Ye Qiu supported the understandably shaken Ji Chen as they exited the alley, where several police officers were detaining the two troublemakers from earlier.
“Comrades, are you all right? Thank you for your cooperation; it helped us catch these two,” one of the officers explained.
“Of course! Thank you for your hard work, officers. It’s all thanks to you, or else they would have gotten away,” Ye Qiu replied.
The two troublemakers were unwilling to admit defeat, yelling that they hadn’t hurt anyone. One of them exclaimed, “I want to report him for hitting me!”
“I can testify! He just hit us inside, and now my whole body hurts—I demand medical expenses!”
As stubborn as they were, the truth was unmistakable. The police lifted the troublemaker’s shirt to reveal nothing but fat on his belly.
“We’re really sorry if we scared this young comrade,” one of the officers said, looking at Ji Chen, who appeared frightened.
Ji Chen understood the situation and looked down, attempting to appear frightened.
Once the police left, Ji Chen clenched his teeth and said, “You noticed those two guys a long time ago, didn’t you?”
Feeling guilty, Ye Qiu scratched his nose awkwardly. “When you went to get your things, I spotted two suspicious characters outside and casually notified the nearby police.”
Remembering his embarrassing behavior earlier, Ji Chen muttered while playfully nudging Ye Qiu with his head. Ye Qiu couldn’t help but chuckle while wrapping his arms around Ji Chen’s waist.
Realizing his childish reaction, Ji Chen turned red and buried his face in Ye Qiu’s shoulder like an ostrich. What was he doing? This was too embarrassing!
Ye Qiu had bought two movie tickets and half-hugged, half-dragged Ji Chen into the cinema. The theatres of this era were small, essentially makeshift tin shacks, filled with couples enjoying their time together. To avoid awkwardness, the two boys chose seats in a corner.
The movie being screened was a romance—a story about a young woman sent to the countryside who slowly fell for a rural man. Torn between the responsibilities to her parents and her love, the male lead discovers the female lead’s lost pen, solidifying their bond. After numerous hardships, they finally get together, and the heroine evolves from a naive student into a dedicated village teacher.
In the film’s finale, the ageing female lead fondly caresses the pen that symbolises their love.
The theatre was filled with the quiet sobs of girls, who were often far more sensitive than boys, deeply moved by the romance.
But Ye Qiu didn’t see it that way; perhaps the young woman was crying alone at night because she hadn’t returned home to see her parents in decades.
“If I were the heroine, would you let me face such a choice alone?” Ji Chen asked, his voice trembling with emotion.
Ye Qiu wiped the tears from Ji Chen’s eyes and softly replied, “I wouldn’t let you face difficulties alone.”
If it were him, he would never allow the love of his life to stay in the strange countryside, longing for home in the solitude of the night.
As the screen dimmed, the two held hands tightly, sharing a secret kiss in the darkness.
That night, Ye’s mother returned to the village in a bullock cart. Earlier in the morning, several of her sisters-in-law had humorously teased them about their stall while eagerly helping her carry things back home.
“Old Ye’s family, I saw a big crowd around your stall in town today!” one of them exclaimed.
“Right? Everyone in town says your pancakes are delicious!” another added.
“Anyone can make pancakes, but why are there so many people buying from you? Do you have some secret trick?”
Hearing the compliments, Ye’s mother felt a sense of pride. “It’s true; these pancakes aren’t that special. But with a little processing, they become something different. This was all Ye Qiu’s idea!”
“Oh, it was Ye Qiu who thought of it—that’s amazing! No wonder you always say he’s clever!”
Finding a way to make money while getting his parents and older brother to work for free was quite a clever feat in itself.
“I’ve watched this child grow; he’s been smart since he was little, unlike the others!”
Of course, he was different. In the village, who else was old enough to lounge around all day doing nothing? Now he was even getting paid to do so!
No one believed the idea was genuinely Ye Qiu’s, but it had to be praised nonetheless!
The bullock cart was filled with faux praises.
Ye’s mother knew what they were thinking and pretended to complain. “You know, I feel sorry for him when he helps out, and he insists on paying us both. He says he can’t let his parents work for free. I wonder where he picked that up; he even gets upset when we don’t take his money.”
She wasn’t content to voice her grievances alone, so she pulled Ye’s elder brother into the conversation.
“Right, even when my wife stays home to cook and do laundry, he insists on giving her payment too.”
Others responded, questioning, “Are you bragging now?”
Not only are they, not free labour, but they’re also getting paid!
Wow, Ye’s sister-in-law manages to earn money while cooking and cleaning at home!
If only she could… Wait, how are they making so much money?
As the sun set, the bullock cart slowly returned home, with the aunts cheerfully helping Ye’s mother carry things back.
Ye Qiu observed the group chatting and laughing together. “Mom’s back and a few aunts are here too.”
“Ye Qiu has grown up! He even knows how to care for his parents now. I wish my lazy one would come over to learn from him!” one of the aunts remarked.
“I told you Ye Qiu would amount to something. I don’t know how he got so smart!” another added.
Several aunts’ eyes sparkled with admiration as they eagerly praised Ye Qiu and subtly asked if he had any other money-making ideas to share with them.
Of course, Ye Qiu could pick up on their intentions and assured them repeatedly that he would prioritize the few aunts if he needed help in the future. One by one, they turned to leave, glancing back.
Ye’s mother was elated as she told Ye Qiu, “Let me tell you, we had a whole crowd buying pancakes at the factory gate tonight. We sold everything in that entire bag of flour!”