Leaving Home

In this matter, Uncle Mumu had taken the initiative. It could be said that he had made the decision for his daughter. Fortunately, the matter had not spread, and with so many people on the street, they had managed to save face. Uncle Mumu consoled himself that something must have happened to Wang Xiyue's family. He understood what kind of person Wang Xiyue was, and he knew of the mutual affection between Tong Haojing and his daughter. There had to be a reason for this. He wanted to find a chance to ask Wang Xiyue about it. Could trust between people really be so fragile, disappearing in an instant? It shouldn't be like that. Still, Uncle Mumu felt sorry for his daughter, Mei Tingyu.

The people on the street had mostly dispersed, and the lively old town sank back into silence.

Mei Tingyu pretended to be calm and secretly took out a small round mirror. She pursed her lips and used her slender fingers to tidy the hair by her ears. She was especially pleased with her youthful beauty and charm, even feeling that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was practically intoxicated with herself. Yet Tong Haojing had not appeared.

"If he's still not here, I'm leaving!" Mei Tingyu rose and glared at Uncle Mumu strangely, reproach plain on her face. She began pacing restlessly around the teahouse. Furious, she complained to her father, "It's all your fault, acting as if your daughter couldn't get married! Let's go. I don't care anymore!" With that, she rushed out of the teahouse.

Uncle Mumu could not say much in front of his daughter. His face was full of embarrassment, and he did not know how to smooth things over.

"Wait a little longer. He's not that kind of person!"

Uncle Mumu unwillingly looked toward the street entrance again. The gathering was over, and there were barely any people left there. Only then did he finally give up. Following behind Mei Tingyu, he nearly could not keep up with her. That had never happened before. Mei Tingyu shrieked as if she had gone mad, completely unable to calm down. She felt she had suffered the greatest humiliation. She had never expected Tong Haojing to be so heartless. Thinking of what he had said and how well he had treated her, it now all seemed like an act, a lie. Yet a lingering attachment made her think again. Perhaps Tong Haojing's ambitions were too great, and he simply looked down on a rural place like this. He had his own plans. She could not expect him to hang himself from one tree forever. Besides, he had shown her how desperately he wanted to become a police officer. It might be only a dream now, but dreams could one day come true. Thinking of it that way, perhaps she was not worthy of him at all. There was no need to be angry with him. She should wish him well instead.

This was Mei Tingyu's understanding side.

Distraught, Mei Tingyu returned home with tears in her eyes and remained lifeless for several days. She felt that perhaps only by leaving this place, forgetting everything here, and beginning a new life could the world be fair to her. The rapidly developing economy of the southern cities offered riches everywhere, places where one could strike gold. Going out to work and earn money was so tempting. Ever since graduating from high school, she had wanted to leave home and make money on her own.

The smile had vanished from Uncle Mumu's face. He smoked in silence, carried his hoe, and continued planting vegetables and pulling weeds in the field before his house. From time to time, he went fishing in the Tangdu River. His eyes often turned toward the Big House Clan, hoping that one day Tong Haojing and his daughter would appear before him together, both smiling brightly.

One morning a few days later, at Tangdu City Station.

Tong Haojing crossed the Tangdu River Bridge and arrived in old Tangdu. He wandered aimlessly outside Anda Station. He had very little money left. Seeing that a small noodle shop was hiring an odd-job worker, his eyes lit up. As long as I have food to eat and a place to sleep, that'll solve my immediate problem. This was how a village boy survived. Even having a bowl of noodles to eat was enough to fill him with joy.

The noodle shop owner at the cash register tirelessly greeted customers. He could clearly remember how much each regular customer ate and whether they preferred sour, spicy, or salty flavors. Tong Haojing, however, often forgot the order in which customers had arrived and how much they had ordered. His frequent blunders and the owner's loud scoldings stood in sharp contrast. Tong Haojing could not help admiring the owner's shrewdness. "Do what you do, love what you do, master what you do. Even a small noodle shop has its tricks. You can make a whole art out of selling noodles. But where is my way out now?"

Baldy Lu, the cook manning the stove, left a deep impression on him. With his thick arms, he expertly lifted noodles from the bubbling pot as if they were beloved little toys in his hands, layering them bit by bit into neatly arranged large and small bowls. Whether there was one noodle too few or one too many, he could judge it precisely at a glance. More and more customers came for the shop's specialty noodles, yet the place was tiny, with crude tables, chairs, and benches. Many people could not understand why this had become the very thing that made it so attractive.

Many people tried to imitate him, but none succeeded. Tong Haojing could tell that this was where Baldy Lu's cleverness lay.

A girl carrying a large bag of luggage sat at a small square table by the side of the shop. She was plainly dressed, her face gloomy and melancholy. One look told him that she had something weighing heavily on her heart.

"One tael of noodles, make it extra spicy!" Her voice was slightly hoarse, and the urgency in her eyes revealed a quiet determination. She was going away to work and earn money. Busy in the shop, Tong Haojing immediately recognized the familiar voice beneath its hoarseness. He quickly turned his head and saw a slender, lovely young woman enter through the door. The one who had come for noodles was Mei Tingyu.

Tong Haojing was both astonished and embarrassed. How could we meet in a place like this? Was it fate, heaven's arrangement? Was there no escaping it?

Mei Tingyu saw Tong Haojing as well. Instinctively, she wanted to avoid him, but there was nowhere to hide. Deep down, she also felt the joy of meeting an old acquaintance in a foreign place. Yet after what had just happened with the failed wedding, she was filled with hatred for Tong Haojing. She hated him for leaving without a word. She hated his cowardice, hated that he was not man enough. He clearly had feelings for her, yet he did not dare confess them, leaving her too ashamed to face anyone.

