The young man's aura was clean and crisp, like deeply buried ice and snow. Bei Yao had run out of the hospital long ago, clutching her burning cheeks, letting out a soft, frustrated sigh.
What on earth was she doing?
Though she didn't feel the exaggerated emotions described online, her thumping heartbeat was still unsettling.
She had run far away, her face completely flushed. Standing in the snow for two minutes, the heavy snowfall settled on her hair and long lashes, yet it couldn't cool the burning heat. Bei Yao crouched down, hugging her knees, burying herself like a little ostrich.
After calming down for a while, Bei Yao suddenly realized she seemed to have forgotten something.
"..." Her younger brother, Bei Jun, was still in the hospital!
Resigned, she decided to go back. Ah, she almost didn't want this brother today.
Pei Chuan's ward was next to Bei Jun's. She had run off, but her brother was still there. Should she go back now? Bei Yao's cheeks burned as she walked to the ground floor, hesitated for a moment, then went back upstairs.
Her face flushed red, and her footsteps were light.
Bei Jun was in room 312. She was most afraid that Pei Chuan might still be there. Just thinking about it made her wish she could dig a hole and bury herself.
Bei Yao peeked in quietly. Bei Jun was still there, dried tear streaks on his cheeks, sleeping soundly without a care. She breathed a sigh of relief, went over, pinched his cheek, and woke him up.
"Sister..."
"Shh." She put a finger to her lips and carried little Bei Jun downstairs.
Little Bei Jun didn't understand why they had to be quiet. "Are we going home?"
"Yes."
"What about that big brother?"
Bei Yao's cheeks flushed crimson. "Don't ask today, okay? Another day, I'll take you to thank him."
Bei Jun had also been frightened by their uncle today, so he obediently kept quiet.
Bei Yao carried her brother to catch a bus. She was sixteen this year, filled with a girl's confusion and shyness, as if a corner of her innocence had been pried open, leaving her mind in a jumble.
She had been gone for a while, but Pei Chuan still couldn't calm his racing heart.
His entire body was stiff, his heartbeat so fierce it felt like he might die. When he finally recovered and went to check next door, the siblings were long gone.
The emotions Bei Yao hadn't fully experienced were playing out in him, one by one.
He leaned against the cold wall, watching the heavy snowfall of December. After a long while, his fingers touched his right cheek. Even though so much time had passed, it felt as if it had happened just a second ago.
Soft, like a dragonfly skimming the water, a light touch had landed there.
~
On the eve of Christmas Eve, the snow still hadn't stopped. This year's snowscape in City C was particularly beautiful, even making the news. After dinner, Bei Jun stayed home watching cartoons, refusing to go out even when his little friends called for him.
After the incident with their uncle, the fearless little boy had finally learned to be afraid.
Zhao Zhilan was relieved that her son was no longer running wild but genuinely worried that Zhao Xing had left psychological scars on both her children.
Zhao Xing was still detained at the police station. Tests showed he had injected drugs. If he had succeeded in taking Bei Jun away, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Fortunately, Zhao Xing had been impatient and targeted Bei Jun on the street. If he had waited until Bei Jun was at kindergarten, that would have been the worst-case scenario.
Bei Licai said, "We've given up on getting the money back. A scumbag who would harm his own nephew—it's better to cut ties cleanly."When Zhao Xing was a child, Zhao Zhilan had raised him. As an elder sister who acted like a mother, it would be untrue to say she had no feelings for him. However, no mother in the world would dare to compromise her own children's safety for the sake of her younger brother. She decisively called Bei Yao's grandmother: "Mom, call me heartless or unsympathetic if you will, but I no longer acknowledge Zhao Xing as my brother. Let the police handle him as they see fit."
On the other end, the elderly woman covered her face and wept but did not insist. She had already given all her savings to her son. Zhao Zhilan's struggles over the years were largely due to Zhao Xing. No one is obligated to sacrifice their entire life for another. Though the grandmother favored sons over daughters, she understood that Zhao Xing had truly crossed Zhao Zhilan's bottom line this time; otherwise, Zhao Zhilan would never have spoken such words.
Zhao Zhilan asked Bei Yao, "Who saved you and your brother?"
Before Bei Yao could speak, Bei Jun exclaimed, "It was Brother Pei Chuan!" Pei Chuan had saved him twice, like a hero. Unlike the other grown-up teenagers or adults in the neighborhood, Bei Jun didn't know that this fierce-looking brother had no legs.
Fighting off bad guys with one hand—it was just too impressive.
Zhao Zhilan frowned slightly, "Pei Chuan again..." The debt of gratitude was growing larger and larger.
