The Withered Tree Always Welcomes Spring chapter 7
Seeing Chen Xian silent, Wu Bie, thinking to seize the moment, knew that someone with Chen Xian’s personality needed someone to push him to make decisions.
“If you’re indecisive, just listen to me. Forget about that kid. Your priority now is to find Jiang Ying and the 2.2 million yuan in her bank account. Otherwise, it’s all in vain.”
Only when it involves money do ordinary people touch the soul. Indeed, without money, it would be hard to move forward. Chen Xian, who had been hesitant, was swayed by Wu Bie’s words when he thought about his own situation.
“How about it?” Wu Bie asked.
Chen Xian sighed, looking out of the car window. “Even if I don’t care about Shen Jixue’s situation, I can’t just leave him at the barbershop. At least I should take him to the police station.”
Hearing Chen Xian relent, Wu Bie’s expression softened. It should have been like this from the beginning. Chen Xian should have learned to be ruthless and mind his own business.
The midday sun beat down on the ground, heating up the taxi’s metal shell like a huge steamer. Even with the windows open, it only managed to disperse the heat slightly. After a short drive, the taxi stopped by the roadside.
Throughout the journey, Chen Xian pondered how to approach Shen Jixue. He wanted to be as tactful as possible, not to hurt his feelings, but even as the car stopped, he hadn’t figured out what to say.
After Wu Bie paid the fare and gestured for Chen Xian to get out, Chen Xian steeled himself and got out of the car. He glanced at the desolate teenager sitting by the glass window.
With his hair cut short, Shen Jixue’s eyes, like polished black lacquer, became even more striking. But there was a dimness in his gaze. He was so pale that sunlight seemed capable of melting him into thin air, disappearing silently at any moment.
Disappearing.
Handing Shen Jixue over to the police was easy. Once he was gone, Chen Xian would be free from worries. They would go their separate ways, probably never to meet again in their lives.
Suddenly, a terrifying thought crossed Chen Xian’s mind. What if… What if Shen Jixue’s father never found him? Where would Shen Jixue go then?
“Let’s go,” Wu Bie said, seeing Chen Xian lost in thought, urging him. “You just made a decision, don’t hesitate at the critical moment.”
Chen Xian didn’t speak, following Wu Bie into the barbershop.
The barber and his wife had just finished their meal and were tidying up the table. Seeing Chen Xian return, they warmly greeted them.
“Hey, I called you, but you didn’t pick up,” the barber said, glancing at Shen Jixue sitting beside him. “I told him to eat with me, but he refused.”
Following the barber’s gaze, Chen Xian saw Shen Jixue sitting there, lost in thought. He flashed the owner an apologetic smile, briefly explained, then walked over to Shen Jixue and crouched down beside him.
“Xiao Shen.”
Shen Jixue blinked his beautiful eyes, lashes fluttering. The faint mole at the corner of his eye seemed even lighter, as if tears could well up in his eyes at any moment.
“You’re back.”
Hearing Shen Jixue’s voice, Chen Xian felt inexplicably sad. Did Shen Jixue assume something? Both of them were waiting, understanding the feeling of waiting without hope.
Taking out money from his pocket, he handed it to the barber and stood up, holding Shen Jixue’s hand. “Let’s go.”
The three of them left the barbershop. Wu Bie immediately wanted to hail a taxi to go to the police station, but Chen Xian shook his head. Wu Bie frowned, questioning Chen Xian and Shen Jixue with his eyes.
A person’s gaze, like sunlight, has warmth. Shen Jixue could feel Wu Bie’s scrutiny and sensed something was amiss in the atmosphere.
Shen Jixue spoke softly, “Chen Xian, do you have something to tell me?”
He wasn’t stupid. He knew that Chen Xian, with whom he had no blood or kinship, had already done everything he could by offering to return all the rent and help him find a new place.
Since Shen Jixue had spoken, it was wise to follow his lead and say what needed to be said. Wu Bie, standing aside, looked anxious, but Chen Xian blocked him, keeping him away from Shen Jixue.
Shen Jixue’s lips trembled. “Is the bankbook sorted out?”
“Yeah, my wife took all the money,” Chen Xian said, his heart heavy. “That’s why I went to the police station again, to report it.”
“You were gone for so long, I thought you wouldn’t come back,” Shen Jixue’s voice was barely audible, as light as a feather brushing Chen Xian’s heart.
The feeling of guilt arose spontaneously, and for a moment, there was indeed a plan to ignore Shen Jixue.
Chen Xian cleared his throat, “Let’s find a place to eat first, and then we’ll go back after eating.”
Wu Bie was furious, but he couldn’t resist Chen Xian’s stubbornness. After tossing around for a long time, he was hungry too, so he could only listen to Chen Xian and fill his stomach first.
They found a small restaurant nearby. It was past the mealtime, so there weren’t many people in the restaurant. After ordering a few dishes, they had to serve the rice themselves.
Chen Xian stood up, and Wu Bie followed suit. The two of them surrounded the big bucket of rice. Wu Bie looked back at Shen Jixue, who was sitting quietly, and lowered his voice, unable to contain his anger, “Chen Xian, didn’t we agree to send him away?”
