Chapter 19 of the Dark Lady
The sun shines evenly on the earth, regardless of whether you are rich or poor.
Gao Xing continued chasing the sun. She had been doing this for several days. The mountains and trees gradually gave way to sparse houses and a crisscrossing network of roads. She reached a small hut piled high with garbage. An old man in tattered clothes was meticulously sorting through the trash before him. His face was wrinkled, looking old and ugly. He was about to throw away a half-eaten box of luncheon meat, the meat already covered in white hair and emitting a disgusting odor.
Gao Xing couldn't remember the last time she ate. When she saw the food, she instinctively ran over, squatted on the ground, used her hands to dig out the luncheon meat from the iron box, and was about to put it into her mouth.
Yang Guang was stunned at first, then quickly slapped the meat out of Gao Xing's hand. Gao Xing looked up and met Yang Guang's gaze. She smiled, then stood up, trying to turn around and lie on the ground. However, the long-term hunger and the dizziness from standing up suddenly made Gao Xing collapse directly to the ground.
Gao Xing regained consciousness and found herself lying on a worn wooden bed. An iron spoon was passed to her mouth, and she subconsciously swallowed the contents—millet porridge. Gao Xing tilted her head and saw an ugly face.
Gao Xing asked, "Who are you?"
Yang Guang replied angrily, "I haven't even asked who you are yet! You just slammed your door on me. What do you want to do? Are you trying to blackmail me?"
Gao Xing nodded slightly: "So, you are my new husband?"
Yang Guang: "What?"
Gao Xing didn't look at Yang Guang, but stared at the bowl in his hand.
Yang Guang handed the bowl over, and Gao Xing drank without caring whether it was hot or not.
Yang Guang could see that this person was starving and must have run away from home for some reason.
Yang Guang said casually: "Eat slowly, there's no rush. I'll take you home after you finish eating."
Gao Xing heard the word "home" and suddenly her head felt a sharp pain. Her hands suddenly twitched and the unfinished porridge in her hands spilled onto the bed.
Seeing Gao Xing like this, Yang Guang wanted to get angry, wanted to call the police, and wanted to call 120. Perhaps he was overthinking it, and he actually stood there without moving.
Gao Xing grinned at him and started to take off her clothes.
Yang Guang was so frightened that he took several steps back and shouted, "Scam? I'm just a rag collector, please let me go."
Gao Xing took off all his clothes without thinking, then turned his back to Yang Guang and lay on the bed with his butt raised.
Yang Guang looked outside the door, but didn't see any of the heroes rushing in. He slowly approached Gao Xing and wrapped her up with the quilt piled on the side.
Yang Guang retreated to the wall and asked tentatively, "Um, are you feeling a little down?"
Gaoxing ignored him and just lay there motionless.
Yang Guang glanced at his shabby house which was not much better than a public toilet, and didn't care about being happy. He went back to the front to continue sorting the garbage.
Yang Guang had almost finished the work at hand and went back to the house to drink some water, but he was stunned as soon as he entered the house.
The sheets and quilt covers were torn into strips, the wooden chairs were dismantled into pieces, and even the pillow was used as a cushion and clamped under Gao Xing's legs.
Yang Guang didn't have any special skills and had been picking up scraps for half his life, but when he saw his little nest being torn into pieces, his hands couldn't help but tremble.
Yang Guang ran over, grabbed Gao Xing and raised his hand to hit her. Gao Xing closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, mumbling something incoherently. Yang Guang held his hand in the air for a long time before slowly lowering it. This woman clearly looked abnormal, and there was no need to get angry with a lunatic. After a long time of mental preparation, Yang Guang helped Gao Xing put on her clothes. He stuffed some money into Gao Xing's pocket, thought for a moment, and then took out a five-yuan note.
Yang Guang led Gao Xing out the door, pointed in the direction of the city, and said, "You, just follow this road and you will reach the city. When you get there, find the police and ask them to help you. If you're hungry, use the money in your pocket to buy something to eat. Remember, you must find the police!"
Gao Xing nodded foolishly, and then really walked towards the road Yang Guang pointed.
Yang Guang breathed a sigh of relief and returned to his house to clean up the mess. He tried to reassemble the wood into a chair, but he had disassembled it so fragmented that after a long time, it was still a pile of broken pieces. He was crying out in frustration when someone knocked on his door.
When Yang Guang opened the door, he saw Gao Xing standing outside with a silly smile on his face.
Yang Guang was furious: "Why did you come back again?"
Gao Xing said, "I'm hungry."
She ate half a bowl of porridge, and soon after she walked out, her stomach started growling.
Yang Guang pointed to her pocket and asked, "Where's your money? Didn't I give you money to buy food?"
Gao Xing took out the money from his pocket and handed it to Yang Guang: "Here is the money, give it to me to eat!"
Yang Guang was stunned again. So you are using my money to buy my food?
A big bowl of rice, a sausage and a portion of pickles, this turned out to be the most delicious meal for Gao Xing.
Yang Guang sighed. He could see that this was a miserable man.
Yang Guang asked, "Where are you from? Judging from your accent, you're not from another place, right?"
