Chapter 16
Although the three including Xiao Pingtou didn’t cause any more trouble at the car auto shop, before leaving, they still remembered to go to the pet shop to ask San Lai for the rabies vaccine fee before leaving. After all, Da Guang’s chubby arm was bitten and had a row of dog bite marks. However, San Lai lazily crossed his legs and casually told them, “Didn’t you want to rely on my old man’s face? If his son causes trouble, my old man will handle it. Go ask my dad for it.”
San Lai’s father was a notorious debt dodger in Tonggang. At the end of the last century, he squandered the family business built over generations with his own hands. After being chased by creditors and nearly hunted down by everyone in the underworld, he still stands strong in this small place of Tonggang. He is a man to be feared. Of course, Xiao Pingtou didn’t dare to ask San Lai’s father for money, so they could only leave in disgrace.
The crowd watching on the street gradually dispersed, and even the chickens that had sneaked some rice leisurely went back to their homes. The car auto shop was left in a chaotic mess, inside and out.
What puzzled Jiang Mu was that in her hometown, when two groups clashed on the street, it usually hadn’t escalated to physical fighting before some good-hearted citizen would call 110, and the police would arrive in no time. However, in this place, after such a commotion, not a single person called the police.
Curious, she asked San Lai, “Why didn’t anyone call the police?”
San Lai chuckled and said, “This is an internal conflict among the people. As long as no one’s life is at risk, even if the police come, they’re just there for the excitement. What can they mediate? After mediation, in a few days, they’ll be back causing trouble again. Why waste public servants’ time?”
But Jiang Mu thought about the scene earlier, and it was clear that the group had some fear of Jin Chao. She didn’t understand, if that was the case, why go and deliver themselves to be beaten? Was it just for the satisfaction of a beating?
Seeing Jiang Mu’s confused expression, San Lai pulled over a small stool, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and even shoved some into her hand. He said, “You think those guys really came here to fight? I’m not bragging but look at Youjiu now. He’s always so focused on work, really down-to-earth and low-key. You’ve never seen him back when he was in school, back in the day…”
San Lai suddenly realized his voice was getting a bit loud, so he glanced over at Jin Chao, who was inspecting the scratch on the BMW. Seeing that Jin Chao wasn’t paying attention, San Lai lowered his voice and said to Jiang Mu, “Back in the day, when he was still Touqi, not to mention three little punks, even if you put ten here, no one would dare mess with him. After all, he doesn’t care about his life, but others still fear death.”
“Even now, if you asked him to take on a few people by himself, it wouldn’t be a problem, it just depends on whether he wants to make a move. The last few times when people from Wanji came looking for trouble, Youjiu didn’t do anything and he just sent them away. This time, though, maybe they messed with Xiao Yang, or maybe it’s because of you.”
“Those people aren’t really going to come and burn, kill, or steal. They just cause little disruptions, trying to annoy Youjiu and make his business uneasy.”
Jiang Mu was still puzzled. “Why would they do that? Do they have a grudge?”
San Lai squinted his eyes, looking wise beyond his years, and said, “Youjiu used to work with Wanji and worked his way up to becoming a master worker. He had a lot of apprentices under him, and many clients only listened to him. But later, because…”
San Lai suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Jiang Mu turned her head to look at him, and he casually waved it off, saying, “For some reason, Youjiu decided to leave Wanji. Tie Gongji followed him. Their departure was a big loss for Wanji. After they left, the place became disorganized, rumors started spreading, and many of the small workers either resigned or switched jobs. After Youjiu and Tie Gongji opened this shop, a lot of the old clients followed them here. Do you think the people over there would let him off easily?”
Jiang Mu gradually furrowed her brows as San Lai continued, “You think those little punks over there want to come and stir up trouble? It’s all Boss Wan behind the scenes. On one hand, he’s jealous, and on the other, he probably wants Youjiu to go back and help him out. After all, when Youjiu was there, things ran smoothly. Boss Wan could disappear to Macau for a month to gamble, and Youjiu would manage the three shops like they were nothing.”
Jiang Mu didn’t know the exact reason why Jin Chao left the place he had been working at for over three years, but from San Lai’s words, she gathered that things hadn’t been smooth for him since his departure.
