NH chapter 043

Chapter 43: Not Wronged

“Boss, how does this feel? The landlord is my neighbor’s nephew, he immigrated abroad a couple of years ago and has left it vacant. He told me he would rent it to you cheaply as long as the weeds in front don’t grow too wild.”

Huo Ye bit down on a cigarette that was mostly burnt, inspecting the place thoroughly from top to bottom several times, before finally nodding: “Alright.”

This apartment is on the outskirts of the city, transportation is inconvenient, and it’s far from school, but the good thing is it’s secluded and safe.

Even if someone has to find their way here, it wouldn’t be easy.

Since around April in the second semester of sophomore year, debt collectors have frequently come to block their door, even hiring many young toughs who shout every day downstairs about wanting to chop off Huo Lijun’s hands.

Nearby places have been splattered with bright red paint, naming names, even the house number clearly written, saying all sorts of vicious things.

—”Blood for blood” “If the money isn’t paid back, you all die” “If you don’t pay back within a day, I’ll kill one, let your wife and children be careful…”

The residents of several rental buildings are in an uproar, getting increasingly anxious, trying to counsel each other, asking for kindness, saying that it’s not just your family raising children, why drag others into your debt.

Having moved so many times, this situation was certainly not the first or second time. Huo Lijun shouted angrily, causing neighbors to avoid provoking him and coming to Huo Ye, hoping he would understand.

Huo Ye didn’t argue, didn’t say much; just after Huo Lijun finished cursing and left, he stayed behind to clean up the mess, apologizing repeatedly.

“Aunt Zhang, I’m sorry. We are trying to find a new place as soon as possible, and as soon as we can move, we will. I apologize for disturbing everyone over the years,” Huo Ye knocked on doors with a fruit basket, his voice gentle, a light smile on his face.

Aunt Zhang wouldn’t accept it, forcefully pushing it back, her eyes red, unable to hold back her choked voice, sighing, “Sigh, Xiao Qi, how did you end up with such a father! He is the scum of the earth, and only a few years after moving in, Auntie has watched you suffer so much…”

Huo Ye’s smile faded, there was an elusive sorrow in his eyes, yet he still spoke softly, “Auntie, I’m not wronged.”

“How can you not be wronged after he hits you like that!”

It was fine until that moment, but with one sentence of “not wronged,” Aunt Zhang immediately burst into tears, looking even angrier than him.

Huo Ye was a bit at a loss, hurriedly catching her tears with his hands, stammering, “Auntie, I… didn’t bring any tissues today…”

Aunt Zhang stood in front of him, not even reaching his shoulder, but she had seen Huo Ye grow up. When they moved in during the third year of middle school, he was still just a little boy, and now in the blink of an eye, he had become so tall.

Still the same as before, obedient, sensible, a child who brought peace of mind, and he looked good too.

He could work, cook, and handle all the housework. When he was young, who wouldn’t want to marry their daughter to him? It was just a pity.

Sigh, how did he come to be stuck with such a father?

Everyone sighed. Forget about marrying, even dating was tough.

Aunt Zhang grabbed his hand, cautiously glancing at the door across the hall, confirming that Huo Lijun was not around, then with a serious face said to Huo Ye, “Xiao Qi, listen to Auntie, don’t bother with that gambler anymore, take your mom and little sister and run far away.”

“Your mom has always told me not to tell you, that the gambler knows you’re grown up now. If you fight back, you might not win, so he often hits your mom secretly when you’re at school… Your mom often borrows ointment from me, afraid that you’ll spend money, never willing to go to the hospital.”

Huo Ye was stunned, standing still for a long time.

Aunt Zhang was worried, and after several reminders said, “You must not say I told you, your mom has never asked me for anything, over the years she’s only borrowed ointment, I’ve slipped her some money a few times asking her to go to the hospital but she refuses to take it. She just asks me not to tell you, for fear it’ll affect your college entrance exams.”

Huo Ye ran door to door with fruit baskets the whole day, but in the end, not a single one was gifted out.

Some refused to accept, pushing it back.

Others, at the sight of him, simply didn’t even open the door.

A gentle knock arose, and a little girl peeked in, hesitatingly calling, “Brother.”

Huo Ye came back to his senses, casually snuffing out the cigarette he had just lit in the ashtray by the window, suddenly pausing as he realized there were at least ten butts in there, which he hadn’t even noticed.

But only for a moment, Huo Ye opened the window a little more and turned around to respond, “Come in.”

So Huo Yan lifted the hem of her little dress, tiptoeing past the unwanted fruit baskets scattered on the floor, and dashed over to throw herself into Huo Ye’s leg.

