eighteen
1
When Wen Xuan was shaken awake by Aren, Yongnian happened to appear on the sea. Abu looked out of the cabin, put down his book, and stood up. He heard Aren jumping outside and shouting, so he went out of the cabin. Wen Gui also stood up and looked at Yongnian who was on the boat, thinking that he was hallucinating. Aren ran to the boat again and was about to pick up the net. Yongnian, who had just boarded the ship, did not walk to Wen Gui's side. Instead, after taking a look at Wen Gui, he walked straight to Wen Xuan's side. Although Abu wasn't far away, he couldn't hear their conversation clearly. He saw Wen Xuan's gloomy face and felt that something was wrong.
Before Wen Xuan could finish listening to Yongnian's narration, he grabbed the book, ran to another boat, and immediately left.
"What's wrong with Uncle?" Aren asked.
"Uncle has something on, so he'll be leaving first." Yongnian said.
Wen Gui crossed his arms and walked to Yongnian's side, looking up at him.
"Children, we should go back too.”Yongnian said.
"I don't want to. My fish hasn't come up yet." Aren said.
Yongnian patted his head and said,"Don't worry about those fish." Daddy brought you something good outside.”
"But there might be a big fish in here.”Aren said.
"I don't want it." Yongnian stretched out his hand, pulled the corner of the net, and threw it into the sea." You'll definitely like those things when you get home."”
"That net belongs to Uncle." Alan looked at the net that had sunk into the sea and said.
Abu looked at them and felt like an outsider, so he turned around and returned to the cabin. He turned sideways and wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes. He picked up the pen washi, folded the book, and stuffed it into his bag.
Along the way, Abu was silent. He sat on the other side of the boat and stared at the surging sea. After returning to the port, he walked at the back and went down the beach. The feeling of being grounded made him less depressed. He crossed the road and walked home. The villagers who were playing cards in the alley whispered when they saw their family. Abu carried his school bag and ran in front. Soon, he rushed into his own courtyard. He rushed up to the second floor and locked himself in his room. For a long time, he had never felt that sense of security. Now, he was lying on the bed and fell asleep very quickly.
In the middle of the night, when his parents were quarreling, he woke up. He got out of bed and walked to the window. The room was stuffy. He pushed open the window and looked outside. The cool breeze caressed his face gently.
At this moment, the sky was filled with stars. Looking at the night sky, a trace of gentleness emerged from the bottom of Abu's heart.
"Can you lower your voice? The children are all asleep."
"I told you, it's not that I want to do this. I have to do this.”
"You keep saying this every time. When will it end? I don't want to live in fear again. It's enough. I've had enough."
"What do you mean?"
"Can't you calm down and not be so loud?”
"What do you mean? What did you mean by that?"
"What do you mean? This was not the first time. No matter what you do, I'm afraid. Did you know? No matter what you do. I'm suffering. Can you think about this?”
"I worked so hard for you.”
"You can stop and do something else. Anyway, we have the capital to do anything.”
"No, you really can't. I'm already inside, do you understand?”
"Then withdraw. Then I won't do it."
"Do you think they will let me off so easily? This time, if I hadn't acted quickly, I would have been the one to die.”
"This is the danger. You can give it a try. You're the one at home, and you're the one who's scared. Let's see if you're willing to continue like this.”
"Then what do you want? It's impossible for me to stop. They just happened to be short of people now. He will still put me in an important position. In addition, once he stopped, it would be even more dangerous.”
"I can't go on like this, Liu Yongnian. I'd rather be the one going to Thailand than stay in this lousy place and worry about you.”
"Little Gui."
"Don't call me that. If you can't take it back, I'll help you. I'll go and tell him that we're quitting and that he doesn't want to look for us anymore.”
"Who do you think you are? He will listen to you."
"This time, he will definitely listen to me. Don't think that you're very important and that you're the second-in-command.”
"What do you mean?"
"In the past, I had a friendship with him."
The surroundings fell silent. The sound of a slap was very clear.
"You don't know, do you? If I didn't sleep with him, you wouldn't be able to climb so fast.”
Abu sighed and wiped his tears. He felt so cold that he was trembling.
"Guo Wengui, shut up."
"Is it very uncomfortable? Is it worse than me waiting for you at home every day?”
"When, when did this happen?”
"Why are you asking this? Are you feeling very uncomfortable?"
"I asked you when it happened?"
"You're suspecting if those children are yours, right?”
Silence.
"Don't worry. Abu looks exactly like you. As for Aren, he's your child too.”
Silence.
"If you're worried, you can go and get it tested."
Another slap.
"Let's get a divorce. Allen belongs to me. The money and the house are all yours. That way, you can marry any man who can make you feel at ease.”
"Liu Yongnian, you will regret this."
Silence.
"If we really want to divorce, Aren should be mine.”
"I only want this child. I'll give you the rest."
A burst of laughter.
"If only I could kill you.”
Silence.
There was a weak cry. This low hum and the buzzing of insects in the darkness blended together perfectly. Abu calmed down and wanted to hear who was crying. Gradually, he could only hear the chirping of insects.