Xiao Yang and Tie Gongji were tidying up the maintenance room. Jiang Mu felt it wasn’t good to just sit idly, so she returned the melon seeds to San Lai and stood up, saying, “I’ll go help.”
While Jin Chao was outside dealing with the scratch on his BMW, Jiang Mu walked into the maintenance room. Many small parts had scattered underneath the metal cabinet. She saw Xiao Yang about to move the cabinet and quickly went over to help. Xiao Yang looked up, saw it was Jiang Mu, and paused for a moment before saying, “You can’t move it.”
Jiang Mu rolled up her sleeves and said, “I’ll try. Go ahead.”
At her command, Xiao Yang used all his strength, and the side he was lifting came off the ground, but the half Jiang Mu was lifting didn’t budge at all. She was frustrated and muttered, “What’s inside this thing?”
Xiao Yang laughed and called Tie Gongji over to help with the cabinet. Jiang Mu could only go and clean up other things. However, with her slender arms and legs, she was clearly not cut out for heavy work. Jin Chao glanced over at her and said, “If you had a little more strength, you might be able to move the Earth. Don’t get yourself dirty. Go to the side.”
Jiang Mu grumbled, “I just wanted to help.”
Hearing this, Jin Chao placed a metal can on the ground and said, “Then you can pick up the screws.”
Jiang Mu suspected that Jin Chao was just randomly handing her a metal can to get rid of her. She turned to Xiao Yang and asked, “Am I being disliked?”
The three men inside and outside the room were suppressing their laughter. Xiao Yang comforted her, “No, no, picking up screws is a tough job. Like, without threads, I can’t even pick them up with my hands.”
Jiang Mu looked at him with a sympathetic gaze, instantly feeling like she was entrusted with an important task.
So, she seriously squatted down to pick up screws. Tie Gongji laughed and said, “What was up with that guy just now? He’s already bowing and kowtowing to Youjiu, and the New Year’s not even here yet. Now I’m thinking about giving him a two-yuan red envelope.”
Xiao Yang also burst out laughing, but Jiang Mu remained silent as she focused on picking up screws. She felt a gaze on her, and when she looked up, her eyes met Jin Chao’s meaningful stare. It made her feel guilty for some reason, did Jin Chao somehow see her secretly slip a kick?
Jiang Mu had never been involved in any kind of fight growing up, let alone been in the middle of a chaotic brawl with so many people. She stared at Jin Chao in a daze, remembering the younger Jin Chao she had seen fighting back when they were kids. But now, he was completely different. Earlier, his fists were like iron, his gaze like that of a wolf, and the ferocity between his brows made people shiver. This was a side of him Jiang Mu had never seen before.
Jin Chao glanced at her several times, noticing her dazed expression. Finally, he spoke, asking, “Are you scared?”
Jiang Mu nodded, then shook her head. “I wasn’t scared by anyone else, but I was scared by you. Next time… could you hold back a little?”
Jin Chao shrugged nonchalantly and said, “How should I hold back? Wait until the guy has his hands all over you before I sit down and talk life and morals with him?”
Jiang Mu lowered her head and smiled. The evening glow painted the sky in shades of orange and red, and the early autumn breeze gently brushed past her ears. A sense of security rose in her heart, something she had never felt before since coming to this place.
The little black puppy was bouncing around her, inside and out. There was a small step leading from the maintenance room to the outside. When the little black puppy ran out, it tripped and tumbled over, its short, chubby body falling backward. Its four little paws were flailing, and it couldn’t flip itself back over for quite a while. Jiang Mu laughed even harder and shouted from inside, “Look at the black puppy!”
Xiao Yang and the others turned to look, laughing, “Doesn’t it have a proper name? Calling it ‘black puppy might make the poor thing feel inferior.”
Jiang Mu turned to look at Jin Chao, who raised his eyelid and said, “It’s not my dog.”
Implying, of course, that she should name it herself.
Without thinking, Jiang Mu blurted out, “Then let’s call it Lightning.”
Tie Gongji scoffed, “It runs like a turtle, how can you think it’s like lightning?”
Jiang Mu pressed her lips together without saying anything, but Jin Chao paused in his work and glanced sideways at her. When their eyes met, without exchanging a single word, Jiang Mu was certain that Jin Chao also remembered the name.
San Lai, who was munching on melon seeds nearby, interjected, “The name you gave… it has this vibe of an ’80s little whirlwind. Why is it so cheesy?”
