Chapter 62

After seeing off Tong Wan and his wife, Mo Daoyan wandered aimlessly along the street and unknowingly walked to the bottom of the tube building.

It was already very dark, with a few stars peeking out from the clouds. In the faint starlight, he looked at the honeycomb-like windows in the distance. Some were pitch black as if no one lived there, while others were filled with dim lights. Figures were vaguely swaying behind the windows, and there was a girl leaning against the railings, gazing at the starry sky. In this crowded tube-shaped building, stargazing was probably the cheapest romance.

The lights were also on in the windows of Tong Yufei's house, and she was going in and out, seemingly busy.

He went upstairs and stopped about seven or eight meters away from her. Through the swaying clothesline, he saw her measuring the height of a boy who looked like a clay monkey. The boy was about eight or nine years old. Her touch tickled him and he giggled. "Sister, are you going to make me new clothes again? Last year's clothes haven't worn out yet."

"You should get some new clothes. Wow, Xiaotong has grown taller again!"

After taking the measurements, she went back to the house to get a piece of cotton cloth and sat down in front of the sewing machine. The sewing machine was borrowed from a neighbor and it couldn't fit in the house, so she had to put it in the corridor. The light was too dim, so she placed a flashlight on the head of the machine. The light swayed slightly with the rhythm of the sewing machine, making her face flicker, like a lonely flower growing on a wilderness cliff, so beautiful that it was pitiful.

The boy took down the flashlight and held it steady for her to shine: "Sister, why aren't you crying?"

She smiled and glanced at the boy: "Why are you crying?"

"Grandma Zhang said you're getting a divorce. Others cry when they get divorced, and Grandma Zhang also said that crying is the only way to make your life not in vain." The boy tilted his head and said, "Sister, what does this mean?"

"Sister doesn't want to cry."

She lowered her head to make clothes, and the sound of the sewing machine danced happily in the corridor.

Mo Daoyan stood quietly by the side without going forward to disturb her. He knew that she didn't want to see him, so he decided to be tactful. Until Ye Yimo came out of the house, holding the wooden carved butterfly and handing it to her like a treasure, she took the wooden carving, her eyes suddenly lit up, and a string of words of praise came out of her mouth.

"Brother, you are truly gifted."

“If it were put in a gallery, it would definitely be collected as a masterpiece.”

"Ye Yimo, you are a talented artist."

Just by listening to those words, Mo Daoyan thought that Michelangelo was standing opposite him. His ears were fed up with listening and he was about to turn around and leave, but unexpectedly he stepped on a bamboo clothesline pole, which broke into two pieces with a "crack". The bacon hanging on the pole fell to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

"You're going to die!" A skinny old lady rushed out, slapping her thigh in pain. "This is bacon I've been pickling for three months!" She was about to pull his sleeve, "You bastard, pay me back!"

Mo Daoyan dodged sideways and frowned, "How much?"

"Fifty!" The old lady stretched out five rough fingers.

Asking for such a small amount of meat was clearly extortion. Mo Daoyan sneered in his heart. He thought that impoverished mountains and remote waters produced unruly people, but he was too lazy to argue so as not to alarm Tong Yufei. He was about to pay to settle the matter when he heard her voice: "Auntie Tian, ​​this meat was originally made into cat food with scraps. Fifty is too much." She lifted the curtain and walked out. "Just get some dust on it and wash it. Is the two dollars for the bamboo pole enough to compensate you?"

Aunt Tian pulled her aside and said, "This guy has been hanging around the door for a long time. Why are you still on his side?"

"I know him." she said softly.

Aunt Tian turned around and waved to Mo Daoyan: "You are lucky that Xiaoye is there to speak for you." After that, she quickly picked up the bacon on the ground and went back to the house humming a little tune.

After Aunt Tian's footsteps disappeared behind the door, Tong Yufei turned to look at him: "Looking for me?"

The whole place knew her, and he couldn't help but admit it: "Daoxing will go abroad next Tuesday, and he hopes that everyone in the family can go to see him off, although we... He always treats you as his sister."

"I'll try to make time to go, but I can't guarantee it."

"He'll be waiting for you."

------

On the day he sent Mo Daoxing to the station, Mo Daoyan stayed in the small garden for a long time.

