The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 2

That night at the guesthouse, Chen Xian didn’t sleep well. Around noon, he was awakened by a knock on the door. With messy hair and bleary eyes, he went to open it.

“It’s time. If you want to continue staying, you’ll need to renew, otherwise you’ll have to leave before 12 o’clock,” said the landlady, holding a ballpoint pen and making circles in a notebook, as if noting which rooms still had guests.

Chen Xian was a bit out of sorts. He glanced back into the room and saw the things he had brought back from out of town, gradually recalling everything that had happened yesterday.

His wife was missing.

“Are you staying or not?” The landlady urged impatiently.

Staying at the guesthouse wasn’t a long-term plan. Chen Xian shook his head. “I’m not staying.”

The landlady rolled her eyes and issued an eviction notice. “If you’re not staying, then pack up and leave quickly, don’t delay my business.”

Adhering to the principle of less trouble is better than more, Chen Xian didn’t argue with the landlady’s attitude, promising to check out before 12 o’clock. The landlady pursed her lips and left.

After closing the door, Chen Xian quickly washed up. Their city’s summer was hot, and the morning sun was enough to warm the water in the pipes. He walked out of the bathroom dripping wet, hastily grabbed some paper to wipe the water stains from his face, and caught a glimpse in the mirror on the dressing table. There were dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he had not slept well.

“Ah.” Chen Xian sighed deeply. He couldn’t think of anywhere Jiang Ying could have gone, but he couldn’t just sit and wait. He had to go to the police station again.

The officer who received Chen Xian was the same one from yesterday. Seeing him, he couldn’t help but click his tongue and said, “You’re here again so soon. What progress do you expect overnight? Go back and ask your relatives and friends again, see if they know where your wife went.”

“I’ve asked everyone I can ask. If I still can’t figure it out…”

Another officer eating breakfast nearby cut in, “Your wife even rented out your house. In this situation…”

The officer paused for a moment, looking hesitant, and lowered his voice before continuing, “You should talk to the tenant again, see if your wife told him anything. If she took her ID and savings, it might be voluntary disappearance, a different situation altogether.”

Chen Xian’s lips moved, his cheeks flushing with anger. Which man would want to admit his wife ran away with someone else? But he held back his temper and walked out of the police station gritting his teeth.

He wandered the streets aimlessly, the noon sun scorching him, making him sweat. Throat burning, he walked until he habitually reached the entrance of the dormitory.

Maybe it was the high temperature that day, no one was cooling off under the trees. Chen Xian quietly entered the building, reaching the third floor. Next door, Wang’s house was also quiet. Without alerting anyone, he went straight to his own door.

The iron door, scorched by the fierce sun, felt hot even before he touched it. He thought to himself that he needed to have a good talk with the boy renting the house. If possible, he would refund the rent. He couldn’t be locked out of his own home.

As he raised his arm to knock, a loud “clang” came from inside the door. He remembered the tragic scene from yesterday, didn’t hesitate, and quickly knocked on the door.

“Grumble.”

Shen Jixue’s stomach was uncomfortably empty, and he could even feel the acidic sensation of his stomach acid rising. He fumbled to stand up, having spent almost half a month in this room. Finally, he managed to locate the instant noodles at the foot of the bed quite easily.

This box of instant noodles was bought by his father when they arrived here. They were close to expiration, and the convenience store was having a promotion. After a quick calculation, the price was almost the same as eating steamed buns, so his father bought them without hesitation.

Shen Jixue reached into the box, but it was empty. There was nothing inside. He finally managed to find a plastic bag-like object with his fingertips, but it turned out to be just a seasoning packet or one he had already used up.

The family had run out of food a day or two ago, and anything edible had long been consumed.

Thinking of this, Shen Jixue collapsed onto the ground in despair. Where had his father gone? He had promised to take him to treat his eyes. Why had so many days passed with only him here? He felt like an abandoned toy, forgotten by everyone. Would his fate eventually merge with the trash in this room, completely forgotten by people?

“Knock, knock.” Two knocks interrupted Shen Jixue’s thoughts. Then, a stranger’s voice came from outside the door, “Is anyone home?”

The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Shen Jixue remembered it as the man who claimed to be the landlord’s husband yesterday.

“Is anyone there? Can you please open the door so we can talk properly?”

Shen Jixue originally intended to remain silent and wait for the man to leave on his own, but the man knocked on the door again.

