Chapter 21

After that, Dai Yan always came home drunk, rolling around on the bed and vomiting. Niu was very strong and couldn't hold her down. Kang Xingxing had to use both hands to barely hold her legs down. Zhou Yue stood beside her with a washbasin and heard her calling "Tiancheng" in a daze.

"Gorilla, is Mom haunted by some dirty creature?"

Zhou Yue hadn't heard her father's name for many years. When she thought about the dumplings incident, she was frightened out of her wits.

It's no wonder that she is so knowledgeable but still believes in feudal superstitions. In the middle of the night... the woman on the bed was crying and laughing, her face was covered with lipstick, she looked bloodshot, her long hair tangled up like a water ghost, her eyes half-open and lifeless, who wouldn't be scared?

Kang Xingxing looked for a long time, then raised her head and smiled at Zhou Yue, "No, Yueyue, don't be afraid."

Later, facts proved that it was not Zhou Tiancheng who was the evil ghost seeking revenge. After so many years, he would have taken revenge long ago. It was Dai Yan who met a man. The dumplings that were so salty that they tasted bitter were the last meal she made for her children.

But at that time, Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing didn't feel that there was anything different from before. Dai Yan was just a person who would come and go on many days without going home or cooking.

During the summer vacation after the high school entrance examination, the two children slept until they woke up naturally every day. We worked together to cook two dishes, make a pot of rice, and sometimes a bowl of noodles. After eating, we went to the bookstore, but we changed the bookstore.

Kang Xingxing was afraid that she would fall behind in math again in the first month of high school, so she bought her supplementary books in advance and went to a milk tea shop near the bookstore to review her first-year high school math. They drank a cup of pearl milk tea, taking sips each.

That milk tea had nothing to do with milk or tea. It was made with pure pigments and flavors, and came in all colors such as red, green, and purple. It was called strawberry, cantaloupe, and taro flavors. But later, Zhou Yue went to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and went to Hong Kong and Shanghai with Jiang Huai, and she never tasted such delicious milk tea again.

"It's just milk tea, what else could be new and interesting?" Jiang Huai laughed at her, and she also laughed at herself. When she came back here again, this store and this street had become high-rise buildings that sprang up like mushrooms after a rain.

She remembered that it was really hot that summer, and the air from the air conditioner in the milk tea shop was so sweet that she had no appetite. In the evening, she and Kang Xingxing bought a cup of oden from a street food stall. It was so spicy that they were sweating profusely. After satisfying their cravings, they went home.

But that day was different. It got dark very early and there was no sandstorm. The sky was yellow-gray and covered with dark clouds. When the wind blew, the air was full of sand. Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing went home hungry in the wind. As soon as they entered the corridor, a strong wind blew outside.

"The door is not closed." Zhou Yue hid behind Kang Xingxing, her heart pounding. The smell of earth filled the corridor, and the silence was suffocating.

"Don't be afraid, Yueyue, don't be afraid." Kang Xingxing protected Zhou Yue behind him and pushed the door open. The first thing they saw was a man's gray shirt draped over the back of a chair in the living room. It was as soft as mercury and glowed in the dim, almost dark room. The two wanted to take a closer look, but they stepped on something as soon as they came in. With the light of the corridor sensor light, they saw a red high-heeled shoe on the ground, and the other one kicked far away. Finally, they heard faint noises in the bedroom.

Zhou Yue didn't understand before, but she understands it now. Kang Xingxing certainly understands it too. The two of them squeezed next to the shoe cabinet in the entrance hall. It was not right to go in or not to go in. I don't know what mood they were in. Finally, they decided to go out first. But as soon as they turned around, they heard the noise in the bedroom stopped. When they reached the door, they heard footsteps coming from the bedroom, slipping softly. Zhou Yue looked back and her heart sank.

It was still dark outside, but not completely black. The man came out of the bedroom. In the dim light outside, she saw a pale face, his hair wet in clumps. He was shirtless, and the sweat on his body looked like a layer of silver glitter. He was wearing black trousers. As he walked out, his bony hands dragged his hair back lazily, as if out of habit, or as if he had seen the two children in the corner. He smiled and stopped when he passed the entrance. His eyes moved back and forth between Kang Xingxing and Zhou Yue's faces, finally stopping on Zhou Yue's face, his lips raised higher, "Hello."

