YV | Chapter 11

Sheng Xiaoyang worked seven days, his daily wage was eighty. Because he knocked over the coffee on the car's center console while washing the car, they deducted one hundred, and he almost ended up paying to work. He agonized over it, drew a lesson from it, and kept trying hard. Later Tao Ye told him that this was the boss playing tricks, deliberately moving the coffee to that spot, making trouble where there was none, dragging Sheng Xiaoyang into a pit, as if paying an extra hundred yuan in wages would bankrupt him.

- Be careful next time.

Sheng Xiaoyang was not angry. Money, to him, was not a product tied to spiritual support. More or less, as long as it was enough to buy buns, that was fine, otherwise greed would be insatiable.

He could understand disabled employees enduring a black-hearted, fussy boss. Apart from economic hardship and the difficulty of finding work because of their own special circumstances, they mostly wanted to realize some tiny value of their own to their family or society.

It was just that Sheng Xiaoyang could not understand Tao Ye.

A taciturn gourd, with a personality not much better than Sheng Xiaoyang's.

Tao Ye was smart, and not just in terms of work ability. Every stumbling block the boss found for him landed on him, but because Tao Ye was really cheap and easy to use, they had to keep him. Out of sight, out of mind, when they saw Tao Ye they all had to take a detour.

Sheng Xiaoyang studied and learned in this regard.

Tao Ye threw a plum-blossom wrench to Sheng Xiaoyang and said, Learn some skills, they'll be useful later.

Sheng Xiaoyang remembered it, studied seriously for a few days, and quickly realized he was not cut out for this. Just telling the car badges apart made his eyes go dark, let alone the countless precise parts under the hood. He was still better off fighting.

Fix it? Sheng Xiaoyang would just flip the car over, then blow it up together with the fussy boss.

As for why Tao Ye kept staying and not leaving, according to Sheng Xiaoyang's observation, he guessed Tao Ye wanted to usurp the throne. Right now he was only using the platform to build his own network of resources and customer circle, and thinking of ways to make money. Step by step, he climbed upward, using all his ability to protect these people toyed with by fate.

After all, empathy was the greatest motivation for breaking through life.

Sheng Xiaoyang admired Tao Ye. He had a goal, he did not.

The boss came in, smiling ingratiatingly, like a lapdog. Beside him was a second-generation rich kid, here to modify a car.

The boss introduced him, "The technicians here are all pretty good, let me introduce you!"

The rich kid named Tao Ye specifically, saying Tao Ye had modified his buddy's car well last time, and he had come for him.

Tao Ye took over the work.

The boss glared at him viciously from behind, grinding his teeth, his sluggish sense of danger ringing through the top of his skull.

Sheng Xiaoyang frowned, feeling that something was going to happen, so he went over wanting to remind Tao Ye of a few things, but the boss blocked his way.

"What are you doing? What does this have to do with you, get the hell out, stop making a fool of yourself."

Sheng Xiaoyang raised the corner of his eye and looked at him coldly.

In broad daylight, it was not good to fight. The one with a mouth had the upper hand. The boss was always making trouble when things happened, a petty face, babbling nonstop.

"Little mute, if I deduct all your pittance of a salary, I can kill you tomorrow. Disabled people should have disabled people's self-awareness, you should only be fit to play with that bunch of retarded idiots. I give you food to eat, don't keep deluding yourself into thinking you can reach the sky, who are you trying to make look at you differently?" He finally showed off in front of Sheng Xiaoyang with his head held high, holding it in for a long time. "I, your dad, gave you all a way out, I didn't make you kneel down and kowtow. I'm basically a living Bodhisattva!"

Sheng Xiaoyang stared at his mouth, and every word of these words was engraved into his brain.

Cold words and sharp tongues, stabbing knives, Sheng Xiaoyang thought he had already gotten used to it, but he had not. His throat hurt like it was on fire, his eyelids twitched uncontrollably, his fingertips dug into the flesh of his palm, and his finger joints made soft clicking sounds.

The boss kept courting death, leaning his face over, provoking him. Want to hit me? Come on, if you have the guts, do it!