Jiang Mu and Jin Chao almost simultaneously shot him a death glare, which made San Lai feel a chill down his spine. He awkwardly chuckled, “Alright, Lightning, as long as you’re happy with it.”
Everyone worked until the sunset to clean up the maintenance room, and there was no time to prepare food. So, San Lai made several plates of dumplings and brought them over. He eagerly called Jiang Mu to eat first and even forcefully shoved a pair of chopsticks into her hands.
Jiang Mu, feeling a bit embarrassed to reject San Lai’s kindness, picked up a dumpling, and dipped it in what she thought was vinegar, but before she even brought it to her mouth, she could tell something was off. She looked up at San Lai, confused, and asked, “Isn’t this vinegar?”
“No, that’s soy sauce.”
“Aren’t you supposed to dip dumplings in vinegar?”
San Lai, without hesitation, replied, “You dip them in soy sauce.”
Jiang Mu turned to Xiao Yang, who had just finished washing his hands, and he nodded in agreement, “Soy sauce.”
She was still confused, so she turned to Tie Gongji for confirmation, “Soy sauce?”
Tie Gongji confirmed, “Of course.”
Jiang Mu had never heard of dipping dumplings in soy sauce. Reluctantly, she took a bite, and then froze, staring at the dumpling. She weakly asked, “What’s the filling?”
San Lai answered, “Fennel.”
Jiang Mu’s inner world collapsed, “Isn’t fennel a kind of seasoning?”
San Lai replied, “No, it’s not.”
She looked at Xiao Yang, who had already put one in his mouth, then turned to Tie Gongji, who asked her in return, “You’ve never had it before?”
Jiang Mu felt completely defeated. Her mind kept flashing images of cilantro, star anise, and some kind of grainy spice, and she was no longer sure what she was actually eating.
Jin Chao walked over and took the dumplings from in front of her, distributing them to Xiao Yang and the others. He asked her, “What do you want to eat?”
Jiang Mu quietly murmured, “KFC or McDonald’s.”
Then, realizing everyone had worked so hard and that it was already good enough to have something to eat, she felt embarrassed about making such an unreasonable request. She pointed to the dumplings and added, “Actually, these are fine too.”
Jin Chao chuckled softly and patted Tie Gongji on the shoulder. “Give me the keys.”
Jin Chao hopped onto Tie Gongji’s motorcycle, and about ten minutes later, he returned holding a bag of KFC. The smell of fried chicken made Jiang Mu realize just how hungry she was.
Jin Chao dragged a chair over and sat across from Jiang Mu, watching her take small bites of her burger. He lowered his gaze, deep in thought. By the time he finished his plate of dumplings, Jiang Mu had only eaten half of her burger. She was eating slowly, as usual, and it reminded him of when she was little. Eating was always such a struggle for her. He often had to feed her himself, or she would eat her hot meal cold by the time she finished.
Thinking about this, and looking at the now clean and well-groomed Jiang Mu, a faint smile flickered on the corner of his lips. It felt like he had raised her by hand.
Xiao Yang and the others had finished eating, and they gathered around the table chatting. Jin Chao glanced at Jiang Mu and said, “With you like this, you want to live alone and order takeout every day?”
Jiang Mu replied, “I won’t starve.”
Jin Chao lit a cigarette, looking down as he spoke, “You still have the college entrance exam. I don’t know what’s been going on with your health, but you want to try again this year? Your home might not have food to your liking, but it’s better than being out here. We’re rough men, eating whatever we can. Can you keep up with the nutrition living like this? You should go back home after a few days.”
Jiang Mu immediately felt that her burger wasn’t as appetizing anymore, and her expression fell. Xiao Yang and Tie Gongji fell silent, not knowing what to say. San Lai, seeing the conversation drift back to this topic, slammed his hand on the table and said, “Alright, alright, what’s the big deal? Tomorrow I’ll go buy an old hen for our little sister to nourish her. We can’t let her suffer too much.”
Jin Chao glanced at San Lai but didn’t say anything, then returned to his work. San Lai leaned in closer to Jiang Mu and said, “Do you want to see him bow his head?”
Jiang Mu’s gaze flickered as she turned to look at San Lai. He rubbed the stubble on his chin, his eyes glinting with a calculating look.
