The Scorching Sun - 18

 Xiao Mu was Ye Yuncheng's neighbor. He'd lived here since he was little.

Previously, Liu Qiaohong had introduced him to a factory job in town, but for some unknown reason he'd suddenly run back home a couple of days ago and had been holed up at home ever since, shutting out the world.

After Fang Zhuo left the house, he'd quietly slipped out too, planning to pick up a package at the village entrance while nobody was around.

Instead, he happened to fall in step behind the two of them.

Then they scared him so badly his soul practically left his body. Feeling thoroughly wronged, he picked up the lost shoe and headed back, ran into Ye Yuncheng on the way, handed it over, and went straight back to his self-imposed isolation.

Ye Yuncheng agreed to help him retrieve the package, so the three of them took a detour to the general store at the village entrance.

Listening to the explanation, Fang Zhuo found the entire thing unbelievably bizarre and unreasonable.

Fine, following them silently from behind was one thing.

But the way Xiao Mu reacted after getting hit by the flashlight beam had been genuinely terrifying. He nearly scared Yan Lie into psychological collapse and somehow lost her own shoes in the process.

The two of them had been walking openly with a light, perfectly aboveboard, nothing furtive about it.

What was there to be scared of?

Both of them had suffered a certain level of emotional damage tonight. Their language systems seemed partially disabled, and neither really wanted to talk.

Especially Yan Lie.

His expression was heavy, his steps numb and mechanical. While Ye Yuncheng explained things up ahead, Yan Lie walked with his head hanging low, his attention long since floating off to some distant dimension.

Watching his dejected back, Fang Zhuo couldn't help reaching out to pat his head.

Yan Lie turned slightly, offering an expression that was a long way from a smile. 

Fang Zhuo stuffed the flashlight back into his empty hand, letting his clenched, bloodless fingers finally relax.

The moment their skin touched, the low temperature of his hand made Fang Zhuo feel as though she'd touched ice.

Maybe holding something gave him a sense of security.

At least, Yan Lie's stiff spine finally stopped looking so rigid.

Actually, looking back, the whole thing was rather comical. Fang Zhuo found it a little funny, but she couldn't really laugh either.

When they returned to the house, Fang Zhuo paid special attention to the neighboring home.

The lights were still dark. There was no sign anyone lived there at all.

The old house looked worn-down and shabby, probably untouched by renovation for years. The yard itself was fairly spacious, but several wildly overgrown trees stood behind the property, making the place look eerie at night, almost like a haunted house.

Back in her room, Fang Zhuo rolled up her sleeves and discovered several red marks circling her wrist.

As expected.

Yan Lie had left them there when he'd grabbed her and run in blind terror earlier.

Actually, Fang Zhuo had called out to him several times while they were fleeing, but Yan Lie had been too overwhelmed by fear to process all external input. Hearing her voice had only made him even more panicked, so in the end she'd simply let him drag her along.

Once they returned to the brightly lit house, though, his condition improved dramatically.

Like some kind of solar-powered battery, he recharged the moment he absorbed enough light. Warmth gradually returned to him, and only afterward did embarrassment finally begin setting in.

Fang Zhuo ran into Yan Lie outside the bathroom just after he'd finished showering.

His hair was still dripping wet. He wore an oversized set of pajamas that clearly didn't belong to him, making him look unexpectedly soft and warm.

Not knowing what else to say, Yan Lie awkwardly raised a hand.

"Hi?"

"...Hi," Fang Zhuo replied.

Ye Yuncheng passed by and saw them greeting each other like strangers. A question mark bloomed in his mind. What was with these two kids? 

He stepped forward and tugged lightly at Yan Lie's pajama collar, looking him over with some regret.

"The pajamas are a little too big. Sorry about that. I like to buy my clothes oversized."

In reality, Yan Lie and Ye Yuncheng were about the same height, with Ye Yuncheng actually slimmer.

And yet these pajamas still looked at least two sizes too large on Yan Lie.

Yan Lie grinned. "It's fine. I like loose clothes too."