Zhou Yue's blood ran cold. The hand held by Kang Xingxing was as hard as an ice lump. Kang Xingxing blocked her behind him. She didn't look at the man's face again. The man didn't bother to care. He just smiled, picked up the shirt on the back of the chair and put it on slowly. Then he sat on the sofa and smoked. He looked out the window while smoking, and didn't pay any attention to the two children. When Dai Yan came out of the bedroom barefoot and wearing an ice silk nightgown, he looked out the window and said, "The sandstorm is coming."

"Yeah." Dai Yan did the same as him. She glanced at the two children and walked over to cross her legs beside him, snuggling up to him and looking out the window with him. After a while, she turned back and leaned on his shoulder, looking at the children calmly. Her voice was soft and tender: "Call me Uncle Lin."

That man was called Lin Jinzhong. As for whether it was this Jin or this Zhong, Zhou Yue never knew until the end. He just came to their house often later. When he came during the day, he looked different under the sunlight. He was just pale, tall, and looked sickly, but his facial features were not the same. He was also younger than Zhou Tiancheng, less than 30 years old. Dai Yan asked Zhou Yue to call him dad, but he probably didn't want to either. He leaned on the sofa and smiled at Zhou Yue. His brows frowned, but his smile did not fade. He said to Dai Yan softly, "If the child doesn't want to, forget it."

He spent most of the day on the sofa in the living room, either leaning his head to watch TV or looking out the window. The ashtray was full of cigarette butts and the whole living room was filled with the smell of smoke.

After Dai Yan finished putting on her makeup and came out of the bedroom, he put down his crossed legs, stood up, picked up the cigarette case and lighter on the table, and walked out in his slippers.

Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing's only space was Zhou Yue's small room. The chess and card room became Lin Jinzhong and Dai Yan's. The two of them were playing bridge in it. From a distance, they could hear Dai Yan's sweet laughter: "You are so annoying!"

Zhou Yue occasionally went out to the bathroom, and Kang Xingxing would accompany her. They saw him sitting in the living room bored, turning his head to smile at them in the sunlight, "Hi!" Holding up the remote control, he asked like teasing a kitten or a puppy, "Do you want to watch TV?" He didn't respond, but didn't get angry. He smiled and turned his head away again.

He stayed there absent-mindedly, feeling neither happiness nor pain, just the slight boredom common among fun-loving people, which was tolerable, but best avoided.

Sometimes when Dai Yan remembered to cook, he would stand up, slowly walk to the kitchen, put his arms around her from behind, and smile foolishly. He would sway her as he smiled, until Dai Yan couldn't even hold the kitchen knife steady. She would turn around and push him, scolding him with a smile: "That's enough, I won't cook anymore! Let's go out and eat! Are you satisfied?"

At night, the two of them either don't come back or come back late at night, and when they come back, there is no peace and quiet.

Dai Yan's charming moans from her youth were gone at this age when she was as fierce as a wolf. The shrill screams in the bedroom were so frightening that people could hear them through the wall. The next morning, when Kang Xingxing and Zhou Yue opened the door, the smell of leftover alcohol in the living room was enough to make them fall over.

She was like barren soil that had been dry for a long time and finally found a downpour. Once it was moistened, everything in the world disappeared from her eyes. All she had eyes for was Lin Jinzhong and an illusory dream. She no longer cared about Kang Xingxing and Zhou Yue, and symbolically bought them a bunk bed. When the movers moved in, she leaned against the doorframe with her hands on her hips, poking her daughter's forehead with her sharp red nails, and her line was still the classic line: "Stay away from your brother!"

The shirtless movers were stunned after hearing this and looked at each other. She didn't care, turned around, picked up her bag and went out.

Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing were silent with each other during that time, as if they were the ones who should be ashamed. Zhou Yue liked the upper bunk, so they would snuggle up to each other and sleep on the upper bunk at night. Kang Xingxing would lie flat on his back, with his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling in a daze, while Zhou Yue would lie in his arms, looking at the soft moonlight outside the window.

"Dad passed away many years ago." Zhou Yue suddenly said. Kang Xingxing freed a hand to stroke the end of her hair and said hoarsely, "Yes, it's been five years."

Another silence. Is five years a long time? I guess so. Zhou Yue thought for a while and then said, "Mom actually just wants someone to love her."

"Yes."

