Love For You - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Chen Yi Never Worried About Money Again

Two days before high school started, Miao Jing quit her job at the internet cafe and went home with her wages—a job Chen Yi had personally vouched for her to get. At fifteen, she was simply too young, and the cafe owner wouldn't have hired such a young child laborer if not for him. She had spent her time doing odd jobs in the night-shift server room. Chen Yi could also earn money while playing games there, and Miao Jing would stay up all night with him, eating instant noodles and inhaling secondhand smoke. She deeply felt that the internet cafe was a place that felt both happy and sorrowful; it was full of the excitement and joy of youth, but also the degradation and pain of the young.

Both of them had money tucked in their pockets, and their moods were quite good. They walked along slowly. At nine in the morning, there were still housewives on the road returning home from buying groceries. Miao Jing took the opportunity to go to the wet market as well. Chen Yi followed her, and as they passed a small clothing shop on the street, he called her over. Both of them were starting school and needed to buy a few new pieces of clothing.

Miao Jing only wore her school uniform at school, and everything else she owned was from street stalls—five-yuan tank tops, ten-yuan T-shirts. Even then, she didn't look bad in them; her fair skin, pitch-black hair, dense, fluffy eyelashes, and quiet, ethereal temperament added immensely to her appearance. The clothes Chen Yi wore were also bought on a whim. He wasn't particular about these things; there had been a period before when he was into non-mainstream fashion, wearing floral shirts and ripped jeans, but recently he had stuck to the unchanging T-shirt and long pants. He would throw them away as soon as they wore out; in total, he only ever had those two types of clothes.

The two of them put together an entire outfit from head to toe, all simple T-shirts, trousers, and canvas shoes. When they came out, Miao Jing took advantage of Chen Yi smoking by a trash can and went to the lingerie shop next door. She was thin, and under her loose T-shirts, she had always worn small-sized cotton camisoles that were pulled tight, hiding any curves. She had always felt restricted, and the little camisoles would sag after too many washes. She knew that girls her age had started wearing shaping bras, but Miao Jing had never had the courage to buy one—Wei Mingzhen had never had the chance to teach her about her first period or the development of her chest; she had had to figure everything out bit by bit.

Miao Jing felt a bit guilty and shy, but she hardened her heart and bargained with the shop owner. Chen Yi walked over with their bags to find her. He usually carried himself with an arrogant, "I'm the king of the world" attitude, never showing a hint of youthful awkwardness, but when he suddenly ran into that pile of colorful underwear, he stopped in his tracks, slightly embarrassed. When he met Miao Jing's gaze, he twisted his body abruptly and pretended to look upward with casual disinterest.

The proprietress was extra enthusiastic, her voice highly penetrating: "Thirty yuan each, I can't go any lower. This bra is the best for a young girl like you. Pink looks so good, and it has lace trim. It has a great push-up effect, and it won't shake when you run. Let me hold it up against you; it’s exactly your size."

With an acquaintance standing outside, Miao Jing felt completely uncomfortable. She meekly pushed aside the proprietress's good intentions, just wanting to pay and leave as quickly as possible.

Chen Yi had his hands in his pockets, frowning slightly as he looked elsewhere, wondering if something worth thirty yuan could actually be worn. He had heard "Big Head" Yuan brag about taking a young punk girl to buy this stuff, spending hundreds on a bit of fabric. Those women's magazines, newspapers, and TV shows all said you had to wear the most expensive and best quality, otherwise you’d end up sagging or spreading out later. He thought about Wei Mingzhen—she really wasn't human, taking hundreds of thousands away and leaving her daughter behind to fend for herself. He had been played for a fool, and now he had to help look after someone else's daughter.

"Miao Jing." He called her out, "Let's go."

"Huh?"

"Let's go, let's go, hurry up."

He urged her impatiently, and Miao Jing, also feeling embarrassed, slipped away from the proprietress.

After buying the other items and some groceries, the two walked home. As they passed a boutique lingerie shop, Chen Yi paused, then paused again. His face flushed a little, and he gestured slightly: "Why don't you go in and take a look?"

