In Jiang Mu’s calm and uneventful 18 years of life, the biggest upheaval probably occurred when her parents divorced when she was nine. Despite failing her college entrance exams earlier, it was within her expectations, and it didn’t really affect her.
As a well-educated and law-abiding high school student, hearing that someone she had always considered family, Jin Chao, was now carrying someone’s life, left her stunned, or perhaps more accurately, shocked. Before she could even process the news, Jin Chao said something to her that kept her in a daze for the next two days. More than feeling sad, she was worried. She tried asking Jin Qiang about it, but it seemed that everyone was sensitive about Jin Chao’s situation. Whenever Jiang Mu brought up Jin Chao’s high school years, Jin Qiang would brush it off and tell her not to worry about it.
Jiang Mu couldn’t imagine what kind of drastic changes had happened to Jin Chao over the years. The more she guessed, the more her mind was tormented by all kinds of horrifying possibilities.
She hadn’t gone to the car repair shop or contacted Jin Chao for an entire week, but every morning when she left home and saw the milk box by her door, she couldn’t help but think of Jin Chao’s silence figure before they parted ways that day.
The milk box had been moved back for her after she moved into Jin Qiang’s house. At that time, Jin Chao had even reminded her that it was getting cold and told her to wake up five minutes earlier to heat the milk, so she wouldn’t drink it cold.
So, every day when Jiang Mu left, holding the milk in her hands, she felt a mix of emotions.
She wasn’t sure whether Jin Chao had been in a bad mood and said something harsh to her that day. On Saturday morning, she couldn’t resist sending him a red envelope with the note: “Lightning’s foster care fee.”
But there was no response at all. Jin Chao neither accepted the payment nor replied and when she sent another one, it still sank without a trace.
Later, Jiang Mu seemed to act out of frustration, sending one red envelope after another until her wallet was empty, but Jin Chao still didn’t respond.
After school, Jiang Mu took the number 6 bus to Tongren Li, but when she got off, she saw that the roller shutter door of the car repair shop was closed. Even the pet store, San Lai’s, was locked. She stared at the empty space in front of the car repair shop and suddenly felt a sense of confusion and helplessness.
For a period of time after Jin Xin’s incident, she felt like she couldn’t fit in with the family she had now with Jin Qiang. It even seemed like she didn’t have a place for herself here. Only Jin Chao, like a lifebuoy, had appeared by her side, keeping her from being stranded with nowhere to go when she didn’t want to return home, from ending up on the streets when she was in distress, and from being alone and heartbroken when she felt helpless. She had long regarded Jin Chao as her only support in this city. She never considered that the lifebuoy might disappear, leaving her adrift in the sea on her own.
Jiang Mu wasn’t a person who was good at socializing. She hadn’t spent much time with her classmates around her. Aside from the necessary interactions at school, there was no contact outside of that. Most of the time, she just went to school every day, returned to Jin Qiang’s home, silently shut the door, and hid in her own little world. There was nowhere else to go. Standing on the chilly street now, her body was fine, but her heart felt empty.
The weather had gotten colder. After the sunset, the temperature dropped sharply. Jiang Mu wore a jacket over her school uniform but still felt cold. She pulled her hands into the sleeves and walked up to the car dealership, knocking on the roller shutter door. No one answered, and her expression gradually became more dejected. Just as she was about to pull her hand back, the roller shutter door suddenly made a “thud” sound from the inside, and she heard Lightning, the dog, continuously scratching the door and barking at her.
Jiang Mu crouched down where Lightning was scratching the door and called out to it, “Lightning, it’s me!”
Lightning also recognized Jiang Mu’s voice, and with an anxious whine, it slammed into the roller shutter door with a loud thud.
Jiang Mu pressed herself against the door and said to it, “I don’t have the key and can’t get in. Don’t worry, I’m not leaving. I’ll stay here.”
She crouched next to the door, continuing to talk to Lightning. Every now and then, Lightning would whimper, as if responding to her.
The wind picked up, and fewer people were on the street. On the other side of the roller shutter, Jiang Mu sat crouched with her backpack, leaning against the door. Lightning gradually stopped slamming the door and began walking around inside instead.
Jiang Mu put her hand to her mouth to warm it with her breath, then muttered to Lightning, “I wonder where the owner of the car dealership went? It’s so cold. I think I should leave.”
It seemed like Lightning understood, as it raised a small paw and gently tapped the door. Jiang Mu turned around and pressed her hand against the door as well.
The headlights of a car flashed, and a white Honda pulled over to the side of the road. San Lai got out of the car, and when he saw the small figure crouched by the roller shutter, he paused for a moment.
Jiang Mu noticed the light from the car and turned around. When she saw San Lai had returned, she noticed Jin Chao with him, wearing a black jacket and jeans. The moment Jin Chao saw Jiang Mu, his brows furrowed slightly.
Jiang Mu stood up obediently, holding her backpack, and stepped aside from the lock on the roller shutter door, pressing herself against the side of the car repair shop. San Lai, looking a bit surprised, asked her, “When did you get here?”
“I came over after school.”
San Lai glanced at the time and said, “You’ve been squatting here the whole time? Isn’t it cold? Silly girl.”