Since he'd missed the last bus back, Yan Lie had no choice but to stay overnight.

The problem was that Ye Yuncheng's house didn't have extra blankets.

There were clean ones stored away, but they'd been packed in boxes for so long they'd absorbed a heavy damp smell. Ye Yuncheng figured Yan Lie probably wouldn't be used to that sort of bedding, so he asked whether he'd mind sharing a bed with him instead.

Most of the beds in the house were solid wood pieces made by the elders years ago. They had no special merits, but they were big.

Yan Lie readily agreed.

When he finally lay down in bed, though, Yan Lie felt a little out of place.

For convenience, Ye Yuncheng slept on the outer side. It had also been a very long time since Yan Lie had shared a bed with anyone.

Ye Yuncheng looked at him much the same way he looked at Fang Zhuo, as a younger generation worthy of care and affection.

He thoughtfully tucked the blanket around him, softly said goodnight, then turned off the overhead light.

The windows here still used those cheap patterned glass panes. Yan Lie lay on his side, eyes open, catching the faint moonlight through the small rectangle. It was a long time before he closed his eyes.

There was a peculiar sense of peace in this place.

Even though it was his first time here, it strangely matched scenes he'd imagined in his memory countless times before.

It felt as though he were lying on a beach.

Ye Yuncheng's breathing rose and fell like ocean tides.

Next door lived someone who could understand him.

Footsteps pressed lightly into soft sand.

The entire world was a vast blue.

That sense of solidity and safety let him fall into a deep sleep he hadn't experienced in a long time, not waking until Ye Yuncheng called him the next morning.

His uncle had found him a new toothbrush and told him to take a cup outside to brush his teeth.

Still half asleep, Yan Lie wandered outdoors and found Fang Zhuo standing there in a similar daze.

The two filled cups from the faucet and squatted side by side beside the fields brushing their teeth.

Not long afterward, Liu Qiaohong arrived.

Perhaps to deal with the recent unpredictable temperatures, he was sloppily dressed in two jackets layered together. The moment he looked up and saw Yan Lie, he froze and instinctively withdrew the step he'd just taken.

Yan Lie nudged Fang Zhuo with his elbow.

Fang Zhuo promptly raised her voice to call out, "Uncle! Uncle Liu is looking for you!"

Ye Yuncheng came out leaning on his cane, the poverty-alleviation government worker still had an expression that suggested he'd begun questioning reality itself.

"How come every time I come, there's another person in this family?" Liu Qiaohong asked. "Exactly how many children do you have?!"

Ye Yuncheng glanced at the two and bared his teeth in a smile. "Do we look alike?"

Liu Qiaohong seriously studied Yan Lie's face for a moment, concluding that handsome people in this world always shared a certain resemblance, even if four out of five of their features didn't match.

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah. You do."

Ye Yuncheng called out.

Yan Lie immediately took Fang Zhuo's face in his hands and turned it alongside his own. All three presented a standard, beaming smile. Liu Qiaohong broke into a cackle.

Only then did Ye Yuncheng explain, "He's Fang Zhuo's classmate. He got back too late yesterday and missed the last bus."

"He must've belonged to your family in a previous life too," Liu Qiaohong said. "You’re all cut from the same cloth!"

"I wish!" Ye Yuncheng's brows relaxed proudly. "He's an excellent student. First in class, top three in the whole school. Zhuozhuo’s deskmate."

The tone of someone proudly showing off his family's child made Yan Lie feel a little embarrassed.

Still, he'd always been naturally open and outgoing. After rinsing the toothpaste foam from his mouth, he raised a hand and greeted him cheerfully.

Liu Qiaohong's eyes lit up. "Wonderful!"

"Come inside and talk," Ye Yuncheng waved them over. "And you two, hurry up. The congee is ready."

He ushered Liu Qiaohong into the house, talking as he poured a cup of hot water.

Ye Yuncheng hadn’t been joking when he told Fang Zhuo he wanted to find something to do; he’d been thinking about it very seriously.

Work that sold his brainpower wasn’t an option. He hadn't even finished getting his high school diploma, so people naturally didn't trust him.

