A mother’s choice

1

In the spring of 2014, fa xiao ayong opened a fight club in the county town. In the autumn, I went back to my hometown from other places for a period of time. Be free and at leisure, I often went to fight club for tea and filmed the daily life of the fight club.

The club’s students are mostly seven – and eight-year-olds, and classes don’t start until Saturday and Sunday. At ordinary times also have adult to come over to do card, pound sandbag, pull out iron, basically for reducing weight, play a few days disappeared.

A Yong started a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend and kept running away. When he went out, he gave the key to a boy named Xu Yang and asked him to open the door of the fight club after school and keep watch for several hours before closing the door. Xu Yang is 12 years old, read grade 6, it is the child of friend of a Yong elder sister, often be bullied in the school, summer vacation is sent over by his mother, the face is still wearing the scar that is beaten to leave.

I watched Xu Yang for a while. Almost every night, he went to the fight club to practice sanda without saying a word. He practiced very carefully. Sometimes I bring my homework and sleep in the fight club. A Yong told me that Xu Yang’s mother was married for the second time and that his stepfather did not like him and was not very kind to him.

Xu Yang was small in stature and looked a little undernourished. Sometimes When I met him at the meal point, I would take him to have a meal with me. His face rarely smile, even after listening to a joke, smile is always fleeting, like a small adult, the eyes show this age should not be reserved and melancholy.

He knew about my relationship with A Yong and was very respectful to me. After several meals, he began to call me “miss My elder brother” and talked a little more, often telling me about school and occasionally mentioning his mother.

In his mouth, his mother was a strong and stern woman who would fly into a rage at his weakness at school and lecture him for staying up late, being late, and failing to finish his homework. But I didn’t find any resentment in his description. On the contrary, I found him very understanding and respectful of his mother — “She’s unhappy, and I can’t make her angry anymore.”

He referred to his stepfather as “the man” — with whom his mother had a younger brother, a cute five-year-old, who liked him and who liked him. However, the closeness of the two brothers did not make the relationship between mother and stepfather better. Instead, as the younger brother grew older, the conflict between mother and stepfather widened and even went under the knife.

When I asked him why he had done it, he dropped his head in silence for a long time and did not speak. I can’t ask him if he’s unhappy — I grew up in a dysfunctional family, too, and I see a little bit of myself in him.

Because Xu Yang is quiet and sensible, I like to take him out for a ride. He had little pocket money and shabby shoes. Once I went shopping at the mall and bought him a pair of sneakers, but he refused to take them for fear of being scolded by his mother. I left them in the fight club, and he lingered for two days until he finally wore them to school.

One night while we were out for a late night snack, his mother called and asked where he was. He said he was with his buddy. At once the woman raised her voice and asked him, “What brother?” I laughed in the side. Later, this woman riding an electric bike to find dust, see me and her son, also did not drink, just rest assured.

That was the first time I met Xu Yang’s mother, a tall woman with a northeast accent, dressed simply, but with a cool and proud temperament.

The woman sat down and we chatted briefly. When we learned that her surname was Wei and that she was 10 years older than me, I called her Sister Wei. She confirmed that I was not a gangster, so she called me brother. She claimed to sell vegetables in the county market, but to see her heavily made up, extraordinary temperament, and My impression of vendors are not the same, she asked what she did before, she smiled faintly: “Don’t mention it.”

Sister Wei noticed the new shoes on her son’s feet and asked where they came from. Xu Yang drew back his feet and hid his face. The woman looked at me and her eyes flashed.

Late at night, Xu Yang sent me a message: “You are still my elder brother, my only buddy.”

I smiled and didn’t reply. Before long, sister wei added my WeChat, asked me how much the shoes were, and asked to transfer the money to me. I asked her not to be serious and to block the transfer. She still turned in 300, so I actually blocked her.

The next evening, While I was playing cards with a few friends at the fight club, Xu Yang showed up, hands in pockets, head down, standing beside me and saying nothing. I feel he is occupied, ask him what is wrong, he suppress red face, suddenly a hand from the pocket take out, put down a roll of money to run.

I opened it and counted three hundred dollar bills.

After playing cards, take Xu Yang to dinner, asked him where the money, he said that the piggy bank. It turned out that was what his mother meant — last night when she came back home, she asked the price of the shoes from his mouth, 298 yuan, and then added WeChat to transfer the money to me, but I didn’t get it, so she let him do it by himself. Then, Xu Yang opened the piggy bank and took out these small notes.

I asked him, “Don’t you think I’m your buddy? You want more money for a present?”

“My mother says you have to earn what you like.”

Hearing what he said, I couldn’t help but have a lot of respect for Wei Jie. Her ability to raise her children like this shows that she is also a woman with a strong character.

I silently removed sister wei’s WeChat from the blacklist. Looking through her circle of friends, it is mostly wechat business set, I think she is not rich, trying to sell all kinds of things.

Soon after, I left the county town and went to other places. My life and that of the mother and son did not intersect for a while. In the early morning, I blocked the circle of friends where Wei Jie was advertised every day.

