The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 30

There was some distortion on the phone, but Shen Jixue’s urgent question was clearly heard by Wu Bie and left Chen Xian at a loss. He glanced at Wu Bie, opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond.

“Chen Xian?” Shen Jixue patiently waited for Chen Xian’s answer. Time passed, and he couldn’t hold back, calling Chen Xian’s name.

Chen Xian’s stalled thoughts were cautiously probed back by Shen Jixue. Wu Bie threw away his cigarette, made up his mind, and silently urged Chen Xian to tell Shen Jixue the truth.

Chen Xian swallowed hard, even though Wu Bie’s lip movements were easily recognizable, he subconsciously pretended not to understand and stammered, unable to speak for a long time.

“Your father…,” 

Wu Bie was so anxious that he wanted to snatch the phone from Chen Xian. Chen Xian stepped back two steps and moved to the side.

“How is my father? When is he coming to pick me up?” Hearing Shen Jixue’s eager words, Chen Xian felt as if something was stuck in his throat. How could he tell him? He dared not imagine Shen Jixue’s reaction after knowing the truth. He was not with Shen Jixue now. He was really afraid that Shen Jixue could not accept it and would do something foolish.

A bus swayed from a distance with a signboard hanging in front of the windshield to Shenzhen. Chen Xian’s gaze was fixed on the long-distance bus.

“He went to Shenzhen,” he said something he had never said in his life. Wu Bie was caught off guard, and so was he. Wu Bie widened his eyes, as if he had heard something extraordinary.

“In Shenzhen?” The voice from the phone also froze for a moment, as if this explanation was somewhat inexplicable.

Obviously, this explanation was somewhat inexplicable, but in order to cover up the lie, Chen Xian had to continue: “Yes, he went to Shenzhen. You know, your eye treatment costs a lot of money, and the factory over there pays well. So your father went there with some acquaintances.”

Afraid that Shen Jixue would not believe it, Chen Xian continued, “Because he left in a hurry, he didn’t have time to notify you. If he didn’t go with them that day, someone else would have taken his place immediately. In such an opportunity, he certainly didn’t want to miss it.”

Wu Bie couldn’t help but give Chen Xian a thumbs-up. He had thought that Chen Xian couldn’t lie. It wasn’t easy to come up with such a plausible story in a hurry.

This was not a compliment, but a sarcastic remark. Chen Xian turned away from Wu Bie, facing his back to Wu Bie, and spoke softly to Shen Jixue on the phone, “Your father said that when he saves enough money, he will come back immediately to take you to see a doctor. Xiao Shen, please don’t worry.”

Perhaps because Chen Xian’s story was flawless, or perhaps because Shen Jixue trusted him too much, for a while, he did not find any flaws in Chen Xian’s words.

Feeling a little disappointed and unable to see his father immediately, he was a little limp. “Then… did he say when he would call me?”

“He wants to call you.” Chen Xian scratched his head. Lying was absolutely the hardest thing for him, and he had to deceive a kid like Shen Jixue. He struggled in his heart and felt guilty. “But he… doesn’t remember our home phone number…”

Afraid that Shen Jixue would call his father now, Chen Xian racked his brains and finally came up with a reason, “The factory where your father works is relatively remote. He usually doesn’t go out much to save money for the surgery. In a big city like Shenzhen, going out costs a lot of money, not to mention the expensive phone bills.”

Chen Xian felt like there was a fire burning in his throat.

“He said he would write you a letter. When your father’s letter arrives, I’ll read it to you.”

“My dad will write me a letter?” Shen Jixue’s tone was strange, whether it was confusion or something else.

Chen Xian’s heart was pounding because of his fabricated lies, and he didn’t notice Shen Jixue’s anomaly. “Yes, I’ve already given our address to someone. He will write you a letter.”

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound in the receiver, like a poor connection. Shen Jixue remained silent for a while before speaking softly, “Then what is my dad doing over there?”

Originally worried that Shen Jixue would keep harping on about calling and writing letters, Chen Xian didn’t expect him to ask this. Most likely, Shen Jixue was concerned about his dad’s hard work.

“Your father’s job is easy. He works in a food factory doing packaging. Nowadays, packaging is all done by machines. Their job is to watch the machines to prevent errors in production location and date.”

“Watch the machine? Is that so?” Shen Jixue’s voice softened, sounding like a mosquito, light and ethereal, as if it would disappear in the next moment.

Chen Xian didn’t know why Shen Jixue reacted like this. “Xiao Shen? What’s wrong? Don’t be sad. Your dad is just too busy with work.”

“Um…” Shen Jixue suddenly changed the subject, “Chen Xian, are you back?”

Chen Xian didn’t expect the topic to shift like this. He hadn’t planned to hide the fact that he came back from Shen Jixue. He could only admit it frankly, “Yeah.”

Just as he was struggling with how to explain why he came back so soon, Shen Jixue just responded with a simple “Mm” without probing further.

“Then finish your work at the unit and come home early.”

After hanging up the phone, Chen Xian’s mind was still a bit foggy. He held the phone, still thinking about Shen Jixue’s reaction just now.

“Chen Xian, I didn’t realize you’re such a good liar.” After holding back for so long, Wu Bie finally managed to speak.

Chen Xian didn’t have time to care about Wu Bie’s sarcastic tone. “What should I do?”

“Now you’re asking me what to do? Weren’t you so confident in lying just now?”

Chen Xian grabbed his hair in frustration. He knew he shouldn’t have lied about this matter, shouldn’t have kept it from Shen Jixue, but…

“What if I didn’t lie? Should I tell Xiao Shen the truth? You don’t know how much he cares about his dad. If I tell him about his dad now, he won’t be able to handle it.”

Shen Jixue has a fiery temper, and he might do extreme things.

Before Wu Bie could speak, Chen Xian continued to say to himself, “Let’s keep it a secret for now, at least… at least until his eyes get better.”

Seeing Chen Xian’s distracted state, Wu Bie swallowed the mocking words at the tip of his tongue. He knew Chen Xian meant well, and he also knew that now wasn’t the right time to be honest with Shen Jixue.

“Let’s first try to contact his family’s relatives. We need to at least inform someone about what happened.” 

Wu Bie hesitated a bit. “The police have contacted their relatives in their hometown, but no one wants to come. That’s why it’s been dragging on for so long. What can we do?”

It certainly wasn’t easy, but without trying, there would be no chance. After some thought, Chen Xian spoke up, “Let’s take a trip to Xiao Shen’s hometown. They’re family, they can’t just ignore this, right?”

Wu Bie didn’t say anything, feeling both annoyed and somewhat admiring of Chen Xian. Did he really think everyone was as kind-hearted as him?

“Let’s go back first. I’m worried about Xiao Shen being alone at home.” Chen Xian waved his hand and managed to flag down a taxi. Wu Bie didn’t bother to argue with him, quickly following suit.