Chapter 25 P - Lone Boat
Xing Yu, who had been standing at the door like he was being punished for a long time without going inside, gently moved his numb legs. As he moved, the motion-activated light turned on, and then his phone vibrated.
It was a bank deposit notification. The sender was Xing Xiaoshu, and the transfer note included: "[This month's living expenses have been transferred. If you need anything, contact your mother. Don't contact me or come looking for me; your aunt doesn't like that.]"
Xing Xiaoshu was afraid that Xing Yu might suddenly contact him or sneak over to find him, so he would add this note every time he transferred living expenses to him each month.
Young people have their own pride and self-esteem. Even if Xing Xiaoshu didn't specifically inform him, Xing Yu would never go to Jiangnan again.
He still can't forget the scene he saw in front of the villa's lawn when he first touched Jiangnanli.
That was a beautiful dream that Xing Yu had longed for since childhood, but could never achieve.
Xing Xiaoshu lifted his youngest son above his head and let him ride on his neck like a horse.
He firmly gripped his youngest son's armpits and then scared him, pretending to shake him off, "Lele, hold on tight, hold on tight, you're going to fall, you're going to fall."
Xing Jiale would desperately grab him, begging him not to let go.
His stepmother would follow behind him with a smile, complaining, "Honey, stop fooling around, you're scaring Lele."
A gentle breeze blew by, carrying the laughter of the family of three, the woman's hair fluttering in the wind, and the man's gripping movements, all blending into the faint fragrance of flowers.
Xing Yu, on the other hand, was isolated and imprisoned in a glass jar, only able to watch helplessly, unable to feel the wind, hear laughter, or smell the fragrance of flowers.
Unlike him, who grew up alone, Xing Jiale was pampered by his father and spoiled by his mother, becoming unruly and arrogant. Because of this, he had a terrible temper and did whatever he wanted.
That brat was unhappy that Xing Yu was in his house and decided to teach him a lesson. He deliberately chose to hit him on the head with a stick when he was completely unprepared. Xing Yu did not verbally abuse the brat, but endured the tearing pain in his arm and snatched the stainless steel pipe from his hand.
Xing Yu said to Xing Jiale in a good-natured manner, "I've taken the things first, don't play around with them."
Who knew that the little brat wouldn't let it go, punching and kicking Xing Yu, pointing at him arrogantly and saying, "I'll hit you, I'll hit you every time you come to my house. You beggar should be subservient to others. If Dad doesn't give you money, you're not even as good as a beggar. So what if I hit you? You shameless stinking beggar, you stinking bug in the ditch, go to hell, go to hell."
Unable to bear it any longer, Xing Yu reached out and pushed Xing Jiale away.
As soon as he pushed it open, his stepmother and Xing Xiaoshu rushed over upon hearing the noise.
With tears streaming down her face, Xing Jiale threw herself into her mother's arms, complaining, "My brother hit me! It hurts so much! Waaaaaah!"
He cried harder and harder, his voice choked with sobs: "I just want to play with my brother! My brother is a bad guy! I'll never play with him again! Waaaaah!"
The stepmother hugged Xing Jiale and comforted her repeatedly. She stared at Xing Yu, who was holding a stainless steel pipe and whose jeans were covered with footprints, with a look of dissatisfaction. She complained to Xing Xiaoshu with heartache: "Husband~ look at your eldest son. If we had come any later, your eldest son would have beaten your youngest son to death. How could there be such a malicious and wicked child? We feed him and give him a drink, and he still wants to beat our Lele to death."
Xing Xiaoshu was tall and slender, with a cold and stern expression, devoid of any smile. His eyes exuded the imposing authority of a superior, and his cold sweep over was incredibly oppressive.
Xing Yu hadn't had a chance to explain.
"Slap—" A heavy slap landed.
Xing Yu looked up at Xing Xiaoshu with bloodshot eyes, without saying a word. His eyes were filled with grievance and a hint of stubbornness, like a wild horse that was hard to tame and control.
"Your brother had better be alright, otherwise—" Xing Xiaoshu began slowly, but when he met Xing Yu's eyes, he frowned slightly and said sternly, "What kind of look is that? Let me tell you, you can only rely on me now. I'm already being very kind by giving you living expenses and supporting you. You hit your brother for no reason, and I can't even say a few words to you?"
“Yes, you’re right.” Xing Yu lowered his gaze.
Xing Xiaoshu's voice was firm and authoritative: "I'm warning you, don't cause trouble at your grandfather's funeral, and don't mess with your brother, or I won't let you off the hook."
After saying that, he picked up Xing Jiale and walked out, gently comforting him, "Does it hurt? Daddy will take you to the hospital to get it checked out."