"Are you really going to abandon me? Don't you think about how dangerous it was at that time? If you die, we'll be the only ones left. Just like you and your mother back then. How can we survive?"
"Don't mention my mother."
"At that time, I was afraid just thinking about it, so I could only look for him. After a few visits, he made his move. I know that if you knew, it would not end well. I can only endure it.”
"Don't say anymore."
"Yongnian."
"Don't say anymore."
"It will be over soon. I've never been there. Not even this time. You have to believe me."
"Don't say anymore."
Silence.
There was a long silence.
"Go to sleep. I'll go out and take a look."
"Where are we going?"
Silence.
"Go find your brother."
"Why?"
"That child is dead."
"Which child?"
"That girl and the child in her stomach.”
"What happened?"
"She refused to stay in the hospital. After living in the bamboo shed for a while, she died of dystocia.”
"How did this happen?"
"The doctor said that she wasn't suitable to give birth.”
"Then go quickly."
Silence.
The sound of someone stepping on the stairs could be heard.
Abu closed the window and returned to the bed. He lay down and began to cry silently. He couldn't close his red and swollen eyes for a long time, staring at the shadows of the trees outside the window.
2
After Abu returned to school, he found that the teacher's teaching progress was not as fast as his self-study. In addition, he had basically finished learning all the content that he had to learn this semester. Hence, he started to study. He borrowed the next semester's books and continued to study on his own. When Aren returned to school, he found that he could not keep up with the other students at all. He had already fallen behind by a large part and could not understand what the teacher was saying at all. In addition, his dislike of studying was deepening. During class, he would turn his head and stare at the sea from time to time, hoping to return to the sea.
Every time after school, Aren was always the fastest to leave. Abu could not find him at all, so he returned to the village alone. He knew that Aren must have gone to the bamboo shed, so he went to look for him.
He hadn't been here for a long time and realized that this place had changed a lot. The roses in the yard had already disappeared. Weeds grew on the bare ground. The canoe was set aside, covered in dust. The porch was dilapidated and looked like it was about to collapse. He held onto the doorpost and walked into the room. He saw a person lying on the table with her back facing him. The man's hair was white and his back was hunched like an old man.
"Aren." Abu shouted.
"I'm here." Aren turned his head from the kitchen and saw Abu.”
"What are you doing?" Abu asked.
"I'm helping Uncle boil water." Aren said as he stood in the kitchen with the kettle.
"Good child, don't burn my house down.”Wen Xuan said.
Abu turned around and saw Wen Xuan raising his head. His eyes drooped. Wrinkles appeared. His eyes were bloodshot. His chin was covered with a beard. He looked tired. He smiled at Abu, spread out a few cups on the table, yawned, and lay down again. Seeing Aren bring out the hot water, Abu took a step back and approached the bookcase.
Aren poured three cups of tea and turned to look at Abu. Steam swirled around his face.
"I didn't want to do my homework, so I snuck here.”Aren said.
Abu glanced at him, then turned back to look at the bookcase. His gaze fell on the basic medical book in the corner. He reached out and pulled out one of the books, opening it.
"It's so good to be at Uncle's place. No one urges me to do my homework, and I can even see the sea.”Aren said.
Wen Xuan raised his head and reached out to touch Aren's head. He picked up a teacup and turned to look at Abu. It was still that kind of mocking gaze, but it contained age.
"If you like them, take them all. It's an eyesore." Wen Xuan said.
"Yes, books are the most annoying." Alan said," I'm going to throw all the books into the sea.”
Wen Xuan turned to look at Aren, smiled, and lowered his head to take a sip of tea. He had aged a lot, and his listless appearance was annoying. Abu glanced at him, then turned around and took out the set of medical books from the bookshelf.
After urging him for a long time, Aren finally agreed to go home with Abu. He carried a pile of books for Abu and walked slowly behind him.
Wen Xuan waved his hand casually, as if to dismiss the two brothers. Seeing them leave with their books, he lay down. He was neither sleepy nor tired. He just lay down.
Footsteps came from outside the door.
Wen Xuan reached out and scratched his head. He touched the cup of tea on the table and raised his head.
"What's wrong? You and your son are really free. The son will boil the water, and the father will bring the food." Wen Xuan said.
"They came?" Yongnian asked.
"He just left not long ago." Wen Xuan said," The food has been delivered. You should leave." Looking at your old face, I feel annoyed. It's just like how I owe you a lot of money and haven't returned it. Let's go. Go back." Wen Xuan said.
Yongnian put down the bamboo basket, pulled the teapot over, and poured a cup of tea.
"Don't waste time here. I won't die for a while." Wen Xuan said.
Yongnian raised the cup of tea, drank it, and poured another cup, looking thirsty.
Wen Xuan looked at him and said,"You're not trying to avoid Xiao Gui, are you?"”
Yongnian poured another cup of tea and turned his head to look at the bookcase, avoiding Wen Xuan's direct gaze.
"Interesting. Did the couple quarrel?" Wen Xuan asked.
