Chapter 7 Lele doesn't want her parents called in.

Li Leshan pointed in the direction of Zhonghua Market, a fairly large wholesale market in the county town. It had many shops and vendors, and the prices were generally around wholesale, so the goods were cheap. He bought laundry detergent and some other household items there.

Jiang Yueming and Han Jiang had visited this place before. Han Jiang even spent a fortune, spending five yuan to buy him three pairs of socks, which he called "brotherly outfits".

Jiang Yueming followed half a step behind Li Leshan, her gaze involuntarily falling on the slightly faded summer school uniform short-sleeved shirt he was wearing. This blue and white school uniform was considered by many to be old-fashioned and ugly, but on Li Leshan, it looked exceptionally refreshing and well-fitting, outlining the slender and upright profile of the young man.

He had been downstairs at Li Leshan's house many times, but this was the first time he was able to go upstairs with Li Leshan. The stairwell was narrow and dark, without any lights, but fortunately it was not late. Jiang Yueming followed Li Leshan upstairs. He used his key to open the somewhat rusty security door, and the furnishings inside the house came into view.

"Are you all alone at home?" Jiang Yueming looked around and asked instinctively.

Li Leshan shook his head and said that his grandmother was also there; she had gone to the market to buy groceries.

Jiang Yueming said "Oh," and the question "What about your parents?" almost escaped his lips, but he swallowed it back. He remembered what Wang Hao had said during the day, and he suppressed those words in his heart.

Jiang Yueming wasn't stupid, nor did he like to pry into other people's private affairs. Moreover, he was very self-aware; even if he did inquire, Li Leshan would most likely not tell him.

Li Leshan's room was very small, almost completely crammed with a wooden bed and an old sewing machine that served as a desk. He hung Jiang Yueming's dirty school uniform on a makeshift clothes rack and then opened his schoolbag.

Jiang Yueming sat obediently on the edge of the bed, assuming Li Leshan was going to do his homework. He hadn't even brought his schoolbag, let alone homework. Li Leshan was different from him; he was a top student.

Li Leshan didn't take out his homework. Instead, he took out a sheet of scratch paper that was already half-finished and wrote a few lines on it before handing it to Jiang Yueming.

Jiang Yueming took the draft paper, next to which were clearly written calculations and questions that Li Leshan had asked him.

"Did you get into a fight with Wang Hao?"

To be honest, Jiang Yueming thought the matter had been kept secret, but now it seems that it hadn't been kept secret at all.

Having no other choice, he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "I didn't want to tell you this, it's not something to be proud of."

Although Wang Hao was beaten even more badly by him, he wasn't much better off now in front of Li Leshan.

“But this has nothing to do with you,” Jiang Yueming quickly distanced himself from Li Leshan. “He just needs to be taught a lesson, and I don’t like him.”

Li Leshan remained silent for a long time. He took back the paper, pressed his fingertips hard, and added two more words after "You got into a fight?": "Sorry".

Jiang Yueming felt a pang in his heart. He wanted to hear what Li Leshan had to say, but he didn't want to hear him say the word "sorry." What did Li Leshan have to apologize for? Was it that he forced him to fight Wang Hao? Or was it that he needed to apologize for being bullied by Wang Hao? Clearly, it wasn't either of those things. Jiang Yueming didn't know what he should apologize for.

This was the first time he had seen such an expression on Li Leshan's face, as if he had done something wrong. At this moment, Jiang Yueming truly realized that Li Leshan, who was always as calm as a still pond and as outstanding as a role model, was ultimately still a child, no matter how strong or outstanding he was.

Jiang Yueming hesitated for a moment, unsure whether what he was about to say would be considered sarcastic, but he still asked, "Why...why don't you go to the teacher? Teacher Tian is a very nice person, and Yin Guiying likes you too. You can go to them if you're bullied."

Li Leshan raised his eyes, a hint of weary clarity in them. He picked up a pen and quickly scribbled on the blank space of the scratch paper, his handwriting somewhat messy, “I don’t want my parents to be called in. Grandma is old, I don’t want her to worry.”

He stopped writing, raised his hand, and began to sign language. His movements were somewhat rapid, carrying an indescribable sense of oppression. Jiang Yueming only half understood, managing to catch a few scattered words: "teacher," "Wang Hao," "won't let him go," "tear up homework," "throw away schoolbag." But Li Leshan's tightly pursed lips spoke of his distress more directly than any words.

Jiang Yueming's heart sank. This man, who depended on his grandmother for survival, could only endure such a thing. Because resistance would come at a greater price, he had no one to rely on, no parents who would stand up for him, and he could only try his best to avoid getting hurt, because he didn't even have enough money for medical treatment.

A schoolbag thrown in water can be washed and dried again; homework torn up can be rewritten; being called a "bastard child without parents" is something you can't refute because you can't speak up. Those harsh words, to some extent, hit the unchangeable facts.

All of this was tolerable, but resistance meant that Grandma would have to walk a long way to school in fear and anxiety, that she would constantly worry about getting hurt or being wronged, and that she would feel guilty for not being able to do anything about it, and that she might have to pay a medical bill that was not an easy amount for them...

Li Leshan clenched his fist and said again, "Thank you, but I'm really sorry."