"Ah? What?" Miao Jing came to her senses, twisting her wrists, blushing as she looked at the shop sheepishly.

"It’s not like we don't have the money." He hung his head lazily, chewing on his cigarette, and hurriedly took out money to throw at her. "Go browse yourself. I have something to do; I’m heading back first."

An hour later, Miao Jing returned home with two discounted bras. Her mood was slightly uplifted. The clerk at the shop had been very gentle, telling her how to wear them and how to measure her size, and even complimented her on her beautiful figure. Miao Jing also loved beautiful things, so she had picked two soft, pure white bras with lace and pearl decorations—a girl's growth shouldn't just be about darkness and poverty; it should be about beauty and purity.

When she got home, the things they had bought in the morning were all on the table, but Chen Yi wasn't there; she didn't know where he had gone to play. Miao Jing cooked and tidied up the house, washing all their newly bought clothes and hanging them on the balcony—the sky was a deep blue, water dripped from the untwisted corners of the clothes, and as they were gently brushed by the wind, the feeling was very special. It was as if the dust had finally settled, or like a high-altitude kite whose string had not yet broken. She finally had a fixed place to rest.

When she registered for her freshman year of high school, the tuition was earned entirely by Miao Jing herself. The high school campus was more advanced and beautiful than middle school. The people who could get into this school were either the proud children of heaven or children of the rich and powerful. Because it was a bit far from home, they needed transportation or to take the bus, but because evening study sessions ran late and the buses stopped operating, Miao Jing chose to live on campus—she regretted it a bit after paying the dormitory fees. The school cafeteria prices were a bit high, and there were many miscellaneous expenses; the cost of living might rise. Staying at home would have been more economical. Miao Jing didn't want to become a burden to Chen Yi; he was only a little older than her and was still studying himself.

High school studies were busy. There were six people in the dormitory, all in the brilliant age of youth. Miao Jing remained solitary and quiet, not fitting in—this could avoid disclosing her own situation, prevent peer-pressure consumption, reduce troubles and gossip, and allow her to spend more time on her studies.

There were quite a few boys in the class who liked to tease her or had a crush on her, but every invitation to go out or attend a party hit a wall. To them, Miao Jing was just a cold, arrogant ice beauty hiding behind a veil.

The phone she carried with her never rang. Chen Yi didn't look for her unless there was a reason, and she didn't look for him either. The only entry in her contact list was his mobile number, under the relationship of "Older Brother." When the homeroom teacher asked about her parents, Miao Jing said they both worked out of town and she lived with her older brother. The teacher assumed she was a left-behind child and that this brother was an adult.

However, when she went home on weekends, Chen Yi was almost always there. She would cook, do laundry, and tidy up the house while he played games, slept, and ate. The two of them would stay home together for two days. Occasionally, Chen Yi would ride his motorcycle to take her back to school, parking in a cool, flashy way at the school gate, which made others look on.

Asking Chen Yi for living expenses was a difficult thing to bring up. Miao Jing would try to find ways to earn money herself. She didn't really pick up scrap metal to sell anymore; high school students could find work, like doing homework or taking tests for Chen Yi's classmates, or working part-time at night markets and setting up stalls to sell things. But mainly, it was still Chen Yi who provided. He was never short of money; he could always come up with a little bit. Miao Jing didn't ask for much. She was very frugal; basically, aside from food, she didn't spend any money at school. She only needed to handle supplementary tuition fees or costs for ordering study materials.

When Chen Yi had money, he could give her five or six hundred at once; when he was broke, he could still scrounge up a few dozen yuan. If he didn't spend the money on Miao Jing, he would spend it on eating, drinking, and having fun. Miao Jing didn't want that much, but he would force it on her.

"If you don't spend it, I’ll just spend it all on others tomorrow anyway. It’s better if you keep it. In the future, if I run out of money, I’ll have to ask you for it."

Miao Jing thought about it and silently accepted it.

