Chapter 2: “I’ll Protect You…”

The next morning, someone from the massage parlor came to pick Xiao Jiu up.

Before leaving, he stood by the door and looked back at me reluctantly.

“Sis…”

“Hmm?”

“Can you pick me again next time? I’ll be really good.”

I felt around inside my nearly empty wallet, my heart aching.

In the end, all I could do was grit my teeth and slam the door shut.

Poverty.

It was all because I was broke.

That afternoon, I ran into Mrs. Chen again at the recycling yard.

She gave me a knowing look.

“So? Not bad, huh?”

I immediately nodded.

“It was pretty good.”

Thinking of Xiao Jiu, I sincerely added, “That young guy yesterday looked really healthy.”

Mrs. Chen’s brows immediately furrowed.

“What were you doing there?”

I stared back at her in confusion.

“What were you doing there?”

“Getting a massage, obviously!”

“…”

“…”

We stared at each other for several seconds.

Suddenly, I realized there had probably been a huge misunderstanding between us.

One of us had actually gone there for a massage.

And the other had spent sixty yuan…

to buy a boyfriend for the night.

After working myself to the bone for several days, I finally managed to save up a little money.

I marched back to the massage parlor, full of determination.

But the moment I walked through the door, I saw someone else trying to claim Xiao Jiu.

It was a plump, middle-aged man with a shiny face.

He was just about to put his hands on Xiao Jiu when Xiao Jiu punched him.

Instead of getting angry, the man’s eyes lit up.

“Not bad! I like that attitude! I’ll keep you for a month!”

The owner standing nearby immediately broke into a delighted grin.

But Xiao Jiu firmly shook his head.

“No.”

The moment he saw me, he ran over at full speed, just like a puppy greeting its owner after being left home alone.

He hid behind me and quietly tugged at my sleeve.

“Sis… can you pick me?”

“I want to go home with you.”

His pitiful tone instantly melted my heart.

The rich man immediately pulled out a thick stack of cash.

“I’ll pay double!”

I looked down at my pitifully thin wallet and was momentarily speechless.

Just then, Xiao Jiu grabbed my wrist.

“I still have wages I haven’t collected yet. I’ll give all of it to you. Will that be enough for you to pick me?”

The owner nearly exploded.

“You idiot! Who goes to work and then pays out of their own pocket to keep working?”

Then he turned to the wealthy customer and put on a flattering smile.

“Why don’t you take a look at someone else?”

The man snorted and walked away, but not before shooting me a hostile glare.

“Just you wait!”

The moment the customer was gone, the owner immediately raised the price.

Sixty yuan became eighty yuan a night.

Before I could even bargain, Xiao Jiu calmly spoke up.

“Take it out of my wages.”

The owner: “…”

Me: “…”

That was the first time I’d ever seen someone willing to pay out of pocket for the privilege of going to work.

One day, while handing out flyers on the street, I happened to spot Xiao Jiu talking to a young woman.

For some reason, a strange irritation rose in my chest.

I immediately slipped into the alley beside the street to avoid them.

Who knew that after only a few steps, a stray dog suddenly came charging out.

I’d been terrified of dogs since I was little.

I froze like a statue.

At that exact moment, a figure rushed forward and threw himself in front of me.

After a chaotic struggle that sent dust flying everywhere, the dog finally tucked its tail between its legs and ran away.

Xiao Jiu lifted his head.

His face was covered in dirt, his clothes were caked with mud, and yet he was still smiling that same silly smile.

“Sis, don’t be scared. I’ll protect you.”

My heart skipped a beat.

There was a deep bite wound on his thigh. His clothes were filthy, and there was a fresh scratch across his face.

I felt terrible seeing him hurt, but I forced myself to look cold and turned away.

After a few steps, though, I realized he was limping after me.

“Why are you still following me? What does it have to do with me if you’re hurt?”

Xiao Jiu lowered his head, his fingers nervously rubbing the corner of his shirt.

