Little Moon in the 1980s

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Chen Yueya crosses several mountains to reach town, searching for Boss Shang, whose very existence she isn't even sure of.

Even in the isolated mountain village where she lives, there are rumors about Boss Shang. They say he's very rich, and his family eats white rice three times a day, with so much pork they can't finish it and just throw the spoiled leftovers away.

He's rich, but cruel to the core, the kind of person who devours people whole.

Before something happened to her mother, Chen Yueya always thought of Boss Shang as the King of Hell. Afterward, he became her only lifeline.

When Shang Ximei hears that her son lent a large sum for medical expenses to a stranger, she finds out which hospital they're at, picks up some shriveled fruit no one at home wants, and goes to visit.

In name, she's visiting. In truth, she's there to collect a debt.

Her son is terribly careless. If too much time passes, the other party might refuse to repay him, and he won't bother chasing the money. Then it will all be lost. She has to get it back.

At the hospital, Shang Ximei meets the mother and daughter who borrowed the money. After talking with the daughter, she realizes she's being unreasonable. She quickly takes the shriveled fruit away, buys ingredients to make soup, then gets some fresh fruit and goes back to visit them.

She has a small apartment in her building for rent, so she offers it to the mother and daughter rent-free for a year, telling them to settle in without worrying about a thing.

When Shang Xu learns that his mother failed to collect the debt and instead gave them a year of free rent, he can only think: ...

After a thousand words, he manages to say just one thing: "Mom, stay away from her."

"What do you know? You don't know anything!" Shang Ximei glares at her son.

Shang Xu: ...

His younger brother tries to persuade their mother too: "Big Brother's right. Mom, you're too kind. You can't get too close to Chen Yueya. The closer you get, the more pitiful she seems, and you can't help giving her and her mom a handout."

Shang Ximei keeps insisting she's right: "What do you two know? It's hard to rent out that little apartment. Letting the mother and daughter stay there for free is perfect. They'll be right under my nose, so seeing me will remind them they owe our family money. The rent is nothing compared to what they owe... Ah Xu, don't ask Yueya to pay us back yet. She's already exhausted. Give her a chance to catch her breath."

Shang Xu can only say, "All right."

2020.06.15

[Reading Guide]

1. No rebirth, no transmigration. Everyone is a native of this world.

2. Entirely fictional. Do not associate it with reality.

Theme: "After mountains and rivers, when no road seems to remain, a shaded willow and bright flowers reveal another village."