Read Novel Full Chapter 153 Part 2 – What Ye Anran Wants to Protect (II)
Chapter 153 Part 2 – What Ye Anran Wants to Protect (II)
A little past four, Chenchen came riding up on his small bicycle. The art academy wasn’t very close to home, but it wasn’t exactly near either. Xia Mian couldn’t help sighing—these kids had grown up in the blink of an eye. Now they could roam around on their own.
She hid behind a tree and watched as Chenchen entered the building where the studio was located. Before long, the two boys ran out together. Chenchen rode in front, Xiao Feng perched on the back seat, heading toward the gate.
Xia Mian glanced into the studio and, sure enough, saw the tubes Xiao Feng had squeezed lying in a mess inside Ye Anran’s paint box.
The “offerings” from noon, along with the milk candies brought from home, were all placed beside Ye Anran’s leg.
There was clearly something going on—otherwise, with Chenchen’s personality, he would definitely have talked Xiao Feng out of it.
Xia Mian hurriedly pedaled after the boys, but nearly got spotted at the gate.
She had thought the boys were racing off somewhere and so rode fast, only to discover that the two little rascals were… collecting recyclables!
Chenchen was in charge of pushing the bike. Xiao Feng’s backpack and drawing board were secured on the back seat, and a plastic bag was set to hung from the handlebars. Xiao Feng, meanwhile, checked trash cans and roadside spots for items that could be sold.
By the time Xia Mian spotted them, there were already two empty cans in the plastic bag.
The whole operation was baffling, yet the boys worked with serious focus, picking things up as they went.
At least they weren’t straying—the route followed the direction home.
But no sooner than Xia Mian thought this, the boys turned into a narrow alley.
She trailed behind them. Past the alley stretched a broad dirt road. Along its edge stood a house with its gate flung open, its yard heaped with scrap. Clearly a recycling depot.
So this is where they were headed? Xia Mian wondered, watching Chenchen bring the bike to a stop. Xiao Feng lifted down the plastic bag of scrap, yet neither of them went in, lingering instead as if expecting someone.
Once Xia Mian was sure they weren’t leaving, she locked her bicycle and quietly moved closer, hiding at the corner of the alley where she could catch their conversation.
Chenchen looked at their haul and said, “Not bad today. I wonder how Ye An’an and the others did.”
As soon as he finished speaking, several children with all sorts of unusual appearances approached, each carrying a nylon sack.
The one leading them wore a hat and scarf wrapped tightly around their head and neck, even though it was late spring. The child, bundled so thoroughly their gender was impossible to tell, was barely taller than Chenchen.
Next to this child was a smaller girl, about seven to eight years old. She had delicate, pretty features, though her hair was messy and her face covered in grime, like a little beggar.
Trailing behind was an even younger boy with a limp, dragging his nylon sack along with difficulty.
Perhaps because of their strange appearances, a group of mischievous children followed behind them, shouting loudly, “The monsters are here!”
“The monsters are here! The ugly freaks are here!”
“The monsters are going to eat people!”
One boy who shouted the loudest suddenly yelled, “Go, go! Beat the monsters to death!”
The children immediately began picking up stones and other debris, hurling them at the three kids.
The girl who looked like a little beggar suddenly flashed a fierce glare. She picked up a large brick and hurled it back. “Get lost! I’ll kill you!”
The other children scattered like startled birds, but soon regrouped, making faces and jeering again.
Chenchen and Xiao Feng quickly ran over to help.
Chenchen pointed at the group and warned, “Throw one more stone and I’ll have the police come arrest you!”
The children seemed somewhat afraid of him and didn’t dare throw more stones.
But a skinny, dark boy suddenly dashed forward. As he ran past the bundled-up child in front, he shouted dramatically, “Monster, reveal your true form at once!”
With that, he yanked off the child’s hat.
A shock of pure white appeared before everyone’s eyes: snow-white hair, snow-white eyelashes, snow-white skin…
The children shrieked while bursting into laughter.
Someone shouted, “Skinny Monkey, nice job!”
The boy called Skinny Monkey puffed up proudly. “Call me Sun Wukong!”
Xia Mian stared blankly at the white-haired girl. It didn’t take long before she recognized her as the subject in Ye Anran’s painting “Pure White Angel” at the exhibition.
Turned out, it wasn’t that the colors had been strange. Ye Anran had painted this little girl with albinism…
Then what was their relationship? Xia Mian began to form a vague guess.
Over there, Xiao Feng quickly helped the albino girl put her hat back on.
The limping boy asked worriedly, “Sister Anbai, are you okay?”
The beggar-like little girl had already charged out like a gust of wind, tackling the still-smug Skinny Monkey to the ground and raising her hand to strike him.
The limping boy immediately called out, “Sister An’an, don’t hit him! Otherwise Mother Ye will have to apologize and get scolded again…”
The girl called An’an froze mid-motion.
Skinny Monkey caught onto her concern at once and shouted loudly, “If you dare hit me, I’ll tell my mom! I’ll have her go to your house and find Mother Ye!”
“I’ll make her kneel and apologize!”
“How dare you!” An’an trembled with rage, fists clenched tight.
Xia Mian felt her heart ache. The children were even younger than her Xiao Feng, and yet, when trying to protect themselves or their friends, they had to weigh the consequences…
Chenchen stepped forward and patted An’an’s shoulder. “Move aside. I’ll handle this.”
