novelraw Chapter 48: The Unbearable Reality
Chapter 48: The Unbearable Reality
For the next few days, life was like slowly brewing tea.
Wenjing does her usual routine every day: making breakfast, going to work, coming home from get off work, buying groceries, cooking, and washing dishes.
Occasionally, when Ding Heng was playing games in the study, she would quietly stand by his side, feeding him fruit and drinks.
The purification value on the system panel jumped slowly, gradually increasing.
94, 95, 96, 97, 98 — [Purification Value: 99%]
1% short.
On Wenjing's last day at McDonald's, the manager paid her wages.
After 44 days, and deducting two days of leave, I received 3,500 yuan.
Ding Heng helped Wenjing collect the last few pieces of dried clothing, folded them neatly, and put them into her open suitcase.
When Wenjing came to Changsha, she only brought a small 20-inch suitcase, which contained a few changes of T-shirts, two pairs of casual pants, pajamas, and face wash—it was completely empty.
When I was about to go back, I couldn't close the suitcase.
Wenjing squatted on the ground, trying to zip up the suitcase a little more.
"Don't push yourself."
Ding Heng advised, "I'll put all those clothes that are inconvenient to wear back at the hotel for you. You can wear them another time when you have the chance."
Wenjing understood that the clothes Ding Heng mentioned that were inconvenient to wear were the cheongsam, JK uniform, bunny girl outfit, etc. worn that day.
But why put it in a hotel?
When will I have the chance to wear it again?
Wenjing dared not think about it, nor dared she ask.
She just blushed and shyly murmured "Mmm".
Ding Heng took the dust bags, folded them, and put them into another tote bag.
"Okay, let's check again to see if there are any missed?"
"There shouldn't be any more."
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Wenjing turned around, took something out of her canvas bag, and handed it to Ding Heng.
"For you."
It was a dark gray scarf with fine, even stitches, and the ends showed signs of repeated alterations.
Ding Heng took it and unfolded it, asking in surprise, "You knitted this secretly?"
Wenjing scratched her head sheepishly, "Giving this in the middle of summer feels a bit strange..."
She wanted to give him something.
It doesn't need to be too expensive, but it should show your sincerity.
After much thought, the only gift I could come up with was a slightly clichéd hand-knitted scarf.
Ding Heng picked up the scarf, folded it in half, wrapped it around his neck, and adjusted the tightness.
"Perfect!"
Then he took off the scarf, folded it neatly, opened the wardrobe door, and solemnly put it inside: "Don't worry, you'll definitely see it in winter."
Wenjing paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Um!"
She nodded vigorously, smiling like a child who had stolen candy.
More than an hour later, the car stopped downstairs at Wenjing's apartment building.
At noon in late August, the sun was scorching, and the cicadas were chirping in a heart-wrenching manner.
The gray-white exterior walls of the old residential buildings were scorching hot from the sun, and even the wind felt hot.
Wenjing did not get off the bus immediately.
She sat in the passenger seat, her fingers rubbing against the seatbelt buckle for a while, before turning to face Ding Heng.
Ding Heng looked at the girl's small face so close to his own and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"what?"
"Aren't you going to rub it anymore?"
Wenjing muttered softly, "After I go back, I won't be able to get it massaged for a whole week."
Ding Heng was both amused and exasperated, and reached out to cup Wen Jing's cheeks.
He didn't mischievously knead it as he usually did; he just gently pinched it.
Soft and warm.
"Go."
He released his grip: "It's only been a week. I just couldn't resist. I drove over to see you; it'll only take a short while."
Wenjing nodded obediently, opened the car door, and went around to the trunk to take out her luggage.
The sunlight was so bright that she squinted. She dragged her suitcase a few steps, then turned back.
Ding Heng sat in the car, looking at her through the windshield.
Wenjing waved to him.
Ding Heng nodded.
She turned and walked into the apartment building.
The iron gate slammed shut behind me, blocking out the midday sun.
The hallway was dark and had a musty smell from years of dampness.
Wenjing dragged her suitcase up the stairs, one step at a time.
The voice-activated light didn't turn on. Wenjing stomped her foot, but it still didn't light up, which made her inexplicably irritated.
Ding Heng is right. It's only been a week apart, and Xingcheng and Zhuzhou are close by, less than two hours by car.
But she still felt empty inside, as if a small piece of her heart had been ripped out.
The next seven days seem to be longer than the entire summer vacation...
Fourth floor.
Wenjing stopped and took out her keys from her bag.
Through the thin door panel, she could hear the noise coming from inside the house.
"This is mine! I got it first!"
It was his seven-year-old brother, Wentao, whose voice was as loud as a small trumpet.
"You're talking nonsense! I clearly put it on the coffee table!"
The younger sister, Wenshu, raised her voice even higher: "You snatched it without even asking?"
"Mom—! My sister's swearing again!"
"Wenshu, how old are you? Why are you still arguing with your younger brother?"
The mother, Luo Guihua, interrupted with her usual tired and impatient voice: "What's wrong with giving in to your younger brother? He's young and doesn't understand, but don't you understand either?"
"Why should I always have to give in!"
Wen Shu's voice trembled with tears: "He's so young! He's almost eight years old! When I was eight, why didn't you let me have my way with someone else too?!"
"Can you be compared to your younger brother...?"
"Why should it be different!"
