Vivian was a bit dazed, but she wasn't foolish.
"You can only stay at my place for one night," she pointed outside. "At dawn tomorrow, you're leaving. Remember, this isn't an orphanage or a charity. I don't take in heartbroken kids."
Ethan and Noah stepped into the old house for the first time.
Back then, none of the three referred to it as such.
Old walls, old furniture, old floors.
Everything was old, including the only bedroom.
Vivian quickly made arrangements for the night as the eldest: "Don't even think about it. I'm taking the bed. You two can sleep on the couch, the floor, or even the toilet if you want. The toilet seat has plenty of room—feel free to sleep there if you want!"
She was utterly exhausted, having driven all day and now playing house with two kids. Just as she turned toward the bedroom, a low growl came from behind. She glanced back to see Noah biting his lip, shyly covering his stomach.
"…Tch." Vivian asked, "You two haven't eaten dinner?"
Noah shook his head, and so did Ethan. Both stared at her with pleading eyes.
Vivian was shameless, even with kids. Friendship and family weren't like iced tea—there were no free refills, especially since she had none to begin with. She brazenly suggested, "Didn't your brother just get paid? Let him treat us to midnight snacks."
When we were kids, when relatives saw kids getting pocket money, adults would jokingly ask them to treat everyone to a meal. The kids would usually pout and refuse, clutching their money tightly, while the adults laughed and called them stingy.
Ethan didn't hesitate. "…Sure."
Vivian raised an eyebrow. "You're willing to treat us, huh?"
"I was going to treat you anyway," he said, surprisingly mature. "Thank you for helping find Noah and letting us stay tonight."
His response made Vivian chuckle. "I was just messing with you! Who'd want your measly eight hundred yuan? Keep it for you and your brother."
They headed to a late-night street stall—Vivian and her two non-blood-related brothers. Unlike the silent dinners at the Blackwood family table, it was their first proper meal together.
The Blackwood family had gone bankrupt, and they were like eggs in a shattered nest, they began to draw closer, their fates intertwining. They were all young—the oldest barely an adult, the youngest just ten years old.
Vivian ordered two bottles of beer. The kids couldn't drink, but she could.
Before the skewers arrived, Ethan and Noah bought stir-fried rice noodles from a neighboring stall.
Noah was starving, burying his face in the bowl. He'd just recovered from an illness and needed the energy. Ethan, however, didn't start eating immediately. Instead, he watched Vivian's expression, then scooped a portion of noodles and a large piece of egg into an empty bowl, pushing it toward her.
"…For you." Ethan's bowl was nearly empty, just a thin layer of oily noodles left.
Vivian smirked. "Trying to butter me up?"
She didn't eat it, telling him to keep it for himself. She wasn't lacking in food or clothing, at least not compared to these two. She didn't help them, but she didn't make things harder for them either. At this point, Vivian thought to herself that she was a pretty decent person. Surely, the heavens would reward her with great fortune.
After two drinks, Vivian remembered the kidnapping incident in Rye Village. "What did the police say? Are they charging you? What about the bald guys?"
"They're all in prison," Ethan said. "They cooperated with the investigation. The death penalty was reduced to life imprisonment. All the kidnapped kids were found, I have provided the clues."
"What about you?" Vivian asked. "You're over fourteen, right? Didn't they charge you?"
Ethan shook his head. "My ID birthday is different from the one we celebrated at home. The difference between the lunar and solar calendars. Same for Noah."
Vivian took a moment to process this. "Are you exploiting a bug or what? You were under fourteen back then?"
Ethan gave a short and bitter laugh. "I didn't think about it. I just acted."
"You must have been scared out of your mind back then, huh?"
"I was scared! But not my brother!" Noah chimed in, his mouth shiny with grease. "My brother was super brave!"
"Gross. Wipe your mouth before talking."
Vivian shot him a disgusted look. Noah pouted, put down his chopsticks, and obediently wiped his mouth with a tissue.
"I wasn't that scared," Ethan said. "When you're in that kind of situation, there's not much room for thought. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't take such a risk. But back then, it was urgent—either I got kidnapped or I kidnapped someone else. I didn't have a choice."
Vivian said coolly, "In those remote villages, some adults never make it out in their entire lives. Don't second-guess yourself. What you did was right. Whether it's legal or not, the priority is to survive. Only then can they even think about charging you."
"You're right," Ethan murmured.
Vivian sighed. "Noah is lucky to have you."
"My brother's the best!" Noah wagged his imaginary tail. "He's the best person in the world to me!"
Vivian teased him, "If your dad, your mom, and your brother all fell into the water, who would you save first?"
She expected Noah to hesitate, but he answered instantly, "Of course, my brother!"
Vivian studied the two boys who'd been living rough, and let out a soft laugh. "You know what I thought when I saw you again? You'd never guess. It felt like a lifetime had passed. Those two years at your house felt like a dream."
