Chapter 40: Why on Earth? (Part 2)

Hou Weidong sat on a bench in the street-side garden for a while. Fortunately, it was summer. The heat made sitting outdoors not only bearable but refreshing, with a gentle breeze offering a touch of coolness. Although a few mosquitoes buzzed around, they seemed like sissies compared to the giant mosquitoes he had encountered on Qinglin Mountain.

Since he was outside, Hou Weidong dared not sleep deeply. He maintained a sliver of wakefulness, drifting in and out of consciousness. Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Opening his eyes, he saw a little girl, about twelve or thirteen years old, standing beside him. She trembled as she spoke, "Uncle, please help me. Some bad people are following me."

Hou Weidong’s sleepiness vanished instantly. "Why are you out here alone?" he asked.

"I ran away from home," the girl said. "Several people are following me. Uncle, please save me."

Three shadows had already appeared at the edge of the trees. By the light of the streetlamp, Hou Weidong clearly saw three adult men dressed like beggars. They were peering into the woods from the outside, and one of them was stepping forward.

Seeing they were beggars, Hou Weidong recalled the legendary Beggar Sect. However, the modern reputation of such groups was tied to swindling, deception, and kidnapping. Their presence near this little girl was certainly not well-intentioned.

Hou Weidong assessed the situation. He looked down, picked up a half-brick, and gripped it tightly in his hand. "What are you doing? This is my sister. Get lost," he shouted.

The beggar who had stepped forward, expecting only a girl inside, was startled by the shout. He dropped the submissive demeanor he displayed to passersby during the day and pulled a knife from his chest. "Who are you? Don’t interfere with my business," he snarled. The little girl hid behind Hou Weidong, trembling all over.

Hou Weidong roared, "I’m a street fighter. If you have the guts, come at me."

Beggars were mostly bullies who preyed on the weak. Seeing Hou Weidong’s sturdy build and boldness, one of the men in the back muttered, "Bad luck. Let’s go." The three beggars quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Once they were gone, Hou Weidong realized he had broken out in a cold sweat. The little girl stared at his face with admiration.

Noticing she looked like a student who had run away from home, Hou Weidong asked, "What grade are you in? Why are you out here alone? Did you argue with your family?"

The girl nodded. "I’m in the sixth grade." Then, stubbornly, she added, "I’m not going home. My mom is wrong."

"Kids these days are spoiled rotten," Hou Weidong thought. He understood the situation now. Hearing her say only that her mother was wrong, he asked, "If your mom is wrong, you can criticize her when you get back. Where is your father?"

The girl shook her head. "Dad isn’t home."

Fear lingered in the girl’s eyes; she had not yet fully recovered from the earlier incident. Knowing how dangerous beggars could be, Hou Weidong tried to scare her into caution. "There are many bad people outside. If Uncle hadn’t been here, those bad guys would have taken you far away and sold you. You’d never see your dad again. Are you afraid?"

The girl grabbed the corner of Hou Weidong’s shirt. "Uncle, take me to call home."

Hou Weidong thought to himself, This girl’s family must be well-off. She’s definitely spoiled. If I were a trafficker, she’d already be gone. These little girls have no idea how dangerous the world is. But seeing her pitiful state, he said, "I’ll take you to find a payphone."

They went to the Shazhou Comprehensive Agricultural Market. At a small tobacco stall, they found a public payphone. The girl dialed the number and called out, "Mom." Whatever was said on the other end made her face light up with joy. She turned to Hou Weidong and asked, "Uncle, where is this?"

"Shazhou Comprehensive Wholesale Market," he replied.

After the call, Hou Weidong bought a pack of Yunyan cigarettes. He and the girl sat on a long wooden bench in front of the tobacco stall. He bought her a pack of biscuits. One smoked, the other ate. The market was bustling with people, and there were two men who looked like security guards nearby, so safety was not a concern. The girl gradually calmed down.

Seeing Hou Weidong smoking, she offered him a biscuit. "Uncle, have one. It’s delicious." It was an ordinary biscuit, and the packaging suggested it wasn’t particularly tasty, but the girl ate it with gusto, likely because she was truly hungry.

