There were not many things to bring along with, and there were a few pieces of clothes that were brought back from his school in the suitcase. There was nothing else to take away from home either. He Jin finally got up and looked around in the room, as if he had determined to never come back…
Seeing the can of 7-up on his desk, he remembered that Qin Yu got him that in the train station, and he still hadn’t drunk it. He picked it up and put it on the back of the bag, picked up the suitcase, and pulled the door open.
The noise outside stopped suddenly, and his mother stared at him with red eyes, “what are you doing! What are you doing?”
He Jin ignored her, took the suitcase and went outside the door. His mother screamed behind his back, “where are you going?!”
He Jin’s father also got stunned and pulled his arm, “He Jin! What are you doing? Calm down!”
He Jin looked at his father, and his eyes were red, “you can calm down in front of such an unreasonable person, I can’t.”
The woman screamed again, “you said that I am not reasonable? Tell me exactly, who is being unreasonable in the end! The person who has been lying is you!” She began to throw things in the direction of He Jin, the teacup on the table, chair cushion, photo frame on the shelf, etc…
He Jin did not care any longer, he opened the door and went out…
His dad went also out of control. “He Jin! Don’t be angry! Your mother is not being serious, just endure it and let it pass!”
When Mrs. He heard that there’s someone helping, she immediately rose her voice, “let him go, let him go! If you have the guts to, remember to never come back!”
He Jin nodded, and his heart said yes, since this is what you’ve asked…
When he slammed the door, He Jin left without return. There was a silence behind him. Then, he started to hear his mother crying. As He Jin walked downstairs, the noise went weaker and weaker, until he couldn’t hear it anymore.
He didn’t feel soft-hearted. And he wasn’t influenced by his mother’s crying. He just felt utterly miserable.
His dad might be taking care of his mother, that’s why he wasn’t following. It might be better that way, He Jin wasn’t afraid to face his mother, but he was worried about his father. That honest man did nothing wrong except being weak.
He didn’t want to be like his father, and he didn’t want to be trapped in that cage for the rest of his life.
On the second day of the New Year, at 7 o’clock in the morning, the weather was very cold. He Jin only slept for an hour last night, and he felt cold and hungry at the moment.
Many stores weren’t open yet, and the bus was also out of service. He Jin had been alone for more than half an hour before seeing a taxi. He got on the taxi and said to the driver, “the train station.”
The driver glanced at him. “Young boy, are you studying or working? You’re catching the train so early?”
He Jin answered the question with a simple “hmm”, the driver saw that he looked depressed, and that he didn’t want to chat, he knew that he had to shut up. On the way to the train station, He Jin’s bracelet vibrated, it was his father.
He Jin picked up, and his dad asked him anxiously where he was, He Jin said, “I am on my way back to school.”
The man said, “come back, there is no train in the New Year, and there are no more tickets. You know your mother’s character, just bear with it…”
He Jin painfully said, “Dad, let me calm down. I really don’t want to go home, Mom makes me feel scared, I have been bearing with her for 20 years, I can’t stand it anymore. She’s driving me crazy.”
When his father heard this, he went silent…
He Jin, “Dad, when I’m at school, I’ll contact you again.”
His father didn’t persuade any further, but he still sounded worried, “is the school open now?”
He Jin, “yes. If not, I will contact my classmate. I will figure it out.”
My father paused and asked again, “do you have money? I…I can ask from your mother.”
Suddenly there was a sharp voice behind him, “ask from me? Don’t ever think about it! He’s gone today! And I will no longer give a dime to him! Tuition fees, living expenses, nothing! Ask him to start begging for food!”
He Jin, “…”
The man seemed to have argued with the woman for a few more words. He Jin didn’t want to listen any more. He hung up and sent a message to his dad, out of his own wish, “Dad, please tell mum, I won’t even ask for a dime from her in the future, not even when I beg on the streets. I’ll also return everything to her, everything that she’s given to me in the past.”
After finishing this sentence, He Jin blocked both numbers of his parents on phone. The corners of his eyes started to get wet, yet he didn’t cry. He said to himself – Dad, I’m so sorry. When I’m able to, I’ll reward you in other ways.