Chen Yi made friends from all walks of life. He was always surrounded by a group of "fox friends and dog buddies" who only knew how to eat, drink, and play. There were far too many places to go and too many dirty or exciting things to get into. For a group of seventeen or eighteen-year-old youngsters, everything was vigorous; even the blood in their veins was restless.

This was the age most susceptible to taking a skewed path, but Chen Yi was sharp as a tack. Since he was a child, he had been wild as a loach, impossible to catch. He never missed out on messing around, but he never caused anything too outlandish. A group of delinquent teenagers gathered together, playing games, gambling, fighting, and, aside from that, fooling around with girls. They had seen countless adult films and magazines. Most of his buddies had girlfriends or other crooked ideas. There were plenty of girls who admired or actively chased Chen Yi, but at first, Chen Yi hadn't fully "opened up" yet. Playing billiards, street racing, playing games, or other activities were enough to pique his interest—they were much more fun than being clingy with girls. By the time he finally did open up, and beauties’ flirtatious glances landed right before his eyes, he would shy away—he didn't have the money to chase girls.

His situation was different from others; he had no parents and no source of income. The little money he earned himself had to go toward tuition, his own keep, hanging out with his brothers, and upgrading his motorcycle equipment. Recently, he had added a "drag-along bottle" who was studying at a provincial key high school. He simply didn't have any money left to take a girl out to eat, shop, buy clothes, or open a hotel room. Chen Yi also had a bit of pride—he didn't want to live off a woman. Besides, seeing how "Big Head" Yuan acted when he was dating that little punk girl, it really wasn't as fun as being single.

Days passed in a haze for over half a year. On the whole, he was happy. During the National Day holiday, Miao Jing went to work part-time with him at the internet cafe. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chen Yi would bring home two large crabs. During the winter break and Spring Festival, he would do some small business to earn money. When school started again, Miao Jing wanted to move back home. Chen Yi thought it was too much of a hassle, as the road was too far, and he still had to come home from time to time to look after her. Getting together on weekends to have a home-cooked meal was actually not bad.

Not two months into the semester, Miao Jing unexpectedly received a phone call—Chen Yi was in the hospital.

He had gotten into an accident while street racing on the mountain at night. Several groups had set up a "war," and Chen Yi was naturally arrogant and stood out. He had long-standing grudges and friction with people. That night, someone had deliberately tried to sabotage him, blocking him on the track. In the end, there was a multi-vehicle collision. Chen Yi was thrown out at the very front. He was lucky, and he braked in time, so he didn't fall off the mountain, but he was bruised and battered against the rocks, covered in blood, with a broken lower leg, lying bloody in the hospital.

Miao Jing rushed to the hospital and saw Bo Zai, Dai Mao, and a group of others surrounding the bed. She looked at Chen Yi, who was staring with wide, clear eyes, his face pale, sitting there stupidly without speaking.

Chen Yi's face was a kaleidoscope of colors, but he was still breathing. Lying on the hospital bed, he could still crack jokes with people. Some who didn't know Miao Jing saw her wearing a high school uniform and asked, "Brother Yi, is this hiding a mistress in a golden house, or are you ruining a decent girl?" Chen Yi grinned and chuckled.

"Get lost. This is my little sister."

"Which 'good little sister'? Brother Yi, how many good little sisters do you actually have?"

"A relative from home!"

He drove away the flies around him and lay there in his usual lazy manner, teasingly saying, "I’m not dead yet. Why are you wearing a funeral face?"

"If you died..." Miao Jing moved her lips, her eye sockets turning red. "What... what would I do?"

"Do whatever you’re supposed to do. Go find your mother. If you can’t find your mother, find your father. If you can’t find your father, find those relatives of yours. At the very worst, there’s the orphanage." His tone was indifferent. "There’s no real relationship between us anyway."

Besides, he wasn't going to die, and the injuries weren't that serious. The blood on his body was just from skin abrasions; only the fracture was a bit troublesome, requiring a few months of quiet recuperation.

"If you’re not going to die, then what if you were paralyzed? Amputated? Disfigured? What would I do then?"