Sheng Xiaoyang's temples throbbed twice. The sweat seeping from the corner of his forehead condensed into beads, hanging on the eyelashes at the outer corner of his eye. His vision suddenly blurred, and the whole world was covered in dust.

The huge blaze of resentment in the depths of his cold eyes was doused out. He felt that everything was so boring.

Everything he said was the truth.

If he endured it, it would pass. Fighting meant going to prison. It was not worth it for someone like that.

Sheng Xiaoyang thought.

He drew his gaze back, lowered his head, and walked away quietly, just as he had countless times before, yielding to life, accustomed to it, and admitting defeat without ripples.

The boss watched Sheng Xiaoyang being baked under the blazing sun and snorted, cursing, Idiot.

Sheng Xiaoyang's lunch today was instant noodles, seafood flavor. They had just been soaked, still waiting three minutes. He squatted under a tree, avoiding the shade of the tree to block the sun, the scorching light burning the back of his neck, first hot, then painful.

Sheng Xiaoyang still did not move. The frustrated feeling of powerlessness made his brain dazed, and he could not recover. He felt in his pocket, took out a hair tie, and gently put it on his wrist.

Someone came over, stood beside him, then squatted down too, and handed him a lollipop.

The corners of Sheng Xiaoyang's moist red lips pressed together, and a clear dimple appeared in his cheek. He turned his head to look.

-?

"Eat it, it's very sweet."

Xiao Jiang was about the same age as Sheng Xiaoyang. He spoke slowly and had autism. Tao Ye said Xiao Jiang was pitiful, that the parents who carefully cared for him had died, and his relatives treated him as a burden, sent him here, saying that one day he would learn to live independently. Nice words, then they never cared again.

Sheng Xiaoyang took the candy, peeled off the wrapper, put it in his mouth, and his cheek puffed up into a round shape. He raised a finger, bent it twice, and said thank you.

Xiao Jiang smiled. He liked being with Sheng Xiaoyang because he wanted quiet. Although Tao Ye did not talk and was also quiet, Tao Ye's brows and eyes were a little fierce, too cold, and Xiao Jiang was afraid.

When Sheng Xiaoyang smiled, he was very pretty. His eyes were round, the tip of his nose was sharp, and his features were very delicate.

Xiao Jiang looked at him a couple more times, brightly and openly, until Sheng Xiaoyang felt embarrassed.

After squatting for five minutes, the instant noodles were ready. Sheng Xiaoyang was hungry and wanted to eat, so he asked Xiao Jiang if he wanted any. Xiao Jiang shook his head, answered a different question, and said the boss had called him to the office, he was going to deduct money again, and he would be back soon.

Sheng Xiaoyang was stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but could not make a sound. He took a pen, and before he had finished writing, Xiao Jiang had already gone toward the office.

Sheng Xiaoyang had something on his mind. The broth made from flavoring was bland and tasteless. He ate two bites and set it aside. He wanted buns. At the bun shop on Jiangping Road, after that day, Sheng Xiaoyang had gone twice more and still had not run into Zhang Xu. He struggled for several days in a mood that was disappointed yet calm.

Resting his chin in his hand and looking up, Sheng Xiaoyang saw the cicadas on the tree trunk.

Da Yan said summer was a very lively season, with the chirping of cicadas and birds in nature, with laughter and cheerful voices under the blazing sun. Everyone complained that the weather was hot, but when they ate watermelon while blowing the air conditioner, their souls were all enjoying a life not lived in vain. If one day thunder and torrential rain came crashing down, you could even hear the stirring of all things deep within the earth.

Sound had always had no shape. If you wanted it to be a certain way, it would be that way.

Sheng Xiaoyang often imagined what Zhang Xu's voice would be like. Probably like clouds, like the water in a mountain valley stream, vast and boundless, stretching freely. So it did not matter even if he had no concept of sound, Sheng Xiaoyang still yearned toward it.

He stood up, patted his butt, nimbly climbed the tree, and caught a cicada down below.

Sheng Xiaoyang had caught cicadas before too, holding them in his hand, that strange and slightly itchy feeling. Da Yan then stayed eight zhang away from Sheng Xiaoyang, not because she was afraid of bugs.

