AGN -Chapter 179 The Lie Beast (Part 2)

Gong Liang lived in a tube-shaped apartment building. The room wasn’t large—by Qin Huai’s estimate, it was only about 30 to 40 square meters—and was divided into three areas.

The living room, Gong Liang’s room, and his parents’ bedroom.

Qin Huai took a quick look. Gong Liang’s room was relatively larger and contained a bed, two cabinets, and an electric fan. It could be seen that as the only child in the family, Gong Liang was quite doted on.

His parents’ bedroom, by contrast, was smaller and contained only a bed, a cabinet, and some miscellaneous items.

Gong Liang’s father was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep. His mother was not at home. After returning, Gong Liang first went to check on his father, then skillfully took a coal stove from a corner of the living room, lit a coal briquette, and opened the lunchbox.

Inside the lunchbox was braised quail eggs with pork, filled to about eighty percent. There were more meat pieces than eggs. The quail eggs had been fried first, and buried in the meat, some of them had broken under pressure. The appearance wasn’t very neat, but anyone who had eaten it knew it tasted better that way.

The dish had already cooled, with oil solidified on the surface, so the aroma wasn’t noticeable anymore. However, the color of the braised pork was still visibly appealing—rich, glossy, and perfectly caramelized. The chef had clearly taken care in making the sugar color. The large chunks of pork belly had a balanced ratio of fat and lean, and looked delicious.

Gong Liang took out another dented iron lunchbox, battered at all four corners. He transferred a small portion of the braised pork with quail eggs into it, covered it, and placed it on the coal stove to reheat.

He then squatted by the stove and stared blankly.

As time passed, the contents of the lunchbox began to emit a fragrance. Even the absent-minded Gong Liang could smell it, and his mouth began to water involuntarily.

Watching Gong Liang squat by the stove, spacing out while still instinctively swallowing his saliva, Qin Huai couldn’t help but feel both amused and speechless at the somewhat funny scene.

Soon, the sound of a child crying came from next door.

“Mom, I want meat too! Smelly delicious meat!”

“Stop it. Wait until New Year when we get meat coupons—you’ll have enough then!”

“Mom, meat…”

“Don’t make noise, don’t disturb Uncle Gong next door. Uncle Gong hasn’t been well recently and needs meat for nutrition. When you need nutrition later, Mom will also give you some…”

Even though the neighbors were speaking in lowered voices, Qin Huai still caught the earlier sentences. Tube buildings had poor sound insulation; any loud noise could easily be heard next door.

The lunchbox was still heating on the stove, and Gong Liang remained lost in thought. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Gong Liang slowly got up, opened the door, and saw a thin middle-aged woman with a sallow complexion due to malnutrition.

Seeing him, she forced a smile.

“Xiao Liang, I still have some flour at home. I made noodles at noon and there’s still enough for one bowl. You weren’t home at noon when I brought them over, and your mother didn’t accept them. Now that your mother has gone out to do laundry, take these noodles and give them to your father.”

“For his condition, some fine flour noodles with a poached egg would be very nourishing.”

“You know my family’s situation. The wages from the weaving factory last month still haven’t been paid. My Lao Xia is just an ordinary worker, and we really don’t have money to lend you. Treat this bowl of noodles as a small gesture from me.”

“Thank you, Aunt Xia,” Gong Liang said as he accepted the bowl.

“Alright.” Aunt Xia smiled, glanced quietly into the room, gave a bitter smile, shook her head, and left.

Gong Liang placed the noodles on the table and continued spacing out.

Qin Huai felt somewhat puzzled as he observed Gong Liang’s expression, trying to determine whether he was simply too overwhelmed by life to stay focused, or whether he was actually thinking deeply about something, which made him appear absent-minded.

The braised pork and quail eggs on the coal stove had finished reheating. Gong Liang used tongs to remove the lunchbox, kept the stove burning, opened the medicine package, placed the traditional Chinese herbs into a pot, added water, and continued boiling the medicine.

Boiling medicine took a long time.

Gong Liang continued squatting and spacing out. After an unknown period, the door opened again.

A middle-aged woman entered, small in stature, holding a basin. Her complexion was pale, her lips bloodless, though her cheeks had a faint flushed redness caused by exhaustion.

“Mom, your health isn’t good. You shouldn’t go downstairs to do laundry. I’ve told you to leave it for me to wash after work.”

Gong Liang took the basin.

