Thirteen Wonders (ShíSānYāo) : Chapter 30 - One Tong Nine Tong
Chapter 30: One Tong Nine Tong
The situation with Ding Jiao had been unfolding for several days, quietly fermenting within the alley. However, in reality, only the Zhou family’s atmosphere remained tense. Zhou Ma had repeatedly told Zhou’s mother to bring Zhou Yao back home. Upon learning that she was staying at Chen Xuze’s house, Zhou Ma felt somewhat relieved, but ultimately, it wasn’t the same as having her at home.
Mother Zhou, however, stubbornly refused. “She can stay wherever she wants. She’s grown wings now, completely out of control. So young, yet already learning to mix with men. If she wants to stay with Chen Xuze, let her. Might as well get pregnant before the college entrance exam—save herself the trouble in the future…!”
Her words were so harsh that even Zhou Ma couldn’t hold back a retort, leading to frequent arguments in the living room. The guests at the front of the mahjong parlor didn’t understand the situation, and rumors began to spread that Zhou Ma and his wife were having serious marital problems, arguing as if they were on the verge of divorce.
While the tension between Zhou Ma and his wife remained unresolved, Ding Jiao’s mother suddenly came to visit, becoming the key to unlocking the deadlock.
As soon as she sat down, she began apologizing. “I’m really, really sorry, Xiuyin. I… I feel too ashamed to even come here.”
Mother Zhou, whose full name was Zhou Xiuyin, was confused. “What’s going on?”
“These past few days, everyone has heard you and Zhou Ma arguing. Yaoyao isn’t home, so outsiders might not know the details, but my husband and I understand very well.”
Ding Jiao’s mother sighed. “Our Jiaojiao has caused trouble for your family, and I truly apologize.” She grabbed Mother Zhou’s hand, her eyes reddening. “But I never expected my daughter to do something like this. When we first found out, her father and I were shaking with rage. He locked the door and wanted to beat her to death. Our house was in total chaos.”
From her words, Zhou’s mother sensed something was off. “Jiaojiao…?”
Ding Jiao’s mother’s face was filled with shame. She nodded with teary eyes, her tears streaming down her cheeks. “She’s only in her second year of high school, and now this… It’s all our fault as parents for not raising her properly. And that little bastard—her father beat her mercilessly, but she refused to say who it was…”
Zhou’s mother was stunned. After a moment, she processed what was being implied. “You mean… Jiaojiao… that?” She hesitated before adding, “The box of pills… it was left in Yaoyao’s room?”
Ding Jiao’s mother nodded. “Everyone says Yaoyao is mature beyond her years—always calm and composed, with a clear mind. Over the years, everyone in the alley has seen it. Who doesn’t know that she has never done anything improper? She’s obedient and well-behaved—both adults and kids like her. That’s why, when this happened, Jiaojiao thought of asking Yaoyao for help.”
Ding Jiao’s mother praised, “It’s still Yaoyao who is sensible. She knew to persuade Jiaojiao to come back and tell us. Just think, such a big matter—if these kids had tried to handle it on their own and ended up causing a disaster, even risking their lives, that would have been…” As she spoke, she started crying again.
“Yaoyao is still the best, really the best… She kept persuading her, telling her that even if her father and I were angry, we would never abandon her. She thought about it over and over again before she finally dared to come and tell us…”
These were all words that Ding Jiao herself had told her mother.
After days of turmoil at home, and knowing that the Zhou family was still caught up in the chaos, Ding Jiao’s mother came over in person to discuss the matter. She sobbed uncontrollably, lamenting her daughter’s irresponsibility and failure to consider her parents’ feelings. Mother Zhou comforted her for a long time, while Zhou Ma remained silent, smoking in the corner.
In the end, Ding Jiao’s mother clasped Mother Zhou’s hands and begged her not to spread the news. If word got out, Ding Jiao’s future would be ruined.
Zhou Ma and his wife quickly agreed.
After all, the Ding family had relatives working at the local community office, and there was no telling when they might need their help. Maintaining a good relationship was far more beneficial than making enemies.