Bei Yao remained silent, her fingers intertwined, her mind still filled with bashful regret. That gentle kiss had made her heart race wildly. Though she had intended to take Bei Jun to express their thanks, shyness crept over her like ivy climbing a wall, making her want to bury her head under the covers.
Yet, she was still concerned about Pei Chuan's injuries, and her budding feelings hadn't fully blossomed. She could only ask her mother, "Should I take Bei Jun to thank him?"
Zhao Zhilan glanced at Bei Yao, seemingly lost in thought, and finally said, "You and Bei Jun shouldn't go. Your father and I will go."
Bei Yao was taken aback, "Why?"
Zhao Zhilan replied, "Listen to your mother, okay? With your uncle locked up, there's no immediate danger now. Your final exams are coming up, so focus on your studies and don't worry about these things. You said his hand was injured—do you think your visit will make him heal faster? We already owed him a proper thank-you last time, so it's only right that we go see him this time."
Zhao Zhilan wasn't usually overbearing, but on this matter, she was unusually firm.
That night, as they prepared for bed, Bei Licai said, "Why not let Yao Yao and Jun thank him? Pei Chuan isn't much of a talker anyway. It'd be awkward if we went."
Knowing her husband disliked social interactions, Zhao Zhilan pinched him and said, "You're just trying to slack off, pushing Yao Yao to go! They're not little kids anymore. Pei Chuan is almost an adult, and our daughter will be 17 after the New Year. Do you think Pei Chuan is the type to meddle in others' affairs for no reason? He saved Jun twice!"
Zhao Zhilan held up two fingers. Seeing her husband's expression change, she sighed, "Whether he has feelings for Yao Yao or not... we must repay this debt. It's not that I look down on him, but Yao Yao cannot be with him."
Bei Licai said, "Don't you think you might be overthinking it?"
Zhao Zhilan retorted, "Tell me, when you were young, did you have the courage to take a knife for me? Back when we crossed the mountain pass after our wedding, you wouldn't even carry me on your back."
Bei Licai's face flushed, and he coughed awkwardly, "We were starving back then, weren't we? I didn't have the strength to carry you."
But with that, Bei Licai understood.
This wasn't a trivial matter like crossing a mountain pass. Twice, the young man had risked his life.
Silent yet speaking volumes. Bei Licai, too, felt a chill of realization.As experienced adults, they were naturally far more perceptive than the innocent and naive Bei Yao. Bei Licai said, "Tomorrow, withdraw all the money from the savings account."
Zhao Zhilan felt a pang of heartache.
Bei Licai said, "For our son and daughter, anything is worth it." They could only hope that the young man would truly give up his intentions.
When the lights went out, Bei Licai sighed softly in his heart.
Sincerity could not withstand the pressures of the world. Pei Chuan had done nothing wrong. He was simply physically impaired.
Doing such a thing made Bei Licai and Zhao Zhilan uncomfortable, but as parents, they would walk through thorns and climb mountains of blades. How could they bear to let their daughter truly be with... someone like that?
~
By the end of 2007, the Zhao family's savings account held only forty thousand yuan.
Still, it was not a small sum. The money felt heavy when withdrawn, carefully packed in a bag, much like Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai's feelings.
The gates of No. 3 High School were covered in ice and snow, and the winter wind felt cold against their faces.
Zhao Zhilan had asked Cao Li about Pei Chuan's class and then dragged Bei Licai to Class 9 of No. 3 High School.
Bei Yao was about to take her final exams. The coursework in the second year of high school was much heavier than in the first year. Zhao Zhilan had told her they were going to personally express their gratitude, so Bei Yao assumed it was just that.
However, Bei Yao had no idea that forty thousand yuan—all of the Bei family's savings over the past few years—was part of this "gratitude."
Pei Chuan was bent over his desk, solving problems, while Jin Ziyang brazenly smoked in the classroom. He held a cigarette in his mouth, playing games as he smoked. The math class representative came down to hand out test papers.
Since they sat together, the class representative gave the papers to Ji Wei.
When the class representative came across Pei Chuan's paper, his expression changed.
He hesitated and glanced at Pei Chuan. Copied? Copied?
Ji Wei took the papers, nervously closing his eyes first. "Heaven help me, pass, pass, I must pass!"
When he moved his hand away, the glaring red "69" stabbed at his heart. Fighting back tears, he slapped himself.
Jin Ziyang laughed heartily. "Alright, Brother Wei, stop torturing yourself. You do this every time we get our papers back. What's the point, right? Just do better next time."
Ji Wei distributed the others' papers.
When he got to Pei Chuan's, he thought he was seeing things!
The math test was out of 150, with 90 being the passing score. How much did Pei Chuan get?
150!
