"It's not a big deal. They are just kids fighting each other. The class will start in a few minutes. Why don't we let them go back to class first?"
The atmosphere in the office was very tense. Liu Sulan knew that this matter could be a big or small matter, but if it was magnified by Director Guo, the consequences for Gu Yue would be disastrous.
"What would Gu Yue have to do to be considered a big deal?" The person who said this in a strange voice was the Chinese teacher in the next class, named Wang Zhenzhen. It was said that she and Liu Sulan entered the school at the same time and had conflicts more than ten years ago.
Teacher Zhang, who had been squeezed against me with Liu Sulan before, quickly interrupted: "Ask clearly before you speak. It takes two hands to clap when children quarrel."
Gu Yue, who was furious just now, now stood by the wall with his neck stiff and head tilted, ignoring everyone.
I kept my mouth shut and sneered as I watched everything that was happening in the office. Without the two parties saying anything, the office was already arguing. I was waiting for Director Guo to express his opinion.
Director Guo's face was tense, and his lips were pressed into a line. I thought he would say something, but after a moment, he looked away. I thought he would really handle the case impartially and severely punish the offender as he had said before.
"What on earth happened just now? If you want to hold someone responsible, you should get the truth..."
"The truth is that Gu Yue beat someone up in Teacher Liu's class, but Teacher Liu just stood by and watched." Before Teacher Zhang could finish, the Chinese teacher from the next class interrupted her, "If you must tell the truth, why don't you ask Teacher Liu why she didn't care about anything during class? Gu Yue, you have a lot of criminal records, right?"
This sentence seemed to wake Director Guo up, and he finally spoke: "Teacher Liu, the mistakes Gu Yue made before were not big, but they add up to a lot. It's okay to turn a blind eye to small problems, but..."
"Nothing happened now, did it?" Liu Sulan's tone became anxious. "No one was injured. Of course, I know that he kicked over tables and chairs during class, which had a bad influence..."
"Is this a matter of consequence? Teacher Liu, you were watching from the podium. Is this just a matter of kicking over tables and chairs?" Perhaps because she was severely offended by Liu Sulan, Wang Zhenzhen had always wanted to exaggerate the matter.
"It's just a small matter, don't get excited." Teacher Zhang, who was helping out, tried to smooth things over. She leaned to one side and lowered her voice to Director Guo, "His family situation is special, so there's no need to be too harsh. If Zhang Yuanyuan doesn't mind, then forget it."
Although Teacher Zhang's voice was low, it was directed at me, so I could hear it clearly. Special circumstances? It was nothing more than that his family had a strong background, so he was trying to get Director Guo not to pursue the matter!
"his home?"
Director Guo looked at Teacher Zhang in confusion, and then suddenly seemed to understand: "Oh——"
As expected, Director Guo was shaken, and the teachers in the office who were arguing so hard that their faces turned red and their necks became angry looked like a joke.
I just watched coldly, waiting for this farce to be over.
"Yes, his family's situation is rather special." Director Guo thought for a moment and said, "Teacher Liu, how about we call the parents of the two children?"
When Liu Sulan heard this, her red face turned pale in an instant: "No, that's not necessary. Yueyue, Yueyue... Isn't he still here?"
"What's wrong with you being here? You don't have the custody. To put it bluntly, you can make the decision on Gu Yue's affairs, but it doesn't count!" Wang Zhenzhen's voice was sharp. If Liu Sulan was just a vulgar and unrefined female teacher, then Wang Zhenzhen was a woman who liked to argue with others about everything and would make sure to leave the other party speechless.
custody?
My heart skipped a beat, and I looked at Liu Sulan suspiciously. She's divorced? Liu Sulan's face was pale and she stammered in defense, which undoubtedly confirmed what Wang Zhenzhen said.
I looked at Gu Yue again. Gu Yue, who was originally nonchalant and arrogant, was now staring at Wang Zhenzhen with a pale face.
"I, I'm his mother, why can't I handle this?" Liu Sulan argued stutteringly.
Yes, Liu Sulan is Gu Yue’s mother. Isn’t it because of this that Gu Yue, who committed so many crimes, was able to get away with it every time without receiving any punishment?
"Oh, you're his mother? I heard that you didn't even fight for custody when you divorced, and just took the money and left. Because of this, Gu Yue didn't call you for several years..."
"Wang Zhenzhen, watch your words!" Teacher Zhang suddenly interrupted Wang Zhenzhen in a harsh voice, causing Wang Zhenzhen to roll her eyes impatiently.
For several years... I haven't called him... I have a vague guess in my mind. When I went back to the classroom to get my raincoat last time, Gu Yue said "Teacher Liu" to the phone. Now it seems that he was talking to Liu Sulan at that time. Could it be that Gu Yue became a problem teenager because his parents divorced and no one cared about him at home? Even if this is the case, what parents should do now is to educate their children well, instead of trying to cover up the truth with money and power.
"Director Guo, you don't have to call him dad. I can make the decision. I will let Gu Yue apologize to Zhang Yuanyuan. I, I will also apologize to Zhang Yuanyuan..." Liu Sulan's head, which was always held high, was now lowered. She hunched her waist and discussed with Director Guo in a begging manner.
But there were people who wanted to take advantage of the situation. Wang Zhenzhen pushed Liu Sulan aside and blocked Director Guo behind her. Her harsh face showed the pride of crushing her opponent: "Teacher Liu, this is not right. You are Gu Yue's mother. At the same time, you are a teacher. Don't always favor your son. Zhang Yuanyuan is also your student!" After saying that, Wang Zhenzhen glanced at me with a proud and patronizing look.
