Volume 1 / Chapter 35: Going Home Together
There was always something sweet in the air after school,
especially on sunny days like this.
When Mò XuÄyĂĄo finished packing her bag and stepped out of the classroom, she found the Mo sistersâMo XiÇoxiĂ o and Mo ZhĂşyĹuâalready waiting for her at the door.
âReady to go~?â Mo XiÇoxiĂ o asked with a grin.
âAh, yeah. Letâs go.â
The ten minutes right after school let out were always the most chaotic around the school gate.
But once that window passed, the whole place turned quiet again.
Some people just didnât like leaving when it was the most crowdedâpeople like Mò XuÄyĂĄo.
Sheâd always take her time packing up. Partly to make sure she didnât forget anything, but also to dodge the after-school stampede.
Compared to the crowd charging out like pigs being herded out of a pen, she preferred to take things slow and leisurely.
Mò XuÄyĂĄo had expected the Mo sisters to each roll out of the underground garage on their own bikesâbut to her surprise, there was only one.
Mo ZhĂşyĹu was perched on the back seat, lazily hugging her sisterâs waist, looking completely at ease.
âCome on, XuÄyĂĄo,â Mo XiÇoxiĂ o waved, wobbling slightly.
âOhâare you sure itâs okay to carry someone?â Mò XuÄyĂĄo asked.
It wasnât rare to see boys giving each other rides on bikes, but sheâd rarely seen girls do the same.
Maybe it was because girls didnât have as much strength? Balancing a bike with another person on it wasnât exactly easy.
But that didnât seem to be an issue for Mo XiÇoxiĂ o. Aside from a slight wobble at the start, sheâd clearly mastered the techniqueâeffortlessly pedaling with her sister in tow.
âWhy donât you just buy another bike?â Mo XuÄyĂĄo asked on the way home, slowing her pace so she could ride alongside the sisters.
This road wasnât busy at the moment, so there was no need to worry about blocking anyone.
âTwo would be wastefulâoneâs enough,â Mo XiÇoxiĂ o said with a smile, her eyes crescenting like little moons, and her dimples were deep and sweet.
But Mò XuÄyĂĄo had a suspicionâif she kept asking, she might hit a nerve.
The message was already clear enough: money was tight, and saving wherever they could was just a way of life.
Sure, it made things a little harder, but one bike was all they needed.
Back then, a brand-new bicycle could easily cost 300 to 500 yuanâand that was 1990s yuan. A significant chunk of money.
Of course, there was always the option of buying a stolen bike from certain shady shops.
Those bikes would be fitted with fake plates. Not that anyone really checked bike registrations anymore, anyway.
So yeahâyou could get one for cheaper than even a secondhand bike.
But there were risks, of courseâŚ
Most people with any conscience or fear of trouble would still prefer secondhand.
Like Mò XuÄyĂĄoâs bikeâbought secondhand from an ordinary family. Not exactly cheap, though. It had cost her over 150 yuan.
Her motherâs bike? Bought hotâstraight-up stolen goods.
It was in decent condition too, and only cost 80.
When moneyâs tight, people find ways to make it work.
Whether buying a stolen bike is âmoralâ or whether it fuels the problem of theftâthose arenât questions poor folks have the luxury to worry about.
That old saying wasnât just for show: When poor, one's aspirations are shortened.
There are things better left unexaminedâjust do what you need to survive.
âXiÇoxiĂ o, have you finished your homework?â Mò XuÄyĂĄo changed the subject.
âJust got physics left.â
âWhoa, youâre almost done? Let me copy it when we get home,â Mo ZhĂşyĹu chimed in, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
âYou always copy. What are you gonna do during examsâcopy from who then? Donât you wanna go to the same university as me?â
âYou go ahead and ace college, sis. Me? A high school diplomaâs enough. After graduation, Iâll go get a job and help pay your tuition.â
ââŚâ Mo XiÇoxiĂ oâs smile this time was strained.
A strange thought crossed Mò XuÄyĂĄoâs mind.
Maybe Mo XiÇoxiĂ o wasnât really all that cheerful. Maybe her smiles were just⌠habit.
Even her joy felt a little superficial.
Like she was carrying some invisible weight that wouldnât let her fully relax.
But⌠that didnât make sense.
If her parents were still around, no matter how tough things got, the burden shouldnât fall on the kids, right?
Unless⌠maybe their family favored boys over girls?
Maybe they had a younger brother at home?
If that was the case, it would make senseâthey were lucky enough just to be allowed to attend high school. College tuition? Probably out of the question.
That would also explain what Mo ZhĂşyĹu had said.
While she was deep in thought, the usually quiet Mo ZhĂşyĹu suddenly asked, âMò XuÄyĂĄo⌠are your parents usually home when you get back?â
âDad might be. Not sure about MomâŚâ
âYou all live together?â Mo XiÇoxiĂ o took over.
