The Scorching Sun - 21

 Fang Zhuo had practically slept through the entire day already, so now she wasn't the slightest bit sleepy.

She didn’t know how she’d managed to sleep that long. Maybe it was because the nerves she had kept wound so tight for so long had finally loosened at some point, and all that accumulated exhaustion and pressure had begun to release, dragging her into hazy dreams until, when she woke, the world felt new and clear again.

She thought her current state felt pretty good.

So she shut the window tightly, switched on the overhead light, pulled out her English textbook, and began memorizing vocabulary words.

The next morning, Fang Zhuo took the notebook to Ye Yuncheng.

She knocked on his open door and held it out to him. "Do you want me to read it to you?"

Ye Yuncheng's gaze lingered, slightly unfocused, on the cover for a moment. Then he took it and held it to his chest. "No need. I'll read it myself."

He set the notebook down in the middle of his desk and sat down in front of it. But he didn't open it. He only gazed peacefully out the window at the greenery beyond.

"Actually, she had let it all go a long time ago. That time she came back, she was so calm. She looked a little worn down, but mentally she was very positive. I thought she was going to stay.” Ye Yuncheng smiled faintly. “I even dragged her back to her old room, wanting to tell her we’d always been waiting for her, that we were still family. But then she told me she didn’t have much time left.”

He laughed softly. “The truth is, I'm the one who can't let it go. I always felt like she hadn’t really forgiven me. She just didn’t want to dwell on it anymore. When she left, she cried hysterically. When she returned, she was already at the end of her life. Whenever she was with me, there was never any good news.”

“Really?” Fang Zhuo stood behind him and said lightly, “Ever since I met you, it’s all been good news for me. She probably passed all her good luck on to me."

Ye Yuncheng turned back and smiled. “That’s wonderful, then.”

As Fang Zhuo was about to leave, he added quietly, “For me too.”

The holiday passed quickly.

Apart from the first few days of deep cleaning and fixing up the small courtyard, the rest of their break was spent uneventfully grinding through practice questions.

On the last day before school resumed, Fang Zhuo slung her backpack over one shoulder and announced she was heading out.

She packed a small bag of free-range eggs and over ten pounds of oranges. They were all local farm products, cheaper to buy within the village than through outside vendors.

Seeing her carrying several heavy bags, Ye Yuncheng asked in confusion, “Where are you going with all that?”

“To try selling them in A City,” Fang Zhuo replied.

Ye Yuncheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You want to test the waters? How could you possibly sell all that? You can't just set up a stall anywhere."

Fang Zhuo said, "You never know." 

Seeing how determined she was, Ye Yuncheng decided to treat it as life experience and didn’t stop her. Instead, he packed her a thermos of water.

Yan Lie said he wanted to go too, partly so he could stop by home and organize his things before returning straight to school the next day.

Curious about where Fang Zhuo was going to set up her stall. He took the bus with her back into the city center, then got off and walked with her. 

Fang Zhuo seemed to treasure this free laborer quite a bit. Since he was willing to carry the heavy bags for her, she silently allowed him to trail after her and even graciously cleared a path for him when they got off the bus, letting him walk ahead.

But this not-so-kind person also burned bridges remarkably fast.

The moment they reached the spot she had in mind, she had him put the things down, and that small display of courtesy evaporated.

Yan Lie had assumed that with Fang Zhuo’s personality, she would’ve at least done some market research before trying to sell things. At the very least, she'd confirm whether the place was even legally permissible for street vending.

Instead, the moment she got off the bus, she headed straight here as though she’d already decided on it long ago, a place with mediocre foot traffic and poor visibility. In other words, a terrible location.

Though it was pretty close to his house.

As for the “stall,” Fang Zhuo simply placed the bags on either side of herself, sat down at the roadside, and pulled out a book to read.

Yan Lie crouched behind her, completely baffled.

Fang Zhuo turned around and said ruthlessly, “Don’t stand next to me.”

“Why?”

Fang Zhuo frowned. "You'll affect my work."

Yan Lie took a step back, wounded. “You dislike me?”

“No struggling student goes out to earn money with a sidekick following her around.” Fang Zhuo’s conscience briefly revived. “Why don't you take a walk somewhere first? Once I’m done here, I’ll treat you to...”

She had originally wanted to say milk tea, but then remembered how expensive milk tea was. Ten or twenty yuan, practically blood money. Her brain spun once before she cleverly amended, “...some snacks you’ve never tried before.”

Yan Lie watched the entire emotional journey play across her face and smiled faintly. “...Then I thank you so much.”

“No need to be polite,” Fang Zhuo replied modestly.

"I'll head home for a bit, then. Whether you sell everything or not, don't leave. If you leave, I won't be able to find you." Yan Lie hesitated before adding, “And if someone gives you trouble, don’t fight them. If the city management officers show up, don’t admit you’re selling things.”

Fang Zhuo agreed.

Yan Lie returned home with his backpack, quickly packed up his things, then rode his bike back again. When he arrived, Fang Zhuo was still there, now seated on a small wooden stool she'd found from somewhere. The goods beside her hadn't decreased in the slightest. More than half an hour had passed by then.

Yan Lie wasn’t surprised.

He picked a cake shop across the street and sat by the window, idly playing on his phone while waiting for Fang Zhuo’s promised snacks.

Fang Zhuo looked like she was waiting for someone.

If she was the rabbit waiting beside the stump, then Yan Lie was the one writing the fable.

He’d already thought of a title too.

