Chapter 40: Lullaby of the Ru Bing Flower

As soon as Wang Jiexiang arrived home, there was a knock on the door.

She opened the door to find the landlord standing outside.

Without needing to say much, Wang Jiexiang went inside, packed her belongings, and prepared to move out. It was the end of the month, and her rent had only been paid for this month. The landlord had already warned her earlier, and Wang Jiexiang remembered those “harsh words.”

She arrived with a backpack and left with the same backpack. She put on her thickest coat, returned the keys to the landlord, and apologized.

The landlord sighed, patted her hand.

Wang Jiexiang walked on, up the slope, leaving the city village and reaching the main road.

She left decisively, though in reality, she had nowhere to go.

The snow was falling heavily. With every step, her feet crunched in the snow, the sound of delicate cracking filling the air.

She gazed at the vast world around her, at the millions of lights illuminating the buildings. Wang Jiexiang stuck her hands in her pockets and aimlessly wandered.

Across the street was a row of stores, no names on the doors, but they were wide open. Pink light seeped from inside, soaking through the plastic curtains. Wang Jiexiang was drawn to the light and passed by one of the stores.

The street was red, the walls were red, and the intertwined pink hues blended together, forming a patch of ripe crimson.

Passing by, Wang Jiexiang felt like she was walking inside people’s bodies. The heat of the light, the blood she couldn’t touch, filled her vision. The scents of perfume, sweat, and smoke hung in the air, like exposed organs, naked, wriggling, and swallowing.

She dared not look inside the shop. Though she didn’t know much, she knew enough.

Her hands clenched tightly in her pockets as she focused on the floor and quickly walked away, as if even a glance might attract the attention of that red light, pulling her into its maw.

Even after passing the area, the uncomfortable feeling continued to follow her.

Wang Jiexiang slowed her pace, her mind preoccupied with thoughts.

What would she do in the future? Where would she sleep tonight? Where would the money come from? How long would the snow last… She couldn’t help but glance back at the ambiguous pink light.

Wang Jiexiang wasn’t particularly smart, and often, she was scarily foolish. At that moment, her mind was foggy.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sound from her stomach.

Her stomach growled.

There was a small supermarket near her home. Wang Jiexiang swallowed, and without thinking, walked towards it.

The fluorescent lights made the supermarket brightly lit, and it hadn’t stopped operating yet. A long rectangular red carpet at the entrance read “Welcome.” She sat down on the steps outside the supermarket.

She planned to stay there for a while.

A child who came out of the supermarket dropped a one-yuan coin and played with the ride outside.

The ride was shaped like a cartoon tiger. When the coin was inserted, the small lights at the bottom lit up.

The child grasped the fake steering wheel, and the little tiger began to rock and play music.

“The stars in the sky don’t speak, the children on the ground miss their mothers.”

“The eyes in the sky blink, mother’s heart, oh, the Ru Bing flower.”

Wang Jiexiang’s gaze shifted to the winter night sky.

Are there stars in the sky?

Would her mother be watching her from up there?

The snowflakes fluttered, the chaotic white fragments blurring her vision.

The cheerful child’s voice sang:

“The tea garden in my hometown blooms with flowers, my mother’s heart is far away.

Every night, I think of my mother’s words, shining tears, Ru Bing flower.”

The homeless child, once a sweet baby in someone’s heart.

Since losing her mother, the flowers withered, and the song and tears locked away.

Without a mother, she grew up; without a mother, she had no home.

Listening to the song “Ru Bing Flower” and staring at the flashing colorful lights of the ride, Wang Jiexiang began to cry loudly.

The child was frightened by her crying, abandoned the still-playing tiger, and ran into the supermarket to find his mother.

Wang Jiexiang sat on the ride.

She squeezed into the children’s seat, hugged her knees, and curled up.

The music stopped, but her tears kept flowing.

A shadow appeared beside her. She thought it was the child from earlier, but Wang Jiexiang shrunk her shoulders, unwilling to raise her head or leave the ride.

A packet of tissues was handed to her.

Crying so hard, Wang Jiexiang gasped for breath, struggling to open her blurry eyes. She looked at the owner of the tissues.

It was a young man she didn’t recognize.

One hand held a shopping bag, the other held the tissue pack. He had probably just come out of the supermarket.

The man was dressed in a gray down jacket. His features were deep, and his lips thin.

His face didn’t show concern or curiosity. His eyes were calm.

He was tall, standing in the snow, blocking both the snow and the wind.

She didn’t take the tissue.

The man patiently opened the package and placed the tissue into her clenched fist before turning and walking away.

Wang Jiexiang lowered her gaze.

The tissue was soft and white, with a fragrance.

Holding it felt like holding a handful of clouds.

The man walked further away, his figure becoming a small black dot in the snowy night. Just as he was about to disappear from view, Wang Jiexiang jumped off the ride and hurried after him.

She was noticed by him when she was still about ten meters away.

Wang Jiexiang stumbled and fell.

The snow was thick, so the fall didn’t hurt. She shook off the snow, got up, and continued to chase after him.

As soon as she stood up, she saw him turn his head.

He was looking at her.

Wang Jiexiang awkwardly avoided his gaze, frozen in place.

When the man continued walking, she maintained the distance and followed him step by step.

However, as they walked, Wang Jiexiang realized something was wrong.

This road was clearly the way home for her.

Passing through the row of wooden houses, downhill, she was getting closer to him. The man seemed to have accepted her quiet following. After the initial glance back when he noticed her, he didn’t look at her again.

When they arrived at his house, both of them made a significant discovery.

Wang Jiexiang realized: the man was her neighbor next door.

The man realized: the house next door to his was posted with a red “For Rent” sign.

“Aren’t you going home?”

Yin Xian turned around and asked the little girl who was sneaking a peek at him from the dark corner, her hand pressed against the wall.

She shook her head.

She wasn’t going home…

Instead, she had followed him home.

So, she had cried so miserably outside the supermarket because the landlord had kicked her out?

Yin Xian turned on the lights in his house.

He wasn’t sure whether it was because she was afraid of the light or for some other reason, but she suddenly shrank behind the wall. He glanced at the corner and could only see the tips of her shoes, her body hidden.

Yin Xian carried his things inside.

He left the door ajar and first unloaded his things.

He boiled some hot water, took off his coat.

After finishing these tasks, the little girl still hadn’t come over. Yin Xian looked through the window, and she was still standing in the corner.

The snow was falling heavily.

Yin Xian made two bowls of instant noodles and opened the door.

He wasn’t used to doing things like this, and he felt a bit awkward, unsure of what to say.

Once the noodles were ready, he ate his own bowl.

He took out a spare thin blanket and laid it on the floor. If she came in, this was all he could do to help.

After doing all this, Yin Xian was supposed to go to bed.