"Ellie, where are you going?"
Ellie was holding a thermal lunch box in her arms, and in the other hand, she was carrying gifts for William and Coco. She said to Susan, "I'm going out for a bit, and I'll be back later."
William had sent her a message in the morning, saying he was coming to give her something.
Ellie spotted him at a glance. William was wearing a white down jacket today, with a brown sweater underneath, and black pants that made the young man's legs look extremely long. He was holding Coco in his arms.
She handed the lunch box and bag to William and said, "Happy New Year."
Coco meowed a few times, as if to prove its presence.
"Happy New Year to you too," Ellie said.
Coco then became cheerful.
William took the things she handed over and, holding the lunch box, asked, "What's this?"
"Dumplings, pork and celery filling. I made them last night, and I just boiled them this morning. I don't know if you like them or not."
William chuckled, "I like them." Dumplings cooked by his little teacher, how could he not like them?
Ellie said, "I don't know if you eat dumplings during the New Year here. In City B, we eat dumplings during the New Year."
William said, "We eat them here too." After speaking, he took out a small box from his pocket and said, "This is a gift for my little teacher."
Ellie took the thing he handed over and stuffed it into her pocket. She said, "How did you get here? Didn't you come on a motorcycle, did you?"
William thought about the motorcycle he parked not far away, felt a bit guilty, and then said, "Yes."
"Aren't you cold?"
William shook his head, "No, I'm not cold. I wear a helmet and gloves, so I'm not cold." After speaking, fearing she wouldn't believe him, he added, "Really not cold."
Ellie touched his fingers with her hand, and they were still warm, so she believed him when he said he wasn't cold.
"Your hands are cold down here; you should go back quickly."
It was already minus seven or eight degrees Celsius today.
"You should go back quickly and eat the dumplings. If you don't eat them soon, they will get cold."
William agreed, "Okay."
Ellie urged him, "Drive slowly on the road."
William said, "I will, my little teacher."
William watched Ellie go upstairs, carefully placed the lunch box in the front bag, and then left on his motorcycle.
Coco's fur was blown around by the wind, and then it tucked its head into the bag.
William parked the car downstairs, with one hand holding the cat and the other hand holding the lunch box and gifts, slowly went upstairs.
Coco knew he was going to open the door and jumped onto his shoulder.
He looked at several men in suits at the door, looked at the floor again with some vigilance, and made sure he hadn't come to the wrong place.
The red lanterns hanging at the door had been torn off, and one was on the ground.
William picked up the red lantern and hung it up, speaking coldly, "What are you guys here for?"
"We have been sent by the master to pick you up and take you home."
"Go back and tell him that even if he comes, I won't go back."
He put the lunch box and things on the ground, took out the key from his pocket. Coco knew he was going to open the door and jumped onto his shoulder.
Before the key could be inserted, he found that the lock had been changed.
He felt an indescribable anger spread throughout his body. He said, "Did Philip let you change the lock?"
In previous years, he could still politely call him dad.
Now he doesn't even want to call him that.
"Yes, the master and mistress both care about you and want you to come home."
"By what right does he come here? I fucking ask you by what right does he come here? Let him come and see me! By what right does he change the lock here? Tell him, he is not worthy to come here!" William was red-eyed with anger, somewhat hoarse.
The man in charge said to William, "I'm sorry, this is the master's order."
William dialed Philip's number, and the other side picked up quickly.
"Hello, William."
"Don't call me by my name. Who let you come here? Who let you change the lock here? You are not worthy to come here!"
Philip responded, "I just want you to come home. You should know that your mother misses you."
Miss him?
This is the funniest thing he has heard in his life.
William hung up the phone directly.
"Young master, the master wants you to go home," the men said, reaching for William's arm.
"Get away, don't touch me."
Those people didn't care who William was; they only knew they had to take William home, alive.
William flung off the hand of the person in front of him and punched him in the face, saying, "I'm not going back, don't touch me."
Those people were not gentle with William; they could even be said to be violent.
William wrestled with those people.
Coco pounced and used its claws to scratch those people and was caught by a man, who choked its neck.
William knocked that person to the ground, snatched the cat from his hand, but he himself took a few punches.
His face was bruised, and his neck was bleeding.
He felt the string in his heart completely break, and he wrestled with those people regardless of his life.
The lunch box was kicked open due to the fight, and the dumplings inside were spilled out.
The red lanterns on the door were also pulled down by someone and trampled dirty on the ground.
William got up from the ground, wiped the blood from his face, hung the red lanterns back, picked up the fallen dumplings, and then covered the thermal bucket. He held the thermal bucket in one hand and Coco in the other.
What did he do wrong?
What exactly did he do wrong?
Why should they repeatedly disturb his life.
Just because she said she missed him.
Are all these years to be written off with a single sentence?
He can't do it.
He feels that he is living well now; why should they disturb his life.
He said to those people, "Get out of the way."
Although those bodyguards were also bruised, they still stood firmly in front of the door and said to William, "Young master, please come home with us."
"..."
William pushed those people away, holding the cat, carrying the lunch box and things, and went downstairs.
Those people didn't chase but called Philip instead.
"Master, the young master is unwilling to come back."
"I have my ways to make him come back. Guard the door."
"Yes, sir."
...
William didn't know how long he had been walking on the street alone.
Fireworks were set off by some unknown household, and they exploded in the sky, only faintly visible.
Red couplets were pasted on the doors of every household.
William randomly found a place by the roadside to sit down, and he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Firecrackers were set off on the street, crackling and popping.
All indicating the arrival of the New Year.
Everyone was immersed in the joy of the New Year.
The surroundings were lively, filled with laughter and happiness.
But the liveliness didn't belong to him.
William cleaned the dumplings with the tap on the street. He sat by the roadside and picked up a dumpling with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
Celery and pork filling.
A bit cold.
It must be better when it's hot.
He shared a few with Coco and ate the portion of dumplings that had long been cold by himself.
"Coco, we are homeless again," the biting cold wind made it hard to tell whether the young man was talking to himself or to the cat beside him.
From an unknown household came a phrase, "Happy New Year."
"Unhappy New Year."