The Trap of Zhuo and Lie.

Or perhaps more fittingly:

Zhuozhuo’s Negative Example.

Fang Zhuo’s business truly never took off, much like her enthusiasm for learning English, which only continued declining. After repeatedly failing to understand the grammar point she was studying and deciding she might call Yan Lie back to tutor her, someone finally stopped in front of her.

The middle-aged woman carried a red handbag on her arm and wore low-heeled black leather shoes. Compared to the last time they had met, she had a new haircut.

Passing by Fang Zhuo, her eyes lingered curiously on this strange girl sitting by the roadside reading a book. Then she stopped abruptly and asked in surprise, “Oh? Little girl, you're Old Fang's daughter, aren't you?"

Fang Zhuo looked up and nodded.

"I'm your father's colleague. You remember me, right?”

The woman had a strong impression of her. She thought Fang Zhuo was pretty, hardworking, filial, and academically gifted. She’d even used her as an example for other people’s children before. So she asked an extra question out of concern. “What are you doing sitting out here? It’s cold and damp. Why aren't you having fun with your classmates during the break?"

Fang Zhuo said, "Selling a few things."

“Selling what?” The woman crouched down and opened the plastic bag, amused. “Eggs?”

“Free-range eggs. Three yuan each,” Fang Zhuo said. “Oranges are four yuan a pound.”

The woman laughed. “Honestly, what’s your father thinking, making you do this kind of thing?”

She took a closer look and let out a surprised sound. “Wait, these really do look like free-range eggs. Where’d you get them? Just a few days ago I saw your dad asking around in a group chat, looking for a place to buy farm eggs for his son. Isn't your little brother about to go to some competition?”

Fang Zhuo's expression flickered with hesitation before vaguely replying, “I don’t know. I don’t live with him.”

The woman lifted her eyes and scanned Fang Zhuo's face. A look of mild shock crossed her own face, though it was subtle.

Fang Zhuo didn't meet her eyes. She pointed at the bag and emphasized, “They really are free-range eggs. I got them from my uncle’s place. Do you want some?”

The woman casually picked through the contents, asking, “What about your uncle? Why’d he let you come all by yourself?”

"He can't easily get around."

"Oh, how so?"

“He has trouble with his legs.” Fang Zhuo said, “And he lives far away, out in the countryside.”

The woman nodded thoughtfully. “I see.”

She pulled out her wallet, extracted two hundred-yuan bills, and quickly stuffed them into Fang Zhuo’s hand. “I’ll take everything. You should head home soon. How can you possibly read out here on the street?"

Fang Zhuo tried to hand one of the bills back. "I don't have change."

 

The woman was already standing, the bags in both hands, and didn't take it. "No need for change. It's just a bit of money. Your stuff looks perfectly good. Take the money and go home early. Be careful, the wind is strong outside.”

Before Fang Zhuo could say anything else, the woman had already swept away in a hurry.

Yan Lie emerged from the cake shop and jogged across the street, staring after the woman in disbelief. “You really sold it? How much?”

Fang Zhuo calmly packed her textbook back into her bag and stood up to stretch her stiff limbs. “Two hundred.”

"That's amazing. What did you say to her?" Yan Lie glanced at the time. "It's been over two hours, though. I already ate a snack in the cake shop."

Fang Zhuo paused mid-motion while shouldering her pack and said, very seriously, "This cannot be reimbursed."

“I wasn’t asking you to reimburse me!”

After returning the little stool to a nearby shop, Fang Zhuo came back and said, “I’m going to find a restroom first. Wait here for me. I'll take you to get something to eat."

Neither of them had stopped to ask why they were doing everything together as naturally as breathing.

Just as Yan Lie hadn't stopped to wonder why, when he was already home, he'd go out of his way to rush back. 

It simply felt like the most natural thing in the world.

While Fang Zhuo was gone, he crossed back over the street and ordered two milk teas.

With several orders ahead of his, the staff were still making drinks when two girls with long hair approached Yan Lie. 

They looked like freshmen from a nearby university, shy but earnest as they worked up the courage to speak.

“Handsome guy, waiting for someone?”

Yan Lie nodded.

One girl took out her phone. “Can we add your WeChat?”

Yan Lie smiled politely. “That’s not very convenient.”

“How come?”

“The person I’m waiting for wouldn’t be happy about it.”

“Your girlfriend?”

Yan Lie maintained his smile without answering, lowering his head to look at his phone instead.

“You really have a girlfriend? Then why’ve you been sitting here alone all afternoon instead of shopping with her?” the other girl chimed in. “I saw you here earlier. It’s just adding WeChat. You’re an adult, right?”

“High school seniors can’t date,” Yan Lie didn't even look up. "And I don't add other girls on WeChat.”

When Fang Zhuo came out of the neighboring building after borrowing the restroom, Yan Lie was gone.

She looked around and finally spotted him across the street with two girls.

Separated by only one road and aided by her excellent eyesight, she could clearly see the three of them laughing and chatting.

She headed toward them, not watching the ground beneath her feet or noticing the small dog approaching from the opposite direction.

Then, suddenly, a bark exploded right in front of her.

Startled, she instinctively stepped sideways, only for her foot to catch on a loose brick jutting up from the broken pavement.

She fell hard.

There was a small set of steps where she tripped. She managed to throw her hands out to break the fall and squeezed her eyes shut, hearing someone scream nearby.

The impact left her momentarily dazed.

After a few seconds, she slowly gathered herself and climbed back to her feet on her own.

---

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