“It’s okay, kid. I’m here.”
Lin Wangye, already emotionally unstable, felt his nose sting at those words. Without warning, he broke down, sobbing loudly.
“Hey, hey, hey…”
Everyone in the internet cafe turned their attention to them. Lin Shen felt like he was being publicly executed. Stiff and unsure of what to do, he saw Lu Chengxuan walk out of the private room and hand him a packet of napkins.
Lin Shen took them, hurriedly wiping Lin Wangye’s tears.
Lu Chengxuan, often disliked by Lin Shen for being too quiet, truly showed his strength in moments like this. He understood the importance of staying calm, knowing exactly what to do and when not to speak.
Lin Wangye, oblivious to Lu Chengxuan’s presence, didn’t even notice he had been there until he came back after washing his face. By then, his mood had calmed down considerably. He sat obediently beside Lin Shen on the sofa, sniffing and trying to regain composure.
Lin Shen, unaware of all the untold stories behind this, watched him with amusement and couldn’t help but smile. “Our Xiao Lin here is really kind-hearted and a bit too sentimental. But just so you know, if you start crying like this every time you meet a sick person, I’m not going to be able to handle it.”
“Help me out here.” Lin Wangye rubbed his eyes. “I said I’m borrowing it. I’ll pay it back.”
Lin Shen patted his head. “Alright, alright, I promise I’ll think of something.”
Lin Wangye quickly asked, “Do you have a plan?”
“Hmm…” Lin Shen leaned back on the sofa, thinking as he looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve always used my dad’s secondary card. But since it’s frozen, I don’t really have any cash on hand. My relatives have probably all been contacted by my dad, so I’ll try borrowing from them first. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to ask my dad for it.”
“Do you think he’ll give it to you?” Lin Wangye asked, lacking confidence. “You’re still arguing with him, and you haven’t even gone home in a while.”
Lin Shen closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
“It’s alright, I have a way.”
His words were like a stabilizing anchor, and Lin Wangye immediately felt relieved. After a moment of thought, he still said to Lin Shen: “No matter how much it is, I’ll write you an IOU. I’ll pay it back with interest in the future.”
Lin Shen grinned, scoffing. “If you can really help, I’ll count it as accumulating good karma. Money’s just a pain in the ass. What matters is that you remember the kindness, don’t go around owing debts.”
Lin Wangye looked at his father with tearful eyes. “You’re such a good person.”
Lin Shen leaned back strategically, palm outward to signal him to shut up. “Don’t do this to me. I can’t handle it.”
“Hehe,” Lin Wangye chuckled, raising his chin in a silly grin.
Seeing that Lin Wangye was finally alright, Lin Shen led him back to the private room and searched for a two-player online game.
The two of them got better and better at the game, and before long, they were throwing insults at each other.
No matter how much they argued, Lu Chengxuan sat still like a statue beside them, watching the news broadcast without a word.
Once the news broadcast ended, it was time for evening self-study.
Since both Lin Wangye and Lu Chengxuan were well-behaved students who had to go to evening self-study, Lin Shen, feeling bored by himself at the internet cafe, unwillingly followed them.
As usual, the weather forecast was wrong. The small flakes of snow began to fall heavier, and by the time evening self-study was over, the snow had clearly become denser, with a trend of turning into large, goose-feather-like snowflakes.
Seeing this, Lin Wangye realized with a start—this could be bad.
With snow this heavy, his grandparents would probably close up the stall early!
In a panic, he quickly said goodbye to Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan, then turned and ran, dashing toward the intersection. When he saw his grandparents still there, he let out a deep sigh of relief and stopped in front of the stall, gasping for breath.
The grandmother quickly recognized him and immediately asked, “Didn’t get enough to eat?”
“No, no, I’m full,” Lin Wangye said, out of breath. He glanced at the tightly covered back of the tricycle and then asked, “Isn’t it getting late? Don’t you think you should pack up soon?”
The grandmother, being an honest person, replied, “There’s still a lot of people after evening self-study. If I pack up early, I’ll lose out.”
Considering the situation, Lin Wangye completely understood.
As students from the Seventh High School began to gather in small groups near the stall, he rolled up his sleeves, walked over to the grandmother’s side, and asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Oh, look at you, this child…” The grandmother quickly stopped him. “I’ve got it under control. Don’t stand here in the cold and get your hands frozen.”
Lin Wangye instinctively looked down and saw the grandmother’s hands were covered with frostbite.
On such a cold day, setting up a stall outside, the only way to keep everything so neat and tidy was by constantly wiping things down with a cloth.
