Volume One: High School Days Chapter 064: Xiaoya Has Returned

On the way, Liu Sheng learned that the woman's name was Bian Ran. As for where she was from or where she went to school, Bian Ran didn’t utter a single word.

Because of the time spent dealing with Bian Ran’s situation, Liu Sheng arrived home around seven in the evening. When he entered the house with Bian Ran, who was dressed in tattered clothing, Ren Xia Dong and Lele, sitting in the living room, were both stunned.

Ren Xia Dong looked at the tomatoes and cucumbers in Liu Sheng’s hands, then at Bian Ran following behind, and stood up, saying, “Where did you pick up a beggar?”

Hearing Ren Xia Dong call Bian Ran that, Lele quickly nudged Ren Xia Dong, then looked at Liu Sheng, pointed at Bian Ran, and asked, “Who is this?”

Liu Sheng didn’t answer. He went straight to the coffee table, set down the vegetables, and said, “Lele, pick a few cucumbers—they’re natural and free of pesticides, safe and delicious.”

Lele said nothing, but Ren Xia Dong loudly declared, “With me around, Lele doesn’t need those!”

Liu Sheng grinned mischievously and replied, “Precisely because you’re here, she needs them!”

Ren Xia Dong didn’t argue further; she simply picked up a cucumber and started eating it. Then she pointed at Bian Ran standing at the door and asked, “What’s the story?”

Liu Sheng turned to Bian Ran and said, “Come in!”

Bian Ran glanced at her own shabby appearance, then at the palace-like house, then at the three of them, all neatly dressed, and said, “If I come in, I’ll dirty your home. I’d better just stay here.”

Before Liu Sheng could reply, Lele hurried over to Bian Ran, gently pushing her toward the bathroom while saying, “Go take a bath first. I’ll bring you some clothes.”

Once Bian Ran entered the bathroom, Lele fetched a clean set of clothes from her room, delivered them to the bathroom, then came out and stood together with Ren Xia Dong, both eyeing Liu Sheng as if interrogating a suspect.

“Honestly, why did you bring a beggar home?”

Liu Sheng, hearing Ren Xia Dong’s question, answered directly, “I bought her! Is there anything to eat? I’m starving—I didn’t even have lunch!”

Ren Xia Dong took another bite of cucumber, crunching loudly, and said, “Where the hell have you been these past two days? And you brought a girl home!”

Liu Sheng didn’t want to answer, so he teased Ren Xia Dong, “Eat slower. You sound just like a cow chewing grass!”

After Liu Sheng finished speaking, Lele burst into laughter and headed to the kitchen to prepare food for Liu Sheng and Bian Ran.

Ren Xia Dong looked at Liu Sheng thoughtfully, then flashed a wicked smile. Liu Sheng met her gaze and said, “What are you thinking? You suspect I went to a human trafficking market?”

As he said this, Liu Sheng recalled what the old man had told him: in their region, men outnumbered women, and many people had to buy wives. Thinking of this, Liu Sheng added, “I really might have gone to a human trafficking market. No need to overthink it—the girl was bought.”

Ren Xia Dong saw that Liu Sheng was unwilling to elaborate and liked to joke about everything. What human trafficking market? How could such a place exist? Liu Sheng joked so often now that it was impossible to tell truth from fiction. So Ren Xia Dong changed the subject, saying, “To be honest, these cucumbers are pretty tasty.”

“Liu Sheng, come eat something. There’s not much left in the house, so I just whipped up a few dishes. Make do for now.”

Hearing Lele call him to eat, Liu Sheng sat at the table and quickly began to devour his meal.

Watching Liu Sheng wolf down his food, Ren Xia Dong spoke again, “Did you just escape famine? Slow down—drink some water.”

After finishing, Liu Sheng patted his stomach and said, “Today I realized, when you’re hungry, anything tastes delicious.”

Lele responded, “Are you hinting at something? You always eat what I cook, but this is the first time I’ve heard you praise me.”

“You’re overthinking it. I just meant I was so hungry today I couldn’t stand it—not that I was complimenting you.”

As the three laughed and chatted, Bian Ran emerged from the bathroom, wearing Lele’s clothes. Clean and fresh, Bian Ran looked delicate, her waist-length hair giving her the air of a celebrity.

While Ren Xia Dong and Lele were sizing up Bian Ran, Liu Sheng suddenly commented, “Aside from her flat chest, everything else is pretty good!”

Ren Xia Dong and Lele both shot Liu Sheng a look, and Lele said, “Can’t you be serious for once?”

Bian Ran saw the food on the table and hurried over, but just as she was about to reach for it, she paused, glanced at the three, and worried it might be rude, so she withdrew her hand.

Lele quickly grabbed a new pair of chopsticks and handed them to Bian Ran, saying, “Go ahead and eat—it’s prepared for you. My cooking isn’t great, so just make do for now. If you don’t like it, I’ll go downstairs and buy something for you.”

Bian Ran took the chopsticks and began eating ravenously, even more unrestrained than Liu Sheng. Lele sighed and asked Liu Sheng seriously, “Where did you find this girl? Has she suffered a lot?”

Liu Sheng said nothing, watching Bian Ran eat. Lele continued, “Looks like she’s starving. Liu Sheng loves to joke, but he’s kind-hearted. He probably brought her home out of pity.”