Other jobs weren't very suitable either.

Anything requiring fixed hours from morning to night didn't fit his physical condition. If he had to keep taking sick leave, the salary deductions might exceed the bonuses.

So the only realistic option left was becoming some sort of self-employed vendor.

There weren't many people in the village, and spending power was low. Within several kilometers there was only a single convenience store, and even that barely survived.

During holidays, if people wanted to buy anything decent, they had to travel to the market town up ahead. But those markets were already saturated too. There wasn't much room for him to squeeze in.

Ye Yuncheng had a few ideas.

If he wanted to earn money, he needed to go where the people were. 

And, naturally, somewhere closer to Fang Zhuo.

So he'd set his sights on A City.

Even though he still hadn't decided exactly what kind of business to start, his execution was fast. Through various contacts, he'd already acquired an old pushcart and recently begun modifying it himself.

He only had a few thousand yuan in savings, and his thin wallet, in a way, had already made the decision for him.

Food was his first choice.

Vegetables, fruit, breakfast foods, braised snacks, pastries, anything like that.

Low cost, quick turnover, easy to pull out at any time.

But these trades all had their own unwritten rules, and if he jumped in rashly, not only would he fail to secure customers, he might even get pushed out entirely.

Even ordinary people surviving at the bottom had their own established ways of life.

And Ye Yuncheng was still far too unfamiliar with how A City worked.

"You've seen more of the world than I have. Help me think of something," he said.

Ye Yuncheng felt that despite all the books he’d read, they hadn’t been of much use. When he finally wanted to pull himself together, society had already moved on without him.

Most of his experience no longer had any place to be used.

At his age, he still felt like some clueless rookie fresh out of nowhere.

Honestly, it was embarrassing.

After quietly listening to everything, Liu Qiaohong only smiled and said emotionally, "Ye-ge, Fang Zhuo coming back really changed you."

Among all the people under his poverty-relief program, Ye Yuncheng worried him the most.

Liu Qiaohong was genuinely afraid that one day he'd stop by for a visit and simply never see him again.

Ye Yuncheng wasn't like other impoverished households.

He was educated. Knowledgeable. Not lazy.

He'd made countless efforts without ever expecting repayment.

Back when local education was still in a difficult phase and the village’s only elementary school was short on teachers, Ye Yuncheng would walk over half an hour to substitute teach there for only a few hundred yuan a month.

Later, after his health collapsed, he kept to the house as much as possible, doing his best not to trouble anyone.

What could you even say to someone who cared so little about his own body?

People only become strong when they have something worth holding onto.

"I'll help you figure something out." Liu Qiaohong said, his spirits lifting. "Remember the big push for Internet Plus last year? Our poverty-relief project also wants to start developing online markets. I’ll bring the materials for you to look at too. You’ve got so many ideas, you’re bound to succeed!”

Liu Qiaohong let out a huge sigh of relief, then immediately looked worried again

"You'll definitely need help though, right? I'm worried you won't manage alone. I'll see if there are any hardworking, reliable kids in the village who can give you a hand."

---

Fang Zhuo and Yan Lie had finished brushing their teeth and were about to go inside when they noticed someone else by the house next door.

The man was clearly tall and solidly built, not even shorter than Yan Lie, yet he hid timidly behind the wall, only peeking out halfway.

Who knew how long he'd already been secretly watching them.

Fang Zhuo hesitated. "Xiao Mu?"

The man looked at least in his twenties. He had a round pale face, wore dusty gray clothes, and kept his hair cropped short.

The instant Fang Zhuo called out to him, he immediately turned and ran back inside.

Fang Zhuo shrugged helplessly at Yan Lie.

A short while later, Xiao Mu reappeared carrying several old-fashioned popsicles that looked intensely nostalgic.

Fang Zhuo asked, "For us?"

Xiao Mu nodded.

So the two of them, who had been about to stand up, squatted right back down and went back to licking their popsicles facing a vast expanse of farmland.

Xiao Mu crouched more than a meter away from them. While eating, he kept secretly glancing at the two with equal parts curiosity and fear.

