The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 5

“Why so polite?” Chen Xian felt uneasy hearing that. He wanted to ruffle Shen Jixue’s hair but remembered Shen Jixue disliked being touched and withdrew his hand. “Your hair is too long.”

Having been shut in for over a month, Shen Jixue hadn’t even managed to eat properly, let alone cut his hair. He scratched his hair tips without speaking.

Seeing this, Chen Xian said, “Come with me to the bank tomorrow, and we can get your hair cut on the way.”

Shen Jixue remained silent. Chen Xian guessed his silence was due to a lack of trust. It was understandable. As a blind person, agreeing to stay with a stranger was already a huge act of courage. How could he dare to go out with him? What if he turned out to be a bad person and abandoned him on the street? What would he do then?

“Why don’t we go get a haircut first if you don’t want to go too far? There’s a place just outside the dorm building. After we’re done, I’ll bring you back.”

Chen Xian’s voice was deep and reassuring, finally convincing Shen Jixue.

He responded softly, “Okay.”

Maybe because he knew he was going out tomorrow, Shen Jixue didn’t sleep well. He both looked forward to and worried about the outing. He tossed and turned in bed, holding his breath to gauge the time by the sounds, but the world was deathly silent.

After what felt like a long time, he was woken by noises from the living room. His fingers fumbled over the bed sheets for a while before he realized he was in bed, not smelling anything unpleasant. The name Chen Xian popped into his mind, and he slowly remembered the events of the previous day.

“Chen Xian? What’s going on?”

Before Shen Jixue could think too much, a stranger’s voice came from outside the door. He clutched the bed sheet, hesitated for a moment, then quietly sat up to listen to who was talking to Chen Xian.

Chen Xian was woken up by the ringing phone. His routine on the ship was regular, and he was still adjusting to being back on shore. Realizing he was at home, he suddenly remembered that Jiang Ying was missing. He quickly grabbed the phone, but the caller ID was not Jiang Ying’s number.

“Hello?” Chen Xian cleared his throat to sound more alert, “Wu Bie.”

The man named Wu Bie didn’t beat around the bush, “Open the door.”

At the same time, there was a rapid knocking on the door in the living room. Chen Xian hadn’t expected Wu Bie to arrive so quickly. He hurriedly dressed and ran to open the door.

“What’s going on?” As soon as the iron door opened, a man similar in height to Chen Xian, but with much darker skin, stood outside. “I heard as soon as I came back that Jiang Ying is missing?”

Chen Xian and Wu Bie grew up together in the same courtyard, their parents were colleagues, and they followed in their fathers’ footsteps. They usually went out to sea together, though not always on the same ship.

Bad news travels fast. In just one day, probably everyone at the shipping company knew his wife was missing.

Chen Xian ran a hand through his hair, not wanting to elaborate or knowing where to start.

Wu Bie, being hot-tempered, said, “Don’t just stand there. How can you be silent now?”

“I’ve already called the police and contacted her hometown. She hasn’t been found yet.”

Wu Bie understood Chen Xian’s implication and knew it was being treated as a missing person case. In their line of work, the odds of a wife running off were higher than anything else.

“You don’t really think Jiang Ying just went for a walk to clear her mind, do you?” Wu Bie seemed to have an idea. “What about the money? The bankbook?”

Chen Xian was at a loss for words. He wasn’t good with words, and Wu Bie was like a machine gun, firing off questions without giving him a chance to respond.

“You really messed up!” Wu Bie cursed, dragging Chen Xian towards the door. “In this situation, shouldn’t you have gone to the bank first to report the loss and get a new bankbook? What were you thinking?”

Chen Xian had planned to do that first thing in the morning, but Wu Bie had arrived so abruptly.

“Wait.”

Wu Bie, being impatient, was frustrated by Chen Xian’s hesitation. “Wait for what? Wait for them to clean out your account?”

Chen Xian stopped Wu Bie and explained, “I have someone staying at my place.”

Wu Bie frowned, puzzled. Chen Xian didn’t have any relatives. Given his timid nature, he couldn’t have found another woman. If he had, Wu Bie would have praised him.

“Jiang Ying rented out the house.”

Wu Bie couldn’t hold back. “I can’t believe she’s so unscrupulous. Given everything that’s happened, you’re not still hoping she’ll come back, are you?”

Chen Xian felt he was clear-headed but had invested so much emotionally, financially, and time-wise that it was hard to let go. He didn’t want to admit it, but he still hoped Jiang Ying would return.

