Cheng Suran could see the five characters clearly, but couldn't understand them. She knew it was a two-month contract fee, but she didn't know why it was paid in one lump sum.
A terrible thought took shape in her mind.
Could it be...
Sister doesn't want her anymore?
So she's terminating the contract early?
Her heart was suspended, and she typed with trembling fingers: [Why?]
Jiang Yu didn't reply for a long time.
Cheng Suran felt uneasy for a moment, wishing she could grow wings and fly back immediately. She caught sight of her grandma's portrait out of the corner of her eye, turned her face, and gave her a hard stare.
It's all your fault!
She was angry in her heart.
"I told you to kowtow and you start playing with your phone!" Auntie's shrill voice came over.
Cheng Suran froze, and saw her aunt coming towards her with a broom, thinking that she was going to hit her, she subconsciously turned her body to avoid it, "I kowtowed too much already."
But her aunt just stuffed the broom into her hand, "Go to Dongtou House to clean up! You know how to play with your mobile phone..."
"Oh."
She walked away with the broom.
There are four rooms in the old house, one main room, one bedroom in the east and one bedroom in the west, and a kitchen room.
On the east side is the house where Cheng Suran's father lived, she also lived in her grandma's house when she was a child. Her memories of the old house will always be the cobwebs in the corners, the walls that shed dregs every day, the carved wooden bed that creaks when turned over, and the damp musty smell that can't go away no matter how open the windows are.
After cleaning, there was still no activity on WeChat, Cheng Suran couldn't help but sent another one:
[Elder sister?]
….
The yard turned noisy. Her uncle* came back from shopping, followed by several uncles**from the village.
*gufu: husband of paternal aunt.
**shubai: it can either be your father's brothers (but Aunt is the only sibling)/distant male relatives or any men about the age of your father (in this case the neighbors.)
No matter who is doing big things, weddings or funerals, someone will always come to help, no need for money or gifts, only the host family provides a meal to express their gratitude. This tradition has always been upheld in the village.
Grandpa and grandma's family is not well-off, and now the remaining relatives are aunt, Cheng Suran, and Zhao Yihan. This time, grandma's illness was severe, and the hospital cost a lot of money. Aunt really can't afford more and the funeral can only be kept simple.
The coffin was sealed and carried up the mountain to be buried tomorrow.
Cheng Suran went out to say hello to several uncles, and then went into the stove to help her aunt cook.
At this time the phone vibrated.
Sister: [For your good performance.]
Sister: [There are two months left, so it’s troublesome to pay monthly.]
Jiang Yu posted two.
The cold words jumped into her eyes, and Cheng Suran's heart was stabbed, as if seeing Jiang Yu on the day of signing the contract, with a cold face and a cold tone, she treated her like a commodity.
But she was originally a little pet that her sister bought at a high price...
Her heart was sour on one end, and she felt a sense of urgency when she saw "two months left" on the other end. She was almost tormented mad by her conflicting emotions.
Is this some kind of test? To test whether she will take the money and run away?
Cheng Suran comforted herself with a wry smile, bowed her head and typed: [Sister, are you not afraid that I will run away with the money?]
This time Jiang Yu replied quickly: [You won't.]
Cheng Suran: [Why are you so sure?]
Jiang Yu didn't speak again.
"..."
Huh.
After dinner, Cheng Suran asked about her cousin, and her aunt said that she had just arrived at home in the city, and it was inconvenient because it was dark, so she would come back tomorrow morning.
She is her own daughter after all, and she is reluctant to make her suffer even for a bit.
Although she was envious, she was also numb.
That night, Cheng Suran and her aunt stayed in the old house to watch the night.
In the past, there were no entertainment activities in the countryside at night. People went to bed early after eating. Things are better now, but it’s not as lively as the urban area, especially in the old house. Looking at the outline of the hills and ridges, it looks like a giant sleeping in the dark from a distance.
The main room was brightly lit, and the black coffin was gloomy, and a bit creepy.