2

In June 2015, I returned to the county seat and woke up one day to find a message on WeChat asking where I was. Point open a circle of friends to see for a long time, just think of the message is Xu Yang’s mother Wei Jie.

This message is 4 o ‘clock in the morning, I asked her what is the matter, she quickly called voice, asked if Xu Yang and I have been in touch. Her voice sounded tired and anxious, I asked what was the matter, she said with a cry, Xu Yang ran away from home.

Later, I saw A Yong, asked about Xu Yang, he was just informed. Xu’s mother and stepfather were in the midst of a divorce, he said, and they had moved out of their stepfather’s house and rented a room in The garage of A Yong’s sister.

We found Sister Wei. At that time she ran a messy vegetable shop in the garage, and she was disheveled to make a phone call. Hang up the phone, she took a few breaths to find us, like to see a life-saving straw, rushed over to ask if there is Xu Yang’s news. We both shook our heads. She breathed and sat down.

I recalled that a week ago, I had just come back a few days when I met Xu Yang in the street. He walked alone with his schoolbag buried in his head. When I dropped the window and called to him, he recognized me and froze for a moment. He’s a little taller and has the same sneakers I bought last year.

I haven’t seen him for a long time. I’m a little rusty. His eyes aren’t as bright as before. I tried to take him to eat, but he shook his head and said he wasn’t hungry. I said to take him home, he suddenly said: “I have no home.”

Puzzled, I asked him what was wrong.

“I’m going out for the summer. Look for my dad.”

“Your dad? Where is he?”

“Harbin, have you ever been there?

“Yes, Harbin is very beautiful.”

He nodded, hesitated, then looked up. “Can I borrow some money?”

I asked him what he was doing, but he didn’t answer. I also want to ask what, he suddenly said: “500 line, I will definitely return you.”

I rummaged through my wallet, only found 200 yuan, I want to give him WeChat transfer, he said there was no WeChat, just 200 yuan. He put the money in his pocket, said again that he would pay me back, and went away with his head down.

This is a week ago, now in retrospect, I was a little slow to Xu Yang’s abnormal performance. I asked sister Wei if she had contacted Xu Yang’s father. Maybe Xu Yang had gone to Harbin. Wei jie shook her head at once and said, “It’s impossible! He’s never even seen him! ‘

I was very surprised, Sister Wei suddenly looked at me and asked me how I knew Xu Yang’s father was in Harbin. I said I and Xu Yang happened to meet, listen to my words, Sister Wei buried face, shed tears.

Not knowing how to comfort her, the two of us left the garage and went upstairs to A Yong’s sister’s house. Upon hearing this, Sister A Yong went downstairs. After a while, A Yong received a call from his sister asking us to send Wei to Texas for a train ride.

By the time we got downstairs, Wei jie had packed up. Her pajamas had changed into jeans and a shirt, her slippers into high heels, her hair tied up and makeup applied. Her expression was calm, even cold, as if nothing had happened, except that her eyes were still red.

Shortly after setting out, A Yong received a phone call from his girlfriend, saying that he could not go because of something, so I drove Wei Jie to Texas alone.

On the way, there was a silence for a while. Wei lit a cigarette and began to talk. Her voice was soft and sad. “Harbin — I thought I would never go back…”

3

Sister Wei’s mother was from Heilongjiang, while her father was from Shandong, a province in northeast China. After having two younger sisters and three younger brothers, her parents returned to Shandong with them. The whole family lived in two small earthen houses left by grandpa.

Both of her parents went to work, and Wei took on the responsibility of taking care of her younger siblings at an early age, so much so that she dropped out of junior high school before finishing it. “At that time, I was very poor and my family often ran out of food, so I took them to the fields to steal corn and sweet potatoes.”

Later, Her father fell ill and lost his ability to work. He had to stay at home and she began to work outside. A few years later, little by little, the family house was built.

I asked her what she did for a living. After a pause, she said, “An evening.”

When she was 18 years old, She returned to Heilongjiang province and worked as a waitress in a hotel in Harbin for a year. After that, she caught up with her uncle and opened a dance hall with others. She was asked by her aunt to be the counter. She was pretty, had a good figure, and was constantly accosted, invited to drink and dance. She wanted to leave, but her aunt persuaded her, “She gave me a pay rise, all the tips from the guests and promised me that I would not be bullied. In fact, it is to coax men happy, earn money on the line, think about the situation at home, I will continue to do.”

At that time, she was like a princess, pursued by many men, and often invited out to dinner, but she never accepted. She was careful to protect herself and knew that the men in the playground could not be trusted. An old man sent her flowers every time he came, gave her the biggest tip, and offered to keep her, but she refused. But to her surprise, my aunt actually became a lobbyist for the old man, saying that the old man was very powerful and that if she depended on the tree, the whole family would have nothing to worry about in the future.

In fact, Wei Jie knew the old man’s identity — whether the dance hall could continue to operate depended on his words. My aunt said it was good for her, but only wanted to trade her. “So did my uncle. I saw through them.”