Seeing Chen Xian’s silence, Wu Bie felt like cursing. Knowing Chen Xian’s soft nature, he thought, “He’s a pushover, easily manipulated.”

“Who’s staying at your place?” Wu Bie asked casually.

“The person Jiang Ying rented the place to.”

True to form, Chen Xian’s response was disappointing. Hoping he had found someone new was as likely as expecting a miracle.

“Why don’t you just cancel the rental and have them move out? You’re back now; you need a place to stay.”

Wu Bie’s suggestion was reasonable, but Chen Xian hesitated over a seemingly simple matter.

“The tenant is blind and has no family around. If I kick him out, where will he go?”

Wu Bie internally sighed, “Saint.”

“Get his relatives to take him in. If that doesn’t work, call the police. It’s their job to help. You can’t take on this responsibility.”

Understanding Chen Xian’s compassion, Wu Bie still thought he was overly soft-hearted. There were many unfortunate people in the world. Was Chen Xian going to help them all? Why not help himself first?

Chen Xian had considered this but couldn’t bring himself to evict the pitiful Shen Jixue. He had promised Shen Jixue he could stay, and breaking that promise was difficult.

“You can’t be serious? You’re struggling yourself, and you still have time to worry about strangers? There are countless hardships out there; you can’t fix them all.”

Chen Xian was about to explain when the bedroom door opened. He whispered to Wu Bie, “Enough, keep it down.”

As soon as he finished, a tall, slender figure appeared in the doorway. The boy had a handsome face but lifeless eyes, awkwardly gripping the door frame.

Chen Xian signaled to Wu Bie with his eyes not to say the words just now in front of Shen Jixue. Then he walked forward and said, “Xiao Shen, awake? This is my friend, Wu Bie.”

Shen Jixue, unsure if he had overheard their conversation with Wu Bie, remained expressionless. He nodded faintly ahead and, groping his way, headed towards the restroom. Perhaps still groggy from just waking up, his foot kicked a small stool in the corner with a loud “clang,” leaving a red mark visible on his leg.

Chen Xian was startled by the noise and quickly moved the stool aside a bit. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Shen Jixue declined Chen Xian’s help and said “Sorry.” Then he went into the restroom alone.

Seeing the restroom door closed, Wu Bie, who had been holding his breath the whole time, finally breathed heavily. Looking at Shen Jixue, he could somewhat understand why Chen Xian didn’t want to drive him away, but… he still couldn’t do what Chen Xian did.

“You saw it too. With him like this, it’ll take time even to find his relatives.”

Wu Bie waved his hand. He temporarily didn’t want to argue with Chen Xian about Shen Jixue’s situation. “Let’s not talk about that. You need to sort out the bankbook first.”

“Yeah, I was planning to go to the bank today anyway.”

Wu Bie said, “When you decide, stick to it.” 

Chen Xian stopped him.

“I promised to take Xiao Shen out for a haircut. Let’s wait for him.” To appease Wu Bie, Chen Xian poured him a glass of water. “Just sit for a while.”

The sound of water came from the restroom. Shortly after, Shen Jixue came out of the restroom after washing up. He wiped his hands, “I just need to change my shoes, and then we can go.”

Chen Xian immediately followed. He was the one who tidied up the house, so he knew where Shen Jixue’s shoes were best. He asked Shen Jixue to sit on the stool while he went into the room to get them.

As they were about to leave, Chen Xian felt like something was missing. He looked at Shen Jixue for a while before suddenly remembering, “Where’s your cane?”

Isn’t a blind person supposed to have a cane for mobility?

“I accidentally broke it.”

Staying alone in this room for more than ten days, not to mention a cane, Shen Jixue almost demolished the house. He himself had suffered quite a few injuries.

Chen Xian reached out his hand. “There’s nothing useful for you at home. I’ll lead you. We’ll figure something out later.”

Shen Jixue slowly lifted his arm. His hand, with distinct knuckles, grasped randomly in the air. He looked pitiful. Chen Xian took the initiative to hand over his hand.

There were some calluses of different sizes on the broad palm, not too delicate, but very warm. The moment they clasped hands, Shen Jixue felt like crying. When he first came to the city, he was somewhat at a loss with his father. His father also held his hand and walked through the streets of the city.

Chen Xian looked at Shen Jixue’s face in surprise. Shen Jixue probably didn’t realize it himself. He pursed his lips, looking like he wanted to cry.

This boy had a strong sense of dignity. Chen Xian didn’t want to ask directly and glanced at Wu Bie, who was growing impatient but couldn’t explode. He signaled discreetly, “Let’s go.”