Seeing Chenchen, Skinny Monkey blustered nervously, “What are you going to do?”
Chenchen bent down, grabbed his collar, and hauled him up. Then he said to Xiao Feng and the others, “You guys go sell your stuff first. I’ll go reason with him.”
With that, he dragged the boy off toward a corner for “reason.”
Xia Mian couldn’t help thinking: Chenchen really did resemble a novel’s male lead! At this age, he already carried the air of a domineering CEO!
Before long, Skinny Monkey’s wailing cries echoed from that direction. The other children paused and glanced over, but Xiao Feng remained completely unfazed.
Smiling brightly, he held up a small flowerpot. “If we put some soil in this and plant flowers to sell, it’ll earn more than scrap.”
The children immediately turned back and carefully set the little pot aside.
After making sure there was nothing else useful, they carried their sacks into the recycling yard.
By the time Chenchen finished with Skinny Monkey and came looking for them, the children had already emerged from the yard.
Anbai, the albino girl, counted several bills happily. “We made three and half a yuan today!”
The limping boy asked eagerly, “Is that enough to buy paint for Brother Anran? This time it’s my turn to be painted! I want a Nezha’s Wind Fire Wheels!”
Anbai said joyfully, “Brother Qianfa said my painting could sell for several thousand yuan!”
“When my painting sells, Brother Anran can buy lots of paint and hold an exhibition!”
“Yes, hold an exhibition!” the limping boy said excitedly. “If he holds one, he can make hundreds of thousands—and then Brother Anran’s illness can be treated!”
An’an frowned. “But to hold an exhibition, he needs lots and lots of paintings. And that means lots of paint.”
Xiao Feng immediately pulled a stack of drawing paper from his backpack and handed it to her. “This can make ten paintings!”
An’an shook her head. “Brother was already suspicious last time. He said you can’t find this kind of paper in the trash.”
Xiao Feng looked troubled. “Then what should we do? Say we bought it with money from collecting scrap?”
“That would be worse. He’d scold us. We still haven’t saved enough for Anxin’s surgery, and Anjie’s wheelchair needs replacing too.”
Chenchen frowned deeply. “At this rate, when will you ever save enough?”
“When Brother Anran holds his exhibition, it’ll be enough!” the limping boy said innocently. “Brother Qianfa said that at an exhibition, one painting can sell for ten thousand yuan! We just need to buy more paint for Brother Anran.”
An’an still frowned. “But paint is really expensive.”
It was practically a dead loop. Xiao Feng felt troubled.
Chenchen said gloomily, “What’s wrong with this Brother Anran? Why won’t he accept donations?”
Having taken by Zhou Xuewen to his job all the time, this boy knew more about such matters than most kids his age.
“We can’t accept donations!” Anbai reacted strongly. “The people who give money are scary. Anmu died because of them!”
Chenchen looked puzzled. An’an added seriously, “Anyway, you’re not allowed to tell anyone about our situation.”
“Brother Anran won’t let us take things from others. He’ll get angry!”
Xiao Feng quickly said, “We know. We haven’t told anyone.”
Just then, the limping boy suddenly brightened. “Brother Qianfa!”
The children turned and saw Qianfa approaching, carrying a boy of about eleven or twelve on his back. As he got closer, Xia Mian could see the boy had no lower legs.
The limping boy looked up and asked, “Brother Anjie, did you get money today?”
Anjie nodded happily. “More than twenty yuan!”
Qianfa pulled out the money and waved it proudly in front of them. “I’m saving all this to buy medicine for your Brother Anran—and to hold his exhibition!”
The albino girl obediently handed over the money she had just received as well.
Qianfa tucked it away, then took out a handful of cheap hard candies from his pocket and gave each of them one. “You all worked hard today.”
Chenchen couldn’t help asking, “Did you take him begging?”
Xiao Feng was puzzled too. “Didn’t Brother Anran say you’re not allowed to accept things from others?”
Qianfa’s expression changed instantly. “Who are you?”
Anbai explained, “They’re Chenchen and Xiao Feng. They help us collect scrap to sell.”
Qianfa looked at the boys’ clothes and frowned. “Do your parents know you’re picking up scrap?”
“It’d be one thing if you got beaten for it, but don’t drag trouble to us too. Go home quickly!”
Xiao Feng said calmly, “Big brother, Auntie won’t scold me, and she won’t cause you trouble.”
Chenchen snorted. “My parents don’t hit me.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t tell the adults.”
Xiao Feng nodded. “We’re just helping friends. There’s no adult donating anything. Brother Anran won’t get angry.”
Qianfa seemed even more worried. “Ye Anran’s got something wrong with him! He won’t even let people show kindness!”
Then he smiled at Xiao Feng and Chenchen. “If you want to do good deeds and show kindness, just give the money to me. I won’t get angry.”
Chenchen eyed him suspiciously. “But you don’t look like a good person.”
Qianfa’s eyes widened, and he was about to retort when suddenly a pair of whistle sounded from the mouth of the alley, one long and one short.
Everyone’s faces changed at once.
An’an and Anbai were relatively calm, but Qianfa hoisted Anjie onto his back and bolted, shouting over his shoulder as he ran, “Don’t tell Ye Anran about today! If he gets mad enough to faint, he might just kick the bucket!”
(If you have both kofi and patreon, please subscribe using kofi. Thank you!)