Aunt Lin came to urge me twice: "It's time to leave. The train is at 11 o'clock, and it's already 10:10. We still have time on the road. Trains wait for no one. If we miss the train, we'll miss our connecting flight. Daoxing is the same. He doesn't care about his own affairs. Going abroad is not like going to the vegetable market. If not today, there's still tomorrow. The plane ticket is so expensive, it would be a waste if we missed it."

Mo Daoyan drove his newly purchased white Mercedes-Benz to the door. He'd spent a fortune on it a few days before, borrowing ten thousand yuan from his aunt when he couldn't afford it. When selecting the car, he sat in the passenger seat, repeatedly adjusting the space to ensure a comfortable reading while driving. The salesperson saw that he looked like a leader, yet he was so concerned about the comfort of the passenger seat. He guessed that people who often sat in this seat must be more prestigious. He quickly smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. As long as you don't drive on mountain roads, this car is stable enough for reading a newspaper or even setting up a tea table for a cup of tea."

After his brother got in the car, Mo Daoyan asked casually, "Isn't Tong Yufei coming to see you off?"

"Sister-in-law said she couldn't come. Grandma said that at breakfast the day she went to Changsha. Weren't you there?"

“Plans can’t keep up with changes.”

"You two live together, how could you not know if something has changed?"

"From now on, just listen to what she says and don't take it too seriously." Mo Daoyan asked Guan Dahua, "She says she treats you like her own brother, but when something really happens, she'll just put you in the back of the queue. If it were that person, she'd probably wait until she's at the border before she'd let you go."

"You've already given me a gift, haven't you? Besides, it's enough that you gave it to me. I didn't say anything, so why are you blaming her?" Mo Daoxing touched the four-leaf clover brooch on his chest and smiled. He vaguely sensed that his brother's tone was sour, like a jar of aged vinegar. "Who is 'that' you're talking about? Isn't my sister-in-law's brother out of town? They always quarrel when they see each other. How can they be as close as us? Brother, you're acting weird today."

Mo Daoyan looked in the rearview mirror. The resentful look in the mirror was unfamiliar even to himself. He adjusted his expression and returned to his normal tone: "Remember to report safety when you arrive in Bern."

—

After seeing his brother off at the station, Mo Daoyan went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few thick quilts and two heaters, and drove straight to Qingjiangwan City.

It was getting colder day by day after winter. Tong Yufei was so stubborn that she certainly wouldn't let her brother sleep on the floor. But it was freezing cold and if he slept on the floor for a long time, he would definitely develop some illness. Then she thought that it was his own fault because he would freeze to death. Ye Yimo had a mental problem but was as strong as an ox. He wouldn't get disabled even if he slept on the floor for eight or ten years. As a brother, he should protect his sister, but she had indulged him to no avail.

The wheels rolled over half-cooked dead leaves and stopped at the foot of a tube-shaped building where smoke was rising from the chimney.

Mo Daoyan, carrying two coal stoves, hurried upstairs. He pushed open the door and froze in his tracks. The house was empty, not even a scrap of paper left behind, just like when Tong Yufei moved out of their home in Hongsheng Community, the floor was polished to a shine, as if he'd never been there. He wanted to go next door to inquire about the situation, but when he lifted the cotton curtain, the strong smell of cigarette smoke made him retreat again.

A pair of fire tongs covered in soot first poked out from the crack in the door. Zhang Wenying's veiny hand lifted the curtain and leaned out. She looked Mo Daoyan up and down, banging the fire tongs against the door frame, sending soot flying everywhere. "Have you figured out the genders this time? Are you looking for Big Leaf or Little Leaf?"

Mo Daoyan suppressed a cough and asked, "Excuse me, where did Tong Yufei move to?"

Zhong Changqing heard the voice and came out in a wheelchair: "Young comrade, we have met before. Let's go inside and talk."

Zhang Wenying stood in front of the door with a pair of fire tongs: "If you know who he is, please come in."

Mo Daoyan interrupted, "I'm Tong Yufei's lover, you can just call me Xiao Mo."

Zhong Changqing touched his lips and couldn't help feeling a little ashamed, thinking back to the last time he mentioned Tong Zhaoyang in front of Mo Daoyan, it was indeed inappropriate. Relationships are most afraid of calculations, and people who appear to be magnanimous may not be able to accept it in their hearts. What's more, Mo Daoyan's face was indeed ugly at the time, but at that time he naively thought that the other party was disappointed because he couldn't see Xiao Ye Zi.