Cheng Suran thought she would be afraid, but seeing her grandma's face, she was full of anger, and her fear was not worth mentioning. She simply sat next to the portrait and recited words with her earphones inserted.
Her aunt sat across from her, with eyes fixed on the coffin, she wondered what the woman was thinking.
The surrounding area was so quiet that only the barking of dogs could be heard.
"Old thing, didn't you like having a son? Your son died very early. I was the one who took care of you when you got old and I'm the one sending you off..." The playback on her phone paused, and Cheng Suran heard her aunt talking to herself, and was inexplicably startled.
There was resentment and unwillingness in the woman's eyes, and she finally smiled mockingly.
Cheng Suran looked at her secretly, and felt sad immediately. In fact, her aunt is also a pitiful person, a victim in this family. If she was her, she might not be able to do better than her back then.
Now that the big burden of grandma is gone, and the knots that have fettered their hearts for many years can be untied, why not take this opportunity to repair their relationship?
Unknowingly, her heart softened...
She didn't sleep all night, and the next day just after dawn, her uncle arrived with her cousin, and the uncles in the village also came.
The funeral was simple and there was almost no process. Her aunt walked in front with the spirit banner*, Cheng Suran and her cousin followed behind, her uncle and the other uncles carried the coffin, and a group of scattered people went up the mountain. The pit was dug yesterday, next to Grandpa's grave, the two were buried together.
This is Cheng Suran's second time participating in a rural funeral. The last time was when her father died more than ten years ago.
She was young then.
After the hasty burial, everyone had a meal together and packed the old house. Her aunt gave the chickens raised in the yard to several uncles, and kept one to take home.
Cheng Suran finally returned to the place where she lived for more than ten years.
The small building is old, more than 80 square meters, with two bedrooms and two living rooms, one for her aunt and one for her cousin, and Cheng Suran lives in a small storage room, where there is only room for a folding bed, a small table and chair, clothes All stuffed in the bedside storage box.
She hasn't been back for two years, the storage room is full of her cousin's things, and there are sundries everywhere on the table and bed.
There is no room for her at all...
Cheng Suran lowered her head and was silent for a while, not wanting to quarrel with her cousin who dozed off early in the morning and came back to catch up on sleep, so she moved some sundries and packed her things by herself.
Although, there is not much left.
A few inkless pens, a pile of used draft books, certificates from elementary school... There was an inconspicuous small box in the deepest drawer of the desk. She took it out and opened it, and there was an embroidered little white rabbit lying in it.
Cheng Suran was slightly taken aback.
She remembered that this rabbit was by her side when she was very young. She thought it was given to her by someone else, but she can't remember who it was.
T/N: let me guess…
She held the little white rabbit in the palm of her hand and looked at it carefully. The rabbit's ears were a little dirty, and there was a small tick pattern under the neck, which looked like a "J" in a poker card. Due to the age, the white thread is slightly yellowed, but it can still be seen that the people who sewed it have exquisite handwork.
Why did she forget to bring this little thing with her when she went to Jiangcheng to study?
Coincidentally, she is a rabbit.
Cheng Suran put the little white rabbit into her pocket, continued to clean things up, threw away everything she didn't need, then moved her cousin's sundries back to their original place, turned around and went out.
"The family paid back 10,000, and there are more than 2,000 more."
"It's 70,000 in total."
"How can there be so much money, what a crime..."
In the next room, her aunt and uncle were discussing repaying the debt, they kept moaning and sighing, Cheng Suran paused, and listened to a few words while holding her breath.
"Do you think Ranran has 10000?"
"That's a fart. She should have given it."
The voices of the two were extremely low, but the surroundings were too quiet, and even the slightest noise seemed harsh in the silence.
Cheng Suran thought of the 10,000 yuan she had saved to live frugally, and only saved the old woman's life for a few days. In the end, it was time to leave. She was unwilling to lose all her wealth in vain, but she was helpless.
Although she is not short of money now and is dozens of times richer than in the past, what she gets after selling herself is different from what she earns through hard work.
