Chapter Nine Night Market
After dinner, Lin Yu, wanting to return the favor, took Jiang Chuan to the night market she had been longing to visit, but the actual experience left her greatly disappointed.
The night market was a small plot of land hastily marked out next to the central square of the county town. It was cramped, so much so that you could bump into the back of the chair at the next table if you turned around.
The entrance was supported by an arched iron frame that bore the words "Feicheng Night Market," covered with low-wattage light bulbs. The dim yellow and piercing white light intertwined, like malnourished glowing vines. Far from adding liveliness, it only made the place look rather shabby.
The vendors set up their folding tables and chairs, each occupying their own small space. On the iron racks of the barbecue stalls, skewers of meat with alternating layers of fat and lean meat sizzled as they grilled, oil dripping into the charcoal fire and creating smoke that filled the air above the entire night market.
At the stir-fried rice noodle stall next door, the owner was tossing a large black iron wok with one hand, the eggs and rice noodles flying up and down with each toss. Several students in blue and white school uniforms crowded in front of the milk tea stall, chattering about whether or not to add coconut jelly.
Like countless other night markets across the country, this place was filled with the same noisy, bustling atmosphere. Lin Yu was disappointed, but with the attitude of "since we're already here," he led Jiang Chuan to a stall with relatively good hygiene and sat down.
At the next table, several men were sitting on low stools, drinking beer with edamame and kebabs, shouting and playing drinking games. At their feet were piles of clam shells and discarded bamboo skewers, exuding a rough vitality.
Lin Yu glanced at them, seemingly caught up in the atmosphere, and turned to Jiang Chuan, eager to try. "Want some? I haven't tried the local beer yet."
Jiang Chuan produced two wet wipes from somewhere and began methodically cleaning the grease off the table. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "You really are someone who likes to try new things!"
Before he could refuse, Lin Yu ran to the owner's unpowered freezer, grabbed a case of room-temperature Feicheng beer, and ordered a few snacks to go with it. After paying, she returned to her seat with the beer, skillfully opened two bottles, and handed one to Jiang Chuan.
Although it was the dead of winter, the barbecue stall was completely surrounded by a large red tent, and the surroundings were bustling with activity. The two of them did not feel cold at all; it felt more like they were attending a rural wedding banquet.
"Don't be fooled by my skillful technique; my alcohol tolerance is actually not that good," Lin Yu warned Jiang Chuan in advance.
Jiang Chuan took the beer, poured himself a glass, and frowned as he looked at Lin Yu's forehead. "If your attending physician were to pass by, he might have to take me back to the hospital to write at least a thousand-word self-criticism."
"Are you going to take away my fun?" Lin Yu asked Jiang Chuan warily, clutching the bottle of liquor.
"Adults should be able to make their own judgments. All I can do is take you to the hospital when you have a headache," Jiang Chuan said, shrugging.
Lin Yu laughed heartily and clinked glasses with Jiang Chuan. "Attorney Jiang, the hearts of capitalists are truly black inside and out!"
Lin Yu's alcohol tolerance was indeed as impressive as he had claimed; after downing a bottle and a half of beer, his cheeks were flushed. However, he remained relatively clear-headed. In contrast, Jiang Chuan's alcohol tolerance seemed unfathomable.
He took the remaining half-bottle of beer from Lin Yu and poured it into his own glass. Lin Yu was long past the age of getting drunk in front of strangers. So, after realizing that the beer in Feicheng was no different from anywhere else, he stopped drinking excessively.
Jiang Chuan noticed her restraint and smiled as he replaced her bottle with a warmed coconut juice. She held the drink and sipped it slowly, behaving as obediently as a primary school student being watched by their parents while doing homework.
After having a few drinks, the two naturally became closer, and Lin Yu suddenly asked Manager Lü, "How's your agent doing?"
Jiang Chuan took a sip of wine, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "You care about him a lot? He almost disfigured you."
Lin Yu shook his head. "It's just a natural sympathy for the weak. I think you can understand that, after all, being a lawyer is essentially a charitable profession."
"Your interpretation of the legal profession is quite novel."
"Charity is not about receiving something at zero cost to the recipient. Ensuring that those who truly need it have legal recourse and avenues for action is also a form of charitable circulation."
Jiang Chuan raised his glass and took a sip. From Lin Yu's angle, he could see Jiang Chuan's Adam's apple bobbing up and down with each swallow. Lin Yu unconsciously bit his chopsticks, his gaze following the rising and falling lines of Jiang Chuan's lips.
Jiang Chuan didn't notice anything unusual about Lin Yu and nodded in agreement. "We handle many cases like Manager Lü's every year." Jiang Chuan took a sip of his drink.
“He’s already one of the luckiest ones, and the reconciliation went smoothly. Whether he starts his own business or stays in the original system, his future won’t be bad. What’s more…” He paused and said, “He still has the T family, which gives him an extra anchor point compared to others.”
"Then where is your anchor point?" Lin Yu asked, resting his chin on his hand and looking up at him.
"Me? My real needs may be hidden somewhere unseen." Lin Yu noticed Jiang Chuan's expression, which rarely showed a hint of confusion.
"You'll always find something—family? Career? Wealth? Aren't these what you men all pursue?"
