Isn’t This Convenient for You to Spy on Me Every Day?
Ling Li had been worried about Xiang Cao the entire time. Two days later, before heading to the Eatery, Su Jingyang and Ling Li asked around for Xiang Cao’s address and went to check on him.
Xiang Cao’s home was far out of the way. From a distance, Su Jingyang and Ling Li saw a run-down house. In front of it sat a slightly plump old woman with her legs crossed, picking at her teeth with her fingers. Off to the side, Xiang Cao, who should have been resting in bed, was silently washing clothes.
Nearby, a little girl only four or five years old hovered beside him, clearly wanting to help carry water. She wore filthy, thin clothing, her face sallow and her body thin, and she limped as she moved. In her clumsiness, she tipped the basin over and splashed all the water onto herself.
The little girl was drenched. She froze for a moment without moving. Somehow, that set the old woman off. The old woman sprang up with a vicious face and charged over, grabbing the little girl by the hair with one hand and slapping the side of her head hard with the other, cursing so wildly that spit flew everywhere.
The little girl screamed and wailed. Xiang Cao hurried to get up and shield her, and the old woman hit him too. Xiang Cao’s face was deathly pale. He swayed under the blows, keeping his head down as he protected his daughter, not dodging at all.
People next door craned their necks to look a few times, like they were long used to it.
Ling Li covered Ah Xuan’s eyes early on, his expression looking terrible. Su Jingyang was so furious that smoke practically rose from the top of his head. Xiang Cao had just miscarried and was already being made to work, and they were beating him this brutally too.
Su Jingyang impulsively started forward to stop it, yet two half-grown boys suddenly came running from who knew where, dragging the still-raging old woman away. They shouted about going to buy rabbit meat to eat.
The old woman cursed a few more times, then viciously jabbed a finger into Xiang Cao’s temple, leaving him with, “behave and do your work,” before her expression eased slightly and she went along with her grandsons.
Su Jingyang and Ling Li rushed over to help Xiang Cao and the little girl up from the ground. Xiang Cao’s thin arms wrapped around his still-sobbing daughter. He shrank back, then lifted his eyes to Su Jingyang and Ling Li, shock flashing in them.
Su Jingyang looked at Xiang Cao’s bloodless face and the child in his arms crying her heart out, and he didn’t even know what he was supposed to feel. He and Ling Li had come intending to bring tonics and the like, yet even if they did, those things might not end up in Xiang Cao’s hands at all. In the end, they brought Xiang Cao’s daughter the clothes Ling Li had prepared earlier.
Xiang Cao felt his daughter trembling in his arms. He hesitated, then accepted it and said a quiet thank you. He took a dry piece from inside and wrapped the child up.
Ah Xuan, who had been clinging to Ling Li’s arm, suddenly pattered over and stuffed a piece of candy into the little girl’s hand. His clear eyes looked at her as he said softly, “For you to eat. It’s very sweet.”
The little girl looked down at her palm through tears. Her loud crying gradually stopped, turning into hiccuping sobs. Tear tracks smeared her already filthy little face into a mess. She thanked Ah Xuan in a tiny voice, yet she didn’t eat it.
She tried to feed the candy to Xiang Cao. Xiang Cao shook his head and leaned away, then put the candy into her mouth instead. Only then did she carefully take it with an extremely precious expression.
Su Jingyang still wanted to press some money into Xiang Cao’s hand, yet Xiang Cao suddenly tensed all over. He gently pushed Su Jingyang’s hand back with a reverse motion, shaking his head hard while repeatedly murmuring, “Go, please go, you should leave quickly.”
Su Jingyang sensed something was wrong and turned around. The old woman and her two grandsons had come back, arguing noisily, and it looked like they were carrying a chunk of rabbit meat on a straw rope. Xiang Cao released his child, then hurriedly squatted down. He shoved his cracked, frozen hands back into the washbasin and continued scrubbing clothes.
Su Jingyang stayed in a foul mood for days because of this, weighed down by a thick helplessness. He wanted to persuade Xiang Cao to find a way to break free of that family. Xiang Cao absolutely could support himself and his daughter.