Ji Wei's hands trembled as he turned the paper over and over. The handwriting on the paper was strong and steady, the numbers written with bold strokes, and the perfect score seemed to glow.
For over a year, no one in their class had ever scored above the passing line in math. This perfect score made Ji Wei suspect he was dreaming.
He turned around. "Chuan... Brother Chuan, your paper..."
Pei Chuan took it and glanced at it.
Jin Ziyang caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and was stunned. "No... no way, how much was it?"
Zheng Hang turned around, abandoning his game. The group of young men was utterly bewildered.
Pei Chuan scored 150! Not 50, but 150!
Just as Jin Ziyang was about to ask something, a middle-aged couple stood awkwardly at the back door.
Pei Chuan looked up, his gaze sharpening.
Zhao Zhilan nodded at him, and Pei Chuan stood up and walked out.
Zhao Zhilan had brought a large bag of money. She clutched the bag tightly. "Xiao Chuan, Auntie has something to say to you. Do you have a moment now?"
Pei Chuan nodded silently. "Let's go to the ginkgo grove. There's no one there."Bei Licai deliberately glanced at the teenager a couple of times. Pei Chuan was very polite and courteous. However, just moments before, the area around his desk had been filled with several boys smoking, creating a foul atmosphere, and even Pei Chuan carried a faint scent of smoke on him when he stepped out.
The wind had since blown the smell away, but Bei Licai’s worries could not be so easily dispelled.
The three of them arrived at the ginkgo grove of No. 3 High School.
The ginkgo trees had shed all their leaves, and thick layers of snow piled up on the branches, creating a uniquely beautiful scene.
Bei Licai, not being a man of many words, felt somewhat awkward.
Zhao Zhilan said, "Auntie Zhao and Uncle Bei are here to thank you for saving our Bei Yao and Bei Jun. Last time, when you saved Xiao Jun, we didn’t get the chance to thank you properly. We hope you can forgive us."
Pei Chuan pressed his lips together. "No need to be so polite."
Snowflakes landed on his hair, and the slight warmth of his body quickly melted them, bringing a chill.
Pei Chuan didn’t want to hear what they would say next.
But the conversation continued.
Zhao Zhilan said, "This is our token of gratitude. We heard you’re living alone now—it must be very difficult. Auntie has watched you grow up and knows you’re a good kid. Yao Yao… she’s a good kid too. She’s very grateful to you in her heart. If there’s anything you need help with in the future, don’t hesitate to come to Auntie. Our family will do whatever we can to help. Zhao Xing is at the police station, and Yao Yao and Bei Jun won’t have any more trouble from now on."
The melted snow felt cold.
Zhao Zhilan looked at the silent teenager and stuffed a bag of money into his hand.
"We won’t keep you from your studies. Please take this as our thanks. Don’t wear such thin clothes in winter."
The teenager wore a black fingerless leather glove on his left hand. The forty thousand yuan felt heavy and substantial.
After saying these words, Zhao Zhilan herself felt uncomfortable. She tugged at Bei Licai and headed toward the school gate.
Holding the bag of money, Pei Chuan clenched his right hand into a tight fist. The bandage tore open, and blood began to flow again. The memory of that girl’s shy kiss from days ago had lingered in his mind, leaving him craving more, turning over countless possibilities in his thoughts.
But now, someone had made it perfectly clear to him—it was all just wishful thinking.
Perhaps this year’s snow had fallen too heavily, blurring his vision and giving rise to such foolish hopes.
Pei Chuan said, "Wait."
Zhao Zhilan turned back. Pei Chuan walked over and returned the bag. "I understand what you mean. I can’t accept the money. I’ve already received my thanks."
His voice was slightly hoarse, like the rough scrape of a blade.
Pei Chuan handed back the money and turned to walk toward the classroom, his back to them. How laughable it was—some people would go to such lengths, even bankrupting themselves, just to keep him away from their precious child.
Outside, the world was frozen and snowy, but inside the classroom, it was warm and cozy.
Jin Ziyang and Zheng Hang were still marveling at the perfect-score math test paper. Ji Wei was the most excited, gazing at Pei Chuan as if he were a deity. "Brother Chuan, how did you manage a perfect score? That’s incredible!"
Jin Ziyang said bluntly, "Brother Chuan, you’re not being fair. If you had the answers, you should’ve shared them earlier—sent them over on your phone or something."
Zheng Hang asked, "Brother Chuan, did you really cheat?"
Pei Chuan took the test paper with his left hand, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can at the back of the classroom. The bleeding on his right hand had stopped, but the bandage was stained red.
Hearing Zheng Hang’s question, he replied lightly, "Yeah."
What value did the efforts and sincerity of a cripple even hold?
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