Jiang Mu didn’t answer. She just cautiously stole a glance at Jin Chao. He had a cool, distant aura as he opened the roller shutter door. Lightning, excited, started barking wildly as it rushed out. Before Jiang Mu could react, the dog had jumped on her. She was no longer able to bear Lightning’s weight, and her backpack fell to the ground. It had probably been several days since Lightning had seen Jiang Mu, and it acted like a mad dog, jumping around. Jiang Mu, clutching her arms, dodged everywhere as Lightning pounded on her.
It wasn’t until a sharp command sounded in her ears, “Come here.”
Only then did Lightning stop its frantic behavior, wagging its tail happily as it ran to Jin Chao, so happy that even its sturdy buttocks wagging along with it.
Jin Chao didn’t spare Jiang Mu a glance as he entered the car repair shop. Jiang Mu hurriedly picked up her backpack from the ground and followed him inside, saying to Jin Chao, “I sent you a red envelope, but you didn’t reply, so I came to check on you.”
“Checked enough?” Jin Chao’s voice was cold, and he didn’t turn around as he faced away from her.
Jiang Mu bit her lip, her steps halting at the doorway of the car repair shop. She didn’t go any further. He turned on the light in the repair room, his voice low as he said, “Once you’re done, go back. I need to close the door.”
Jiang Mu’s fingers, still clutching her backpack, tightened. She wouldn’t leave and couldn’t bring herself to speak. She just stood there, staring at his figure like that.
Jin Chao took off his coat and walked into the room. After a while, he returned to the lounge and rummaged through a few things, opened two maintenance orders, sorted out some accounts, and then walked into the repair room, squatting in front of an iron box and looking for a few small items.
Jiang Mu stood at the door of the car repair shop the entire time, the cold wind sweeping past her back. Her lips had turned purple from the chill. Finally, Jin Chao slammed the tools he was holding into the toolbox, straightened up, and stared at her, “What do you want, exactly?”
Jiang Mu didn’t know. She didn’t know what she wanted either. She just didn’t want things to be like this between them. She knew Jin Chao was pushing her away, distancing her from his world, but she didn’t want to leave, and it was that simple.
Seeing the redness in her eyes, Jin Chao tightened his lips and coldly said, “I’ll say it again. I’m closing the door now. If you don’t leave, you can stand there all night.”
San Lai walked in from the next door, surprised to see Jiang Mu still standing at the door with her heavy backpack. He walked over, took the backpack from her, and asked, “You’ve got quite a stubborn temper. Have you eaten dinner yet?”
That one question made Jiang Mu feel incredibly aggrieved, and her tears welled up. She shook her head, struggling to hold back the tears. Seeing her like that, even San Lai couldn’t bear it. He glanced at Jin Chao, who turned and went into the rest area.
San Lai sighed, placed a hand on Jiang Mu’s shoulder, and led her away, saying “Come on, come on, don’t stand here. Let’s go to my place.”
Jiang Mu had been crouching in the cold wind for over an hour, and her legs had already become weak. San Lai dragged her into the pet store. The warm air from the heater inside immediately hit her, and as soon as she stepped in, her tears started falling in big drops. San Lai, who had never dealt with this kind of situation, quickly tried to comfort her, “Are you hungry?”
Jiang Mu nodded.
“Are you cold?”
Jiang Mu nodded again.
San Lai pushed his comfortable office chair over to her and said, “Sit here and warm up for a bit. I’ll go get you something to eat.”
After placing her backpack on the counter, he went upstairs. Once he left, Jiang Mu’s emotions gradually calmed down. She had been to the pet store many times before and knew there was a small second floor where San Lai lived, but she had never been up there.
She looked up toward the stairs, and then she heard San Lai’s voice calling down to her from above. “You, don’t rush it. Whatever happens, don’t torture yourself. That’s my motto. Even if you have to solve something, at least fill your stomach first…”
San Lai rambled on like an overbearing mother. Adolescence often made girls a little stubborn, and he wasn’t sure if Jiang Mu was listening or not.
When he came downstairs holding a bowl of noodles, he found that things were a little better than he expected. Jiang Mu’s face no longer showed any trace of tears, though her expression was still a bit gloomy.
He dragged a small glass table over to her and said, “Eat the noodles while they’re hot.”
The noodles were very hearty, filled with plenty of beef San Lai’s mom had marinated and some marinated eggs. The beef was tender, and the eggs were flavorful. Jiang Mu couldn’t tell if it was because she was so hungry, but she honestly thought it was the best beef marinated noodles she had ever eaten.
Seeing her devour the noodles, San Lai placed his WeChat QR code in front of her. Jiang Mu paused for a moment before quietly asking, “Is this… marketing for a membership card?”
San Lai burst out laughing and said, “What do you take me for? You’re already having such a tough time, and I’m going to kick you while you’re down? This is so you can add me on WeChat. Next time, if you want to come by, just message me.”
Jiang Mu stared at him blankly while holding her chopsticks. San Lai pulled his chair closer and said, “If you want to see Lightning, just message me in advance, and I’ll bring Lightning over.”
The tears she had been holding back started to well up again. Her nose turned red as she said, “Brother San Lai, not only are you good at cooking, but you’re also such a good person, caring for animals with so much love. How can Tie Gongji say you can’t find a wife?”
Seeing her on the verge of tears, San Lai’s tone shifted, “Of course, if you really want to thank me, how about getting a Super Supreme VIP membership? Your little Lightning will get a 30% discount on all services, including washing, cutting, and styling.”
“…” Tie Gongji truly did not deceive me.