Still, remembering the submission that seeped from Xiang Cao’s bones, Su Jingyang worried that barging in and shattering the status quo would only make him seem like a meddlesome outsider.
Back in his own world, a male coworker from a different department had once seen a woman being abused on the street. Young and hot-blooded, he rushed in to help and beat the man up. The woman got extremely agitated, called the police on him instead, and said he had beaten her husband. In the end, she hounded him until he paid several hundred in medical fees before she let it go.
Su Jingyang had heard that and thought it was completely f*cked up. Some people in this world were just like that. You will truly never know how they think!
Su Jingyang didn’t think Xiang Cao would do something like that woman and bite the hand trying to help. Xiang Cao was a child bride, raised from childhood in the Xiang household environment, carrying their surname.
The influence the Xiang family had on him had sunk deep into his bones and couldn’t be pulled out. He wouldn’t even think of resisting. Su Jingyang was sure that if he ran over right now and told Xiang Cao to sever ties with the Xiang family and live on his own, Xiang Cao would stare at him like he was insane.
That was exactly what happened. Su Jingyang still couldn’t hold back and quietly sought him out once. He tested the waters, asking whether Xiang Cao had ever thought about living independently. Xiang Cao’s eyes filled with disbelief. He panicked so badly he almost turned and ran.
Su Jingyang hurriedly grabbed him and said, “You can consider it. Bring your daughter and leave, then come work at my eatery. I can at least guarantee you won’t go hungry. Have you never once thought about escaping this kind of life?”
Xiang Cao looked at him, his expression full of the unknown, a fog of confusion and fear. In the end, he gave Su Jingyang a slight nod, said nothing, and turned away.
Su Jingyang watched Xiang Cao’s frail, gaunt back and frowned as he sighed quietly. He wasn’t some savior. He couldn’t even save himself. He simply couldn’t stand watching it and wanted to give someone a hand. He also couldn’t force choices on someone under the delusion that he was always right.
Su Jingyang was unhappy about Xiang Cao for days. After he came back to himself, he noticed those thugs hadn’t appeared for a while. Even so, Rong Ci still came over for dinner every day and then waited to walk home with them.
That day, the wind was howling. Rong Ci hadn’t come yet when Su Jingyang and Ling Li closed up and went home. They ate, washed up, and Su Jingyang carried his pillow to Ling Li’s bed. The three of them had nothing to do, so they all went to sleep early.
At some unknown hour, Su Jingyang was sleeping soundly while holding Ah Xuan when a sudden boom exploded in the courtyard. The wind that had been howling before made it even more jarring.
Su Jingyang’s heart jolted. He snapped his eyes open. Ling Li and Ah Xuan woke too. The bed rustled with the soft scraping of clothes, and the three of them sat up at the same time.
Ah Xuan, eyes foggy with sleep, grabbed Su Jingyang’s sleeve and asked, “Uncle, Uncle, what was that sound?”
Ling Li lit the lamp and wanted to go out to look. Su Jingyang threw on a padded jacket and pushed him back onto the bed, telling him to stay with the child. The candle in Su Jingyang’s hand went out before he even made it out the door.
In the end, Ling Li brought over the rabbit lantern Su Jingyang had recently bought and lit it, insisting on going out to look together. Ah Xuan could understand some things now. If they told him to stay on the bed and not move, he wouldn’t flail around and fall off, so once Ling Li insisted, Su Jingyang agreed.
The two of them pressed close together, peering through the crack in the door for a long while to make sure there was no movement outside. Only then did they open the door and go out. They quickly found the cause of that loud noise.
The wall that connected directly to Ah Yi’s house had been blown down by the wind!!!
In the biting cold, Su Jingyang’s nose turned red from the chill. He tightened his clothes, raised the lantern, and stared at the wall that had collapsed almost halfway. He looked multiple times, still unable to believe it. “… Is this wall made of tofu? A gust of wind and it falls into this state? One step over and you can walk straight into Ah Yi’s place!”
