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Xu Li fell silent, and Andrei patted him on the shoulder, painting a bright picture for him. "My home is now your home. You don't have to worry about food and drink; just spend time with my two daughters. In a few years, when you grow up and become more mature, I can ask Lao San to help you find a good job. Your life will get better and better."
"I want to call my family," Xu Li said, looking at Andrei with a pleading expression. After a moment of silence, Old Russian finally nodded and asked Natasha to bring him his green-screen phone. To his surprise, Mother-in-law had thought ahead; when he turned it on, it was fully charged.
He scrolled through the contact list, his finger moving down the black selection boxes, then pressed the call button.
When the call connected, both sides fell silent for a moment. Finally, the voice on the other end asked, "Need money?"
"No," Xu Li replied sullenly. He looked up at the two sisters across from him, their mouths smeared with tomato sauce, and smiled faintly. Just as he was about to speak, an annoying voice came from the phone: "Da Gui, it's your brother's birthday; can't you put your feelings aside for a moment?"
"You wouldn't have called me otherwise. Just say it."
"Nothing much; I just wanted to ask if you've eaten. Goodbye."
After hanging up, tears streamed down Xu Li's face. He had been worried about Andrei and Natasha; although he didn't understand everything they said, sadness was unmistakable. The Old Couple saw him like this and didn't know how to comfort him.
Anna noticed her good friend was crying and felt her own nose tingle with emotion. She went over to Xu Li and shook his shoulder gently. "Please don't cry anymore. I'll get you some snacks; once you have something tasty, you won't cry."
Eva understood how to comfort Xu Li in her own way; she got up and went to the room to fetch chips and candy. Natasha thought it would be best to let the children have some quiet time, so she took both daughters outside to cool off in the yard while Andrei lit a cigarette and smoked silently. "Can you talk about it?" he asked.
"It's my brother's birthday," Xu Li replied, downing most of his drink in one go and wiping away his tears. "He used to celebrate my brother's birthday for me, but he hasn't done that in years. Since my mom passed away, that was the first birthday he celebrated with me and that woman."
"After that, it happened less often because that woman got pregnant. Today is my brother's tenth birthday; I could tell he was really happy because he has love from his parents. But I don’t have that—I miss my mom."
Andrei felt a pang in his heart; he had seen such family entanglements before. Many children grow up in environments like this and gradually learn to indulge themselves, ultimately heading down a bad path because they lack familial constraints. A teenager without guidance can run wild like a horse without reins, racing toward either good or bad outcomes.
He poured more wine for Xu Li. "Do you want to go see them? After all, they are your family, and it's summer vacation right now."
"No." Xu Li looked at Old Russian, who seemed lost in thought, smiling sadly yet resignedly. "That place isn't my home anymore; if I went back, they would just kick me out. Otherwise, why do you think I’ve been living alone in Irkutsk for over two years? Why didn’t I go home during New Year?"
Andrei didn’t respond but continued drinking with Xu Li cup after cup. Right now, Xu Li needed an outlet for his feelings; Andrei was just the right person for that.
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