Fang Zhuo had slept for nearly the entire day, and right now she felt not the slightest hint of drowsiness.

She didn’t know how she’d managed to sleep so long. Perhaps it was because her long-taut nerves had finally loosened at some point, and the accumulated exhaustion and pressure began to release, pulling her down into a foggy, muddled dreamworld. When she woke, everything felt new and clear again.

She felt her current state was good, so she shut the window tight, turned on the overhead light, and took her English textbook out of her bag to memorize vocabulary.

The next morning, Fang Zhuo brought the notebook to Ye Yuncheng.

She knocked on the open door, handed the notebook over, and asked, “Do you need me to read it aloud to you?”

Ye Yuncheng stared at the cover for a moment, slightly dazed, then tucked it against his chest and said, “No need — I’ll read it myself.”

He set the notebook in the center of the desk and settled into the chair, but did not open it. Instead, he gazed through the window at the green trees outside with a profound serenity.

“Actually, she had let go of it long ago. When she came back that time, she was remarkably calm — she looked a little worn, but her spirits were positive and focused. I thought she was going to stay. I pulled her into her own room, wanting to tell her that we’d been waiting for her all along, that we’d always been family. But she told me she didn’t have much time left.”

Ye Yuncheng smiled faintly. “The truth is, the one who couldn’t let go was me. I always felt she hadn’t forgiven me — that she simply didn’t want to dwell on it anymore. When she left, she cried hysterically. When she returned, she had already reached the twilight of her life. Whenever she was with me, there was never any good news.”

“Is that so?” Fang Zhuo stood behind him and said mildly, “Everything since I met you has been good news for me. She must have passed her good fortune on to me.”

Ye Yuncheng turned and smiled. “That’s wonderful.”

Just as Fang Zhuo was about to leave, he added, “Me too.”

The holiday passed quickly. Apart from the big clean-up and tidying of the small courtyard in the first few days, they spent the remaining days uneventfully grinding through practice problems.

The day before the holiday ended, Fang Zhuo slung her bag on her back and announced she was heading out for a bit.

She had packed a small bag of free-range eggs and more than ten pounds of oranges. These were all local farm products — bought from the villagers directly, cheaper than buying from outside vendors.

Ye Yuncheng watched her carrying bags in both hands and asked, puzzled, “Where are you going with all that?”

Fang Zhuo said, “I’m going to A City to try selling them.”

Ye Yuncheng laughed helplessly. “You want to test the waters? There’s no way you’ll sell anything! You can’t just set up a stall anywhere.”

Fang Zhuo said, “You never know.”

Seeing that she was set on going, Ye Yuncheng treated it as a life experience and didn’t stop her, preparing a thermos of water for her instead.

Yan Lie also said he wanted to go — he could stop by home to sort out his things and head straight back to school the next day.

He was curious about where Fang Zhuo planned to set up her stall. He rode the bus back to the city with her and walked alongside her after they got off.

Fang Zhuo apparently valued his services as an unpaid assistant quite a bit. Seeing that he was willing to help carry the heavy bags, she silently permitted him to stay by her side. When they got off the bus, she even courteously made way for him, letting him walk in front of her.

But this ungrateful person turned on him the moment they arrived at their destination. She had him set the bags down, and that small courtesy vanished without a trace.

Yan Lie had assumed that given Fang Zhuo’s personality, she would have surveyed the market before setting up shop — chosen an appropriate spot, at the very least confirmed whether street vending was even legally permitted here.

But after getting off the bus, she had walked straight here without hesitation, as though she’d chosen this location long in advance — a spot with relatively light foot traffic and a fairly narrow field of view. Not a particularly good spot by any measure.

It was, however, quite close to his home.

“Setting up a stall” was a generous description. Fang Zhuo simply placed her bags side by side on the ground, then sat down on the roadside curb and pulled out a book to read.

Yan Lie stood behind her, utterly confused, and crouched down.

Fang Zhuo turned her head and said, with no trace of warmth, “Don’t stand next to me.”

Yan Lie asked, “Why?”

Fang Zhuo frowned. “You’re going to disrupt my work.”

Yan Lie took a step back, looking wounded. “You’re disowning me?”

“No poor student who comes out to do business would have someone hovering at their side,” Fang Zhuo’s conscience made a brief reappearance. “Why don’t you go walk around somewhere else? Once I’m done here, I’ll treat you to…”

She’d been about to say she’d treat Yan Lie to milk tea, then remembered that milk tea was actually quite expensive — twelve, twenty yuan a cup, practically drawn from blood and sweat. Her mind turned quickly, and she said brightly, “I’ll treat you to some snacks you’ve never had before.”

Yan Lie had witnessed the entire evolution of her inner thought process on her face. He smiled. “…Thank you so much.”

Fang Zhuo said modestly, “Don’t mention it.”

“Alright, I’ll go home for a bit. When your stuff is sold — whether or not it’s sold — don’t leave,” Yan Lie said, a little uneasily. “If I leave, I won’t be able to find you. If anyone gives you trouble, don’t get into a fight. And if the city management officers show up, don’t admit you’re vending.”

Fang Zhuo agreed. Yan Lie headed home with his bag, hastily packed his things, then rode his bike back. When he got there, he found Fang Zhuo still in place — she’d found a small wooden stool from somewhere — and not a single item had been sold.

More than half an hour had already passed.

Yan Lie was not surprised. He picked a cake shop across the street, sat by the window, and played on his phone while awaiting the snacks Fang Zhuo had promised him.

Fang Zhuo seemed to be waiting for someone. If she was a hunter waiting for prey to come to her, then Yan Lie was the narrator writing the fable.