"If you ask me, we should call both children's parents here so that we can handle the matter fairly. And in Gu Yue's case, he may need to be persuaded to quit. It would be better for the guardian to handle it."
Wang Zhenzhen's mouth was like a cannon, she said a lot of things. As things developed to this point, the two parties became spectators.
As I watched the various forces fighting each other in the office, I realized that it was Liu Sulan, not Gu Yue, whom they wanted to punish.
After hearing this, Liu Sulan was so anxious that she wanted to cry. She kept grabbing Teacher Zhang's hand and said, "What should I do? What should I do? We can't let Yueyue's father come over. If he knew that I can see Yueyue every day, he would definitely take Yueyue away."
It’s like playing a jigsaw puzzle, filling it in piece by piece. Maybe you can’t see it clearly yet, but you can know the general outline of the pattern.
Teacher Zhang held Liu Sulan's hand, slowly calmed her down, and pointed out the key to the matter: "We can't let this turn into school violence. Gu Yue has a lot of criminal records, and if he adds another one, he will definitely be expelled. Now is his last semester, and no school will be willing to accept him. We can't let this turn into school violence." Teacher Zhang said seriously, "Once Gu Yue is expelled because of this, he will most likely miss the graduation exam. He is ambitious and can't afford to delay. By then, let alone going to a third-class undergraduate program, he won't even be able to get into a junior college!"
"you mean……"
The office was already crowded and noisy. Director Guo seemed to have disappeared. Wang Zhenzhen was still speaking in a harsh voice, and Gu Yue was still gritting his teeth and ignoring the male teacher who was scolding him. I glanced at the chaotic surroundings and met Liu Sulan's cloudy eyes that still held a glimmer of hope.
"Yuanyuan." Liu Sulan's voice was very soft and could be completely ignored amid the noisy background noise in the office, but I still heard that timid, hopeful call.
"Yuanyuan, you are a good child. I know you have been wronged. The teacher apologizes to you."
Liu Sulan suddenly jumped in front of me. Her hands, which had become dry from writing with chalk and were still cold, tremblingly grabbed my hand as if she had grasped a glimmer of hope.
Liu Sulan's face suddenly caught my eye: she frowned, her forehead was squeezed with several deep and long lines, her deep eye sockets were filled with anxiety and restlessness, her eyes were filled with water because of the heat. At this moment, Liu Sulan was still so unkempt, but I looked at her without any dislike; it was obviously the look I hated, but at this moment, I found it inexplicably pleasing to the eye. Is this her, the self-righteous, vulgar, and sloppy female teacher? My heart trembled, I knew something was different, but I didn't want to admit it.
"Yuanyuan, teacher..." Liu Sulan choked up in the middle of her words, "Actually, it's not Gu Yue's fault. It's my fault. I gave up the custody rights at that time and didn't teach Gu Yue well, so he... But Gu Yue is not a bad person. He didn't mean to target you today... He just wanted to do it for me. It's all my fault, it's me..."
"Yuanyuan, Gu Yue, he can't be expelled. No school will accept him, he... Teacher, please, please..."
"Don't beg her, don't beg her, Mom—" Gu Yue's wail paused the noise in the office.
My eyes moved from Liu Sulan's face to Gu Yue's. His neck was red. Compared with the red-eyed confrontation with me in the classroom, Gu Yue was more excited at this moment. His facial features were distorted by pain and shame. The blue veins on his neck showed the strength and weakness when he howled.
Even if he tried harder, even if his veins bulged, he couldn't hide his helplessness in his current state of being at the mercy of others. Because he was powerless to change the situation, all he could make was the panicked wail of a trapped animal.
Liu Sulan had already turned her head away. She looked at Gu Yue cautiously, as if she was afraid of disturbing something: "You, what did you call me just now? Call me again, call me again."
Everyone in the office focused their attention on Gu Yue. This sudden scene made everyone forget to speak.
Gu Yue opened his mouth, as if he just realized what he had just shouted. He closed his eyes in pain and silently shouted the word "Mom".
"Ha, ha, it's all right, it's all right, Gu Yue is willing to call you mom." Teacher Zhang was so excited that she patted Liu Sulan's arm and shouted with a smile, "After four years, Gu Yue is finally willing to call you 'Mom'."
Teacher Zhang is very strong, and the vibration was transmitted to my heart through Liu Sulan pulling my hand, and I was inexplicably shocked.
“Pah.”
I don't know if tears make any sound when they fall, but when I look at Liu Sulan holding my hand and standing in front of me with her head lowered, I am sure that tears make a sound.
I don't know when Liu Sulan turned her head back, and the back of my hands were covered with tears.
"What are you doing? What are you doing?" Wang Zhenzhen's loud voice rang out, "Are you filming a TV series? Just because Gu Yue called out "Mom", can everything he did be erased? Zhang Yuanyuan, you are the top student in the grade, you don't want to have someone who destroys the learning environment in your class... Gu Yue must be expelled for doing something like this..."
"Yuanyuan, the teacher knows that you don't like me." Liu Sulan's voice was trembling with anxiety just now, but now it has become steady and firm. This strange steadyness and firmness seemed to be a decision made by Liu Sulan deep in her heart.
"I also know that I don't have the ability to teach you. You are right. Yuanyuan, teacher, teacher, please, what happened today is just what Gu Yue wanted to do..."
