Volume One: High School Days Chapter Sixty-Two: None Have It Easy

In the days that followed, Liu Sheng often played tricks on his classmates. These antics didn't annoy anyone; instead, his classmates grew even fonder of him, feeling that Liu Sheng was a joker, and wherever he was, happiness would follow.

On the first weekend of the first semester of senior year, the studious students were busy with extra classes, but in Liu Sheng's class, more than half chose to rest. The teachers sighed, “It's hard to earn money from students these days!”

Liu Sheng, used to wandering about, wouldn't let this chance for leisure slip by. At two in the morning on Saturday, he drove off alone, saying to Ren Xiaodong and Lele as he left, “I won't disturb your romantic world!”

This time, Liu Sheng didn't choose a big city or a famous tourist spot; instead, he headed for a remote village, seeking a change of pace and a new mood.

He set out at two in the morning, aimlessly driving west until six, when he entered a village called Goujia Village, surrounded by mountains. After circling the village, he found there was only one shop, sparsely stocked. He bought a few bottles of mineral water and two buns, ate them at the door, used the remaining water to wash his face, then took toothpaste and a toothbrush from the car to brush his teeth.

The shopkeeper was an old man, who watched Liu Sheng and remarked, “You must be from a wealthy family. There’s a faucet right there, yet you wash your face and brush your teeth with mineral water.”

Liu Sheng turned to look at the faucet, then hastily rinsed his mouth and said, “I didn't see it.” He smiled at the old man.

He wasn't pretending; he genuinely hadn't seen it. Had he known, he certainly wouldn't have used mineral water for washing and brushing.

The old man walked around Liu Sheng’s car, circled it twice, and said, “This is the first time a car has come into our village. We're very poor here; no one can afford such a sedan. I only see cars like this when I go to the county to buy supplies.”

“Sir, I’m here for leisure. Is there anywhere to stay nearby?” Liu Sheng asked politely.

The old man waved his hand. “We're tucked away in the mountains; there’s nothing to do, and no inns for you to stay.”

Liu Sheng smiled wryly, “Looks like I'll have to sleep in the car tonight!”

“You can go to the county; there’s everything you need—food, drinks, lodging.”

Liu Sheng knew the old man meant well, but he wanted to experience a life with nothing. Here, not even his phone had a signal, and he felt as if he had evaporated from the world.

The old man fell silent for a moment, then said, “How about you stay at my house? It’s just me and my wife. You coming will make things livelier.”

Liu Sheng, hearing the old man offer to “take him in,” quickly took out 500 yuan, handed it to him, and said, “Thank you, sir! Please take this as a token for the inconvenience.”

The old man hurriedly refused, “No, no, I can’t take it. Our life is dull, and we’re glad to have you for company. I really can’t accept your money!”

Seeing the old man wouldn’t take it, Liu Sheng thought quickly and said, “If I come empty-handed, it’s not right. Just treat this money as a gift for you and your wife.”

The old man saw Liu Sheng was determined, so he didn’t refuse further. He closed the shop, got into Liu Sheng’s car, and they drove to his house.

On the way, the old man said, “This car is so comfortable—much warmer than my bicycle.”

Liu Sheng was amused, unsure how to respond, but thought, “A bicycle certainly isn’t warm!”

Entering the old man’s home, Liu Sheng noticed the walls were earthen, the house old and dilapidated, though the yard was large, with all sorts of vegetables growing on either side.

“Wife, we have a guest!” the old man called, leading Liu Sheng inside.

Inside, Liu Sheng saw an elderly woman with white hair, her movements sluggish. She struggled to climb off the bed, looked at Liu Sheng, and said, “Is that Atu? Where have you been all these years?”

Liu Sheng was puzzled by her words and looked at the old man.

The old man whispered, “Atu is our son. Two years ago, he was buried in a mine and never came out. Our daughter-in-law left with our grandson. Since then, my wife has lost her mind; whenever she sees a young man, she calls him her son.”

He turned to the old woman, “You crazy old thing, always calling people your son. Can’t you see—”

Before he finished, Liu Sheng quickly interrupted, saying to the old lady, “Yes, I’m your son, Atu. Work keeps me busy, but I finally got two days off and came home to see you!”

The old woman gripped Liu Sheng’s hand tightly, sobbing, “My son! Why did you take so long to come home?”

The old man quietly wiped his tears, then walked out to the yard to smoke his old pipe.

Liu Sheng helped the old lady onto the kang, held her hand, and soothed her until she fell asleep with a smile.

Then Liu Sheng went outside, joining the old man, who was coughing from his pipe. He pulled out his own cigarettes, offered one, and lit another for himself.

The old man took a deep drag, “Good cigarette!” Then he said, “Thank you, young man. It's been ages since I saw my wife smile. Hearing her laugh just now was a comfort to me.”

