Night fell over the recycling station.
There were no houses near the back gate. Beyond the high brick wall lay a riverside embankment, hidden from view by the thick enclosure.
Gu Hai drove a military-green cargo truck to the back entrance. Gouzi was the first to jump down, followed by Su Wenbing, Lao Liu, Ermao, and the others.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, Su Wenbing spotted the mountain-like pile of watermelons under the moonlight. His eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"My goodness... so many watermelons! Gouzi, I don't care what you say—you have to save a few for me this time!"
Gouzi waved his hand generously.
"No problem! Is five enough?"
Then he turned to Gu Hai.
"Brother Hai, take some home for Junzi and the others too. They're on me!"
"Lao Liu, you too. Don't be shy."
Lao Liu rubbed his hands together excitedly, his eyes sparkling.
Ermao asked jealously,
"Brother Gouzi... don't I get any?"
Gouzi laughed.
"Everyone gets some! From now on, I'll make sure you all have plenty of watermelons!"
Lao Liu immediately cheered.
Gu Hai rolled his eyes at Gouzi and warned,
"Enough talking. Hurry up and load the watermelons. If we take too long and someone notices, we'll be in trouble."
At his command, everyone immediately began carrying the watermelons onto the truck.
After several trips, Gouzi finally noticed the rice and meat Su Yun had left for him.
Picking up one of the chickens, he grinned as if he had discovered a treasure.
"Brother Hai, Comrade Xiao Su is really thoughtful. I already told her she didn't need to thank me, but she still prepared gifts!"
"Look at this chicken—it's so fat! And this slab of pork must weigh at least five pounds... Huh? There's also a new set of clothes and a pair of shoes..."
His eyes suddenly lit up.
"Wow! Sneakers?"
The moment he picked up the sneakers, Gu Hai snatched them away.
Without blinking, Gu Hai declared,
"These sneakers are from Xiao Yun. She bought them for me."
Gouzi blinked in confusion.
"Brother Hai, that can't be right. Comrade Xiao Su clearly said she left these gifts for me. How can they suddenly be yours?"
Gu Hai pointed toward the rice and meat.
"Isn't your gift over there? Such a fat chicken and all that pork—isn't that enough?"
Then he compared the sneakers to his feet.
Seeing that they matched his shoe size perfectly, he immediately became even more confident.
"See? They're exactly my size. Xiao Yun obviously bought them for me."
Scratching his head, Gouzi muttered,
"Comrade Xiao Su is strange. Why would she leave your sneakers here with my gifts?"
"But that's okay. I still have the clothes..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Hai snatched the clothes as well.
Holding both the sneakers and the outfit tightly, Gu Hai raised an eyebrow.
"If the shoes are mine, how could the clothes possibly be yours?"
Gouzi protested,
"Brother Hai, those clothes must be my thank-you gift! They're even the same dull gray color as what I'm wearing. How could they possibly suit you?"
"Why can't I wear them?"
Gu Hai was about to make up an excuse when he suddenly caught the key phrase.
His eyes narrowed.
"Gouzi... you've been talking about a 'thank-you gift' this whole time. What does that mean? What did Xiao Yun ask you to do that she needed to thank you for?"
Gouzi froze.
Oh no... I let it slip.
He stammered helplessly, unable to think of a convincing lie.
"Brother Hai... let's just finish loading the watermelons first. There are still so many left..."
After they finished loading the truck, Gouzi could no longer withstand Gu Hai's piercing stare. Eventually, he found an opportunity to speak with him privately and honestly told him about Su Yun's request.
After listening quietly for a while, Gu Hai said,
"I'll handle this matter myself. But remember one thing—don't let Xiao Yun know that you and I are connected. To everyone else, we're just ordinary neighbors. Understood?"
"Understood?"
"Understood?"
The moment Gouzi heard those words again, his head started aching.
---
The next morning, Gu Hai arrived at the recycling station looking completely refreshed.
Su Yun was wiping down the counter. She looked up—and immediately froze.
She stared at him several times before finally asking,
"Gu Hai... why are you wearing the clothes and shoes I bought for Comrade Gouzi?"
The moment he heard that, Gu Hai radiated pure resentment.
"Those clothes and shoes weren't Gouzi's size. He couldn't wear them, so he gave them to me."
His tone was so sour it practically made one's teeth ache.
Su Yun didn't believe him.
"That's impossible. The clothes are one-size-fits-all. Anyone can wear them. Gouzi is only a little shorter than you, so how could they not fit? As for the sneakers... although I bought them in your size, I figured Gouzi's feet were probably about the same..."
Before she could finish, Gu Hai pouted pitifully, looking as though he were about to cry.
Su Yun immediately stopped talking and looked at him curiously.
"Gu Hai... what's wrong?"
He took a deep breath.
"I'm unhappy."
Su Yun more or less understood why.
"But I already gave you clothes and shoes before."
"That's completely different!"
Gu Hai complained.
"Back then, you only gave them to me because you wanted me to help you put on an act. They were stage costumes! Besides, I practically had to beg you for them, and you clearly didn't want to give them to me."
"When was I unwilling? I had already planned to give them to you..."
Su Yun tried to defend herself, but seeing his increasingly aggrieved expression, she finally gave in.
"Fine, fine. I'll buy you a few more new outfits. As many as you want, okay?"
Gu Hai replied resentfully,
"See? You're still unwilling. You're making it sound like I'm the unreasonable one."
You are being unreasonable, Su Yun thought silently.
Then she reminded him,
"My mother also made you two new sets of clothes. Why don't you ever mention those?"
"That's different!"
Gu Hai insisted.
"I wanted you to give them to me. But instead, you gave them to Gouzi first. I'm angry."
"Then stay angry."
Su Yun laughed inwardly after realizing he was simply being childish.
"I still have to sweep the floor. I don't have time to indulge you."
The moment she reached for the broom, Gu Hai hurriedly grabbed it away.
Giving her another mournful look, he said,
"Don't touch it! I've always been the one who sweeps the recycling station. Don't even think about stealing my job."
Then he added seriously,
"Wait until I've finished sweeping the floor... then I'll continue being angry."
Su Yun couldn't hold it in anymore.
She burst into laughter.
Although Gu Hai claimed he was still angry, the moment he finished sweeping, he immediately drifted back to Su Yun's side, sticking close to her as always.
His eyes seemed glued to her face. No matter what he was doing, he couldn't stop looking at her.
---
Around noon, Xia Ying arrived carrying a shoulder bag and several bottles of orange soda.
Seeing Gu Hai there wasn't surprising to her at all.
She placed the sodas on the counter, then wiggled her eyebrows teasingly at Su Yun.
Su Yun quickly shot Gu Hai a meaningful glance.
Understanding immediately, Gu Hai slowly stepped aside and, in the process, secretly shot Xia Ying an annoyed glare.
Neither Su Yun nor Xia Ying noticed it.
"Yingzi, what brings you here today?"
After taking a sip of her orange soda to cool off, Xia Ying sighed.
"Don't even ask. It's all because of my aunt's family. They've shamelessly refused to leave our house, and they've made my mother so angry that she's fallen ill!"