That night at seven o’clock, Xie Rouyin asked Xie Lisheng and Chen Kuang out, found a lively hotpot restaurant to catch up.
Xie Rouyin and Chen Kuang came together from the bar.
Entering the hotpot restaurant, seeing Xie Lisheng sitting at the table without any proper sitting posture, Xie Rouyin rolled her eyes, walked over and lifted her high heels to kick his calf with one foot.
“If I had known earlier that this rotten mouth of yours only knows how to bark nonsense, I would’ve let mom throw away your mouth together with the placenta when she gave birth.”
Xie Lisheng was caught off guard by the kick, interrupted from his little nap, letting out a hiss from the pain, sarcastically: “You’re not much better.”
“In the future, if you plan to date, find Xiao Feng a stepfather, remember to first poison yourself mute.”
Chen Kuang seemed long used to it, sat down on his own and poured a glass of water, ignoring the smoke and fire before his eyes.
Xie Rouyin followed Chen Kuang to sit down, scolding her own younger brother: “Did Little Qiao-meimei provoke you or offend you? First thing you do is say a bunch of crazy stuff to scare her.”
“And you still dare say you’re Xiao Feng’s real dad, I’m the one who’s the aunt.” She said while even laughing.
“Can a black-haired dog give birth to golden-haired pups?”
Xie Lisheng lazily lifted his eyelids, “Saying I’m a dog, what benefit does that bring you, dear elder sister.”
He picked up the tableware in front of him, seriously asked: “Binyang’s utensils here really don’t need to be scalded before using? Won’t end up in the hospital?”
Chen Kuang filled his glass full, gave him a knife-like glare, lightly knocked the table with force.
“Won’t drink you to death, just use it properly, Young Master Xie.”
Xie Rouyin was speechless already, a little heart-aching for his newly-wed wife, seriously asked: “I’m really curious, after two months of marriage, younger sister-in-law already mentioned divorce to you how many times? Hmm?”
“More than three hundred times?”
“……” Speaking of this, Xie Lisheng thought of someone, turned his eyes aside, inexplicably showing a bit of eating defeat expression, drank water without speaking.
Xie Rouyin knew him best, charmingly smiled, mocking: “Got subdued huh?”
“You have this day too.”
Chen Kuang timely let out a laugh as well.
Xie Lisheng kicked him under the table once, “What are you laughing at? Today I helped your little girlfriend with a big favor.”
He didn’t rush to correct the relationship, instead once again filled Xie Lisheng’s tea, placed it in front of him, movement full of unquestionable tone.
Chen Kuang’s naturally gentle eyes once becoming serious, had an aura not losing to Xie Lisheng’s pair of fox eyes.
“Before eating, first talk about it, about you making her cry.”
Xie Lisheng was surprised, “She even complained to you?”
“Xiao Feng told me on WeChat.” Chen Kuang handed the water to his mouth, darkly forcing: “Weren’t you thirsty? Drink.”
Xie Lisheng was forcibly poured over half a pot of unpleasant tea, pointed at him and looked towards Xie Rouyin, seemingly saying—this is the person you made me fly all the way here to help, look at his rude dead face.
Xie Rouyin thought the matter of Qiao Ling crying probably couldn’t be separated from Chen Kuang, not really her younger brother’s fault, so took the initiative to help smooth things over: “Alright, let’s eat first, later I’ll let him apologize to Little Qiao in person, no matter what, making a girl cry is definitely not right.”
Chen Kuang obviously didn’t want to just let Xie Lisheng off like this, but considering Xie Rouyin taking the initiative to mediate, temporarily kept this matter in mind without flaring up.
The three of them hadn’t gathered like this for a long time already, Xie Lisheng suddenly got married, the other two also didn’t have the chance to go drink wedding wine.
So everyone didn’t drive, came aiming to drink alcohol, ordered a whole table of dishes, mixing beer and soju, chatted through all the piled-up topics in one go.
…………
After one box of beer went down, this meal was eaten up until halftime break, Xie Lisheng received a phone call and went out, at the dining table only the bubbling hotpot and Xie Rouyin and Chen Kuang were left.
The two’s alcohol tolerance was about the same, Xie Rouyin knew if the drinking wasn’t enough, he wouldn’t spill his true words, seeing him getting lost in thought more and more frequently while drinking, realized the timing had come.
Xie Rouyin refilled herself a glass of dark beer, staring at the dense white foam on top, suddenly exposed: “Actually you’re very clear.”