She quietly left the dance hall and found a job as a saleswoman in a shopping mall. A few months later, my uncle’s dance hall suddenly closed. Once she went to visit her grandmother, met her aunt, aunt cold face and she did not say a word.

In 2001, at the age of 25, She was promoted to sales executive. That year she met a tradesman in the South, five years older than she, who was a good talker. The man launched a pursuit for her, she also arrived at the age of marriage, do not want to float down, and men dating a few months to determine the relationship. To her surprise, she found out that the southern man was not only married and had children, but also owed a lot of foreign debts. To her shock, she only realized that she was just one of the man’s many “fiancee” outside.

After the lie was exposed, the man immediately disappeared from the world with tens of thousands of yuan of Wei’s savings. Wei jie had to borrow money to abort the fetus, quit her job and return to her grandmother’s home in the countryside to recuperate. She was depressed for a long time and lost her mind all day long. Her grandmother was also sad and often wiped her tears behind her back.

“In those days I had a murderous impulse, and I had a lot of dreams in which I was cramping the bastard and pulling his bones. I don’t care about anything…”

Body recovery soon, through a friend, she went to the county to work in a card field. There, she met Xu’s father, Xu Zhifeng, a man four years her junior.

A mother’s choice
Xu zhifeng, then 21, had just been discharged from the army and had no formal job, and often went to the card courts to kill time. He is a relative of the boss, the boss will ask him to stare in the past, especially at night, some people lose anxious eyes often make trouble, Xu Zhifeng is a big man, to the station is very imposing, the town must live in the court.

“He’s not one of those bullies. He has a certain integrity about him. I can see that he is interested in me, and often speaks to me, either consciously or unconsciously.” Wei Jie said.

the night before Valentine’s Day in 2002, Xu Zhifeng on the mahjong tiles, Wei Jie used to pour tea, Xu Zhifeng suddenly asked her how to spend Valentine’s Day. When She was asked, Xu zhifeng said, “If I win money today, I will buy flowers for you tomorrow.”

The next morning, Wei Jie had not opened her eyes when she received a phone call from Xu Zhifeng, saying that she was waiting for her downstairs. She jumped out of bed and went to the window, where she saw Xu Zhifeng jumping under the dormitory building in a military coat.

“I know he didn’t win the night before, but he gave me a bunch of roses anyway. I don’t remember a flower shop in the county. I don’t know where he got it.” Although Wei Jie accepted the roses, she did not agree to be Xu Zhifeng’s girlfriend — although he was big and immature, She was not sure that he would always like herself.

I asked her if she liked Xu Zhifeng, she was silent for a few seconds, “HMMM” a voice: “In terms of appearance, he is one in a hundred men, quiet character, no evil, I would have been tempted.

Let Wei Jie decide to associate with Xu Zhifeng, is a rape attempt happened in her body — one night on the way home from work, she was a man molestation, she tried to resist, but was each other grabbed the neck lost consciousness. Wake up, the body of a few hundred dollars without.

the second day she did not dare to walk in the night, Xu Zhifeng heard about this, so he got a battered car, every night waiting for her to go off work, sent her back to the dormitory. One day she couldn’t resist and asked Xu Zhifeng what he liked about her. Xu zhifeng said, “I don’t know. You will be my wife in the future.”

“You still like it when I’m like this?”

Xu’s memorable reply was, “I love your soul.”

She didn’t come back to her dorm that night.

Two months later, she was pregnant with Xu Yang. At that time both of them were very poor. She asked Xu Zhifeng if she wanted the child, but Xu Zhifeng said firmly, “Yes!”

4

They told their parents about their pregnancy. Wei’s parents showed their respect for her choice. They heard that the other side was poor and did not ask for a bride price, saying that as long as the other side was good to her, it was enough.

The problem lies on Xu’s side — his father died early and his mother has been a widow with a devious and eccentric personality. Wei Jie with Xu Zhifeng the first time to see his mother, mother-in-law’s face did not smile. She thought her prospective mother-in-law is disgusted with her age, but Xu Zhifeng told her that his mother’s past several girlfriends are this attitude.

Although her family was poor, Xu’s mother was not enthusiastic about her son’s marriage. Instead of affirming their relationship, she suggested that Wei abort her child: “It’s ridiculous to get married with a big belly. You are not ashamed.

The first meeting broke up on bad terms. Xu’s words shook Wei Jie. She wanted to have an abortion, but xu zhifeng held her back. His words moved her again: “This is our child.

Wei jie was so eager to have a home of her own that even if she just rented the house, it was worth all the pains as long as she was with the one she loved. She decided to keep the child and was ready to ride with the man through thick and thin.

In August of that year, Xu Zhifeng took Wei Jie to his home to raise a fetus. She began to live and eat with Xu’s mother. Xu Zhifeng also no longer mixed brand field, a brick factory in the county began the stevedore. “He could have gone to Work in Harbin, but he could not rest assured of me, so he had to do some coolie work for the time being, getting up early and getting up late every day. It was very hard.”