His mother sat down in a chair, catching her breath. After a few seconds, she spoke.

“How could you wash it properly? You’re already tired from work. I can still handle this little bit of housework.”

Then she noticed the lunchbox and noodles on the table.

“The noodles were brought by Aunt Xia. The meat in the lunchbox was given to me by Zheng Da on my way back,” Gong Liang said, then reached into his pocket. “He just received his salary today and gave me some money.”

“I’ve recorded everything.”

“Mom, I won’t be going to Jinling next week. The section chief said the deal there probably won’t go through, and reimbursement won’t come anytime soon, so he’ll go in my place.”

His mother said nothing, silently walked to the bedroom door, and closed it more tightly, as if doing so would prevent the sound from carrying over.

She returned and seemed to make a decision. Her lips trembled slightly, her right hand clenched unconsciously until her knuckles turned white and her nails dug into her flesh.

“Xiao Liang… this morning after you left… your father said, maybe we should stop treatment.”

After saying this, she gasped for breath, as if she had used up all her strength. Her lips turned pale, and she didn’t dare look at Gong Liang.

Seeing that Gong Liang didn’t respond, she continued.

“Although your father was rescued this time, he’s basically… ruined. Whether the medical reimbursement will come through is still uncertain. Last year, Old Zhang’s reimbursement never came through either. Now that the factory is struggling, everyone is trying to transfer elsewhere.”

“Your father’s condition… it’s impossible to cure him. The medical expenses are a bottomless pit. Having me as a burden was already heavy enough. Now with your father like this as well… the extra money the factory gave us in consideration of our hardship has long been spent, even your marriage fund…”

“Xiao Guo is a good girl, and her parents like her too, but it’s normal for her to have hesitation and concerns. Our family situation wasn’t particularly good to begin with, and now with this additional burden, what kind of girl would willingly marry into a family with two patients to care for?”

“Neighbors have helped as much as they can, relatives and friends have lent what they could. Your uncles and aunts are in the countryside, your maternal uncle… well, it’s normal not to lend money that likely won’t be repaid.”

“You’ve been absent-minded these past one or two months. Your father and I have both seen it. Even though he’s bedridden, he’s suffering too. When you’re not around, he keeps saying that if he had known things would turn out like this, he would have rather died earlier—no treatment, and at least it would save some money.”

“I know you won’t agree. If there were any other way, I wouldn’t want this either. How about this—once the remaining Chinese medicine is finished, we’ll stop. After that, I’ll take care of your father myself and at least let him leave with dignity.”

As she spoke, she quietly wiped away tears from the corner of her eyes.

Gong Liang spoke hoarsely: “Mom, I asked the doctor. They said Dad’s condition isn’t the worst. If recovery goes well and luck is on our side, he may not be bedridden for life.”

His mother forced a smile that was even uglier than crying. “But your father doesn’t want to hold you back for your whole life.”

Gong Liang remained silent.

“Xiao Liang…” she tried to continue, but he had already lost the will to listen. He opened the door and ran out.

His mother tried to chase after him. As Qin Huai reached the doorway, he heard a low voice from inside the room:

“Let him be alone for a while.”

Gong Liang ran to the base of a wall under a large tree downstairs, squatting there. He felt neither sadness nor anger—only numbness as he absentmindedly picked at the soil on the ground.

He kept doing this from daytime until night fell.

Qin Huai silently watched him digging at the dirt, eventually forming a small pit.

Finally, someone found Gong Liang.

“Why are you squatting here digging dirt?”

Looking in the direction of the voice, Qin Huai saw a tall, sturdy middle-aged man. Under the moonlight, his face appeared somewhat menacing, yet his eyes and expression carried a surprising sense of warmth.

There was a fierce scar across his face, as if cut by a blade, stretching from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth in a crooked line—an appearance that could scare children into crying.

However, his demeanor was unexpectedly gentle, like an elder patiently guiding a child, his smile reaching his eyes, his tone joking and kind.

The man’s identity was immediately clear—

Jing Lixiang, Master Jing.

“Master Jing,” Gong Liang stood up obediently. It was clear that Jing held considerable authority among the younger generation.

“You’ve been missing from home for hours. Your mother was almost frantic, even asking a fifty-year-old limping old man like me for help. I guessed you’d be here. What, another deal fell through?” Jing Lixiang said with a smile.

“No,” Gong Liang replied softly.

