Chapter 138: Apple
In the evening, the old street was at its most lively. People who had finished dinner and had nothing to do would walk on the street in groups, or people who were exercising at night would jog on the street, shirtless. The shops along the street were still open. Most of the shopkeepers ate late, so they would set up their stoves outside and cook.
Many vendors with small carts also began to set up their stalls, trying to get a good spot early. The New Year was approaching, and no one wanted to go home empty-handed. Their shouts were much louder than usual. The smell of food was fragrant, and the smell of fireworks was even stronger in the gloomy sunset.
Xia Qian Ge put her heavy bag on her suitcase and slowly pushed it forward. The street in front of her house seemed to have been renovated. The black asphalt had filled in the potholes left by time on the old road, and the wheels of her suitcase could roll on the ground without any hindrance.
The raised bricks on the sidewalk had also been put back and repaved, so that on a rainy day, if you accidentally stepped on them, your pants wouldn’t get wet.
Xia Qian Ge looked at her phone, staring at the message on the screen for a while. She had called last night to say that she would be back early, but the call hadn’t gone through. She thought it might have been too late, so she had left a few messages, but she hadn’t received a reply yet.
She was a little uneasy. Her mother had a job, making some small handicrafts in the community. The salary was not high, but it was a quiet job and not too tiring. The key was… there were many people coming and going in the community, so she could chat with people more and not be bored at home alone. Her mother didn’t like to talk, so she could only use this way to force her mother to communicate with the outside world more.
She finally stopped in front of a fruit stall on the side of the street. The dusty and greasy old sign had a blurry inscription: Jiajia Fruit Shop. Jiajia was the name of the shop owner’s little daughter, a lively and cute little girl who should be in elementary school now.
The owner of the fruit shop was a middle-aged woman with a round face, looking kind. Her already obese figure was wrapped in a thick cotton coat, making her look quite bloated. She was stir-frying half-cooked cabbage in a pot. The water from the green leaves was mixed with the oil and water, making a sizzling sound. The smell of gas was very strong up close, and the rising smoke was a bit irritating to the eyes.
Xia Qian Ge put her suitcase on the side of the road and walked into the shop, greeting her softly.
“Auntie, long time no see. I’m back.”
The fat woman looked up at the sound, her small eyes widening, breaking out of a thin line. She opened her mouth in surprise, quickly turned off the gas stove, put down the spatula, and rubbed her thick and short palms. “Oh my, Qian Ge is back. You scared me. You… you’ve lost weight again. You were already so weak, as if you couldn’t stand the wind. How did you lose weight?”
The fat woman held Xia Qian Ge’s slender wrist and touched it with pity, repeatedly murmuring the same sentence.
“You’ve suffered. You’ve suffered. You left without a word back then. This… you’re back in a hurry now. I haven’t prepared any good dishes. Otherwise…” The auntie glanced at the half-cooked cabbage in the pot, feeling that it was not presentable, and pointed to the fruit on the stall.
“Why don’t you take some fruit back? It’s almost the New Year… it’s good to have some at home. I’ll be closing up and going back to my hometown for the New Year in a few days.”
Xia Qian Ge calmly pulled her wrist out of the fat woman’s palm. She smiled and said, “Um… then I’ll buy some.”
“I said I’m not taking your money. You’re a good girl, but good girls are not loved. Their lives are hard. You had such good grades, but you had a fever during the gaokao and didn’t do well. I feel sorry for you, but I can’t help you much. It’s just a little fruit. Don’t make me feel bad.”
“Not at all… then thank you, auntie.”
Xia Qian Ge did plan to buy some fruit to take back. She remembered… her mother had told her not long ago that she wanted to eat apples, and she had also complained that everything was getting more expensive as the New Year approached.
She didn’t go into the shop to get them, but just picked some apples from the stall outside. They had been sitting on the roadside for a long time and were a little dusty. They had been sitting there all day and were a little wrinkled. Even if they were sold, they would be sold cheaply. She wasn’t ashamed. She picked them very carefully, choosing some that were still relatively juicy and looked as good as possible, and put them in the bag the fat woman handed her.
“Okay, a total of three pounds and two ounces. Take them back for your mom to try. I told her I’d give her some last time, but she refused. Just say you bought them.”
“Yeah, thank you, auntie.”
Xia Qian Ge took the apples that the fat woman had weighed and held them in her hand. She looked at the gradually darkening sky. “Auntie, have you seen my mom these past few days?”
“This…” The fat woman frowned and thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I haven’t seen her much recently. Doesn’t she usually go to work in the community? She doesn’t come here often. You know your mom. She’s always alone and doesn’t like crowds.”
“Is that so? Alright then. I’ll be going now. My mom is still waiting for me at home.”