Her volume doubled as she shouted, "So noisy!!"

Sheng Xiaoyang shrugged and shook his head, "Mm, I can't hear it."

Behind him came pattering footsteps. By the time Sheng Xiaoyang noticed, some wet, soft, warm object was coiling around his ankle, itchy.

Sheng Xiaoyang was immediately on high alert, his body and muscles reacting by reflex and entering combat mode, then he lowered his head and saw a dog. Its fur had not yet settled from bristling. He tilted his head and blinked blankly.

The dog's tail was wagging so hard, it looked at Sheng Xiaoyang as if it had seen its own mom, and it whined as it rubbed against him.

There was a little black dot on the yellow puppy's tail. Sheng Xiaoyang thought, how does it look so much like Menrou?

Menrou?!

Sheng Xiaoyang realized something, his pupils shrinking slightly, and suddenly lifted his head. Then the cells that had sunk into the deep sea churned up again, his shoulder blades propped up a little beneath the thin fabric, like a small boat.

Zhang Xu got out from the driver's seat and stood ahead, not far and not close, talking to someone.

What was he saying? Sheng Xiaoyang could see those softly opening and closing lips, but it seemed as if there was a tightly shut door behind his eyes, and not a single word's meaning could fall into his brain.

When people face sudden surprise, they become stupid. Their scattered gaze slowly focuses on the newcomer, and in the end they are overwhelmed with joy. But Sheng Xiaoyang was practiced from repeated experience, and he hid this joy very well. As usual, he looked down blankly at Menrou, unable to resist wanting to stroke him.

Menrou was also very anxious, its tail swishing into afterimages, whining and acting spoiled, why aren't you petting me?

Sheng Xiaoyang did not know where to put his hand, so he could only lift his foot to move Menrou away, the trembling corner of his eye revealing guilt. Zhang Xu did not notice this side, so Sheng Xiaoyang got a little bolder in peeking.

Today Boss Zhang was wearing a white T-shirt and straight loose long pants, white running shoes, a casual outfit, dazzling and captivating. The sunlight refracted down, the light first being filtered by the leaves into many shadows, falling in tiny fragments on Zhang Xu, and Sheng Xiaoyang saw the halo of light around his body.

Peering so intently, Zhang Xu suddenly turned his head and met Sheng Xiaoyang's eyes.

Zhang Xu called, "Menrou, come back."

A puppy too enthusiastic would scare people.

Menrou trotted back to Zhang Xu's side, and Sheng Xiaoyang felt lost.

Zhang Xu's words and actions were just right, as if only then did he notice Sheng Xiaoyang, a little surprised.

Zhang Xu's face, printed in Sheng Xiaoyang's pupils, kept getting bigger and bigger. Beautiful clouds floated in the sky, like an air-conditioning blanket, and with the cool temperature under the tree shade, it coaxed Sheng Xiaoyang into drowsiness.

Zhang Xu asked, "You work here?"

The auto repair shop had work uniforms. Sheng Xiaoyang thought it was hot and did not wear one, and put on a pair of rain boots instead. He had just washed a car, his hair was wet, and the sweat streaming down his forehead soaked his eyelashes into clumps.

Zhang Xu waited a moment for Sheng Xiaoyang's reaction.

No reaction.

Eyes were Sheng Xiaoyang's important tool for communicating with the outside world, but he would not look directly into the other person's eyes. His gaze when he looked at people and spoke was so focused that in just thirty seconds, Zhang Xu had a strange feeling of being cherished.

Sheng Xiaoyang shook his head.

Not many words, Zhang Xu thought.

Sheng Xiaoyang's head shook and shook, then naturally drooped down. It was as if this was a habit. The little boat of his shoulder blades could no longer be seen, and the waves only surged up for a moment before sinking down in a heart-stopping way. Sheng Xiaoyang was quiet and still, curled into a ball, returning to his familiar state.

The sun walked along its path of rising in the east and setting in the west, the shadows of the trees shifted position, quietly covering Sheng Xiaoyang. Zhang Xu stood in the sunlight and saw the whorls of hair on the top of his head.

