Chapter 2.002. How he raised He Heng before is how he will raise him from now on...
There's no shortage of small restaurants near universities. Wen Xue vaguely remembered a few places she frequented during her freshman year and led He Yan in that direction. She had come out in a hurry and hadn't worn a hat or scarf. Her down jacket didn't look bulky at all. In the past six months, although she hadn't weighed herself, anyone around her could tell at a glance that she had lost a lot of weight.
He Yan occasionally glanced at her and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The death of his younger brother, with whom he depended on each other for survival, was also a great blow to him. During that time, he smoked heavily and was particularly irritable. Every time he closed his eyes, he would think of his brother. But unlike Wen Xue, he still had a job and more than a dozen people under his care were waiting to be fed. The pain of losing a loved one will never heal in a lifetime, but one must learn to look forward. After being depressed for a month or two, he forced himself to cheer up again, and before he knew it, he seemed to have come out of it.
He had to admit that during those eight years in his previous life, he thought of Wen Xue very, very rarely.
Firstly, we don't share a common circle of friends, and our lives don't overlap.
Secondly, he was too busy, and he believed that someone with her qualifications wouldn't have a bad life.
She is beautiful and educated. As long as she takes steady steps forward, her future will surely be smooth sailing.
At that charity gala, she was surrounded by people, her face expressionless, neither sad nor happy.
When she saw him, her face showed surprise and astonishment. She forced a smile, her eyes brimming with tears: "Brother, if there's anything I can do to help, just say the word. I'm doing alright... I have some money..."
Undoubtedly, in the eyes of the world, she was living a very good life, enjoying wealth and luxury.
However, the information he found showed that during those eight years, she experienced many ups and downs, and her peaceful and happy life was easily overturned. The whole story was full of things she had no control over.
The last message he sent before his rebirth was also to her.
He was reborn before he received her reply.
As they got closer to the food street, Wen Xue mustered her courage and asked softly, "What do you want to eat?"
She said slowly, "There's hot pot, barbecue, and stir-fried dishes..."
He Yan noticed that her hair was disheveled by the wind. He glanced around slightly, but instead of answering the question directly, he said in a low voice, "Wait for me."
After saying that, he strode to the side. It was getting cold, and there were fewer vendors setting up stalls.
The young woman was huddled up eating rice noodles while clutching a hot water bottle when a shadow suddenly fell in front of her. She instinctively looked up and saw it was a customer. She quickly ate the still-hot rice noodles and mumbled, "Boss, do you want a scarf or gloves? I have all kinds here!"
He Yan didn't know what styles they were, so he quickly glanced at them, pointed to the fluffy scarf, and said, "This one," then pointed to the gloves, "and this one, wrap it up."
Since they weren't haggling, the saleswoman was secretly pleased. She exclaimed "Oh!" and quickly got up. In a few moments, she found the scarf, gloves, and bag he had mentioned in the black plastic bag and handed them to him. "The original price was sixty-five, but I'll give it to you for fifty. Congratulations on your fortune!"
Wen Xue waited obediently in the same spot, without moving an inch.
When He Yan returned, she handed her a packaging bag with a little rabbit printed on it, saying, "Don't catch a cold."
He saw that she was so thin that she looked as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.
Wen Xue was slightly taken aback. He handed it to her without saying a word, and she had no choice but to take it. Looking down, she saw that it contained a scarf and gloves. "I have those."
I just forgot to wear it because I left it in my dorm room.
She knew something was wrong with her; she felt dizzy and listless, unable to muster the energy to do anything. Every night before going to bed, she would think, "Tomorrow I will pull myself together, study hard, eat well, make friends, and go out and have fun." But when the sun rose and she climbed out of bed, she only felt incredibly tired.
Her hair grew longer, her body became lighter, and her reactions slowed down.
She couldn't control herself.
“Wear it,” he said.
"……oh."
