At 9 PM, Qingyu dragged her tired feet into her room, immediately noticing that Li Fanghao hadn’t been idle during their absence from Chaoyang New Village. On the window desk that once belonged to Jinyu, her books were now neatly arranged. Her quilt and pillow lay on the narrow bed by the window.
What shocked her more was the cold metal grating that had appeared outside the window glass, reminiscent of Aunt Qin’s birdcage-like room.
The curtains had been removed. As Qingyu tried to touch the iron bars, she found the window wouldn’t budge. She then noticed two welded iron plates at the top and bottom where the aluminum alloy windows met, firmly fixing them in place. Her gaze penetrated the glass and iron bars, facing the pitch-black window opposite. At that moment, Qingyu felt dead inside.
A rustling sound came from behind. Turning, she saw Li Fanghao enter with several unfolded newspapers, her expression harder than the iron grating.
“Move aside.”
Qingyu obediently stepped away, watching Li Fanghao spread the newspapers on the desk. She first glued several pages together, then meticulously pasted them over the window glass, leaving no gaps. Qingyu felt oddly detached as if Li Fanghao’s actions had nothing to do with her. Finished, Li Fanghao sighed and turned to her:
“I returned that backpack and note to your classmate across the street today.”
Qingyu’s heart suddenly jolted to life. Her unmasked horror is satisfied yet disgusted Li Fanghao. “I didn’t mince words. I told Mingsheng that if he kept entangling with you, I’d burn down their house. I’d do anything for my daughter.”
She stared intently at Qingyu, her voice lowering threateningly: “You understand, don’t you? Can you calm your heart now?”
“Yes.”
“If you have any brains or shame, don’t tell anyone you spent a night at a male classmate’s house, understand?”
“I understand.”
Li Fanghao scoffed disbelievingly, pulled out the Oxford English Dictionary from the desk, and flipped through it, shaking out a white envelope—the only letter Qingyu had kept from her childhood, its printed contents innocuous.
“Who’s He Kai?” Li Fanghao’s voice held a suppressed sense of triumph.
Qingyu lowered her eyes submissively: “A senior from Shunyun No. 1 High School.”
“The letter mentions ‘unexpectedly meeting you by Clear Lake,'” Li Fanghao sneered. “When I wasn’t watching you during summer break, you went out on your own?”
“Just once.”
“And you happened to meet him that one time?”
“Yes.”
After a few seconds of silence, Li Fanghao asked: “Did you reply to him?”
“Yes.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing much.”
Another pause: “I thought you were different from your sister, but you both lose your heads over boys.”
“I don’t,” Qingyu bit her lip. “Neither does my sister.”
“I know you two inside out. Your sister is obvious, you’re sneaky. You’re even more dangerous than her!”
As if struck by lightning, a self-destructive flame ignited in Qingyu’s heart. “Mom, don’t worry,” she said, desperate yet defiant. “Even if I liked Senior He Kai, nothing would happen between us. Everyone knows our family is a mess. Decent boys will stay far away from me.”
“I knew it! Can’t you wait until after school to think about these things?!” Li Fanghao exploded, spittle flying as she waved the envelope wildly. “I’ve devoted everything to raising you girls, especially you. I kept you by my side since you were little, and did everything to get you into good schools in Huanzhou. You ran away, and your grandparents and aunt and uncle all wanted to send you back to Shunyun to attend an ordinary high school in Qiaotou Town. I fought tooth and nail to keep you in Huanzhou! I want nothing for myself, I’ll fight anyone, just hoping you’ll focus on your studies and not think about this nonsense! Don’t you know thinking about these things too early will ruin you?! What good is being pretty? Women always lose in relationships! Think about your sister! Huh?!”
“It was you who ruined my sister!” Qingyu exploded, her fury pouring out uncontrollably. “You sent her back to the countryside, into Jinrui’s wolf den! Don’t you ever feel guilty? You only know how to blame us! You think you’re the most hardworking, the most clear-headed! It’s always our fault! You say it’s for our good, but you’re just indulging in self-pity! You’re driving me into a corner, and you’ll ruin me too, sooner or later. Don’t you believe it?!”
