A startling encounter at the pawnshop and shattered trust
The afternoon sun dappled the wooden counter through the dusty window of the old pawnshop. Zhong Hua hurried along, clutching her mother's hospital bill tightly in her hand, the paper crumpled in her hand. Her expression was anxious, her eyes bloodshot with worry for her mother's condition, and her once neat short hair was now slightly disheveled.
Zhong Hua was in such a hurry because her mother's condition had suddenly worsened, requiring a large sum of money for surgery. She had already borrowed money from everyone she knew, and every second felt like a sharp blade hanging over her mother's life. The pawnshop was filled with an old, musty smell, mixed with a faint scent of sandalwood. Zhong Hua's eyes quickly scanned the shop, searching for items to pawn for money, when her gaze was inadvertently drawn to a figure behind the counter.
Ah Yu stood there, his posture still upright, though he looked somewhat haggard. His fingers slowly reached towards his neck, removing the jade pendant he never parted with. The pendant was warm and lustrous, radiating a soft sheen in the light, as if it held the stories of time. Ah Yu's eyes were filled with reluctance and resolve as he gently stroked the pendant, as if bidding a final farewell to an old friend.
The pawnshop owner was an elderly man in his sixties, wearing black-rimmed glasses. Behind the lenses, his eyes revealed shrewdness and worldliness. He pushed up his glasses, his gaze falling on the jade pendant in Ah Yu's hand, his tone tinged with emotion: "Mr. Bai, this mutton-fat jade was something your mother risked her life for back then..." These words echoed like a heavy hammer in the quiet pawnshop.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Hua's heart jolted, and she instinctively took a half-step back. Her gaze shifted between the blank on the payment slip and the number on the pawnshop's scale, and the two numbers surprisingly overlapped. For her at this moment, this number represented her mother's hope for life, and for Ah Yu, it seemed to represent a release from some unspeakable predicament.
Ah Yu's hand paused, as if sensing the gaze behind him. He slowly turned around, his eyes meeting Zhong Hua's. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. A flicker of panic crossed Ah Yu's eyes, then he quickly tucked the jade pendant into his sleeve, his movements somewhat hurried. The red marks from the handcuffs worn during the interrogation still lingered on his knuckles, starkly contrasting against his pale skin.
Zhong Hua's lips trembled slightly, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin. She looked at Ah Yu, her eyes filled with shock, confusion, and disappointment. The man she had once trusted and relied on so much now seemed so unfamiliar.
“Ah Yu, you…” Zhong Hua finally managed to squeeze out a few words, his voice trembling slightly.
Ah Yu pursed her lips, avoiding Zhong Hua's gaze, and whispered, "Zhong Hua, don't misunderstand..."
"Misunderstanding? How could this be a misunderstanding? Why would you pawn the jade pendant that your mother risked her life for? And what's with this number? It's such a coincidence!" Zhong Hua's emotions were somewhat out of control, and his voice unconsciously rose.
Ah Yu raised her head and looked at Zhong Hua, her eyes filled with helplessness and pain: "Zhong Hua, I have no choice... There's a problem at the company, and I need money to solve it, otherwise we'll all be finished."
"What about my mother? She's lying in the hospital waiting for this money to save her life! Why didn't you say so sooner? We could have worked together to figure something out!" Zhong Hua's eyes reddened, and tears welled up in them.
“I didn’t want you to worry, and besides, I thought I could handle it.” Ah Yu’s voice was a little hoarse. He reached out, wanting to touch Zhong Hua, but stopped in mid-air.
Zhong Hua looked at A Yu's hand, marked with red welts, and felt a pang of pain in her heart. She recalled A Yu's unusual behavior lately, the pointless arguments and the secrets she'd kept. "You're always like this, carrying everything on your own, but we're supposed to be together! What are we going to do now? My mother needs this money, and you..."
The pawnshop owner watched this scene, sighed softly, turned around and walked to the side, giving the two of them some space.
Ah Yu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Zhong Hua, take this to treat Auntie's illness first. As for this jade pendant... I'll find a way to redeem it later."
“But…this means so much to you, how can I…” Zhong Hua hesitated. She knew how important this jade pendant was to Ah Yu, just as her mother’s life was to her.
"Don't hesitate, saving lives is the priority." Ah Yu's eyes hardened. He stepped forward, took the jade pendant out of his sleeve, and handed it to Zhong Hua.
Zhong Hua looked at the jade pendant, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She slowly reached out and took the pendant. When her fingers touched Ah Yu's fingertips, both of them trembled slightly. "Ah Yu, thank you... But how did things turn out like this between us? Why are there so many secrets and hidden things?"
Ah Yu looked at Zhong Hua, her eyes filled with guilt: "It's my fault. I thought I could handle everything, but I didn't expect things to turn out so badly. I didn't want you to get involved in this trouble, but I forgot that we should face it together."
"Please don't do this again, okay? No matter what happens, we'll face it together." Zhong Hua gripped the jade pendant tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Okay, I promise you." Ah Yu gently wiped away Zhong Hua's tears, and the two embraced. In the dim corner of the pawnshop, it seemed that only they could give each other strength at this moment. However, the shock they had just experienced was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, and the ripples it stirred in their hearts would probably be difficult to calm down in a short time. How they would face the difficulties and challenges that followed was all unknown.
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