“Lower your voice,” Chen Xian reminded him, “Don’t let him hear.”
Wu Bie really couldn’t understand what Chen Xian was thinking. It seemed like he was used to being a bodhisattva, really thinking of himself as a savior. What kind of situation was he in now? He had made it clear to him beforehand, so why didn’t he understand?
“What exactly are you thinking?”
The rice in the bucket was still hot. As Chen Xian served the rice, a white mist rose. Chen Xian answered Wu Bie’s question as he served the rice, “Let him stay for now. Anyway, I won’t be boarding the ship anytime soon.”
This was not simply a matter of boarding the ship or not. There was suddenly an extra person at home, not a pet that could be fed with a mouthful of food. It was a person with limited mobility, a living person.
“Are you planning to take care of him? Do you think you don’t have enough on your plate?”
Chen Xian knew Wu Bie meant well, thinking for his sake, but seeing Shen Jixue’s pitiful appearance, he couldn’t bring himself to speak. Moreover, he had already discussed the conditions with him beforehand, and there was no reason to back out midway. At the very least, he had to keep his word.
Unable to convince Wu Bie, Chen Xian couldn’t just ignore Shen Jixue. He compromised, saying, “Let him stay until I board the ship. If his father won’t be back by the time I start working, we’ll contact the police.”
Wu Bie had no choice but to accept his fate. He closed his eyes in resignation, taking a while to calm down.
“So, the woman took all the money. What are you going to do now?”
With only twenty-two cents left in his bankbook, Chen Xian, the honest man who handed over the financial power to his wife, must be completely broke.
Chen Xian seemed unusually calm. He sounded almost relieved, “I’ve been holding back my salary for the first few months of this year, and then I got lazy to settle it. When I came back this time, I cleared all my salary. Luckily, I slacked off a bit, so I still have money for food.”
That was indeed a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
Chen Xian patted Wu Bie on the shoulder and tried to comfort him, “Everything will work out in the end.”
“Now you’re comforting me, but it’s not like my wife ran away with someone else.”
Chen Xian pursed his lips. Neither laughing nor crying, he thought about how he always tried to earn more money, always sought more opportunities to board a ship, while others worked for six months and rested for six months, he found three months of vacation too much, but in the end, he didn’t save any money or keep anyone.
After lunch, they parted ways at the entrance of the courtyard. Both Chen Xian and Shen Jixue were sweating profusely. As soon as they arrived home, Chen Xian hurriedly turned on the electric fan.
“It’s still too hot outside. How about taking a shower to cool off?” Chen Xian poured a glass of water, held Shen Jixue’s hand, and handed him the glass, “Have some water.”
Chen Xian’s warm body temperature hadn’t dissipated from the back of Shen Jixue’s hand yet. Shen Jixue toyed with the glass for a while, hesitating to drink. After a long time, he spoke slowly.
“Chen Xian, do you have something else to tell me?”
Now that there were only the two of them left, Chen Xian didn’t need to worry about saving face. He could say whatever he wanted.
Every time Shen Jixue called him by his full name, he felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t because he was trying to act like an elder. After all, the other party was ten years younger than him. It wasn’t a problem to be called “ge.”
“Are you trying to kick me out?”
Chen Xian didn’t expect Shen Jixue to be so straightforward. Saying it like kicking sounded harsh. He hadn’t thought of kicking him out. At most, he wanted to help him find another way out.
“I didn’t mean that…”
Shen Jixue seemed much calmer than before. “Your friend is right. I’m just a stranger to you. You have no obligation to take care of me.”
So, he was sensitive. Shen Jixue must have overheard his conversation with Wu Bie.
Chen Xian poured himself another glass of water, drank it all in one go, and finally felt a little better. “I didn’t say I wanted to send you away. Don’t overthink it. What I promised you, I will definitely keep.”
The electric fan hummed as it turned its head. Every turn produced a mechanical and grating sound.
Shen Jixue firmly held the glass in his hand. “Is the money still in your bankbook?”
“It’s gone.”
Shen Jixue knew he was being presumptuous, but he couldn’t help asking, “How much is missing?”
“I don’t know, maybe around eighty or ninety thousand.”
Even though it wasn’t his money, hearing this number made Shen Jixue’s heart sink. Chen Xian’s current situation meant he really shouldn’t bother him anymore.
All his salary was handed over to Jiang Ying, so Chen Xian wasn’t clear on the exact numbers, just a rough estimate. He mentioned eighty or ninety thousand casually, but it was all hard-earned money, so he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
“Don’t worry about my affairs.” Chen Xian tried to sound casual, “I won’t be boarding the ship for the time being. I’ll help you inquire about your father. Do you have a photo of him?”
Shen Jixue didn’t say anything else. He couldn’t force himself to say he didn’t need Chen Xian’s help. After all, without Chen Xian, he couldn’t guarantee he would meet someone softer-hearted than Chen Xian.
He dug out a photo of his father from his only luggage bag, fumbled for a while, confirmed it, and handed it to Chen Xian. “My dad took this two years ago. His name is Shen Liang.”