Her clear eyes looked at him.

"Hey, why are you talking so viciously? Are you cursing me or something?" Chen Yi thought for a moment. "If that happened, then I’d rather be dead. I’d commit suicide."

Otherwise, who would care if he lived or died?

Miao Jing took a few days off and shuttled back and forth between the hospital and home. Chen Yi needed treatment, X-rays, to pay hospital fees, take medicine, and get nutrition, which basically emptied both of their pockets. Bo Zai and the others chipped in a bit of money for Miao Jing, barely enough to keep them fed.

"Go to class. Aren't you busy?" Chen Yi drove her away from the bed. "Why run to the hospital every day? Bo Zai and the others are sending food here. You don't need to worry about it."

Miao Jing had stewed chicken soup and scooped it out of the thermal pot to hand to him. "I'm at school during the day, and I’ve applied to the teacher to skip evening study sessions. I’ll stay home for this period. It’s on the way to the bus route to bring you food, so it won't delay my classes."

"Don't come at night. It’s not safe." He held the bowl and lowered his head to take a sip of the delicious soup.

Miao Jing sat by the hospital bed, staring blankly for a long time before turning to look at him. "I ran into Dai Mao. Dai Mao said your motorcycle is repaired and is at the repair shop... how about... selling the motorcycle?"

Chen Yi frowned. That motorcycle was his treasure; the modification costs had really added up.

"We have no money left." Miao Jing’s hand moved into her pocket. "I just went downstairs to pay the fees. In a few days, we’re going to be hungry."

His arrogant brow lowered, his face tightened, and he pursed his lips. "Fine. Sell it if you want."

He added, unwillingly, "Dammit."

Flatly and peacefully, Chen Yi just like that sold the cool, flashy motorcycle that had drawn countless screams of excitement.

He stayed in the hospital for half a month before returning home on crutches with a cast to recuperate. With limited mobility, he couldn't go anywhere and could only stay home. Even after the cast was removed, his leg injury hadn't recovered, so he couldn't walk normally and didn't want to go out and lose face—the most depressing thing wasn't the injury, but the blow to his ego. Chen Yi had been spirited and headstrong since he was a child; when had he ever been so pathetic, covered in injuries and limping?

Miao Jing had to take care of him, so she moved back home from school and asked Dai Mao to help her buy a second-hand bicycle to ride to school every day.

One had to go to school, and the other had limited activity, which meant they were living off their savings for months, without even the most basic guarantee of survival.

By the time they started eating boiled noodles at home, Chen Yi was so restless he had no cigarettes to smoke. Miao Jing watched him lying on the sofa, depressed, his T-shirt as wrinkled as pickled mustard greens, his chin covered in blue stubble, looking destitute and lazy.

"Are beer hostesses profitable?" She sat on the sofa folding clothes. "How much can you earn in a day? Is it just selling alcohol?"

Chen Yi lazily opened his eyes. "It’s professional drinking companionship. The guest buys ten bottles for every one you drink. If you’re willing to let men touch your thighs, are you willing?"

"I’m willing." Miao Jing replied calmly.

A lighter flew through the air, hitting her on the head, causing Miao Jing to wince in pain.

He stood up, aggressively dragging his leg to his room to change his T-shirt before going out.

"Where are you going?"

"I’m not paralyzed, so I can't go out?" He threw out a remark. "You stay home and behave yourself."

Chen Yi didn't have the nerve to go to his "fox friends and dog buddies" to mooch food and drinks, and of course, he didn't have the nerve to borrow money or get into crooked ways to make a quick buck. He went straight to a construction site and found odd jobs. He handed a pack of cigarettes to the foreman, flattered him a bit, and joined the renovation team to do construction work as a small-time laborer. His brain was sharp, he learned things quickly, and he was tall, strong, and had a lot of strength; he was very useful for smashing walls, laying bricks, and plastering.

Wages were settled daily—200 yuan a day—which was enough to support the household.