She's thinking…
...Of simply taking out 100,000 yuan to pay off the debt to her aunt, and then the family will put down their burdens and live a good life.
"She's grown up now, she's definitely going to get married, we have to get the bride dowry from her. She's a fox like her mother, men will be rushing at the door. Her aunt's voice came from next door.
Her uncle was surprised and said, "She hasn't graduated yet, what's the rush?"
"Marry her off early to save trouble, and she should pay me back for raising her for so many years...When her father died and no one cared, causing me trouble. If it wasn't for that old thing who promised to leave the old house to me, let the ghost take care of her, twe!
"Have you used up the money from the compensation for your brother's death?"
"Originally, the remaining 20,000 yuan was spent by the old thing in the hospital, haah, I wanted to keep it for Xiaohan*..."
*the cousin
Cheng Suran's head felt cold, and froze on the spot. In an instant, the blood all over her body rushed to the top of her head, the coolness spread from her scalp, and the taste of ice and fire trembled violently in her body.
The impression of her parents is not deep in her memory. Over the years, she has only heard some past events intermittently from other people's mouths.
When she was three years old, her parents divorced, and her mother left her to her father and never showed her face again.
Her father was impatient and threw her to her grandparents' house for half a month. The old people are not in good health, and they think she is a girl, and she will make it difficult for their son to remarry, so.they.didn't treat her any better. It is a kindness to let her have something to eat.
In the summer when he was seven years old, her father got drunk and got into a fight, and died of serious injuries. Within two months, her grandfather relapsed and passed away, and her grandmother no longer had the energy to take care of her.
Who will raise her was the question.
The assailant paid 150,000 yuan in compensation. During that period of time, she was a hot potato. She couldn't find her mother, and no one wanted her. In the end, she was forcefully given to her aunt, with the blood money as her alimony.
Her aunt was treated harshly at home because her grandparents preferred their son when she was young, and she always held resentment towards them in her heart, so she moved far away after getting married, out of their sight and out of their mind.
But in the end they all compromised.
That was all she knew.
She always thought that her aunt took her in because she was soft-hearted and couldn't bear to see her left unattended. Therefore, even if she has been treated coldly for more than ten years and her life is not good, she doesn't complain too much, she tolerates everything, and understands the pain, and feels guilty.
It's just that she didn't expect it to be...
...all about the money.
What soft heart?! What affection?! What a good life?! No one wanted her, no one welcomed her, and she was kicked out wherever she went. Cheng Suran's eyes turned red, and she clenched her fists, trying not to let herself sob.
Crying is useless, crying can't solve the problem, she can't let useless emotions take over her mind, she has to find a way, she has to escape, make sure she never comes back.
She stepped back lightly, went back to the storage room, took a few deep breaths, and took out her mobile phone to book a ticket.
WeChat suddenly received a message.
Sister: [Bring some special products.]
The boiling blood in Cheng Suran's body instantly cooled down, and she stared blankly at these four words. After a while, she remembered to reply, and typed slowly: [Okay.]
Her previous message "Why are you so sure?" was directly ignored.
She was in a trance, but she couldn't gather the energy to think about it anymore. She stayed up all night and her head hurt a little, but she didn't want to stay for a second. After replying to the message, she quickly packed her backpack, put all her things in it, and walked to the door lightly.
"Auntie, I'm going back to school."
After speaking, she quickly opened the door and disappeared in a flash.
In the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly.
There are crowds of people on both sides of the riverside. Tourists from all over the country are vying to see the scenery. The urban area is extremely congested. Traffic police can be seen everywhere on the road to command order. The road that can usually be covered in ten minutes will take twenty minutes today.
The car struggled through it, and finally got out of the urban area before picking up speed.
And finally arrived at the airport.
"Sister Yu, do you want me to go down now?" Tian Lin pulled up the handbrake and turned to look at the woman in the back seat.
Jiang Yu was resting with her eyes closed. Hearing this, she opened her eyes, looked at her watch, and said, "It's almost landed. I'll go with you." She picked up her sunglasses and put them on.
