Chapter 12: The Unspeakable Secret
Tian Xin dragged Zhang Shuai downstairs and out of the winding alley. They sat down at a clay pot restaurant at the entrance. Tian Xin ordered food for them. Zhang Shuai sat across from them, head bowed, and said nothing.
"I'm just an asshole." He suddenly lost his temper and slapped himself.
The people eating next to him were startled and looked sideways. Tian Xin saw this and glared at him: "What's wrong with you? Sit down and eat!" She handed the chopsticks to Zhang Shuai, who took them and put them down again.
"Have a meal."
"I don't want to eat."
"Even if the sky falls, you still have to eat. It's such a big deal, but a grown man like you can't even bear such words. I tell you, this is bullshit!"
Tian Xin blurted out a swear word.
Zhang Shuai was feeling miserable, but when he heard this, his eyes lit up: "Boss, you can still swear!"
"Hurry up and eat, then leave."
Tian Xin ignored him, and Zhang Shuai said stubbornly: "I'm not leaving. I want to ask Master Li for clarification."
"What are you still asking? This guy doesn't know what's good for him. Forget it, I'll find someone else."
"Don't you blame me, boss?" Zhang Shuai looked at Tian Xin's eyes seriously, like a child who had done something wrong!
“…”
Tian Xin put down her chopsticks, leaned over to look at Zhang Shuai, stared at him for a long time, and then said to him:
"Zhang Shuai, you are indeed a jerk."
"I knew it." Zhang Shuai sighed and lowered his head weakly.
"There's nothing wrong with standing up for someone, but you shouldn't have hit them directly. Don't be too impulsive when you encounter something like this in the future. Your life is also your life. What would you do if the person on the other side is not willing to die?"
Boss, are you... concerned about me?
Zhang Shuai quickly raised his head, his eyes shining again: "Do you really think so?"
"Oh, there's only one driver. There's no need to be so picky. If it doesn't work, just find another one! There's still time." Tian Xin comforted.
"But I still want to know clearly." Zhang Shuai said: "You don't understand him. Although Master Li has a bad temper, he is actually a very good person! I grew up without being loved by my father or mother. I finally got a job in the factory, and he is the best to me. He is much better than my scoundrel father. Alas, now I have made him like this." Zhang Shuai sighed.
Tian Xin couldn't stand seeing him so dejected, so she reached out and hit him: "Come on, don't be sad, it's embarrassing. No one would rush to claim his father. Hurry up and eat, then come with me to find someone."
It was lunchtime, and the urban village was crowded with people, cars coming and going, and the streets were lined with goods for sale.
The two were eating when Tian Xin saw Master Li's old mother trembling out of the alley, not knowing where she was going.
"Look, is that the grandma from before?" Tian Xin pointed at the old woman and asked Zhang Shuai.
"Yeah! Maybe we should go out!" Zhang Shuai said after taking a look.
The two of them continued to eat with their heads down. While they were eating, Tian Xin ran out with a speed faster than a flying man. Zhang Shuai almost didn't see her clearly.
"Boss, where are you going, boss..."
Tian Xin had already run out. When Zhang Shuai came to his senses, Tian Xin and the old lady were already standing on the side of the road.
He saw a car speeding past the door.
"Boss!" Zhang Shuai ran over. "What happened just now?"
Tian Xin helped the old man up the stairs and muttered, "Didn't you see that car just now? It was a lunatic!"
She was just eating when she saw the grandmother come out and her eyes never left her. She knew this place very well! If she wasn't careful, there would be a car accident or a fight.
The two of them carefully sent the old lady back home.
When Master Li saw the two people coming again, he immediately became angry. After welcoming his mother into the house, he wanted to close the door.
"What are you doing? Open the door and let the children in!" The old man hit his son and said to him, "These two children brought me back home. If it weren't for this girl, I would have been hit by a car and died."
Master Li got angry when he heard this: "I told you not to go out, but you wouldn't listen. There are cars outside, and your legs aren't in good condition."
"I've been staying in this house all day and I'm almost suffocating. Can't I go out for some fresh air? You're controlling me all day long. Just mind your own business!" the old man retorted.
Tian Xin finally understood where Master Li's temper came from. It really was... quite similar!
"Come in, both of you!" Master Li opened the door and welcomed the two into the house.
Tian Xin wondered if she could ease the problem by talking to him. She quickly looked at Zhang Shuai and said to Master Li, "Uncle Li, why are you so unwilling to work with Zhang Shuai?
You should know him better than I do. He was a jerk in the past, but he always respected you. You can't hate him just because he stood up for you."