Mm, two.

Sheng Xiaoyang was a little restrained, and also very anxious, wanting to know what else Zhang Xu would say. He rubbed his hands, tugged at the hem of his clothes, and with the corner of his eye looked up, catching Zhang Xu's lips. Sheng Xiaoyang's heartbeat was feverish, ready to ignite with just a spark.

Zhang Xu waited for him to look over, smiled, and asked again, "I wash cars, who should I look for?"

Sheng Xiaoyang was dry-mouthed, his Adam's apple rolling. He opened his mouth and stupidly remembered that he could not speak. He awkwardly scratched his face, turned around, and walked toward the shop. As he walked, he kept his head lowered toward the ground, and the shadow behind him did not follow.

Sheng Xiaoyang stopped and looked back.

Zhang Xu was waiting where he was, the sunlight making his features look gentle and clear.

Sheng Xiaoyang thought about it, then stretched out his index and middle fingers and waved them back and forth, like walking.

Zhang Xu understood at once and said, "Okay, thank you."

The blazing sun was really harsh. Sheng Xiaoyang's lips were bright red, and his cheeks became even hotter.

It was Sheng Xiaoyang's first time touching Zhang Xu's car. He washed it carefully, and looked at it seriously, the back door had a dent in it, he wanted Tao Ye to help straighten it out, and there were a few small scratches that could be repaired with paint. The work was not much, but it had to be done secretly. After it was finished, Sheng Xiaoyang would treat Tao Ye to a meal. This was called reciprocity, taught in prison.

Sheng Xiaoyang recognized the car logo, a string of letters starting with L, called something tiger. Tao Ye had also said earnestly that this kind of car was quite expensive, so be careful when washing it. So Sheng Xiaoyang was very careful. When cleaning the interior, he was even afraid that using too much force with his hands would damage something.

But Sheng Xiaoyang quickly became distracted, the inside of the car smelled so good, lingering with a faint, clear fragrance.

Following the source of the scent, Sheng Xiaoyang found the car fragrance on the passenger side dashboard. There was no brand, only words, which said, Bamboo Green After the Rain.

The handwriting was elegant.

Sheng Xiaoyang thought, so fitting for Zhang Xu.

On Sheng Xiaoyang's side, he was fully absorbed, most of his body drilled into the car. The SUV had a high chassis, and both his legs were visible outside, his toes pressed against the ground.

Still thin, with not a bit of flesh on him.

Zhang Xu looked at him, then turned his head to glance outside. That instant noodles sat alone in the sun, pressed down by a stone, and by now it was probably already turned into paste. He stood up and walked toward Sheng Xiaoyang, deliberately going around half a circle to the passenger door, bending his fingers to tap on the window.

Sheng Xiaoyang could not hear, but his senses were sharp. He noticed the shadow moving, so he looked up, and really had not expected it, yet he saw Zhang Xu again.

Zhang Xu was holding a bottle of Sprite in his hand, the one Sheng Xiaoyang had given him when he asked him to sit and wait, very polite. Half an hour had passed, and the amount had not gone down, probably only having taken one or two sips.

Zhang Xu did not like drinking Sprite, Sheng Xiaoyang also noted and remembered this. His wide-open eyes blinked, and after reacting he was startled. At the same time, his body reflexively straightened up abruptly, and the back of his head hit the roof of the car, with a loud bang.

It hurt. Sheng Xiaoyang covered his head, dizzy, the whole world swaying. The little trinket hanging from the rearview mirror swayed in front of Sheng Xiaoyang like this.

Sheng Xiaoyang narrowed his eyes and saw that the wooden carving of "Menrou" was vividly lifelike. It stuck out its tongue and bared its teeth, smiling with a slightly mean look, a work by Zhang Xu.

Sheng Xiaoyang: ...

Zhang Xu was passionate about carving everything he loved, animals, plants, and people, into all kinds of little wooden shapes, then collecting them.

This was the quirk Sheng Xiaoyang discovered after secretly watching Zhang Xu for a long time, a secret.

[📢 Author's Note]

Hello everyone, are you there? The author waves.