I just want to protect you, just like you are crying, giving up your self-esteem, and begging students to protect him. I looked at Liu Sulan's eyes that kept shedding tears, but were filled with determination and resoluteness, and then I heard her say: "But no matter what, Gu Yue made a scene in the classroom and shouldn't have hit you. I am Gu Yue's mother and also your teacher. I am willing to resign and will no longer teach your class. I hope you can forgive Gu Yue and not let him quit..."
"Are you crazy? If you quit your job, you will lose your only income, and you are still burdened with your father's debt..." Teacher Zhang shouted two sentences, but the last few words were unclear.
My mind was confused, as if I had suddenly lost my hearing. It turned out that the firmness and calmness in Liu Sulan's tone all came from her desire to sacrifice herself to save her son. What did I hear? I was still alive in this world, I was still looking at this office, but everything was like a pantomime.
What did I hear! Liu Sulan is willing to resign and stop teaching our class? The answer is right in front of me. I know which one is the correct answer and which one is more beneficial to me.
I should agree without hesitation. As long as Liu Sulan is willing to resign, whether Gu Yue will continue to study or Liu Sulan will be too poor to make ends meet, what does it have to do with me? I just need to take care of myself. As long as Liu Sulan leaves and I change my English teacher, my English grades will improve immediately and I can go to Shanghai.
My brain analyzed all the pros and cons clearly, but my heart couldn't stop pounding. I knew that being a bad guy required abandoning kindness and being ruthless, and I knew that I was just nervous and excited because I could get rid of Liu Sulan myself... But why was I still staring at this noisy office, why was I still looking at Liu Sulan's face, which should have been vulgar but made my heart beat faster and I felt inexplicably guilty?
What was she hoping for? What was she praying for? Shouldn't she treat the teachers to a meal and make them shut up, give me some money and just get the matter over with?
My heart was beating wildly, telling me that this was not the case, at least not at this moment. Liu Sulan was not a snobbish teacher who used her connections to whitewash her son's misfortune, Gu Yue was not a bad student who made trouble for no reason and did evil, and I was not a good student who was simply motivated.
Just like a puzzle, filling it in piece by piece will always allow you to see the whole story.
…
"Teacher Liu, shouldn't I know to order takeout when it's raining? Why don't you take care of yourself instead of worrying about me? After all, I'm not your son..."
"Can I go now, Mr. Liu?"
"Zhang Yuanyuan! Don't make trouble in English class anymore!"
"I said Liu Sulan is incapable of teaching senior high school students, and she can't teach her own son well! Gu Yue is Liu Sulan's son!"
"What's wrong with you being here? You don't have the custody. To put it bluntly, you can make the decision about Gu Yue, but it doesn't count!"
"Gu Yue hasn't called you for several years..."
"After four years, Gu Yue is finally willing to call you 'Mom'."
"What did you call me just now? Call me again. Call me again."
"Don't beg her, don't beg her, Mom—"
…
Those words I had heard came from all directions and poured into my ears. My silent world was suddenly filled with sounds. Gu Yue was excited and struggling. The teacher who was holding him could not hold him back. He kept shouting, "Don't beg her, don't beg her."
My eyes suddenly became sore, not because of the frustration and sadness of failing grades, but because of Gu Yue who was also struggling but powerless to resist. We are also struggling in life, children pushed by life, unable to choose our own direction, and even more powerless to resist. We once roared at this force like a calf, but this sound was not worth mentioning in front of the master.
My heart suddenly calmed down. I looked at Liu Sulan again. In my eyes, she still didn't deserve the title of teacher, but I knew I couldn't do anything rude to her anymore because she was a mother. I could hurt anyone ruthlessly, but not a mother who gave up her self-esteem and sacrificed herself for her children. I could do anything utilitarian to achieve my own goals, except hurting another self who was also struggling.
After the last puzzle piece was put in place, the truth was revealed to everyone. Even if I didn't want to believe it, my heart had already believed it. I was fighting against the obstacle on my important path in life - Liu Sulan; while Gu Yue was fighting against the vicious villain who hurt his mother - me. Everything started with me, and it should end with me.
"It was just a joke." I calmed my heart and said this simply.
"You mean, you mean..." Liu Sulan's eyes were suddenly filled with ecstasy, but she didn't believe it yet. She was still waiting for my confirmation.
"I mean, what happened in English class today..." Everyone's attention was drawn to me. I looked at them one by one and then said this seriously: "It was just a joke."
Everything should have returned to calm, but all the sharp, cheering voices in the office bombarded me like cannonballs. Liu Sulan kept thanking me; Wang Zhenzhen shouted that I was hopeless and that I would harm myself sooner or later because of this; Director Guo asked me if I was sure, if I was sure to do this...
This office was like a scene from a movie. I stood outside the camera and scanned everyone's expressions. Suddenly, a figure broke into the camera. I was startled and the whole picture suddenly lost its color...
"My daughter, teacher, what happened to my daughter?"
Dad must have been repairing the car just now. He was holding an old cell phone in his greasy hands. His gray-blue cotton jacket had been washed so badly that you couldn't see its original color. His underwear was frayed at the collar and his sweater kept sagging and couldn't cover his underwear.
Dad looked anxious, like a headless fly running around, asking every teacher "what happened to my daughter". Dad came so suddenly that the teachers had never seen him before, and they were all confused.
Director Guo suddenly realized: "You are... Zhang Yuanyuan's father, right? I just called you..."
"Yes, yes, I am Zhang Yuanyuan's father."
I couldn't stop Dad from saying this, just as I couldn't stop the teachers from looking him up and down with their scrutinizing eyes.