Huo Ye bent down easily to steady his younger sister, then placed her on the desk, gently pinching the corner of her dress and saying, “It’s old.”

“It’s not old, it’s still very pretty.” Huo Yan wrapped her little hands around her brother’s neck, much less lively than usual, her voice much softer, “It was just bought for me before the New Year. I get a new dress every year, my classmates are all envious of me.”

Huo Ye curled the corner of his lips, ruffling her hair: “Really?”

“Really, if I’m lying, I’m a little dog.”

She nodded earnestly like a little chick pecking for grains of rice.

Huo Yan said, “I’m the happiest child in the world.”

Huo Ye fell silent for a moment, suddenly reaching out to pull the part of her dress where a small hole had been burned by a cigarette.

“The happiest child in the world can also have scars from being burned by cigarette butts?” he asked with a barely perceptible tremble in his voice.

Huo Yan was startled, hurriedly covering the small burned piece on her skirt, but couldn’t find the words to explain. She stammered anxiously, “This isn’t… it’s me, I secretly played with dad’s cigarettes and accidentally got it…”

Huo Ye recalled Aunt Zhang’s words and felt his heart seize painfully, clutching his chest and bending over, emitting a low groan of unbearable pain from his throat.

Huo Yan was immediately frightened, supporting his shoulder with all her might to prevent him from collapsing, crying out, “Brother, what’s wrong with you?”

“Brother, brother…”

She was at a loss, only able to pat his back to comfort him.

Huo Ye managed to calm down for a moment, finally catching his breath, feeling as if he had salvaged his life. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his face pale as he smiled and gently wiped Huo Yan’s face.

But Huo Yan only cried harder.

“Brother is fine, didn’t we agree? Girls shouldn’t casually drop little pearls.” Huo Ye tried to suppress the pain in his heart, lowering his head to pinch her tear-streaked cheek, trying his hardest to appear normal.

Huo Ye whispered to her, “Stop crying, or your brother’s heart will break. When you cry, I hurt even more.”

“Really?” Huo Yan abruptly snuffled, deterred from crying.

“Really.” Huo Ye said, “If I’m lying, I’m a little dog.”

Huo Yan’s eyes glimmered with tears as she bit her lip, her eyelashes fluttering, pressing her small hand against her brother’s chest: “Blow, blow and it won’t hurt anymore.”

Huo Ye pressed her hand down, gently touching it with his lips, softly saying, “Xiao Yan, be good, go pack your things, just take what’s important and convenient, we’re leaving tonight.”

“Mom, what about Mom? Is Mom going to buy groceries?” Huo Yan asked, her eyes widened with excitement.

Huo Ye lifted her down, “Mom will be back soon.”

Huo Yan seemed to have waited for this day for a long time, running around like she’d been injected with adrenaline, clattering as she rummaged through everything.

“I want to bring my teddy bear… my bunny, and my Belle, boohoo… what should I do, brother, you bought me so many toys, can we bring them all?”

She was busy packing, but halfway through, she suddenly burst into tears again, vigorously wiping her face with her hand but couldn’t stop.

Huo Ye finished his medicine and walked over, leaning against the door frame of her room, speaking weakly, “Yes, we can take them all. You tidy up your clothes and school bag, go to the new house with Mom first, I’ll carry these toys.”

“Really?” Huo Yan was still a bit uneasy, “We can’t leave any behind!”

Huo Ye nodded, smiling lightly, “Not one. When have I ever lied to you? Every time you wanted a toy, didn’t I buy it for you?”

Huo Yan felt reassured, wiping away her tears and continuing to pack.

A child with milk is a mother, having moved so many times, she could live anywhere, as long as her brother and mom were there, that’s home.

She was young, didn’t need to consider anything.

How much rent and utilities cost didn’t really cross her mind.

Huo Yan was overjoyed, thinking she was finally going to escape that terrible monster, heading toward true happiness.

At 5:40, Song Jianlan came back, drenched in sweat with a bag of vegetables. Seeing the bundles of luggage, she paused, staring blankly at Huo Ye on the sofa.

She quickly realized.

This day, reluctantly, had arrived.

Even though her body was already feeling unwell, Huo Ye still packed up the luggage himself, making trips downstairs.

Only when they were getting into the car did Huo Yan finally realize, clinging tightly to her brother’s hand, panic-stricken, asking, “Why?… Aren’t you coming with us?”

Huo Ye lowered his brow, solemnly saying, “You and Mom go first, I’ll come later. I still have to get your toys.”

It seemed so; Huo Yan said, “Oh.”

But she still felt uneasy, “Make sure we take everything, okay?”

Huo Ye said, “Alright.”

Huo Lijun wasn’t home for dinner tonight and was likely out drinking with his cronies, probably wouldn’t return until around one or two in the morning.

