Seven o'clock every evening is the busiest time at the night market in the center of the urban shantytown.
Every household has set up a small stall, neatly lined up, with people rushing in and shouting. The curling smoke from cooking fires floats into the night sky, and the smell of fireworks is everywhere.
This has been my favorite place in the three years I've lived here.
In the summer, there are ice beer and barbecue skewers. When the weather is a little cold, there are delicious roasted sweet potatoes and roasted chicken wings. All the food is not expensive at all. The bosses are polite and kind. If you say something nice to them, they will give you more portions. At that time, I didn't have much money, so I always followed Dong Mingyang to eat and drink. Maybe it's because I recall the past that I become particularly emotional. I sat in a barbecue shed in the night market, ordered some food and draft beer, and waited for Dong Mingyang to come.
I didn't tell anyone I was going to be here tonight.
Not even Qiao Nuo. After all, the person I want to keep these things secret from the most is him.
Half an hour later, Dong Mingyang sat down in front of me in a hurry. He still smelled of cigarettes. When he saw me, he smiled heartlessly as he did before. I felt much more relaxed when he smiled. There was no time for small talk, so I went straight to the point.
"I've read the messages you sent me several times. I think it's time to deal with these things properly." I rolled up my sleeves, poured the beer into the quilt, and took a big gulp in the cool night breeze.
In the early morning after a hangover with Guan Yue, I received a message from him, which was passed on to me by his friend. Ai He used the house my mother bought as collateral to borrow high-interest loans. That house was the one that Lin Fang and I had been arguing about before—the house she used me as a bargaining chip to get from Su Yuan.
Ai He is not a good person. I knew it the moment he appeared in my life with Ai Qing.
But I didn't expect that he would only reveal his true colors now.
That house was almost the only hope for Lin Fang to survive, but he wanted to steal it away. It was no coincidence that Ai Qing showed up to please me at this time. If I guessed correctly, Ai Qing was in great need of money. I didn't care how much he and Lin Fang loved each other, or whether Lin Fang was happy with him or not. I had to root out this cancer, otherwise, Lin Fang could only wait to suffer a huge blow in her second life.
After this blow, I don’t know if she can get better.
"Jing'an, don't be angry first, we should discuss this properly." He comforted me.
"There's nothing to discuss right now. My mom called me several times today and asked me to go back for dinner tomorrow." I sneered sarcastically, "Some people seem to be more anxious than me, and they whispered to my mom what to say to me."
"Did you agree?" He frowned.
"Anyway, I'm going to go and see what they're trying to do."
Perhaps he had never seen me so serious and stern before. Dong Mingyang thought for a while and said, "Well, send me a message before you go tomorrow. I will wait near your house. If there is any movement, call me and I will come to find you."
He and I know that tomorrow will be a Hongmen Banquet, and no matter how I respond, I can't stop everything from moving forward.
"Okay, that's settled then." I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling particularly at ease with him around.
However, I didn't know that all this seemingly natural protection would become a broken string in an instant, and fate would fall apart at this moment.
All misfortunes are hiding under the sun, ready to strike.
That night, I didn't sleep all night, and even the chat with Qiao Nuo before going to bed became a little perfunctory. I told him that I was a little tired, so I washed up and went to bed early, but lying in bed, my nerves were tense, and I kept imagining what would happen the next day in my head.
Even if my mother doesn't care about me now, no matter how cruel I am, I can't really let her suffer a second huge blow.
The next day, I wore clothes that were convenient for movement, bought some fruits to save face, and arrived at Lin Fang's house on time. However, at this moment, there was only Ai He at home.
Seeing me come in, Ai He, who was sitting at the table drinking and watching TV, hurriedly invited me in. Looking at the half bottle of white wine left, I became alert for no reason.
I watched Ai He get my slippers for me expressionlessly and put the fruit aside casually.
"Your mother went out to buy groceries. I didn't expect you to come so early. Come on, come in and sit down." Before I could ask, he began to explain, "Ai Qing went out to play with her classmates today, so she's not here either."
I nodded but didn't answer.