Ling Li stood there in a daze for a long time, then said vaguely, “Maybe, maybe it’s old and hasn’t been repaired for years, and the wind tonight is too strong, so…”
Su Jingyang couldn’t worry about that for the moment. Identifying the source of the boom was enough. Since the cold was unbearable, he hurriedly dragged Ling Li back inside. They put out the light, burrowed into the quilts, and Su Jingyang mumbled a few more words before falling asleep. Ling Li tossed for quite a while, only then quietly closing his eyes.
The next day, once the wind stopped, Su Jingyang washed his face in the courtyard. When he turned around, he saw Rong Ci standing by the collapsed wall, examining it. He wore narrow-sleeved black clothes. The youth’s figure and bearing were refined and eye-catching.
Su Jingyang dried his hands and ran over, asking when they should hire someone to repair it. Rong Ci folded his arms and glanced at him as he said in a low voice, “What’s there to repair? Isn’t this convenient for you to spy on me every day?”
Su Jingyang said, “I’m not interested in you at all,” then promised he would definitely find someone to fix it soon.
Rong Ci clenched his teeth. The slight upward tilt at the corner of his eyes carried a chill that was hard to describe. He stared at Su Jingyang and said slowly, “Half the wall already fell. Repairing it is expensive.”
Su Jingyang patted his chest. “I don’t lack money. Don’t worry.”
“Jingyang.” Ling Li had appeared at the kitchen doorway at some point. He called over from there, “Forget it. Ah Yi’s right. Repairing it is another expense. Cleaning it up together and leaving it as it is might be better.”
Su Jingyang hadn’t spoken yet when Ling Li asked, “Ah Yi, do you have any objections?”
Rong Ci huffled. “Do whatever you want.”
Su Jingyang said, “Oh? Aren’t you afraid I’ll suddenly run over and peek at you?”
Rong Ci said, “I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
In the end, they cleaned up the area by the wall together. Then the two households shared one connected courtyard after that. The happiest person was probably Ah Xuan. He ran next door to play one moment, then ran back the next.
When Su Jingyang needed something from Rong Ci, he no longer had to climb a ladder or knock on the door. Calling him over for meals became easier too. Whatever happened next door could also be heard clearly.
After Rong Hua came and saw this, she praised that day’s wind endlessly right in front of Rong Ci.
“What a good wind, what a good wind! How perfectly it chose this one wall! Truly the most exquisite wind in the world, the most considerate wind!”
She then ran over to Su Jingyang and asked, “Have those people come to cause you trouble again? They haven’t, right? Ah Yi and I beat them until they cried for their fathers and mothers. They won’t dare anymore!”
Only then did Su Jingyang learn there had been such a thing. He made egg pancakes and porridge that morning and carried them over to thank Rong Ci. Rong Ci lay in a reclining chair and gave a single “Mm,” telling him blandly to set it on the table. His whole body gave off an air of calm indifference, like it wasn’t worth mentioning.
A few days later, Xiang Cao started showing up at Lin’s Small Eatery to collect slop water again, just as silent as ever. Su Jingyang once ran into him in the back kitchen. Xiang Cao’s body instantly stiffened.
Looking at Su Jingyang as if wanting to speak but stopping short, Su Jingyang sensed his struggle. His heart stirred and he wanted to go talk to him, but Xiang Cao panicked and turned to leave.
Su Jingyang felt a little relief. Struggle meant there was still hope. After he got home, he told Ling Li his thoughts on it. Ling Li even forgot to pick the vegetables in his hands. He stared at Su Jingyang for a long time, then curved his lips into a gentle smile. “You always think differently from others. It’s good, truly good.”
Most people wouldn’t interfere in something like this. Xiang Cao was a child bride and in outsiders’ eyes, feeding him meant he should work like an ox and a horse, endure anything, give birth to however many they wanted.
If they weren’t happy, they could hit him whenever they pleased. Even if he ended up dying from exhaustion or getting beaten to death, that was his fate. No one would pity or sympathize.
Su Jingyang thought it was wrong. It was something that needed resistance and needed saving.
Ling Li didn’t blink as he looked at Su Jingyang’s face. A wave of indescribable bitterness and emotion welled up in his heart.