Once Ding Jiao’s mother left, the Zhou family’s living room fell into silence. Zhou Ma sat on the left, not looking at Mother Zhou, but shooting her glances from the corner of his eye. His expression was dark, his skin as sallow as the aged wooden table beside him.
“Go bring Yaoyao back!” Zhou Ma tapped his fingers on the table and spat out the words. “Are you satisfied now? Happy?”
“Why are you yelling?” Mother Zhou shot up from her seat. “Do you think I feel good about this?”
“You don’t feel good?” Zhou Ma’s voice was sharp. “You’ve been scolding her and even kicked her out. If you don’t feel good, then who does? You act like you’re the only person in this family.”
“I asked her whose it was, and she wouldn’t say! We found it in her room—what was I supposed to think? Huh? Wasn’t I just looking out for her?”
“If you were looking out for her, you should have believed her at least once! How many times did she tell you it wasn’t hers? Did you believe her?!”
Mother Zhou was stubborn. “Given the circumstances, tell me—how could I believe her? How?!”
Zhou Ma found her impossible to reason with. He slammed the table again. “Go get her back.”
Mother Zhou stood in silence for a long time before slowly sitting down, turning her back to Zhou Ma. After a while, she got up and walked to the door—not to open it, but to lock it from the inside.
“It’s too late now,” she said. “I’ll go get her tomorrow.”
……
At noon, after finishing her lunch, Ding Jiao specifically took a bus from her school to No. 7 High School to find Zhou Yao, surprising her.
They sat across from each other in a milk tea shop.
“You won’t be late getting back?” Zhou Yao asked.
“No, I timed it carefully.” Ding Jiao shook her head, looking guilty. “And after all the trouble I caused you, I couldn’t just not come.”
Zhou Yao smiled lightly. “It’s fine, don’t dwell on it.” Then she asked, “So, how did everything turn out?”
“I told my parents.” Ding Jiao recounted everything, including the beating she received. “Last night, my mom went to your house, so she must have talked things through with them.”
Since Zhou Yao had left home to stay with Chen Xuze, she had suspected that the situation had something to do with her. Once, she overheard an argument between Mother Zhou and Zhou Ma and secretly eavesdropped, realizing it was indeed because of her.
“Your parents probably figured everything out today. They’ll definitely come looking for you tonight after school,” Ding Jiao said.
Zhou Yao’s expression remained calm, her eyes showing no change. She simply smiled lightly. “Probably.”
Before leaving, Ding Jiao suddenly said, “Oh, by the way, Yaoyao, Brother Xuze is really scary! I never noticed before, but he’s terrifying!”
“Hm?” Zhou Yao looked up.
“You don’t know? He came to see me the other night when I was still hesitating about telling my parents. I was so scared they’d beat me to death. But then Brother Xuze called me out—at the riverside, around nine at night—and said that if I didn’t tell them everything, he’d go to my school, drag that guy out, and then…”
“And then…?”
Ding Jiao shuddered, looking a little wronged. “Then he said he’d spread the whole thing, so everyone would know. After that, I wouldn’t be able to hide no matter what. He also warned me that if someone reported me, it might affect my college entrance exams—he listed all these consequences… Basically, he said that if I didn’t clear things up, he’d handle it himself.”
Chen Xuze’s threats were one of the main reasons Ding Jiao finally came clean. Otherwise, she never would have made up her mind so quickly.
Zhou Yao hadn’t known about this until now. Ding Jiao sighed, “I think, aside from you, Brother Xuze treats everyone the same. He seems nice, but if something really happens, he probably wouldn’t let anyone off.”
She grumbled a little, made some small talk, and then said goodbye.
……
After cleaning up the mess in the living room that night, Chen Xuze was already in the kitchen preparing dinner. Zhou Yao had just put down the broom and hadn’t had time to wash her hands when she suddenly hugged him from behind.
He froze.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” It only lasted a second before Zhou Yao let go, turning to the table to pick up a cloth and wipe it down.
The house filled with the aroma of food, and they seemed like a couple who had been living here for a long time. Everything felt just right, and the atmosphere was perfectly natural.
They ate in quiet companionship, only discussing a question Zhou Yao had encountered, and nothing more. After finishing the meal and tidying up, they were about to take out their books when there was a sudden knock at the door.