Zhou Yue remained silent, each silence a reflection of her own doubt. Did Lin Jinzhong love Dai Yan? She racked her brains to find any sign of his love for her, but she found none. Zhou Tiancheng's eyes, when he looked at Dai Yan, showed frivolity, indulgence, and loneliness, but Lin Jinzhong wouldn't even look at her. Unless necessary, he would smile first, then turn his head to look at her, stroking his hair with one hand, calling her "sister" in a low voice. The rest of the time, he would rather look at the eucalyptus leaves outside the window, at the sparrows hopping on the branches.

But Zhou Yue thought again, it doesn’t matter if she doesn’t love him, as long as his mother loves him, it’s enough. Being able to be with the one you love is happiness.

"But I don't want to call him dad." Zhou Yue said finally.

"I won't scream either."

The two children whispered to each other, discussed it for a while, and decided not to compromise, so they called him Uncle Lin.

As it turned out, among the four people in the family, except Dai Yan, no one wanted Zhou Yue to call Lin Jinzhong "Dad".

But the first year of high school passed by in a hurry. With a new member in the family, Dai Yan was in a good mood and even her complexion became rosy. She was so happy that she left more pocket money for the children, but Kang Xingxing and Zhou Yue still saved every penny.

On New Year's Eve in 2005, Dai Yan and Lin Jinzhong went out to party all night. At that time, disco and tacky dance halls were no longer popular. The first K-pop club opened in a small city and was packed with people.

Kang Xingxing made dumplings for the New Year's Eve dinner. They ate while listening to the children in the community setting off firecrackers and looking at the dazzling fireworks outside the window. The crackling sound crossed the night sky, and with a bang, red, blue and green fireworks bloomed, as bright as daylight.

While chewing dumplings, Zhou Yue reached out to the window to watch the fireworks sparkle on her star-moon ring.

After finishing the meal and washing the dishes, Zhou Yue lay in Kang Xingxing's arms and watched the Spring Festival Gala. The two of them giggled together on the sofa, and the lively atmosphere caused a thin layer of mist to form on the windows in the room.

2005 passed like this.

The misfortune began in 2006.

That year, the two children had just entered their second year of high school, and they were attending a key high school. Their studies immediately became intense. Except for taking a bath and going to the toilet, they spent most of their time studying in a small room at home.

When Dai Yan returned home from school, her husband and wife were either not at home, or as soon as she entered the door, she would see Lin Jinzhong wearing a white vest and flowered shorts, coiled on the sofa like a wilted poisonous snake. The sound of water dripping could be heard in the bathroom, and the air was filled with the smell of a good night's sleep.

At the beginning, Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing were still vigilant. When Zhou Yue went to the toilet or took a shower, Kang Xingxing would guard the bathroom door and never leave. But fortunately, Dai Yan never left Lin Jinzhong alone at home, and the two of them always went together wherever they went.

Lin Jinzhong never looked at the two children directly. He would just smile when he saw them. He didn't seem angry if no one paid attention to him. He had a fair face like a woman. Every time he whistled and stroked his hair when passing by the bathroom, he would look in the mirror.

So gradually, Kang Xingxing and Zhou Yue were not so wary. Zhou Yue would hang her underwear at the innermost part of the balcony after washing it, so that she could not see it while sitting in the living room.

Sometimes when she was in a hurry to go to the bathroom, she would ask Kang Xingxing to check her wrong questions first, and then she would go to the bathroom by herself, which only took two or three minutes.

That day was just like any other day. Dai Yan was taking a shower in the bathroom. The lights in the living room were off, but the desk lamp in the small room was on. Zhou Yue felt thirsty, so she went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. She stood there with her back to the living room and drank it. While drinking, she was going over physics formulas in her mind and didn't notice the footsteps behind her. When she realized it, it was too late. She and the cup were knocked to the ground. There was a crisp sound. She tried her best to scream, but someone covered her mouth with a hand. It turned out that the thin and weak man was so strong that he sat on her effortlessly, his legs pressing on her cut hand. His pale face was vaguely visible among the red and green neon lights outside the window, and he was still smiling.

She struggled and kicked on the ground with her legs. The cold tiles beneath her were colder than an iceberg. She cried and sobbed in his palm. She used up her last bit of strength and slammed the back of her head on the ground. It made a loud bang, and the bedroom door also banged with the sound of someone banging on the door with his body. I wonder if Zhou Tiancheng would regret installing reinforced concrete doors for the two children's bedrooms for the so-called safety.