After everyone finished eating, Xiao Yang cleared the table while San Lai let Xi Shi out to relieve herself. He deliberately lingered by the door, swaying, and said to Jiang Mu, “Sis, I have a room upstairs. If you’re not comfortable, you can stay there with me.”
Jiang Mu played along and asked, “Really? How much is the rent?”
As she spoke, she glanced sideways at Jin Chao, but he didn’t react, continuing to focus on his work.
San Lai responded, “How about this, if you call me ‘brother’, I’ll cover your utilities. Rent? Just a token amount.”
Jiang Mu stood. “Then let’s go check out the room now,” she said, walking towards San Lai’s shop.
San Lai leaned against the streetlamp, tapping his fingers in the air. After the third tap, Jiang Mu had just opened the door to the shop, and San Lai’s fingers stopped. Jin Chao threw down his tools, stood up straight, and called out to Jiang Mu, “Come here.”
Jiang Mu’s lips curved into a quick smile, and as she turned around, her face had already returned to its innocent expression. She obediently walked up to Jin Chao, who didn’t say anything but lowered his head, removed his gloves, and placed a hand on her head. With a slight press, he turned her body and pushed her into the car shop.
Before Jiang Mu went to her room, she secretly turned around and flashed a playful smile at San Lai. He winked back at her, but Jin Chao turned his gaze and shot him a glare.
Once Jiang Mu’s figure had completely disappeared into the repair shop, San Lai leisurely spoke up, “Stop saying things like that. Women are sensitive. If people know, they’ll think you don’t want her to live the rough life with you. If they don’t, they’ll think you want to drive her away. And when she’s crying her eyes out at night, it’s still going to be you dealing with it.”
Jin Chao lowered his head and put his gloves back on, his voice calm but firm, “The less she knows, the better. The longer she stays, the more trouble it’ll cause.”
San Lai’s smile faded, and he fell silent.
When Jiang Mu entered her room, Xiao Yang and Tie Gongji instinctively refrained from coming into the lounge. Jin Chao didn’t come in to shower that night, and when Jiang Mu was packing her bag, she noticed his hair was still wet, and he had changed clothes. She wondered if it was because it would be inconvenient to shower at San Lai’s.
Little Lightning was still young and needed to drink milk before being sent back to Xi Shi. By the time Jiang Mu was ready to sleep, the repair shop was empty, even the roller shutter was locked. She lay in bed, trying to sleep, but she couldn’t.
Out of the corner of her eye, she kept catching glimpses of the curtain swaying slightly. In the closed-off space, it felt somewhat eerie, making her unable to resist glancing at it. Unfortunately, beyond the curtain was the lounge, and beyond the lounge, through the glass, was the empty, spooky repair shop. During the day, when there were people around, it wasn’t so bad, but at night, the reflection in the glass made Jiang Mu feel particularly uneasy. She tried to force herself not to look, but her eyes kept returning to the gently swaying curtain. An uncomfortable feeling crept into her heart, and deep down, she couldn’t shake the image of a woman in white standing in front of the mirror outside the lounge. Every time the curtain swayed, it seemed like she could see a pair of eyes staring back at her.
Jiang Mu’s mind was racing, and she could feel herself becoming more and more anxious. It was as though the more she tried to stop thinking about those images, the more they took over her mind, leaving her with an increasing sense of dread.
She struggled for a long time, then picked up her phone and found Jin Chao’s WeChat. With trembling fingers, she sent a message: “Are you asleep?”
After sending it, Jiang Mu stared at the conversation, eagerly waiting for the “typing…” indicator to appear. Her eyes were so close to the screen that it almost felt like she was glued to it. But there was no response.
Just as she was about to give up, a voice suddenly came from the direction of the door curtain, “What’s wrong? Stomach hurting again?”
Jiang Mu was so startled that she jumped out of bed, her heart racing as she looked toward the shadow standing outside the curtain. With a shaky voice, she asked, “Where did you come from?”
Jin Chao switched on the light in the lounge, “From the back.”
“The back?”
“…There’s a window above your head.”
Jiang Mu stood up from the bed, and indeed, she noticed the blinds above her. She hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but now, as she reached up and parted the blinds, she was shocked to see that there was a small shed behind the window, littered with all sorts of things. She couldn’t help but ask, “Have you been there this whole time? What were you doing?”
Jin Chao casually replied, “Working overtime.”
