Chapter 20: The little one

　　"Sister! Why are you so slow! What have you been doing?" Pascal Lee looked hurt, like a puppy that someone had abandoned here. "Brother? Why are you both wet?"

Jasper Lee lowered his eyes and said nothing, while Cherry Adams replied in a hurry.

"We met someone on the way and got wet for a little while."

"What do you mean, 'for a little while'? Why are you talking like you were taking a shower?" Pascal Lee was very concerned. "How could you two go out without an umbrella?"

　　"Stop it, you're talking too much." Cherry Adams pricked her ears, "Who are you to lecture me?"

Cherry Adams took out a cigarette, but then remembered that this was a public place, so she put it between her lips. I heard your brother say you wanted to go out to dinner? I just happened to have something to tell you today."

"What is it?" Pascal Lee beamed, "Is it about you buying me a cell phone?"

　　"Buy a damn thing! The exams are coming up, so don't involve me in all this nonsense and concentrate on your studies."

"But you promised me!" Pascal Lee pouted at her, "You said you'd buy it for me when I get into high school! You promised, so you can't go back on your word! Besides, all my classmates' parents said they would buy them, but I'm the only one who hasn't, so it's pretty embarrassing!

　　Cherry Adams said impatiently, "That's if you get in! Besides, how do you know those parents will buy them for their kids after the exam? Maybe they'll lie to you."

"They will buy them! We promised!"

"Promised? Hmph, what's a promise worth?"

"Pascal," said Jasper Lee, reminding him.

　　Unexpectedly, Pascal Lee burst into tears: "You all have cell phones! I don't! I have no place to go after school, so I have to stay home alone! You're all busy at work! No one comes home to keep me company! I can't even get a cell phone! Uuuuu!"

Cherry Adams frowned: "Crying, crying, crying, it's annoying.

Jasper Lee was also at a loss to understand his younger brother's distress.

　　He remembered that Pascal Lee had not been so inconsiderate before.

"Fine, buy, buy, buy," Cherry Adams said, annoyed by her brat's fussing, and made something up, "I'm telling you, your brother is only coming back this time to buy you a cell phone.

Pascal Lee immediately stopped crying, blinked his watery doe eyes and looked expectantly at Jasper Lee:

"Is what she said true, brother?"

　　Jasper Lee was confused and hesitant, and through the rearview mirror he caught Cherry Adams' amused gaze.

"Do I look like I'm lying to you?" Cherry Adams said, puffing on her cigarette. "Did you look in your brother's pocket?"

"No...what's in it?"

Pascal Lee was nervous.

"Go home and look, it's all for you."

　　As soon as Pascal Lee got home, he rushed to rummage through Jasper Lee's school bag. He was shocked when he found what he was looking for.

"Wow! Brother, you've struck it rich!" Pascal Lee was full of red bills, "How much money is there!"

　　"You're such a money grubber," Cherry Adams exhaled, puffing on her cigarette. "It's not how much money you have, it's how you spend it. A smartass like you, with the most expensive school supplies, the best stationery, and the latest cell phone, is sure to be a spendthrift."

Pascal Lee listened carefully and asked his brother, "Did you spend all that money on my cell phone?

　　Jasper Lee looked at Cherry Adams again and Cherry Adams said, "Yes, if you're going to buy one, get a good one that will last longer.

"Then let's buy it now! Okay? Okay?" Pascal Lee ran around them.

"Let's eat first," Cherry Adams said. "Your brother hasn't had lunch and he's hungry. You're such a good son!"

　　Once they were on the street, Pascal Lee couldn't wait to run ahead and stop at every cell phone store.

"Look at your brother," Cherry Adams said lazily, "like a dog that smells shit."

It was a vulgar metaphor, but it was also vivid and witty.

Jasper Lee hadn't found it funny before.

　　But now he couldn't stop laughing.

When he laughed, his short, thick eyelashes fluttered gently down, framing his dark, translucent eyes. He looked completely relaxed and had the liveliness of a little boy.

That's more like it, Cherry Adams thought.

A child should be a child.

At dinner, Cherry Adams announced the good news: "Your brother has been accepted into the school, so he doesn't have to go out of town to be a tutor anymore.

　　Pascal Lee hugged his brother and kept asking if it was true.

Cherry Adams teased him, "I'm not lying to you, but I lied about buying you a cell phone.

Pascal Lee's mouth fell open and crystal tears welled up in his eyes, which he helplessly held back. "It's good that my brother has a place to go to school, and I can do without a cell phone!"

　　"Okay, okay, I know you two are close," Cherry Adams sighed, "I'll buy you a phone too."

When they arrived at the cell phone store, Pascal Lee immediately held his breath and jumped to the front of the counter, his eyes fixed on the inside without blinking. He looked like a young cheetah on the prowl.

"Why don't you get a new one? Cherry Adams asked.

"Mine still works," Jasper Lee politely declined.

Half an hour later, the three left the store.

　　Jasper Lee was still getting used to the new phone.

"I told you, mine still works."

"It's a good thing we're each getting a new phone," Cherry Adams said.

"I can use your old phone..."

"Come on, I supported you through school, I can afford a damn phone," Cherry Adams glared at him, "Don't give me that shit!"

　　Jasper Lee had to swallow the rest of his words. When he saw his younger brother bouncing back, he whispered again:

"You spoil Pascal too much."

"Can't I be nice to your brother?"