âOf course,â Mò XuÄyĂĄo replied as if it were obvious.
She was too focused on the road ahead to notice the look in the sistersâ eyesâan unmistakable flash of envy.
âI can tellâyour family seems really close,â said Mo XiÇoxiĂ o.
âMm⌠I guess so,â Mò XuÄyĂĄo nodded. Sure, her parents argued sometimes, but they always made up.
Things hadnât been easy, but theyâd always worked through it together.
And from what sheâd heard, her dad used to be a heavy gambler when she was littleâbut these days, heâd mostly turned things around. Maybe there was such a thing as redemption.
âThatâs nice~â Mo XiÇoxiĂ o let out a long sigh.
Even Mo ZhĂşyĹu nodded, plucking a maple leaf drifting gently through the air. âHey, Sisâthis oneâs a keeper. Could press it into a bookmark. Itâs dry, but not brittle. Still got moisture and flexibility.â
âNice, take it home and dry it.â
âBut if I dry it, wonât it get brittle?â
âThen just press it in a book.â
âHmm, yeah, thatâs easier.â
With people to talk to, the usually-long 30-minute ride seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
By the time they had to part ways, Mò XuÄyĂĄo actually felt a little reluctant.
âSee you tomorrow~â Mo XiÇoxiĂ o waved as they rode off.
âMm, bye⌠Honestly, I envy you two. Having a sister. Always going home together.â
âPfft, whatâs there to envy? Weâre jealous of you,â Mo XiÇoxiĂ o said, shaking her head.
âByeeee~â Mo ZhĂşyĹu added from the back seat, waving as the bike disappeared down the street.
The sun was heavy and low, painting the city in warm, wistful hues.
âI envy them⌠and they envy me. Maybe people are just never satisfied, huh?â Mò XuÄyĂĄo chuckled to herself and pressed her foot to the pedal again.
Although there wasn't much road left from here to home.
But because she'd had companions all the way, now that she was suddenly alone, this final stretch seemed somewhat long.
When she got home, the apartment was empty.
Her dad would be working late again, and her momâever since sheâd taken that new dinner-cooking jobâprobably wouldnât be back until much later.
Good thing she still had SĹŤtĂĄng.
At the moment, the little cat was in the sand-filled basin Dad had prepared, busily burying⌠something⌠with its back legs.
When Mò XuÄyĂĄo took a closer look, she discovered several mysterious little piles already inside.
Hmm, cats were clearly very clean, but their poop was really smelly...
I meanâof course it does. No one expects poop to smell like flowers.
Holding her nose, she picked up the basin and hauled it downstairs to dump the contents into the garbage bin.
Then she refilled it with fresh sand from a bag on the balcony, and placed it back where it was.
âMeow~â SĹŤtĂĄng rubbed affectionately against her ankle.
Although she felt somewhat resistant after just dealt with its poop, the little fluffball was still irresistibly cuteâshe squatted down and stroked it gently.
Having pets meant you'd always have to deal with these things... This was part of life too.
Her stomach was starting to growl.
Clearly, she wouldnât be waiting for her parents to cook dinner tonight.
Time to fend for herself.
There was leftover rice from yesterday in the fridgeâenough for one person.
Eggs? Check. Meat? Nope.
But she did have green onions.
A simple egg fried rice would do.
The scallions were chopped into scallion flowers- Mò XuÄyĂĄo could easily handle such simple tasks.
To avoid overcooking the eggs, she decided to toss the rice in first, and pour the beaten egg over it after it loosened upâŚ
Unfortunately, her timing was off. The eggs clumped with the rice into a sticky, gluey mess. Not exactly appetizing.
Meanwhile, SĹŤtĂĄng kept meowing at her feet, making her movements very inconvenient as she was afraid of accidentally stepping on him.
âOkay, okay, whatâs with the meowing? What do you want?â she asked, not really expecting an answer.
She set the fried rice down on the table and made a quick soupâwell, Calling it soup was generous-it was more like salt water with just a few pieces of pickled mustard
The scent of food drew SĹŤtĂĄng inâhe pawed at her leg.
âHey, heyâno claws! Youâll snag my socks!â Frugal as ever, Mò XuÄyĂĄo quickly scooped him up and plopped him on her lap. âWhat is it? Hmm? Are you⌠hungry?â
âMeow~ meow~â SĹŤtĂĄng licked her palm with his tiny tongue.
âYou are hungry? Wait⌠oh noâyou havenât eaten anything since yesterday!â She smacked her forehead. Of course.
Everyone in the family had been so busy, theyâd forgotten to feed the cat.
Honestly, if it hadnât kept meowing, they mightâve forgotten it was even there.
She found a little dish, scooped some of her rice into it, and poured some water into another bowl.
SĹŤtĂĄng devoured the water, slurped down the rice, and then looked up at her again, big eyes pleading.
âEhâŚYou want more?â
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