Su Jingyang lowered his head and tugged at a leaf, sighing. “I can’t do much. The most important thing is still up to him.” Su Jingyang felt a little guilty at Ling Li’s praise. His way of thinking, in this time and place, might not be understood at all.
It might even be mocked as having nothing better to do. Still, at least Ling Li understood him. Su Jingyang felt a little easier in his heart. He believed he wasn’t wrong to insist on it.
Ling Li nudged him up, his voice gentle. “Go play with Ah Xuan. I’ll handle the kitchen.”
Su Jingyang answered with a fine, got to his feet, and walked out of the kitchen. He immediately saw Rong Ci standing at his doorway under the lamplight, his dark eyes fixed in this direction. He didn’t know how long Rong Ci had been there.
Su Jingyang paused, then ran to the boundary between the two houses and shouted, “You were eavesdropping on me!”
Rong Ci said, “With that loud voice of yours, do I even need to eavesdrop?”
Su Jingyang turned to leave. Rong Ci spoke behind him in a slow voice. “If you need it, I can arrange an identity in Rongcheng and keep his family from entangling him.”
Su Jingyang took a long moment to realize he meant Xiang Cao. He hurriedly turned back. “Really?”
Rong Ci nodded. Su Jingyang immediately beamed. If Xiang Cao was willing to leave, it would be a good thing. Entering Rongcheng required strict inspection. The Xiang family wouldn’t have the ability to chase him there.
Su Jingyang genuinely thanked him, eyes bright. He made a proper deep bow with full solemnity. “Even if it still depends on his own choice, this humble one thanks Ah Yi, the young hero, in advance! I’m super grateful!”
Rong Ci shook his head and chuckled. “Idiot.”
The next day, Su Jingyang waited in the back kitchen and caught Xiang Cao again, asking about his intentions. Xiang Cao clenched his frostbitten hands hard, head lowered as he stared at the ground.
He stammered for a long time before saying he still needed to think it over. Su Jingyang knew he had lived under oppression for so long that it was hard for him to gather courage. Su Jingyang told him about the possibility of arranging for him to enter Rongcheng.
Xiang Cao left heavy with thoughts.
Su Jingyang kept waiting for news. He just never expected that news from Xiang Cao wouldn’t come. He heard news about Xiang Cao’s limping daughter from Liang Lu instead.
That day, Old Madam Xiang rarely boiled water at home. She set a huge pot full of scalding water on the ground. Xiang Cao’s daughter didn’t know what happened, yet she just happened to stumble and fall straight in. The old woman likely saw it, yet she didn’t save her. She probably feared that saving the child would mean spending money on treatment, wasting money.
Thus, Xiang Cao’s daughter was burned to death alive just like that!!!
They said that when the child was fished out, it was too horrific to look at.
Someone said the old woman might have done it on purpose. Back then, the little girl couldn’t be sold, and the old woman thought it was unlucky and wanted to throw her away. Xiang Cao, usually silent, fought with everything he had to keep his daughter. The old woman resented having an extra money-losing burden in the house, and that led to this.
Su Jingyang froze in his seat after hearing it. Every nerve in his body trembled violently. Ling Li hugged Ah Xuan tight, his eyes red, unable to speak.
It had been so close. So close. Xiang Cao only needed to nod, and Su Jingyang would’ve sent him and his daughter away. They wouldn’t have met this fate.
It was only a little too late.
Remembering that little girl’s miserable fate, Su Jingyang’s chest twisted in pain that night. He couldn’t sleep. In the middle of the night, he got up and sat by the main door in a daze, wanting to let the wind cool his head. Ling Li came out and silently kept him company, his eyes red the whole time too.
Lingli suddenly sensed something and turned his head to find Rongci had also come out. He just silently kept his gaze on Su Jingyang without speaking. Su Jingyang sat there in a daze from beginning to end, never noticing him.
Near dawn, Su Jingyang finally fell asleep leaning on Ling Li’s shoulder. Rong Ci walked over. Ling Li lowered his eyes in silence, carefully supporting Su Jingyang and easing him into Rong Ci’s arms. Rong Ci accepted him and lifted Su Jingyang up, carrying him inside.