Li Fanghao was first shocked, then her eyes turned red, her lips trembling as she raised her right hand: “Get out. Leave. I won’t take care of you anymore.”
Qingyu returned her gaze with unrestrained hatred: “I’m leaving.”
As she lifted her chin to hold back tears, Li Fanghao lunged at her like a madwoman. After a resounding slap, her out-of-control hands rained down on Qingyu’s chest and shoulders. Jinyu rushed in to pull Li Fanghao away, and Qiao Lusheng pushed the wailing Li Fanghao into the bedroom. Immediately, sharp arguments erupted from the next room.
“Playing the good guy again? I’m disciplining my daughter. Who do you think you are?!” Li Fanghao’s voice was bitter and shrill as if pointing at Qiao Lusheng’s nose.
“Look at yourself, acting crazy! You call this taking care of our daughter? Wasn’t ruining Xiaobai enough? You’ll drive Qingqing to her death!” Qiao Lusheng retorted loudly. “You’re a mad woman, looking more like a lunatic than Sister Qin!”
“I’m crazy? I wasn’t crazy before. It’s all because of you Qiao family members pushing me…”
Sharp howls came from behind the door, like two beasts tearing at each other. In the other room, Qingyu and Jinyu sat in stunned silence. After a while, Qingyu felt a large hand gently caressing her cheek.
“Does it hurt, sis?”
Only then did Qingyu feel the stinging pain from the earlier slap. Jinyu moved his hand away and sat beside her, his voice full of sympathy and sincerity: “Sis, Mom was wrong to hit you, but she has it tough. You didn’t see how she argued with grandparents and aunt and uncle to protect you… Please don’t fight with Mom anymore, okay? What happened to our older sister is in the past. Jinrui lost his wife and job; he’s been punished. Let’s not dwell on it anymore, okay? Can we be a harmonious family like before?”
Next door, the conflict continued, with “divorce” frequently erupting from Qiao Lusheng and Li Fanghao’s mouths, piercing Qingyu’s heart.
“Okay,” she nodded to her brother, hugging him tightly as she burst into tears.
The day after iron bars were installed on the window, Qiao Family Noodle Shop reopened. With Qiao Huan still away, Jinyu stepped in as a temporary server. Li Fanghao was the first to rise and the last to leave, carefully locking Qingyu’s plywood door—a new lock to prevent her from leaving and to punish her for running away.
Qingyu accepted the lock without complaint, even feeling somewhat grateful. Her room now had daylight and a computer, albeit old and offline. She spent her days at the newspaper-covered window, tirelessly tackling various subjects. During daylight hours, Li Fanghao returned thrice daily with meals, emptying the spittoon, and stone-faced, listening to Qingyu’s study progress reports. At night, Qingyu had half an hour of personal care. Free from chores and laundry, she no longer visited the balcony.
She didn’t notice if lights came on across the street.
Unconsciously, Qingyu resumed her calligraphy practice, sketching her ideal, blurred script on scrap paper. The phrase “Someday I’ll ride the wind and waves, hoisting my sail to cross the vast sea,” discarded by her parents, often resurfaced in her mind, as vivid as Qiao Baiyu’s unforgettable face. She allowed herself to miss Baiyu’s sparkling eyes, careful not to let her thoughts drift to Mingsheng’s dark, bright gaze.
Home grew noisier yet more oppressive. Qiao Lusheng and Li Fanghao bickered frequently, seemingly in an endless cold war. Jinyu became noticeably quieter. Each night, Qingyu forced herself to sleep early, curled up with eyes tightly shut, like a child trying to imagine surrounding pains as mere dreams.
One morning, Qingyu was roused by Jinyu tapping on the plywood wall.
“Qingyu?”
“Check under the door, sis,” Jinyu whispered. “Yesterday, a boy gave me a letter for you while I was closing up. Hide it quickly before Mom finds it.”
Qingyu sprang up, finding a white envelope under the door.
Once everyone left, she switched on the desk lamp. The plain envelope was tightly sealed. Thinking it must be from Mingsheng, she carefully opened it with a small knife.
Inside was a folded white paper with a single English sentence:
“If you wanna run away again, I can still help you with anything.”