Zhou Yue twisted her head and saw through the gap in the man's body that the bedroom door was deformed, but such a loud noise was not as harsh and terrible as the sound of cloth being torn like garlic cloves.

It's over, she thought numbly, looking at the blank ceiling next to the man's smiling face, and gave up her last struggle.

It’s okay, it’s okay, she thought, looking up at the broken ceramic pieces on the ground. They were very sharp. She would use these to end her life soon. It would happen quickly.

Dai Yan was startled by the sound of someone banging on the door. She rushed out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and saw this scene: Zhou Yue was lying on the kitchen floor, with ceramic fragments all over the floor, her hands and arms covered in blood, and Lin Jinzhong was holding her up with his knees, her two thin legs resting on Lin Jinzhong's shoulders. Her white nightgown was like a jasmine flower in full bloom, her face was covered with tears, and her eyes were dull.

Dai Yan rushed up like crazy, pushed him away, and slapped him wildly, but women are not as strong as men. Lin Jinzhong got annoyed after being hit twice, and slapped Dai Yan to the ground with one slap, sneered, and he didn't succeed. He was very disappointed, so he pulled up his pants and walked out of the kitchen door without any interest, without changing his shoes, and left the house in slippers.

The bedroom door was completely smashed. Kang Xingxing's eyes turned red. She rushed to the kitchen and kicked Dai Yan, who was sitting on the ground, away. She then hugged the soft Zhou Yue in her arms like a madman.

That was the first time Kang Xingxing cried. He had been beaten and scolded since he was a child, but he had never shed a tear. But now he hugged Zhou Yue tightly, his body shaking like a sieve, swaying back and forth as if he couldn't control himself, burying his face in her neck and sobbing. Muffled and sharp howls came from her neck, as shrill as a dog about to be beaten to death.

Dai Yan sat there, propped up on one hand, staring blankly at her daughter and half-son. She felt a chill in her heart. What was she feeling? Tragically, she felt chilled by her man.

She looked at her daughter in Kang Xingxing's arms. She could be held in people's arms like a treasure without even blinking her eyes. She was beautiful even though her face and neck were covered in blood. All men loved her. All men came and went for her. Then she thought about herself. She had to seduce Lin Jinzhong, give him medicine, tease him desperately, and give him money just to get that one chance. She comforted herself that most of these pretty boys were not very good, but he became good after just taking a shower and pounced on Zhou Yue like a dog.

She sat on the cold floor. She was slapped by Lin Jinzhong, and half of her face was swollen. She was kicked by Kang Xingxing, and half of her body was numb with pain. She was kicked around by two men like a garbage plastic bag. They only had Zhou Yue in their eyes.

"You even seduced your own father."

These words came from Dai Yan's mouth, but she was also confused. The three of them were all stunned and looked at each other. The kitchen was so quiet that even the air was frozen. It seemed that they didn't know where these words came from or what they meant.

Zhou Yue's eyes finally moved. Kang Xingxing could even notice every movement of her eyeballs. He lowered his head, held her face, and cried, calling "Yueyue" over and over again.

But at this moment, Zhou Yue only had her mother's face in her eyes. Her mother was still so beautiful, and would always be beautiful in her eyes. She would always be the mother who would shout, "It turns out to be the little rascal!" while burying her face in her chubby neck and blowing air to make her giggle.

But her mother didn't care about her love, never from the beginning to the end. As long as her father, a man, appeared, her mother threw her aside.

At this moment, she wanted to tell her mother that her wound hurt, but her mother seemed to be unable to see. She only looked at her face with tears in her eyes, blankly, her curly hair wet and stuck to her face. The towel had fallen off, revealing most of her chest. The marionette wrinkles at the corners of her mouth made her look like a real marionette. She opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and said it again:

"You even seduced your own father."

It’s Lin Jinzhong, Zhou Yue thought, her mother must be talking about Lin Jinzhong, because her mother always forced her to call Lin Jinzhong dad.

But every time she thought about it afterwards, she had to admit in despair that her mother was talking about Zhou Tiancheng.

After saying this, Dai Yan didn't say anything else. She sat on the ground in a daze for a while, as if she remembered something. She suddenly got up from the ground and rushed to the bedroom where she and Lin Jinzhong slept. Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing heard the sound of rummaging through drawers, and then watched Dai Yan rush out of the house carrying a huge leather bag and dragging a suitcase, and never came back.