Chen Xian leaned against the window and peered inside. The glass window was pitch black, and he couldn’t see anything clearly, but the sour stench seemed to permeate through the walls.

“Kid…”

“Go away! Didn’t I tell you to leave!?”

Chen Xian had originally intended to have a good conversation with the boy, but he didn’t expect such rejection and a bad attitude. But since he was in need of help from others. He patiently continued to negotiate with the boy.

“Can we make a deal? I’ll refund all the rent to you, and if you find renting this place inconvenient, I can help you find a new one.” Considering that the boy had parents, Chen Xian added, “How about this, I’ll talk to your father. When is he coming back?”

Recalling Aunt Wang’s words, Chen Xian knew that the boy’s father hadn’t been back for a while. It was impossible for a father to not come back for so long when his son was here. Chen Xian thought that communicating with an adult would surely be easier.

“Leave!” The boy’s heart-wrenching shout came from behind the door, accompanied by footsteps. The next moment, the wooden door was smashed with a loud “clang”, “We’re not moving, you leave!”

A dark liquid flowed out from under the door crack, emitting a pungent smell. Chen Xian was a bit annoyed. He was already anxious about Jiang Ying’s disappearance, and now he had to deal with such tenants.

“Do you know what you’ve done to my house? If you don’t move out now, you’ll have to pay me a lot of money when you leave.”

Chen Xian wasn’t good at being tough, but he mustered the courage to say these words. He felt somewhat guilty after all, as the person behind the door was just a child, and a visually impaired one at that. He didn’t want to be so harsh.

“When is your father coming back? I’ll talk to him…”

The wooden door, which had been tightly closed, was opened from the inside. Through the iron door, the boy found Chen Xian’s direction by his breathing.

The boy, who had been so resistant, now seemed to be trying hard to control his emotions. Clumsily, he softened his tone with Chen Xian, “It’s my fault for damaging your furniture. Please… don’t make us pay…”

Chen Xian was a softhearted person. He was just trying to scare the boy, and if there were really things that required compensation, he would discuss it with the boy’s parents. He wouldn’t make things difficult for a child.

He sighed, “Let me find you a new house. My wife, she…”

“No.”

The boy refused decisively, catching Chen Xian off guard. He thought the boy’s compliance meant there was room for negotiation. “You…”

“I need to wait for my dad to come back,” the boy said, lips quivering. “I don’t know when he’ll return. If I move to a new place, I won’t be able to adapt on my own…”

“Did your dad tell you when he would be back?”

It seemed to touch a sore spot for the boy. The veins on his neck bulged, trembling as he swallowed.

Seeing the boy’s silence, Chen Xian had a bad feeling and tentatively asked, “Will your dad come back?”

The boy’s vacant eyes widened, and he almost ground his teeth, “Of course my dad will come back! He said he would take me to get my eyes checked!”

He understood what Chen Xian meant. Chen Xian thought his dad had abandoned him in this rented house, believing he would never return.

Realizing his mistake, Chen Xian empathized, like hearing someone say his own wife had run away. Who would want to doubt the ones they trust and love the most?

The harsh sunlight pierced through the iron gate’s patterns, shining into the messy room. After a moment of silence, Chen Xian spoke slowly, “How about this? Until your dad returns, you can stay with me here.”

The boy’s cheeks twitched violently as he was about to refuse. Chen Xian spoke first.

“You wait for your dad, I wait for my wife. I can’t leave here either.”

Not knowing what had happened to Jiang Ying, Chen Xian didn’t want to suspect his loved one maliciously. No matter what, he trusted her until he saw her himself.

Perhaps it was their shared plight, but the boy gradually relaxed, his tense body easing, and his breathing slowing.

“You’ve made a mess of my home; someone has to clean it up,” Chen Xian lightly knocked on the iron gate. “Open the door first.”

After a long while, the boy calmed down significantly. He reached for the lock, and rust flaked off the hinges as the gate was pushed open from the inside with a “clack.”

Chen Xian sighed in relief. He knew the boy was still nervous and tried to chat casually to lighten the atmosphere.

The boy looked like a high school student, at most fifteen or sixteen. Chen Xian asked casually, “Are you still a minor? You can call me uncle or ge. What’s your name?”

“I’m an adult, twenty, in my second year of college.”

Chen Xian was a bit surprised. The boy looked very young and delicate, not at all like twenty.

The boy continued, “My name is Shen Jixue.”

Shen Jixue? The name sounded as refined as his appearance.