The Beautiful Boss's Personal Bodyguard
Chapter 314

Chapter 314: 314

Holding instant noodle biscuits, Ye Tian went out, knocked on Old Liu’s door; there was no one, it seemed he had gone out, the yard door was open. The couple living in the east room were nasty people; Ye Tian didn’t like the look of them, too lazy to bother them. At this moment, a little boy, about ten years old, came out from the west room, holding a basin and stepped outside, "Whoosh!" A basin of hot water poured onto the ground, immediately melting a large patch of snow. The hot water rose into the air, its steam billowing and blurring.

The little fellow looked well-behaved, and Ye Tian walked over, "Little friend, is your adult at home?"

The child glanced at him, didn’t say a word, and then, with a throw of the basin, dashed lightning-fast into the house. Shortly after, a man wearing an apron and holding a spoon came out, with a side-parting, eyes rimmed with brown circles, his back slightly hunched, a clean-looking person who seemed like an intellectual, "Who are you looking for?"

Seeing the child hiding behind this man, Ye Tian figured they were father and son.

Ye Tian smiled and shook the instant noodles in his hand, "Bro, I’m new here. Could I borrow some hot water?"

So he wanted to borrow hot water. The man with eyes was quite generous, "Oh, you’re new; no wonder. Come in, we have enough hot water."

...

"Need more?"

"Need..." The child’s response was interrupted by his father; he buried his head in his bowl of leftover food and said no more.

Ye Tian, having made his noodles, joined He Biandan for breakfast at the latter’s enthusiastic invitation. There were leftovers on the table to go with the noodles, which didn’t taste too bad after all. Children like instant noodles, but He Biandan didn’t want his son to eat too much; after a few bites, he stopped him.

This was a strict father. That’s what Ye Tian thought.

The conditions here were not much better than in Ye Tian’s own room, with mushrooms sprouting all over the walls; any louder noise during the opening of the door and a few pieces would fall off. They were patched up with newspapers, but they would rot away after a couple of days; basically, it was better not to paste them at all. A single door with a piece of glass that was already cracked and fixed with wide tape, but that still let threads of cold air enter. A clay kang [heated bed], a table, plus a stool seemed like the standard equipment here, and there were three other small stools, roughly made, probably by He Biandan himself.

"Ye, are you working?"

Ye Tian was puzzled, but then noticed the other man looking at his collar and understood; the white shirt was striking against the coat collar, no wonder he was being asked. Ye Tian couldn’t explain well, nor did he want to; he just ate the noodles and muddled through the question.

"Dad, our teacher said we have to pay a material fee, today is the last day, and I’m the only one in the class who hasn’t paid yet. If I don’t pay, they’re going to make me leave."

The child’s face was flushed red, his hands holding the big bowl—none of his ten fingers looked good; either cracked from the cold or bleeding, the blood frozen into frostbite. He Biandan stroked his glasses, said nothing, and lowered his head to continue eating, his whole face almost buried in the bowl.

"Dad?"

Finally, the face emerged from the bowl, "Hmm, I know. Tell your teacher to wait another couple of days if possible; we’ll have the money then."

After hurriedly finishing a couple of bites of rice, He Biandan put down his bowl and chopsticks, picked up the shoulder pole that was in the corner, opened the door, and went out.

The child watched his receding figure, muttering softly, "If I don’t pay, I won’t be able to go to class anymore."

"Kid, what’s your name?" Ye Tian, having eaten their food, felt a sense of guilt. Seeing that the family’s living conditions were not so good, he thought he might as well help if he could.

The child glanced at him, put down his bowl and chopsticks, the frostbite on his hands making Ye Tian’s heart ache.

"I’m called He Ku."

He Ku? What a name.

Ye Tian then asked, "Doesn’t our country have nine years of compulsory education? Why do they still ask you to pay?"

"I’m from out of town, official schools won’t accept me. I go to a private school."

Oh. Ye Tian nodded, no wonder.

"How much is your tuition then, is it expensive?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Ye Tian realized he had said something pointless. Private schools are all expensive; otherwise, they wouldn’t be called private schools.

He Ku looked at him somewhat surprised, but did not speak, as if he didn’t want to delve into this issue here. He quickly tidied up his bowl and chopsticks. Ye Tian was about to throw away the instant noodle box, but noticed that He Ku’s eyes were fixed on the instant noodle box in his hand—the beef noodle packaging, which was quite appetizing.

"Do you want it?"

He Ku nodded, "Pour some hot water in it, it will still have flavor."

Ye Tian was startled and placed the instant noodle box on the table, then without another word, went out. When He Ku packed up his school bag, getting ready to go to school, Ye Tian came back from the eastern room, holding a big bag, "Take this, throw away the box after eating the noodles. That’s not something good."

The already reserved He Ku saw the big bag Ye Tian handed over and was stunned, his little arms held behind his back, resolutely not taking it. But his little eyes kept staring at the bag, shimmering with intense desire.

He’s still a child after all, Ye Tian smiled, "Take it."

"I don’t want it."

With that, He Ku turned and ran off, the oversized cotton shoes kicking up the snow on the ground.

The bag in Ye Tian’s hand, filled with biscuits, instant noodles, and ham, suddenly felt very heavy. He suddenly felt despicable, contaminating a child’s stubborn self-esteem with what he thought was kindness. He could not forgive himself.

"Fuck off, what are you looking at!"

Zhou Aiguo with the gold necklace stood at the door, snickering stealthily. When he got yelled at by Ye Tian, he sheepishly withdrew his head, not daring to make a peep.

...

Erwanzi Street was a general market, as Ye Tian learned from asking the locals, just a ten-minute walk from where he lived. Turn right from the main road, walk a bit, turn another corner, and there’s the market. On his way there, there were all kinds of vendors: barbers boiling hot water, tobacco sellers, kite makers, candied hawthorn sellers, phone screen protectors, those who donned white coats and pulled teeth with pliers, and even those squatting at the entrances of barber shops soliciting customers. Ye Tian felt like his eyes were opened. There’s a reason why commoners in the marketplaces are called just that.

Since ancient times, the seven necessities to begin a day are firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. With the condiments accounted for, only cooking appliances were missing, so Ye Tian sold the high-power electrical appliances Mo Yan had given him—a rice cooker and a warm air blower, earning 250 yuan. Ye Tian disliked the initial amount, so he asked for an additional five yuan, thus sealing the deal at 255 yuan. With money in his pocket, Ye Tian felt much more confident. He planned to buy a small-power rice cooker for about thirty yuan from a second-hand appliance store. As for the warm air blower, he’d forgo it for now. Heating appliances all consume energy, with no small or large power distinction—the smallest power was 1200 watts, plug it in, and the whole alley would light up.

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