Xing Jiale pouted, and Xing Xiaoshu looked at him with heartache, then playfully pinched his nose: "Tell Dad what you want, and Dad will buy it for you. Our Lele is the most generous, please forgive your bad brother, okay?"
Xing Jiale nodded obediently: "Okay~"
Xing Xiaoshu smiled and said, "Our Lele is the best-behaved, a wonderful baby."
In a corner where no one could see him, the well-behaved Xing Jiale gave him the middle finger and gave him a sly smile, looking smug.
The sun completely sank below the horizon, the sky changed from bright azure to deep dark blue, and lights from every household lit up one by one.
They didn't turn on the lights; the faint light seeped in from outside, turning Grandma Chen's house into a warm and secluded corner.
It was because of this place that Xing Yu was not an unwanted child; at least Grandma Chen was waiting for him.
But Grandma Chen is already very old, how much longer can she stay with him!
Chu Beiling suddenly felt a little sad, and even showed some guilt and self-blame.
Ms. Li likened Xing Yu to her lighthouse and her benchmark.
Young Master Chu hated being jealous of role models and beacons, but he never imagined that Xing Yu, the perfect person he hated and envied, also had his own disappointments and grievances.
He was so angry and dissatisfied with Ms. Li's words that he actually used the fact that his parents didn't want him as a rebuttal.
That was really wrong.
As Chu Beiling was lost in a melancholy and loneliness, the sound of a key turning in the lock came from the doorway. Xing Yu had returned from the market.
"Why aren't the lights on?" Xing Yu walked easily into the room under the moonlight.
In the dim, half-lit light, everyone's expressions and emotions were hidden.
Xing Yu placed the vegetables he had bought on the dining table, and then deliberately went back to the relatively far entrance hall to turn on the light, instead of using the light switch that could be easily turned on in the kitchen.
The moment the room brightened up, a certain barrier was broken, and everyone's emotions returned to normal.
Grandma Chen stood up: "Please sit down first, I'll go cook for you."
Xing Yu stopped him in time, saying, "I can handle it."
After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and walked into the kitchen.
Chu Beiling jumped up from the sofa: "I'll go help him."
Grandma Chen asked, "You can cook too?"
After saying that, she thought for a moment and asked, "Is your mother also rarely home?"
Seeing that Grandma Chen looked sad, Chu Beiling quickly comforted her: "She lives in Singapore all year round and comes home about once a month or every two weeks. I used to have my father take care of me, but now I live at school. It doesn't matter whether she's home or not."
Chu Beiling had very complicated feelings for Ms. Li. He hoped that Ms. Li could return to China to spend more time with him, but he also hoped that she would simply stay in Singapore and not come back.
As far back as he can remember, Ms. Li was rarely home, only occasionally appearing at home. Whenever she came home, the warm atmosphere between him and his father would suddenly become much less intense.
However, she left in a hurry after only two days.
Every time his father saw how much he longed for Ms. Li's return, he would smile and say to him, "When Fanfan grows up, our whole family will move to Singapore together."
But when Ms. Li returned, he was scolded. Ms. Li made demands that he could not accept, saying that he was not good enough in this or that way.
His father would then smile and comfort him, “Mom is wrong. An artist’s own feelings are the most important. Every mountain and every river is different. Our Fanfan doesn’t need to compare himself with others. If he always tries to mold himself into other people’s shapes, how can he paint the beautiful landscapes of our motherland in the future? It’s already great to follow his own ideas.”
No matter what happened, no matter how much pressure Ms. Li put on him, his father could always defuse all his bad emotions with lighthearted words.
His father was the one who accompanied him throughout his childhood, while Ms. Li only occupied a small part of his time. Apart from their blood relationship, it seemed that he had nothing else with Ms. Li.
After her father passed away, there was a period when he especially needed someone by his side so that he wouldn't be so sad that he couldn't breathe. Ms. Li also stayed at home for a few more days because of her father's passing.
Chu Beiling had just begun to build up her dependence on Ms. Li when she suddenly left again.
He was left alone in the villa where he lived with his father.
During that time, when Chu Beiling was painting in the upstairs studio and was unsure about the strange painting techniques that had suddenly come to him, he would subconsciously ask his father for his opinion, but no one would respond. When he was eating downstairs, he would subconsciously want to call his father, who was painting upstairs, to eat, but still no one would respond.
Then, belatedly realizing that his father was no longer there, he called out "Dad," but no one answered.
Can--
The villa was filled with countless phantoms of him and his father laughing together; there were just too many of these scenes.
After realizing that there was no one else around, only himself...
Loneliness will grow exponentially.
Chu Beiling desperately wished that Ms. Li could come back and keep him company.
