Chapter 68

On the way back, the car was completely silent, with only the slight vibrations from the tires rolling over the road.

Yang Ye tilted his head and gently rested it on Xiao Xiao's shoulder. She closed her eyes, breathing slowly, the few strands of hair hanging from her temples swaying with the ups and downs of the car. Xiao Xiao was also very sleepy, her eyelids heavy as if filled with lead, and she couldn't open them no matter what. She leaned her head against the cold car window, and the chill from her forehead actually made her chaotic mind clearer, but she remained in that state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, letting the rhythm of the car drive her body to and fro.

Li Cheng gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. It had been agreed upon when they arrived: Liu Guoxing would provide the car, Zhou Yiheng would drive the way out, and Li Cheng would be the one returning. Perhaps because it was so early in the morning, and everyone was still half awake, he didn't turn on the music as usual. The only sound in the quiet cabin was the occasional calm electronic announcement from the navigation system.

Zhou Yi sat sideways in the back seat, his elbows casually resting on the window handle. He stared out the window at the passing tree shadows, the rising sun, and the distant buildings, all of which seemed to have turned into blurry blocks of color, passing by in a flash.

The phone in his pocket vibrated, and he took it out. It was a text message from China Unicom reminding him that his balance was insufficient.

He switched to the top-up screen, his finger barely touching the keyboard when the car suddenly rolled over a speed bump. Li Cheng slammed on the brakes, and a slight jolt rang through the back seat. Yang Ye's body unconsciously tilted toward him, his forehead resting on his shoulder, then slid downwards under the influence of inertia, his face resting on his arm.

Yang Ye was sleeping soundly, and even after changing her position, she didn't react. Zhou Yiheng's hand paused slightly as he entered his password at the touch of her shoulder. Yang Ye's breathing was light, and the tail of her hair brushed against his neck. Zhou Yiheng stared at the successful recharge screen for a few seconds before slowly raising his hand and touching her cheek with his palm.

Carefully resting her head on his shoulder, Zhou Yiheng quietly moved to the side. The phone screen gradually dimmed, and the darkened glass just reflected the several plush dolls placed in the rear window.

Zhou Yiheng could hear his own heart beating as the tires rolled over the bumps on the gravel road.

When the car stopped at the entrance of the alley, Yang Ye woke up drowsily. She rubbed her eyes and said in a sleepy voice, "Are we there yet?"

"Yeah," Zhou Yiheng said.

"Wake up, we're here," Li Cheng called out to them in a slightly louder voice from the front.

Xiao Xiao opened the car door and yawned, "I slept all the way here, my neck is stiff."

Yang Ye also got out of the car. "My head hurts. Did I bump into something?"

"You must be sleeping too deeply." Xiao Xiao reached out to help her.

Zhou Yi stood behind them and shouted, "I'm going straight home."

Yang Ye raised his hand and waved without looking back.

The two of them walked in the alley leading back to the grocery store. The midday sun was getting increasingly fierce, and the air was filled with the smell of cooking fumes wafting from the kitchens. Occasionally, a neighbor on an electric bike would pass by.

Looking at the sun, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but smack his lips, "I should have taken out the umbrella earlier."

Yang Ye put his hand on his forehead to block the glaring sun, "It's only March, and the sun is so strong already."

"It seems to be over 30 degrees today."

Yang Ye listened and sighed softly. This hot and cold weather was really frustrating.

"Why don't we eat something before going back?" Xiao Xiao slowed down his pace and turned to look at her.

Yang Ye shook his head and was about to speak when he was interrupted by a yawn. The tears in his eyes were still rolling in his eyes. His voice was full of sleepiness. "It's ominous. I just want to go home and sleep now."

"Let's go," Xiao Xiao said. She looked back and saw Zhou Yi getting on the bus to go home.

Turning a corner, the eaves of the houses next to him blocked the sun from the corner. Yang Ye slowed down his pace and even his breathing became lighter. Seeing a small shop in front, thinking that there was nothing left at home, Xiao Xiao said, "Why don't you go back first and I'll go buy some food and drinks?"

"I'll wait for you here," Yang Ye thought for a moment and said, "Remember to buy two packs of instant noodles. I'm afraid I'll be hungry when I wake up at night."

"Okay," Xiao Xiao agreed.

Yang Ye took two steps back, bumping into the cold stone wall. She leaned against it, and once she was steady, she yawned several times, tears welling up in her eyes. Perhaps it was because she was in a strange place, she hadn't slept much the previous night. She finally managed a nap in the car on the way back, but that brief slumber only made her even sleepier.

While waiting for Xiao Xiao, she was afraid she'd fall asleep leaning against the stone wall, so she wanted to find something to keep herself awake. Her eyes flicked to the stones at her feet, and Yang Ye lowered her head to kick them. One, two, and when she reached the third, the stone rolled away. She could vaguely hear intermittent arguments at the entrance of the alley ahead. The voices weren't loud, but they radiated impatience.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Yang Ye took two steps in the direction of the sound. In the open space at the alley entrance, two middle-aged men surrounded an elderly woman, probably in her seventies or eighties. The woman had a severe hunchback, her frail body shrouded in a washed-out blue short-sleeved shirt. The man on her left grasped her arm tightly, pulling her frail body forward, nearly stepping on her left slipper.

"Mom, come home with me." The man in the suit lowered his voice deliberately, obviously not wanting to be heard by the neighbors, but the urgency in his words could not be hidden at all.

