Mud beads

Yu Zhu looked at the unfamiliar man in front of her, said nothing, and subconsciously took half a step back.

The man didn't mind her silence; instead, he smiled and closed the door behind him.

"I've heard the old man mention you." He didn't rush inside, but remained standing in place, seemingly giving her time to think.

"Yue Feng." He extended his hand to her. "Yue Jianche's father."

Yu Zhu suddenly looked up at the outstretched hand in front of him. He was wearing a wrinkle-free black leather glove with a small silver badge on his wrist. He had an air of refined nobility that was aloof from ordinary people, but his smile was very gentle.

She hesitated before extending her hand: "Hello, Uncle..."

Yue Feng only lightly grasped her knuckles before quickly releasing them. Having gained her acceptance, he picked up his suitcase and walked into the front hall, but suddenly stopped as he passed the kitchen.

The sound of the flowing water on the island was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Yu Zhu then remembered that she had thought Yue Jianche had returned and had hurriedly turned the water back on, making the flow slightly stronger than usual.

She hurried to the kitchen: "I'll go turn it off."

Yue Feng reached out before her, placed his fingertip on the switch, and gently pressed it. The water stopped.

"It's still the same after all these years," he said, turning on the kitchen light. "A bad habit, isn't it?"

He spoke with a slight smile, his tone as gentle as ever. Yu Zhu stood beside him, unsure whether to explain; the ice water in her glass had melted halfway, and her palm felt numb.

Yue Feng turned around, saw her nightgown and coat, and quickly looked away.

"Is Aunt Wang asleep?" he asked.

Yu Zhu nodded: "They should go to sleep."

"Then don't call her." Yue Feng walked into the living room and placed his suitcase on the side of the sofa. "My jet lag is a bit off, I'll sit for a while and then go upstairs. If you're not sleepy, would you like to talk to me for a bit?"

Yu Zhu held the water glass and slowly nodded.

Of course, she wouldn't dare say no.

The living room floor lamp was turned on, casting a dim, yellowish light on the carpet. Yue Feng took off his coat, revealing a dark gray cashmere sweater and a white inner layer at the collar. A very faint fragrance wafted into Yu Zhu's nostrils, delicate and powdery, like irises freshly delivered in the morning, still glistening with dew.

He didn't sit in the main seat, but chose a seat on the side and gestured for her to sit.

"Don't stand," he said. "You sit down too."

Yu Zhu sat down on the single sofa opposite her, her knees together, with the cup between her hands.

Yue Feng looked at her with gentle eyes: "The old man said your family is from the Qinling Mountains, and you started helping your parents with chores at a very young age. That's impressive."

Yu Zhu's face flushed, and she lowered her head.

"And you used to be called Pandi," Yue Feng added.

Yu Zhu's cup wobbled slightly.

"Um."

"Was this name changed by Toru Koshima?"

Yu Zhu nodded.

Do you like it?

She answered almost without hesitation: "I like it."

"Hmm, Yu Zhu." Yue Feng read it again, seemingly savoring it, "It really sounds beautiful."

Yu Zhu looked up and smiled shyly. The man in front of her sat under the lamp, and not only did his eyebrows and eyes resemble Yue Jianche's, but even the curve of his lips was very similar. However, although his smile was restrained, it seemed to come from the heart, while Yue Jianche's smile always carried a faint sense of aloofness.

"Senior Yue is very kind to me," Yu Zhu said.

This wasn't part of her plan. After saying it, she was taken aback for a moment.

Yue Feng did not interrupt, but listened quietly.

So Yu Zhu continued slowly, "He... made me go to school. He bought me a computer and a tablet. He also told me to study hard."

"Yes." Yue Feng nodded. "When he's willing to give, he's very generous."

The compliment wasn't overly harsh, but it stirred a secret joy within Yu Zhu. She even considered continuing, mentioning that Yuejian Tetsu celebrated her birthday, and that even the Song family's cats had birthdays, so she wanted one too. But that matter was too private; her lips moved, but she remained silent.

Yue Feng seemed to have figured something out. He raised his eyebrows slightly, relaxed his body, and leaned back against the sofa.

He then asked, "Has he ever told you anything about his childhood?"

Yu Zhu shook her head.

"Oh—" Yue Feng nodded with interest, drawing out his voice, "He was like this when he was a child. He seemed to care about nothing on the surface, but he actually had a lot on his mind."

Yu Zhu listened intently.

She imagined what Toru Eshima looked like when he was a child. He must have been very pretty, clean, and had a charming smile.

Tetsuya Echizen knew about her childhood, but she knew nothing about his past. Although Zhou Qiyu had mentioned it once before, it wasn't anything good. She didn't think Zhou Qiyu was an authority figure, at least not compared to Tetsuya Echizen's father.

Yue Feng slowly said, "That was when he was in elementary school. The family driver used to have a son who was about the same age as him. The boy was timid and didn't even dare to go inside the house the first time he came to visit. Yue Jianche was in a good mood that day and warmly invited the boy in to play. He opened snacks for him and taught him how to play with toy cars. They played together almost every day after school. I thought he had made his first good friend."

Yu Zhu listened, and the corner of her lips twitched slightly.

This is a heartwarming story from the past.

A timid and sensitive child, just like her, is brought into a new world by Toru Eshima. She is also subtly guided by him in the same way, gradually gaining a completely new life.

The ice in the cup in her hand had melted completely, and her numb palms gradually regained their warmth.

"And then?" she couldn't help but ask.

Yue Feng leaned away from the backrest, interlaced his fingers, and placed them on his knees.

