Willing to give
While Xia Xinwen's reputation was already tarnished, Xia's mother's restaurant, which she co-owned with a friend, opened as scheduled. Busy with work, Xia's mother was no longer the domesticated housewife she once was; she was now bustling about in her restaurant, walking with a brisk pace. Lately, she was always smiling, and her speech was faster than usual. One of the bolder waiters even dared to joke with her: "Boss Lü comes here every day; does he like our boss's wife more than our food?"
After a while of joking around, Xia's mother wasn't as embarrassed as before, but just pretended to be impatient: "Alright, alright, you talk too much!"
Actually, this Mr. Lü wasn't the owner of a big company; he just owned a sizable auto repair shop. He wasn't short of money, but he wasn't extremely wealthy either. He was middle-aged and had gained some weight, sporting a potbelly. He was always smiling and had a somewhat simple, honest appearance. It was said that he had lost his wife in middle age, and his young son had been sent abroad to study. The owner's wife was beautiful, had a refined air, and spoke with great culture. Although she was not young, it seemed a bit of a mismatch for her to be with the owner of this repair shop.
They always heard Boss Lü call her "Yifang, Yifang," assuming it was his way of showing affection, unaware that he had wanted to call her that decades ago. Back then, they were both in high school. Xia's mother was a bright and beautiful student, while he was a poor boy from a family so impoverished he was about to drop out. At that time, he wasn't fat, just a dark-skinned, thin boy who often secretly glanced at her. How could the young and sensitive Xia's mother not know? Her girlish pride and reserve made her pretend not to notice. Later, Xia's mother achieved great success, passing the university entrance exam and becoming a highly educated student envied by everyone, while he silently shouldered the burden of supporting his family. He once thought it was just a youthful, naive dream, never expecting to rekindle their romance so many years later.
Mrs. Xia didn't dislike Mr. Lü. He was honest but not dull, thoughtful and considerate. Although he had no power or influence, he associated with everyone from the rich and powerful to ordinary people on the street. Even old classmates he should have lost contact with decades ago would often meet up for a drink and call each other brothers. Mrs. Xia had moved on from her failed marriage and entered a new world.
However, people from the old world still wanted to have some connection with her.
She had just returned home that evening when she was terrified by a dark figure running out of the house. She was about to scream, but suppressed her fear after recognizing the person. Was it still Xia Xinwen? His hair was disheveled, no longer the slicked-back style it used to be. He wore a jacket whose color was indistinguishable, which, combined with his ashen complexion, made him look more like a construction worker who had just finished his work.
Xia's mother looked at her door lock. It had clearly been changed. How did he get in?
"What are you doing at my house? My house doesn't welcome wanted criminals." Once she regained her composure, Xia's mother immediately became cold, as if she didn't want to say another word to him.
"Fangzi, lend me some money. I'll be much safer if I can get out of the country. I know you resent me, but I'm getting what I deserve. Please help me for the sake of our marriage of over ten years. You're the only person I can trust now." Xia Xinwen came over and tried to take her hand, but she dodged him.
"Ha, someone who's raised hundreds of millions or even billions can borrow money from me? I'm truly honored! 'Marital bond'? How dare you even utter that?! Get out of my house right now, or I'll call the police!" Upon hearing the word "marital bond," Mrs. Xia completely lost her patience and even became angry. Why didn't you think about your so-called "marital bond" when you were trying to kick me out?! She immediately pushed open the door, raising her voice considerably, and pointed at the door, telling him to get out.
"Fangzi, Fangzi!" He immediately closed the door and whispered, "I didn't do any illegal fundraising at all. It was that old guy Cao Zheng who framed me! He saw that my divorce was getting out of hand, so he took the opportunity to pin the blame on me and try to make me a scapegoat. I didn't do anything!" Xia Xinwen looked nervous, and his expression turned somewhat ferocious when he mentioned Cao Zheng, the bank manager.
"How could someone afford a villa and support a woman if they haven't done anything? Who would believe that?" Xia's mother leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her words laced with sarcasm.
"That... was a gift from the developer to help them secure a construction loan."
“Accepting bribes is also illegal, so you won’t lose out anyway.”
"The two charges are far apart! As long as this project doesn't go wrong, I won't be in trouble either, but illegal fundraising is a serious crime! It's also my fault. I knew Cao was doing illegal fundraising, but I didn't say anything. After all, he's my boss. But I didn't expect him to be so ruthless. He pinned all the blame on me and got away scot-free himself!"
Xia's mother listened from the side. After all these years, she knew he hadn't lied, but she still harbored resentment: "Why should I help you? Do you think you have the right?"
"Just for Tongtong's sake, if I go in, she won't have a father anymore!"
"What difference does it make whether you have a father or not?!" she retorted immediately, then realized there was no point in arguing any further. "How much do you want?"
"One hundred thousand," Xia Xinwen said hesitantly.
But when Xia's mother heard the number, she seemed to have been stepped on the tail, and sneered loudly: "One hundred thousand? Do you think I'm going to accept bribes? You might as well find a box, put yourself in it, and float across the sea!" After saying that, she pushed him out with all her might.