"Can you tell me the address of her new home?" Mo Daoyan asked again.

Just as Zhong Changqing was about to speak, Zhang Wenying banged the wheelchair armrest with a pair of pliers: "You're her husband and she doesn't even know, how can we outsiders know?"

"There was a misunderstanding between her and me..."

"What a big misunderstanding! You're getting a divorce?"

When Zhang Wenying first heard Tong Yufei say they wanted to move out of the tube-shaped building, she was the first to object. Everything else was fine, but what about Ye Yimo? If she went to work, who would take care of her brother? It was Tong Yufei who said that moving out would be good for her brother's health, so Zhang Wenying stopped trying to stop him. But she still warned her that if she left, she would have no one to cover for her. What if her in-laws found out about Ye Yimo? Ye Yimo was her brother, but he wasn't her brother either. This was the most difficult part.

Zhang Wenying thought Tong Yufei would just live one day at a time, as usual, and that she would be able to get through each day peacefully. Unexpectedly, Tong Yufei said that they wanted a divorce and that it didn't matter who found out. So when Mo Daoyan claimed to be Tong Yufei's lover, Zhang Wenying was furious. He hadn't been home for five years, and within a year of returning, he kicked his wife out, and he did it so unceremoniously.

On the day Tong Yufei moved back to the tube-shaped building, Zhang Wenying was heartbroken when she saw her appearance. The driver who was pulling the cart received the news that his daughter was sick and was in a hurry to go to the hospital. Tong Yufei begged for a long time and asked the driver to leave the cart. She walked back alone with her luggage. Her feet, shoulders, hands... were all covered with blisters.

Seven years ago, when Tong Yufei and his sister first arrived at the tube building, they were also pitiful, their faces pale and sallow, but Zhang Wenying didn't shed a tear then. After all, the two children were helpless and it was common for them to not have enough food to eat. But now that they have a husband they can rely on, why are they even more destitute? Zhang Wenying saw how Tong Yufei had worked so hard to serve her in-laws over the years, and how she had to walk on thin ice to hide her brother. Even if she despised her for having a foolish brother and wanted a divorce, she should have kept some dignity. After all, had she done anything against the will of heaven?

"What are you doing here?" Zhang Wenying said with a sullen face, dusting off the dirt. "After the divorce, you should just live your own lives. Why do you have to ruin her reputation?"

Mo Daoyan knew that he couldn't explain it clearly, so he placed the heater at the door and said, "Don't burn charcoal anymore. It's not safe."

"The weasel is paying New Year's greetings to the chicken. Take it away, we don't want it!"

Mo Daoyan ignored him and got into the car. Just as he started the engine, a boy rushed over to look. He had seen that boy before, the Li Tong mentioned by Tong Yufei. He rolled down the window and asked, "Kid, what's going on?"

"You really are Sister Ye's lover, right? Grandpa Zhong asked me to tell you that Sister Ye has moved to Xinfeng Street, Hefeng Road!" Li Tong leaned close to his car window. "Your car is really impressive. No wonder Grandma Zhang said Sister Ye should cry."

He opened the passenger door: "Take a drive?"

Li Tong wiped his nose with his sleeve: "You're kidding, right?"

"I'll count to three. If you don't come up, I'll leave."

As soon as Mo Daoyan counted to "one", Li Tong swiftly got into the car and looked around curiously: "You are a big boss, right? Only you can drive such a nice car."

"Are you familiar with Sister Ye?"

"My parents died early, leaving me with no family. I grew up living from one family to another, eating at the homes of my neighbors. Every time Sister Ye brought something delicious, she would save a portion for me. Alas, Sister Ye has moved away, and I don't think you'll come again. This is the only time in my life I'll ride in such a nice car."

"You're still young, and you have a long way to go. When you grow up, maybe there will be cars everywhere, and every household will have one... When did your sister Ye move?"

"Three days ago, but we didn't move everything at once. I came back today to get Brother Ye's clothes."

"Have you found a moving company?"

"What is a moving company?"

"She must be crying from exhaustion carrying so many things by herself?"

"Sister Ye wouldn't cry, but a guy with glasses helped her move. He moved yesterday and today. He's rich and generous, and he even brought me some beef jerky and candy."

It’s Tong Zhaoyang again. Why is he haunting us? Do we think he is dead?