In fact, I haven't seen this man for a long time, and my impression of him is still stuck on the time when I just left here. He has a pretty good face, but as a middle-aged man, he has a greasy and powdered look.
Actually, Ai Qing doesn't look like him, but she feels very similar to him, the kind of hypocritical and flattering that makes people feel uncomfortable and don't want to get close to her. When I lived here, he couldn't say good or bad things about me, but just kept a distance from me, not caring much, but not being cold either.
At that time, I was a burden to him, and I was lucky that he didn't abuse me.
Perhaps it was because he was born with a smooth tongue and could cheat women for food and drinks, which led to his lack of money-making skills and a lot of bad habits. Smoking and drinking were no problem for him, and his favorite thing was gambling. Sometimes when he was lucky and won money, he didn't want to save it, but spent it lavishly. When he lost, he relied on Lin Fang to make a living.
I suppressed all my dissatisfaction towards him and didn't dare to explode, because I was powerless at that time and couldn't even take care of myself well. So even though we lived under the same roof for so long, he and I didn't have any direct and direct conflicts. Now when I face him again, I find that my disgust and resistance towards him have not diminished at all.
"Sit down, your mother will be back soon and will cook your favorite dish for you." As he said that, he stood up shakily, ran to the kitchen and started washing the fruit.
I nodded, sat down quietly on the sofa, and looked around the house, which was less than 60 square meters. The furnishings here were no different from when I left. Ai He always liked to smoke in the house, which caused the house to always smell like tobacco and Ai Qing's cheap perfume.
"Jing'an, I heard that you were in love recently, congratulations!" He put the fruit in front of me with a slightly tipsy smile.
"When will my mother be back?" I didn't want to say anything more to him. I knew these were all his tricks. He sent my mother away, so there was no way anything good could happen.
"Your mother went to buy groceries. I don't know how long it will take her to be back." He was obviously perfunctory, but he insisted on getting close to me and even sat next to me. "Jing'an, uncle hasn't seen you for so long. I miss you a lot."
I was so disgusted by his behavior that I immediately moved to the side.
"Uncle, just say what you want to say, don't beat around the bush." ​​I forced a fake smile, looking very peaceful. As soon as I finished speaking, he was delighted and rubbed his thighs with his hands, "Since Jing'an, you asked me this, I will tell you directly. Recently, your mother and I have had some difficulties in life. In addition, Ai Qing is also going to continue her studies, and I am really short of money. You see, when you went to college, I also put in a lot of effort. Now I and your mother need you, see if you can help us."
When I heard him say that, I finally couldn't help laughing.
It was just as I thought. He asked me to come here just for money. What was funny was that he had the nerve to say these things to me. Didn't he spend less money on my mother's money back then? Even before I returned to the Su family, I worked hard to earn my tuition fees. He took a few hundred yuan from my mother, and that counted as his contribution?
Ai He kept sighing, looking very worried.
"Your mother has been in poor health recently, so I told her to quit her current job. Unfortunately, I had some problems at work recently, so I don't have any money to give. Otherwise, as an elder, I wouldn't be telling you this."
I stared at him coldly, and finally couldn't help asking him a question: "Of course I have to take care of my mother's problems. How much money do you need recently?"
"This——" He paused, not expecting me to be so straightforward. Then he raised three fingers.
"Thirty thousand?" I asked.
He smiled awkwardly.
"Three hundred thousand?" I began to frown, but he still shook his head. I didn't ask any more questions, picked up the bag, and stood up, "Uncle, I don't have that much money, I'm afraid I can't help you with this."
"Jing'an, Jing'an, don't be so anxious to leave!" He stood up and pulled me, "Uncle really can't get through this difficult time. If you don't help uncle, uncle will really-"
"My mother isn't sick at all, and there's nothing wrong with your work. You just owe money from gambling again." I looked at him with a smile, my eyes like a sword pointing straight at his heart, "You owe money, that's your own business, it has nothing to do with me, and I can't give you as much money as you want."
I pulled my hand out without even looking at him, turned around and strode forward, wanting to leave here quickly. Whenever a huge amount of money is involved, things become complicated. And because the amount of money is huge, it is easier to cause complications.