“Kid, did you argue with your parents?” The driver listened to the conversation and finally understood what was going on. He couldn’t help but interfere, “listen to uncle. Parents are hard on their mouths but soft in their hearts. They do everything for your own good. I think you’re at similar age as my daughter. And about my daughter…she’d make me want to hit her when we start arguing. But in the end, I earn everything for her…every parent cares for their children. Even the biggest hatred cannot be overshadowed by your relationship. Well, we’re getting near to the train station. If you change your mind now, I can drive you back for free. Apologize to your parents and everything will pass. It’s the New Year, staying at home is better than being alone in the bitterly cold winter, right?”
He Jin shook his head and paid the driver. He said to the driver before getting off the tax, “uncle, thank you, but I think money is not the most important thing. It is important to understand and respect your children…I wish you a happy new year, goodbye.”
He Jin gently closed the door and walked toward the station in the wind. No matter how cold it was, and how fiercely the wind was blowing, it was much better than being at home.
It was not the peak hours yet. At the moment, people who were lining up were all office workers who needed to return to work on the 6th or 7th day of the New Year. Luckily, He Jin bought a ticket back to A city that day at 11am.
As he just told his father that he would no longer spend a penny from his family, He Jin almost spent all his cash when he bought the ticket. He had saved up all this amount of money. Apart from the racket he bought last time, there were still two thousand left. But he only had four or five hundred on him, for the rest, it was in his dormitory.
When he realized that he had only around fifty bucks left, He Jin didn’t dare to spend it at all. He just bought a tea egg from a convenience store for breakfast. Afterward, he started waiting for the train.
After sitting for a while, He Jin took out the helmet from the bag and tried the power button again. It still didn’t light up. After wearing it, there was also no reaction. He was sure that it’s broken.
Well, it’s such a fragile and expensive high-tech gadget, there must be small parts inside. He Jin always played with it with care, and didn’t even want to scratch it for a bit. His mother dared to smash it in front of him…He Jin felt that his heart was twitching, and he tried hard not to think about that scene anymore. It was too disturbing.
He wasn’t sure if he could fix it, how much it would cost to repair it. After returning to A city, there were still many problems. The University didn’t close the gate, but they’d cut off the heating system during the holiday, those who chose to stay at school would be assigned to move temporarily to another building, so that they could be managed more easily. All the other dormitories were locked. He reckoned that it’d take him some time to get back to his residence and get the cash he needed.
He Jin thought about the students he knew in A city. He was only keeping a superficial relationship with most of them…except with Qin Yu. However, due to the slightly embarrassing relationship with him, he dared not ask Qin Yu for urgent assistance. He thought that he ought to still keep a distance from Qin Yu.
The future ahead of him would be tough, but there was simply no other way. He Jin did not regret it. Since he said those words, and he’d made up his mind, he wouldn’t return home in all circumstances.
After sitting for a while, He Jin suddenly remembered about the promise made with Fire the previous night. He sent Fire a message, “Fire, I’ve left home.”
It’s only at eight o’clock, and He Jin had no idea whether Fire had got up…
In a short while, the bracelet vibrated.
Fire, “where are you now?”
Ah Jin, “at the train station.”
Fire, “…”
Fire, “which train station?”
Ah Jin, “the one at my hometown…”
He Jin’s heart had lost a beat – why did Fire ask about that? Did Fire intend to look for him? No way…he wasn’t prepared to meet Fire in real person yet…
He Jin replied in a hurry, “don’t worry, I’m okay…it’s just that my helmet had been broken by my mother.”
He Jin was very upset, and there were about ten days to go before the first team competition. Because of his own affairs, he was worried to drag Fire into trouble.
Fire, “don’t worry, let it be. Don’t feel sad, I’ll buy you another one.”
He Jin, “…”
After hearing this, He Jin felt comforted, but the smile of his mouth slowly turned into a bitter one. If he had a choice, he did not want to accept the donation of Fire.
He Jin, “I’ll see.”
Just after this sentence, a new message suddenly popped up – “me: Fire has transferred you $20,000.”
He Jin’s eyes raised…what a rich guy.
Fire, “spend half of it on the helmet and the other half on things that you need urgently.”
He Jin didn’t know what to say anymore. He was indeed in a difficult situation. However, he really couldn’t accept such a big amount of money. He seemed to be able to hear his mother telling how “shameless” he was, and it was suddenly difficult to breathe.
Ah Jin, “no, I can’t take your money.”
Fire, “Ah Jin, I knew that you would not be willing to accept. Then, what if you take that I’m lending it to you? You can return it to me when you can. Okay? I am worried about you. If you don’t take it…”