It's like a tattered piece of cloth, incongruously placed in the middle of the city, like a stain on a magnificent robe.
As Jiang Cheng passed an alleyway, a young woman in a sundress stood under a streetlamp, holding a lit cigarette. She asked him in a provocative tone, "Handsome young man, coming back so late?"
Jiang Cheng glanced at her, ignored her, and continued walking forward.
He had seen too many such scenes since he was a child, and had become so accustomed to them that he could no longer even feel disgust.
He walked quickly into the alley and stopped in front of a dilapidated iron gate after a few minutes.
He took out his key, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. The iron door creaked, indicating that it had been there for many years.
Inside was a small courtyard, not very spacious, with a few clotheslines hanging in the air, displaying a few pieces of clothing, all in gray, black, and white, blending in with the mottled and old walls around it.
Jiang Cheng tucked the clothes into his pocket, took out his key, opened the door, and went inside.
The room was pitch black and empty. Jiang Cheng turned on the light. The room was simply furnished with some old-fashioned pieces of furniture and no expensive appliances.
Jiang Cheng went back into the house to get a change of clothes and went straight to take a shower.
He showered quickly, finishing in just a few minutes. As he came out drying his hair, he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the bedroom, like a mouse entering.
Jiang Cheng paused while drying his hair, then grabbed the towel and walked straight to the bedroom door.
The drawers and bed were in a mess. A curly-haired woman was facing away from him, bent over, her head buried in the closet, frantically searching for something. She didn't even notice the person standing in the doorway.
Jiang Cheng spoke sharply, his voice chillingly cold: "What are you doing?"
Upon hearing the sound, the woman's back stiffened for a moment, then she slowly turned around.
She was very thin, probably in her forties, with shoulder-length curly hair that was somewhat dry and yellow. Her eyebrows and eyes were very similar to Jiang Cheng's, and it was clear that she was a beauty when she was young.
Upon seeing Jiang Cheng, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. She forced a stiff smile and said, "Nothing."
Jiang Cheng leaned against the door, just looking at her, and said in a calm tone, "There's no money in the house, don't bother looking."
Jiang Jin's face stiffened upon hearing this, and she took a step closer to him. "You work every day, how could you not have money?"
Jiang Cheng didn't answer, but asked indifferently, "You went gambling again?"
"What's it to you?!" Jiang Jin suddenly raised her voice, her face turning ferocious.
Seeing her anger and embarrassment after being exposed, everything was self-evident. Jiang Cheng glanced at her from head to toe and said, "Say it again, I have no money."
"You're kidding me! Do you think I'm stupid?!" Jiang Jin's voice immediately turned shrill, and her beautiful features instantly became distorted.
She grabbed Jiang Cheng by the collar and yelled at him, "You go out and make money every day, if you don't spend it on your old mother, who do you want to spend it on?!"
Jiang Cheng lowered his head and said coldly, "Jiang Jin, don't go crazy."
Jiang Jin continued to shout, "Remember this, I am your mother, and it is only right and proper for you to be filial to me!"
After saying that, she sneered, "Have you started dating someone and spent all your money on that little slut outside, forgetting about your old mother? Have you?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng's cold expression finally softened, but he sneered.
Love? What a ridiculous word.
That's not something someone like him should touch.
Jiang Jin pointed at the wardrobe again and said, "You think I didn't see it? What good stuff is in that box in your wardrobe? Let me see!"
Jiang Cheng grabbed her wrist, his face instantly turning icy. "You dare touch my things and see what happens."
He was so strong it felt like he could crush a person's bones. Jiang Jin was in pain and struggled violently. Jiang Cheng loosened his grip, causing her to stumble.
Jiang Jin glanced at Jiang Cheng's face, her eyes darting around with a hint of fear.
Jiang Cheng is now tall and strong, his figure almost able to cover her; he is no longer the child who could be manipulated by others.
Jiang Jin snorted coldly, her long-standing habit overriding her reason. No matter how intimidating he looked, she was still his biological mother. There was no reason for a son not to be grateful to his parents.
Then her voice became shrill again: "Why can't I touch you? Let me tell you, what's yours is mine! I went through so much trouble to give birth to you and raise you, so you have to repay me!"
Jiang Cheng chuckled as if he had heard a funny joke, his eyes sarcastic and his voice terrifyingly low: "So, bringing me into this world was a mistake."
"Born by you, raised by you? What's the difference between raising a dog and raising a dog? No, it's even worse than raising a dog. After all, even a dog gets fed when it's hungry, and gets medical treatment when it's sick. It's not like someone would beat it half to death just because they're in a bad mood."
Jiang Cheng looked at her, each word carrying a chill, yet calm as if he were stating someone else's story, "Actually, you should have just killed me back then, shouldn't you?"
Jiang Jin suddenly felt a chill down her spine.
She glared at him hatefully and spat on the ground: "You beast, you worthless bastard."
Jiang Cheng chuckled upon hearing this.
He had heard these words countless times since he was a child, and he didn't know whether they were cursing him or cursing her.
A loud bang came from the doorway, and Jiang Jin stormed out, slamming the door shut in anger.
The air returned to silence, leaving only the mess she had rummaged through in the room.
Jiang Cheng picked up the clothes he had just changed out of today from the ground, felt the pockets, and sure enough, they were empty.
He showed no surprise, and silently cleaned up the mess in the room.
Jiang Cheng's gaze fell on the box that Jiang Jin had mentioned earlier. He took it out of the wardrobe, dusted it off, and put it back in gently, as if it were a fragile treasure.
After doing all this, he suddenly felt very tired and lay down on his back on the bed.
He took out his phone, opened the photo album, and found very few photos. He tapped the latest photo with his fingertip.
That was a girl's back view.
In a corner of the bookstore, she was looking down at a book. The sunlight was just right, shining on the top of her hair, making each strand of hair glow with a warm and bright light.
Jiang Cheng hovered his finger over the screen for two seconds, then tapped the screen and clicked delete.
He let his hands fall limply, his eyes tightly shut. Various sounds came from outside the window: barking dogs, crying babies, arguing between men and women, and the rumbling of a train rolling over the tracks.
This noisy and chaotic world is his real life.
He covered his eyes with his arm, his head gradually grew heavy, and he fell asleep without realizing it.
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