He’d already thought of the title for this new story: Zhuo and Lie’s Trap, or, more accurately, Zhuozhuo’s Cautionary Tale.

And indeed, Zhuozhuo’s business did not open at all — rather like her enthusiasm for studying English, which could only be watched declining. Just as she was failing to grasp the relevant grammar rules for the fourth time and was about to call Yan Lie back to tutor her, a person stopped in front of her.

This middle-aged woman carried a red handbag and wore a pair of low-heeled black leather shoes. Since the last time they’d met, she had gotten a new haircut.

As she passed by Fang Zhuo, her gaze involuntarily lingered on this strange girl sitting on the roadside reading a book. She paused, surprised. “Oh! Young lady, are you — are you Old Fang’s daughter?”

Fang Zhuo looked up and gave a slight nod.

“I’m your father’s colleague — do you remember me?”

The woman had a strong impression of Fang Zhuo — she thought she was a good student, pretty, and filial. She’d even held Fang Zhuo up as an example to others. With extra concern, she asked, “What are you doing sitting here? It’s cold and damp. It’s the holiday — why aren’t you out having fun with your classmates?”

Fang Zhuo said, “Selling a few things.”

“Selling what?” The woman squatted slightly to the side and pulled open the plastic bag with one finger, amused. “Selling eggs?”

“Free-range eggs, three yuan each,” Fang Zhuo said. “Oranges, four yuan a pound.”

The woman laughed out loud. “Old Fang — honestly, how could he let you come out and do this kind of thing?”

She looked more carefully, gave a small exclamation, and said, “Oh wait — looking at the size of them, these really do look like free-range eggs? Where did you get them? Just a few days ago I saw him in the group chat asking where to buy free-range eggs. Isn’t your little brother about to participate in some competition?”

Fang Zhuo’s expression wavered. She replied vaguely, “I don’t know. I don’t live with him.”

The woman raised her eyes and scanned Fang Zhuo’s face. Her expression showed a flicker of surprise, though not a very obvious one.

Fang Zhuo didn’t look at her face. She pointed to the bag and said firmly, “They really are free-range eggs. Brought from my uncle’s house. Would you like some?”

The woman picked through them casually and asked, “Where is your uncle? How could he let you come here alone?”

“He’s not very mobile.”

“What do you mean, not very mobile?”

“His legs. He has trouble getting around,” Fang Zhuo said. “He lives far out too — out in the countryside.”

The woman said thoughtfully, “Oh, I see.”

She took out her wallet, pulled out two hundred-yuan bills, and quickly pressed them into Fang Zhuo’s hand. “I’ll take everything. Now hurry home. How can you sit reading on the street like this?”

Fang Zhuo held one bill back. “I can’t make change.”

The woman had already risen with the bags in hand, both arms full, and didn’t reach for the money. She said cheerfully, “No need for change. It’s a small amount. Your things all look good. Take the money and go home soon. The wind out here is strong.”

Fang Zhuo tried to say more, but the woman had already briskly walked away.

Yan Lie came out of the cake shop and jogged across the road. He stared at the woman’s retreating figure, still disbelieving. “You actually sold it? How much?”

Fang Zhuo unhurriedly tucked her textbook back into her bag, stood up, and stretched out her stiff limbs. She said plainly, “Two hundred.”

“That’s incredible — what did you say to her?” Yan Lie glanced at the time. “But it’s already been over two hours. I’ve already eaten a pastry at the cake shop.”

Fang Zhuo paused in the middle of adjusting her backpack and said very seriously, “That cannot be reimbursed.”

Yan Lie: “I wasn’t going to ask for reimbursement!”

Fang Zhuo returned the small stool to the nearby shop, then came back. “I need to find a restroom first. Wait here — I’ll take you to eat something after.”

Neither of them brought up why they were still moving around together. Just as Yan Lie hadn’t thought to ask why, after already having gone home, he’d turned around and come back out again.

It simply felt like the natural thing to do.

He waited for Fang Zhuo to walk away, then jogged back across the road and ordered two cups of milk tea.

There were still several orders ahead of him. While the staff were making the drinks, two long-haired girls walked over toward Yan Lie.

They appeared to be freshmen from a nearby university — a little shy, but very bright-eyed and bold enough to approach him. “Hey there, are you waiting for someone?”

Yan Lie nodded.

One of the girls held out her phone. “Can we add each other on messaging?”

Yan Lie smiled politely. “That’s not very convenient.”

“Why not convenient?”

“The person I’m waiting for would be unhappy.”

“Your girlfriend?”

Yan Lie kept smiling but didn’t answer, looking down at his own phone.

“If you really had a girlfriend, why would you be sitting here alone for half a day?” the girl beside her cut in. “I noticed you earlier. Adding contacts is such a small thing — you’re an adult, right?”

“I’m a third-year high school student. No early dating allowed,” Yan Lie said without looking up. “Besides, I don’t add other girls’ contact information.”

Fang Zhuo came out of the building next door after using the restroom and found Yan Lie gone. She scanned the area and finally spotted him across the street with two girls.

Through a full road’s width of distance, relying on her 5.0-level vision, she could make out the three of them chatting and laughing together.

She started walking toward them. Not paying attention to the road surface, she also didn’t notice the small dog bounding toward her. When a sharp bark erupted directly in front of her, she was startled and stepped sideways — only to catch her foot on an old tile that had warped and lifted at the edge, and she went sprawling hard to the ground.

She’d fallen near a step. She managed to catch herself with her hands at the last moment, shut her eyes, and heard someone nearby scream.

The impact left her dazed. She collected herself for a moment, then climbed back up on her own.