Chapter 3, Under the Fence (01)

There are too many matters to discuss with Shen Zizhuo, but it is like two armies engaged in a fierce battle, locked in a stalemate for several days, unable to find a breakthrough.

Sister Ding, do you know where there are furniture stores nearby

Tan Ruyi went to work as usual and returned home to prepare lessons and read books. In Shen Zizhuo's study, there was a whole wall of bookshelves, and every time Tan Ruyi entered, she couldn't help but marvel inwardly. While studying, she had to take on part-time jobs to earn money, and the time she spent reading was squeezed out during her commute. Now that she finally had time, and with Shen Zizhuo's collection being so rich, it was like a thirsty person encountering a clear, sweet spring; once she immersed herself in it, she was reluctant to leave.

Shen Zizhuo has his own fixed lifestyle habits: housekeeping comes twice a week to help clean the apartment and wash clothes; he works from 9 AM to 6 PM on weekdays, and goes out for excursions or visits Mr. Shen on weekends; he has all three meals outside... sometimes having dinner at Mr. Shen's house on weekends... Therefore, the interaction between Tan Ruyi and him is limited to the times when they visit Mr. Shen together

How is it to get along with oneself and self-reflection

The security guard appeared awkward and approached to drive away Tan Weiguo. After a prolonged entanglement, he finally managed to send him away

Tan Ruyi was instantly filled with anger, but she pretended not to hear and walked inward, clenching her fists. Tan Weiguo grabbed her handbag and said, "I am asking you a question, do you have any money?"

"Next time, come visit again," the woman said with a smile. "Shen Zizhuo is in a hurry to catch a flight and has been calling to urge me. I will leave as soon as I finish gathering my things"

This is my daughter, I can say whatever I want, it's none of your business

Tan Ruyi originally intended to rent a room nearby and move out, but after inquiring around, she found that the rent was far beyond her means. Shen Zizhe lived in a two-bedroom apartment, one of which was converted into a study and the other into a bedroom. Initially, it was just right for him to live alone, but now that someone else had moved in, the bedroom was insufficient. Shen Zizhe had been sleeping on a makeshift bed in the study for several days, and Tan Ruyi felt increasingly uneasy, thinking that since she could not afford to rent a place for the time being, she should at least help Shen Zizhe buy a bed.

Tan Ruyi planned to take the opportunity to visit Old Master Shen when she returned on Saturday, and to stop by the furniture city as well

Tan Ruyi expressed her gratitude while paying. Although she felt that Sister Ding was somewhat talkative, the enthusiasm of such a stranger still made her feel a sense of appreciation

The security guard of the community was alerted, peering out from the duty post window, paying attention to the movements over here

Mr. Shen is in quite good spirits, prompting Tan Ruyi to take him for a stroll around the community. As the weather gradually warms up, the peach trees in the community have sprouted new leaves, presenting a hazy shade of tender green at first glance

Shen Zizhuo's apartment decoration style is remarkably similar to his own, with white as the main color scheme, emphasizing practicality while striving for simplicity. Tan Ruyi opened the wardrobe and glanced inside, where the clothes were only in five colors: black, white, gray, brown, and blue. She couldn't help but turn her head to look at the red suitcase she had placed aside, which was slightly open and filled with brightly colored clothes.

Tan Ruyi responded repeatedly, and just as she was about to speak about the matter she needed to discuss with Shen Zizhu, the other party hung up first, leaving her with a series of busy tones in her ears. Tan Ruyi was momentarily stunned, put away her phone, and turned to head to the bedroom

I have been eating at the school cafeteria recently

Tan Ruyi was looking around when suddenly Mr. Shen asked him a question. He instinctively replied, "Pretty good!" After a moment, he felt that this response seemed rather unconvincing, so he added a few more words, "I just started my job, and his company is also recruiting new employees, so I've been a bit busy lately"

The woman reached out to take it, did not even glance at it, thanked briefly, and then turned to rush towards the elevator. By the time Tan Ruyi remembered to ask about Shen Zizhuo's whereabouts, the elevator doors had already closed.

After Tan Weiguo took 200,000 from Shen Zhixing, he has been completely out of touch and did not attend Tan Ruyi's wedding. Tan Ruyi is now utterly indifferent, considering him as good as dead, and has not bothered to inquire about him. However, she did not expect that Tan Weiguo would have the audacity to come looking for her. He was wearing a filthy black down jacket, his beard unshaven for several days, his eye sockets sunken, and his eyes bloodshot, reeking of spoiled alcohol. Upon seeing Tan Ruyi, he immediately scrambled up from the ground, patted his backside, and reached out to ask, "Do you have any money?"

