CH 81

Arc 5

This was Ye Ying’s first time going home, and also her first time away from her family. For this journey, she prepared three suitcases. One and a half contain daily necessities, such as clothes and shoes, and the rest contain her visiting gifts.

Ye Tao’s preparation was not as exaggerated as Ye Ying, and he brought only a suitcase.  

Zhang Yu and Jiang Fei were the same, each carrying a suitcase.

And Tong Ke, to achieve her goal to show her beautiful side to Zhang Yu, prepared two large suitcases. She packed several sets of skin care products, cosmetics, and other things. 

In the end, the whole group brought eight suitcases in total and the SUV couldn’t fit it all. Luckily, Zhang Yu had his own car at home, and even with the addition of his car, it was barely enough to fit all the suitcases. 

As for Ye Wei, her preparation was simple, without any suitcases and only a large travel backpack. She didn’t have many things of her own, thus, she brought only three sets of clothes and two overalls, as well as some personal stuff and daily necessities that didn’t take up space. The largest thing she took was a thermos for her hot water. She also stuffed two vacuum-packed coats on the bottom of her bag, which occupy quite a lot of space. 

All the space in the backpack was utilized efficiently by Ye Wei. Aside from that, Ye Wei also put an insulated water bottle and some small snacks like candies and chocolate bars in the small pockets on both sides of the backpack. She packed with ease and convenience in her mind and went out with her backpack almost higher than her head.

Her preparation was so simple that her eyes rounded when she saw the suitcases the others brought. If she was in the dark, then she probably would have thought they were moving house. 

Ye Ying was sheepish from her stare, “I’m sorry. I packed too many things. I have tried to reduce the size but, these all are gifts, so…”

Zhang Yu understood that the items were from Ye Ying’s good intentions, so even if it was inconvenient, he would try to find a solution, “It’s okay, it can fit in our car.”

Ye Ying patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Zhang Yu gave her a smile. He turned to Ye Wei and was surprised by the backpack on her back, “Do you only bring one backpack?”

Ye Wei responded with a hum and bypassed Zhang Yu and Ye Ying. She entered the Ye Family’s car and rested her backpack on her feet. 

Zhang Yu watched Ye Wei bypass him. In his heart, he couldn’t help judging Ye Wei. She had been away for so long and finally could go back. She was now a rich daughter of the Ye Family and had plenty of money, but why didn’t she bring any gifts for her family back home? If the Chen Family was as poor as the rumor, then they probably would welcome any gifts. Alas, it was none of his business, so he wouldn’t bother himself to interfere with her things. 

Ye Tao put Tong Ke’s suitcases in the trunk, and Tong Ke profusely thanked him. 

In fact, Ye Tao did not lose to Zhang Yu in terms of looks. He was several years older than her. He had the mature charm that the brother next door had.

However, Ye Tao’s impression of Tong Ke was not good. He always saw Tong Ke’s hostility, dissatisfaction, jealousy, and disgust toward Ye Ying. Especially, when Tong Ke’s eyes were on Zhang Yu, the naked greed and desire in her eyes were apparent to him. Hence, he thought, this girl, Tong Ke, had a devious mind. 

He especially gave Ye Wei a reminder to stay away from Tong Ke, but tough luck, his words went in Ye Wei’s left ear and out her right. She assumed that he was badmouthing her good friend. Since then, he hadn’t reminded her of the matter again. 

As the saying goes, if you don’t listen to the elder’s advice, you will suffer a loss. And only when you suffer a loss will you know that the advice is for your own good. 

Tong Ke was oblivious to Ye Tao’s alienation. She glanced at Ye Tao and jumped in the car and whispered in Ye Wei’s ear, “Your brother is handsome, there must be many girls chasing after him right? I heard that he was previously one of the school grass in our school, and many girls had handed him love letters.”