Xia Xinwen panicked immediately and grabbed her arm, saying, "Fifty thousand, is fifty thousand okay? That's my bottom line."
Seeing his desperate state, Xia's mother softened compared to his previous high spirits: "I'll transfer the money to you once I've raised it."
Xia Xinwen quickly pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket: "Transfer the money to this card number."
"Fangzi, I was confused before... You should take good care of yourself from now on." Just a second before Xia's mother closed the door, Xia Xinwen, who was about to leave, turned back and said those words.
Mrs. Xia leaned against the door and slowly sat down. From their courtship to their marriage and divorce, she had relived the story countless times. She remembered their wedding night, when Xia Xinwen held her hand and said, "Fangzi, let's live a good life together from now on." And just now, those words echoed in her mind—the same path, yet they could never walk it together again. This marriage had consumed so much of her energy and time. She had once believed that young couples would grow old together, and she had truly believed they could stay together until the end.
But fate never tells people what its next move will be, which is why we experience twists and turns, separations and reunions with those around us.
After sitting on the floor for so long, Xia's mother's legs went numb, and when she stood up, it felt like she was walking on cotton. She wiped her face with her hand; it was covered in tears. This was the first time Xia Xinwen had used such a tone since the divorce, such an apologetic and sorrowful tone, as if he truly regretted not cherishing their marriage.
Xia's mother was ultimately a soft-hearted woman. She had been unemployed for a long time and had invested most of her remaining money in the restaurant, including the money from the cheap sale of the villa. She took out 70,000 yuan herself and borrowed another 30,000 yuan from a friend, making a total of 100,000 yuan before it was transferred to her account.
You need money to cross the border, and you'll always need to spend money when you're in an unfamiliar place, right? I've done all I can, and I'll leave the rest to fate!
Just when Xia's mother thought everything had settled down, she received a call from Xia Xinwen. His voice was filled with panic and even despair: "The police are here. I'm really going to die this time."
Xia's mother, who was following behind, was also anxious: "Then run quickly!"
"Please find someone to save me... I still..." The call was cut off before the other person could finish speaking.
When news of Xia Xinwen's arrest appeared in the media, Xia Tong, who was far away from home, was frantic with worry, but felt helpless. She was absent-minded in class every day, and her mind was filled with images of her father being arrested and imprisoned. When others asked her what was wrong, she would only say that she hadn't rested well.
After much effort, Xia's mother finally managed to secure a visitation opportunity. At this time, Xia Xinwen had a buzz cut, was wearing a uniform striped outfit, and was handcuffed, looking quite dejected.
“Didn’t you say…” Xia’s mother glanced at the police behind him, hesitated, and then changed her words, “Didn’t I give you 100,000 yuan?”
"One hundred thousand?" Xia Xinwen immediately looked up in surprise, repeating excitedly, "You transferred one hundred thousand to me?"
"Yes, you didn't get it?" Xia's mother was also surprised by his tone: How could that be?
Xia Xinwen seemed angry, his facial muscles slightly contorted: "That bitch Zheng Yulu took my money and then called the police to arrest me. Don't let me see her again after I get out! An ungrateful wretch!"
When Xia's mother heard that he was still involved with the woman who had ruined her marriage and had taken all 100,000 yuan she had scraped together, she was furious. Her tone changed from sympathy to indignation: "You two are both no good! You two are a perfect match! You think you can still go out and settle scores with her? Forget it, you can spend the rest of your life in jail!"
Xia Xinwen was also heartbroken. This grown man buried his head in his hands and cried, "I was so blind! What kind of people are around me? My boss framed me, my friends just stood by and watched, and even... they kicked me when I was down!"
Xia's mother remained unmoved, and simply said coldly, "You used to have a wife and children who would always support you, but now, and never again will you have those."
"I know, I know, it's all my fault..." Xia Xinwen said, tears streaming down his face.
"Go to jail and repent, turn over a new leaf and start anew."
"Fangzi, please save me. I don't want to spend my whole life in jail." Xia Xinwen suddenly looked up at her with hopeful eyes, like a drowning person looking at the last straw.
"I can't save you, I'm not a judge." Xia's mother said indifferently; she had already given up on this man.
"Do you know any powerful people? I'm truly innocent in this illegal fundraising case. A friend of mine who used to work at the bank knows about it and has evidence, but he's too afraid to testify for me. If you know someone with a strong background, just one word from them could clear my name! Please, Fangzi, I really don't want to be a scapegoat. I'd rather be sentenced to a few years because of the house issue than suffer for someone else!"
“I don’t know any powerful people…” Xia’s mother paused suddenly, “But I do know a family, but the price for contacting them is your daughter. Are you willing to give that up?”
Xia Xinwen was delighted to hear that she actually knew powerful and influential people, but he was still completely confused after hearing the rest. Before he could speak, Xia's mother stood up, picked up her bag from the table, and looked down at him: "But I can't bear to part with it."
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Finally finished writing! Time to go to the cafeteria for lunch... I wonder if there will still be any food left... *tears*
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