As Wen Xue lowered her neck and wrapped the scarf around herself, she remembered to say thank you, "Thank you."
He Yan answered her previous question, "Let's eat hot pot, it'll warm us up."
“Okay.” Wen Xue put her hands in her pockets, felt her wallet, and felt a little relieved. If she remembered correctly, there should be a few hundred yuan left in it, enough for a hot pot meal.
Although the two walked side by side, there was still enough space between them for two people to walk. The closer they got to the food street, the stronger the aroma of food filled the air, and the smell of snow made them belatedly realize they were hungry.
The hot pot restaurant was bustling. He Yan raised his hand to lift the transparent curtain, tilted his head, and gestured for Wen Xue to go in first.
Wen Xue bent down and went in. The main hall was almost full, with only a corner seat left that had just been cleaned up. The restaurant was filled with steam, much warmer than outside. This place served individual hot pots, so there was no need to order from the waiter; you could just go to the freezer and get whatever you wanted to eat.
Before He Yan could move, Wen Xue got up and started fetching dishes back and forth. In no time, the table was almost full.
She was very thoughtful and always knew how to take care of other people's feelings. Now, as the steam from the pot hit her face, a blush appeared on her pale, almost sickly face, and she looked more energetic. She unpacked the package, picked up the kettle to wash the dishes, and her exposed wrists were so thin they looked like they could be broken.
"I heard you're going on winter break?" He Yan asked, taking a sip of hot water.
"Um."
Are you planning to go back to Haicheng?
Haicheng is a second- or third-tier city with a relatively underdeveloped economy. However, it had a prosperous period 30 or 40 years ago, with large-scale factories and enterprises where many locals worked with their families.
Among them were He Yan's parents and Wen Xue's parents. However, a sudden accident more than ten years ago shattered many families, and they became pitiful children without parents overnight.
Wen Xue was luckier than the He Yan and He Heng brothers. She was raised by her grandparents, and although they passed away one after another in the following ten years, she never experienced the feeling of being dependent on others.
He Yan's deepest impression was his childhood and adolescence, moving from one relative's house to another. Back then, he and his brother didn't dare to ask adults for money when they needed it. He Yan gritted his teeth and tried to earn some pocket money for his younger brother when he was just over ten years old. There was a lot of hardship and pressure. His grades were average, and he didn't do very well in the college entrance examination. After calculating the tuition fees, he felt it was all meaningless, so he simply plunged into society and focused on making money so that he could raise his younger brother well.
He Heng was a very promising student who never caused anyone any trouble with his studies and was always at the top of his class. Just when things were looking up, He Heng died.
Wen Xue blanched some vegetables, chewed them slowly, and after finishing the food in her mouth, she raised her eyes and replied, "I should."
Looks like I haven't bought the train tickets yet.
He Yan nodded. "Do you have enough money at school?"
“That’s enough,” Wen Xue said. “Eating at the school cafeteria isn’t expensive.”
He Yan could tell from her appearance what kind of life she had been living for the past six months. If He Heng hadn't had that accident, the couple would have been doing well, enjoying their university life, finding nine-to-five jobs after graduation, and perhaps getting married and starting a family in a few years.
She's too young; it's normal that she can't accept her life collapsing so suddenly.
“Xiao Heng should have told you about me before.” He Yan couldn’t bear to see her eating only vegetables, so he took a clean pair of chopsticks, scooped some meat from the pot, and put it in her bowl. “I started a small transportation company with a friend. One of our clerks went home to have a baby and won’t be back until after the New Year. There’s not much work, and it’s not difficult. Right now, one person is doing the work of two people. I don’t want to hire anyone else around the New Year. If you’re willing, you can come with me. Food and lodging are provided. I’ll send you back to school when it starts, and I’ll pay your tuition and living expenses.”
He was reborn yesterday, and he's been thinking all day about what he should do for her.