Yan Lie pointed toward the corner of his own mouth and asked, "What happened to your face?"

Xiao Mu moved his lips, his expression miserable. "Hurts."

"Who hit you?"

Xiao Mu focused intently on licking his popsicle. After a while, he finally answered, "Bad people."

Fang Zhuo pointed toward the old house behind him. "You live alone?"

"Mm." Xiao Mu gathered courage and looked at Fang Zhuo. "Before, Uncle Ye and I were close. He would invite me over to eat."

Fang Zhuo blinked blankly. "Oh..."

Xiao Mu grew anxious immediately, clearly terrified of losing Ye Yuncheng as a neighbor.

"We're close," he repeated urgently. "He invites me to eat."

"I understood." Fang Zhuo nodded. "I know what you mean."

Xiao Mu instantly relaxed. "Mm!"

Yan Lie pulled Fang Zhuo with him and moved closer to Xiao Mu. His smile was disarmingly charming.

Though nervous, Xiao Mu still resisted the urge to hide.

Yan Lie casually chatted, "So, ge, where do you work?"

The question hit a sore spot. Xiao Mu stopped eating his popsicle, holding it limp in the air, and said sorrowfully, "Don't work anymore."

Before they could ask why, Liu Qiaohong came out of the house. Xiao Mu’s face paled at the sight of him. He grabbed Yan Lie’s shirt and hid behind him, trying to use him as a shield.

"Xiao Mu?" Liu Qiaohong recognized him immediately. "When did you come back?"

Xiao Mu mumbled nervously, too afraid to answer.

Yan Lie immediately tattled on his behalf. "He got beaten up and doesn't want to go back to work!"

"How could they do that?" Liu Qiaohong said angrily. "That's outrageous!"

"Exactly!" Yan Lie agreed furiously.

Fang Zhuo: "..."

Yan Lie continued indignantly, "His face is all messed up. They must be even worse to him normally!"

Liu Qiaohong looked confused. "How do you know about this?"

Yan Lie replied with a perfectly calm face, "He just told me."

Liu Qiaohong coaxed Xiao Mu out and comforted him gently. "Alright, I won't make you go back to that job."

Only then did Xiao Mu finally relax and step out from behind Yan Lie.

Lowering his head, he discovered his popsicle had melted all over his hand. He hurriedly licked the dripping sweetness off his fingers.

Halfway through, he suddenly froze and nervously looked toward the two of them, afraid they might show disgust.

Yan Lie deliberately raised his own hand and licked his fingers too.

Fang Zhuo, who always ate fast and was done, now held only a bare wooden stick.

Under Yan Lie's expectant gaze, she finally sucked lightly on the stick as well.

Xiao Mu looked deeply encouraged. His entire face brightened with happiness.

Liu Qiaohong's smile turned somewhat bitter.

He patted Xiao Mu's head again, and told them all to go inside for breakfast.

After breakfast, Fang Zhuo stood by the sink helping with the dishes. She asked, out of the blue, "Has he always been like that?"

"Yes," Ye Yuncheng said. "He has a slight intellectual disability, and didn't get medical help in time. But he's a very good kid."

Fang Zhuo asked, "What about his family?"

"His father died a long time ago. Even when he was alive, he treated the boy's mother terribly, and when she saw the child born with problems, she just ran off.” Ye Yuncheng sighed softly. "She was probably just exhausted by suffering."

Fang Zhuo's hand paused briefly before she continued rinsing dishes under the water.

"Everyone wants a better life," Ye Yuncheng said quietly, head lowered. "It's just that this world isn't always kind to people like them. And not everyone is lucky enough to become kind or brave. Sometimes... there's simply no way around it."

Fang Zhuo turned off the water. An uncontrollable thought surfaced, and the stone in her own heart began to shift. She couldn't help asking, "Then what about my mother?"

Her voice became so light, almost afraid of disturbing something fragile.

"Did I make her life even more miserable too?"

Ye Yuncheng turned to her, stunned. "Why would you ever think that?”

---

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