Xu Zhifeng to go to work in a brick factory is to hide from his mother, xu mother later found his son at the dinner table, repeatedly asked to get the truth. As soon as her son left, Xu mother turned a cold eye to her daughter-in-law, whom she did not admit, and shouted: “Wei Yanan! Look what my son has done to you! Have you got enough to eat?”

Wei jie was silent. Xu’s mother suddenly threw all the dishes upside down and went away.

Since that day, as soon as Xu Zhifeng went out, Xu mother would carry on the mental and physical torture of Sister Wei – move the TV from her house, lock the refrigerator, the washing machine is not allowed to use, all the clothes let her wash by hand – there is a well in the backyard, want to use water also have to personally with a bucket of water.

The most difficult thing for Wei jie was to eat. Xu’s mother would not stir fry any more and would not allow her to touch anything in the kitchen. There was only pickles, kimchi, and white rice on the table every time.

There was a vegetable plot in the yard, and a few fresh green cucumbers grew on the shelves. Everyone was greedy when they were pregnant. Wei Jie could not help wanting to eat them, but when she came near the vegetable plot, Xu Mother stopped and looked at her coldly, as if she wanted to drink at any time.

One night, she couldn’t help herself. She got up in the middle of the night and picked a cucumber. She hid herself in the bed and ate it. Xu Zhifeng was awakened and asked what had happened to her. Many grievances rushed up, but thinking of the man’s hard work during the day and not wanting to add to his troubles, Sister Wei swallowed them all and said nothing.

However, her compromise did not bring better results. Xu Zhifeng had an older sister who was more domineering than his mother. The other side sees her for the first time, ask directly: “elder sister, you this is to use what method to cheat my younger brother to get?” Sister Wei stared blankly at each other’s face, speechless.

Mother and daughter often whispered to her on the phone, and when her sister appeared for the second time, they said to her: “Don’t give birth to the baby, leave my brother after the fetus, you don’t deserve him, I will find a rich woman for him.

This time she was silent no longer: “You can let me go, let your brother tell me.”

The other party calls a younger brother immediately, let him say break up, was scolded by younger brother however. Xu Zhifeng rushed back from the brick factory and quarreled with his mother and sister in front of her.

Wei Jie did not want to live in Xu Mother, let Xu Zhifeng send her back to his grandmother. She asked Xu Zhifeng again after no regret, at that time pregnant for 5 months, regret words can also induce labor. Xu Zhifeng assured her to go back to the grandmother to raise the fetus, he earned a few months of money, such as after the birth of the child on the wedding.

However, as Wei’s belly gets bigger, Xu zhifeng’s attitude toward her becomes more and more unpredictable. Although he would come to see her every day after work and bring her some delicious food, his words became less and his eyes were no longer hot. Occasionally his eyes met, and his eyes began to look evasive.

Finally, one day, Xu zhifeng dragged his tired feet and showed up at the gate of Her grandmother’s house. With tears in his eyes, he told Her that he had broken up with her. At that time, Wei Jie was eight months pregnant.

“You were the one who wanted the baby, and you were the one who said goodbye. Xu Zhifeng, remember, I will have the baby, but from now on, it has nothing to do with you!”

Leaving these words, Wei jie turned and walked in the door. The next day, she packed up and left the northeast and returned to Shandong. In her mother’s arms, she shed tears.

5

At this point, we enter downtown Texas. Wei Jie stopped and let out a sigh. She leaned her head on one side against the window and stared out into the world. I glanced at her, her hand over her nose, her nostrils sipping gently.

To the railway station, she went down to buy a ticket to Harbin station, there is still some time before the departure, I am not in a hurry to go back, then asked her to eat something together. At the dinner table, I couldn’t help but ask, “Is this it? Never contacted again?”

She shook her head.

“After the baby was born, my mother called him on the quiet. In fact, he keeps contacting me and regrets breaking up with me, but I just don’t want to be humiliated by the mother and the daughter anymore. I won’t live with him again until he’s on his own and no longer under their influence. After the baby was one month old, he came to Shandong with his household registration book to look for me. At that moment, I felt very sad…”

Wei Jie has been ready to take the children to live alone, but the mother’s persuasion and Xu Zhifeng’s door, and she decided to give Xu Zhifeng a chance. So, two people went to the civil affairs Bureau to register marriage, get a marriage certificate, and then she returned to the northeast with Xu Zhifeng.

But she soon discovered that she had made the wrong decision. At that time, Xu Zhifeng, with the help of his sister, opened a small bar in Harbin, living a life of day and night reversed, drunk. “He was completely spoiled by his sister. You can’t imagine that there are such women in the world who teach their own brother how to pick up women and cheat money from women. She set up the bar for him as a facade to introduce him to all kinds of rich women. He’s gone, a clean boy, and now a playboy…”

Xu Zhifeng rented a house for Wei Jie, but rarely went back to accompany her, her son completely responsible for eating and drinking lazaretsa. Her son was wrapped in a thick quilt. She could not hold him. Her arms were numb.