But I still miscalculated. When Ai He saw me leaving, he rushed over and suddenly pulled me back. I was hit by this strong force and fell directly on the sofa. Before I could react, Ai He had locked the door. Then he turned around and looked at me expressionlessly, and the flattering look was gone.
It's not like I haven't seen a lot of things, but this is the first time I've seen someone with such a look in his eyes. It's not just a fierce look, but a look of desperation.
I took out my phone and wanted to call Dong Mingyang, but he snatched it away and threw it to the ground without hesitation. I admit that I was scared by him. Although I had imagined his ugly face countless times, when I really saw it, the fear that rose from the bottom of my heart still made me tremble.
He seemed to ignore me and went back to the table to drink his wine.
"Jing'an, we are still a family. I think there is no need for you to be so extreme about some things. After all, your mother and I still live together."
I stood there motionless. It was impossible . Even though I had seen a lot of things, it was just a simple fight. But now, this old fox was threatening me with my mother. If I didn't agree to give him money today, I didn't know what he would do, and I didn't even know if I could leave the house.
What if my mother is in cahoots with him?
This thought came to me suddenly, making me even more desperate.
I have no choice. All I can do now is to delay time as much as possible and wait for the third person to come in, no matter if that person is my mother or Ai Qing.
“I can’t give you three million. Su Yuan can’t possibly give me that much money.”
I kept my voice calm, thinking he would soften a little, but he smiled sinisterly.
"Can't give it? If he can't, your boyfriend can always give it." He took another sip of wine and tapped his fingers on the table with some pride. "Originally, I thought you could give me one million first, and then give me the remaining two million, but with your personality, I guess you wouldn't even give me one million."
"So, this is all I can do. Jing'an, don't blame your uncle. I have nowhere else to go!"
"I lost a lot this time. I never thought I would lose so much." He sighed, "Except for you, I can't think of anyone who can help me."
"Jing'an, as long as you help me, uncle won't hurt you. I will also treat your mother well." He began to use threats and inducements.
Hearing him say that, I couldn't help but relax a little. My mother probably didn't know he was doing this. Even if my mother ignored me as her daughter, she wouldn't cooperate with him in doing such a thing. But this also meant that if I didn't do what he said, my mother would be in danger.
"How do you want me to help? Pretend to be kidnapped? Do you think Su Yuan would be so stupid?" I followed his words but kept asking him questions. In short, the longer I could delay, the better.
"You are in love with Qiao Nuo now, Su Yuan will give you this money even if he has to risk his life, not to mention it's only three million, will he not be able to come up with it?" He showed a cunning smile, "Whether you can get this money or not is up to you to ask for help."
I sat up straight again and held the bag tightly in my hand. Since he said that, he wanted me to cheat money with him. Whether I could cheat the money or not is another matter, but I couldn't leave. This was his plan. Even if I broke up with him or not, he didn't plan to let me go. He would only let me go when I helped him get the money. If I wanted to expose him, he would naturally use my mother as a shield.
After clarifying this fact, two paths appeared before me.
First, I would cooperate with him and cooperate to the end, help him defraud three million, and then pretend nothing happened. But the result would be that he would be fearless and use me as a cash cow even more unscrupulously.
Second, I would tear my face off right now, make a big noise no matter what, make the neighbors hear it, try to escape, then call the police, and persuade my mother to divorce. This path is very dangerous, but if it succeeds, my mother will completely give up on him. I can also really expel this father and daughter from my life.
Obviously, I prefer the second option. Because the thought of having to stay here for many days pretending to be kidnapped and get along with him is a living hell. So, I secretly took out the exquisite switchblade from my bag and put it in my coat pocket. What I have to do next is to provoke him and let him show all his true colors.
"Ai He, you have a very good plan. Why do you think I will agree to you?" I sneered and stood up.
He didn't expect me to react like this, and his expression suddenly became serious.
