Chapter 12
Li Qing could tell Chen Ju was changing the subject, so he didn’t ask any more questions. Grinning, he said, “The bar is really close. I’ll take you there on my electric scooter.”
It was Chen Ju’s first time at a bar. He followed close behind Li Qing, too nervous to look around.
The manager was a long-haired man, just as friendly and outgoing as Li Qing. They’d only been sitting for ten minutes, and he and Chen Ju were already calling each other brothers.
“I’ll look out for you from now on. Don’t worry, everyone who comes here is decent!” The manager slapped Chen Ju hard on the shoulder. “If anyone causes trouble, I’ll deal with them in no time!”
“Thank you,” Chen Ju said gratefully.
After discussing a few more details, Chen Ju had planned to start work that very night, but the manager told him to go home and rest. He could come by tomorrow evening instead.
When Chen Ju stepped out of the bar, the cold winter wind swept through the dark alley. He took a deep breath, and at last the heavy feeling he’d carried since morning began to ease a little.
As long as he had a job, he’d have money. With money, he could bring his mother out as soon as possible. Then he’d rent a room and live there with her, just like before.
So for now, working a little harder was nothing. It would all be worth it. He couldn’t let himself be overwhelmed by discouragement; he had to keep his spirits up!
“What are you thinking about? You look so serious.” Li Qing pushed his electric scooter over and studied Chen Ju’s expression with a cheerful smile.
Chen Ju came to his senses and hurriedly unclenched his fist. His cheeks burned as he said awkwardly, “N-nothing.”
“Ha ha, you don’t have to be shy around me. By the way, where do you live? I’ll take you home!” Li Qing asked, getting onto his electric scooter.
Thinking of the scene that morning when he’d left home, Chen Ju’s gaze dimmed. He didn’t want to go back there now.
“It’s late, and my place is nearby. Stay at my place tonight!” Li Qing said.
Chen Ju froze for a moment and looked up. Meeting Li Qing’s cheerful face, he suddenly felt his eyes sting. He quickly lowered his head and said thank you again. He’d said thank you too many times that night.
The next morning, Chen Ju quit his job at the hotel. The manager readily paid him his wages and told him he could come back anytime if he wanted to work there again.
With the money in hand, Chen Ju took a bus to the outskirts. He still had several hours before his shift at the bar.
The previous month, Chen Ju had made an agreement with the person in charge at the hospital: when he got paid today, he would settle the medical and hospital bills he’d owed all these years.
But Chen Ju lowered his head and hugged the bag to his chest. It held only his wages for the month—3,000 yuan. That was still nowhere near enough to cover the enormous medical bills. He didn’t know how much longer he’d have to save.
If only that metal box hadn’t been found... It was all his fault for being careless and hiding it somewhere so obvious.
The bumpy bus stopped, and the announcement played: “Now arriving at the psychiatric hospital.”
Chen Ju slung his backpack over his shoulder and got off through the bus’s rear door. The hospital grounds were gloomy and deserted; he couldn’t see a single person, not even a nurse.
But Chen Ju wasn’t afraid at all. He’d been here many times. To him, any place where his mother was couldn’t be scary.
There was no one on the first floor. He followed the damp concrete stairs up to the second floor, where he saw several nurses. One of them spotted him and came over.
“Little Chen, are you here to pick your mother up and take her home?” the nurse asked with a friendly smile.