……
The argument continued, and Wenjing stood outside the door, her thoughts returning to reality.
She took a deep breath and inserted the key into the lock.
"Click".
The door opened.
In the living room, Wentao was clutching a bag of potato chips, his face still beaming with unconcealed smugness.
Wen Shu stood by the sofa, her eyes red-rimmed.
Luo Guihua peeked out from the kitchen, saw her second daughter, and paused for a moment.
"You're back?"
"Um."
Wenjing dragged her suitcase in and softly called out, "Mom."
"Second sister, did you bring me anything?"
Her younger brother rushed over excitedly, wanting a gift, but Wenjing ignored him and silently dragged her suitcase into her room.
The room is still the same.
Two single beds were placed side by side, and Wen Shu's textbooks and miscellaneous items were piled on the desk. The curtains were half-drawn, and the light coming in was dull and gray.
She opened her suitcase and began taking things out one by one.
Luo Guihua pushed open the door and came in, holding a cup of cold tea.
"Drink some water."
Luo Guihua placed the cup on the desk and then helped Wenjing tidy up her bed.
"How much money did you make this summer?"
She asked the question casually, as if they were having a friendly chat.
Wenjing's hands didn't stop folding clothes: "Three thousand five."
"oh."
Luo Guihua nodded, doing some mental calculations: "If the family can scrape together another two thousand or so, that should be enough for the tuition, right?"
Wenjing paused for a moment.
She looked up at her mother.
Luo Guihua avoided her daughter's gaze and bent down to straighten the wrinkles on the bed sheet.
"You might get less living expenses for the first two months of school."
She tried to keep her tone calm: "Five hundred...is that enough?"
Wenjing didn't say anything.
"The main problem is that your younger brother and sister are starting school soon, and there's a ton of money to be paid for tutoring, school uniforms, and books."
Luo Guihua sighed, looking troubled: "The factory hasn't paid your and your father's bonuses yet; they're short on cash. We'll make it up to you once they've been paid out."
The sound of cicadas outside the window drifted in through the glass, muffled and indistinct.
Wenjing lowered her head and continued folding clothes.
"fine."
She said, "I'll figure it out myself."
Luo Guihua breathed a sigh of relief at her daughter's "sensible" attitude. Just as she was about to leave, her gaze suddenly fell on the brand-new computer bag next to her.
"You bought this computer?"
Wenjing's movements froze for a moment.
"Borrowed by a friend."
"friend?"
Luo Guihua asked suspiciously, "What friend?"
Wenjing lowered her eyes and pushed her laptop bag further into the bed.
"A friend I met with Yan hope."
Her voice trailed off: "You don't know me."
Luo Guihua's expression softened upon hearing Zhao Yanxi's name.
"oh."
She glanced at the laptop bag again: "Can this laptop be used for gaming?"
Wenjing didn't know why she asked that, and nodded hesitantly: "I think... it's possible."
"That's perfect."
Luo Guihua's tone became lighter: "Your brother has been going to his classmate's house a lot lately, saying he's going to play some games, and he stays there all day. It's so hot, and he keeps running around like that. Other parents may not say anything, but they're probably annoyed by it."
Why don't you let him play with this computer for a few days? Anyway, school starts soon, it's just a matter of a few days."
Wenjing was stunned.
She looked up at her mother and opened her mouth.
No.
No.
No.
These two words stuck in my throat, like a heavy stone.
"No!"
Wenjing finally heard her own voice, dry but clear.
Luo Guihua was taken aback.
"What did you say?"
"no."
Wenjing clutched the clothes in her hands tightly: "My friend doesn't allow outsiders to touch his computer, I..."
When facing her mother, her momentum quickly waned.
Suddenly I remembered what Ding Heng said—you have to learn to say no!
Wenjing took the laptop bag, hugged it to her chest, and spoke with a firm voice.
"It just won't work!"
Luo Guihua looked at her daughter, who had rejected her, with surprise, as if she were looking at a stranger.
"Fine, treat it like a precious treasure."
She turned and walked out of the room.
There were no follow-up questions, no reprimands, just a casual remark.
The door was ajar.
Wenjing sat on the edge of the bed, clutching her laptop bag, and didn't move for a long time.
Outside the window, the cicadas are still chirping.
A short while later, Wen Shu lingered in the living room and went back to her room.
Her face still bore traces of tears, and her eyes were red; it was clear she had been scolded by Luo Guihua again.
She climbed into her bed, pulled the covers over her head, and remained silent.
Wenjing lay on the small bed next to her, without asking what had happened.
She didn't need to ask.
This family has been like this ever since my younger brother was born.
The younger brother is always right, and the older sister should always give in.
Once you get used to it, you won't think it's a big deal anymore.
She stared at the ceiling.
That old-fashioned ceiling light had been used for over ten years; the lampshade was covered in dust, and there were several small insect corpses embedded inside.
Wenjing suddenly recalled the warm, soft lighting in the suite at the Chujiang Hotel, which made her feel comfortable...
If you stare at it for a long time, a path seems to slowly emerge from the crack in the ceiling.
Tree-lined paths, red brick walls, students coming and going carrying books.
She and Ding Heng walked side by side under the sycamore trees at Hubei University.
The scarf she knitted was on his shoulder.
Winter has arrived, and the withered leaves are falling, making a rustling sound when you step on them.
Just bear with it a little longer.
Wenjing gently exhaled.
Only one week left.