"Later, Toru Eshima took the child to the home theater."

"It should be the warehouse on the basement level now." He patiently recounted, his tone unhurried. "He turned off the lights, turned the volume up to the maximum, and showed the kid a banned movie that he found somewhere."

Yu Zhu was stunned.

Yue Feng continued, "At first the child sat and watched, but then he got scared and wanted to go out, but he found that the door couldn't be opened."

"He pounded on the door, cried, and called for help. But the key to the media room was with Toru Eshima, and no one could open it. Toru Eshima sat inside, listening to the child's cries, and finished half a bag of potato chips."

Yu Zhu's mind went blank, but Yue Feng continued speaking calmly.

"Later, the child developed some mental problems. I gave the driver a large sum of money, and the family left Chang'an."

He leaned back on the sofa, crossed his long legs, revealing black stockings, and looked relaxed.

"I asked Toru Echima why he did that, and he said, 'It's interesting.'"

Images flashed through Yu Zhu's blank mind.

In the warm carriage, Toru Echizen reached out and patted her face, saying, "You're really interesting."

Also, that day she passed by his room; the door wasn't closed properly, and a paused movie was projected onto the wall. A woman in a yellow dress was holding a knife, blood splattered on her face, clothes, and the wall.

She asked Panpan the name of that movie.

Kill Bill.

Panpan said that it was a landmark work of violent aesthetics.

Yu Zhu suddenly felt a little dazed.

One second she was still immersed in warm childhood memories, but why did the tone suddenly change and everything become so unbearable?

She put down her cup and looked up: "He was still young then."

"Yes," Yue Feng didn't deny it, "very small."

He answered so quickly that Yu Zhu was speechless.

"There are always many explanations for when children do something wrong," Yue Feng said with a smile. "They're immature, they've gone too far with their play, and no one has taught them. We parents are partly to blame."

She said urgently, "He's not like that now."

Yue Feng shrugged, unconcerned.

Yu Zhu's breathing became increasingly rapid.

"Senior Yue is very popular at school. He has many friends. Senior Ji Yong, Senior Song Ban, and Sister Nana, I've met them all."

After listening, Yue Feng chuckled softly, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.

She didn't know if he was incredulous at Etsuya's change, or at her naiveté.

"Ji Yong, Song Ban, Nana," he repeated the three names. "Do you think they're ordinary kids?"

Yu Zhu opened her mouth, but was unable to refute it.

"Sometimes, people gather together not because they share the same interests," Yue Feng said slowly, "but perhaps because they can afford to pay the same price."

Yu Zhu's face gradually paled.

Yue Feng looked at her, his eyes not pressing, but even carrying a hint of pity: "Of course, you can also see this as friendship."

Yu Zhu tried her best to control her emotions, but her voice still trembled: "We're just friends."

"Okay," Yue Feng said, "that's it."

The more he acted this way, the more Yu Zhu felt a tightness in her chest. She would rather he continue saying hurtful things, rather he argue with her, than accept this superficial "okay." It felt like she had thrown a punch with all her might, only to have her fist sink into a soft cloth, making no sound and offering no response.

"Senior Yue has never done anything like that to me," she said.

Yue Feng nodded: "He treats you very well."

It's that same sentence again.

Yu Zhu's eyes welled up with tears as she listened.

"He gave you a name, a place to live, a computer, and a place to read," Yue Feng said. "So it's perfectly reasonable for you to defend him."

Yu Zhu suddenly stood up.

"I did not maintain it."

Yue Feng looked up at her, his expression unchanged.

"What is that?"

Yu Zhu couldn't explain it.

Her chest heaved violently, her fingers gripped the edge of her coat, and her vision began to blur.

Yue Feng waited for a while, but did not receive her reply, nor did he show any disappointment.

"Okay," he said. "I respect your opinion. Please proceed."

An overwhelming emotion welled up in Yu Zhu's heart.

It's like feeling wronged, and it's also like feeling resentful.

"You're his father." Her voice was unusually loud. "Why are you saying these things to me? Why are you talking about your own son like that?"

She thought of Liu Guizhen. Liu Guizhen always said the same thing about her in front of others. She said that she ate a lot, was stupid, and that even if she studied hard, it would be useless. She wouldn't know how to read people's faces when she grew up, and she would be destined to do manual labor wherever she went.

The smile on Yue Feng's face finally faded a little.

He lowered his eyes, reached into a box on the coffee table beside him, took out two tissues, and handed them over.

"It's precisely because I'm his father," he said, "that I know what he's thinking."

Yu Zhu did not take the paper he offered, letting her tears fall.

"No, I heard you arguing," she said. "You're slandering him."

Yue Feng did not refute. There was no anger in his eyes; on the contrary, she felt there was some pity in them.

Yu Zhu turned and ran upstairs.

She burst through the door, closed it, locked it, stood with her back against the door for a few seconds, and then collapsed onto the bed.

Tears streamed down her face, quickly soaking the blanket beneath her. She had been in the city for so long, and this was the first time she had ever cried.

She couldn't even figure out what she was sad about.

She cried until her eyes were swollen, and only when the tears stopped flowing and her sobs subsided did she slowly take out her phone.

At the top of WeChat is Toru Echizen's profile picture.

Yu Zhu stared at that profile picture for a long time. She didn't know why she had messaged him. Maybe it was to complain, maybe it was to remind him, or maybe it was just that at this moment, he was the only person she could think of.

She typed it in, word by word.

Uncle Yue is back.

Press send.