But Jiang Yueming didn't understand any of it. He only knew that Li Leshan was saying "thank you" and "I'm sorry." Jiang Yueming couldn't understand or feel Li Leshan's pain. He knew that Li Leshan had put in a lot of effort to say it, but he couldn't understand a single word. One was trying desperately to speak with his mouth covered but couldn't make a sound; the other was desperately trying to see and hear but couldn't understand or hear anything.

At this moment, their voices formed an insurmountable chasm, separating Jiang Yueming and Li Leshan, one on this side and the other on the other.

Jiang Yueming could see the pain on Li Leshan's face, but he had no way of knowing why Li Leshan was in pain.

"No need to thank me." Jiang Yueming only understood this sentence, and he waved his hand generously, "Beating up Wang Hao makes me happy."

I'm happy to stand up for you, Jiang Yueming thought to himself.

He's an exceptionally loyal and righteous person, always has been since childhood, and everyone around him knows it. Furthermore, Jiang Yueming is a very just person; he can't stand seeing others bully or be bullied. Because he himself had been bullied before, when he saw Li Leshan, he wanted to help him if he could.

When Jiang Yueming learns something he wants to learn, it's as if he has a cheat code. Because he was determined to learn sign language and understand it, Jiang Yueming studied with great seriousness and focus. Only when Li Leshan gently glided his hand across Jiang Yueming's palm would he briefly lose focus.

If Yin Guiying saw this scene, she'd probably think Lin Cuiqin was burning incense at home in gratitude. Otherwise, how could this kid be so studious? Jiang Yueming truly wants to learn, and no one can stop him.

When the clock in the corner of the room struck 6:30, Li Leshan suddenly stopped what he was doing. He gestured for Jiang Yueming to sit on the bed and not move, and then he ran away in a flash.

Jiang Yueming got up, intending to chase after him, but saw that the person in front of him had already run out the door and was about to go down the stairs.

A short while later, Li Leshan appeared downstairs. He took the groceries from his grandmother's hands and helped the old woman upstairs.

Around this time, Grandma had just returned from grocery shopping. The market was actually quite close to Third Alley, but the elderly woman walked slowly, and the market was only cheapest towards closing time. Normally, cabbage and tofu were only one yuan per jin (500g), but in the evening they would be half price. However, usually by the time Grandma Li arrived at the market, the vendors were already packing up to leave. But a few kind uncles and aunties, knowing that the old lady always came around six o'clock, would specially save her a small bunch of vegetables or a few pieces of tofu, putting them in a plastic bag in a corner.

Li Leshan was carrying a lot of things, so Jiang Yueming hurried down to help. She ran down the stairs faster than she would to the cafeteria, reaching the second floor in one breath, just in time to run into Li Leshan.

"I'll help you." Without saying a word, Jiang Yueming took the two plastic bags from Li Leshan's hands.

Before Li Leshan could refuse, Jiang Yueming had already started walking upstairs. Perhaps unable to resist this guy, Li Leshan didn't say anything more and helped the old lady up the stairs. Grandma had to rest for a while after walking up one floor, and during the break, Li Leshan told Grandma that the person from earlier was his classmate.

Li Leshan had never brought anyone home before; Jiang Yueming was truly the first. The old man was overjoyed. After struggling up the stairs and entering the house, he held Jiang Yueming's hand tightly, not intending to let go.

Jiang Yue was clearly considered sensible and obedient by the older generation; to put it bluntly, she was practically a "model grandson," or, in today's terms, a "dream grandson." She was lively and obedient, making her incredibly endearing.

"Mingyue," his grandmother called his name. Although she called it backwards, Jiang Yueming didn't feel there was anything wrong with it. After all, "Mingyue" was indeed much easier to pronounce than "Yueming." In his earlier years, he always felt that the person registering his household registration had made a mistake. Maybe his original name was "Jiang Mingyue" but it was accidentally registered as "Jiang Yueming."

Over the years, quite a few people have called him by the wrong name, but the surname "Jiang" is still quite unique in the class, so even if someone calls him "Jiang Yue Liang," he knows they are calling his real name.

"Our Lele doesn't have many friends. He seems aloof, but he's actually very easy to get along with. You two should be good friends..." Grandma kept nagging from the side.

Li Leshan didn't react, continuing to pick vegetables. Even if he had heard, he wouldn't have responded. His grandmother always hoped he would have a friend, something good, since Li Leshan couldn't speak, and she wanted someone to look after him. Although Li Leshan had told the old woman that Jiang Yueming was his classmate, it seemed the old woman still automatically categorized "classmate" as "friend."

Lele.

Jiang Yueming chuckled to himself upon hearing the nickname. Li Leshan's nickname was quite cute, though it didn't suit him at all. Who would have thought that someone who always had a serious face and looked like a little adult would have "Lele" as his nickname?

"Lele, you too. Mingyue is a good child. Spend more time playing with him and don't stay cooped up all the time," Grandma said, turning to Li Leshan, who was picking vegetables.

“That’s right, that’s right.” Jiang Yueming chimed in from the side. Perhaps because his grandmother was there, he became more outspoken. “Lele, you have to play with me more often, you know?”

Li Leshan's hands, which were picking vegetables, suddenly stopped. He almost threw the good leaves into the trash can by mistake. His gaze slowly fell on Jiang Yueming's still cheerful face, and he put down the vegetables in his hands.

"What did you just call me?" Li Leshan's sign language was slow and clear.

A note from the author:

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The contrast is so cute!