It was Zhou Ma and his wife.
It felt oddly like a pair of hosts welcoming guests. As they stepped inside, looking at the expressionless Chen Xuze, the Zhou couple inexplicably had that impression.
Quickly shaking off unnecessary thoughts, Mother Zhou sat down without any preamble and got straight to the point. “Pack up your things and come home with us.”
Without looking at anyone, an outsider might have thought she was speaking to Chen Xuze.
Zhou Ma nudged her elbow and looked at Zhou Yao. “Ignore her,” he said, then continued, “We’ve figured everything out. The Ding family’s business is theirs to deal with. Let’s go, Yao Yao, come home with Dad and Mom.”
Then, turning to the tall Chen Xuze, he chuckled awkwardly, trying to ease the tension. “Xuze, you’ve grown taller again, huh? That’s good, that’s good.”
Chen Xuze gave a slight nod and greeted him, “Uncle Zhou.”
Zhou Yao stood beside the sofa, silently watching Mother Zhou, who had come as if to confront her. Then, suddenly, she asked, “Aren’t you going to apologize to me?”
Mother Zhou turned her head in disbelief. “Apologize? Me? To you?”
“Who else?” Zhou Yao was very calm. “Did I wrong you?”
“You—”
She was about to explode again when Zhou Ma quickly grabbed her arm.
“That’s enough,” he said, exasperated. “This whole mess is because of you, and you still want to argue?”
“Because of me?” Mother Zhou snapped back. “I was thinking of this family, and now you’re all blaming me? Why do you think I’ve done everything all these years? For what? For you two ingrates? And now this unfilial child wants me to apologize? I—I…”
Zhou Ma gripped her wrist tightly, preventing her from raising a hand against Zhou Yao.
Standing there taller than Mother Zhou, Chen Xuze looked down at her and said, “If you want to argue, please step outside first. We don’t like noise in this house. My grandparents had a rule—no arguing inside. I hope you understand.”
Mother Zhou was stunned. “Are you bringing up Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen to pressure me now? Shisan! You know how I’ve treated you since you were little. I practically raised you like my own son, and now you’re treating me like this? Kicking me out?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Chen Xuze said expressionlessly. “It’s just that our house prefers quiet. If you want to argue, please do so outside.”
Zhou Ma yanked Mother Zhou’s arm forcefully, making her stagger slightly. She took a deep breath, finally managing to calm herself.
At last, in a barely restrained ‘calm’ tone, she said, “No matter what, you can’t keep staying at the Chen house. The neighbors will talk! What kind of person has a home but refuses to go back?”
Zhou Yao replied indifferently, “I understand.”
Mother Zhou turned to look at her, only to meet a pair of eyes so composed that they didn’t seem to belong to a teenage girl. For a moment, she was stunned. Quickly regaining her senses, she saw that Zhou Yao understood the situation and no longer wanted to waste any more time. She headed for the door, saying, “Then let’s go.”
She was the first to walk over and open the door. “Hurry up…”
But no one followed.
Standing by the door, with the moonlight streaming in from outside, Mother Zhou turned back to see that Zhou Yao hadn’t moved for a long time.
Just as she was about to speak again, Zhou Ma reached out his hand toward Zhou Yao, his voice awkward and restrained. “Come home, Yaoyao. Dad will fry… fry glutinous rice balls for you.”
Zhou Yao glanced at Chen Xuze, who gave a small nod. Then, slowly, she lifted her hand, her pale, slender fingers gently resting in Zhou Ma’s rough palm.
Feeling the familiar smallness of her fingers, unchanged after more than a decade, Zhou Ma carefully held her hand, afraid to grip too tightly.
Behind him, Zhou Yao followed his steps toward the door. On the third step, she gently tightened her hold, clasping his hand in return.
Zhou Ma seemed to pause slightly, then, as if his lips twitched involuntarily, a complicated light flickered in his eyes.
Mother Zhou stood by the door, watching Zhou Ma lead their daughter over. She was momentarily dazed. Perhaps it was the moonlight outside that was too harsh, or maybe something had suddenly fallen into her eyes—because, at that moment, they started to sting.
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