By the time Su Jingyang and Ling Li heard the news, it had already happened days earlier. Early the next morning, they went to the Xiang household to see Xiang Cao. His two sons were still running around like mad.
His mother-in-law still sat at the doorway picking at her teeth, then flicking what she picked into the air, leisurely as ever. A bloated man walked in and out, likely Xiang Cao’s husband. Not a single one of them had even a trace of grief on their faces.
Su Jingyang held down the urge to start hacking people to pieces. He and Ling Li searched around, yet they never saw Xiang Cao. In the end, they returned with nothing.
What they didn’t expect was that Xiang Cao came to the eatery at its busiest time around noon. He hadn’t pushed the slop bucket, yet he still came in through the back door out of habit. When Su Jingyang saw him, he barely dared to breathe.
Xiang Cao looked calm, even somewhat awkward as he rubbed his clothes at the hem. After hesitating for a long time, he finally said to Su Jingyang, “Boss Su, I, I can go to the main hall and eat at a table, can’t I?”
Su Jingyang couldn’t even think about what that question implied. He immediately agreed, hurrying to usher him over. “Why wouldn’t you be able to? My treat. What do you like to eat?”
Xiang Cao shook his head with a stubborn streak. “No need. I brought money. Thank you.”
Su Jingyang went to the main hall and found every seat taken. Rong Ci was sitting alone at a table, and his dishes hadn’t been served yet. Su Jingyang hurried over to negotiate with him. Xiang Cao looked panicked and waved his hands. “No need, no need.”
Rong Ci’s attitude was very gentle. He stood up and said to him, “It’s fine. Please.”
Rong Ci probably worried it would be inconvenient for Xiang Cao, so he didn’t share the table. He simply yielded it. Seeing Xiang Cao still hesitating, Su Jingyang waved a hand and blurted out, “It’s fine, it’s fine. He’s family, don’t mind him. He comes here all the time. It’s very casual.”
Rong Ci’s mouth twitched slightly as he headed to the back kitchen.
Only then did Xiang Cao sit down, extremely restrained. After what seemed like careful deliberation, he ordered a few dishes. In the end, he said softly to Su Jingyang, “I, I also want to order braised rabbit. Xiao Shui always wanted to eat it, but… she didn’t get to. I want to pack it up. I’ll go see the child later.”
Xiao Shui was likely the name of Xiang Cao’s daughter. Su Jingyang remembered the rabbit meat Old Madam Xiang and the grandsons had carried home that day and felt his teeth grind so hard his head throbbed.
The kitchen didn’t have rabbit, yet Su Jingyang still agreed at once. He had the shop’s runner go buy one right away so Ling Li could cook it.
Su Jingyang was about to go help in the kitchen when Xiang Cao softly called him again. Xiang Cao lowered his head. His whole body trembled. Su Jingyang felt a quake from deep within his soul. “I’m sorry, Boss Su. I betrayed your kindness. I’m truly sorry.”
After Xiang Cao finished eating, he insisted on paying. Su Jingyang and Ling Li insisted on refusing. Xiang Cao said, “I… also want to spend money on myself once.”
Su Jingyang didn’t know what to say anymore. He accepted the money in the end.
Su Jingyang packed the rabbit meat into a bowl and carried it out in a food box. Xiang Cao froze, then said they could just wrap it in paper. Su Jingyang said it was fine. Xiang Cao said there was too much work at home, and he might not have time to return the bowl and the box. He was stubborn, and Su Jingyang had no choice but to switch it to an oil-paper wrap. Xiang Cao kept saying thank you.
This time, Xiang Cao left through the front door of the Eatery. Su Jingyang walked him out. After hesitating, he said, “If you want to leave, we can still help you, just the same.”
Xiang Cao shook his head. He hugged the still-warm rabbit meat and smiled at Su Jingyang through tears. “Forget it… this is my fate.”
Xiang Cao bowed to Su Jingyang before striding away. This time, not looking back felt like a kind of final resolve. Su Jingyang stood where he was and stared, stunned, at the back that had already disappeared.