"No, I'll pick her up, in case you are recognized, it will be troublesome."
"I'm not a star."
The kid comes back today. She was on vacation at home and had nothing to do. She came to pick her up. She wore a very plain white long sleeve, a pair of dark blue jeans, and flat leather shoes.
She looks like just a sister next door.
Tian Lin leaned over half of her body, stretched out her hand, and took off her sunglasses, "Sit here and wait."
Jiang Yu frowned, pretending to be unhappy and said, "You want to rebel?"
"I'm worried." Tian Lin got out of the car clutching her sunglasses.
The car turned silent, Jiang Yu picked up the phone to unlock it, clicked into the chat box with Cheng Suran, slid her fingers up slowly, and her eyes fell on "Why are you so sure".
After staring at it for a while, she sighed.
She doesn't know the specific situation of the kid's family, but after a month of contact, she can probably tell that the family's conditions are not good. When a loved one dies, the funeral costs a lot. It is extremely sad to have no money. Maybe she needs to support the family a little bit more...
Two hundred thousand is just a pile of clothes to her, but it is everything to the kid.
The money will be given, sooner or later. No matter what the kid will be doing with it, whether she is bored within the agreed period or not.
Tsk.
She is such a benevolent benefactor...
After contemplating for a long time, Jiang Yu put down her phone and gently rubbed her temple with her thumb.
After more than ten minutes, the back seat door opened, and Cheng Suran got into the car with a gift box and a plastic bag. When she saw her, she called out in a low voice: "Sister..."
"Are you tired?" Jiang Yu put her arms around her shoulders with a smile.
"I'm fine."
The girl looked stunned, with a dull expression, her formerly clear black eyes lost their spirit, and the under eyes were a little swollen.
She looked preoccupied.
Jiang Yu felt that something was wrong, so she didn't ask any more questions. She just thought that she was sad because her grandma passed away, and her emotions hadn't recovered yet, so she lowered her head and kissed her on the face, "Let's go out to play tomorrow afternoon?"
"Okay." Cheng Suran nodded without thinking, and suddenly came back to her senses, raising her head in confusion, "Where are we going?"
"A newly developed resort, the photographer sister invited us."
"Oh, okay."
She squeezed out a smile, the two little dimples were sweet and bitter, Jiang Yu was about to speak, when she suddenly thought of something, she lowered her head and flipped through the bag in her hand.
"By the way, sister, I brought you a special product. This fruit shortcake is very delicious. I don't know what flavor you like. I was a little rushed when I bought it, so I bought all kinds of flavors."
"The stuffing inside it is made of real fruit, not coloring and sweetener, and it is not high in calories, so you can eat it with confidence."
She handed Jiang Yu the plastic bag containing loose shortcakes, and then opened another gift box.
Jiang Yu didn't want to disappoint her, so she took a blueberry-flavored one, tore open the package, took a bite slowly, it was soft and crunchy, with a strong blueberry fruity aroma, overflowing with juice, it tasted really good.
"This is a set of wood-carved cups. The wood is only found in our local area, and the production process is purely handmade." Cheng Suran opened the gift box to show her as if offering a treasure.
Jiang Yu was satisfied: "Well, it's very suitable for the office."
"As long as my sister likes it."
Cheng Suran tidied up her things and put them aside. Seeing that most of the shortbread in her hand was still unfinished, she couldn't help but wonder, "Sister, is it... not delicious?"
"No," Jiang Yu shook her head, "I eat slowly."
"Oh."
Cheng Suran took out a small bottle of mineral water from her bag, "This is from the flight attendant on the plane, it hasn't been opened yet."
While talking, she unscrewed it and handed it to her, then took out a tissue, wiped the corners of her mouth for her, and picked up her hair that was hanging down the sideburns, and tucked it behind her ears.
Jiang Yu took the water, smiled lightly and raised her eyebrows: "Why are you so good today, kid?"
" I…"
Cheng Suran pursed her lips, her face puffed slightly, and she looked at her with resentful eyes, "I won't run away."