“You clearly know what kind of feelings Qiao Ling has towards you.”
Chen Kuang picked up the wine glass, his movements somewhat slow.
“After auntie passed away, you went through four or five cities, always feeling like a floating duckweed living without meaning, until I dragged you hard to Binyang, then met Qiao Ling, don’t you think this is a kind of fate?” she said.
He lightly self-deprecating: “But you know, the thing I fear the most is the words fate.”
For eight years, he had been tormented terribly by these four characters.
Xie Rouyin choked up, seeming to feel she said the wrong thing, let out a long sigh, circled the topic back to Qiao Ling.
“You’re just pretending not to see, accompanying her in this muddle-headed way passing day by day.”
“If Dan Zi hadn’t appeared, do you plan to go on like this with Qiao Ling forever?” she asked.
Xie Rouyin’s eyes seemed able to see through everything, smiling while advising him, rarely with a few parts sternness.
“Chen Kuang, knowingly committing, a man who strings along a girl ambiguously unclear is the worst kind.”
Hearing this, Chen Kuang furrowed his brows, as if wanting to argue something.
After a while, he gave up arguing, gulped a mouthful of alcohol and asked the other party: “What do you think she likes about me.”
Xie Rouyin was stunned.
“You think.” Chen Kuang pulled up the corners of his lips, “What can a person like me give others.”
“Rouyin-jie, sometimes truly wishing for a person to live well doesn’t need to involve oneself.”
“When she understands what kind of person I am, probably she’ll feel I’m nothing more than this.”
She sighed, holding her forehead with emotion: “A person’s power in front of fate and illness is too weak.”
“The things that happened in the past, aren’t something you alone could have controlled.”
“Chen Kuang, you’re too pessimistic, doesn’t look like a young person at all.”
“Mm.” Chen Kuang didn’t deny that his current personality and state were both terrible, so he said: “So she deserves a better person.”
To him, Qiao Ling was a bit too good, sometimes even feeling a little dazzling.
Even if a person is already dead silent like ashes, they would still be attracted by the bright little sun rising at seven in the morning.
But this heart-like-dead-ashes person, didn’t have the courage to presumptuously chase after it and have it again.
Xie Rouyin felt extremely troublesome, because she knew once a person lost heart, no matter how anxious the friends around them were, they couldn’t save them.
“You ah, really muddle-headed.”
“Your attitude of thinking it’s for her own good is really annoying, you completely don’t understand the thing she wants, or maybe deliberately blind yourself not to look.”
Chen Kuang suddenly laughed, the ends of his eyes opening up, carrying a kind of brightness as if after having his bad nature seen through, he was freed.
“Mm, I really am quite rotten.”
“Jie, I never told you, right.”
“The day my mom passed, I sat in the hospital, feeling like I’d died along with them.”
…………
At 11:30 at night, Qiao Ling was lying at home reading comics, when she suddenly received a call from Qiao Jing, “What for?”
On Qiao Jing’s side, it seemed he was driving: “Are you at my uncle and aunt’s or your own place? Come out with me for a bit.”
“It’s already almost midnight, what would I go with you for? Aren’t you busy at the bar?” she said suspiciously, really not wanting to move.
Qiao Jing clicked his tongue, told her: “Rouyin took Chen Kuang out drinking with friends, just called me earlier, said the three of them are dead drunk, can’t move without someone helping.”
“I figured I can’t handle it by myself, so I’m asking you.”
Qiao Ling remembered the things Xie Lisheng told her at noon today, heart feeling heavy, afraid that if she saw Chen Kuang at this moment, her emotions would show on her face, exposing something.
“…Can I not go? Find someone else to help, my thin arms and legs can’t lift those big men.”
“I thought when it comes to things about Chen Kuang you’d be all fired up, what’s wrong?” Qiao Jing’s tone was very happy as he asked: “Did you stop liking him? You cooled off?”
“No!” Qiao Ling lifted the blanket, really had no way with him: “I’m at Mom and Dad’s, come pick me up.”
…………
Qiao Jing picked her up and rushed to the hotpot restaurant, like a dog that received orders and was running back with a frisbee, afraid even a second late would fail to complete Xie Rouyin’s task.
Qiao Ling got off the car, originally thought she’d have to follow her cousin inside to look for them, but with just one glance she saw the three people sitting outside the shop.
Chen Kuang and Xie Lisheng were sitting by the plastic table at the big street food stall outside, both drunk to the point of leaning this way and that, while Xie Rouyin was still like nothing happened, standing to the side elegantly smoking a cigarette.