Ye Wei had never heard of it. She glimpsed at Ye Tao, and indeed, Ye Tao looked good. He inherited all the good qualities of Ye Shicheng and Wang Hui. He had sword eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose bright, and a face loved by the nation. Unlike Zhang Yu’s gentlemanly style, his profile was bolder and carried some kind of aggression. 

And Ye Wei had a resemblance with him. After all, he was her brother, and she his sister. When he was silent, he appeared aloof and could scare people just by his look, 

Ye Wei: “You have a change of heart?”

Tong Ke’s head bounced left and right, “No. I’m a single-minded person. I like Zhang Yu, and I will only like him and him alone. Besides, Ye Tao is older than me. A three-year gap is a generation gap and it is not good[1], so, just forget it.

And her concern was not about Ye Tao, but Zhang Yu. She felt the fire burning in her heart when she saw Zhang Yu helping Ye Ying with her suitcases. 

“That vixen is so devious. She actually played Zhang Yu in her palms! Does she think because she can act coquettish then she can use it to deceive people? Hmph!” Tong Ke gnashed her teeth in anger, but she was helpless and holding her breath only made her even angrier. 

Ye Wei commented, “Doesn’t Zhang Yu also fascinate you head over heels? What capabilities do you think Zhang Yu has?”

Tong Ke listed the answer with sincerity, “Zhang Yu is very capable! Look at Zhang Yu. He is handsome, has a good family background, and has good grades. He also can play basketball! Look at him! Where can you find a man as excellent as him? Plus, he has no bad habits that the fuerdai usually has, let alone a playboy like Shen Ye who has poor grades and hooks up with girls left and right. Shen Ye hasn’t graduated from high school yet and you can’t even count his girlfriend with both your hands. Compare it with Zhang Yu, the difference is that of Heaven and Earth. Shen Ye is not even comparable to Zhang Yu’s toes! Zhang Yu is so so good, he is the perfect candidate for a husband! You can proudly boast about him as a husband, don’t you think so?”

Ye Wei：“…………”

My dear friend, it’s too much information, I didn’t expect you to be so frank.

————·————·————

When the suitcases were all loaded, Ye Wei waved goodbye to Ye Shicheng and Wang Hui and rushed to the airport.

“Be careful on the road. Call us if there is something.”

The Chen Family was located in a really remote mountain area, and even after getting off the plane, it still took three hours by car to go to the small county town where the Chen Family lives. The group just got off the plane and took a car that the Ye Family had prepared. 

The journey was exhausting. They arrived at the county town at 1:00PM. 

The Chen Family owned an apartment in this county town. It only had a simple living room with three bedrooms, costing thousands of yuan for the Chen Family. For them, this kind of apartment was already considered a luxury comparable to that of a mansion. 

However, to Ye Wei’s surprise, after they climbed up to the fifth floor with their suitcases and knocked on the door of the Chen Family. It was not Chen Weiguo or her stepmother who came to open the door. Instead, it was a strange woman she did not know, staring at them with alertness, “Who are you looking for?”

Ye Wei answered, “I’m looking for Chen Weiguo. Doesn’t he live here?”

“You mean the landlord? He rented this house to us. Are you looking for him? He is probably back in his hometown in the mountains now. If you have anything to do with him, you can go there and find him.”

“……???”

Nice.

Ye Ying and Zhang Yu were dumbfounded. Rather than living in the house by themselves, the Chen Family rented it out instead? 

In a way, Ye Wei could understand. Chen Weiguo’s only source of income was the plants in the field, and he was too old for such hard work. He might as well rent the house. At any rate, he could earn about 1000 yuan a month, which was more than enough for his family to spend for a month. This trade was worthwhile.

So, in the end, they could only go to the mountain.

And, here was where the problem came from. The way to the mountain was not easy, of course, it only applied to Ye Ying and the others, Ye Wei was an exception. 

A small part of the distance in front could be covered by a car, but, on the later part, it’s all jagged mountain roads and the car was useless. They must climb the mountain and walk by themselves. 

