Chapter 193 — A Photograph
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
"It's me..." Wei Zhao said.
Inside the courtyard gate, there was a noticeable pause, then the gate creaked open, revealing Tang Zhi's radiant face — except there was no smile on it, only a faint coldness: "Please come in."
Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback. The Tang Zhi of before, though she had not treated him well, had been frank and straightforward, would throw little tantrums with him, step on his foot, and the like... But today, Tang Zhi's eyes were filled with indifference.
Kang Xiaofeng, however, noticed none of these details. Full of curiosity, he followed Wei Zhao into Tang Zhi's courtyard, and looking at all the odds and ends scattered about, he pointed in surprise toward a corner of the yard: "Boss, look, there's even a cherry tree!"
People who lived in single-story houses with courtyards generally planted things in them; in Wei Zhao's hometown, nearly every household did, so he was not particularly curious.
Kang Xiaofeng had grown up in the city, so naturally he had seen far less of such things, and he was rather excited and intrigued.
"Yun'er, are your classmates here?" Mother Tang's voice came from inside the house. It was a brick building that looked very old, its exact age impossible to determine. The house was built of red bricks, with no cement on the outside, windows sealed with plastic sheeting, and a door panel covered in mottled rust.
Yet in this dilapidated setting lived a girl full of sunshine — the commoner school beauty of No. 1 High.
"Mm..." Tang Zhi answered faintly. Her tone no longer held any annoyance or displeasure toward Wei Zhao... It was entirely like dealing with a stranger.
"Wei Zhao's here, come in quickly!" Mother Tang came out of the house happily, and seeing Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng, she hurried to welcome them.
"Auntie," Wei Zhao greeted her, and he and Kang Xiaofeng entered the house. It was a typical old-style home: the door opened straight into a small kitchen in the entryway, beyond which a large room enclosed a smaller one; inside the little kitchen there was another small room, which was probably Tang Zhi's bedroom.
"Come sit inside." Mother Tang ushered Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng in, then said to Tang Zhi: "Yun'er, keep your classmates company and chat, I'll go get the barbecue things ready!"
"Oh..." Tang Zhi nodded without objection and sat down on the chair in the living room opposite Wei Zhao. Because the sofa was limited in size and Tang Zhi did not want to squeeze in beside Wei Zhao, she sat facing him.
Mother Tang went out to busy herself, and Tang Zhi said nothing, sitting in the chair with her chin propped on her hand, eyes on the floor, no telling what she was thinking.
Wei Zhao was rather puzzled about what was wrong with Tang Zhi today. Ever since he had come in, she had treated him strangely, as if he were a stranger. Sitting there so awkwardly was no way to pass the time, so Wei Zhao could only find a topic first: "Is your father in the house?"
Wei Zhao had heard movement from the inner room. Though the door was closed, with Wei Zhao's hearing, such a small sound could not escape his ears.
"My dad was injured on the job; he can't get out of bed," Tang Zhi explained.
"A work injury? Is it serious?" Wei Zhao was startled. He had imagined all sorts of circumstances for Tang Zhi's family before, but he had not expected that her father would actually be injured and bedridden.
"We're saving money, planning to have the surgery in the second half of the year. If it succeeds, he can recover," Tang Zhi said faintly, as if speaking to a stranger.
"A work injury — then why doesn't his employer pay?" Kang Xiaofeng put in.
"The factory owner won't acknowledge it, won't pay. What can we do?" Tang Zhi seemed to have already resigned herself. Toward a factory owner who refused to take responsibility, there was only helplessness now, no anger left.
"Shall I go see Uncle Tang?" Wei Zhao stood up, wanting to go to the inner room, but Tang Zhi blocked him.