“…”Master Li didn’t say anything.
The old lady at the side looked at her son, then at Tian Xin, and said to Master Li, "Just go with this kid. What good is it to be bullied here all day? I think these two kids are more reliable than yours. Just listen to your mother."
Master Li looked at his mother, then turned to look at Tian Xin, sighed, and hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
"Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you. It's not that I don't want to go with you, it's that I can't go." Master Li said helplessly.
Can't go?
"Why not?" they both asked in unison.
Master Li lowered his voice and said, "I'm back to my original factory now. Six months ago, Liu Xin found me and asked me to come back and be the team leader."
He paused, then continued, "I couldn't find a suitable job at the time, so I worked odd jobs outside, but I couldn't make enough money to even pay the rent for this shabby house."
Master Li glanced at his mother, then looked at the house, and continued: "Liu Xin offered me a higher salary than before, so I went back with him. After working for a few days, Liu Xin found me and asked if I knew where Zhang Shuai was.
"Why does he want to see me?" Zhang Shuai was puzzled.
"I didn't know at the time, so I told the truth that I had never seen you. He told me to inform him immediately if I had any news about you."
"I thought he was just saying it casually, but he started asking me about it once a week, and then every few days. I got tired of being asked, so I said I didn't know and had never seen you before."
"I didn't expect him to threaten me, saying that if he knew I had deliberately kept it from him, he would tell me to be careful about the safety of my family."
"I was scared after hearing this. My two daughters are still young, and my mother is so old. If Liu Xin can say it, she can definitely do it."
"You said that when we worked together a few years ago, he never showed up at the factory. If I had known it was him, I wouldn't have messed with him."
Master Li finished speaking in one breath, glanced at Zhang Shuai, and quickly lowered his head.
"Oh...it's all my fault!" Zhang Shuai said self-reproachfully, "If I hadn't been so impulsive, there wouldn't be so many problems now..."
"I can't blame you. You just didn't want to see me being bullied." Master Li said, "You came to see me a few days ago. I was afraid he might run into you, so I told you to leave quickly. He must be looking for you to avenge the wine bottle you threw at him last time."
"So you let us go as soon as you saw us because you were afraid that Zhang Shuai would be caught by him." Tian Xin asked.
Master Li looked at Zhang Shuai, then turned to her and said, "I didn't mean what I said today. I just wanted you to leave quickly. I have to take care of my family first. Don't blame me.
I know Zhang Shuai isn't a bad person. We've worked together for three years, and I understand him. He was trying to stand up for me."
"If he hadn't stood up that day, I don't know how badly I would have been beaten. I just couldn't bear to watch him bully that waitress like that. She was only a teenager."
Master Li finished speaking in one breath and looked at Zhang Shuai deeply. When Zhang Shuai met Master Li's gaze, his eyes turned red.
"So, you think as long as Zhang Shuai doesn't show up and they don't meet, there won't be any problems?" Tian Xin asked, "You've been being manipulated by him here this whole time. Haven't you ever thought about leaving?"
"Where can this family of old and young go? The child is still in school, so it's not easy to go anywhere. It's more stable here. We have to endure a little hardship, because making money is not easy!"
Yes! Making money is never easy!
Having said that, we can only respect Master Li’s ideas!
Tian Xin glanced at Zhang Shuai and signaled him to leave.
The two came out of Master Li's house and sat on a park bench to rest.
Before leaving, Master Li repeatedly told Zhang Shuai to leave here quickly and not let Liu Xin find him.
Zhang Shuai looked troubled from the moment he came out. He refused to answer questions.
"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Tian Xin asked, pulling Zhang Shuai's ear.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Boss, when can you change this bad habit and stop pulling your ears all the time, okay?" Zhang Shuai rubbed his ears that were hurt by Tian Xin pulling them.
"Tell me, what's wrong?" Tian Xin asked, staring at him.
Zhang Shuai hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Boss, can we wait a few days before leaving?"
"Two days? Why?"
"I'm going to call my three brothers to come with me. They need to pack up. I also need to go back and pack up and give up my house." Zhang Shuai's eyes rolled around, and it was obvious that he was not telling the truth.
"Really?" Tian Xin glanced at him.
"Really! How dare I lie to you?" Zhang Shuai said and quickly covered his ears, fearing that Tian Xin would launch a surprise attack.
"Okay! I'll find the other person myself. Don't worry about it. Just take care of yourself. Don't cause trouble with me! Don't cause trouble, do you hear me?" Tian Xin emphasized again and again.
Only she can control this person!
"Don't worry, Boss."
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