It was almost eleven at night when Cheng Ye returned home. The usually quiet village was filled with faint, indistinct chatter. As he drew closer, he saw a crowd gathered in front of his house.

Gao Xinhe was among them. He was the first to spot Cheng Ye and immediately called out, “Brother Cheng.” People turned, looking at the young man who had returned through the cold night, their eyes filled with complex emotions: pity, lament, and curious observation.

Cheng Ye’s gaze cut through the crowd to the sight of his house. The doorway had been splattered with red paint, and the wooden wall bore the glaring words “PAY UP.” The main door hung precariously, torn from its hinges. Inside, furniture was scattered haphazardly, the house turned upside down, and all valuables were gone.

Gao Xinhe walked up to him, stammering, “I just heard the commotion and came to see, and it was already like this.”

Gao Quan was also nearby. He had a cold recently, and his voice was hoarse from coughing. “What a sin, what is all this! Who doesn’t know what kind of person Cheng Jianbin was? How can a child who’s still in school pay off his gambling debts?”

“Brother Quan, you can’t say that…” someone chimed in. “Cheng Ye is pitiful, but other people’s money is also money. We can’t just give it to him for free, can we?”

“It’s not that I’m saying anything bad, we’re also kind-hearted. That Cheng Jianbin still owes my family two hundred. We just felt sorry for Cheng Ye, so we haven’t asked for it back.”

“Yeah, Cheng Ye has such a big physique. If he goes out to work with them, he’ll pay it back in a few years, won’t he?”

“What are you all saying?” Gao Quan coughed until his face was red. “He’s still a child. Are you trying to force him to his death by saying such things?”

“Who’s forcing him?” someone in the crowd mumbled awkwardly. “If you’re so good to him, why don’t you help him pay back the money?”

With a sudden crunch, the arguing crowd jumped in fright.

Cheng Ye directly unhinged the crooked main door. He let go, and the door crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust. “I’ll pay the money back. Everyone, please go home.”

His gaze was too cold, unlike that of a seventeen-year-old child. Some people still wanted to say something more, but seeing the state of his house, they realized that even if Cheng Ye were sold, he couldn’t pay off the debt. They were all fellow villagers; a few complaints were fine, but too much would hurt feelings. They sighed over Cheng Ye’s ransacked home for a while and then left one after another.

Only Gao Xinhe and Gao Quan remained. Gao Quan watched Cheng Ye unhinge the other side of the door. “You…”

Cheng Ye stepped into the main hall, turned on the light bulb, and righted a fallen chair. “It’s late, Uncle Gao, you should go back.”

Gao Xinhe said, “Your house is like this, why don’t you come back with me and sleep for a night?”

“No need.” Cheng Ye stood the cabinet upright. “I can manage by myself.”

If he said no, no one could persuade him. Gao Xinhe and Gao Quan left his house, looking back every few steps.

Cheng Ye turned to Cheng Jianbin’s bedroom. It too had been ransacked; the five hundred yuan hidden under the bed was gone. That money was left by Cheng Jianbin before he died. With the money gone, Cheng Ye bothered to look no further. He turned back to the main hall, tidied up the mess arbitrarily, and finally picked up a trampled photo frame in the corner.

Cheng Ye carried the photo to his own room. His room had no light, not even a window. It was as dark as a narrow coffin.

Cheng Ye held the flashlight in his mouth and sat cross-legged on the floor. He gently pried open the photo frame, and the photo inside slipped out. He picked up the photo and found a lighter from a nearby box. A crimson flame flickered in his eyes. The next second, a larger flame roared to life. Cheng Ye let go, and the burning photo drifted from his fingertips, tumbled a few times on the floor, and then turned into a pile of ashes.

Restless even in death.

His room was at the very back of the house, without even a door. It had been piled high with miscellaneous items, but Cheng Ye moved them out after Cheng Jianbin died. The room was inconspicuous, so it hadn’t been ransacked; everything inside was as it was before he left.

Cheng Ye placed the flashlight on the bed and lit another cigarette for himself. He bit the cigarette and first took out the hawthorn candy with three remaining pieces from his pocket. After so long, the syrup had long melted away. He had washed it clean, leaving only three hawthorn berries strung together.