When Chen Yi came home quietly in the middle of the night, Miao Jing saw the dust on his hair and eyebrows, his dirty clothes, and the labor gloves thrown at the doorway. She was so shocked she couldn't come to her senses for a long time.

"Buy some meat. I want to eat meat." He gritted his teeth, put the money down, and turned into the bathroom to shower.

He worked this job until his leg injury healed. His income was stable, he didn't worry about life, and he could live at the construction site. Chen Yi sent his dirty clothes back to be washed, which Miao Jing needed to scrub hard by hand to get clean. When Miao Jing was on summer vacation, she would go to send him food and help out every day.

The summer weather was exceptionally hot. Chen Yi followed the renovation team to renovate new houses for people. The house didn't have electricity yet, and the small space was sweltering and dirty. Miao Jing brought lunch boxes, ice water, and half a watermelon. She saw Chen Yi resting on the ground against the wall with his shirt off. The floor was covered with newspapers and pages from books. His T-shirt was tossed aside, and he had his two legs spread out broadly. One hand was smoking, and the other was holding a book.

He didn't know where the book came from—maybe it was used for padding the floor or pasting the walls, or maybe it was something someone had discarded. The pages were worn and yellowed. It was a novel—"Water Margin," "The Count of Monte Cristo," "How the Steel Was Tempered," "The Red and the Black," and even a copy of "Lei Feng's Diary."

He was reading quite seriously and intently. His short hair was dusty, his deep honey-colored muscles were glistening with oil from sweat, and his chest and shoulders were covered in a layer of dust. The muscle lines were traced with red marks and gray stains from his fingers. Miao Jing saw his thick eyelashes move. The hand holding the cigarette turned a page, and he took a puff of the cigarette, completely unaware. His eyelashes flickered again, and he slowly exhaled the smoke—it was like a still-life painting, and also like a beautiful, quiet male sculpture.

Chen Yi didn't realize she had been standing there for a long time, until Miao Jing walked in and sat down cross-legged beside him, whispering for him to eat, and asking what he was reading.

"The Hunchback of Notre Dame." He hadn't turned his gaze yet, his tone filled with a smile. "It’s actually pretty good. Why didn't I realize it before? There are so many good books; they’re much more interesting than playing games."

Miao Jing's eyes seemed to have gotten dust in them, and she blinked rapidly.

He put the book down and began to wolf down his food. His eating style was crude, but the speed was fast. He swept away the food Miao Jing had brought in a flash, then instructed Miao Jing to buy a few things on her way back and take the few dirty clothes he had left there to wash.

Miao Jing sat for a while. He had to take a nap and lay back down on the newspapers, covering his face with the book, telling her to go back early. Miao Jing packed her things to go home, but before leaving, she took one more look at him.

When she got home and washed his clothes, soaking them in a basin with plenty of detergent, they were still never clean. As she scrubbed until her fingers turned red, she couldn't get the paint off. Miao Jing threw the clothes into the basin, and the sewage splashed onto her. She couldn't help but bury her head in her knees and wail. After she finished crying, she took out her phone to call Wei Mingzhen, and then ran out of the house to find the house of the man she had run away with, to ask if there was any news of the two of them.

By the time Chen Yi’s leg was completely healed, those days had quietly passed.

After graduating from vocational school, Chen Yi hadn't yet reached eighteen. He didn't play street racing anymore; there wasn't much interest in things that bet his life. He had the opportunity to truly enter society. He went to a billiards club with friends. He was very good at billiards, winning against many people along the way, and getting to know many different kinds of people. He was spotted by a nightclub manager, and his first formal job was as nightclub internal security.

The young thugs of this era didn't learn from the "Young and Dangerous" films, carrying knives and brawling on the streets. Robbery and collecting protection fees had become a thing of the past; everything had new packaging. Demolition teams, debt collection, entertainment clubs, and exclusive supply of goods—they had all transformed into businessmen.

Chen Yi never worried about money again. The first time he walked into the house wearing a suit, the ordinary suit had a vigorous and wild flavor on him. It seemed he had never been "green" or naive; he had always been steady, wild, and arrogant.