He saw his progress bar begin to surge wildly. In the end, it reached 4.7%.
Su Jingyang was completely shaken. He recalled what the system had said. Unless a knot in the heart was undone. Unless the greatest wish of this life was fulfilled. Right, the greatest wish.
I, I can go to the main hall and eat at a table, can’t I?
I also want to order braised rabbit.
I… also want to spend money on myself once.
Su Jingyang suddenly squatted down and wiped his face hard, his chest churning with misery so fierce it made his eyes wet before he could stop it. F*ck, what kind of world was this?!
After his emotions settled a little, Su Jingyang went home and lay in bed, tossing and turning all night. He only faintly worked out that something was off.
It was too late.
The next day, an extremely brutal murder case stirred up a huge uproar in town. It spread everywhere within the morning. The Xiang family’s child bride Xiang Cao had put a mild drug into his family’s food the night before.
While they were still conscious, he chopped them up, one knife after another, killing them all. People said the Xiang family’s blood flowed out of the house, red everywhere, terrifying to see. Xiang Cao didn’t run. He washed his hands, changed into clean clothes, and calmly sat there waiting for the constables to arrest him.
“They say Old Madam Xiang and Xiang Da got chopped over forty times. They weren’t even human-shaped anymore!”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk! You really couldn’t tell. That Xiang Cao was usually silent, yet he’s that cruel!”
“Exactly! Who would’ve thought it? The Xiang family raised him for so many years, and he’s an ungrateful, white-eyed wolf!”
“They say the Xiang family treated him badly. They never let him eat at the table. Xiang Da beat him whenever he got drunk.”
“Bad treatment means you can kill people? Whose life isn’t like this? He even killed his own children. You can see he’s vicious.”
“Still, they say the two children died with one cut each. In the end, he still cared about blood ties…”
Su Jingyang stood amid the packed crowd. Noisy discussion buzzed in his ears. People shoved him until he swayed side to side. He kept a blank face the whole time.
Xiang Cao had killed four people, and the method was brutal, making him a serious criminal. He was to be paraded through the streets for public display. Townspeople had already rushed out after hearing the news, eager to watch. Before long, the street was jammed with people.
Su Jingyang didn’t know how long he stood there. The prison cart escorted by soldiers finally arrived. Xiang Cao sat inside, just like he always did, eyes lowered, and silent. His peaceful, quiet expression made it impossible to tell that his hands were already stained with blood.
The crowd’s noise rose, yet no one threw anything at the cart. Xiang Cao’s face and body were still clean.
Su Jingyang’s face was pale as he looked at him. Xiang Cao seemed to sense something. He slightly turned his eyes and, without deviation, looked straight through layers of people and met Su Jingyang’s gaze exactly.
The calm on Xiang Cao’s face seemed to loosen for an instant. His lips then curved slightly. He gave Su Jingyang a very brief smile. His mouth moved, like he silently said thank you.
Su Jingyang felt something in his chest wrench hard. He blinked in a daze. The prison cart had already moved on ahead.
The crowd dispersed. Only then did Su Jingyang begin walking back slowly. After a few steps, he stopped, raised his hand, and covered his eyes. Grief and regret filled him. He wondered why he hadn’t been more forceful back then, why he hadn’t forced Xiang Cao to take his daughter and leave. If they had left, none of this irreversible horror would’ve happened.
It was only one step too late, and then every step after was too late.
Xiang Cao, Xiang Cao… from now on, you finally won’t have to live trampled like grass anymore.
Author’s Note:
Yesterday I asked for nutrient solution only because I wanted to break four digits so the data wouldn’t look so ugly. I didn’t expect that after one day passed, there were over a thousand more bottles. Thank you so much~! =3=
Writing until now is truly a first for me. I can’t stay up late anymore!
………………
Those wanting to see the pregnancy, come back in a week. Stop urging in the comments.
Those wanting to see the pregnancy, come back in a week. Stop urging in the comments.
Those wanting to see the pregnancy, come back in a week. Stop urging in the comments.
Important things are said three times to draw attention!
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