He stuck the hawthorn stick into a crack in the headboard and retrieved a small knife from a box beside him. Ash fell on the back of his hand, which Cheng Ye brushed away. He took an iron box from under the bed. The small knife pressed against the bottom of the iron box, and with a “click,” it opened. Inside were stacks of money. This money was all that he had saved over the years. The denominations were small, mostly fifty cents and one yuan, with the highest being ten yuan.

Cheng Ye counted the money with the cigarette in his mouth. He counted it twice. All in all, adding the money he had earned from working these days, he had a total of 223.5. Cheng Ye looked at the 223.5, and in the fading light of the flashlight, silently finished his cigarette.

---

Jiang Shi only learned about the major incident at Cheng Ye’s house from Jiang Xue the next day. “No, this is too outrageous, isn’t it? Cheng Ye isn’t even an adult yet.”

It was raining outside, so Jiang Xue couldn’t go out. She simply stewed the spare ribs she bought yesterday. The weather was too cold, so she lit a fire, stewing the ribs on top and raking out the charcoal underneath, tossing in a few sweet potatoes.

“Who cares if you’re an adult when they want money?” Jiang Xue said. “And Cheng Jianbin borrowed from loan sharks. Those people only care about money, not lives. Oh, what a sin.”

The rain poured down, whoosh whoosh whoosh. Jiang Shi looked out through the lattice window, but unfortunately, even after the sweet potatoes were roasted, he didn’t see the figure that usually came to freeload breakfast every morning.

Jiang Xue knew he was particular about cleanliness. She peeled a sweet potato, wrapped it in paper, and handed it to Jiang Shi. “I heard those people smashed his house door. With such heavy rain today, I wonder how he’s doing. No, I have to go see later.”

Jiang Shi immediately said, “I’ll go with you.”

“Okay.” Jiang Xue washed her hands and checked the spare ribs in the pot. “Didn’t I give you money yesterday to buy what you liked to eat? Why didn’t you buy anything?”

The sweet potato grown in their own field was sweeter than any he’d eaten before. As soon as he took it in his hand, a fresh, sweet aroma drifted up. Jiang Shi couldn’t resist taking a bite, yelping “hiss” from the heat. It took him several seconds to react even after Jiang Xue had been talking to him.

“Huh? I bought things…” He pointed to several bags he had tossed in the corner. “They’re over there.”

Jiang Xue was also confused. “Then why is there so much money left?”

The two of them put their heads together, and finally, the truth came out. Except for the spare ribs and liquor, which were paid for with Jiang Xue’s money, all of Jiang Shi’s food was bought by Cheng Ye. No wonder when Jiang Shi asked him if it was enough, he had so confidently said yes.

Jiang Shi, having just learned the truth and recalling what happened last night: “…”

I truly am something else.

---

After eating, Jiang Xue took Jiang Shi to Cheng Ye’s house. Before leaving, Jiang Shi found a black jacket to wear. After a moment’s thought, he returned to his room. After all these days, his clothes were still piled haphazardly in the suitcase in the corner. He bent down and rummaged through the suitcase for a while, pulling out two chocolates he had brought earlier. Jiang Shi tucked the chocolates into his pocket, took an umbrella, and left with Jiang Xue.

The two houses weren’t very far apart. They walked along a muddy path, passed a few houses, and in the distance appeared a dilapidated wooden house—that was Cheng Ye’s home. The main door had been unhinged and lay in the yard. The house looked messy inside, and the red paint at the doorway looked even more conspicuous after being washed by the rain.

Jiang Xue stood at the doorway and called out twice, but the house was empty. There was no one inside. Jiang Shi held his umbrella, stepped around a broken-legged chair in front of him, and looked at the main hall, which had been smashed so badly that nothing was in good condition. He didn’t dare to walk further in, just cautiously poked his head out from under the umbrella to look inside.

“Strange…” Jiang Xue said, “With such heavy rain, where could he have gone?”

It was a cold snap in late spring; as soon as it rained, it became terribly cold. Jiang Xue stomped her foot. “Forget it, let’s go back first. I’ll come back to check tonight.” She complained to Jiang Shi, “You know, Cheng Ye, this child, he never says anything. Those people surely haven’t been coming for money just today. How old is he? How can he bear such a heavy burden?”