Those curious, prying eyes probed every detail on Dad's body, every stain, and even every line on the back of his hand. Their eyes, those curious, scrutinizing eyes, would eventually become contempt, disdain, or disgust, sympathy, and pity along with these things.
And such a gaze was like a invisible thread twisted in the air, with the other end of the thread pulling on me.
I have felt this kind of gaze more than once. Even though I had excellent grades and was the top student in my grade, once someone linked the vegetable market, my father and me together, those contemptuous and disdainful gazes would destroy my only dignity at any time. Even teachers would look at me with pity and sympathy. If my grades dropped slightly, they would link it to my family background. They would talk to me in a way that they thought was encouraging but was actually exposing my scars.
The two extremes of ice and fire are just like this, and falling from heaven to hell is just like this. The sunlight cannot shine into this office from the windows of the office opposite, but the cold wind that squeezed in from the gap in the window behind me has swept the whole world.
"Is this Zhang Yuanyuan's father?" Wang Zhenzhen said this in an ambiguous way, and then laughed softly, "Ha."
I shuddered all over.
During the long debate in the office, a class was over, and the corridor outside became noisy again. The office door, corridor, and window were crowded with students who came to watch the excitement. These students were like flies, and were driven away by the teacher with the reason of "it's none of your business", but they soon gathered again.
At this point their eyes focused on my dad, then they glanced at me and said, "Ha."
"Zhang Yuanyuan lives in the vegetable market!"
"Zhang Yuanyuan stinks of chicken shit, don't play with her."
I lowered my eyes, and there were only four words in my mind - yesterday happened again.
The desk lamp was on, and the orange light shone on the desk. I sat in front of the desk, and the area away from the desk lamp was dark. It was daytime now, and in a house with no lighting at all, I had to turn on the lights even during the day.
There is a window in front of my desk. I once imagined what it would look like outside the window when I pushed it open: there was a tree on the right side of the window, and the leaves changed with the change of spring, summer and autumn. In my spare time, I stared out of the window in a daze, and the floating clouds passed by my window, passing by my young and frivolous dreams.
But these are just dreams. There are no white clouds or trees outside the window, just an aisle that my father has separated into a kitchen. If the lights are not turned on, there is not even a ray of light. It is so narrow that it is difficult to turn around. There is no range hood. More than ten years of fumes have formed a layer of black oil on the cabinets. Honeycomb coal is piled under the window, and scattered coal slag has stained the corners of the wall black. A place that has nothing to do with beauty and joy, such a place, no wonder my classmates dislike me?
"Zhang Yuanyuan!"
I could vaguely hear someone calling my name. I heard it but didn't believe they were really calling me because no one would come here to look for me.
"Zhang Yuanyuan!"
The sound became louder. I stood up and looked out through the half-transparent glass on top. It was indeed an acquaintance - Gu Yue.
I walked out of the room and stood in this "kitchen" blackened by cooking fumes. The passage was actually a corridor. I stood in the semi-open "kitchen" and looked across. The house across was built a few years ago, made of cement, and its structure was similar to this one. In order to bear the weight, the corridor over there was connected to the corridor here, forming a quadrilateral. Gu Yue was standing on the cement corridor, and it seemed that he had taken the wrong stairs.
The door in front of Gu Yue opened, and the orange light shone faintly on his profile. His expression was not as impatient as when he called my name just now. He was a little stiff and a little unbelievable. But in just a moment, all these expressions were hidden. He waved at me nonchalantly: "Why is your house so hard to find? It doesn't look big, but it's quite complicated inside."
I stood in the dark, dirty wooden corridor, looking at Gu Yue across from me, wondering why he was here. I was stunned, and didn't even have time to feel embarrassed.
"How do I get here?" Gu Yue asked me while standing in the open space one meter in front of the wooden railing, scratching his head. He didn't seem to be frightened by this environment at all.
"Ah?" I was awakened by his words and immediately began to give instructions, "You have to go down the stairs first and walk back along the road. The stairs to my side are right here..."
"Trouble!" Gu Yue frowned and interrupted me, "I'll crawl over here, you move aside and don't overturn your stove."
"ah?"
Before I could react, Gu Yue had already stepped over the puddle of dirty water with ease, stepped over the railing, and jumped towards the corridor on my side.
"boom."
The wooden floor shook and I stepped back.
Gu Yue patted the stain on his pants nonchalantly, and quickly looked around where we were, with a meaningful look in his eyes.
"Why are you here?" I looked at him in surprise, watching him look left and right curiously, but I guessed that he would show a look of contempt in the next second.
But he didn't. He hunched his back, turned his head left and right to look everywhere, and said nonchalantly: "So you're here, why don't you let me in and sit down!" After that, he ignored me and slipped past me and walked in the door.
He sat down on the stool carelessly, and I didn't have time to stop him. I didn't want him to come into my house, not because I hated him or anything else, but because I didn't want people to see my house, and I didn't want to see the expressions on their faces.
Gu Yue looked around, a hint of understanding flashed across his eyes, but he did not comment on this room. He looked up as if he hadn't seen it, and asked, "Is there any water? Give me some water!"
I think I was right. Gu Yue is the guy whose brain wave frequency is different from that of normal people. Why is he here?
I poured some hot water from the kettle and handed the enamel cup to him: "Drink it."
Gu Yue didn't hesitate and drank the whole cup in one gulp.
Then I stood in front of him. There are only two rooms in my house. The outside is a combination of the living room, study and my father's bedroom. The inside is the utility room and my bedroom. There is no barrier between the two rooms. I don't want him to see my embarrassment.