After doing this over and over, it was no surprise she had frostbite.
Thinking back to the frostbite marks on Shi Yuan’s fingers when they were at the hospital, Lin Wangye immediately understood what was happening, and his heart sank.
He forced a smile and said with as much energy as he could muster:
“It’s fine, Grandma. Xu Suinian’s been helping me with math, so I just want to return the favor. Otherwise, I’ll feel bad about owing him a favor.”
The grandmother hesitated for a moment, thought it over, and then said:
“Well, then you can help me count the skewers.”
“Okay!”
Lin Wangye cheerfully agreed, but he didn’t stop at just counting the skewers.
Whenever a customer left a bowl behind, he’d take it and clean up. If there were oil stains or soup left on the food cart, he’d quickly grab a cloth to wipe it down.
In short, he took care of all the small tasks as soon as he saw them.
Although Grandpa and Grandma were still in good health, their age was starting to show, and they weren’t as nimble as young people. With Lin Wangye helping out, the efficiency of handling all the little tasks improved significantly.
Moreover, many of the students from Seventh High School recognized Lin Wangye.
Seeing him helping out, the more cheerful students would come up to say hello. The small snowflakes falling from the sky, combined with the tempting smell of the red oil soup base, drew people in, making them unable to resist buying skewers to take home.
Grandpa and Grandma were clearly experienced.
They didn’t pack up early because they knew that the colder it got, the better the business.
Unfortunately, the elderly couple’s energy was limited, and they could only manage so much work in a day. With each skewer and meatball needing to be carefully prepared by hand, by evening, the amount of food they had ready for sale was limited.
Not long after, all the stock was sold out.
Lin Wangye helped tidy up the benches, and after they packed up, he walked over to the grandmother.
“Grandma, is your home far? I want to find Xu Suinian.”
“It’s not far,” the grandmother said, wiping her hands clean. She asked with concern, “It’s so late, shouldn’t you be heading home?”
Lin Wangye immediately dropped his head, playing the poor orphan card.
“I’m an orphan. I grew up in an orphanage. I don’t have anywhere else to go…”
“Oh dear…” The grandmother’s heart immediately softened. She gently patted his back. “It’s alright, child. Don’t worry, come to my house.”
“Thank you, Grandma.”
Lin Wangye finally got his wish and obediently nodded, following Grandpa and Grandma back home.
The food cart had wheels that allowed it to be pushed, and when they left, it was being dragged by the electric tricycle.
Because the trailer was large, the tricycle couldn’t go too fast and needed someone to steady the cart from behind.
On the sidewalk, the grandmother led the way with the tricycle moving at a speed similar to walking. Lin Wangye and Grandpa were in charge of steering the cart to prevent it from veering off course.
Shi Yuan hadn’t let Lin Wangye visit him, giving the excuse that his house was far away.
But the location of the spicy hotpot stall was clearly not far from their home, since the cart was so cumbersome to move.
When they arrived, Lin Wangye finally realized he had been tricked.
However, he couldn’t really blame Shi Yuan for lying, as Grandpa and Grandma had led him to an urban village. Lin Wangye had never expected that, even twenty years ago, the city center of Ningchang still had such a dilapidated place.
The cart was parked in an open space while Grandpa went to carry Xu Sui and her things.
Lin Wangye followed Grandma through narrow alleys, winding around several turns until they stopped in front of a dilapidated door.
This couldn’t even really be called a door.
What stood before them was just a row of blue steel plates, the kind commonly used at construction sites, with a small opening cut through for people to pass. The opening was secured with a padlock.
Lin Wangye ducked through the opening, and the courtyard ahead was dimly lit. It was almost impossible to make out anything clearly, but he could vaguely see the outlines of three connected small houses.
The sound of a dog barking from somewhere not too far off broke the silence. It sounded like a small dog, with a sharp and noisy bark.
In that moment, Lin Wangye was just relieved that the building in front of him was a solid brick house, offering shelter from the wind and rain, not a thatched roof prone to leaking in the summer or winter.
His gaze lingered on a window where a dim yellow light illuminated the figure of someone sitting at a table, their head slightly bowed. Lin Wangye’s heart skipped a beat.
“Suinian—” Grandma called out, “You have a classmate here to see you.”
The figure behind the window, who hadn’t expected a visitor, raised a hand to wipe away the mist on the window. When they saw Lin Wangye standing in the courtyard, their eyes locked, and they froze.
Cold wind blew across the boy’s hair, the scarf flying through the air along with it.
Snowflakes danced in the sky, composing a winter melody.
The two stood several meters apart, staring at each other in silence, neither speaking.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