Jiang Shi was encountering such a situation for the first time. The two packets of candy he had casually tossed in his room, and the various things Cheng Ye had brought him these past days, formed a stark contrast with the house before him. The tall boy seemed a bit dull, never getting angry even when he was difficult. Despite his poor economic situation, he still bought him the most expensive candy. Jiang Shi suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

He squeezed the chocolates in his pocket, which had softened slightly from his body heat, and turned to go home. Unexpectedly, a figure walked into view from afar. Cheng Ye hadn’t expected Jiang Shi to appear at his doorstep. He had no umbrella and had simply walked back through the rain, meeting the boy’s gaze under the umbrella through the curtain of rain.

The other person wore a black jacket, his fingertips holding the umbrella handle were pale from the cold, and light brown hair clung to the side of his face. His pupils reflected Cheng Ye’s disheveled appearance. Cheng Ye didn’t feel embarrassed. As Jiang Shi looked at him, he let out a low, pleased chuckle from his throat. If he had felt embarrassed, he should have left the first time he met Jiang Shi, when Jiang Shi looked at him with condescending eyes, or when he inadvertently showed disdain.

But he wanted Jiang Shi to remember him, even if it was out of pity. He wanted to be in Jiang Shi’s eyes. Just like now, looking at him, waiting for him to appear, and then seeing light blossom in those beautiful eyes. Belonging to him alone.

“Cheng Ye!” Jiang Xue exclaimed, “Where have you been? Why aren’t you carrying an umbrella?”

Cheng Ye lowered his eyes and wiped his face. “Went to find someone. Aunt Jiang, why are you here?” Although Cheng Ye was soaked, Jiang Xue still walked over and held half the umbrella over him. “We went to bed early yesterday and only heard about your situation today, so we came to check.” He looked at the scene of the house, and there was a hint of pity in his eyes as he looked at Cheng Ye. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Cheng Ye honestly replied. “It was like this when I came back yesterday.” He went into the house and found two intact chairs for Jiang Shi and Jiang Xue to sit on. “Sorry, the house isn’t tidied up yet. You must be laughing at me.”

Jiang Shi looked at the dark wooden chair in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and sat down on half his butt. He said, “They turned your house into this. Why didn’t you call the police?”

“Calling the police is useless. The police can’t arrest them. If they knew, they would retaliate even more fiercely.”

Jiang Xue couldn’t bear to just sit there. After less than a minute, she got up to help Cheng Ye tidy up. “What a sin! He caused trouble when he was alive, and he’s restless even after death. How much money did Cheng Jianbin owe?”

Cheng Ye joined her in tidying. “He borrowed from loan sharks, with compound interest. It’s probably over ten thousand now.” Over ten thousand, in the current economic conditions, was a huge sum for many rural people. Jiang Xue’s eyes darkened when she heard this. “Then what do you plan to do?”

“Work,” Cheng Ye said. “Go down to the mine.” In those years, mining regulations weren’t as strict. There were many miners, but many weren’t from proper teams, and safety measures were inadequate. The risk was high, but correspondingly, the wages were also high. The mine was in the neighboring county, and he could come back once a week.

Cheng Ye used a broom to sweep the trash on the floor, glancing at Jiang Shi, who was reaching out to catch rainwater from the eaves. Once a week wasn’t enough for him, but it was his most suitable option at the moment. Jiang Shi shook the water from his fingertips, rubbed his cold fingers, and tucked his hands into his pockets, where he felt the chocolate.

Cheng Ye was completely drenched. Jiang Xue snatched the broom from him, urging him to change his clothes. Jiang Shi’s half-butt lifted from the chair. “I’ll go check.” He followed Cheng Ye like a little tail, watching him enter the narrow room. It was pitch black inside. A few seconds later, a faint flashlight beam appeared. Jiang Shi didn’t think much and followed him in.

“Cheng…”

He barely managed to call out the name before he choked. In the dim light, the shirtless young man turned around. His broad shoulders and back were completely exposed to Jiang Shi’s eyes. His skin was a healthy honey color, his muscles taut, carrying the vibrant heat unique to a young man. Pecs, abs… and further down, black pants hung low on his hips.

Jiang Shi suddenly lost his voice. Logically, he should have turned and left, but his eyes were fixed on the other’s abs, unable to look away. Damn it! How did he have eight-packs?

Under his gaze, the eight-pack abs rippled. Cheng Ye grabbed his jacket to cover his lower body, looking a bit confused. “What’s wrong?”