But he had seen it.
Gu Yue understood my action of covering himself and stopped looking left and right. He sat upright on the stool, his eyes locked on my face, and after a while he lowered his head and fiddled with the scraps of paper in his hand.
"What do you want?" I continued to ask him.
He looked up at me, his eyes rolled around, wanting to say something but not saying it. It took a lot of effort before he finally opened his mouth and said, "Can you please sit down? Looking up at you makes my neck hurt!"
There are so many things to do. I complained in my heart and sat on the stool in front of the desk: "Why did you come to my house?"
"Who would be willing to come, if it weren't for my mother..." Gu Yue muttered, but I still heard it clearly. Maybe his mother forced him to come.
"I came to see you, just, just... I want to say..."
"What?" I couldn't help but feel nervous when I saw him hesitating and indecisive. "What do you want to say?"
"I want to ask...is there any water left? One cup is not enough to quench my thirst!"
I kicked the table in annoyance and pointed to the location of the thermos: "It's right there, pour it yourself!"
I was casual as the host, but he was really rude as the guest. He gulped down another glass of water. But I could tell that Gu Yue was nervous.
"Okay, stop drinking water and just say whatever you want to say!" I stopped him from pouring water for the third time.
Gu Yue raised his head and looked at me with his eyes rolling. In fact, if he wasn't so menacing, we should still be able to communicate.
In just a moment, he blushed. He turned his head awkwardly towards the door, looked at the wooden railing outside the door, and then looked at my desk piled with books. He took a deep breath, and said with some relief and embarrassment: "Well...my mother asked me to say I'm...sorry to you."
The last three words were slurred, and if you didn't listen carefully you wouldn't understand what he was saying. I looked at his red earlobes and said, "What did you say? I can't hear you clearly!"
Gu Yue rolled his eyes at me and said angrily, "My mother told me to say sorry to you!"
"Oh, your mother asked you to say it." I answered thoughtfully.
"And thank you." Maybe it was because he said it smoothly, Gu Yue stared at me without blinking and said into my eyes.
Looking at his stiff face, afraid that I would embarrass him, I felt a little uneasy. I wanted to drive Liu Sulan away, but I didn't expect that this would make Gu Yue and Liu Sulan become like that in the office...
"Ka-ka." I felt a little embarrassed, so I turned my head away, "Oh, actually, I was wrong too..."
"Yuanyuan! Come down and help me close the stall!" My father's shout came from the warehouse entrance, interrupting what I was about to say.
The atmosphere that was somewhat subtle just now has become a little strange now.
"Yuanyuan, did you hear that? Come down quickly!"
Dad's urging voice became anxious, and I stood up: "Are you okay? If you are, go ahead. I'm going to help my dad close the stall!"
Not knowing which of his words hit the nail on the head, Gu Yue suddenly stood up and said, "Let's go!" He immediately turned into a bossy state.
I ignored him and walked out first, standing outside the door waiting for him to come out: "Hurry up. "
"And they drove the guests out..."
Gu Yue mumbled something, probably because he thought I was rude and drove him away. I smiled bitterly, but didn't explain. Our house is behind the vegetable market, next to the labor market. There are all kinds of people in this warehouse. If you go in and out without locking the door, you are giving your property to others.
Gu Yue walked forward with a "dong dong dong" sound, making the wooden floorboards creak. Someone in the other two rooms cursed, "You're sick! Walk more gently!"
Gu Yue turned around, perhaps preparing to curse back. I hurried forward and said to the window of that family, "I'm sorry, Aunt Liu, I'm sorry."
Gu Yue looked back at me, his eyes bright and full of incredible apology. But in a flash he realized that I had noticed his expression and immediately rolled his eyes at me.
I rolled my eyes at him and pushed him forward. The aisle was narrow, and with the clutter piled up beside it, it was impossible for two people to pass through at the same time.
There was no light in the stairwell, it was pitch black. I reached out to pull the light cord, but it didn't light up. "The light is broken, so just walk like this. Don't step on the last step, and don't step on the last three steps of the second section."
What responded to me was a "swoosh" sound and the light of the lighter. Gu Yue raised the lighter and looked at me sideways: "You guys are playing like a dare , you can walk with your eyes closed, right?"
I was surprised by his tone. I didn't understand what kind of creatures boys were. But if it was a girl who came today, she would probably complain all morning and make unbridled sarcasm. She would even broadcast our situation live when she got back to school. Why didn't Gu Yue say anything?
If I go down the stairs, I won't be blocked by Gu Yue behind me. I quickly pass him and walk through the dark path. Gu Yue is right. Even if there is no light, I won't go wrong or fall. I have walked this path too many times.
When we got to the door, Dad put a big wooden box in my hands without saying anything, and tried to put an air pump on it. I leaned back to disperse the force, then looked at Dad and said, "You told Gu Yue where we live?"
Dad was busy with his work and said without turning his head: "It's not a big deal, just let them apologize to you."
I didn't want to talk to him anymore. If I hadn't seen my dad rushing into the office that day with such a worried look on his face, I would have thought that he was a good-natured man who didn't care about his daughter and would easily compromise. I turned around and walked inside, and saw Gu Yue walking out of the dark alley slowly with a lighter in his hand. I didn't plan to greet him, nor did I plan to keep him. I didn't know how to say polite words like "Just go, it's still early, have another cup of tea", and it was not appropriate for me to say them to Gu Yue.
Gu Yue, however, blocked my way with a thoughtful look on his face. After two or three seconds, I felt something light on my arm, and the big wooden box was taken by Gu Yue.