“I just wanted to walk you home.”

“What if you run into another stray dog?”

Then, in a tiny voice, he added, “Please don’t be mad at me. And… don’t hate me, okay?”

I was silent for a few seconds.

Then I grabbed him and dragged him straight to a clinic.

I emptied every last bill from my pocket onto the counter.

“Rabies shots. The best ones you have.”

The nurse looked at the money and shook her head.

“It’s still not enough.”

I was speechless.

“…Can’t you give me a discount?”

“No.”

Xiao Jiu stood beside me looking like a student who’d just been caught doing something wrong.

“Sis, maybe we should forget it. I’m really healthy. I don’t need the shots.”

I lightly tapped him on the head.

“Sit still. Listen to the doctor.”

In the end, I had no choice but to make a phone call.

A few minutes later, five hundred yuan landed in my account.

I hung up immediately, ignoring the flood of messages that followed.

After the shots were over, I rubbed Xiao Jiu’s head.

“I’m not blaming you. Don’t cry.”

A tear still clung to his chin.

“I’ll pay you back.”

I laughed.

“With what?”

Xiao Jiu thought about it very seriously.

“I’ll take care of you. I’ll protect you. And I’ll make money to pay you back.”

I looked at his utterly sincere expression and almost burst out laughing.

This kid really was an idiot.

That night, Xiao Jiu sat beside me and gave me a massage.

His hands applied just the right amount of pressure, slowly easing the aches that had built up in my body after a full day of work.

I lazily leaned against him.

“Xiao Jiu, once I have money, I’ll definitely keep you.”

The arm wrapped around my waist suddenly tightened.

After a moment, he answered softly.

“Okay. I’ll wait for you.”

It was such a simple sentence.

Yet somehow, it made my heart beat a little faster.

At the time, I had no idea that the silly promise we made in that tiny rented room would become something the two of us would remember for years to come.

Smoke billowed from the nearby skewer stall.

Xiao Jiu squatted beside me, fanning me with a paper fan.

I was in such a good mood that I casually handed him a grilled sausage.

“Here. Eat it. It’s basically all starch. I don’t think there’s a single piece of meat in there.”

Xiao Jiu took it, carefully blew on it to cool it down, then held it back out to me.

“You eat first.”

His bright eyes reflected my face so clearly.

I took a bite and thought to myself:

What a little charmer. Who could possibly resist someone like this?

Crash!

A deafening noise rang out.

The entire food stall was suddenly knocked over.

Before I could even react, Xiao Jiu had already turned around and thrown himself in front of me.

Several glowing chunks of charcoal flew onto his back, and the air instantly filled with the acrid smell of something burning.

“Can’t you watch where you’re going?”

A group of men swaggered toward us.

Behind them was a sleek luxury car.

The rich man from the other day was sitting inside.

He gave me a contemptuous smile.

“I gave you a chance, and you refused. Don’t blame me for what happens next.”

Just then, the owner of the massage parlor stepped out of the car as well.

He wore a huge grin, but his eyes were full of calculation.

“Oh, come on. It’s just business. Surely you can understand. The customer specifically asked for Xiao Jiu. There’s only so much we can do.”

I wanted to spit in his face.

One man saw money and immediately lost his mind. The other held a grudge like it was glued to his bones.

They really were birds of a feather.

I looked at the wreckage of the skewer stall scattered across the ground and instinctively stepped backward.

After all, this was Xiao Jiu’s problem.

I didn’t need to drag myself into it…

But at that exact moment, he grabbed my hand tightly.

His eyes were filled with worry.

As though I were the one in danger, not him.

There were far more of them than us.

Before long, they had forced the two of us apart.

Then came a sharp crash.

Xiao Jiu picked up half of a shattered beer bottle from the ground.

He pulled me into his arms, covering my head completely with his body.

He seemed to ask the owner,

“Is this enough?”

My heart pounded violently.

The jagged glass was only a few inches from his face.

