Chapter 14: Heaven Has Eyes

The clock ticked steadily. It was already twelve forty at noon.

His mother scooped some rice from the bamboo basket. “You, from now on, anything that comes up, tell me first. Don’t just disappear without a word—I get so worried! See, I rushed home during my lunch break just to check on you. After eating, I still have to get back to work.” As she spoke, she walked to the pantry, intending to pair the morning’s stir-fried pickled cucumber and edamame with some cold boiled water over rice.

Wang Qiang sat by the square table, pretending to read a book. “Mom, don’t go to work anymore.”

“If I don’t work, who’s going to—” His mother’s words stopped abruptly as she opened the pantry door with a creak. Wang Qiang, hearing her sentence trail off, looked up. He saw his mother glance at him, her finger pointing at the fish and meat inside the pantry, a trace of confusion on her face.

“Oh, after I finished at the stall this morning, I bought some meat and gluten. The fish didn’t sell out. You eat them,” he explained.

His mother suddenly let out a long sigh. “You’ve grown up.”

That sentence carried many meanings.

It was common for rural children to mature early, but what Cheng Lin hadn’t expected was that after witnessing her quarrel with her husband, her son seemed to have become a different person.

It was a strange feeling.

Her son had always been clever—every parent believes that—but not to this extent. Catching a turtle and selling it the first time was luck, but what about making money by fishing now? And after working hard all morning, she came home to find her son had cooked two dishes.

It was as though, overnight, Qiangzi had truly grown up.

That was what Cheng Lin thought, her heart filled with comfort. Still, she didn’t take the fish and meat, only brought out the plate of pickled cucumber and edamame.

Seeing this, Wang Qiang knew his mother couldn’t bring herself to eat them, wanting to save them for him. In his memory, whether it was his father, bent by the burdens of life, or his mother, her face yellowed by the years, they always set aside the best food for him.

He remembered well what his parents often said: “Dad (Mom) doesn’t like this.”

Did they really not like it?

Everyone loves good food. Wang Qiang understood. When he saw his mother sit down at the table and pick up her chopsticks, he got up, went to the yellowed pantry, and brought out the fish and meat, placing them on the dining table.

His mother waved her hand with a smile. “I don’t like these…”

“Mom, eat!” The words were few, but his tone was firm. Wang Qiang looked at his mother with earnestness. “Don’t go to work anymore. From now on, I’ll take care of you!”

In his past life, his parents had toiled all their lives.

Now that fate had given him another chance, from this moment on, he wanted to give them a good life.

That was Wang Qiang’s greatest wish now.

Normally, Cheng Lin would have refused, but for some reason, when she heard her son’s words, her eyes inexplicably grew moist. She nodded vigorously and gave a soft hum of assent.

Watching his mother slowly eat the fish and meat, Wang Qiang felt genuine happiness well up from his heart. With his own hands, he was changing his family’s life, moving his parents toward better days.

His mother ate while gently nagging, saying things like, “Making money is good, but you still have to go to school. Don’t let your mind wander.”

Truthfully, Wang Qiang understood that his mother was tacitly agreeing to his fishing for profit.

Had he brought it up at first, she might have objected, but now, with a significant sum of “fortune” before this impoverished household, she could find no reason to refuse.

Earning half a month’s worker’s wages in a single day.

Any rural family would have accepted this by now.

When his mother finished eating, Wang Qiang told her he needed to go to Siyi Town, then pushed his old bicycle out the door.

…

The summer afternoon was scorching.

As he rode along the asphalt road, he could see the wavering heat rising before his eyes, and the smell of tar filled his nose.

Since the Minqiang Town market closed at noon, he had to go to the big market in Siyi Town to buy pig liver, and while there, pick up some red earthworms.

He was only halfway there when sweat began pouring from his whole body. Several times, he had to wipe the sweat from his brow as he rode. This damned summer was just too hot.

Maybe when he reached Siyi Town, he’d buy a bottle of water to drink.

He was panting, his mouth parched and dry, thirst gnawing at him.

Bang!

Suddenly, a loud bang!

Wang Qiang felt his bicycle slip from his grip and nearly fell. He quickly steadied himself and jumped off—only to find his tire had burst at this moment.

“Damn,” he muttered, almost fainting. Why did it have to burst now? Then he remembered he’d patched the tire just yesterday and probably overinflated it. With the high summer temperatures, the heated air caused the tire to burst.

He looked around—there were no villages or shops in sight, nothing but emptiness. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

It was still two kilometers to Siyi Town, and about the same distance if he turned home. He felt a bit lost.

Most crucially, his mouth was so dry it burned, and there wasn’t even a tree nearby for shade from the blazing sun.

What should he do?

Wang Qiang was at a loss.

No choice but to keep pushing forward. If he turned back, he’d still have to go to town to replace the tire, and since home and Siyi Town were equally distant, he might as well just go on.

With the rear tire out, he couldn’t let it drag on the ground, or the rim would warp, and that would cost a fortune to replace.

Wang Qiang cursed his luck, gently lifted the rear wheel, and pushed the bike slowly along.

But the heat was unbearable—so much so that his rubber shoes felt like they were melting on the asphalt, the soles burning. His whole body was drenched, and the sunlight seemed hot enough to boil the fat out of his body.

“If only I’d run into someone I knew.” Wang Qiang mumbled through a face streaming with sweat, but he knew it was a vain hope. On such a scorching afternoon, who would be out on the road? Even if someone appeared, the odds of meeting an acquaintance were slim.

Huff!

He pushed on, feeling increasingly dizzy, his lungs desperate for fresh air, his whole body on the verge of dehydration.

But no matter how much he called out for help, there was no answer. He could only press on.

Gritting his teeth, Wang Qiang forced himself to pick up the pace and continue eastward.

Ding-ling-ling.

Suddenly, a string of bicycle bells rang out behind him.

He turned, hope surging that he might meet someone he knew, but reality often disappoints—a man in his sixties, wearing a straw hat, sped past him without a glance.

Never mind, he’d have to rely on himself.

His fleeting joy faded, and Wang Qiang couldn’t help but curse the damned weather. Even a rainstorm would be better than this baking sun.

A few steps farther, his legs gave way and he nearly collapsed. His body was reaching its limit; cycling had been manageable, but now, lugging the bike forward, he was expending too much energy. Sweat poured from his skin like running water—he was dangerously dehydrated.

Wang Qiang gave a bitter laugh. This was bad. If he got heatstroke on this road and no one passed by, he could die here.

Just then, another series of bells sounded behind him.

Ding-ling-ling, ding-ling-ling.

He no longer held out hope and, to save energy, didn’t even bother to look back.

Sure enough, a bicycle zipped past, trailing a faint fragrance.

Riding it was a girl in a white dress and a straw hat—he couldn’t see her face clearly.

Wang Qiang was about to call out to her, to see if she’d help him, when the sound of brakes screeching on asphalt reached him.

Screeech—the tires skidded with a sharp sound.

The girl, still seated on her bike, turned with surprise. “Wang Qiang?”

The instant he heard her voice, Wang Qiang was overjoyed—someone who knew him! He quickly looked up and stammered, “It’s me, it’s… Jiang Lijuan?!”

It was, unmistakably, his old classmate whom he’d just seen the day before.

At that moment, Wang Qiang felt as though tears might spring to his eyes. Heaven had shown mercy—he was saved.