"You are such a complete scumbag, are you worthy enough to threaten me?" I deliberately angered him, "Ai He, you underestimate me too much. Would I be afraid of your threats? Do you think I don't know what you have done? The fact that you secretly mortgaged my mother's house is enough for me to hire a lawyer to sue you!"
Hearing about the house, he tightened his grip on the cup. This is what Dong Mingyang told me, and it was because of this that I could no longer tolerate him.
"Now, you still have the nerve to ask me for money. I tell you, I won't give you a penny!" I yelled at him, "Don't even think about using me to threaten my father. If you dare to touch even a penny of mine, he will put you in jail tomorrow!"
"Su Jing'an!" He was easily angered by me because he was drunk. He threw the cup to the ground, breaking it into pieces. "You forced me to do this! Anyway, if I can't get the money, I won't get better, and you and your mother won't get any better!"
This sentence was like a red alert. He turned around and took out a bundle of rope from the cabinet. The moment I saw it, I knew that everything was exactly as I thought. Things have come to this point. I have no choice but to protect myself.
I strode to the door and tried to open the lock, but Ai He grabbed me from behind. I picked up anything at hand and threw it at him, but he didn't dodge at all, as if he was not afraid of the pain. He untied the rope and wanted to tie me up. I struggled desperately and then bit his arm hard.
It seemed to really hurt. He growled, then raised his hand and slapped me hard.
The force was so strong that I was thrown away and kept falling backwards. Then I fell heavily to the ground. The back of my head was hit by an unknown object, and the pain made my nerves tremble. Tears flowed without warning. I used all my strength to call for help, and even picked up the kettle on the table and threw it against the wall. The sound insulation of this house is not good at all. I hope the neighbors next door can hear it.
But I forgot that in the house where my mother lives, there is an old lady with poor hearing on the left side, whose children are all living away; and the neighbor on the right side is often not at home, and I don’t know where he goes to do odd jobs.
Seeing me like this, Ai He became even angrier. He came over and dragged me up from the ground. I didn't think twice and picked up the plate on the table and threw it at his head, but it was useless. I was so scared that my hands and feet were weak and I couldn't hit him at all. He dragged me up from the ground, and I yelled and kicked him, but it was still useless.
I finally experienced fear.
It turned out that he was even scarier than I thought. Ai He started to hit me, slapping me three times in a row, and I had forgotten to cry, and even my breathing became weak. At this moment, there was a rustling sound of the door opening, and then Lin Fang rushed in.
"What are you doing? What are you doing?" She threw down the vegetables she had just bought, picked up the bag and hit Ai He.
"How could you touch my daughter! I love you and Qingqing so much, how could you abuse my daughter like this!"
It was the first time I saw my mother defending me so loudly.
"Get lost! If it weren't for the fact that you still have some value, who would care about an old woman like you!"
Ai He humiliated her severely. With red eyes and drunkenness, he turned around and slapped her in the face without caring who it was.
She was weaker than I was, and could not bear it, so she fell to the ground covered with broken glass.
"Mom!" I yelled, tears streaming down my face.
The broken glass pierced her head and she rolled on the ground in pain. Ai He not only ignored her, but also kicked her and cursed her as he kicked her.
He treated my mother like this!
I was sobered up by this scene, and I picked up a stool beside me and hit him. After the second hit, he finally turned around and started to grab the chair from my hand. I was no match for him, and the chair was taken away. Ai He threw the chair to the ground and approached me step by step.
I was at a loss as to what to do. My eyes turned red from hearing my mother's painful moans as she lay unconscious on the ground. Suddenly, I saw a fruit knife placed next to the fruit plate on the low cabinet next to me.
As if I saw a savior, I rushed over and picked up the knife.
“Come over here again!” I shouted at the top of my lungs, strode to my mother, and waved the knife at her. “If you come over here again, I’ll die with you!”
But this sentence was useless to him. He was not afraid of the knife. He directly knocked the knife in my hand to the ground and dragged me away. The fragments on the ground cut my legs. I was in so much pain that I could do nothing but scream helplessly. At this time, I finally realized how naive my idea of ​​irritating him and then escaping was.