She can not work with her son, can only ask xu Zhifeng for money. Sometimes I couldn’t reach him by phone, so I took my son to the bar to look for him. “There was a room on the second floor where he usually slept. Once I went in and saw him sleeping on the floor with two women in his bed, And I actually laughed. He’s just like a poor dog.

After that, she had an open conversation with Mr. Xu, expressed her disappointment with him and asked for a divorce. Xu Zhifeng did not retain her, said marriage can be divorced, but to leave his son. She was determined not to give up her son, so Xu Zhifeng said, “Try it, can you take your child out of Harbin?”

After leaving the threat, Xu zhifeng arranged his cousin to watch her to prevent her from running away with his son.

“Cousin although follow him to beg bread to eat, but also don’t like him, also say he changed a person, staring at me for two days, may be to see me poor, gave me a little money, let me and the child go.

“He didn’t go after you?”

“Yes, I took three men to Shandong to look for me and rob my children with me. My sister’s object is social. I took a gang and beat them up and tied them up. I wrote out the papers, gave the children to me, and had nothing to do with him from then on. I made him sign them, and he stayed up all night till morning, but he added a note at the end: He was allowed to see the children.”

“And has he come to see it?”

“No. That was the last time we saw each other. In the first few years, I still heard from him. He got married and had children in Harbin. Then I never heard from him again.

“That you and Xu Yang is how to explain?”

She sighed wistfully. “How can I put it? It’s all between adults, not children. I told him from an early age that his father was a good man, a man of the world. I don’t want to speak ill of him to the boy, and I don’t want to enmity him. ‘

“So he had a brilliant image in Xu Yang’s heart. Xu Yang with you have not been happy, will think of looking for him?”

“I have a great responsibility indeed, and have not been able to give him a safe home for so many years. My son has suffered too much with me…”

Wei Jie’s eyes were red again and she raised her face to light a cigarette. His face, shrouded in smoke, soon regained its composure, as if he had just woken from a drunken dream.

In my heart a sigh. Think of Xu Yang full of vision to find his father, if really saw Xu Zhifeng, and what waves will happen? Could the man who lived in his imagination still give him strength when all was gone?

With these questions in mind, I said goodbye to Wei Jie and watched her carrying a small horse into the waiting hall.

I expected to see her and Xu Yang soon. Unexpectedly, that one is 4 years.

6

Last October, A Yong led the students of the fight club to Jinan to participate in the youth free fighting competition. I went back to the county town to meet him. He said that he met Xu Yang at the competition and asked me “do you remember that kid?

“He went to laiyang Sports school. You wouldn’t recognize him if you saw him. He asked me about you.”

In this way, through a yong I and xu Yang and got in touch, WeChat he sent a selfie, I looked for a long time before I found his appearance.

I lost my mobile phone once after I parted from sister wei. After changing the number, the WeChat ID of mother and son was never found back.

I asked Xu Yang, that year ran away from home is not to Harbin, he said no, sit to Beijing on the off, in Beijing to play two days and go back.

“Even if I went to Harbin to find him, I wouldn’t live with him. I might be a problem for him. The person who really loves me is my mother.” Xu Yang is still very sensible.

When I said I would have time to visit him, he sent me the address of the sports school and transferred 200 yuan in a red envelope. He said he had the loan in mind and asked me to take it.

In early May of this year, I went home through Jinan and suddenly wanted to go to Laiyang to meet Xu Yang. After contacting with him, I learned that he had left the sports school after the New Year and was now living with Sister Wei in Cao County, working as a security guard in a shopping mall.

A few days later I went to Shangqiu, passing through Caoxian County, and took time to see him. Xu Yang transferred to Sue, as early as at the station waiting for me. I haven’t seen him in years, but he’s a big boy I need to look up to. Asked how tall he was, he scratched his head and said, “1.83 meters.”

He was a baby-faced man with a pale complexion and a melancholy look in his eyes. I asked him if I had changed, but he said he couldn’t tell. I pointed to the wrinkles on my face, and he dropped his eyes and smiled.

Then he took me home and I met Sister Wei in their rented house. She had put on weight, she was wearing a black dress, her proud flesh was visible, her facial skin was flabby and, overall, much older than when I saw her a few years ago.

Beaming, she made tea and water and sat down to talk to me about the years since we parted. Xu Yang told her to borrow money from me, she contacted me several times, but did not receive a reply. When I explained to her the reason and asked her why she had come to Cao County, she smiled and said, “It’s a long story.”

She is now engaged in a business that uses WeChat ID to publish all kinds of advertising information. She said that she has been expanding in cao county for more than 3 years and it is stable at present. A few months ago, she opened a new county, and now she has to run at both ends of the road and is busy every day. She bought a new car and hired a driver before she could get her license.

“The driver added a child, went home to take care of his wife, these days I am riding an electric car to talk about business, people do not believe that I am doing business, ha ha! She has a hearty laugh, a different person from a few years ago. Meeting her again is not strange, but a feeling of old friends meet.

