The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 6

The sun had not fully risen yet, and there was still a breeze in the early morning. After Chen Xian said “the last step of the stairs,” the two walked from the corridor to the courtyard.

The gentle breeze brushed Shen Jixue’s face, and he could smell a faint moisture, a long-lost awakening. He couldn’t help but take a few more breaths.

Wu Bie, who had already rushed downstairs, stood at the gate of the courtyard with his hands in his pockets, expressionless, watching Chen Xian lead Shen Jixue out.

Chen Xian knew Wu Bie was getting impatient. He smiled apologetically at him. Wu Bie didn’t say anything. Chen Xian had such patience. If he had gone to work as a kindergarten teacher instead, it would have been better. His wife wouldn’t have run away.

Complaints aside, the three of them walked out of the dormitory building one after another. The barbershop was on the street outside the courtyard. Even before they entered the barbershop, they could hear the sound of the hair dryer.

Shen Jixue was sensitive to sounds, especially such piercing ones. He subconsciously stopped in his tracks, his grip on Chen Xian’s hand tightening, indicating he was reluctant to go inside.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Xian turned back and saw him turning sideways, goosebumps rising on his neck. He comforted him by patting his hand, “It’s just the sound of the blow dryer.”

Guided by Chen Xian, Shen Jixue entered the barber shop. The shop was crowded with customers, and besides the noise of various appliances, people’s voices were also noisy.

Shen Jixue was settled in a chair by Chen Xian. In this new environment, he was not willing to let go of Chen Xian’s hand, holding it tightly.

Chen Xian didn’t pull away either, asking the barber, “How long do we have to wait?”

The barber, busy with the blow dryer, answered loudly, “There are still three people ahead of you.”

There were only two people, the barber and his wife, working in the barbershop. With three people, it would take at least a couple of hours.

Going to the bank late would also mean queuing up. If it took too long, by the time it was their turn, the bank tellers might be off for lunch.

Wu Bie didn’t want to linger any longer. “Just let him wait here. You and I will go to the bank first to report the loss of the bankbook. They’ll be queuing up at the bank too.”

Chen Xian hesitated. He brought Shen Jixue out himself, and leaving him alone in the barbershop would be fine if nothing went wrong. But if something did happen, he couldn’t imagine how helpless a blind person would be.

Reporting the loss of the bankbook was urgent. With Chen Xian’s hesitation, Wu Bie was really getting impatient. He said sternly, “Chen Xian, let me remind you as a brother, be careful of losing both money and people.”

Not only that, even the barber next to him chimed in, “If you two are in a hurry to go to the bank, just go. Let him wait here for a while. The bank will close at noon, and if you go too late, you might catch them at lunchtime, wasting a trip.”

With things reaching this point, Chen Xian still couldn’t bear to speak to Shen Jixue. Just as he hesitated, Shen Jixue, who had been holding his hand all this time, suddenly let go.

So many people had spoken up, and it was impossible for him to still hold onto Chen Xian. Shen Jixue whispered softly, “You go ahead, I’ll wait here by myself.”

Chen Xian glanced at the time, estimating that it should be quick back and forth. He patted Shen Jixue’s head with his big hand, “The barber has my number. If anything happens, have him call me. I’ll go quickly and be back to bring you breakfast.”

At the moment of physical contact, Shen Jixue didn’t resist as much as before. He nodded obediently, adjusted his position, indicating that he would patiently wait for them to return.

There were even more people in the bank than Chen Xian had imagined. He separated from Wu Bie and stood in line separately. Both lines were moving slowly, sometimes held up for a long time by elderly people who didn’t understand anything.

Chen Xian looked up at the clock on the wall. He was starting to worry that Shen Jixue might be getting anxious. He even considered the idea of going back directly.

Wu Bie probably sensed his intention to give up and immediately stopped him, “Since we’re here, don’t think about turning away.”

“I’m afraid he’ll get impatient.”

Wu Bie frowned, “Are you afraid that kid will get impatient, or are you too afraid to face reality and using him as an excuse?”

Avoidance won’t solve any problems, Chen Xian reminded himself. Just as several people ahead of him couldn’t wait and left, the length of the queue shortened considerably.

Chen Xian was relatively lucky. He was the last one to handle his business in the morning. After taking his documents, the staff shouted to the people behind him, “You can disperse now. It’s almost lunch time. Come back in the afternoon.”

It would take time to reissue the bankbook. Chen Xian wouldn’t get the bankbook that day. After signing several times, he gathered the courage to ask, “Excuse me… how much money is left in my bankbook?”

The clerk casually handed over the documents and receipt through the small window, his voice cold and mechanical, “Twenty-two cents.”

The answer of “Twenty-two cents” completely shattered Chen Xian’s illusion. His fingers slowly sank into his palm, his suspended heart plummeted into the abyss in an instant, shattered into pieces. He couldn’t describe the feeling, still breathing but drifting away from consciousness.

