“You, you!”
The woman was furious, pointing at Meng Ke and yelling, "You spendthrift, I raised you for nothing, but you are just a useless daughter. You can't tell east from west when you see a pretty boy. You're just like the vixen your dad hired to find. You're both shameless..."
"Sister!" Hu Chunxiao raised her eyebrows and scolded, "You've lost your mind, what nonsense are you talking about? Are you leaving or not? If you don't leave, Xiao Ke and I will leave, and no one will take care of you!"
"Okay, go, all of you go. I am the only one left anyway. My husband ran away with someone else, my sister is helping someone else, and even the daughter I raised with so much effort doesn't want me anymore. You might as well just let me die!"
Meng Ke stared at his mother blankly, as if he was looking at a stranger who had never walked into his life. His usually clear and lively eyes became empty, and his unfocused gaze slowly swept over everyone standing in front of him. His ears were buzzing, but he could not hear a word his mother said.
Then, two lines of tears flowed down the girl's cheeks!
She lowered her head, clutching her clothes tightly with both hands, the shame in her eyes was clearly visible, and she said to Wen Liang, "I'm sorry!"
Wen Liang hadn't expected things to develop to this point. If it were someone else, he would have had plenty of ways to deal with it, but since it involved Meng Ke, he had to think more about it. He consoled her, "Say sorry, we were also wrong in this matter. How about this, Auntie, we both make concessions. You return this dress, and we'll replace it with a similar product that has no quality issues, and you don't have to pay the difference. What do you think?"
This is actually a very inappropriate way to do business. If you give in and compensate someone for making trouble when you are not in the wrong, if the news gets out, I don't know how many people with bad behavior will deliberately take advantage of you. It was just an emergency, and he cared more about his friend's feelings than running a clothing store.
The woman's eyes lit up. She had thought that all her efforts today would be in vain, but she had not expected Wen Liang to come up with such a solution. Although there was no real money, it was a pleasant surprise to be able to exchange for a nice dress. She immediately stopped throwing tantrums and said, "It would be bad if we did this earlier. The neighbors are watching us, and it will affect the reputation of your store!"
Wen Liang smiled, and had a new understanding of how shameless Meng Ke's mother was. He turned around and waved to Xin Xin, saying, "Take Auntie to try on some clothes."
Meng Ke looked at her mother's happy face, but it was as if countless whips were lashing her face. She suddenly said sorry to Wen Liang, then turned around and ran out. Hu Chunxiao tried to pull her back but failed. She stamped her feet anxiously and said, "Xiao Ke, Xiao Ke, where are you going?"
The woman looked back and said unhappily, "This damn girl..." Then she said to Xin Xin happily, "Little girl, where are you going to try it?"
Xin Xin looked at Wen Liang. Wen Liang was annoyed, but still smiled and said, "Take Auntie with you... Captain Hu, you don't have to worry. I'll go find Meng Ke right away. Don't worry. We are good friends. We'll be fine after a chat."
Hu Chunxiao was filled with gratitude and said, "Thank you, thank you!" She originally wanted to follow Meng Ke, but was afraid that the woman would cause trouble here again. When she heard Wen Liang volunteered, she was naturally a hundred times grateful.
Wen Liang chased out of the store and saw Meng Ke’s shadow disappearing at the end of the street. He sighed and hurriedly chased after him.
Meng Ke was walking alone on the road, her mind was in a mess, she didn't know what she was thinking, or maybe she was thinking nothing, she just walked aimlessly in the shadows where the sun couldn't shine, she bumped into pedestrians several times by accident, she was usually the most polite and well-mannered, but she forgot to say sorry, she just kept moving forward, and forward...
She had never thought that she would see the ugliest scene of her family in front of Wen Liang. Even though she had experienced too many changes during this period, this sudden blow almost broke her spirit and the sensitive and fragile self-esteem of a girl.
From now on, will I no longer be able to smile, admire, yearn for, and gaze at the boy standing in the wind from afar
From now on, will I no longer be able to be pious, quiet, intoxicated, and gently write that timeless and memorable name
Meng Ke stopped, covered his eyes with his hands, looked up and looked at the blue sky!
There were no clouds in the sky, and there was wind. A few birds chirped as they flew by.
It’s midsummer, but why is my heart so cold
"careful!"
A hand reached out, pulling her arm and taking a step sideways, just in time to avoid a bicycle coming from the corner. Meng Ke stood firm, and when she turned her head, she was greeted by a warm and bright look and a gentle smile.
The cyclist almost fell down trying to avoid the collision. He stopped his bike and was about to curse. Wen Liang apologized and said, "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
The cyclist glanced at Meng Ke and said nothing, "You are still young, so be careful when you walk next time. If you really get hit, it will be bad for both you and me."
"Yes, yes, we will pay attention next time."
After the cyclist left, Meng Ke was really annoyed and panicked to the extreme. His pale face flushed with excessive nervousness, and he said helplessly: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble again."
Looking at Meng Ke in front of him, Wen Liang felt a little distressed. Meng Ke had never been one of the most eye-catching girls in No. 1 Middle School, but she was sensible, well-behaved, polite and self-respecting, just like a clear spring in the summer, not so important, but refreshing to the heart.