Tong Haojing carried over the noodles, lowered his head in shame, and stood frozen in place in a panic. His hands trembled, and his feet seemed glued to the floor, unable to move.

"The soup spilled! The soup spilled!" A young woman eating noodles suddenly stood up and cried out in alarm. The noodle soup dripped in a line, staining her white dress a dark brown like coffee.

Tong Haojing came back to his senses, bewildered and at a loss.

"Wuwu... Pay for my dress! Pay for my dress!" The dress was newly bought, and the young woman could not help crying in distress. She wiped at it again and again with tissues, while a large pile of used tissues had already accumulated on the ground. The stained dress no longer had the fresh appeal that had delighted her before.

Tong Haojing stood blankly beside her and unconsciously felt for his pocket. He did not have a cent on him. His head began to buzz, and his helpless yet stiff expression made people anxious just looking at him.

"What are you doing? Where is your mind?" The owner put down his work and came over to handle the situation. He looked at the young woman's dress, then glanced at Tong Haojing.

"Look what you've done!" The owner's reproachful, ugly expression kept Tong Haojing from daring to lift his head and look him in the face.

Mei Tingyu, who was seated nearby, saw the scene and felt both heartache and urgency. She came over to ask what had happened. The owner looked suspiciously at her. "Are you with her?"

Mei Tingyu did not answer. Instead, she said to the young woman, who was covering her face and crying, "Little sister, see if it can be washed clean. If not, how much should we pay you?" Mei Tingyu took fifty yuan from her person and handed it to her. "Do you think this is enough?"

The young woman wiped away her tears and hesitantly shook her head. For some reason, she suddenly changed her mind. She no longer wanted this student-looking young man to compensate her.

Tong Haojing waited uneasily...

The young woman seemed to understand Tong Haojing's timid, frightened, uneasy, and pitiful look. He was just a big boy who had gone away to work while studying, an older brother. The anger in her heart gradually melted, and she made a kind gesture. Her actions moved Tong Haojing, Mei Tingyu, and the customers eating noodles in the shop. Everyone could not help praising her. "That girl was raised well!"

Still shaken, Tong Haojing sat across from Mei Tingyu. He lowered his head in silence for a while before softly apologizing. "Xiaoyu, I'm sorry about that day. It was all my fault. I didn't know what to do then." Tong Haojing's sincere apology eased Mei Tingyu's painful feelings considerably. She noticed that his complexion was poor too. Perhaps he had suffered the same torment of love, leaving his face drained of color.

Tears glimmered in Mei Tingyu's eyes. They were tears of excitement and happiness. It was clear that she had forgiven Tong Haojing. "What's the use of saying that now? It's all over."

"It was all my fault, Xiaoyu. Where are you going?" Tong Haojing's concern and worry stirred a warm current in Mei Tingyu's heart.

"There's a chartered bus at nine, going to Hedong Province. Someone introduced me to the job." Mei Tingyu's listless eyes were full of confusion and helplessness.

"I understand. But I don't know what to do now." Tong Haojing wore a miserable expression, too embarrassed to say what he really meant.

"Ah, right. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road. At the end of the water lies the finest view. When people reach their lowest point, they should look for opportunities. Just now, I saw a banner outside Anda Station that said it was glorious to join the army. Why don't you enlist? A man with ambition belongs everywhere. Maybe you can even realize your dream." Mei Tingyu pointed toward the station. Even in her own distraught state, she had not forgotten to care for and encourage the person who had hurt her.

Hearing Mei Tingyu's words, Tong Haojing's eyes lit up, and a bright blue sky seemed to open in his heart. He suddenly remembered that his uncle had been transferred to civilian work after serving in the army. He had also heard his parents say that several young men from their village had been transferred to city jobs after their military service. Whenever they returned to the village to visit relatives, were they not all prosperous and impressive? Most importantly, joining the army could lead to a transfer to the Public Security Bureau as a police officer. That would be taking a roundabout path into the police force. As for whether he could succeed, that would depend on his fate.

A fire was rekindled in Tong Haojing's heart. His whole body burned hot, as if he had strength he could never use up. He was no longer at a complete loss, and a relaxed smile appeared on his face. Deep in his heart, he was filled with gratitude for Mei Tingyu and even a little admiration. Mei Tingyu was not only beautiful but quick-witted and wise. Without meaning to, she had pointed out a path for him and brought light back to his confused eyes. As countless complicated thoughts ran through Tong Haojing's mind, Mei Tingyu urged him, "It's time. We can talk about anything else later." With that, Mei Tingyu stood and headed toward the station. Tong Haojing was considerate enough to quickly hoist her luggage onto his shoulder and say reluctantly, "I'll see you off!"

Mei Tingyu said nothing. Tong Haojing silently followed behind her and saw her onto the bus. Only after it started moving and left the station did he watch her receding figure. His heart was full of reluctance and concern. He did not know when they would meet again. Tong Haojing could not help feeling sad, and tears streamed down his face. Perhaps the real world was deliberately tormenting these two young people, giving them more hardships and more life experience. That might not be a bad thing.

Tong Haojing returned to the noodle shop excitedly. Someone quietly told him, "That young girl just now was Baldy Lu's daughter!"

"No wonder. Like father, like daughter. So that's where the girl's kindness came from!" Tong Haojing secretly envied Baldy Lu and his daughter. The dream of becoming a police officer that he had had that night still lingered in his heart. With a kind heart, the road ahead would only grow broader.