"I just came to see if you're dead. If he's dead, just bury him." Yongnian said.
"Last time, she was still stubborn and said that she had to be with you. She was so stubborn. You're quarreling now, right?" Wen Xuan said.
"What did you tell her?" Yongnian asked.
"You know that the biggest mistake I made as a brother was to let her follow you. Now, she actually told me that she doesn't regret it. You made me so angry." Wen Xuan said.
Yongnian lowered his head and stared at the white smoke swirling around the cup.
"You can go back now. No matter what the fight was, it was time to reconcile.”Wen Xuan said," Let's go. Xiao Gui is waiting for you at home. Don't waste time here. Looking at your face, I feel like puking.”
Yongnian held the hot teacup. The tea leaves stuck to the teacup. He shook his hand, trying to shake it off.
"I don't need you to accompany me here. I'm not an old man.”Wen Xuan said.
"I'm sorry." Yongnian said.
"Did I hear wrongly? Or are you crazy?" Wen Xuan said.
"I'm sorry. That girl." Yongnian said.
"Don't mention her. You can mention anything, but don't mention her.”Wen Xuan turned his face away and looked at the beach outside the window." I hope I can be cruel." I'll kill you now. She was the one who persuaded me to help you."
"Little Gui said the same thing." Yongnian said.
"Which sentence?" Wen Xuan asked.
"Kill me." Yongnian said.
"It's useless. What use was that? I told you not to cross that river. Now, I'm the one drowning." Wen Xuan said.
"I'm sorry." Yongnian said.
"You don't understand." Wen Xuan said. He took the teapot and poured a cup of tea. He held the teacup and drank it.
"We can find another one. What age do you like? Teenagers? I'll get you another one. Raise another one. You can do whatever you want. Those people. If anyone said half a sentence. I will kill him." Yongnian said.
Wen Xuan swung his hand and threw the teacup out of the window, as if he was chasing away the wild cat that had climbed up the window. He turned to look at Yongnian and smiled. He reached out and gently hammered the table, saying,""You can go, Liu Yongnian. Staying here is a waste of time. Go back and spend some time with your wife and child. Don't disturb me again."
"You'll be fine after some time.”Yongnian said.
Wen Xuan looked up at Yongnian and smiled." Why say so much?" Leaving this place is the greatest help to me.”
"Daddy is right." Yongnian said.
"What did Daddy say?" Wen Xuan asked.
"Before he left, he said that you were the most innocent of the three of us. Because you still have the purest thoughts about this world.”Yongnian said.
"Did Daddy really say that?" Wen Xuan said.
"Exactly." Yongnian said.
Wen Xuan lowered his head with tears in his eyes. He didn't want Yongnian to see his appearance.
"If I have it, you can have it too, brother.”Yongnian said," You can have a family, marry a wife, and have a few children. Money could also be earned. In your own way. He could start over. Although I don't know what you like, I'm sure there will be one. I know you like that girl very much. But there would be other girls. No matter what conditions or standards you have, just tell me and I'll go look for it. Until you are satisfied. You know there are many fish in the sea.”
"Tell me honestly, do you have any other women besides Xiao Gui?”Wen Xuan asked.
"Two or three." Yongnian said.
"Does she know?" Wen Xuan asked.
"I won't let her know. Moreover, that was in the past.”Yongnian said.
"There's one more thing that makes me regret not killing you.”Wen Xuan said.
"You can't do that kind of thing. You will never be able to do it." Yongnian said.
"What?" Wen Xuan asked.
"Murder." Yongnian said," Xiaogui, she will never leave me.”
"You've grasped this point very accurately. She followed you like a demon and insisted on following you.”Wen Xuan said.
"That's not right. I won't let her leave." Yongnian said.
"Don't talk about this. I'm about to throw up. Back then, Mommy told Daddy that it was a huge loss to bring you back. He had spent a lot of food and even lost a daughter.”Wen Xuan said.
"Compensate? Listen to me and you can have anything." Yongnian said.
Wen Xuan didn't want to pay attention to him anymore. He took the tea that had cooled down, sprinkled it, and poured a new cup.
"Now is a good time to do something. Now that we've gotten rid of a hindrance, we can work together. It's much easier now than it was in the past." Yongnian said.
"Liu Yongnian, you can leave now. Don't mention those things again. You can go now. From now on, don't step into this porch again. No matter what happens, don't come looking for me again. As a brother, I have done what I should do. I can't do anything else. You can leave.”Wen Xuan said.
"You should do something else to distract yourself.”Yongnian said.
"Don't mention those things to me. It was all because of those things. I don't even want to touch your matters. You should leave, hurry up and leave. I said I don't want to cross that river. And you ruined it. You ruined everything. Now, I just want to stay here quietly.”Wen Xuan said.
Yongnian stood up, put down the cup in his hand, and looked outside.
"Don't enter this door again." Wen Xuan said.
"Everything will be fine soon." Yongnian said.
Wen Xuan ignored him and laid his head on his arm, staring at the room.
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