Feeling extremely frustrated and unsure of how to change, I always sense an invisible barrier between myself and the students—much like the interaction she has with Shen Zizhuo. Shen Zizhuo is quite polite to her, but of course, Tan Ruyi believes that this so-called "politeness" is merely her own self-righteous interpretation, as perhaps in reality, Shen Zizhuo simply cannot be bothered to pay her too much attention.

Tan Ruyi turned her head to look and saw a woman in pajamas leaning against the door frame, crossing her arms and coldly watching Tan Weiguo. Tan Weiguo had never endured any humiliation, so he immediately released Tan Ruyi, rolled up his sleeves, and went up to confront her, "What the hell do you think you are!"

Two people can live under the same roof, yet the time they meet during the day is merely the ten minutes before Tan Ruyi is about to leave in the morning. Calculating it out, there isn't even a proper opportunity to have a conversation, let alone discuss matters such as renting a house and buying a bed

Naturally, one cannot go empty-handed. Tan Ruyi took a stroll around and discovered a vegetable market. The market is located in a small alley to the right after exiting the community; it is quite small, but it has everything one would expect. Tan Ruyi selected a free-range chicken and asked the vendor to help slaughter and clean it. The vendor was a woman of about forty, wearing a rose-red down jacket over a deep blue apron, which was covered in a thick layer of grease. While skillfully bleeding the chicken, she asked Tan Ruyi, "You look quite young, are you new here?"

They fulfill their nominal roles as "husband" and "wife" very thoroughly, yet in daily interactions, they seem like two completely unrelated housemates—of course, this analogy is not entirely accurate, as Tan Ruyi has not spent a single penny.

Sister Ding packaged the chicken offal in a separate plastic bag and handed it to Tan Ruyi along with the cleaned free-range chicken. She took off her mask and smiled, saying: "Come often in the future, I know which families in this market are honest, and they definitely won't cheat you"

Tan Ruyi found this person utterly unreasonable, yanking the bag from his hand and striding inside. Tan Weiguo quickly caught up with her, grabbing her hair tightly, causing Tan Ruyi to scream in pain, "What are you doing!"

"Virtue!" Tan Weiguo spat, "Don't you think about who you owe for being able to marry so well. If you have any money, give me some; I need to go to the hospital for treatment"

Tan Ruyi felt somewhat awkward, not because she was mistaken for a nanny, but because she interrupted the vendor's gossip, "Excuse me, ma'am, what is your surname?"

"Hey! Why don't you call the police? If you have the guts, let me serve a life sentence, otherwise, every time I see you, I'll hit you!" Tan Weiguo suddenly yanked, causing Tan Ruyi to feel as if her entire scalp was being pulled off, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. The security guard, unable to watch any longer, stepped out from his post to mediate, saying, "Sir, please don't resort to violence; let's talk this out properly."

The salary will only be paid next month, and money is needed everywhere. This feeling of embarrassment has been experienced by Tan Ruyi for many years, but for the first time, she feels so awkward and hard to speak about. The two hundred thousand given by Shen Zhixing should still have eighty thousand left, but trying to pry even half a cent from Tan Weiguo is simply more difficult than killing him.

Shen Zizhuo spoke plainly and succinctly: "Could you help me pack two sets of clean clothes? Someone will come to pick them up in half an hour."

In the two days since Shen Zizhuo's absence, Tan Ruyi enjoyed a few leisurely days. However, the good times did not last long. On this day, upon returning from work and just arriving at the entrance of the community, she saw a man squatting outside the gate, and it was none other than Tan Weiguo, whom she had not seen for many days.

I raised you to this age, and now that I need to see a doctor, when I ask you for some money, you guard your wallet as if it were a precious child. It's only been a few days since you got married, and you don't even recognize your own father anymore

Half an hour later, a knock sounded at the door. Tan Ruyi glanced through the peephole and saw what appeared to be a woman standing outside. When the door opened, the visitor introduced herself first: "Are you Miss Tan? I am a colleague of Shen Zizhuo, here to pick up some things for him." She was wearing a deep blue coat that was almost black, pencil pants, and flat shoes, with a tall and slender figure; her face was small, seemingly able to be covered by a single palm, lightly made up, and her hair was styled in a very neat short cut.

Tan Ruyi studied at a free normal university. During her senior year, she interned for six months and after graduation, she taught in a rural area for two years. In terms of teaching, she cannot be considered a novice. However, once she actually started working, she realized that there are indeed differences between children in the city and those in the mountains. Children in the city exhibit greater autonomy, while her original teaching methods seemed overly enthusiastic and even excessive.

How are you adjusting to life? How is your eating?

