu had given him when he was sent to the police station. It was obvious the Lu family hadn’t treated him well.

“Did they beat you?” Xie Yunshu asked, undoing a few buttons on his coat. When she saw no new bruises, she let out a breath but then frowned again. “Are you hungry? Did they not feed you properly?”

Little Wei shook his head. He already felt this was a good life, at least without her (Zhou Yuè). As for care and warmth—he had never received it, so he didn’t even know how to long for it.

Xie Yunshu sighed. This was Zhou Yuè’s child. She really didn’t want to go soft on him. But little Wei was simply too good at making people care. Lu Zhixing always said how pitiful Zhou Yuè and her child were, how little Wei was always sick and injured.

Yet all his concern had gone to Zhou Yuè. To her, little Wei was just a tool to win sympathy. To Lu Zhixing, little Wei was a convenient excuse to enjoy intimacy with Zhou Yuè without guilt.

Li Fenlan patted little Wei’s hair and started boiling some water. “Good boy, I’ll make you some noodles. There’s still some meat broth—perfect to go with it.”

This child clearly hadn’t eaten enough…

Meanwhile, Lu Zhixing stood alone outside the tube-style building. He was nervous, straightening his hair and collar. He was here to see the child—surely Yunshu wouldn’t throw him out again? Maybe he could say sorry, maybe even ask her to wait for him…

When they were married, he hated coming here. The place was dark, damp, and filled with people who wore a vulgar servility on their faces. Everyone smiled obsequiously when they saw him. But now, he wanted nothing more than to go inside that dim little room and share a simple meal with Yunshu.

Just as he hesitated by the door, a cold voice came from behind: “Excuse me.”

The voice was familiar. Lu Zhixing turned in surprise and saw the man who had stood beside Xie Yunshu both outside the courthouse and later at the police station—Shen Subai.

Shen Subai hadn’t expected Lu Zhixing to be here. He was only dropping by to bring some gasoline and motor oil stored in his three-wheeler. The winter nights were too cold, and these needed to be covered to stay warm for easy starting in the morning. He had forgotten to remind Xie Yunshu before leaving, so he came to tell her in person.

But now, looking at the situation—
It seemed he had come at just the right time…