Gu Yue motioned to me: "You light it up."
I hesitated and didn't reach out.
"Why are you so slow? Just consider it as my apology, okay?" Gu Yue said, and put the lighter in my hand. He turned around and walked away without caring whether I was holding it or not, shouting as he walked, "Hurry up, I don't have the ability of night vision, and I am not as familiar with the road as you. If I fall, it will break your things!"
I was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed him, but was completely confused by Gu Yue's strange behavior.
I tried to sort out this "confusion". I didn't understand why Gu Yue, who was only forced by my mother to apologize, didn't show any contempt for my family background when he obviously didn't like me and was obviously unwilling to do so? Wasn't this a good time to hit me? Maybe everyone's upbringing is different, but it's just an awkward, embarrassing, and reluctant apology, and he can leave after saying it. Why would he want to help me close the stall?
Thinking back to the way Gu Yue had carried the big box up and down several times and said goodbye politely at the end, I felt more and more unbelievable. Gu Yue, helpful, civilized and polite? I shook my head, trying to get rid of these words from my mind. I couldn't figure it out, so I just gave up.
Dad was cooking in the corridor, and the smoke was so thick that the doors and windows were closed. I could only hear him calling from outside: "Yuanyuan, we're out of salt. Go buy two bags."
"Oh." I responded, picked up my wallet in a daze and walked out.
You don't need to bring your wallet to buy two bags of salt, just five yuan, but I don't know how I brought my wallet; I could buy two bags of salt at the vegetable market in front, but I ran to the supermarket as if possessed by a ghost. Looking at the supermarket five meters away from me, I thought it was 20 cents cheaper anyway, so I just came.
There were several people watching the fun in the small supermarket, and a woman's voice came from inside.
"Boss, I'm so sorry. I don't know why my child would steal things from you. I actually gave him a lot of money, but I guess he spent it all on the Internet! Oh, it's my fault for not teaching him well. I'm so sorry."
It seems that the mother is pleading for her son who got into trouble. Seeing that there are three layers of siege here, I don't want to get involved in crowded places at all.
"Humph! It was obviously you who stole it, and you actually framed me? I saw you steal it with my own eyes!"
The "buzzing" sound passed through the wall of people and reached my ears.
This voice sounds a bit like Gu Yue's? I stopped and left.
"Oh, this kid, he even said it was his mother who stole the things, he is really hopeless."
"Get lost! She's not my mother!"
The crowd chimed in, saying that the child was ill-mannered.
The woman's voice appeared again: "I'm so sorry, I'm his stepmother, I also want to take care of him, but I have to be able to do so. If I hit him, people will say I'm a stepmother; if I don't hit him, they will say I don't discipline him... Our old man Gu can't do anything about him..."
Public opinion has become one-sided, with onlookers believing that it is difficult to be a stepmother and that the child is too uneducated and should be severely punished.
I finally figured out that the person inside was Gu Yue. Gu Yue kept loudly explaining in the crowd that the things were stolen by that woman, but no one around him believed him.
Gu Yue would steal things? He is not short of money at all. I looked down at the wallet in my hand, and suddenly, an idea popped up.
I pushed through the crowd and walked in. Gu Yue, the boss, and a woman wearing thin stockings and a hip skirt in the middle of winter, holding an iPhone 6, were surrounded in the center.
"Gu Yue, I've been looking for you for a long time. When you went to my dad to make a key, you left your wallet on my dad's stall." I pretended to hand the wallet to Gu Yue and forced it into his hand. Then I turned to the boss and said, "Boss, you must have made a mistake. Gu Yue didn't steal anything. He just didn't realize that he left his wallet behind."
The boss looked more cheerful and waved his hand, "So that's how it is. I was wondering, it's not that expensive, just a toothbrush and two boxes of candy. What's the point of stealing it?"
"I'll say it again, I didn't steal it, it was..." Gu Yue frowned tightly, and refused to let it go easily.
I slapped his hand that was about to poke the woman's nose and said, "Of course I didn't steal. I just realized I didn't bring any money with me and was embarrassed to pay, so I wanted to put it back."
"I've already told you..." Gu Yue glared at me angrily, as if he was determined to make that woman admit that she was the one who stole it.
Before I could scold him for being so stubborn, the woman started talking.
“Little girl, don’t help Gu Yue cover up. As his mother, don’t I know what kind of person Gu Yue is? He is just impatient. He often touches his father’s money at home. Alas, it is also a debt from the previous life that I have a child like this.” The woman fiddled with the glittering gold earrings on her ears and said to the boss sincerely, “Boss, I understand that you want to give the child a chance, but I promise that if something like this happens again next time, you will send him to the police station. Old Gu and I can’t control him, so someone else has to take care of him, otherwise he won’t know how to walk the right path…”
After hearing this, I was a little surprised. Even if she is a stepmother, she wouldn't help her child "apologize" like this, right? Listening to the discussions of people around, there is no evidence that Gu Yue stole the things. The matter has not been clarified yet, but she rushed to apologize. If three people make a tiger, the neighbors will spread the rumor. Even if Gu Yue is not a thief, he will be regarded as a thief in the future. If more people say this, I am afraid that Gu Yue's father will not believe him. And what about this woman in front of me? She will only be regarded by the neighbors as a stepmother who wants to control the situation but can't, and no one will blame her.
"Stop talking about your child, Auntie." I tilted my neck. If I didn't know Liu Sulan, I would have thought that the woman in front of me had been Gu Yue's mother for more than ten years. "You look only about 27 or 28 years old. You can give birth to a 17 or 18-year-old child like Gu Yue, you are really hardworking!"