Ms. Li never cared about his feelings or whether he was alright when she called; all she ever did was make demands.
Even when he told Ms. Li that he really couldn't live in the villa anymore and wanted to move to another place, it was only because he met her requirements that he moved here.
When she didn't come home or contact him, Chu Beiling would look forward to it. But when they actually met and heard each other's words, he felt nothing but sadness.
A moment of silence—
Grandma Chen warmly invited, "From now on, after school you can come to Grandma's house for dinner just like Xiaoyu. Don't be shy."
Chu Beiling nodded, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the kitchen.
Xing Yu was busy at the stove with his back to them, his body completely concealing his hand movements.
Suddenly, Chu Beiling seemed to see little Xing Yu from his childhood, who couldn't reach the stove and was standing on a stool in front of it, fiddling with things.
Unlike when he was a child, he no longer needs to stand on a stool to operate the stove. Instead, he needs to bend over slightly to operate the stove smoothly.
"Grandma Chen, I'll go help Xing Yu first." After saying that, he walked towards Xing Yu's direction.
Young Master Chu is too lazy to even eat, let alone cook. Besides, before moving to Zhalongkou, there was always a housekeeper cooking for him, so he didn't have to do it himself. At most, he could only help out, like washing vegetables for Xing Yu.
Across the street on the fourth floor, a loving family of three had probably finished dinner and were playing tag in the living room, their laughter filling the air.
Chu Beiling glanced at him indifferently, then looked at Xing Yu beside him. The oil in the pan was already heated, and he was about to pour in the blanched pork ribs: "What are you planning to do?"
"Sweet and sour pork ribs." Xing Yu stopped what he was doing when he saw him coming closer. "Stand back a bit, don't get splashed with oil."
Chu Beiling immediately retreated ten zhang away.
Xing Yu smiled and, after making sure he was far enough away, poured the ribs into the oil.
The meat sizzled and the aroma wafted out instantly, and Chu Beiling couldn't help but sniff: "It smells so good."
Young Master Chu recalled the aroma of sweet and sour pork ribs he had smelled at home last time: "When I came back the weekend after military training, I smelled sweet and sour pork ribs that some neighbor had made. I really wanted to go and have a bite. I'm satisfied with that today."
Xing Yu gave a soft "hmm".
Chu Beiling always orders four dishes at the school cafeteria: hot and sour shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, sweet and sour pork ribs, and a large chicken leg. If stir-fried lotus root slices are not available, she can make do. If none of these are available, this little glutton will just go and eat snacks.
All the vegetables needed had been washed, leaving only the lively shrimp. Young Master Chu had no idea where to start, so he just left them there and watched Xing Yu's busy figure.
With nothing else to do, Chu Beiling asked a question unrelated to cooking: "Has Xing Yu thought about the future?"
"What?" Xing Yu put the lid on the pot and turned to look at him.
Chu Beiling leaned lazily against the edge of the kitchen counter, his left leg slightly bent and resting on the cabinet, his posture relaxed and casual: "Have you thought about which art academy you want to go to for college, and what major you want to study?"
Xing Yu stared at him for a long time without answering.
Chu Beiling asked, "Do you not want to answer, or have you not thought it through?"
His goal is the Central Academy of Fine Arts. As for which major, he hasn't really thought it through. He just wants to keep painting and become a freelance painter like his father.
People who choose to paint fall into two main categories: one group chooses it because art exams are relatively easy, and the other chooses it purely out of interest and wants to pursue an artistic career in the future.
To his shame, after being classmates with Xing Yu in the art studio for so long and becoming his classmate, he had no idea why Xing Yu chose to study painting.
After a moment's hesitation, Xing Yu answered seriously: "Central Academy of Fine Arts Animation."
Chu Beiling was shocked and surprised, and immediately stood up straight: "You want to make animation?"
Xing Yu nodded and looked up to meet his gaze: "The school is quite big. Even if we get into the same school, we probably won't run into each other."
If Xing Yu had said that sentence before, Young Master Chu would definitely have thought that Xing Yu was deliberately arguing with him. But after listening to Grandma Chen's words, he could probably understand Xing Yu's logic.
Thinking of this, Chu Beiling felt only sadness.
In just a moment, Young Master Chu suppressed all his displeasure and raised his right eyebrow: "No, you're overthinking it. I'm also going to the Central Academy of Fine Arts Animation School. We're destined to meet."
Xing Yu suddenly laughed: "Is it necessary?"
"Of course it's necessary, absolutely necessary." Chu Beiling moved closer to Xing Yu, closing the distance between them, and smiled triumphantly. "I will always follow you, you'll never get rid of me in this lifetime."
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