Huo Ye used to be very afraid of midnight because that’s when all sorts of bad things happened—fights, crying, and even hiding under the quilt wouldn’t help.

But now, he had quietly grown up through countless such midnights, slowly gaining the ability to withstand the darkness.

Time, could you go a little faster? Huo Ye wished.

After the college entrance exams, maybe everything would improve.

At 6:35, Huo Ye boiled a bowl of noodles, finished eating alone, and left the bowl in the sink, temporarily not wanting to wash it.

He felt a little tired.

Just a little.

At seven o’clock, it was very dark, the sun had disappeared.

Huo Ye was doing homework in his room; today there were quite a few assignments, two sheets of math to do. He had missed quite a bit of work in the past few months while busy finding a new place, so he was struggling quite a bit.

After working for half a day, his mind was all over the place, unable to solve a question that wasn’t actually difficult, yet everything he had done was wrong.

He had the habit of twirling his pen while thinking, but even the pen he had been twirling so beautifully slipped from his fingers today, falling to the ground with a “bang,” leaving him momentarily stunned.

It was fine, it just fell lightly…

Huo Ye picked up the pen, but his hand was shaking uncontrollably.

—It ran out of ink.

After a moment of shock, Huo Ye suddenly felt overwhelmed, as if the taut string in his mind had snapped with a “pop.”

Why was it like this?

This wasn’t okay; how could he do the college entrance exams like this?

His stomach ached, his heart hurt, and his entire body was in pain. Huo Ye stubbornly scribbled a few more lines on the paper, but still no ink appeared—he suddenly lost his temper and smashed the pen against the pitted door.

If he couldn’t write, he would change to another pen.

After switching pens, he nervously began writing again, but his strength was poorly controlled, pressing the tip too hard, causing the pen tip to sink in.

Ink stained a deep, black hole on the paper.

The only answer he had written correctly was covered, leaving only mistakes.

Huo Ye stared at the deep, bottomless little hole, and for a moment, he visually conjured up the image of the burned hole on his sister’s dress, as if his heart had been pierced, bleeding wildly.

Bad memories surged forth, continuously replaying in his mind, repeatedly torturing him.

Huo Ye felt a hazy delusion that he had already died a long time ago, that he had only lived briefly, and the current suffering was nothing more than a revolving lantern.

It will end, it will end soon.

Huo Ye slowly realized how violently he had smashed the pen and how much it did not resemble him.

His second realization was how much it resembled Huo Lijun. Only Huo Lijun would throw things violently even when encountering minor inconveniences.

Huo Ye hated him so much.

But despairingly realized he was becoming more and more like him.

Why was it like this? He was obviously supposed to be a gentle person, so why had he suddenly changed like this?

His stomach twisted sharply, and Huo Ye covered his mouth, rushing into the bathroom to lean over the sink, continuously retching until he purged every bit of that bowl of noodles he had eaten tonight, leaving nothing behind.

Slowly rinsing his mouth, Huo Ye straightened up, but after bending over for so long, it felt like he was going to break.

How had he made himself so miserable?

Huo Ye looked at the person in the mirror, feeling a bit dejected.

At that moment, the lights in the house abruptly went out, and the surroundings suddenly fell into pitch darkness, “…”

Huo Ye sensed something was wrong, splashed his face with water to force himself to get a grip, calmly adjusting for a moment, then headed toward the door.

Looking through the peephole, he saw no one outside, but the light across the hall was still on, indicating that someone had intentionally turned off the power to his place.

Knowing it was a trap designed to draw him out, being cautious meant he shouldn’t leave and walk into danger, but today Huo Ye wasn’t particularly in the mood to avoid danger—who was looking to die was still uncertain.

Huo Ye, with a cold face and no words, directly opened the door.

As expected, using the dim light, a silver gleam flashed past, swinging toward his neck!

Though Huo Ye wasn’t in the best state physically, his weakness was incomparable to others; he wouldn’t need to fight hard even against five people.

Moreover, the other side only had one person, and he seemed to be an older middle-aged man, the speed of the knife swing might even be described as slow, and without much skill, he was subdued by Huo Ye in a few moves.

A kick to the knee, followed by pressing down on his calf, the man immediately knelt on the ground, unable to get up, furious as he shouted, “Old Huo! We were brothers for several years, why do you have to push me to desperation!”

“Shut up and don’t disturb the neighbors.”

Huo Ye seized the knife and pressed it against the man’s neck, feeling extremely annoyed.

He coldly commanded, “Get inside.”

Five minutes later, the man was bound hand and foot with a belt, his eyes filled with dense and terrifying bloodshot veins, glaring resentfully at Huo Ye.

