The Northern Autumn nights are always cold, the desolate autumn wind wantonly raging through the streets, forcing the pedestrians to pull their cotton coats tighter.
Breaths exhaled at random slant upwards into the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Yezhe rubbed his reddened fingers together, walking slowly along the street.
“Not much money left…” Placing my hand back into my pocket, I counted those few wrinkled bills again and again by touch.
“Clothes… Forget it, they’re still wearable, I won’t buy any for now…”
I’d planned out my spending list who knows how many times in my heart, even though the funds available to Yezhe were never abundant.
Yezhe wandered aimlessly down the street. Night had long since painted the sky, but Yezhe was in no hurry to return to the Rental Room. After all, it was only nine o’clock at most.
Still early.
Looking up, the towering buildings that blocked out most of the sky were still ablaze with light. People had merely moved from the cold street back to their warm homes.
Well, whether I go back or not doesn’t make much difference.
The Suburban House, built who knows how many years ago, stood at the very edge of the City.
The only two things in the house that Yezhe could use for warmth were just an Electric Blanket and an Electric Kettle.
“Forget it, I’d better hurry…” No longer alone, Yezhe muttered to himself as he tightened his coat and jogged down the road, trying to catch the Last Bus.
Memory——
It was also autumn. As usual, Yezhe finished evening self-study and went home.
But unlike before, there was a Fire Truck parked downstairs, and his home was blackened from a fire.
An accident had changed the youth’s Life.
Yezhe still couldn’t remember how he spent those days. All he vaguely recalled were the ugly faces of his relatives.
They devoured all the Family Property that should have belonged to Yezhe. And Yezhe himself?
Just hid in a corner, quietly crying.
“Live well. Mama loves you…”
That was the last thing his mother ever said to him, and it became his reason to keep living.
Was it a year ago or two? Yezhe couldn’t remember clearly anymore, but he knew he ran away that day.
He’d swiped a few hundred yuan from Uncle’s house, packed up his things, and left that home forever.
Getting on a bus bound for his chosen destination, Yezhe replayed his Plan over and over in his mind.
He knew, his days of hard-earned Freedom were finally about to begin.
—
The Last Bus finally stopped at the station, the roar of the motor dragging Yezhe’s mind back.
There weren’t many people on the bus. Yezhe headed straight to the back of the carriage and sat down.
Life…
Such a painful thing, yet you have no choice but to accept it…
In the end, Yezhe fled the brightly lit Steel Jungle, returning to the dim corner he called home.
After another ten minutes of walking, Yezhe ducked into an alley and returned to his “home.”
He slid the key into the rusted lock and pushed open the old wooden door.
“Liuyin?”
Calling softly into the room, Yezhe tiptoed over and switched on the light.
The girl called Liuyin was sleeping soundly, nestled in the warmth of the Electric Blanket.
Seeing Liuyin asleep, Yezhe said nothing more, turning to pick up the kettle and stepping back outside.
Right next to Yezhe’s Rental Room was another Suburban House.
At the door, Yezhe knocked twice. Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door on his own.
“Hey, Uncle Wang, still up?”
“You brat, if you’re coming in, close the door. The stove’s only just gotten hot, finally got some warmth in here, don’t let it all out.”
“Yes, yes, Uncle’s right.”
“How’s the girl?”
Uncle Wang tossed his cigarette into the trash as he spoke.
“Sleeping soundly on my bed.”
“Oh…”
Uncle Wang and Yezhe both fell silent for a while.
“Want some sweet potatoes? I bought some yesterday afternoon. I’ll roast them for you and bring them over later.”
“Huh? Then… thank you, Uncle Wang.”
When Yezhe returned to the Rental Room, the previously sleeping Liuyin was now sitting groggily on the bed.
“Brother? You’re back?”
The girl called Liuyin rubbed her eyes, then yawned.
“Awake? Wait a bit and have dinner. I bought you some buns on the way, they’re still hot.”
“Huh? Hot buns? Yay!”
……
Why is there always so much misfortune in the world?
As for when Yezhe first met Liuyin, that was a week ago.
That day, Yezhe had splurged and bought a few buns to treat himself.
By chance, Yezhe sensed someone watching him. Looking around, he spotted a girl crouching in the corner, catching his attention.
“Little girl, why are you here alone so late? Where are your parents?”
Out of sympathy, Yezhe couldn’t bring himself to just ignore her.
“Daddy… don’t know, Mama, Mama…”
No pitiful crying. Liuyin just lowered her head…
Her eyes were swollen and red from crying—maybe she’d already run out of tears.
Seeing the little girl before him, Yezhe felt at a loss.
He didn’t understand, not at all—how could any parent abandon their child on the roadside, especially in autumn?
Yezhe said nothing more, pulling out his phone to call Lei Feng Uncle.
Putting the phone back into his pocket, Yezhe took a closer look at Liuyin.
Hmm… her fingers were purple from the cold, her face too, and her clothes were dirty…
“Little sister, are you hungry? Big brother will buy you something to eat.”
Yezhe shrugged off his coat and draped it over Liuyin’s shoulders.
“Come on, let’s go buy some food, okay?”
He reached out his hand as he spoke.
“Mm…”
Liuyin replied in a tiny voice, timidly reaching out her frozen, red little hand.
“How old are you, little sister?”
After a few seconds of silence, Liuyin finally managed to squeeze out a number, “Fourteen…”
So timid…
Better not to overthink. Feed her first and wait for someone to come…
With that, Yezhe led Liuyin toward the convenience store.
“What do you want to eat?”
“I’m not hungry, don’t spend money, shouldn’t spend…”
Looks like it’s not just a case of being separated from her parents…
Worst case, her parents…
Ignoring Liuyin’s words, Yezhe grabbed a bag at the counter and stuffed bread and other snacks inside.
“Big brother, that’s too expensive, I can’t eat it…”
“Don’t worry about it.” For some reason, hearing Liuyin’s refusal made Yezhe a little agitated.
“You eat well, and when Lei Feng Uncle arrives, big brother will take you to a safe place. I can’t stand seeing kids go through hardship, so you eat as much as you want, alright?”
“Big brother really doesn’t want to see you like this.”
Seeing the girl like that, Yezhe also felt a strange sadness.
Rather than call it kindness, perhaps it was because Yezhe saw his former self in her—the self who had once lost all hope…
In the end, he wasn’t really a good person at all.