But now, she has lost her former agility, and is reserved, hesitant, and even a little unfamiliar and alienated. This makes Wen Liang feel quite guilty. If he had known that the woman was her mother, he should have decisively calmed down the matter. However, the woman ended up throwing a tantrum and making a scene. It was not her face that was lost, but Meng Ke's self-esteem!
"Meng Ke, we have been good friends for more than two years. Don't say such polite words." Wen Liang looked into her eyes and said, "Don't say sorry. I saw you were in danger and I would help you, just like you will definitely help me when you see me in danger in the future! It's nothing, right?"
"Um!"
Meng Ke nodded vigorously, and then realized that he was standing too close to Wen Liang. He hurriedly took two steps away and whispered, "Why are you here?"
"We haven't seen each other for a long time. Since we meet today, why don't you give me a favor and let me treat you to something delicious?" Seeing the solemn atmosphere, Wen Liang deliberately made a joke.
Meng Ke shook his head and said, "No, I should go home."
Wen Liang smiled slightly, not forcing himself, and said, "Okay, I'll see you off then."
Meng Ke couldn't say no, so she turned around and walked forward with Wen Liang, listening to the breeze blowing through the branches and leaves, and the summer cicadas chirping tirelessly. After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly stopped and said, "Can you go somewhere with me?"
"Okay!" Wen Liang agreed without asking any questions.
After more than an hour, three bus changes, and more than ten miles of walking, the two arrived at a dilapidated and deserted village. They followed the rugged path and climbed a small hill. On the top of the hill stood a persimmon tree that was so thick that a person could hug it. Under the tree was a small bluestone slab. Meng Ke leaned over and wiped the dust off the bluestone slab with his hand, and invited Wen Liang to sit down with him.
In the distance, there are roaring machines building houses, and further away, there are tall buildings standing in rows. But in front of us, it seems like another incompatible world, desolate, dilapidated, decadent, and lifeless.
"That's my old home!" Meng Ke pointed to a place fifty meters to the left and said, "I spent my life here before I was ten years old. At that time, my father was just an ordinary suburban farmer, and my mother was an even more ordinary housewife. The family didn't have much money, but the food from the crops was enough to fill our stomachs. However, if we wanted nice clothes or delicious snacks, that was not possible."
"I may be different from other children. Many of my peers are greedy for canned fruits, cakes and jellies, and some like to wear flowery clothes. They are not happy if they don't cry and ask adults to buy them new years clothes. But I have never been interested in those things. I am very happy to have enough food at home. Although the clothes my mother made for me are not good-looking, they fit me well and are warm. I think they are good. So I developed a habit since I was a child. I never thought about owning things that are not mine, or things that should not belong to me. If I had any dreams at that time, maybe I just wanted to live well with my parents. Even if we were poorer and suffered more, at least they loved each other and loved me more, which was enough..."
"But life is always changing. Dad first contracted hundreds of acres of land in the village to plant fruit trees, and gradually made money. Then he set up a processing plant to produce fruit juice drinks and canned products. The business grew bigger and bigger, and the money he made was more and more. Of course, he can't compare with real businessmen, but compared with the villagers before, he is also a rich man. Then my family moved from here to the city, bought a house, replaced new furniture, and I even had my own bedroom. The household registration was changed from rural to non-rural, and I became a city dweller, which I never thought of before. I am very happy and very happy."
"But gradually, Dad changed. He didn't like to go home and didn't like to talk to Mom. A few years later, I heard them fighting in the bedroom one night. Although they were very quiet and afraid that I would hear it, I still heard it... I didn't know what to do, so I could only pretend that I didn't know anything. But they still loved me, I knew it, so I could only pretend that we were a happy family every day... But the superficial happiness is not the real happiness after all. A home that requires everyone to work hard to maintain is not a real home at all..."
"Last year, the year we entered the second year of high school, my dad and his lover were finally stopped by my mom. The suspicion became reality, and the love turned into hatred. From then on, they no longer avoided my existence and started quarreling, cursing, and fighting day after day... Dad changed, and Mom was no longer the person I knew before. She was suspicious, mean, crazy, and even a little hysterical. She hated and despised all women, including me, as if we were the vixen who seduced Dad, and were shameless people..."
"Aunt Chunxiao and I have advised her to divorce, but she is still unwilling to give up this marriage. Perhaps she thinks that her father cheated on her because he was attracted by the beauty of young women, so she began to dress herself up like crazy, drawing eyebrows, applying powder, putting on makeup, and doing body shaping. These were things she didn't care about before and didn't know how to do, but she learned and practiced them one by one... But she didn't have much money, so when she spent it all, she borrowed. If she couldn't borrow, she sold things at home. Once, she took all the food money my father left for me to the beauty salon... The way she came to your store today was not the first time. She is willing to do anything to take advantage..."
Meng Ke hugged her knees with her hands, resting her chin on the back of her hands, staring blankly at the yellow earth on the ground, and whispered: "But she is my mother, the one who gave me life and raised me up, and I know that she actually loves me, but because of my father's betrayal, she temporarily lost herself. I want to save her, but I don't know how to do it..."
Ta-ta-ta,
It was the sound of tears dripping on the ground. Wen Liang reached out and gently held the girl's shoulders. The girl turned her head, looked at him for a while, then slightly turned sideways and leaned her head on his shoulder.
The world stood still,
Maybe the reality is cruel.
But at least at this moment,
She is happy! (To be continued)