Tan Ruyi busily turned to the side and said: "Please come in"

Tan Ruyi stayed behind to have lunch with Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen, and in the afternoon, following Sister Ding's advice, she visited the furniture city. After browsing around, she realized that she could only afford a single wire bed.

Oh, my surname is Ding. I have been selling vegetables here for several years. You should come here often to do business in the future

In the evening, she received a call from Shen Zizhuo. Tan Ruyi had never spoken to Shen Zizhuo on the phone before; this was the first time. She had once thought that Shen Zizhuo might not have saved her phone number at all. Therefore, when she saw the name on the phone screen, she felt somewhat flattered and surprised, "Mr. Shen..."

The meals for teachers in the school cafeteria are indeed inexpensive, but they cannot compare to the variety and nutritional value of home-cooked dishes, a fact that Tan Ruyi is well aware of. However, the kitchenware belonging to Shen Zizhuo is brand new, and without permission, she does not dare to use it recklessly

It was precisely dinner time, and many people were entering and exiting the community, all casting strange glances at the two of them. Tan Ruyi's face burned with embarrassment, feeling both anger and shame, "Let go! If you don't let go, I will call the police!"

"You say she is your daughter, so she is your daughter? Then I am still your great-aunt!" A crisp and spirited female voice suddenly emerged from the crowd.

Tan Ruyi lingered at the entrance of the furniture city for half a day, but in the end, she turned around and left. She had made up her mind that tonight, she must discuss it with Shen Zizhu, no matter what.

That night, Shen Zizhuo did not return; the following night, he still had not come back. Tan Ruyi speculated that he must be on a business trip and thought about sending a text message to inquire about his return date. She picked up her phone several times, yet still did not send the message.

Let go! Tan Ruyi struggled hard and said, Aren't you the one who borrowed two hundred thousand from someone else? What do you want from me!

Tan Ruyi appeared to comply on the surface

In the blink of an eye, several days passed, and Tan Ruyi successfully started her job, beginning to teach Chinese language to the first year of junior high school.

Tan Ruyi wiped her eyes and stepped forward to thank the woman. The woman looked unwell, propping her face with one hand, her brows tightly knitted as she said: "If you truly want to thank me, help me buy a box of fever-reducing medicine."

Self-drinking is similar to his father's personality; sometimes he looks quite intimidating, but do not be afraid of him. If there is anything, just tell him directly

Then please wait a moment. Tan Ruyi hurried into the house, took out the bag containing the clothes, and handed it to the woman

"You can just take the subway to buy furniture," Sister Ding said as she took out the plucked chicken, grabbed a sharp kitchen knife, and began to cut it open to remove the internal organs. "Head towards Chongcheng Hospital, it's five stops away, and you'll get off right there."

The red box was so conspicuous in the bedroom that Tan Ruyi suddenly felt a sense of shame. She forced herself not to look at the out-of-place box and took out a few shirts and knitwear that Shen Zizhe usually wore from the wardrobe. After thinking for a moment, it seemed that something was still missing. She opened the two drawers in the middle of the wardrobe, took a hurried glance inside, and immediately averted her gaze, quickly picking out two items and tossing them onto the bed. In the other drawer were pairs of neatly wrapped socks, all black, and Tan Ruyi could not distinguish between them, so she randomly took two pairs. She opened the two drawers in the middle of the wardrobe, took a hurried glance inside, and immediately averted her gaze, quickly picking out two items and tossing them onto the bed. In the other drawer were pairs of neatly wrapped socks, all black, and Tan Ruyi could not distinguish between them, so she randomly took two pairs.

Tan Ruyi replied with a smile, "I understand." Yet in her heart, she thought, it is not just intimidating in appearance.

"What do you think you are, laying hands on a woman!" The woman, undaunted, reached into her pajamas pocket and pulled out her phone, "Get lost quickly, don’t think for a second that I won’t call the police." She shot a sideways glance at the security guard, "With such high property fees, is it all just being fed to the dogs? Allowing a lunatic to bark at the entrance of the community like this!"

This area is filled with young white-collar workers and intellectuals, and many domestic workers are eager to come to this neighborhood. The vendor threw a chicken into a pot of boiling water and wiped the sweat from her face with a towel nearby. Recently, there was an incident where a male employer slept with his maid and was caught in the act by his wife, who chased him for several hundred meters with a kitchen knife. After a while, she took the chicken out of the pot and tossed it into the plucking machine, which roared to life, sending feathers flying all over the ground.

Tan Ruyi was unclear about what she meant by "doing things," so she could only respond vaguely with a "mm" sound

Whenever she passionately speaks at the podium, eagerly anticipating the responses from below, she is met only with rows of bowed heads

Old Master Shen shook his head, "No, it must be done by oneself"