Blood from my hand mixed with the blood running down his body.

Just looking at it made my stomach twist.

“Tsk.”

The rich man clicked his tongue.

“What a shame. That pretty face is going to get ruined.”

He waved his hand.

“Keep going.”

Fists came raining down.

Xiao Jiu continued holding me tightly, covering my eyes with one hand.

“Sis… don’t be scared.”

And then, like a voice from heaven, someone suddenly shouted:

“What the hell are you doing? It’s broad daylight! Are you seriously bullying people out here? I’ve already called the police!”

It was Mrs. Chen!

The moment they heard that, the men scattered.

The rich man slammed the car door and drove away.

The massage parlor owner looked Xiao Jiu up and down.

His gaze was no different from someone appraising a damaged product.

“What a waste. A face like that, and now it’s injured. From now on, he’ll probably only be good for manual labor.”

I clenched my fists.

Then, suddenly, I spoke.

“I’ll buy him.”

The owner stared at me.

“You can afford him?”

“Ten thousand yuan. No discounts.”

I took a deep breath.

“…Can I pay in installments?”

The owner thought for a few seconds before nodding.

“Fine. But there’ll be interest. We’ll draw up a debt agreement.”

I nearly fainted on the spot.

Even buying a house probably came with a longer installment plan than buying a person!

Only then did Mrs. Chen come running over, panting like she’d just finished a thousand-meter race.

“Why were you fighting? Did you say something stupid and get yourselves into trouble again?”

I said gratefully, “Thank you for calling the police.”

Mrs. Chen scratched her head.

“Ah… I was actually just bluffing. My phone’s been out of credit since last week.”

Me: “…”

Yep.

I really shouldn’t have gotten emotional so soon.

She looked at Xiao Jiu, whose face was covered in blood, and frowned.

“Huh? This guy looks familiar.”

But before she could figure out where she’d seen him, she quickly bent down and picked up several untouched skewers from the ground.

“Oh my gosh, what a waste! I’ll take these home for the cats.”

She moved so quickly that I couldn’t even stop her.

“Just make sure you wash and disinfect them first.”

“Please. Cats don’t care.”

“Oh, right. Should I add some pepper?”

I sighed helplessly.

“How about chili?”

“Even better!”

I watched Mrs. Chen happily walk away with her spoils and could only sigh.

Anyone who had been competing with me over recyclables for years couldn’t possibly be a normal person.

When we got home, I helped Xiao Jiu clean and bandage his wounds.

Thankfully, the cut on his eyebrow wasn’t too serious.

If anything, it gave him a slightly rougher, more rugged look.

Xiao Jiu carefully wrapped a bandage around my hand.

Round after round, slowly and gently, as if he were afraid of hurting me.

“I’m sorry.”

I rubbed his head.

“It’s fine. Go cook dinner.”

Xiao Jiu obediently went into the kitchen.

Ten minutes later, I discovered that he looked surprisingly good in an apron.

Twenty minutes later, I discovered that he had absolutely no business wearing one in the kitchen.

Because his fried rice was so salty, I was convinced he’d dumped an entire jar of salt into the pan.

To pay off the debt I’d taken on to buy Xiao Jiu’s freedom, I started working like a madwoman.

Every day, I ran from one job to another like a spinning top.

One day, I got off work early and arrived home before him.

But Xiao Jiu wasn’t there.

He didn’t come back until late that night.

He slipped inside quietly, covered from head to toe in dust.

After taking a shower, he thought I’d already fallen asleep.

So he quietly took the money from his pocket, one bill at a time, and slipped it into my little piggy bank.

Only then did he carefully lie down and wrap his arms around me from behind.

I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep.

That was when I realized he’d been working at a construction site during the day and delivering food at night to make extra money.

Something inside me ached.

I turned around and wrapped my arms around his waist.

You idiot.

You could barely take care of yourself, yet all you ever thought about was finding a way to make money for me.