It was near noon and I wanted to invite them out to dinner. She said that she had bought food early and asked me to rest while she cooked. I came empty-handed, while she was cooking, I took Xu Yang out to do some shopping. On the way, I asked him where his stepfather was and he told me that his mother had long since divorced “that man.”

“And your brother? With whom?”

“First with him, now with us, after the New Year to receive, arranged the school. My mother and Uncle Li broke up because of this.”

I asked who “Uncle Li” was, and he said, “My mother’s boyfriend of 3 years” : “Uncle Li is very kind to my mother, and treats me like a buddy, I really don’t know what my mother thinks…”

Later I went back to dinner. Sister Wei and I asked about it. In front of Xu Yang, she just smiled faintly. Then she asked me to drive her to a town to visit a client, and on the way she told her story.

7

“God threw me down, is to let me rob.” She began by lighting up her cigarette.

In those days, and xu Zhifeng completely cut off the relationship, she began to take the children side work life. For the first two years, with her mother’s help, she was able to focus on her work. Later, when her brother got a doll, she had some difficulty. Her mother advised her to find a stable man to start a new family, so that she would not have to work so hard alone. However, she had a strong character and did not want to build her happiness on a man, so she had been putting off finding a partner.

Xu Yang grew to 3 years old, she sent her son to the kindergarten, let her mother give her another year. That year she went to Texas and was introduced by a friend to work as a foreman in a large bath. Her strong interpersonal skills, the boss soon found her talent, less than half a year let her as a lobby manager.

“The boss told me I got the highest salary in The state of Texas — back in ’06, you do the math, I got 6,000 or 7,000 a month in base salary plus various commission bonuses, which was pretty high in Texas.”

With a high income, she rented a house and took her son from his mother. The next two or three years, though hard, were her richest. In the winter of 2008, when she bought a house in Texas with a down payment, she finally felt rooted to the ground. The first night after decorating the house, she cried with joy.

In 2009, she quit her job and started a women-goods business with a woman she had met at the baths. She has contracted for the agency of two counties below Dezhou, one of which is Qingyun County. She met her second husband, Yang Bo, while shopping in the county town. “We were actually friends of the Dance troupe, but we never met. That day I went shopping in the county town and needed to find a local driver. So I asked him in the group. He happened to be from Qingyun and contacted me.”

Yang Bo worked as her driver for two days and helped her shop all the time, but when he checked out, he didn’t ask for money.

“He said he wasn’t helping me to make money and he didn’t need it. I asked him what it was, so he offered to make friends with me. I said friends to friends, business to business, or pay him. He insisted on inviting me to dinner. I saw that he was a bit weak, so I thought to promise him that I would finish the meal as soon as possible, and then I would no longer contact him.”

During the shopping process, Wei and Yang revealed that they divorced and were single. After they separated, Yang began to contact her frequently and wanted to talk to her about a date. “He is the same age as me. The way he looks is really not my type, and I feel uncomfortable even looking at him, let alone talking to someone.”

Wei’s refusal, however, didn’t dampen Yang’s enthusiasm, but made him even crazier: “I put him on the blacklist, so he contacted me with a new number. I changed my phone number, and he left me a message on qq. At last he said that if I did not give him my consent, He would take away all my goods.”

“Why don’t you call the police?”

“Even if I call the police and arrest him and lock him up for a few days before he comes out, I’ll be the one who suffers. It was the beginning of my business and I had put all my savings into it.

Wei Jie decided to meet Yang Bo and have a chat. She took two male friends to the county town to meet Yang Bo. To her amusement and embarrassment, one of them turned out to be a poker friend, and the expected serious talk turned into a toasting.

Yang Bo promised not to threaten Wei Jie’s business, also promised to help her to do up the Qingyun market, which let her heart a little bit of good opinion of him. She also felt that she could go out with him, and if he had real ability, it would not be a bad thing to marry him.

“But I was wrong. He’s not at all cut out for business — he’s not cut out for anything but talk. Stubborn, ignorant, like a naughty child who hasn’t grown up yet.”

After dating for some time, Wei jie saw through him and began to play cards with him. This time Yang Bo did not depend on her, but climbed to the highest building in the county. “He said he was going to kill himself, and if I didn’t agree to marry him, he would jump off. I was really scared, not about him dying, but what if he died and I had to Sue him?”

In this way, Wei jie not only failed to make a clean break with Yang Bo, but also agreed to marry him. That sounds ridiculous.

“As soon as he came down I slapped him. I was so disgusted that he laughed. I let him go back to prepare the house car and bride price, lack of the same are not married, did not think he ran to my mother’s home, kneeling at my mother’s feet crying. What a despicable and unscrupulous showman he is!”

At the end of 2009, Wei and Yang held their wedding. It was her first wedding dress, but there was no joy on her face.

Then her life fell from the sky to the ground. The feckless Yang Bo not only failed to help her do business, but also carried the money back to the gambling table behind her back. To make matters worse, Yang took out a loan shark on her Texas house while she was pregnant — something she didn’t know until after her second son was born, which was too late.

