I stared blankly at Mi Cai, who was getting closer and closer. Wei Xiao, standing next to me, exclaimed, “Wow, bro! The referee sister is coming!”
“I’m not blind, keep it down, don’t shout!”
Wei Xiao stuck his tongue out at me, clearly still a child at heart. Mi Cai had already reached us. She was still dressed in business attire, as if she hadn’t had time to change into warmer clothes. Thus, in the cold wind of this winter evening, she looked even more fragile.
The sky had completely darkened, and I figured no more plaza managers would appear. So, I boldly took out a cigarette from my pocket and lit it. I took a puff and asked Mi Cai, “Weren’t you supposed to stay in Shanghai with Wei Ran?”
“I thought you had something important to discuss with me.”
Mi Cai’s response caught me off guard, and I asked, “What makes you think that?”
“Because you rarely contact me. When I messaged you later, you didn’t reply. You must have been disappointed and upset. You’re quite petty!”
I immediately took out my phone from my pocket. Sure enough, there were WeChat messages from Mi Cai asking if I needed anything. But I had been busy playing racing games and singing in the noisy plaza, so I hadn’t heard the notification sound.
I showed my phone to Mi Cai and said, “See, I didn’t even open the messages you sent. It’s not that I’m petty, I just didn’t hear them.”
As soon as I finished speaking, a strange feeling arose in my heart. Last time, when I couldn’t reach Mi Cai in Xuzhou, I almost rushed back to Suzhou overnight to find her. This time, Mi Cai thought I was disappointed and rushed back from Shanghai to Suzhou. Although the distance from Shanghai to Suzhou is much shorter than from Xuzhou to Suzhou, it was enough to show that she cared about me.
“Zhao Yang, wake up, don’t flatter yourself!” I quickly reminded myself with a lingering fear.
“I misunderstood you!” Mi Cai paused slightly before adding, “I told you yesterday to take me to find Wei Xiao. I thought that’s what you were talking about today, otherwise I wouldn’t have come back.”
Mi Cai’s words made me glad that I had reminded myself not to flatter myself. She had rushed back from Shanghai just to find Wei Xiao, who shared her pain. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come to this plaza where Wei Xiao might appear.
Before I could speak, Wei Xiao looked at Mi Cai in confusion and asked, “Referee sister, why are you looking for me?”
Mi Cai patted Wei Xiao’s head and said, “Because your sister wants to help you.”
Wei Xiao’s face lit up with joy and he said, “Then you can buy the basket my grandpa made. Zhao Yang also said it’s very beautiful!”
At this point, I didn’t bother to argue with Wei Xiao about his habit of calling me Zhao Yang. I removed Mi Cai’s hand from his head, then touched his head meaningfully and said, “Silly boy, you need to look further. The sister standing in front of you is so silly and rich, buying a KFC for you is a small matter!”
Wei Xiao opened his mouth wide in surprise, while Mi Cai glared at me and said, “Am I really that silly?”
“Not particularly smart.” I teased Mi Cai mercilessly. If she was also silly, then there probably wouldn’t be any smart women in the world.
Just as I finished speaking, a plaza manager, a middle-aged woman, appeared out of nowhere and yelled at me, “You, the young man smoking, put out your cigarette!” She then quickly walked towards me, looking as if she wouldn’t be satisfied unless she fined me a hundred or so yuan.
I threw the cigarette on the ground and said to Mi Cai and Wei Xiao, “KFC, let’s meet at KFC later…” Before I finished speaking, I had already picked up my guitar and left in a hurry.
……
A short while later, the three of us met at KFC. I said with a hint of pride, “How about that, my speed is not bad, right?”
Mi Cai gave me a disdainful look and said, “You’re clearly just running away after breaking public morals. How can you still be so self-satisfied? You’re such a weirdo!”
I was left speechless by Mi Cai’s words and retorted, “Did you inhale my secondhand smoke just now? If you did, then you’re my accomplice… You’re no better than me!”
“You’re a once-in-a-century weirdo, with even weirder logic!” Mi Cai looked at me with a speechless expression.
Wei Xiao, standing between us, also chimed in, “Bro, you might as well not have run just now. The auntie fined Referee Sister.”
I asked Mi Cai, “Did you pay?”
“What else could I do? I don’t have your amazing speed!”
Ignoring Mi Cai’s sarcasm, I said with a half-smile, “So you’re my accomplice, right? Why else would you pay my fine? My logic is completely sound! And didn’t I say you’re silly and rich? I smoke to contribute to the country’s tobacco tax. Why should a good citizen like me be fined!”
“Aren’t you tired after running so fast just now?… And you can still talk so much nonsense!” Mi Cai retorted.
I just laughed it off and said, “Now that you mention it, I am quite tired. Let’s go in and eat… your treat.”
……
After eating at KFC, Mi Cai drove me and Wei Xiao home.
Wei Xiao and his grandfather lived in one of the few remaining shantytowns in the city. The living conditions were extremely poor, and the car couldn’t even get in. We had to walk into the shantytown.
On the way, Wei Xiao told us that they used to have a house, but they sold it to pay for his father’s medical treatment. Even so, they couldn’t save him in the end. After hearing Wei Xiao’s story, Mi Cai’s expression became even more serious.
Finally, we arrived at Wei Xiao’s current residence. He led Mi Cai and me through various obstacles into the low house. There, under the dim light, we saw an old man weaving a bamboo basket. This was Wei Xiao’s grandfather. A crutch lay next to him, and one of his legs was curled up weakly. His weather-beaten face was full of wrinkles, as if the hardships of life had been etched into his bones.After Wei Xiao explained our purpose, the elderly man with mobility difficulties struggled to pour water for Mi Cai and me. We both tried to stop him. At this moment, I believe Mi Cai’s mood was as heavy as mine. Therefore, she almost immediately took out a stack of money from her handbag and gave it to the old man, indicating that he could ask her for help if he had any difficulties.
The old man thanked us repeatedly, but living on charity is not a long-term solution, and Wei Xiao was too young to do anything for his family.
……
After chatting with Wei Xiao’s grandfather for a while, Mi Cai and I left. On the way out of the shantytown, we were all silent due to the heaviness of the situation. It wasn’t until I sat in her car that I said to her, “……You can help them temporarily, but you can’t help them for a lifetime. I think it’s better to give them a fishing rod to catch fish than to give them fish.”
Mi Cai nodded thoughtfully and asked me, “Do you have any ideas?”
“It depends on whether you’re willing.”
“As long as I can help them, I’m definitely willing.” Mi Cai looked at me and said seriously.
I pondered for a moment, then said to Mi Cai, “Wei Xiao’s grandfather knows how to hand weave, which is a skill. I think we can package what he weaves into products and then set up a counter at your Zhuomei. Wouldn’t this fundamentally solve their livelihood problem?”