Written in English to avoid interception by Li Fanghao. Seeing “Anything” again made Qingyu’s heart flutter, but reason quickly took over, leaving her irritated and conflicted. Didn’t my mom scare you off? she thought resentfully. She threatened to burn down your house. Did you think she was joking? Do you believe I’d choose you over my mom, my family, or my future?
She slowly tore the envelope to shreds. Mingsheng seemed more eager for her to “escape” than she was, perhaps viewing it as an exciting game. Qingyu felt annoyed, yet sorry for feeling that way—Don’t try to help me, she thought. Don’t add to my pain.
She spent a long day in unprecedented turmoil. That night, when the house fell silent and Jinyu turned off his light, Qingyu tapped on the plywood wall.
“Qingyu?”
Jinyu whispered, asking what was wrong.
“I need to go out. Can you help me?”
“Why? Mom will kill me if she finds out.”
Qingyu paused briefly: “I need to see Mingsheng.”
She heard Jinyu sigh deeply, but his voice was excited: “Sis, what’s going on with you and Mingsheng? Why did Mom yell at him? Did he do something to you? Won’t he retaliate at school after how Mom treated him? You know, that annoying newsstand owner’s wife never used to come to our shop, but now she’s here every day for breakfast. She keeps telling Mom she saw you and Mingsheng in the same taxi, insisting she couldn’t have mistaken your clothes… But Mom firmly denies you ever went to Mingsheng’s house, telling Dad and me not to say you did. The newsstand lady keeps praising Mingsheng, implying you’re chasing him and Mom’s covering it up, but that’s impossible! Right, sis? It’s not just Mom; I’m furious too…”
“Chase her away,” Qingyu interrupted. “Tomorrow, tell her we’re out of whatever she orders.”
“Won’t that make her spread more rumors about us?” Jinyu replied. “Mom says we’ve rented the shop and apartment for a year. When the lease expires in July, we’ll move. After you graduate next year, you’ll go to college elsewhere. I’ll stay in Huanzhou for school, and Mom and Dad will return to Shunyun. It’ll ease our financial pressure.”
Hearing no response, Jinyu asked, “Sis, what happened with Mingsheng?”
The 24 hours at Mingsheng’s house flashed through Qingyu’s mind. Tears welled up, and she fought back the lump in her throat: “Nothing happened.”
“Then how did you end up at his house?”
“Just a coincidence, not worth mentioning,” Qingyu whispered. “It won’t happen again. Just follow Mom’s lead and act like I was never there.”
“Sis,” Jinyu sighed, “maybe we were too young before, and our older sister never told us anything. But we’re about the same age now. You can tell me everything. If Mingsheng bullied you, I’ll help. Don’t… keep it all bottled up. It’s better to talk to me than anyone else, okay? If someone’s bullying you, don’t tell Mom and Dad first. Tell me, alright? I do practice Sanda, after all.”
“You’ve got it all wrong. He didn’t bully me,” Qingyu chuckled softly, feeling a warmth in her heart. “It was just a coincidence, like I said.”
“Alright,” Jinyu yawned. “I’ll figure out how to get you out. But remember, you encouraged me to be a thief this time. If Mom and Dad catch us, you’d better speak up for me.”
“A thief?”
“How else will you get out without stealing Mom’s key and making a copy?” Jinyu retorted. “Also, I’m sorry about taking Mom’s gold bracelet last time. It made you suffer. I regretted it right after I took it, but I didn’t have time to put it back and was afraid to tell you, so…”
“I don’t blame you,” Qingyu said honestly. “Besides, you’re taking a risk to help me now. Let’s call it even.”
“Oh, right. You want to meet Mingsheng. Shouldn’t you tell him in advance? I’m thinking tomorrow or the day after, in the afternoon. You’ll only have about two hours, okay?”
“That’s enough,” Qingyu said. “I’ll borrow your phone to call him when I get out. He should come.”
“Are you sure?”
Qingyu wasn’t just sure; she was certain. But to Jinyu, she only said, “I hope so.” The reason was simple: she had to bury the absolute trust in Mingsheng that had somehow formed in her heart, the certainty that he would always prioritize her, and the dizzying, unspoken intimacy between them. She couldn’t reveal this to anyone.