I wondered why I had children with him when I knew he was such a man. She sighed deeply and said, “I’m not afraid of your jokes. Every time I have sex with him, I feel sick to death. Every time I would take the medicine, but then he found out and gave me a fake one. When I got pregnant with my second child and tried to abort, he looked around and threatened me with the eldest, so I had to admit it.”

The house was gone, the business was ruined, and Wei Jie, with her second child, was once again penniless.

“I have chronic appendicitis, and one time I got sick, and I called him for money to go to the hospital, and he came back with five dollars in his pocket. Ha, five bucks! I tried to call my mom to borrow money, but he grabbed my phone and wouldn’t let me. I hurt dizzy, he carried me to the small clinic transfusion. Then he went out to borrow some money, so I called a former friend of mine, got 5,000 and went to the hospital.”

‘What friends?

“This man chased me long ago. He was the boss’s brother when I was the manager of the bath. He has a family. I didn’t say yes. He is a man of rivers and lakes. He is affectionate and has helped me solve a lot of troubles. Later in prison, I waited for him, did not expect to meet Yang Bo. When he got out of jail he found out I was married and he never looked me up again. That received my phone call, I heard that I was ill without money, two words did not say to transfer 5000 dollars. Later, he visited me in the hospital and scolded me for finding such a useless man…”

“He’s a multimillionaire boss now, and I’m a yellow-faced woman.” “She sighed.” Don’t go the wrong way, step by step, step by step.”

“If you had to choose again, where would you start?”

Without thinking, she said, “Just get divorced early. It shouldn’t wait that long. I made a profit by leaving Yangbo one day early.”

“I thought you would say not to marry him.”

She was silent for a moment, mumbling: “Reluctant to two boys…”

8

When she went to the town, She visited two clients and signed an annual VIP bill. She received 9,000 yuan of advertising fee. 70% of the money belonged to her branch and the other 30% belonged to the general company. She said that she could see hundreds of clients every month and sign five or six annual bills. It was a good luck today that she would invite me to sing in the evening.

Back to the county, it was almost time to finish school, she asked me to drive the car directly near the school, waiting for her second son, Young Hao. I asked the child what grade he was in. She said he was 10 and in the fourth grade. She sighed and said, “I thought I would just go on with my life. What happened to the first son, I didn’t want to happen to the second. But endure to endure, or so the outcome. Yang Bo one thing makes me very sad, since there is a second, he is obviously close to Xu Yang after the difference. He seldom bought anything back. He only bought it for the second brother, and he would tell the first brother, “This is my brother’s. You mustn’t touch it.” Xu Yang is more sensible, never argue with his brother, but his heart will be uncomfortable.

It was a bullying incident that prompted her to decide to divorce:

“That day I have something, let Xu Yang pick up brother home from school, Xu Yang met a few classmates outside the kindergarten, the children tube he want money, did not succeed, began to play Xu Yang. When I received the phone call, Xu Yang had been sent to the hospital. At that time the kindergarten has been dismissed, I asked the teacher Who took Yang Hao away, the teacher said let his father take away. Evening I asked Yang Bo, Xu Yang was not there when he was beaten, he said no. But Young Hao said that when the brother was beaten, his father looked on, he let his father to save his brother, but his father took him away!

Hearing her second son’s story and seeing Yang Bo’s dodging eyes, Wei jie knew it was true. She immediately went to the kitchen to get a kitchen knife, came out and hit Yang Bo on the head, fortunately he hid quickly, the blade fell on his shoulder, cut a collarbone, Yang Bo ran out howling.

“That knife I sold vegetables to save more than 20,000 yuan have sent to the hospital — but I do not regret it, if I had known he is so soft package, I should have cut him away earlier!

Yang Bo was also admitted to the hospital, and Xu Yang in the same room. They lived together for four or five days, not talking to each other. after the injury of Xu Yang was sent into a yong wei fight hall, out of the hospital Yang Bo received a divorce agreement.

“He refused to sign it unless I left Him With Young. I also wanted to stay, but seeing his virtue, not to mention the education of his children, it was difficult even to feed them, so I put it off for more than half a year. Then I separated from him and sued for divorce. The court awarded Yang Hao to him.”

Wei, who was unable to raise two children at the time, accepted the result. After divorce, she sent Xu Yang into the sports school, he left Qingyun, and returned to Texas to make a living. At the age of 38, decent jobs were hard to find and she had to lower her profile and start a small street business. “After selling fruit and selling pancakes, I gradually saved a little money. Later, I came into contact with WeChat advertising, which has a low threshold and no age limit. I worked in the head office for one year as customer service, and after I got familiar with the business, I borrowed money to contract the cao county branch.”

The man who lent her the money, li Xiangchun, was the owner of a barbershop, or “Uncle Li,” as Xu Yang called him.

“He was 3 years older than me, divorced, childless and very stable. I worked as customer service in the head office at that time. His store was near the company, so I got familiar with him by getting my hair done regularly. I don’t know how he likes me, he’s been talking to me ever since he got my WeChat. At first I thought he was just lonely and wanted to have sex with me. After a few encounters with him, I found out he was serious.”