Happy: “I don’t remember.”
Gao Xing ate quickly and instinctively washed the dishes after she was done.
Yang Guang asked her again: "Do you still remember where you live? I will take you home."
Gao Xing suddenly thought of a dark little house, a rag doll that he had discarded in the corner, and the sunlight that could only come in through the cracks.
Gao Xing's body was shaking as she began to take off her clothes one by one.
Yang Guang quickly stepped forward to stop her.
Yang Guang: "You're taking off your clothes just because you disagree with me?"
Yang Guang didn't release her hand until Gao Xing's emotions had gradually calmed down. He let Gao Xing sit on the bed while he continued to put the chairs on the floor together. Yang Guang could tell that this woman must have had a painful experience with her home. And wasn't he the same? A shabby little house, filthy garbage, and a lonely man. Even a dog wouldn't want to stay here.
While Yang Guang was lost in thought, a familiar face appeared outside. The man casually tossed a few cardboard boxes aside and greeted Yang Guang familiarly. Yang Guang politely went out and chatted with him for a few words, one of his few social interactions.
Gao Xing poked her head out of the door; she felt thirsty. She slowly approached Yang Guang and tugged at the corner of his shirt. An acquaintance saw a woman coming out of the house and casually asked who she was. Yang Guang uttered "ah" for a long time but couldn't say anything. Gao Xing then added, "I'm his woman"—who had insisted she say that, the butcher or the clown? She couldn't remember, but she knew she wouldn't get beaten if she said it that way.
The acquaintance exchanged a few pleasantries, said goodbye, and said he was going home.
When Yang Guang heard the word "home," his heart sank. Sure enough, Gao Xing was about to unbutton her shirt again. Afraid of embarrassing himself in front of his acquaintances, Yang Guang quickly grabbed Gao Xing's hands and held them tightly. Gao Xing felt the warmth in her palms and didn't struggle.
When the acquaintance left, he muttered, "They are quite loving."
Without waiting for the man to go far away, Yang Guang dragged Gao Xing back into the house.
Yang Guang was sweating profusely: "You are a woman, you can't take off your clothes at every turn."
Gao Xing asked, seemingly understanding, "Don't all men want me to take off my clothes?"
Yang Guang didn't want to reason with a madman: "Just remember what I said. You stay here today, and you can go wherever you want tomorrow."
Yang Guang thought for a moment and then said, "You should go find the police. I'll tell you how to get there tomorrow."
After a long struggle, Yang Guang finally managed to put the chair back together. He made a bed in the corner and asked Gao Xing to sleep there tonight. Seeing the corner, Gao Xing had fragmentary memories of Zhu Shun's cellar. She lay on the floor, curled up like a cat, and then buried her head deep in her chest.
Yang Guang felt uncomfortable watching her like this. He tossed and turned in bed, thinking that it would be better to let Gao Xing sleep on the bed and he would spend the night on the floor.
Yang Guang stood up and pulled Gao Xing up: "You sleep on the bed."
Gao Xing obediently climbed onto the bed, then raised her body with her back facing Yang Guang.
Yang Guang said: "You sleep by yourself, lie down comfortably!"
Before Yang Guang could finish his words, Gao Xing grabbed his hand.
Gao Xing said, "Cold, cold."
Later, Yang Guang didn't know how he was dragged to bed by this crazy woman. Even when he woke up in the morning, Yang Guang felt like he had a dream. He turned over, and there was no one beside him. Yes, it was indeed a dream.
Yang Guang sighed and slowly sat up from the bed. He suddenly saw a pile of wood blocks on the ground. The chair he had just put together yesterday had turned into wood blocks again.
"Is there any porridge left? I'm hungry."
Gao Xing stood beside him, looking at Yang Guang foolishly.
The days that followed were truly joyful for Gao Xing. Freed from further stimulation, her spirits gradually cleared. Not only could Gao Xing take care of herself, she even helped Yang Guang with the housework. The once squalid little house, though just as shabby, became tidy. Yang Guang's clothes, though worn, were each meticulously washed. From then on, things unfolded naturally, and the two down-and-out people came together.
Yang Guang had lived in poverty, loneliness, and a bachelor for half his life. Now that he had a young woman to follow him, he felt truly blessed. As a scrap collector, he couldn't possibly give Gao Xing a wedding in this lifetime, but he couldn't treat her unfairly and couldn't skimp on the thought that was due.
It was the season for flowers to bloom, and Yang Guang had no money to buy them, so he picked all sorts of flowers by the river, on the humble hillside, and along the path. He used these flowers to transform his cold, shabby house into a small house filled with flowers.
Gao Xing was old enough to go shopping by then. When she saw the garden-like cottage, she was so startled that she dropped the vegetables in her hands. It was a happier moment than she had ever known in her life. Inside and outside the house, red, yellow, orange, and white flowers filled the air. Butterflies fluttered around the flowers, and a fresh, earthy fragrance filled her heart.
A year later, Yang Guang, Gao Xing and their newborn daughter took a photo together. In the photo, a somewhat shy-looking man half-hugs a delighted woman, who is holding a baby in her arms.
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