Her heart twitched slightly.
After that, Chen Yi would return from time to time, taking her to various places.
They visited food processing plants where rejected products or scraps were disposed of on fixed dates—many still edible, requiring only a small amount of money.
They went to the suburbs, where reservoirs and farmlands attracted fishing enthusiasts who often shared their catch. Village vegetables were cheap, fish could be kept alive in buckets for days, and duck meat was more affordable than chicken. With some resourcefulness, meat was always within reach.
Most frequently, they explored various scrap yards. During those years, Tengcheng saw widespread demolition—construction sites and abandoned buildings everywhere. Chen Yi usually took her out on weekend evenings. Though easier ways to earn money existed, Miao Jing, busy with daily classes and too self-conscious to be seen, preferred this method. Silently, they traversed derelict residential buildings, chaotic demolition sites, and deserted factories, collecting items to sell.
Chen Yi spoke little but shared key tips: always check wallets and drawers for forgotten valuables. Miao Jing once found a few dozen yuan in a discarded wallet, along with abandoned photos and fragments of strangers’ lives.
"Never come here alone," he warned sternly, gripping a long steel rebar, his gaze sharp. "This place is full of drifters, thugs, and troublemakers. If anyone spots you..." He let the implication hang. "You know what they’d do, right?"
Muffled in a dusty coat, cotton gloves, and a mask, Miao Jing nodded calmly.
"Look for the most valuable stuff—copper wires, motors, electronic chips, anything usable or sellable."
"Watch your step. A nail puncture, falling debris, or a misstep could be fatal."
With sharp eyes, quick wits, and strength, Chen Yi always uncovered unique finds. Miao Jing followed obediently, assisting where needed.
"Did you used to do this too?" she asked softly, trailing behind him. "Come to places like this often?"
Bending to twist wires into a sack, his profile sharp and composed, he replied evenly, "Back in elementary and middle school. I was always hungry then, just looking for food."
Miao Jing vaguely recalled those days—how he never returned home, always roaming outside, unsupervised and uncared for, whether he had eaten or not.
Walking single-file through derelict buildings, everything around them was filthy, broken, and discarded. She followed his footsteps, dragging a large sack, both covered in grime. Their shadows stretched across the ground—dark and solitary. The nights then felt thin, perpetually shrouded in gray haze. An incomplete moon always hung in some dim, silent corner; she never once glimpsed a clear, full orb. The lonely wind echoed through empty spaces, punctuated by distant barks and Chen Yi’s intermittent whistling. Watching his tall back and then herself, she felt like two stray dogs wandering the wilderness, tails drooping, stumbling along in search of sustenance, scavenging for scraps of life and fleeting joy amid loneliness and desolation.Miao Jing didn't spend much money. Her monthly expenses only covered daily necessities, food, and miscellaneous school fees, none of which were excessive. The money she earned from selling recyclables was entirely in her hands, fully sufficient for her own livelihood—Chen Yi still rarely came home and never ate her food.
Having little money, Miao Jing seldom interacted with her classmates, avoiding unnecessary expenses and preventing them from noticing her difficult and embarrassing situation. She had always been quiet by nature, and during her third year of junior high—a graduation season—there were many group activities within the class cliques, but Miao Jing never participated. She came across as aloof and solitary, detached from the class collective.
Living alone actually cost very little. Every morning, she would leave home with a thermal lunchbox containing her midday meal. In the evenings, she ate eggs and bread crumbs, and after Evening self-study, she would return home to cook a light midnight snack before showering and going to bed. Days passed one after another like this.
Was she afraid of living alone? After Wei Mingzhen left, Miao Jing had been fearful about the future for a while, but eventually, she stopped being afraid of anything—since things had already come to this, what more was there to fear?
However, the neighbors' whispers grew increasingly intense. After Chen Libin's death, the Chen household fell silent. Within a few months, Wei Mingzhen vanished without a trace—rumors suggested she had run off with another man. Later, Chen Yi also disappeared. The house seemed empty, but then people occasionally saw Miao Jing still coming and going, and Chen Yi would sometimes return briefly. What was going on? Had Wei Mingzhen abandoned her daughter?
People frequently approached Miao Jing, asking about Wei Mingzhen's whereabouts, noting her shabby clothing and meager meals, inquiring about the Chen family's money, and probing about Chen Yi. Miao Jing kept her lips sealed, refusing to answer a single word. Seeing her like this, others only spread more malicious gossip.
Rumors emerged from nowhere, claiming that Chen Libin had left behind savings, death benefits, and insurance payouts totaling several million. Where had the money gone? Was it taken by Wei Mingzhen, or divided among the family? With only a teenage girl living in the house, did she still have some money?
Some began to target Miao Jing, pulling her aside with feigned warmth, bringing her gifts, offering to take care of her, and insisting on visiting her home to look around. Even local troublemakers would block her path, refusing to let her pass, or someone would frequently knock on her door at night, peeking through the cracks.
When Chen Yi climbed through a window to return home, he found the balcony window locked tight, reinforced with wooden strips in the gaps. Circling to her room window, he parkoured up and banged on the glass. A light slowly turned on inside, but there was no movement. Cursing, Chen Yi dropped down, picked up small stones, and hurled them at her window. Half an hour later, the curtains cautiously parted, revealing Miao Jing's tearful, pale, and terrified face.
Only when she saw it was Chen Yi did she finally relax.
Chen Yi stormed into the house seething with anger, noticing that every window was barricaded, iron nails scattered beneath them, and every door blocked with objects. The main entrance was set up like a booby trap. Frowning, he planted his hands on his hips and yelled, "What the hell are you doing?"
Tears welling in her eyes, Miao Jing pointed to the front door, where a row of marks had been made with black ink. Chen Yi's expression instantly darkened, his thick brows furrowing fiercely. "When did this happen?" he demanded.
OpenNovel