Ye Wei had no problem at all. After all, she only carried a backpack, which was convenient for her to move. However, for Ye Ying, Tong Ke, Zhang Yu, Jiang Fei, and Ye Tao, it was a problem. They brought suitcases. If the road was smooth, they could drag it, but the road was not, and they must carry it. Not to mention, Ye Ying had three suitcases, and Tong Ke had two. If it were up to those girls, it was questionable whether they could carry one suitcase each, let alone three.

Another point was, according to Ye Wei, the journey would take more than two hours on foot. However, with the pampered Young Master and Young Lady as her burden, it would be a feat to let them walk for more than two hours. 

So, how should they get there?

Jiang Fei sat on his suitcase, catching sight of Ye Ying’s frowning face filled with distress. He turned to Ye Wei, she was standing in place with a backpack and looking around. “Did you not tell them that we will come? And did they not tell you that they rented this out? Why don’t you know they have moved away?”

Ye Wei took a look at Jiang Fei. She shook her head, “I didn’t, they didn’t. I don’t know anything about this at all.”

Zhang Yu and Ye Tao looked at Ye Wei’s calm and honest answer. Ye Tao was suspicious and puzzled, “You haven’t contacted the Chen Family since you returned to us for so long?”

Ye Wei frankly answered, “Yeah, I haven’t.”

Ye Tao: “……”

Zhang Yu: “……”

……Can you not answer it so righteously with such self-confidence?

Jiang Fei stared at Ye Ying. 

Ye Ying peeked at Ye Wei, “Neither have I.”

She had no close relationship with the Chen Family, because, she didn’t know how to get along with them, and didn’t know what to say to them. They had the closest blood relationship, but their relationship was that of strangers. Naturally, she wasn’t in charge of informing them. “I’m sorry… I thought Jiejie already informed them…”

Ye Wei responded in a deflated voice, “Is Meimei blaming me for this? Just like Meimei, I thought Meimei already informed them beforehand.”

Ye Ying hurriedly denied, “No, I don’t blame you.”

“Oh, I thought Meimei was blaming me. It’s good if Meimei is not blaming me.” A smile surfaced on Ye Wei’s face.

Ye Ying bit her lips and took the blame, “This is my negligence. I’m sorry to let you go for nothing. I didn’t expect this to happen…”

Zhang Yu was distressed by Ye Ying’s self-reproach, “It’s not your fault. I know you didn’t mean it.”

Ye Ying was comforted, but she didn’t feel better in her heart, instead, she blamed herself even more.

Ye Wei then added, “Frankly, I didn’t contact Papa Chen because I used my life as a bet to leave there. Papa Chen was furious when I left and yelled at me to never return. He also told me that he has no use for a daughter like me. I was hurt by his words, so I never contacted Papa Chen again. It’s just, I didn’t expect that Meimei also never contacted him?”

Ye Ying was stupefied. Her gaze moved to level with Ye Wei. She saw a smile on the corner of her lips, with a trace of confusion, as if simply confused as to why she never contacted the Chen Family. But, she could see through her farce. Ye Wei first explained the reason she hadn’t contacted Chen Weiguo. Then, she emphasized that she, Ye Ying, never contacted Chen Weiguo, her biological father, and was an ungrateful daughter. 

She didn’t say it out loud, but could everyone here miss her implication?

Ye Tao and Zhang Yu could hear it, and so did Jiang Fei, even the lowest IQ Tong Ke could hear it. 

Tong Ke was quick to add, “That’s right. Weiwei can be excused for not contacting him. How about you, Ye Ying? He is your father. You don’t even know where he lives? You are not filial…”

Ye Ying turned pale with the accusation, “There were a few calls before, but it was only a few words long and I… never heard him tell me that he had moved back.”

Zhang Yu wanted to comfort her, but Ye Wei had spoken first, “Who is this ‘him’ in your mouth?”