“You don’t have to tell me—I already know,” Jing Lixiang chuckled. “If you don’t want to go home, I’ll stay here and chat with you for a while.”

He took out a cloth bag similar to Zheng Da’s and handed it to Gong Liang.

“This is Shengli’s salary for this month. He heard Zheng Da gave 10 yuan to his family and kept 5, so he didn’t leave himself a single yuan this month—everything except the 10 yuan for his family is in here.”

“He’s always comparing like this. Sometimes I really can’t deal with these two apprentices.”

“From what I can guess, I know roughly what your parents are thinking, and I can also guess what you’re thinking. As outsiders, we have no right to interfere in your family matters, but we’ve been neighbors for so many years. I’m an old man with no children, but I’ve saved up some money. If medical expenses are still not enough, I can lend a bit more.”

Gong Liang said softly, “Master Jing, we can’t keep borrowing. My family has already borrowed too much. If we keep borrowing, I’ll never be able to repay it in this lifetime.”

“There’s still a long life ahead,” Jing Lixiang smiled. “When I was your age, I never imagined I would leave my hometown and come to Suzhou. At your age plus ten years, there was a time I didn’t even want to live anymore. I felt life had no meaning. But didn’t I still live until today?”

“Xiao Liang, you’re capable. When you first joined the weaving factory, didn’t your section chief Chen praise you every day as a natural-born salesperson?”

“In the early years when the factory was doing well, salaries, bonuses, and subsidies were all abundant. Times have changed, but paths are made by people. How can you be sure your entire life will amount to nothing?”

Gong Liang said nothing.

“Don’t like hearing motivational talk?” Jing Lixiang asked with a smile.

“It’s not that,” Gong Liang quickly shook his head.

“Just can’t take it in? That’s normal, I understand.” He paused. “It’s late now, and autumn nights are cold. Don’t stay outside—go home. If you don’t, your mother will be worried.”

Gong Liang knew he was right. He stood up and helped Jing Lixiang walk back.

Jing waved him off, saying he could walk on his own despite being lame for so many years.

The two walked slowly together.

“Oh right, Xiao Liang. I remember hearing from your parents last year that you closed several small deals nearby. Why haven’t there been any updates since you went to Magic City earlier this year? I heard the silk quality from the weaving factory this year was good.”

“The deal in Magic City was lost,” Gong Liang said gloomily. “Section Chief Chen led the team, and I was originally supposed to take the lead, but I panicked at the last moment and didn’t perform well. We lost it.”

“The section chief didn’t blame me. He said it was his fault for rushing and not letting a newcomer like me handle such a big deal.”

“It’s my fault.”

“You don’t seem like someone who would panic in such situations,” Jing Lixiang said. “Among the kids growing up, you’ve always been the best at talking.”

“I… I was afraid,” Gong Liang frowned, finally revealing his true feelings. “I get nervous in big situations. The moment I see people, I panic. Even prepared lines vanish from my mind once I open my mouth.”

“Everyone says it’s a pity the factory lost its exhibition slot this year. I know it’s a pity too—but deep down, I feel relieved.”

“I’m afraid that if I went to the exhibition and Section Chief Chen handed me the responsibility, I’d panic again or even run away. Then, like last year, we’d perform poorly and bring shame to the factory.”

“I know the exhibition is a rare opportunity. If I succeeded there, my father’s medical expenses could be covered. If the factory does well, reimbursement for medical bills could come through, and my father could be treated at a provincial hospital.”

“But at the same time, I’m terrified of failing the exhibition. Part of me is even glad we didn’t get a slot this year—if I don’t go, I won’t fail.”

“Master Jing, I feel like a coward, a deserter. I don’t want my father to lie in bed waiting to die, but even though I know the way to save him, I don’t dare to try.”

“People say I’ve been distracted lately because of family issues. It’s not that—I’m…”

“I hate myself.”

“I hate that I want to do things, that I can do things, but I don’t dare to do them.”

Jing Lixiang listened quietly.

After Gong Liang finished rambling, Jing asked a seemingly unrelated question:

“You haven’t been traveling for work these days, right?”

Gong Liang nodded.

“Can you ask your section chief for half a day off tomorrow afternoon and come to the state-owned restaurant?”

Gong Liang looked confused, but still nodded. “I should be able to.”

Jing Lixiang smiled warmly.

“I’ll be waiting for you there tomorrow afternoon.”

“When you’re feeling down, eat something good—it’ll help your mood.”