“She doesn’t want you anymore?”
Jiang Chen was momentarily puzzled, but then he remembered that Jiang Ye’s trip to the northwest had been discovered by their mother, who had flown into a rage.
At the time, she had declared that it was as if she had never raised a daughter like Jiang Ye.
He had always thought that their mother’s words were spoken in anger.
He believed that once his sister returned and sweet-talked their mother, her anger would subside.
But now…
A trace of worry flashed in Jiang Chen’s eyes as he asked gently, “Have you already gone back home?”
Jiang Ye’s almond-shaped eyes were filled with tears, her cheeks cold, and she bit her lower lip tightly. “Yes, I went back, but Mom kicked me out. She told me to fend for myself from now on and that she wouldn’t give me another penny.”
“Fend for yourself?” Jiang Chen looked at his pitiful sister, feeling a surge of anger. He frowned and said, “You’re still in your third year of high school. If Mom really makes you fend for yourself, isn’t she ruining your future?”
As he spoke, he wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Thinking about their mother’s temperament, he realized she might actually mean it.
He helped Jiang Ye up from the steps, feeling both frustrated and helpless. “But this time, you really went too far. No matter how outstanding Huo Jingyuan is, he’s already married.”
“But this marriage was originally mine. I don’t want to give it up anymore. Is that wrong?”
As she spoke, Jiang Ye’s tears threatened to fall again.
Jiang Chen hesitated, then sighed helplessly. “Stay at my place for now. When Dad gets back tonight, I’ll go with you to apologize and make amends.”
“Forget it. I’m not Mom’s biological daughter after all. How can I have the face to go back to her? Mom raised me for over twenty years, and I’m already satisfied. I can work to support myself.”
Jiang Chen’s face turned stern, and he spoke in a serious tone. “Listen to me on this. The priority right now is to make amends and focus on preparing for the college entrance exam.”
“Okay.”
A hint of secret delight flashed in Jiang Ye’s eyes.
She knew very well that Jiang Chen, as a man, couldn’t stand to see a woman cry. As long as she acted coquettishly and shed a few tears, he would rush to her defense.
·
Meanwhile, after leaving the hospital, Wen Ci saw a whole street lined with vendors selling goods in the free market economy. There were stalls selling food, clothes, and even toys for children.
She looked around carefully, but everything was old-fashioned, lacking the trendy items that were popular in the south.
Beijing, being in the north, was the capital, but its trendy goods still lagged behind those in the coastal cities of the south.
The coastal cities were much closer to Hong Kong and Taiwan, so the latest records from singers and the newest fashion trends were already all the rage in the south.
Wen Ci pondered what she could do.
During the few months she would spend in Beijing accompanying Huo Jingyuan as he recovered from his injuries, she couldn’t just live off her savings. She needed to find ways to make money so she could have capital for future investments.
After all, Wen Ci had big ambitions—she wanted to invest in companies like Tencent and Alibaba. The small amount of money she had now wasn’t even enough to buy a stake.
“Have you heard? Foreign companies in the south pay the same salaries as abroad. When will Beijing get some foreign companies too? Then we wouldn’t have to go elsewhere for work.”
“I’ve heard! Let me tell you, my cousin’s brother’s wife’s cousin works at a foreign company. They say he earns six thousand a month in the south.”
Wen Ci was shocked by the conversation between the two passing aunties.
Six thousand a month in the 1980s?!
With two months’ salary, you could buy a house in Shanghai.
Wen Ci shook her head and sighed.
Although getting into university was difficult and expensive, graduating in the 1980s meant an unlimited future. The average salary now was just a few dozen yuan, but at a foreign company, you could earn six thousand.
Forty years later, the average salary in big cities might still not reach six thousand.
Maybe she should take the college entrance exam?
Wen Ci blinked and thought it over carefully. She had almost forgotten her high school knowledge, and there was less than a month left before the exam.
How much could she review in a month?
She might just waste the opportunity.
Wen Ci shook her head again.
This idea wasn’t feasible.
She would need at least a year of study before attempting the exam.
As she wandered, the sky gradually darkened, heavy with clouds, as if rain was imminent. Pedestrians on the street quickened their steps, hurrying home.
The spring rains in Beijing always came fiercely. In less than a minute, the rain began to fall, shrouding the area in mist. Wen Ci used her hand to shield her head as she took shelter under a nearby eaves.
Other pedestrians seeking shelter from the rain were also gathered there.
Seeing no sign of the rain letting up, Wen Ci sighed.
“Umbrellas for sale! One yuan each.”
At that moment, an elderly woman selling umbrellas approached. She carried a wooden basket filled with new umbrellas and called out to the people under the eaves, “Heaven umbrellas, high-quality umbrellas. They’ll last you over ten years.”
One yuan for an umbrella was quite expensive.
Normally, umbrellas cost just a few mao.
Wen Ci hesitated, then took out a yuan from her pocket and waved to the old woman. “Auntie, give me one umbrella.”
She didn’t know how long the rain would last.
Besides, she didn’t have an umbrella at home. If the rain continued until tomorrow, she would need one before heading out. Buying one now would serve two purposes.
“Do you want to pick one yourself, or should I choose for you?”
Wen Ci randomly pointed to one in the basket. “This one.”
After paying, she opened the umbrella and stepped out from under the eaves. The gloomy sky and the light drizzle seemed to herald the arrival of summer.
Having been in the northwest for so long, Wen Ci hadn’t seen rain in a while.
That afternoon, while riding in a rickshaw, she had made a mental note of the route the driver took through the alleys. Passing through this alley would take her just a few more minutes to reach the Beijing military district.
The surroundings were eerily quiet except for the sound of the rain.
Suddenly, Wen Ci heard a child crying in the alley.
She looked around in confusion. The empty alley echoed with the sound of the child’s cries, mingling with the rain, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Wen Ci quickened her pace.
As she reached the end of the alley, she hesitated.
What if the child was really in trouble?
After a moment of indecision, Wen Ci turned back.
Following the sound of the child’s cries, she entered a dead-end alley filled with discarded plastic shells. At the far end sat a little boy in tattered clothes.
The eaves above the alley shielded him from the rain, but the water pooling on the ground had already risen above his ankles. The boy’s eyes were red, and tears streaked his face.
“What are you doing here?” Wen Ci asked.
The boy, who had been crying, was startled by Wen Ci’s voice. He instinctively tried to run but slipped and fell into the water.
Seeing this, Wen Ci tossed her umbrella aside and hurried over to pick the boy up. She smiled gently and said, “I’m not a bad person. Why are you running?”
The boy cautiously retorted, “Bad people always say they’re not bad.”
Wen Ci: “…”
She didn’t know how to respond.
The boy had a point.
She wrung out his wet clothes and took a closer look at him. His face was dirty, but his skin was fair and smooth, indicating that his parents had taken good care of him.
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