If she hadn't been reborn, he would have done everything in his power, even squandering his fortune, to take her away from that person, if she wanted. But now that she's been reborn, what can he do? He can only take precautions to prevent anyone from bullying her again, and let her live an ordinary but peaceful life like her other classmates. He will raise He Heng the same way he raised her before, and raise her the same way he will raise her now.
Wen Xue looked at him in surprise.
She tried to understand what he meant, but the more she listened, the more confused she became. She understood the first part—he wanted to find her a part-time job—but what did he mean by paying for her tuition and living expenses? As far as she knew, college students earned very little per hour for part-time jobs; he was giving her too much.
"Why?" she asked, realizing he was helping her out. She quickly replied, "I have enough for tuition and living expenses. My grandma gave me a savings account before she passed away, which will last me until I finish university. After I graduate, I can find a job."
He Yan thought the same way before his rebirth.
He asked her if she had any money back then, and she said she did. Her grandparents had saved all the compensation money from the factory for her. More than ten years have passed, and that money has depreciated, but as long as she manages it well, she can live comfortably for four years.
"Snowy Scent".
He Yan rarely called her by her name. He put down his chopsticks, his eyes filled with a complex mix of pity that he himself did not know. “You used to call me brother like Xiao Heng did. Even though he’s gone, you can still treat me like a brother. Just do it to put his mind at ease. Whether you help me or I help you, it’s fine. There’s no rush. Think about it carefully when you get back to your dorm. I’ll pick you up and take you to my place when you’ve made up your mind.”
Wen Xue stared at him for a while before continuing to eat, this time much slower. She was thinking, and as she looked down, she inadvertently caught sight of the scarf and gloves she had placed on the chair next to her. They were fluffy and warm.
She had been very familiar with the name He Yan for a long time.
He Heng would always mention his older brother to her. Sometimes he would say that his older brother was too serious, and sometimes he would feel sorry for his older brother's hard work in earning money. At that time, she sketched an image in her mind: hardworking, taciturn. But after actually meeting He Yan, she erased that image with an eraser.
It cannot be described with precise language.
If He Heng is like a lush tree, then He Yan is like steel that has been forged through countless trials.
He Yan is a very, very good older brother.
She still remembers the night before He Heng's cremation. The funeral home was quiet and deserted, the moonlight was like a layer of frost. Her eyes were sore from the incense, and she numbly dragged her legs out. Not far away, she saw him leaning against a pillar, his back bent as if someone had hit him, and he was silently shedding tears.
However, when he was in public, he would still cheer up and greet one mourner after another.
…
Unlike the lively atmosphere at other tables, after they finished speaking, they stopped talking and focused on eating hot pot. Wen Xue had been eating little and irregularly for the past six months. After eating some vegetables and meat, she was full and stared blankly into space.
He Yan is twenty-five years old this year. He has a big appetite and ate a little lunch haphazardly. He was already starving.
Seeing that he had almost finished eating, Wen Xue picked up the menu that the waiter had placed aside and prepared to go to the front desk to pay the bill. Suddenly, a hand with a faint scar on the back of its hand forcefully pressed down on the menu. She looked up at him, and he said, "I'll pay."
Ten minutes later, He Yan paid the bill and looked at the cash in his wallet; there were only a few bills left.
He was in a hurry to leave and didn't know if there was an ATM nearby. Even if she didn't want to go with him, he still had to leave his contact information and get her some money for the New Year.
Wen Xue followed him out of the shop, and hesitantly asked, "Are you really short-staffed?"
She didn't want tuition or living expenses, but if he needed help, she could go and assist him.
He Yan turned around upon hearing the voice, "We are indeed short-staffed."
That's true; the Lunar New Year is just two weeks away. In his past life, he had a friend's sister-in-law come and cover his shift for a few days around this time.
Wen Xue lowered her eyelashes, still clutching the scarf and gloves he had bought for her. In the darkness, she nodded gently, "Okay, I'll go."
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