A fleeting dream.
A pipe dream.
Ethan lowered his gaze, glancing at his brother. "There's no use thinking about that now."
"True," Vivian said, handing him a skewer. "Eat up."
With their stomachs full, the conversation flowed more easily on the way back. Ethan asked why Vivian hadn't gone to college. She said her school had shut down. Noah's eyes widened. "Schools aren't companies. How can they just shut down?" He'd always wished his school would close when he was a little kid.
"Well, lucky you," Vivian said heartlessly. "Now you don't even have to go to school. Ha!"
Noah pouted, saying it was fine since he didn't want to go anyway. But Ethan was firm.
"Noah will go to school."
"More education never hurts," Vivian said. "If you want to climb the social ladder, studying hard is the most practical and effective way."
Many of Vivian's views aligned with Ethan's. Vivian is more knowledgeable and opinionated than they are, so Ethan sought her advice. "Are there any jobs that minors can do to earn money?"
"A minor trying to find a job? Good luck with that!" Vivian rolled her eyes. "You'd be better off finding a good foster family. A wealthy one could save you decades of struggle… Don't tell me you're still clinging to your pride."
"No," Ethan said. "What I'm afraid of is being cheated even if I let go of my dignity. I can't trust anyone now—except you."
Such childish trust. Vivian toyed with her phone, thinking for a moment. "You could consider tutoring."
"At my old school, many students worked part-time as tutors. They joined local tutoring groups," Vivian explained. "If you can teach yourself some high school or even college-level material, you can tutor others. You don't need to be an expert—teaching elementary kids doesn't require that much."
Ethan processed this. "I'd need a phone, a library card, and enough money to cover food and living expenses while I study."
The phone..." Vivian said. "It's the one my mom used before she passed. It still works fine, all the functions are intact. If you don't mind, you can take it. As for the library card, that's easy. Renting it for a month is more cost-effective than buying. And as for the money..."
Ethan responded with a confused look, directed at Vivian.
Noah spoke up. "Sister…"
Vivian sighed and pulled out two thousand from her wallet. "Remember to pay me back."
Well, this meal turned out to be a loss. Instead of getting her medical expenses back, she is out of pocket now.
As they walked back through the dimly lit night market, Vivian glanced at the boys' clothes. Noah looked decent in a cultural-themed robe, but Ethan was a mess, wearing a stained, tattered work uniform that made him look like a beggar.
"Hey," she called, stopping them.
Ethan and Noah turned back to the stall.
"What are you wearing?" Vivian eyed them. "It's almost winter. Get your brother some warm clothes, or he'll catch another cold."
Noah hesitated, shaking his head, not wanting to waste his brother's hard-earned money. Ethan told him to pick something, and Vivian insisted Ethan do the same.
"If you want a decent job, you need decent clothes," Vivian advised. "Didn't you notice how confident I looked when I showed up at your construction site? I always dress formally, even in summer or winter. It leaves a good impression."
They bought a fifteen-yuan shirt, twenty-yuan pants, and a sixty-yuan leather jacket from the stall. The outfit made Ethan look sharp and clean. Vivian took them to a barbershop where haircuts cost just five yuan, joking with the barber, and didn't end up paying.
"Dealing with people is an art," Vivian said, brushing a stray hair off Ethan's nose.
"There. Much handsomer."
Well, the Blackwood genes were undeniably strong. The world had dealt the Blackwoods bankruptcy, but the family had gifted these two boys with striking looks—bright eyes, clear features, and an air of nobility. A little grooming, and Ethan and Noah still exuded an undeniable charm.
But as the saying goes, good looks don't put food on the table.
By the time they got home, it was late. Ethan let Noah have the couch while he prepared to sleep on the floor.
Vivian wasn't much of a housekeeper, and the floor was far from clean. She feels guilty, she laid out a blanket in the bedroom for Noah and let Ethan have the couch.
"It's not that I have a problem with you," Vivian explained. "Your brother's health is weaker, and the bedroom has heating."
"Thank you for letting my brother have the warmth," Ethan said. "I can sleep anywhere."
The boys took turns showering, then Vivian. When she came out, they were already asleep.
Ethan lay on the couch, his hand resting near his nose. On the table were three months' worth of wages.
Vivian stood by the couch for a moment, then picked up the money and counted it—just twenty-six hundred.
She went back to her room, took out five hundred more, and added it to the pile of money. This was all she could do.
The next morning, Vivian woke up to find the sun high in the sky.
Noah was still curled up in the corner of the bed, fast asleep.
She figured Ethan was still asleep too. Yawning, she walked into the living room—and froze.
The couch was neatly made, the blanket folded into a square. On the table was the money she'd given them the night before.
Ethan was gone.
He'd taken his eight hundred yuan and left his brother behind.
"Damn it…" Vivian rubbed her forehead.
"How could he forget his brother?!"