Ye Ying：“……”

She pursed her lips. Her father, she was supposed to say. But, she couldn’t.

Ye Tao knew that Ye Ying was put in a corner and sent Ye Wei a disapproving look. Ye Ying was not close to the Chen Family and had never gone back, it was normal for her to only have some superficial care and greetings, right?

“That’s all. Stop talking about it. Instead, let’s think about how we can go there.”

Ye Wei blinked, “How? Of course, with feet.”

There was no way to go to the Chen Family except by walking, because the road was narrow and bumpy, and it was a mountain road that was not made of concrete, the car couldn’t be used to drive there. 

The groups: “…………”

Ye Wei supported her chin and tilted her head, “You guys have so many suitcases that definitely can’t be moved in one trip. No matter what, it certainly will take two or three trips.”

Ye Ying glanced at the three pieces of suitcases at her feet and realized for the first time what it means to cry without tears.

Tong Ke felt her feet weaken as she thought of her two suitcases. She wanted to back down, but then, she thought of Zhang Yu, a husband she could boast around, and she felt the pain was worth it. Only when she had passed the suffering could she reach the pinnacle. 

As for Zhang Yu, Ye Tao, and Jiang Fei, they are men. Their family had strict discipline with them and they also participated in the military summer camp. A two-hour hike, how bad could it be?

Ye Wei observed their expression and earnestly suggested, “How about you guys go back? It’s not an easy trip with so many suitcases. Meimei, do you think you can come here again next time you are ready?”

Tong Ke asked in haste, “When is this ‘next time’?”

Ye Wei smiled, “When the road is ready and the car can be driven in ah. Only by then can my Meimei be ready to go to see her father and grandmother again, right? It will only take a few years. Anyway, I’m not in a hurry.”

Tong Ke exclaimed, “How nice. Then, we won’t have to suffer this pain and misery.”

Everyone’s focus was now on Ye Ying.

Ye Ying, “……”

Ye Ying forced out, “We have arrived here, I will not go back.”

Ye Wei shrugged, “You do you.”

————·————·————

Honestly, it was not as bad as Ye Wei said. The people in the mountain were very poor, there were many people who would be willing to offer their labor for money, meaning they could give some money and ask someone to help them carry the suitcases to the mountain. Ye Wei found five porters[2] to help them. Each person carried a suitcase to the mountain, and they were paid 80 yuan[3] for each trip. 

As for the remaining three suitcases, they were handed over to Zhang Yu, Ye Tao, and Jiang Fei, and they must solve the problem by themselves.

“There are not enough people here. Most of the people work in the afternoon, so I can only find five porters. The girls are too delicate to carry them. So these five will help Meimei and Keke with their suitcases. As for the rest, you guys can carry it by yourself, right? If not, I will think of another way.”

Ye Wei said that and she stared at Zhang Yu. Zhang Yu was aware of Ye Wei’s dislike toward him, so he, who didn’t want to be looked down upon, refused the leeway she offered. Besides, Ye Wei herself carried a heavy backpack, and he couldn’t lose to her. “I can.”

Then, Ye Wei turned to Ye Tao, and Ye Tao could only say, “I can, too.”

And at last, Ye Wei’s eyes landed on Jiang Fei.

Jiang Fei: “……”

Jiang Fei was honest, “I can’t.”

Ye Wei: “Oh.”

Zhang Yu and Ye Tao sent Jiang Fei a look in unison. 

Jiang Fei: “……” :)

Ye Wei asked for another porter and the porters started to call their acquaintances on their mobile phones that were still on analog, which at most cost a few hundred yuan. As the call connected, the porters roared at the top of their lungs and in one way or another, they found another porter to help them. The newly arrived porter was brimming with energy and had an honest smile. 

For a moment, the group could see the shadow of what Ye Wei once experienced from the newly arrived porter. Even with his energetic aura, it couldn’t hide his wrinkled face from exhaustion and two missing front teeth.