“Hey, wait, wait. I have something to tell you…”
Just as Xia Qian Ge turned around, the fat woman called out to her. She looked at the woman’s hesitant expression with confusion. “What is it?”
“This is really hard to say. Your dad has been coming to your house often these past few days. About last month, at night, your mom was walking here with your dad’s arm around her shoulder, smiling so sweetly.”
The fat woman smacked her lips and described the scene vividly. “They’re divorced. Why are they still so entangled? You should go back and have a talk with your mom. And also…”
The woman paused and deliberately lowered her voice, speaking in the gossipy tone of a middle-aged woman. “They’re all saying that your dad is getting married again. Don’t you think your mom is just… asking for trouble?”
“He… is getting married?”
Xia Qian Ge was stunned for a moment, and the smile on her face suddenly melted, like wax dripping down. She stared with her inky eyes, a cold and ruthless wind blowing in them.
“Everyone on this street is talking about it. Your dad is really not a good person, but your mom is still chasing after him. She’s given him everything, but now he’s not showing any gratitude and is getting married again…”
The fat woman continued to chatter. “Your dad is playing both sides. Now that you didn’t get into Jiangnan University, the bonus from the community is gone. Your dad probably thinks it’s hard to rely on you now, so he’s not happy and has turned his back on you.”
“I know. I’ll go back and talk to my mom.” Xia Qian Ge interrupted the fat woman, a coldness lurking in her dark pupils. She held the handle of her suitcase. “I’ll be going now. I haven’t seen my mom in a long time. I miss her.”
“Okay, then… you should go back quickly.”
The fat woman was a little taken aback. She was a little uncomfortable that her words had been cut short. She quickly grabbed a few kiwis and ran out, putting them in the bag of apples. She rubbed her short, fat fingers, as if she were a little embarrassed.
“Qian Ge, although you didn’t get into Jiangnan University, Qingchuan is still a top university. Don’t let that bastard look down on you. Study hard. If you have any difficulties, I’ll definitely do my best to help you. You’re a good girl… sensible. I don’t ask for anything. Just don’t forget me in the future.”
“Of course. You’ve helped our family a lot, auntie. I remember it all.” Xia Qian Ge smiled and replied.
“That’s good, that’s good. I won’t keep you from seeing your mom. Go back quickly.”
“Then goodbye, auntie.”
“Okay, goodbye.”
…
It was late. The dim streetlights cast a faint light into the dark and quiet old building. The cold air was filled with fine dust, which floated in the dim light, looking for a dark place to hide. It was as if no one had lived there for a long time, with a stuffy and dead air. But soon, a few curses and the sound of a child crying immediately broke this assumption.
Xia Qian Ge gritted her teeth and carried her suitcase up the stairs with some difficulty. Her breathing was a little chaotic, and her strength was gradually failing. But fortunately, there was only one floor left.
She walked with difficulty, but she protected the somewhat wrinkled apples very well. In the days when she was not there, her mother probably would not be willing to spend money on food. She might have lost a lot of weight. She also had a box of pastries she had bought in Qingchuan in her bag. It was her mother’s favorite egg yolk pastry.
Thinking of this, her strength returned a little. She gritted her teeth and climbed the last step. The sound of the suitcase hitting the ground lit up the light above her head, and the familiar door of her home appeared.
Xia Qian Ge suppressed the throbbing in her heart and inserted the key into the keyhole. Her nerves and muscles began to relax. Even though it was shabby, it was still her home. She was a guest in this home now, but she would have her own home in the future, with the boy she liked.
The lock turned, and the door hinge creaked with a harsh sound. The voice-activated fluorescent light rushed into the house, and the darkness fled to the dark corners. Her gaze followed the darkness and looked into the depths of the house.
But her body suddenly froze along with her gaze, as if there was a passage to the extremely cold North Pole hidden behind the door. A fierce wind, wrapped in a cold blizzard, rushed out from the passage and hit her thin chest hard. Her heart instantly stopped, and then, starting from her heart, the warm blood in her blood vessels instantly froze into inches of solid ice.
She lost consciousness and unconsciously let go of her hand. The fruit that she had just protected so well scattered on the floor. The crisp, hard apples rolled down the stairs and hit the even harder ground, the juice splashing everywhere. The continuous crisp sound of them hitting the ground lit up the voice-activated lights on several floors below. This dead and silent old building seemed to have suddenly come to life, and it was particularly eye-catching in the old and dark neighborhood, which would completely darken at night.
Thud!
The wrinkled apple, with an increasingly heavy kinetic energy, flew down four or five steps and hit the gray and black wall at the corner hard. The pitted flesh instantly exploded, splashing out a sweet and sticky juice. Finally, it split in two and fell to the ground, motionless.