After a while, a Volkswagen Santana drove into the market. A man and a woman rushed out of the car. They spotted their daughter eating biscuits by the tobacco stall. The woman hugged the girl tightly. "Sutanger, Mom promised to buy you a piano."

The man, seeing his daughter safe, visibly relaxed. He then noticed Hou Weidong sitting nearby but quickly shifted his gaze back to the girl.

The woman, relieved that her precious daughter was unharmed after a night of anxiety, wiped away her tears. "Sutanger, no matter what happens, you are never allowed to run away from home again."

The man frowned, angry. "This is all because you spoiled her."

The woman turned back to him. "What’s the point of saying that now?" The man fell silent.

He walked over to the payphone, took out five jiao, and said, "This is for the phone call." The owner of the payphone pointed at Hou Weidong. "He already paid."

Seeing the girl still holding a biscuit, the man remained slightly wary of the young man in front of him. He took out a hundred-yuan note, smiled, and said, "This is for the phone call and the biscuits. On behalf of my whole family, thank you."

Hou Weidong shook his head. "It’s nothing." He waved his hand. "I have things to do. I’m leaving."

Seeing Hou Weidong about to leave, the girl broke free from her mother’s grasp and ran to him. "Uncle, what’s your name?"

Hou Weidong thought for a moment but didn’t give his name. "Little sister, listen to your elders in the future. Don’t run around alone. There are good people outside, but also many bad ones."

After this incident, Hou Weidong wandered around the Shazhou Comprehensive Wholesale Market. By the time he finished, dawn was breaking.

Hou Weidong only knew the general location of Shazhou Park. He didn’t take a bus. After leaving the wholesale market, he walked toward the park. It took him over an hour to reach the entrance.

It was just seven o’clock, two hours before their nine o’clock appointment. Hou Weidong’s stomach was growling. At a noodle shop near the park entrance, he ordered three liang of mixed sauce noodles. He ate them as slowly as possible. The noodles were delicious, but three liang was a small portion. He drank the broth clean, finishing in about ten minutes.

After a night of turmoil, even Hou Weidong, young and strong, felt physically and mentally exhausted. He sat on a wooden bench at the park entrance, leaning his head against the backrest, enjoying the cool morning breeze of summer. Before he knew it, he fell asleep. In his dream, he saw the landscaping of Qinglin Primary School and the fragrant white amur bream from the Tie family.

Just as he was eating fish in his dream, the world suddenly shook. Hou Weidong watched the braised fish disappear in his dream, feeling annoyed. Then, a flash of red caught his eye. It was a two-piece red outfit: a shirt on top and a long skirt below.

Xiaojia saw Hou Weidong sleeping with his back against the wooden bench, drool running from the corner of his mouth to his chest. She felt both heartache and amusement. After shaking him awake, she took a tissue, wiped away her boyfriend’s drool, and stuffed a small meat bun into his mouth.

They had a thousand words to say, but upon meeting, they didn’t know where to start. Especially at first, they were both unusually polite.

As they walked toward the park gate, Hou Weidong prepared to buy tickets. Xiaojia pulled his hand. "The park belongs to our Garden Management Section. No need to buy tickets."

Sure enough, before they reached the gate, a middle-aged man at the entrance greeted them warmly. "Zhang Xiaojia, what brings you to the park to inspect work today?"

Zhang Xiaojia smiled faintly. "Accountant He, I’m not qualified to inspect work. I’m just here to hang out."

Accountant He saw Zhang Xiaojia with a young man and joked, "Zhang Xiaojia, your boyfriend is very handsome."

Hearing someone praise Hou Weidong, Xiaojia felt sweet inside. She introduced them. "This is Accountant He from the park. This is my boyfriend, Hou Weidong."

Accountant He offered a cigarette and asked warmly, "Where do you work?"

Xiaojia replied, "In Yiyang."

Accountant He was visibly stunned for a moment, then laughed. "Yiyang? Are you two classmates?"