Jiang Fei was polite, “Thank you, Sir.”

The porter grinned with his yellow teeth, he took out a rope and wrapped the suitcase around before he hoisted it on his back and walked up the road.

The rope was rough on his shoulder, and the flesh became deformed.

Ye Ying felt sorry and tugged Zhang Yu’s sleeve. She whispered, “Otherwise, I will move it by myself, okay? I…”

Obviously, they were youths who had sufficient physical strength and stamina. She couldn’t bear to let the old man carry her heavy things. 

Zhang Yu wanted to tell her, Although the work seems hard, their labor is paid and they earned the money with their own efforts. The porters can refuse the offer from us, but that means they will have less income for the day. 

However, looking at the distress and embarrassment on Ye Ying’s face, he couldn’t bear to say it out loud.

Ye Tao naturally had the same idea as Zhang Yu. He rubbed his sister’s hair fondly, deeming her mind too simple and pure.

But, albeit Ye Ying whispered, the voice still reached the old man’s ears. The old man hastily tilted his head, “What’s wrong with the little lass? Do you dislike my price and think I charge too much? Believe me, I don’t charge as much as the others. The road to the Chen Family is a notoriously difficult road. It will already be dark by the time we arrive at the Chen Family’s place, not to mention I must descend back to go back to my home. If you don’t like my price, I will charge you less next time.”

The old man’s voice was blasting, and the other porters also heard him. They turned back to look at the groups.

Ye Wei inclined her head to Ye Ying, “Is there something wrong, Meimei?”

Ye Ying waved her hand profusely, “No, no, It’s not expensive at all. It’s just because you have worked too hard…”

She originally planned to carry it by herself, but still paid the porters. 

The old man sighed, “What’s ‘too hard’ about this? I can earn 80 yuan for a trip, and I can make two or three thousand yuan a month! I can pay my grandson’s tuition with this. If I don’t have this job, I can only waste food while waiting to die. Little lass, don’t despise me too much for having a useless body.”

Ye Ying: “……”

She could feel the blood rushing to her cheek, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.”

Ye Wei consoled, “Don’t be angry, Sir. My Meimei is just a little bit too kind, she doesn’t mean to despise you at all.”

Ye Ying: “……”

Zhang Yu: “……”

Jiang Fei also consoled, “Yes, Sir. Don’t worry. Next time we need you, we will look for you.”

The old man agreed heartily!

Tong Ke stood beside Ye Wei and murmured, “Tch. This Ye Ying, still pretending to be kind again!”

Ye Ying, ”…………”

Obviously, she didn’t mean it that way.

Zhang Yu’s gaze shifted to Ye Wei. Her smile was blooming like the sun, but, he felt a chill down his spine from her smile. 

————·————·————

Some time passed, and walking with a suitcase started becoming unbearable, at first it was fine, but gradually, their shoulders became sore and their legs became weak.  The path was not flat and bumpy. Occasionally, there were several pits. 

In addition, today, the sun hung high in the sky without clouds to shy it away. 

They were tired and sweaty after some time passed. 

Ye Ying wore a high skirt, and her clothes were still neat, but she was a bit ashamed of her sweaty appearance. The glare of the sun was mostly blocked by Ye Tao and Zhang Yu for her.  The two also didn’t allow her to carry her suitcase. Alas, she had been walking for a long time and couldn’t stand it.

Ye Ying clenched her teeth and persisted, looking at Zhang Yu’s sweaty face, she was sad, “Zhang Yu, you have a rest, let me carry it.”

Zhang Yu put the heavy suitcase on the ground and smiled, “No, it’s alright, I can do it.”

Ye Tao halted. He, too, was tired. He gasped and encouraged, “We have been walking for half an hour, haven’t we? Just hold on for a while and we’ll be there soon.”

Jiang Fei’s voice appeared from behind, “We set off at half past two, and we have only walked for 20 minutes.”

