Chapter 138: After School

The aftermath of the insurance fraud case was overwhelming. Lin Dongxue was exhausted every day when she got home, often too tired to eat.

One day, after finishing work and returning to her place, she saw her landlady sitting on the stairs, gasping for breath, holding a shopping bag in one hand and clutching her chest with the other.

The landlady lived downstairs from Lin Dongxue. They only interacted when paying rent via WeChat every quarter and exchanged greetings when they occasionally ran into each other.

Lin Dongxue asked, “Ma’am, are you feeling unwell?”

“No, no, I just felt a little tightness in my chest while climbing the stairs. I’ll be fine after resting for a bit.”

“Let me help you with that!”

“Oh, thank you.”

Lin Dongxue helped her carry the groceries into the landlady’s apartment. The place was quiet and empty, with only her husband’s memorial photo on the wall.

The landlady sat at the table and asked Lin Dongxue to make her some brown sugar water. After drinking it, she seemed to feel better.

“Ma’am, do you have any children?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“I have a son.”

“Why have I never seen him? Is he working out of town?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but he’s in prison. When he was young, he mixed with the wrong crowd, always hanging out with bad friends. One time, he stabbed a small-time thug to death while defending a friend. None of his so-called friends spoke up for him afterward. I persuaded him to turn himself in, and the court convicted him of manslaughter. He was sentenced to twenty years. It’s the seventeenth year now. With the New Year coming, I’m planning to make some dumplings and bring them to him.”

As she spoke, the landlady didn’t show much sadness, probably having accepted the reality long ago.

Lin Dongxue didn’t know what to say. The landlady asked her, “You’ve been living upstairs for almost a year now, but I still don’t know what you do for a living.”

“I… I work in sales,” Lin Dongxue lied.

“Oh, why don’t you stay for dinner? Thanks for your help today.”

“No, thank you! I have things to do at home.”

At Zhixin Middle School, later that evening.

Most of the students had already gone home, but one classroom was still lit. A few students participating in the “Duoyu Cup New Concept Composition Competition” had just finished their exams and were checking for typos.

The proctor looked at his watch and said, “Time’s up. Turn in your papers. Good job, everyone. Go home early.”

Tao Yueyue packed her backpack and left the classroom. She heard footsteps behind her and a voice calling, “Tao Yueyue, wait up.”

She turned around and saw a girl with pigtails and flushed cheeks running towards her. It was Wei Zengmali, her classmate and the Chinese class representative, who had never spoken to her before.

Initiating the conversation, Wei Zengmali seemed a bit nervous but tried to act casual. “You’re also participating in the essay competition?”

“The teacher encouraged me to join more activities,” Tao Yueyue replied indifferently.

“I didn’t expect that from you. I thought you were always so cool and aloof.”

“Aloof?”

“Yeah, we all think you’re kind of distant, not like other kids our age… Sorry if I offended you. Hey, can you come with me to the restroom? The school building is empty, and I’m a bit scared.”

Tao Yueyue glanced at the empty school gate. Chen Shi didn’t come to pick her up again today. He had given her a bus pass, insisting that she learn to be independent. In reality, it was just an excuse for adults to be lazy.

Tao Yueyue said, “Let’s go.”

In the deserted school building, Wei Zengmali nervously clung to Tao Yueyue’s clothes. Tao Yueyue teased her, “What are you afraid of? Ghosts?”

“Yikes!” Wei Zengmali shivered. “Don’t say that!”

“I heard a student committed suicide here in the past…”

“I don’t want to hear it! I don’t want to hear it!”

Seeing Wei Zengmali trembling, Tao Yueyue flashed a wicked smile.

After using the restroom, they walked outside. Wei Zengmali whispered, “I think you’re actually quite nice to talk to. You can call me by my nickname… though I don’t really like it, it’s fine if friends use it.”

“Miso?”

“Yes!” Wei Zengmali responded. “Do you believe in ghosts?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the scariest thing you’ve ever encountered? I’ll go first. One time, my dad took me out to eat, and I found a…”

“A dead man’s finger?”

“Don’t make stuff up!” Wei Zengmali lightly hit her with a fist. “It was a long pig hair in my braised pork. Super gross… What about you? What’s the scariest thing you’ve experienced?”

“I saw my mom being stabbed to death by a man, one stab at a time.”

Perhaps sensing that this girl was a bit of an idiot, Tao Yueyue let down her guard and talked about her past.

Her calm tone added an eerie edge to her story, making Wei Zengmali pale with fear. “Is that true?” she asked timidly.

Tao Yueyue feigned a relaxed expression and blinked. “I’m kidding!”

“Haha, you’re something else. How can you joke about your mom like that?”

“But she really is gone.”

“Really? That’s so sad. Is the person who picks you up your dad?”

“He’s my uncle.”

“So you’re an orphan?”

“Yes… but don’t pity me.”

“No, no, actually having parents isn’t always great. Mine are super annoying. I wouldn’t mind trading places with you.” Wei Zengmali tried to comfort her clumsily. Though her words were awkward, Tao Yueyue appreciated the sentiment.

They heard a cat meowing. Wei Zengmali stopped and looked around, spotting a tiny kitten emerging from a classroom, meowing at them.

“So cute!” Wei Zengmali was instantly smitten, crouching to pet its soft fur.

Tao Yueyue also crouched down, looking at the kitten. “Is it hungry?”

“I have a leftover salted egg from lunch in my backpack.” Wei Zengmali took off her backpack, found the sealed egg, bit it open, and peeled it for the kitten.

The kitten seemed starving, devouring the egg yolk greedily. Wei Zengmali said, “Just like my cat Voldemort, picky eater, won’t touch the egg white.”

After finishing, the kitten meowed louder. Wei Zengmali said, “Is it still hungry? Kitty, kitty, eat the rest of the egg!” She picked up the egg white to feed it, but the kitten avoided it.

“Maybe it doesn’t like it. I have a sausage,” Tao Yueyue said.

She took out a sausage from her backpack and fed it to the kitten, which ate happily but stopped after a third, meowing again.

The kitten waddled away and started drinking from a puddle of dirty water left by the janitor. “No, don’t drink that! It’s dirty!” Wei Zengmali picked it up and moved it aside, but the kitten went back to the puddle. “What are you thinking?”

“Maybe it’s thirsty?” Tao Yueyue guessed.