I don’t know if the woman really didn’t understand or was just pretending. She stroked her hair and looked distressed: “Although I’m not his biological mother, I watched Gu Yue grow up. Five years ago, when I was dating Lao Gu, Lao Gu told me to treat Gu Yue as my own son…”
The woman's exquisite clothes, makeup and expensive gold jewelry were completely different from the vulgar and slovenly Liu Sulan, but she looked much more disgusting than Liu Sulan. I smiled and said, "Five-year stepmother? I've never seen anyone eager to be someone's stepmother!"
"Five years? You were dating my dad five years ago?" Gu Yue suddenly froze, his voice low, as if he was trying to catch something.
The woman replied nonchalantly, "How can it not be five years? When Hesheng Department Store opened five years ago, Lao Gu even accompanied me to buy a necklace!"
Gu Yue was furious: "My parents have only been divorced for four years! Four years after the divorce, you have been dating my dad for five years? And he is my biological son? You are just a shameless mistress!"
The woman came to her senses and realized that she had let the cat out of the bag. She pulled her big red lips and yelled, "What are you talking about? Who are you talking about as a mistress? I remembered it wrongly. Is it okay if I remember it wrongly?"
The surrounding discussions became somewhat disdainful.
I shook my head and motioned to Gu Yue to take the money and buy the things.
Gu Yue held the wallet tightly and refused to give the money to the boss. I urged him, and he glared at me with anger: "I didn't steal it, and I didn't want to buy it. Why should I just pay the money to settle the matter? It was obviously she who stole it, and she wanted to frame me..."
I was not tall enough to stop Gu Yue from talking, so I could only kick him hard on the calf: "Did you see her steal? What are you yelling about? What do you know about framing? Pay the money and leave, quickly!"
Compared to Gu Yue stealing the toothbrush, I still vaguely believe that what Gu Yue said is true. But now is not the time to be serious.
"Gu Yue, I am so disappointed in you." The woman's expression of grief and anguish was on her face again, as if Gu Yue was her own son. "It's okay that you stole things, but I don't want to say why this little girl helped you cover up, but why did you have to throw dirty water on your aunt?"
Gu Yue's pupils contracted violently and curse words came out of his mouth. I listened to the gasps and accusations of the people around me and thought to myself that something was wrong.
The woman didn't care whether Gu Yue was scolding her whole family or not. She kept trying to gain the approval of the people around her: "Old Gu in our family always thinks that children are immature and they can be taught slowly. But, Gu Yue, I can think that you stealing things is just fun; but if you frame me, then it's not a matter of fun, it's a matter of quality..."
I was furious when I heard this. "Quality problem." When someone says you have a problem with your character when you are 17 or 18, it is tantamount to marking this person's morality with a cross. I became more suspicious of this woman, and the scene on TV where a stepmother used all her tricks to alienate the father and son in order to fight for the family property flashed through my mind.
I released my grip on Gu Yue and took a step forward to the woman. "What are your intentions? You repeatedly pinned the blame Gu Yue. You want everyone to think that Gu Yue stole things, don't you? You said nice things, but you were so cruel that you sent your stepson to the police station. Are you afraid that Gu Yue will fight with you for the family property?"
"What? What family property? Do I need to resort to such tricks? Get out of here! You don't need to get involved in our family affairs!"
When she heard me talking about fighting for the family property, the woman's pupils contracted violently and she involuntarily turned her eyes away from me.
I was shocked. I actually guessed it right?
"Family affairs, what kind of family affairs are you and Gu Yue having? Don't think I don't know your vicious thoughts. Aren't you just trying to seize the family property and drive Gu Yue out?" I took another step closer, and the discussions around me had changed.
The woman became more and more angry, cursing: "Do I need to plot against the family property? You, you are talking nonsense..."
The woman raised her hand and wanted to slap me.
I didn't have time to dodge, so I subconsciously blocked it with my hand. A small round box the size of a fist was thrown out in a parabola, fell to the floor with a "bang bang" sound, and then rolled a few times before finally landing at the entrance of the supermarket.
The atmosphere suddenly changed, and the onlookers stared at the woman with prying, gossipy and contemptuous eyes.
Gu Yue said to the boss in a very angry tone: "I told you long ago that she stole it, but you still didn't believe me. The box of candy flew out from her sleeve, isn't that stealing?"
The boss's face turned pale and he looked at the woman: "You...you are the one who stole the things?"
I didn't expect such a magical turn of events. I held back my laughter and said to my boss, "Boss, I'm so sorry. I don't know why Gu Yue stole your things. I actually gave her a lot of money, but I guess she spent it all on the Internet! Alas, this is also because my family didn't teach me well. I'm so sorry."
Gu Yue looked down at the boss and the woman. The boss was petrified at this moment. Gu Yue patted his shoulder kindly: "Boss, I understand that you want to give her a chance, but I promise that if something like this happens again next time, really, you should send her to the police station. We can't take care of her anymore. We have to ask someone to take care of her. Her path has gone too far..."
The direction of public opinion changed again, and people began to whisper about the woman's theft and her intention to frame Gu Yue.
"No...it's not me. This is not stealing. It's just a few dollars. Who would want to steal something worth a few dollars? It's not like I don't have money to pay the bill." The woman stammered in her defense, but the people around her were already laughing.
"Actually, I think that with your purchasing power, there is no need to steal things worth only a few dollars." When I said this, Gu Yue glared at me fiercely, as if to say how dare you help her.
