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Everyone sat down to eat and chat. Wen Xin, with her big eyes, looked around curiously but couldn't find a moment to speak. The adults were talking, and she didn't quite understand what they were saying. Wang Lijuan also didn't interject much; the men were discussing serious matters while the girls remained quiet.
Wen Xin and Uncle Heng's children were busy eating. Wen Xin was used to simple meals at home, so the lavish spread of fish and meat was a bit overwhelming for her. She ate too quickly, several times nearly choking on fish bones, prompting Wang Lijuan to pat her back and offer her water. Wang Lijuan kept scolding her gently, “Don’t eat so fast; no one is going to take your food.”
With her cheeks stuffed, Wen Xin didn’t reply but kept nodding. It was quite amusing to watch her eat, and Wang Lijuan couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. Occasionally, Wen Xin would glance over at her.
Wen Sheng, Gao Ming, Uncle Heng, and Wen Sheng's Uncle were deep in discussion about Wen Hao. Uncle Heng sighed, “Wen Hao was doing well a couple of years ago; I don’t know what’s happened to him lately.”
Wen Sheng's Uncle lamented as well, “Exactly! The last couple of years have been ridiculous. We should go set him straight! But with my aunt protecting him, I can’t afford to upset her! Their family situation is a complete mess!”
Uncle Heng turned to Wen Sheng and asked, “Do you really think that if we buy Wen Hao a motorcycle, he’ll turn things around?”
Wen Sheng smiled wryly and shook his head, “I’m not sure; I just think it might help a bit!” His honesty reflected the uncertainty of trying to change someone else's heart.
Gao Ming shook his head in frustration and chimed in, “It’s just that my uncle won’t agree; it’s not going to be easy!”
Wang Lijuan thought for a moment before smiling and suggesting, “Why not let Wen Sheng sign for it? If someone acknowledges the debt, then it’s settled! I really feel sorry for their family!” She hugged Wen Xin close. Wen Xin looked up at her.
Gao Liang pondered for a while before asking Uncle Heng, “Uncle! What about you?”
Uncle Heng nodded thoughtfully, “I guess we’ll have to leave it like this for now! In three or four years, Wen Sheng will be able to earn money to pay it back!” He glanced at Wen Sheng and added, “Wen Sheng! What do you think?”
Wen Sheng stood up gratefully and said, “Thank you, Uncle; thank you, Great-Uncle; thank you, Brother Gao Liang; Gao Ming; Sister Lijuan! I appreciate everyone’s trust in me. I promise it won’t take more than four years!”
Gao Liang smiled broadly and said, "Brother, don't be impulsive. There's no rush about money; three years or five years doesn't matter. We're all friends here, and Uncle Heng and my dad have had a good relationship for generations."
Wen Xin glanced around at everyone, remaining silent. Uncle Heng addressed the group, "It's about time; let's settle this! Gao Liang, you and Wen Sheng should take them home. We need to inform their dad about this."
Gao Liang and Wen Sheng arrived at the market, which was winding down as it was nearly three o'clock. A few vendors selling baked buns were still there; they were from the town and would close up when it got dark. Wen Sheng bought two buns filled with beef to take back to his grandmother.
At around four o'clock in the afternoon, Gao Liang and Wang Lijuan dropped off the Wen siblings at home. Hua Shan happened to be chatting with Wen Sheng's mother when she saw them return and scolded, "Wen Sheng! How could you leave your sister alone at the market? What if she got lost?" She then turned to Wen Xin, "And you too! In the future, don't wander off; always stay close to an adult."
Wen Sheng hadn't planned on telling his mother about this incident. However, after Hua Shan's reprimand, he had no choice but to explain what had happened. He omitted the part about Wang Lijuan playing games, only mentioning that he had rushed off and accidentally left his sister behind. Wen Xin didn't mind.
Their mother scolded Wen Sheng for a while, reminding him to be careful not to lose his sister again. At that moment, Guo An and Xue Li arrived with her two brothers to play. It was perfect timing since Gao Liang and the others were waiting for Wen Sheng's father to return regarding the motorcycle matter.
Wen Sheng's father was still at work and wouldn't be back until it got dark. Guo An found a deck of cards, and the four of them—Wen Sheng, Gao Liang, Wang Lijuan, and Guo An—started playing poker while the others stood nearby giving instructions.
It wasn't until it was dark that Wen Sheng's father returned from work. Wen Hao was still out somewhere having fun and hadn't come back yet. When Wen Sheng's father saw Gao Liang and the others, he smiled and said, "Gao Liang, come inside! Come inside!" He was very polite.
Once inside, Gao Liang, Wang Lijuan, and Wen Sheng sat with Wen Sheng's father. After chatting casually for a bit, Gao Liang shifted to the main topic: "Uncle, we've discussed it; you don't need to sign anything. Just let Wen Sheng sign instead! As for the money—three years or five years is fine! What do you think?"
Wen Sheng's grandmother chimed in, "Just agree to it; it's not a big deal! You won't have to bear the burden of the debt."
Wen Sheng's mother added, "Come on now, just agree!"
Wen Sheng's father thought for a moment before getting angry: "This should be decided by Wen Sheng! What am I then? Everyone knows I'm the head of this family! If he gets to decide this matter, it will only happen over my dead body! No way; his agreement isn't enough. Even if we buy it, we can't just push it onto our family; I have my pride!"
Everything felt off, and thankfully, Wen Hao was not home. Gao Ming couldn't make sense of it either; sometimes he even felt that face-saving was truly a harmful thing! He was very angry, realizing that nothing could be accomplished, and he could only watch as Wen Sheng and Wen Xin endured the situation at home. The family couldn't seem to live a stable life.
After a while, Gao Ming felt it was pointless to linger. He forced a smile at Wen Sheng's Father and said, "Uncle, we should head back; there are some matters at home!" In truth, there was nothing pressing at his home; he simply wanted to leave early.
Wen Sheng's Father held onto Gao Ming politely and insisted, "You must stay for a meal before you go!"
Wang Lijuan also seemed a bit impatient as she smiled and said, "Uncle, we really should get going. It's getting dark, and our family is worried!"
Seeing their determination to leave, Wen Sheng's Father had no choice but to escort Wen Sheng and Wen Xin to the front gate. He held Gao Ming's hand and praised him for being considerate: "Gao Ming, your kindness is appreciated; thank you!" Gao Ming didn't want to hear any more of this useless chatter. After exchanging a few polite words, he and Wang Lijuan hopped on the motorcycle and sped away.
Gao Ming was in a foul mood, driving the motorcycle as if it were flying. He pulled ahead of Wang Lijuan by quite a distance; when she called out to him, he didn't look back. After all, she was a girl and couldn't ride as fast as he could. His motorcycle had 15 horsepower while hers was only 110; soon enough, she lost sight of him.
Being alone at night made her feel somewhat scared despite her bravado. She constantly felt as if someone were chasing her, which made her heart race. Secretly cursing Gao Ming under her breath, she muttered to herself, "It would be best if Gao Ming crashed up ahead!" Yet she couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling in her heart. She changed her words inwardly: "Gao Ming, don’t get into trouble; please be safe!" She sensed something was off with him; normally he would wait for her.
Unfortunately for her, she caught up with Gao Ming’s motorcycle only to find it lying sideways on the road. Where was Gao Ming? Wang Lijuan was so frightened that she nearly burst into tears.
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