Boom! Heat rushed to Jiang Shi’s ears. He fumbled in his pocket, closed his eyes, and threw the chocolate towards Cheng Ye. “N-nothing, just came to give you this.” Without waiting for Cheng Ye’s reaction, he turned and ran.

Cheng Ye watched his retreating figure disappear. He bent down to pick up the chocolate from the floor, sat on the bed, his jacket still covering him. The chocolate was warm from the boy’s body heat and seemed to carry his scent. Cheng Ye held it for a while, then couldn’t bear to let the boy’s scent dissipate into the air. He opened his mouth, used his tongue to press against the serrated edge of the wrapper, and tore open the chocolate.

---

Cheng Ye took an unusually long time to change his clothes; half an hour passed before he emerged. His expression was no different from before he went in, but the corners of his eyes were red, and his Adam’s apple bobbed frequently, as if satisfied yet unsatisfied. Finally, his gaze fell on Jiang Shi.

After all this time, Jiang Shi had forgotten the earlier awkwardness. He held a broom, seemingly wanting to help. He tried for two minutes and successfully made the area Jiang Xue had cleaned even dirtier. Jiang Xue confiscated his “tool of crime.” Jiang Shi rubbed his nose, and when he turned around, he saw Cheng Ye standing behind him.

Dormant memories began to attack him. He glared at Cheng Ye. “What are you looking at!”

Only Jiang Shi could be this unreasonable. Cheng Ye graciously replied, “Sorry.”

Jiang Xue appeared out of nowhere. “Jiang Shi, are you bullying Cheng Ye again?”

Jiang Shi: “…”

So annoying. He turned to grab the umbrella by the door and said to Jiang Xue, “You go with him, I’m going home.”

Jiang Xue: “You brat…”

Jiang Shi ultimately didn’t leave. He was bribed by a large pomelo that Cheng Ye had somehow managed to get. The pomelo had just been picked from the tree, very juicy. As soon as it was cut open, a sweet, refreshing scent began to spread. Jiang Shi held a piece of pomelo almost half the size of his face, tearing off the peel with his hands, and asked Cheng Ye, “Are you really going to mine?”

Cheng Ye tore off the pomelo peel, put it in a bag, and told Jiang Shi to take it home to eat. “Yes, I’ll be leaving soon.”

“Ah?” Jiang Shi was startled. “So soon?”

“They’re short on people there, and they’ve arranged a ride. If I go today, I don’t need to buy a ticket.”

The pomelo in Jiang Shi’s mouth suddenly didn’t taste sweet anymore. He felt a strange discomfort in his heart, but he also knew this was Cheng Ye’s decision, and he, an outsider, couldn’t interfere. Besides, given Cheng Ye’s current situation, this was the best way out. The young master’s mouth drooped a pixel. “Okay.”

Seeing him unhappy, Cheng Ye, on the contrary, smiled. He placed the pomelo at Jiang Shi’s feet. “The mine gives a day off once a week. I’ll be back to see you next week, and I’ll bring you something delicious then.”

The words sounded a bit strange. Jiang Shi said, “Do I care about your stuff?”

“No, you don’t.”

Cheng Ye thought to himself: But he wants to give. He wished he could give Jiang Shi everything he had—his money, his heart, his life. Unfortunately, his life was worthless; no one cared.

---

Cheng Ye left just like that. At first, Jiang Shi didn’t feel anything particular, but as the start of school approached, he felt an increasing unease. Gao Xinhe initially still came to play with him, but as time became tight, he studied late into the night every day, so busy that he didn’t even have time to sleep.

And the photo of the winter break homework checklist that Song Jian’an had organized for Jiang Shi had long been deleted by him. Homework? What’s that?

The day before school started, Song Jian’an contacted Jiang Shi.

Song Jian’an: [Student Jiang Shi, have you finished your winter break homework?]

Jiang Shi, upon receiving the message: “…” He replied perfunctorily.

[Finished it, it’s all filled out.]

Song Jian’an: [As expected of you. I’m still a bit behind on the homework for High School. My English foundation isn’t good, so I’ve been working on filling in the gaps recently. I hope I don’t hold the class back when school starts.]

Jiang Shi rolled around in his quilt with his phone, then, as if possessed, typed a question.

[Do you know Cheng Ye?]

Song Jian’an evaluated Cheng Ye with one word.

[Heh.]

Jiang Shi: “…”

He could tell. It was indeed very unfriendly.