Ye Tao’s, Ye Ying’s, and Zhang Yu’s brains synchronized at his words, it has been only 20 minutes??!

Zhang Yu wiped off his sweat and stared to his front. Ye Wei had walked a long distance from them, and behind her were several thin, swarthy old men, presumably in their fifties. 

When they spoke, he could see the yellow teeth and their soiled faces were full of wrinkles. They were bare-chested as they tied the suitcase to their body with ropes and walked along with the suitcases on their backs.

Ye Wei herself carried a heavy backpack on her. Another small bag was slung on her left shoulder. When they were sorting out their suitcases, Ye Wei went to the nearby market, but he did not know what she bought. Because it had been a long time, the bags left red marks on her shoulder. 

She didn’t look back at them, walking with her head facing the ground, and her figure appeared as a distant shadow in their eyes.

On the empty ridge of the field, there was also a chant of “one two, one two, one two“.

Obviously, it was a simple tune that sounds a little brisk, but why did it carry such a heavy feeling?

Zhang Yu shouted loudly: “Ye Wei, let’s take a break.”

Only then did Ye Wei stop and glanced up at the sky. She nodded, “Then, let’s take a five-minute rest.”

She sat down on the ground, and with her left hand, she took out the water bottle from her backpack, swallowing down the water. A few porters also took out water bottles from their pockets and lit their cigarettes. A group of people chatted with each other, looking quite at ease and content.

Tong Ke was very fortunate to mix up with Ye Wei and got to drink some sips of water.

Zhang Yu: “……”

Zhang Yu couldn’t stop his gulp. He hadn’t drunk water since they set off, and the water bottle just torched his thirst even more.

And it’s not only him. Ye Tao, Ye Ying, and Jiang Fei were also thirsty.

They were dehydrated. 

But, there was no water on them. 

The author has something to say:

Bàngbàng is a profession that specializes in helping people move things.

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Footnotes

[1] There is a saying that if you are three years apart, there will be a generation gap, and you will think and do things differently, which means that you can’t get along.↵

[2] 棒棒 – bàngbàng. A special profession originated in Chongqing. They are mainly paid to carry heavy objects, and also take care of various dirty and tiring jobs. Most of them are rural laborers, and the main tools are a bamboo stick and a hemp rope, which are used for binding and transporting goods, and Chongqing people gradually call it “bàngbàng”, 棒-bàng itself can mean strong/capable, and stick/club. ↵

[3] Around 12USD, 1000RMB is around 140USD. ↵

Ry’s Corner

Take a drink every time Ye Ying said she didn’t mean it and have a trip to the hospital from alcohol poisoning.

I can confirm Chinese Uncle shouts at the top of their lungs in every call, with their phone in front of their mouth and the loudspeaker on. Sometimes I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but the voice is too loud that I can’t ignore it lmao.

Weike actually has an author’s notes at the end of each chapter, but mostly, it is only “Good night” or some novel recommendations, so I never put it in the chapter.

Also, I grinded for some currency in Light and Night and got 20 pulls. Tried to pull 20 times and got Siren Sariel back to back. So, got 2 of his card. Thank you for the blessing you guys gave me from the previous chapter. Seems like “when there is a will, there is a way” is true, haha. The Siren Card story is an AU, and it is so soft that I melt. *laughs painfully at the torturous Main Story*

Today, Neural Cloud, GFL’s Spin-Off will launch globally. I wonder if any of you will try it.

————·————·————

Whenever I scrolled the Superchat of “The Memory Lost in Space” on weibo, I see fellow sufferers of Yin Nanzhao. It has been nearly 5 years since MLiS was officially published and the people simping for Yin Nanzhao never stop. I just hope to see a spin-off where my baes is happy, please. Where art thou, fanfiction author.

If you like what I do please consider buying me ko-fi! Who needs sleep, anyway. I don’t offer Advanced Chapters like Lyre yet, but you are free to water this thirsty cat!