Huo Ye held the kitchen knife, lowered his gaze, lightly stroking the blade with his fingertip, his expression dark and melancholic, appearing both gloomy and strange.

“Have you ever killed someone?” he asked.

The man spitted, “What does that have to do with you?”

“Nothing, but it’s dull.”

Huo Ye said blandly, “It’s fine for cutting vegetables; ordinarily, you probably wouldn’t even dare to kill a chicken, where do you get the nerve to block me?”

“I could tell at a glance, you must be Old Huo’s son. You look so much like your dad,” the man said, “You two aren’t good things, rotten to the core. Your dad owes money and gets chased for it, and you just fight and cheat at school.”

Whether it was bullies or social misfits, Huo Ye no longer cared about these rampant rumors and was genuinely tired of denying them.

He only asked one thing: “How much does Huo Lijun owe you?”

“What, can you pay it back?” the man mocked.

Huo Ye frowned, “How much?”

“… One hundred thousand.” The man gritted his teeth, “A few years ago, your dad brought me to the gambling hall, almost lost all his money, and eventually borrowed a hundred thousand to cover his debts, which he hasn’t returned.”

“I gave due consideration that your dad’s circumstances aren’t great, having a son and daughter, and his life is pretty tight, thinking if he couldn’t pay it back, so be it.”

“But this year, my daughter was diagnosed with cancer, and it requires a lot of money. I’ve borrowed everywhere; my relatives and friends are about to sever ties with us because of it, but I’m still short of a hundred thousand. If I don’t pay up, my daughter won’t be able to undergo chemotherapy, and I’m out of options; I could only come to get your dad’s money.”

“I regret it, I regret it… if I hadn’t gone to the gambling hall that day, all my savings accumulated over decades wouldn’t have so quickly been squandered, my wife wouldn’t have left, my daughter wouldn’t have to lie in bed waiting to die because of the lack of money for treatment… I regret it!”

The middle-aged man in his fifties finally shed regretful tears in front of nineteen-year-old Huo Ye, but it was too late, far too late.

He knelt beside Huo Ye, crawling like he was clutching at the last straw for survival, hoarsely pleading, “Old Huo, can you persuade your dad to pay me back? If a hundred thousand is too much, then eighty thousand, or seventy thousand, seventy thousand is also fine… my daughter is waiting for salvation.”

Huo Ye looked down at him, as if gazing at thousands of gamblers like him, so pitiful, and yet so detestable.

Time passed, and soon the man was nearly despairing.

Huo Ye merely nodded and said, “Alright.”

The man raised his head in disbelief, as if suddenly filled with life, excitedly rattling, “Really? Can you make your dad pay me back? Thank you, thank you…”

Huo Ye numbly replied, “I’ll pay you back as soon as I can.”

The man left in a flurry of joy, having come in like a trapped beast.

The dull kitchen knife had been forgotten, and Huo Ye sat alone in the dark for half an hour. In the blink of an eye, the old-fashioned wall clock’s hands struck ten o’clock, and he had only done one sheet of homework.

A pen that had run out of ink, questions he couldn’t answer.

Huo Ye didn’t even want to look at it again. Even if he might be called out by the teacher tomorrow and punished, he didn’t want to do it.

Whatever.

Huo Ye knew this wouldn’t do. He had promised Shen Tingyu to study hard for the college entrance exams, to go to university in Beijing, to the place of his dreams.

He wanted to see snow so badly.

He hadn’t ever been on a plane or seen snow.

… he missed Shen Tingyu so much.

Huo Ye took out his phone, glanced at the time, worried Shen Tingyu might be preparing to sleep and didn’t want to disturb him, thus refraining from calling.

He typed many words in the chat box but ended up deleting them one by one, repeating this for a long time, until suddenly a voice call from Shen Tingyu popped up, almost causing him to drop his phone.

Huo Ye paused for several seconds, telling himself not to answer, not to pass on negative energy to others, and also not to let Shen Tingyu know that he hadn’t completed today’s study plan, disappointing his expectations.

But he couldn’t bear to hang up like that.

After a while, Huo Ye’s finger trembled, accidentally answering the call.

As soon as the call connected, Shen Tingyu’s familiar, cold voice came through the phone clearly, without any preamble, “Where are you?”

Huo Ye swallowed, “… At home.”

“Stay put, I’ll be there in ten minutes, don’t run around.”

“Wait, don’t come over yet.”

Huo Ye panicked: “I’m fine, why are you coming over?”

“Fine?” Shen Tingyu immediately shot back, “If you’re fine, why were you typing for so long without saying anything? You think I don’t know, right?”

Huo Ye: “…”