"That's not what I meant..."

Jasper Lee: "Pascal is still young, and some concepts need to be taught. There is no need to buy him things every time he cries."

"So what am I supposed to do? I'm busy working all day on my side, and you're not home, so there's no way."

　　"That's not going to work..."

"I told you I can't teach a child!"

Cherry Adams showed her strong impatience.

"...It's all my problem."

Jasper Lee looked down at the top of the shoe.

Cherry Adams sighed, thinking that the child was so perceptive and she didn't know if that was good or bad.

"It's not your problem, it's that I don't have the patience to teach your brother and you don't have the energy to take care of him right now."

　　Cherry Adams spoke of herself: "I was the same way when I was a kid. My real father was nowhere to be found, and my real mother was too busy. Our father only visited me a few times a year, and the rest of the time I was on my own.

"I understand how Pascal feels. He needs his family's love and care. Children are a lot of trouble, but you have to learn to deal with them with love. If not, you can only compensate him a little more materially.

　　"When I was a child, I envied my classmates whose families were rich and could buy the latest models of portable cassette players and video games," Cherry Adams confessed lightly, "Now I see that by buying you and Pascal cell phones, I am actually making up for my own childhood.

At this point, Jasper Lee could only listen.

"You wouldn't understand," Cherry Adams waved her hand.

　　"You were the masters' sons, and no matter what happened, you were richer than us and could have anything you wanted, so you couldn't understand the lives of ordinary people like us." Cherry Adams lifted her neck to admire the night sky with its bright evening stars. I never thought that fate could be so cruel, but it is also very fair, even to you.

"... Maybe that's how fate is. Jasper Lee opened his heart, "Pascal and I have accepted our present lives. You adopted us and sent us to school, and we are already very happy... We will study hard and repay you."

　　"Maybe you can." Cherry Adams paused, "Your stupid, cute little brother, forget it!"

With that, she let out a low laugh into the night wind.

Two years later.

"Whenever you see a line, turn right, turn right."

Cherry Adams bit into her cigarette, shivering in the cold wind. The trainee fiddled nervously with the steering wheel, and Cherry Adams lost her temper again when she saw that the wheel had already crossed the line.

　　"Turn the wheel to the right! Don't you understand what I'm saying?!"

The trainee quickly turned the wheel another half turn.

Cherry Adams then calmed down.

"Hey, Coach Cherry, why are you so angry?" Coach Zhang came over and said, "I could hear you yelling from far away.

"It's freezing cold, and I've been teaching side parking all afternoon, and I still can't get it right! Cherry Adams glared at the male student, "You're useless!"

　　Coach Zhang handed her a cigarette: "You're lucky. Coach Gao had two students in the car and they turned it over."

"Fuck!" Cherry Adams' hand shook and the ash fell on her pant leg. "Are you okay? Is it serious?"

"Both girls are fine, they were wearing seatbelts. The car is a little serious, the front cover needs to be replaced."

"I'm talking about the car!"

Cherry Adams' heart was bleeding.

　　The male trainee in the car couldn't hold it in any longer and started to laugh. She slammed the car window:

"Very funny! Are you any different from them?!"

The trainee immediately stopped laughing and obediently practiced driving.

　　"What a fool!" Cherry Adams muttered.

Not far away, black smoke was billowing. Cherry Adams went over to see what was going on. Coach Gao was frowning at the wreckage. I was supposed to have it inspected last year, but I was too busy.

Cherry Adams: "Was it the car or the person who was too busy?

Coach Gao smiled wryly: "My money was too busy!"

　　Cherry Adams thought for a moment and then asked, "Isn't our instructor's car under six years old? It's exempt from inspection."

"Two of the Citroens are old cars brought from Beijing," Coach Gao sighed, "eight or nine years old."

The two female trainees next to them didn't know what to do, so they had to play with their phones in the same place to ease the awkwardness. Okay," Cherry Adams asked, "do you have a manual or automatic transmission?"

"Self, automatic."

　　"Go find Coach Zhang."

After the others left, Cherry Adams nudged him with her elbow and said, "Don't sigh, we're going out for dinner after work. I heard someone say there's an authentic Xinjiang barbecue restaurant here.

Cherry Adams had a good plan: "Let's get Xiaoqi, book a room, and go play cards after dinner..."

"That dog! Coach Gao got angry just thinking about him, "He has a terrible poker face! He can't lose!"

　　"So that's how he is..."

Cherry Adams leaned over and said something.

The two of them laughed viciously.

Coach Gao: "You should say that to his face!"

Cherry Adams said that she didn't dare, and at that moment, the phone rang.

It was Pascal Lee's homeroom teacher calling.

"Hello, is this Pascal Lee's parent?"

　　"Yes," Cherry Adams asked, "what's wrong?"

"Your child skipped class again and went to the Internet cafe during the evening study session. He's in the office now. Come over."

Cherry Adams was at a loss. She was furious, but she just pinched her eyebrows and said, "I know.

"Is it your younger child again?"

"Yes, this is the third time."

　　"I'd say he's heartless. You, as the older sister, work hard to earn money to send him to school, but he just goes to the Internet cafe all day and skips school! You can't say he's irresponsible the first time, but the second and third time... He's really gone too far!"

Cherry Adams' face was grim, and she smoked in silence.

"You don't understand," she said, clearing the smoke.

"This is the third time this month."