"Boss, why are you in such a hurry?" Another man in a beige polo shirt immediately grabbed the old lady's other hand, and his strength was not much less. "According to the agreement, Mom should live in our house this month."

Yang Ye took two more steps forward and could hear clearly this time. The old lady's arms were shaking from the pulling of the two men. She said softly, "Stop, stop pulling, my arms hurt."

Hearing the old lady's groaning, the man in the suit not only didn't let go, but instead held on tighter. He impatiently said to the man in the Polo shirt, "We agreed to move places on the first of every month. Today is the third, and you let me stay for two more days last month. Now you're still trying to delay."

"I'm stalling for time," the man in the polo shirt said angrily, pointing to the black cloth bag on the old lady's back. "Mom has high blood pressure. She's going back with you. Do you know how to hint at her taking medicine? Last time, Mom caught a cold at your place and had a fever like that. Did you send her to the hospital? Do you have a conscience?"

"I have no conscience. It was Mom herself who said she didn't want to go to the hospital," the man in the suit retorted.

"If she doesn't want to go, just let her go."

"You still have the nerve to say that to me. Mom broke her leg because she was taking care of the children for you. Have you taken her to see a doctor? You still have the nerve to talk to me about your conscience. Where is your conscience?"

The old lady shook her body, trying to open their hands.

Yang Ye frowned. He heard their arguing conversation, but then he saw that they were in a completely different state from when they were talking. The old lady's face turned pale after being dragged. She didn't look happy at all that her son cared about her. Instead, she felt uncomfortable and wanted to struggle and escape.

"Anyway, Mom has to go back with me today," said the man in the suit.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Xiao came over after buying the things.

She followed Yang Ye's line of sight and took in the old lady's appearance. "Isn't that Granny Chen?"

"Do you know her?" Yang Ye turned around and asked.

"The old lady who used to sell fish in the market, I remember she said two years ago that she was going to live with her son, why is she still here?"

"Her son's home is not nearby."

"I already have a house in the city, so I haven't lived here for a long time. The old houses left in the village were built a long time ago," Xiao Xiao said. "Many people in the village say that her son is filial. As soon as he bought a house, he knew to bring his mother to the city to live a better life."

"If a man is truly filial, he wouldn't be like this." Yang Ye saw the quarrel over there.

"What happened?" Xiao Xiao asked puzzledly.

"Go and see for yourself"

When the two men walked in, Grandma Chen was almost unable to stand because of the pulling back and forth. She was about to fall. Yang Ye quickly stepped forward and supported her steadily. He turned to look at the two men and said, "The old lady is too old to withstand being pulled so hard by you."

The man in the suit was stunned when he saw other people coming over. Then he immediately put on a smile and said, "No, we didn't use any force. How could we use any force?"

That’s right, that’s right.” The Polo man also said, “My wife didn’t want to go with us, and we were just anxious.”

Grandma Chen held the strap of her backpack tightly. Yang Ye saw that there was already a circle of bruises on her wrist, which should have been left by the pulling just now.

"Mom, tell me, who of us are you going with?" The Polo man's voice suddenly became gentle, and his eyes were fixed on the backpack behind Grandma Chen, as if he was staring at prey.

Grandma Chen's lips trembled, her eyes wandered between the two people's fingertips, and finally fell on Yang Ye's face, a momentary plea for help flashed in her eyes.

"Grandma Chen, do you want me to help your mother?" Xiao Xiao bent down and asked.

"No, that's not necessary," Grandma Chen waved her hand softly.

"Don't panic, the police station is nearby, and they can handle any conflicts at home," Yang Ye said, his words hinting at something.

"It's just a small matter, why go to the police station?" The man in the suit straightened his clothes and looked at the time on his watch. "Mom, I have a meeting soon, I'm leaving now."

"Mingqiao's get out of class is almost over, I have to go pick him up," the man in the polo shirt said, "Mom, you stay at the old house for the next two days, I'll come pick you up in a couple of days."

The two hurried to the alley entrance, but they would turn back every two steps. Their gaze was not for Granny Chen, but for the backpack on Granny Chen's body. Their eyes were fixed on her. Even when they reached the corner, they would stop and look at the backpack again before disappearing completely.

Seeing them go away, Grandma Chen also breathed a sigh of relief. She said a few words of thanks to Yang Ye and Xiao Xiao.

"Grandma, are you okay? Do you want me to take you home?" Xiao Xiao asked.

Grandma Chen shook her head, hugged her backpack tightly, and said with some difficulty, "No, I can go back by myself."

She limped and moved slowly, bit by bit.

Xiao Xiao looked at Grandma Chen's back as she walked away alone. She stood there motionless, her brows slightly furrowed, and she said to herself, "Why does it feel like her limp is worse than before?"

"Hmm?" Yang Ye turned to look at her.

"She's always had some issues with her left foot, but she never walked as strangely as she does now." Xiao Xiao looked at the figure stumbling away. "Look, her right foot is almost giving out too. Hey, where are you going..."

Before Xiao Xiao could finish her words, she saw Yang Ye running over and catching up with Grandma Chen.

She saw the backpack that Grandma Chen was holding in her arms. "Grandma Chen, my name is Yang Ye. I run a grocery store on the front street. If you need anything, remember to come find me at the store."

Granny Chen looked at her and nodded slightly, "Thank you, Boss Yang."