"Yes, yes, yes, do I need to steal? I'm not stealing, I'm just..."
I blinked at Gu Yue who was staring at me, and then continued, "You actually just stole things to satisfy your inner desires or vanity. Your situation is very similar to what is medically called kleptomania. So, auntie, are you mentally ill?"
"I'm not sick, not sick!" The laughter around made the woman realize that I was making fun of her. She swung her left hand quickly and hit me in the face, "I'll teach you to talk nonsense!"
The slap came too fast, and I guess I didn't have time to defend myself. I closed my eyes and waited for the slap, thinking that I would never do good things again next time. But the slap didn't hit my face. Gu Yue behind me grabbed the hand, and when I opened my eyes, Gu Yue was holding the hand and pushing it back. The woman staggered back, and if there wasn't a counter behind her, she would have been pushed to the ground by Gu Yue.
But unfortunately, when Gu Yue's father came in, he saw Gu Yue pushing someone.
As soon as Dad Gu returned to the store, he heard someone say that his son was caught stealing in the supermarket. He put down his things and ran to the supermarket. As a result, when he came in, he saw his son beating his current wife. Dad Gu roared and kicked him: "You are a rebellious man!"
Gu Yue staggered and took two steps back. I realized that this kick was completely different from the one I had just kicked Gu Yue in the calf.
"You hit me?" Gu Yue couldn't believe it and looked at his father angrily.
Father Gu was frightened by Gu Yue's reaction, but there were people around him, so he had no reason to lower his attitude and give in to his son: "I can't beat you?"
"You hit me for this woman?" Gu Yue's face was full of disbelief.
Gu Yue did not give in as Gu's father expected. Instead, he contradicted him in front of everyone. Feeling humiliated, Gu's father became even more angry.
I saw that something was wrong, so I immediately stopped Gu Dad and explained, "It was my aunt who wanted to hit me, so Gu Yue helped me avoid it."
When I said this, Dad Gu was a little surprised, probably because he didn't know what I had to do with this matter.
"Boss, I will pay double the amount of money he stole. Gu Yue, you go home right now and reflect on your sins!" Gu's father did not pursue the matter of the beating anymore, and the first thing he said was stealing things and paying compensation.
My mind went through several twists and turns, and my gaze returned to that woman. How many rumors did she make up to make a father not even ask about the whole story when he walked in the door, not trust his son at all, and ask for compensation as soon as he opened his mouth?
"I didn't steal anything! I told you long ago that I never stole anything. I never stole other people's money or yours! How many times do you want me to tell you? I didn't steal anything!" Gu Yue glared at his father and roared, like a little lion provoking his father.
"Today you still accuse me of stealing. Zhou Qin was caught on the spot, and you still accuse me of stealing! You kicked my mother and married a thief, don't you know? She stole something and I caught her on the spot, but she wanted to frame me, and you didn't care, but you came here and yelled and blamed me for stealing?"
Maybe he didn't expect that the thief was a woman named Zhou Qin, maybe it was Gu Yue's provocation, or maybe it was because Gu Yue exposed the family's dirty laundry in public and brought shame to Gu's father, Gu's father suddenly became angry and without asking the people around him to confirm the truth, he jumped over and kicked Gu Yue in the butt.
After receiving the first kick, Gu Yue did not allow himself to receive the second one. He dodged while shouting, "What are you afraid of? Gu Changxing, you can do this, but you are afraid of what others say? Am I your son? Is there a father like me?"
"Shut up!" Gu Changxing realized that he couldn't hit him at all, so he turned his face coldly and yelled at Gu Yue, "Get out, get out!"
Gu Yue didn't plan to argue anymore. He stuffed the wallet into my hand and looked at Gu's father deeply with a mixture of hatred and coldness.
Father Gu was frightened by his gaze: "What are you looking at?"
Gu Yue sneered and left the supermarket without looking back.
I didn't need to know what happened next, I ran out with Gu Yue. He had long legs and walked fast, I trotted to keep up with him.
I don’t know what’s wrong, but I just think it’s better not to leave him alone right now.
"Are you okay?" I was jogging and could only observe his expression from the side. He looked indifferent, as if he was completely heartbroken by his father. "Don't be too sad. Your dad didn't have time to understand the situation either!"
He suddenly stopped, and I stopped when I was about to bump into him. When I looked up, I saw that his brows were furrowed and his eyes were full of coldness. He was now like someone described in fantasy novels, with a fierce aura filling his whole body. If I wasn't careful, I would be killed.
"Are you familiar with my family?" He stared at me.
Embarrassment appeared on my face: "I'm not familiar with you. I just want to help."
"You know my dad well?"
"I don't understand. I just think that no father would really speculate about his son with such malicious intent."
"You know me well?"
I was just a little embarrassed just now, but now it's like a slap in the face. I stared at Gu Yue: "What do you mean?"
"What do you mean? I said I don't know you well. Please don't be so self-indulgent and think you can help me and interfere in our family affairs!" Gu Yue looked down at me with disdain in his eyes.
I felt a little embarrassed, but I thought the kindness he showed before couldn't be fake. Maybe he was just angry. I cautiously tested him: "Hey, what are you doing? I just helped you, why are you taking your anger out on me like this..."
"Did I ask you to help me? Don't think you can take care of my business just because I come to your house to apologize and say a few words to you. If my mother hadn't insisted on me going, and if I hadn't seen how poor your family is, I wouldn't bother to pay attention to you! You act so arrogant all day long and ignore everyone, but in fact you have low self-esteem. No wonder people like you have no friends!"