“Damn it!” Wu Bie slammed his fist on the marble table, “This woman is really heartless, leaving you with just twenty-two cents without any consideration.”

Seeing this, the clerk glanced at the account, the money had been withdrawn several times. There was a bankbook, the password was entered, and the money was withdrawn through the proper process. It wasn’t the bank’s fault.

“If you’ve been deceived, go to the police station. Don’t throw a tantrum here.” The clerk was wary of these two potentially causing trouble, having seen many victims of scams act out at the bank.

Even if they went to the bank, or even the police station, it might not be useful. The one who withdrew the money was Chen Xian’s wife. Unless they caught her, otherwise, the money wouldn’t come back.

Chen Xian’s head buzzed, completely losing the ability to think. He sat dumbfounded by the window, his hands supporting his forehead.

Anyone encountering such a frustrating situation would be at a loss. Wu Bie sighed, laying a big hand on Chen Xian’s shoulder, “What’s your plan?”

The money was gone, the person was gone. Unless Jiang Ying herself had a change of heart, it would be incredibly difficult to retrieve the money.

Chen Xian’s temples throbbed. He tried hard to calm himself down, “Let’s go to the police station.”

In the barbershop, the voices gradually dwindled. The voices of customers chatting decreased, leaving only the sound of the hairdryer. Shen Jixue finished cutting his hair, sitting near the glass window. Sunlight streamed through the window, shining directly on his face. Occasionally, cars passed by outside, and the noisy chirping of cicadas became more annoying with the rising temperature.

It should be nearing noon.

Chen Xian had promised to bring breakfast back, but it was already past breakfast time. Were there really so many people in the bank? Did they really need to wait in line for so long? Or did Chen Xian change his mind, deciding to let him fend for himself outside, influenced by his friend’s words?

Shen Jixue’s hands clasping the armrest tightened slowly, the veins on the back of his hands were clearly visible, and his fingertips deformed and reddened due to excessive force.

After all the customers left the shop, the barber noticed that Shen Jixue was still there. Since Chen Xian left, he hadn’t spoken a word, remaining silent like a mute.

Feeling sorry for him, the barber walked up and said, “Let me call Chen Xian for you.”

Hearing the name “Chen Xian,” Shen Jixue finally turned his head in the direction of the voice. He couldn’t see, but he followed the movement of the barber based on the position of the voice.

The sound on the speakerphone was so pleasant, every digit’s tone tugged at Shen Jixue’s heartstrings. Unfortunately, after the number was dialed, the other party quickly hung up. The abrupt busy tone made Shen Jixue lose focus.

“Hung up?” The barber double-checked the number on the phone book, made sure there was no mistake, redialed, but it was still hung up. The barber could only give up and comforted, “Maybe something came up. Don’t worry.”

While he was explaining the situation to the police officer, Chen Xian’s phone in his pocket kept ringing incessantly. He was about to pick it up when Wu Bie took out his phone first, “You concentrate on explaining to the police. I’ll take this.”

With that said, Wu Bie didn’t give Chen Xian a chance to refuse. He got up and walked out. Chen Xian didn’t want to waste the police officer’s time, so he had no choice but to continue making his statement.

After a long explanation, he finally told the police everything he knew. Chen Xian felt a bit parched.

The police officer, familiar with such cases, first got an idea from Chen Xian, “We’ll do our best to find the person and recover the money. But in this situation, as you know, the chance of recovery is very small.”

Chen Xian understood. Even if he couldn’t get the money back, he wanted to find Jiang Ying. He didn’t want to remain in the dark forever.

Outside the waiting room, Wu Bie was standing there smoking. When he saw Chen Xian coming out with the police officer, he hurriedly approached, “How did it go?”

“Everything’s explained.”

The police officer saluted Wu Bie, “We’ll do our best to help you.”

Coming out of the police station, Chen Xian seemed lost, as if his soul had been sucked away, not knowing which way to go.

His mind blank for a moment, he remembered something, “Whose call was it just now?”

“No name, unknown number,” came the reply.

Chen Xian’s thoughts were clearly still scattered as he glanced at the time on his phone. It was already this late, and Shen Jixue…

Chen Xian’s face changed suddenly, startling Wu Bie. “What’s wrong? Whose call was it? Jiang Ying’s?”

“No,” Chen Xian quickly hailed a taxi, hastily gave the address to the driver, “It’s Shen Jixue, still alone at the barbershop.”

Wu Bie thought it was nothing serious. He shrugged and said, “I’m telling you, you haven’t even sorted out your own problems, yet you’re worried about someone who’s not even remotely connected to you. If you ask me, take this opportunity to make him move out. You should have mentioned his situation to the police when you were at the station, let them figure something out.”

Chen Xian was feeling distressed and distracted, not in the mood to argue with Wu Bie. But Wu Bie was right. Given his current state, he really didn’t have time to take care of a blind person, especially someone who had no personal or familial ties to him.

Author’s note:

Chen Xian is an average-looking wealthy middle-aged man (not excessively rich, certainly not a big boss).