He still wanted to tie me up, but just when I was almost desperate, a figure rushed in from the door, quickly pounced on Ai He, and fought fiercely with him. I fell to the ground, breathing heavily, tears flowing because of fear.
That person is Jono.
I have never seen him like this before, he was extremely angry, like a wild animal out of control. He was tall and strong, and he easily overpowered Ai He, but Ai He was no pushover either, and the two of them fought, evenly matched for a while. I weakly called out Qiao Nuo's name, fearing that he would get hurt. In fact, it was the first time I felt so helpless. It turned out that I was not as powerful as I thought, I was just a paper tiger who could bluff.
There was nothing I could do except cry.
I don't remember how long the two of us struggled, but I only know that when I finally had the strength to get up, I heard Ai He scream. Then, he fell down uncontrollably. Qiao Nuo stood there with a pale face, holding a bloody fruit knife in his hand.
The knife I held.
This scene completely woke me up from the pain. I used all my strength to stand up and came to his side. At this moment, Ai He was lying on the ground unconscious, with a large patch of blood on his chest. Qiao Nuo was a little stupid, but I was awake. Nothing could happen to him, no matter what.
I snatched the knife from Jonno's hand and pushed him away roughly.
"What are you doing, Jing'an?" Qiao Nuo held my hand tightly, as if he had just realized what was going on. "I hurt the person, call the police!"
"Qiao Nuo, hurry up and leave." I pushed him away as I said, "This has nothing to do with you. Go away. I am acting in self-defense. Go call the police for me. Su Yuan will not ignore me. Don't worry, I'm fine. At most I'll just give him three million!"
My tongue was tied in my mouth and I was actually scared to death.
I don't know where I got the rationality to say these words. But my tears still betrayed me. I always felt that I was in a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from.
"Su Jing'an, give it to me!" He yelled at me and came to grab the knife from my hand. I raised my hand and slapped him, then pointed at the door and said, "Go away quickly."
"I beg you to leave quickly!" I couldn't stop crying. All I could do now was to protect him. This matter had nothing to do with him. He couldn't let his life be ruined because of me. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and shouted, "I hurt him. If I leave, who will I be?!"
"Am I so irresponsible in your eyes?"
"Su Jing'an, I'm your boyfriend, it's only natural for me to protect you!" He put his hands on my trembling shoulders, "Jing'an, calm down first, I'll go get the phone in the car and call an ambulance first, you stay here with your mother!"
After saying that, he turned around and stalked out, while I stood there with my mind blank.
I don't know what will happen next, nor do I know what kind of punishment fate will give me. I just feel extremely regretful. Why did I overestimate myself? I knew I was inviting myself into a trap, but I still did it. It's really ridiculous.
As soon as Qiao Nuo walked away, Dong Mingyang rushed over.
As soon as he came in, he was stunned by the scene in front of him. Seeing me with several wounds on my body and the bloody knife in my hand, his face changed suddenly. He immediately rushed over and asked if I was okay, but I pointed at Ai He lying on the ground with a dull expression and couldn't say a word.
Dong Mingyang was also shocked when he saw Ai He lying in a pool of blood.
"What's going on? Could it be that Jing'an, you..."
I stammered, wanting to tell the truth, but when I saw Dong Mingyang's horrified face, a light bulb went off in my mind and I made a decision.
"Yes, it was me...I hurt him accidentally...I did it..."
None of this has anything to do with Jono.
I'll just take the responsibility on myself.
"Didn't you say to call me if anything happened? Jing'an, you, you can't do this..."
Dong Mingyang hugged me with red eyes.
“Miss Su, why are you in my house…Ahhhhhh—Dad! Dad!”
As luck would have it, Ai Qing, who never came home , also came back.
Like a cheesy TV show, everyone rushed together and collided one after another.
As I expected, she let out a loud scream, then squatted beside Aihe and cried loudly like crazy.
At this time, I didn't know that the bloody knife in my hand had already been held by Dong Mingyang, and he even deliberately wiped the blood on his body.
Fate changed dramatically at this moment.
The guilty become innocent and the innocent become guilty.
No one can continue to live his life according to the original trajectory.