After a period of dating, the two established a romantic relationship. When it comes to the future, the two agree: no kids, no licenses, just relax.

“This has been one of my happiest relationships. He has a good character and is not hasty in doing things. He is easy to get along with. I love him so much that I think more and more of marrying him. He also said during the Spring Festival that he wanted to have a child with me.”

However, in two people ready to implement the card to make a child when the second son Of A shout broke the dream. On the night of the Lantern Festival, Yang hao with his father Yang bo WeChat with sister wei open video, crying “mom save me”, voice still down, the phone was taken away by a woman with disheveled hair.

“I felt like I had been stabbed in the back. I almost lost my breath.” As she said this, Wei’s face went white and her shoulders shook slightly. “I asked Li Xiangchun to drive me back to Qingyun that night. When We got to Yang Bo’s mother’s house in the middle of the night, the boy cried when he saw me. I saw his face and legs are purple and blue, asked who dozen, his grandparents did not open his mouth, I took the knife to find Yang Bo. Li Xiangchun stopped me halfway and told me not to be silly. He took the knife away and threw it away, taking me and my child to a hotel.”

that night she and Li Xiangchun consulted, to bring Yang Hao back to Cao County, Li Xiangchun let her don’t be so impatient, such as to see the father asked clearly again.

Maybe his parents told him about the situation last night and he didn’t dare to come over. I said if he didn’t come I would take the baby away. But he said take it away and keep it for yourself. I’ll curse you, you old brute, for bringing my son into harm’s way!”

Sister Wei took Yang Hao back to Cao County, and several times back, Yang Hao transferred to the school. Yang Hao settled, she breathed a sigh of relief, but also found the change of Li Xiangchun.

“He was unhappy and talked to him casually. I asked him if it was because Yang Hao had come, but he admitted it. He felt he had a new baby all of a sudden and couldn’t take it. I said this is my child, do not need your money to keep, just give him a little uncle’s love. He asked me if we still had children. I said there was no conflict at all. As long as you were willing to marry me and have children with me, we would have another child together. He said no, the pressure would be too much for him. I said That Xu Yang is nearly 18 years old, we do not need to pay what, he can work to support themselves, the rest is Yang Hao, I will bear all the costs, do not need you to pay, what pressure is there? He still shook his head and sighed like a man possessed.”

Li left Cao for a few days to return to his hometown. When they met again, he offered His cards to Sister Wei — he had to choose between him and Yang Hao.

“If you were me, what would you choose?” “She asked Li Xiangchun.

Li Xiangchun said he could never be her.

“Then I understand.” After catching her breath and calming down, She transferred the original 50,000 yuan loan to Li’s account and told him, “You are a good man and you have your skills. It is not difficult to find another woman. But remember, I do not regret my choice.”

Li Xiangchun looked at her and asked if she had ever loved him. Wei Jie smiled and did not answer.

I want to ask how she didn’t tell him the answer, perhaps Li Xiangchun because this sentence doesn’t walk – right now the school has the school, the school there many students, falling Wei Jie window facing a drooping head, children shouted “Yang Hao” casual walk, the boy looked up and found her and immediately fly out smiling face, running toward the car.

Before the child jumped into the car, she said to me, “He can find love from other women. But the boy can’t, SHH –“

The moment the car door opened, I heard the child happily shout: “Mom! Why are you free to pick me up today?”

“Yes, mom made money today, early to pick you up home to do homework, take you and brother Hapi to go!”

“! Yeah! I’ll write it now! ‘

“Ha! Silly!”

I started the car. For a moment as the wheel rolled, my eyes were moist.

9

The singing-hall box is very lively in the evening. Xu Yang invited a group of colleagues, are 17 or 18 years old boys and girls, very active. Yang Hao is a wheat bully, no matter who sings, sing the song, can roar a few words. Their mother sat silently in the corner, looking at the phone screen. She seemed to be talking to someone, or leafing through the chat, her eyes sparkling with tears.

After a while, she put on her headphones and waved at me. I leaned over and she slipped me an earphone. “Listen, that’s what I sang. I used to be a Mab –“

Earphones came her voice, singing Ye Qian Wen’s “Walk Smartly once” :

Heaven and earth long

Traveler in a hurry

The tide rises and falls

Life and death are gray

Several people can see through…

Halfway through, she suddenly took off her earphones and slowly twisted her face. I pretended not to notice and continued to listen. I know what happens in the room: a happy child singing, a sad teenager in love, a strong mother in tears…

The next morning, I said goodbye to them. In the car I kept thinking about how I would tell their story. From the moment I typed the first line, the thought that lingered in my mind never disappeared: this should not be a story told by me, nor a story without a happy ending.

I remember sleeping with Xu Yang that night. After a long chat on the phone, he touched me. I woke up, dazed in looking at him, he should be a smile said: “Read brother, soon, I may have a message to tell you…”

I was too sleepy to ask him for any news. I still haven’t asked him. The phone was on all the time, and I was looking forward to hearing from uncle Li about his change of heart and the beginning of his love life.