Not knowing what you want stems from not asking the right questions, Lin Yu patiently guided. "Imagine you're leaving this world tomorrow; what you'd be most reluctant to let go of, or what you'd regret most, is your anchor point!"
Jiang Chuan's fingertips unconsciously traced the rim of his wine glass. "It seems...not."
He thought for a moment and replied, "My family structure is simple. My parents died in a car accident a few years ago."
"Speaking of family, I also have a grandmother, but she's been sick lately and often doesn't even recognize me." He stated the facts calmly, his voice without a ripple.
"Sorry." Lin Yu put down her drink, and under the influence of alcohol, she reached out and touched Jiang Chuan's arm.
Jiang Chuan looked at Lin Yu's small hand resting on his sleeve, its milky white sheen alluring under the dim lights of the greenhouse. His gaze followed her arm down to her face.
To create a cat-like makeup look, Lin Yu deliberately drew a pair of upward-sweeping black eyeliners, paired with dark brown eyeshadow, which unintentionally enlarged her almond-shaped eyes, making them appear as unpredictable as a pair of glass beads.
"If I find my anchor point, I will definitely tell you immediately."
Lin Yu slowly withdrew her arm, allowing Jiang Chuan to see the hook-shaped scar hidden on the inside of her wrist. As if possessed, he grasped Lin Yu's hand, turned it around, and pulled it towards himself. Without a word, he simply placed his thumb over the tiny scar, gently rubbing it repeatedly.
Jiang Chuan's hands were large, and after drinking, they became even drier and hotter. Lin Yu felt a slight itch on her wrist. She tried to pull her hand away, feeling a little embarrassed, but Jiang Chuan stubbornly held on and she couldn't escape.
The scar was hidden in the sleeve and on the inside of the arm, and was usually hard to notice. Even Lin Yu himself had almost forgotten about it.
After being touched by Jiang Chuan, a bittersweet emotion, like a damp rag covered in dust, was forcibly wrung out, its black muddy water flowing incessantly down Lin Yu's heart.
"I was cut by the glass of the middle school gate and needed two stitches," Lin Yu said vaguely, pretending not to care.
Jiang Chuan touched the slight, pinhole-like bumps on the scar, still silently watching her, as if waiting in silence.
......
Lin Yu has always been a very thoughtful child. Before her parents' divorce, she was lively and outgoing. After the divorce, her extroverted nature was gradually suppressed, turning into an introverted and withdrawn person in the eyes of others.
Fortunately, she consistently ranked among the top students in junior high school, especially in English, where, under Lin Min's influence, she consistently held the top spot in her grade.
So, in the eyes of her teachers and classmates, her shortcomings were probably that she was quiet, didn't participate in casual conversations during breaks, and didn't chase after teachers to ask questions after class, always remaining aloof from the group. Of course, this wasn't considered a major problem; at most, it was just a harmless quirk of a good student. Until that day, this dignified tranquility was completely shattered.
The matter was actually not complicated. It started on Monday morning when Lin Min had a recurring stomachache, which caused her to take Lin Yu to school a full 15 minutes later than usual.
Lin Yu was worried that being late would result in a demerit from the discipline teacher guarding the school gate. Afraid of being an oddball, she jumped off her bicycle and ran towards the teaching building, following behind a group of classmates who were also rushing to class on time.
The discipline teacher cannot be called a real teacher because her responsibilities do not include educating students. She is a heavily made-up, extremely strict middle-aged woman in her early forties, an external staff member specifically responsible for maintaining discipline during school breaks.
During breaks or when students arrive or leave school, she would stand in the center of the first-floor lobby with her hands on her hips, like Medusa in high heels. Students who met her gaze would be cursed and instantly petrified. So even the most unruly students would unconsciously walk briskly along the wall with their heads down when she was around.
Lin Yu started school two years earlier than his classmates. At the age of twelve, he was underdeveloped and much shorter than others. He had a natural fear of adult women who appeared in this way.
The junior high school building has a long history, and the main entrance still retains the old-fashioned wooden frame, with a single layer of ordinary glass inserted in the middle. Lin Yu followed the crowd to the entrance of the building, and the old glass and wooden door was pushed and shoved back and forth by the students going in and out.
Just as Lin Yu ran headlong to the building entrance, the student in front of him used too much force, causing the door to crash directly into the concrete wall on one side, and the glass in the middle shattered instantly.
Lin Yu rushed to the front and couldn't dodge in time. In the chaos, he reflexively reached out to grab the rebounding doorknob. This action caused Lin Yu's right hand to pass directly through the shattered door, and his wrist was inevitably cut by the falling glass.
Before the pain arrived, the students gasped in alarm. The culprit had vanished without a trace, and in the chaos, no one could make out his face. The students around gathered noisily, but out of fear of causing trouble, no one stepped forward to help. Several girls even stood a short distance away, covering their mouths and screaming uselessly.
The belated stinging pain made Lin Yu unconsciously turn her arm over. She saw that her wrist had been cut by a shard of glass, leaving a short wound. The cut white flesh was dirty and wrinkled, huddled to one side, revealing the white, greasy fat underneath.
There wasn't much blood flowing from the wound. She just calmly looked at her festering flesh without any belated fear, even though the wound was less than two centimeters from her pulse.
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