Chapter 4 Lamentations Three

  Three

  Zhang Chongyu gently pushed open Xiao Yi's door, and the pink room was filled with a sweet fragrance. The girl was lying on her side, resting with her eyes closed, wearing a strawberry-patterned nightgown that made her look even sweeter and more lovely. Zhang Chongyu walked in nervously and quietly placed a bag of fruit on the table beside Xiao Yi's bed, which was already filled with fruit, seemingly untouched since they were bought days ago. Just as he crouched down to sneak a peek at the girl's peaceful sleeping face, he was interrupted by her clear voice.

  "Are you here?" Xiao Yi opened her eyes and looked at him.

  "Hmm, why aren't you eating the fruit I bought for you? The doctor said that eating more apples will keep you from getting sick." He lowered his head and looked at the shiny wooden floor, feeling a tense sense of being found out.

  Xiao Yi looked at the new fruit on the table and said: "You don't have to spend so much money in the future, buying so many is more than I can eat."

  "It's okay, these fruits are all from my home, very fresh! You eat a little, it's sweet, don't believe me try it." As she said that, she picked up an apple from the table and put it to her mouth.

  Xiao Yi didn't open her mouth, staring at him motionlessly and said: "My mom only lets me eat fruits bought from our own home, she says it's more hygienic that way, don't bring any in the future."

  "Hmm." Zhang Chongyu scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

  Xiao Yi sat up, his icy hands stroking his arm, "Are you unhappy?"

  "No, how could it be. How's your illness, when can you go to class, Lan and I are worried to death about you."

  "Didn't I tell you not to mention her?" Xiao Yi's face sank, and he turned his head away, refusing to look at him.

  "Is this the solution? Are you going to keep ignoring her like this?" Zhang Chongyu looked down at Xiao Yi's pale face.

  "What's wrong? I'm going crazy, you know? In every way, I'm better than her, so why does Du Hongyi like her?" Xiao Yi excitedly pounded the boy's chest with a pillow, her long hair tangled wildly around her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

  "Didn't you say you didn't like Du Hongyi?" Zhang Chongyu grabbed the girl's constantly waving hands.

  Xiao Yi widened her eyes and stared at the boy in front of her, the whirlpool in his eyes was like a deep pool of water. "It... originally didn't like, but later I realized he's the most suitable for me, only he would loudly say in front of everyone that he likes me, I like it this way."

  Zhang Chongyu released her hand and before leaving, he lowered his head to look at the apples piled up on the table and said: "If you don't want to eat the apples, throw them away. Get well soon."

  Xiao Yi watched as the boy's stubborn back disappeared at the door, and couldn't help but let out a sigh. Zhang Chongyu was a very competitive person, which is why he always tried to be first in everyday life. But in front of Xiao Yi, he seemed extremely sensitive and fragile, with his entire body wrapped tightly around by the invisible thing called self-esteem. Perhaps because this feeling was so strong and frequent, it would make people even more troubled.

  Through the hazy night color, a red and white mountain bike sped through the night with its lights on. Zhang Chongyu pedaled hard, the wind blowing into his open collar, rainwater constantly hitting his face, feeling refreshing and cool. Turning onto an old street, here were all the fruit vendors who were about to close their stalls, they were busy moving today's unsold fruits back to the cold storage under the light, so as not to be spoiled by the rain in the humid market.

  Zhang Chongyu stopped in front of a stall, untied the bag hanging from the car head, took out the raincoat, and walked towards the busy back shadow in front of the stall. "Dad, mom."

  "How long does it take to go back and get a raincoat? Hurry up and put it on your dad!" Zhang's mother turned her head to look at her son, then struggled to move a box of Fuji apples in the rain.

  Zhang's father got down from the half-old truck, scolding and shouting at Zhang's mother: "I told you not to move, your waist is still not good, if you're sent to the hospital again, who knows how much money it'll cost!"

  A sour feeling suddenly surged up to his nose, Zhang Chongyu went forward and put the raincoat on his mother's body, pulling her open: "Mom! You listen to Dad, I'll move the rest!"

  Zhang Chongyu rolled up his sleeves and handed the box of red Fuji apples to Zhang Dad on the truck. The bottom of the box, soaked by the rainwater, could not withstand the weight, and the bright red apples spilled out, one by one, falling into the rain, bouncing happily on the muddy ground.

  "Oh no! The good Red Fuji apples are ruined!" Zhang's father jumped down from the truck, his large hands covered in calluses picking up the scattered apples in the rain.

  Rainwater pattered on his back, the wet undershirt clinging tightly to his skin. Zhang Chongyu gritted his teeth and crouched down to search for the fallen fruit, but found that his vision was gradually blurring. Then a warm liquid splashed across his cheek and shattered in the rain.

  In the face of material wealth and disparity, self-respect suddenly becomes worthless like trash on the side of the road.

  When all the fruits were loaded onto the truck, the rain had stopped. Zhang Chongyu sat in the passenger seat, wearing his father's old clothes and shivering with fear.

  "Son, you haven't eaten yet, have you? Eat an apple first to fill your stomach." Zhang's mother opened the car door and handed over a big red apple.

  Zhang Chongyu took a bite of the apple and the collision between his teeth and the fruit pulp produced a crisp sound. "Is it sweet?"

  "Sweet." Zhang Chongyu looked at his mother and faintly revealed a smile.

  Mrs. Zhang looked at her son with satisfaction as he took big bites of the apple, "That must be sweet. These days you've been saying you want to eat apples and always ask me to bring some to school, I even picked out the best ones for you, didn't even want to sell them." After finishing speaking, she handed over the bag in her hand to her son, "This was just picked by your father and me, take it back to school to eat and supplement your nutrition."

  "No need, mom, I still have some at school, it'll go bad if I don't finish it." Zhang Chongyu hastily pushed away the bag his mother handed him.

  "That won't do, you eat three a day and they'll be gone, your mom has already calculated it for you, don't throw them away, that would be such a waste, they're expensive."

  In this world, only the woman in front of him with a face full of vicissitudes would love herself unconditionally. Zhang Chongyu suppressed the mist that rose in his eyes and shook his head hard. His mother stretched out her wrinkled hands to stroke the firm facial lines of her son, hesitating before opening her mouth: "Is something unpleasant happening? Tell Mom about it."

  Zhang Chongyu swallowed the sour taste and forced a smile, "It's okay, mom, I just miss you."

  His mother comforted him by shaking her head, saying: "Son, mom is not suffering, as long as you can make a living, these are nothing, and don't worry about home, everything is fine."

  Zhang Chongyu took a deep breath, looking at his father sitting in front of the fruit stand, rolling up his pants and smoking his old-fashioned bamboo pipe. His eyes, weathered from the wind and rain, were filled with a satisfied smile. Having gone through too much poverty and hardship, he was often more easily satisfied with these experiences. Zhang Chongyu brought his gaze back, affectionately wrapping his arm around his mother's frail shoulders, saying: "Mom, don't worry, I'll definitely make you proud."

  Mother Zhang looked at her son with affection and forced the apple in her hand to him, saying: "Then you must first catch up on your physical nutrition, remember to eat."

  "Line after line, all eaten." Zhang Chongyu smiled as he took over the heavy bag. Oh heaven, isn't life always like this? In bitterness, there is often a hint of sweetness to be savored.