At that moment, the sound of a woman crying came from a neighboring house, along with a man’s curses and the sound of whipping, as if a lash struck someone.

Liu Sheng wanted to rush over, but the old man grabbed him and said, “Our place is poor, and daughters aren’t valued. Many men can’t find wives. That couple over there—the wife was bought from traffickers. I’ve met the girl; she’s said to be a college student, only nineteen, just bought less than a month ago. She tries to run every day and gets beaten for it. You’re an outsider; don’t get involved. Stay safe—it’s the most important thing. Don’t invite trouble.”

With that, the old man went to the shop, adding, “If you’re bored, go for a walk. There’s nothing here, but the air is miles better than in your big cities.”

After he left, Liu Sheng went to the window, glanced at the sleeping old lady, and walked out.

He wandered along the village path, eventually reaching the fields outside the village. Feeling thirsty, he saw cucumbers growing, picked one without hesitation, wiped it, and started eating.

Just then, a woman's voice shouted, “What are you doing! Stealing my cucumbers, you little thief!”

Liu Sheng looked at the cucumber in his hand, then at the woman, realizing he was eating her cucumber. With her shout, villagers working nearby rushed over, tools in hand.

Seeing their aggressive stance, Liu Sheng thought bitterly, “My God, all this just for eating a cucumber. If I’d eaten a tomato, would they dig a pit and bury me?”

Smiling sheepishly, Liu Sheng said, “I was really thirsty and couldn’t help myself. How about I pay you for it?”

The woman held up two fingers.

“Two hundred, right? Fine, I’ve never eaten such an expensive cucumber.” He took out two hundred yuan from his wallet, then joked, “Are your cucumbers rimmed with gold or inlaid with diamonds? I didn’t feel anything extra in my bite!”

The woman saw him take out two hundred and realized he misunderstood, shouting, “Two yuan!”

Liu Sheng, hearing it was only two, felt a little embarrassed, thinking, “Gold rimmed? Diamond inlaid? If they really were, two yuan wouldn’t buy them.”

Still embarrassed, Liu Sheng insisted on giving her the two hundred, then walked off without looking back, while she called after him, “Two yuan is enough! Oh, you silly boy, why not pick some more?”

No matter how she called, Liu Sheng didn’t turn, but kept thinking about the awkward scene.

Back at the old man’s house, he found the old man had returned for lunch. Seeing Liu Sheng, he waved him over.

The old lady, hearing Liu Sheng had returned, hurried out with freshly made flatbread, saying, “Son, come eat your favorite flatbread.”

As Liu Sheng sat down, the old man said, “We live in the middle of nowhere; we don’t have much to offer. Please make do.”

Looking at the flatbread and cabbage noodles on the small table, Liu Sheng understood their hardships. Perhaps the noodles were meant for the New Year, but the old lady kept urging him to eat, so he took a piece of flatbread and ate it with the noodles.

“Delicious! I’ve never had such tasty flatbread,” Liu Sheng said as he wolfed it down.

The old lady smiled at his enjoyment, and the old man picked up a flatbread, saying, “It’s been so long since I saw her this happy.” Then he turned to the old lady, “You eat too!”

During the meal, the woman who’d asked Liu Sheng for money earlier arrived with a basket, saying, “Finally found you—I asked around for ages to learn where you were.”

The old man greeted her, “Isn’t this the woman who can give birth? What brings you here?”

She smiled, “This boy ate one of my cucumbers today. I said two yuan was enough, but he insisted on giving me two hundred. I took it and picked all my cucumbers—still not worth two hundred. So I picked some tomatoes and other vegetables to make up the amount and brought them over.”

Seeing her honesty, Liu Sheng felt thoroughly embarrassed for thinking she wanted two hundred. He took the vegetables, and she left.

Looking at the pile of cucumbers and tomatoes, Liu Sheng said to the old man, “You keep them; I won’t be able to take them with me.”

The old man accepted without protest.

That afternoon, Liu Sheng sat in the yard, lost in thought. He didn’t know what he was thinking—he just wanted to be idle. Here, there was no signal, no sound of passing cars, nor the discordant noises of Ren Xiaodong at night. At this moment, Liu Sheng truly felt isolated from the world.

After dinner, chatting briefly with the old couple, Liu Sheng saw they were sleepy and didn’t disturb them, retiring to the room they had prepared for him.

Just as he was about to sleep, he suddenly heard shouting and beating from the neighbor’s house.

“You damned woman, I bought you! What’s wrong with me touching you? You even bit me!” A clear slap followed.

“Please, I beg you, let me go!” came a woman’s plea.

“Go? You still want to leave? I’ll strangle you right now!”

After that, there was silence. Lying there, Liu Sheng, curious, listened carefully and heard a woman’s choking voice, “Who… who… can… save… save me…”

Liu Sheng thought, “This is bad!” He stared at the ceiling, hurried his pace, and ran out without even putting on his shoes.