Seeing them arrive, Xie Rouyin put out her cigarette, different from her usual charmingness, after drinking showed a bit of heroic energy.
“Finally here, tonight’s really cold.”
Qiao Jing quickly took off the windbreaker on his body and put it over her, “Took a detour on the way, so where are we sending the two of them?”
Qiao Ling followed along, tilting her head to glance over, and with one look met eyes with Chen Kuang who was leaning on the table.
Drunk Chen Kuang wasn’t the same as usual, his eyes were hazy, yet inside was more of a kind of realness and vividness than usual.
He didn’t say a word, leaning there steadily looking at her, pulling a very light smile.
Qiao Ling was caught off guard by his gaze, her ears heating up, dodging away not to look.
Xie Rouyin drunk, even wearing high heels couldn’t stand steady, holding onto Qiao Jing, simply introduced: “That’s my own younger brother, just flew over from Qinnan today, wait until tomorrow after he sobers up to properly introduce.”
She commanded the scene, “You send me back, Lingling, can I trouble you with Chen Kuang? You two take a taxi back.”
Qiao Jing was stunned, subconsciously wanted to stop her, but was blocked by a subtle glance from Xie Rouyin.
“……”
This.
“Then what about your brother?”
“Hey don’t mind him, could he really get sold off by human traffickers to Bai Ma club as the top card or what?”
“Hurry, Xiao Feng’s already calling to urge me home.” Xie Rouyin patted Qiao Jing’s shoulder, walked towards the car on her own, not forgetting to turn back and wink at Qiao Ling.
Qiao Ling was suddenly matched up like this, a bit at a loss, looking at the two, “Uh…”
She had just wanted to ask Xie Lisheng, who was lying back on the plastic chair, whether he wanted to take a taxi back together, but before she could open her mouth, her jacket sleeve was tugged by Chen Kuang beside her.
Qiao Ling’s heart sank together with her wrist, lowered her head, once again meeting his eyes.
Chen Kuang’s whole body carried the lazy air of being drunk, his soft tone seemed like a natural bewitchment: “Let’s go, go home together.”
She was coaxed by him as if she was also a little drunk, obediently nodded, instead using both hands to hold his left wrist, pulling back, bringing him up from the chair.
Qiao Ling bid farewell to Xie Lisheng, got in a car, taking Chen Kuang away.
After the two left, outside the hotpot restaurant was left only one person slumped on the chair playing dead.
Xie Lisheng exhaled toward Binyang’s autumn night sky, and actually saw faint white mist.
Heh, this city already had visible breath at the end of September.
Clearly among those present he was the only married person, yet how come it felt like he was the one mixing the worst?
He narrowed his drunken eyes, took out his phone, stared at a certain number, only after a while did he dial it out.
The phone rang for a long time before the other side unhurriedly answered.
Xie Lisheng’s drunk tone was even more languid, he spoke first: “I drank too much.”
From the other side came steady breathing, no words spoken.
Xie Lisheng’s brow twitched, tilting his head to look at the sky, repeatedly emphasized: “Alone in Binyang, middle of the night drank too much, no one cares, so cold ah.”
“Jiang Zao, do you know how cold Binyang nights in September are.”
“Totally a different world from Qinnan with an average temperature of thirty degrees.”
“I’m now thrown outside all by myself.”
“Hey?”
Maybe it was his voice disturbing her, at this time the other side finally let out a sound.
That clear yet drowsy voice line seemed like it could soften the radio waves.
“Xie Lisheng… you’re not at home now, can’t torment my body, so you’re switching to mentally torturing me…”
“Still have work tomorrow… spare me…” After saying this sentence, her light sleeping breath came through again.
Xie Lisheng sat in the cold wind, listening to that faint breathing sound, not hanging up for a long time, after thirty seconds asked again: “Fallen asleep?”
“You really…” Halfway through his sentence, his wife’s voice suddenly came again from the phone.
“Shut up.” Jiang Zao muttered half-dreaming half-awake: “…Keep making noise, then divorce.”
Then she fell asleep again.
This time, the person on this side of the call completely shut his mouth.
Xie Lisheng held up the phone listening, keeping quiet, quietly hooking up the corner of his lips.
Aiyo, so fierce ah.
…………
Chen Kuang was already tall and heavy to begin with. After drinking, his whole person seemed to have increased by thirty jin [approximately 15 kilograms] in weight.