Jiang Mu then realized that, apparently, she had called out to Jin Chao in her dream last night, and he had come over. She had thought Jin Chao was in the maintenance room, but it seemed he had been working overtime behind the room last night. It was so close, just separated by a window. Fortunately, she hadn’t been mumbling any random nonsense, or else he would have heard it all, right?
Jin Chao stood outside and asked again, “What’s the matter?”
Jiang Mu opened the blinds. She couldn’t exactly tell him that the curtain was swaying, the reflection from the rest area’s glass was unsettling, and the maintenance room was too dark, making her scared, could she? She obviously couldn’t say that, so she could only answer in a stern tone, “I want some water.”
“…”
Jin Chao pulled open the curtain and looked at the bottle of mineral water on the bedside table. Jiang Mu caught a glimpse of it and quickly added, “It’s cold. I’m afraid it’ll hurt my stomach if I drink it.”
Jin Chao let go of the curtain, grabbed the electric kettle, and went out. After a while, he came back with the kettle filled with water, plugged it in, and pulled up a chair to sit outside, waiting for the water to boil.
The water boiled quickly, and Jin Chao mixed the hot water with cold water, brought it in, and handed her a paper cup. Jiang Mu was wearing a light-colored, patterned collared loungewear. Jin Chao stood by the bed, looking down at her, and could just see the small white lace peeking out from her collar. He immediately raised his eyelids and looked away. Jiang Mu, on the other hand, drank very slowly, like a kitten licking water, sipping it slowly while glancing at Jin Chao with her eyes.
Eventually, seeing that she was drinking so slowly, Jin Chao couldn’t hold back and said, “Are you planning to drink this until tomorrow morning?”
Jiang Mu handed him the paper cup. Jin Chao glanced at it, and there was still more than half a cup of water left, clearly not showing much sign of thirst.
He raised an eyebrow, turned around, and walked out. Jiang Mu stared at his back and mumbled, “Are you leaving?”
Jin Chao turned around and looked at her, her short hair sticking to her face, her watery eyes fixed on him. Suddenly, he asked, “What made you decide to cut your hair?”
Jiang Mu honestly answered, “I’m afraid the nutrients would go to my hair and affect my intelligence.”
“…”
Jin Chao glanced at her small figure again, the corners of his eyes curving up as he walked out. Afterward, Jiang Mu saw him turn off the light in the rest area. She thought he had left, but then a faint light from a phone appeared outside the curtain. Through the gap in the curtain, Jiang Mu saw not the reflection of the glass, but Jin Chao’s figure, his back to the curtain, leaning against the chair.
He quietly stayed in the rest area, playing on his phone, his long legs propped up on the table, seemingly not planning to leave anytime soon.
Jiang Mu let out a sigh of relief and lay back down, staring at the dark ceiling as she spoke, “Does Old Ma really like you a lot? Every time he sees me, he tells me to learn more from you. He says you dislocated your right arm and still managed to get into the top ten in your class. How did you do that? Can you write with your left hand? I didn’t know you were a lefty. Are you a lefty? I remember when you were a kid, Mom kept correcting you when you ate with your left hand. Didn’t you switch later on…?”
Jin Chao quietly turned down the volume on his game. He listened to her murmur in the still night, the silence deep, neither of them asleep. It had been a long time since he had heard the soft, Southern accent of her voice. After coming here, he had gradually forgotten that familiar tone, but now, hearing it again, it felt as if time had suddenly returned to the past. Time seemed slow and carefree.
He didn’t say anything, quietly listening, as if by not interrupting her, she would keep talking. The sentences full of filler words, the muffled words when she was tired, every sound carrying a soft, charming innocence, like a lullaby in the autumn night, gradually calming his restless heart.
She stopped and yawned, mumbling, “Are you even listening to me? You’re not responding.”
The room fell silent for several seconds, then the light from the phone outside suddenly disappeared. Jin Chao’s voice came, low and quiet, “When did you find out?”
It was quiet, dead quiet. Jiang Mu knew exactly what he was asking about, the fact that they didn’t have any blood relation at all.
After a long pause, she finally answered, “Before coming here.”
Another silence lingered. Then he asked, “What did you think after you found out?”
Jiang Mu turned over, facing the wall inside the room. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she tightly gripped the blanket and closed her eyes.