Halfway through her meal, Bian Ran suddenly burst into tears. Seeing her cry, Ren Xia Dong scolded Liu Sheng, “Did you bully her? I knew you were getting worse by the day!”

Liu Sheng retorted, “I spent nearly seven hours with her in my car! Plenty of things could happen—use your imagination. Oh, and did you wash the cucumber you just ate?”

“Why would I? Didn’t you say it was free of pesticides?” As Ren Xia Dong spoke, she suddenly realized what Liu Sheng meant and instantly started gagging.

Watching Ren Xia Dong react, Liu Sheng laughed loudly. Lele coughed, and Liu Sheng quickly looked at Lele, who signaled that Bian Ran was crying.

Understanding, Liu Sheng said to Bian Ran, “Alright, you’ve escaped torment. No one here will hit, scold, or bully you. Since you don’t want to talk about anything, just stay here for now and treat it as your own home.”

Bian Ran didn’t stop crying—instead, her sobs intensified. Lele hurried over, sat beside her, and wrapped an arm around her, saying, “Don’t cry. Eat something first. You’ll need strength to cry.”

Strangely enough, after hearing Lele, Bian Ran stopped crying and continued eating.

Liu Sheng then quipped shamelessly, “Like a child—should I find you a wet nurse?”

Ren Xia Dong laughed at Liu Sheng’s remark, while Lele shot her a glare. Liu Sheng continued, “Lele, why don’t you stay home these next few days and look after Bian Ran? Wait until she feels better and is willing to tell us where her home is, then I’ll take her back.”

After speaking, Liu Sheng took two bottles of beer from the fridge and went upstairs.

Sitting in the upstairs living room, Liu Sheng had just opened a beer when he heard someone coming up the stairs. Ren Xia Dong came up smiling, carrying a case of beer and some peanuts. “How can you drink without peanuts? And drinking alone—where’s the fun in that?”

Once Ren Xia Dong was seated and the drinks poured, she asked again, “What’s going on? You haven’t touched alcohol in days. Why the sudden urge?”

“I don’t know. I just feel like drinking tonight—maybe it’s because of Bian Ran. I want to see if I’ll get a bit wild after a few drinks.”

Ren Xia Dong didn’t respond to that, just clinked glasses with Liu Sheng, and after drinking, said, “Liu Sheng, I’m genuinely happy for you. I see you’re optimistic now, though I know it’s just on the surface. I won’t say more—you’ve weathered storms, encountered all kinds of things.”

Liu Sheng replied jokingly, “Oh, since when did Ren Xia Dong become so eloquent?”

Ren Xia Dong clinked glasses and drank again, then said, “Alright, it’s just the two of us now. No need to pretend anymore—you’ve been bottling things up for too long. Speak your mind. After tonight, I’ll act like you never said anything.”

Liu Sheng downed six beers in succession, waited for the alcohol to kick in, and then said, “I don’t know if it’s my fault or if it’s just pent-up frustration, but every woman around me leaves, and in the end, they all find happiness, while I’m left alone in the darkness.”

Ren Xia Dong matched him drink for drink, saying first, “I never fall short when it comes to drinking—however much you drink, I’ll drink with you.” She clinked glasses and drank another, then continued, “Liu Meng left, and you deserved it; you didn’t cherish her. Sometimes even I couldn’t stand it. As for Sister Xiao Ya, I can only say she met the right person at the wrong time. She faced difficulties, but still made time for you.”

Seeing Liu Sheng lost in thought, Ren Xia Dong added, “Whether it’s the right person or the wrong one, does it matter? If you like them, that’s enough. Why care so much—what’s lost is lost.”

Liu Sheng fell into contemplation, pondering, “Meeting the right person at the wrong time—was it really the wrong time, or the wrong person?”

Soon, Liu Sheng snapped out of it, put on a smile, and asked, “What have you been up to lately? You’re getting good at this motivational talk—haven’t had enough beer, but I’m full from your ‘chicken soup’ for the soul.”

Ren Xia Dong saw Liu Sheng still joking and said, “Forget it—do whatever makes you happy. This girl Bian Ran seems pretty nice.”

Liu Sheng raised his glass and replied, “You think every girl is nice. If you like her, why don’t you try?”

Ren Xia Dong didn’t take the bait, instead saying, “My family wants me to join the army after I graduate from high school.”

Liu Sheng recalled, “After high school, Ren Xia Dong didn’t get into college and went straight into the military. If Ren Xia Dong leaves, life will be a lot less interesting.”

So he asked, “What if you get into college? Will you still go?”

“That would be another matter. But do you think I’ll get in?” Ren Xia Dong asked. In truth, she wanted to go to college—before all this, she envied college students, not because college itself was great, but because female students were, and college life was easy to enjoy.

Liu Sheng smiled, “So what if you don’t get in? At least you have money!”

Ren Xia Dong thought for a moment, then suddenly brightened and shouted, “Right! I do have money! I can go to any college I want—or rather, any college I choose! Hahaha!”

After drinking, Ren Xia Dong tidied up the bottles and headed downstairs, saying, “Sister Xiao Ya called you yesterday. She couldn’t reach you, so she called me. She’s back—her brother’s getting married on the fifteenth this month, so she’s here for the wedding, along with her husband and their new baby. I wasn’t going to tell you, but I couldn’t resist—I know you miss her. Take this opportunity to see her.”