We Are Filthy, Born From Mud - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Yes, She is Also Liangu; I am Called Yougu, Just Call Me…

Zong Liangu followed Zong Yougu back to the hotel room in silence.

With a click, the door was closed.

Zong Yougu turned around. Zong Liangu pressed tightly against her, her cold eyes locking onto Yougu as if she were prey.

“You’d better confess everything.” Zong Liangu’s fingers stroked Yougu’s face repeatedly, leaving shallow fingernail marks.

Zong Yougu pursed her lips, then seemed to make a decision.

She stepped forward and hugged Zong Liangu.

Her arms wrapped around Liangu’s waist, feeling the other woman’s firm muscles and the rise and fall of her breath.

“Why didn’t you appear sooner?”

Though it was a question, Yougu’s voice held no hint of inquiry; instead, it sounded more like an accusation.

Her tears welled up uncontrollably. She wiped her tears and snot forcefully against Liangu’s clothes, breathing in Liangu’s scent with every breath.

Zong Liangu pushed Yougu away with a hint of disgust, but Yougu stubbornly finished blowing the last of her nose.

“Don’t look at me like that. This outfit is expensive. Wiping my nose on my clothes is no different from wiping it with banknotes, and there’s a victory banquet tonight.”

Zong Yougu reverted to her usual playful, smiling state. She added: “This hotel is too high-end; I don’t dare use the napkins here. What if they charge extra?”

Zong Yougu looked up at Zong Liangu. Her hands slid up the other’s arms to rest on her shoulders. Her fingers tapped Liangu’s cheek one by one, pushing her luck.

“Didn’t you want me to confess? What is there that I can’t tell you?

You are me, and I am you. If I can’t even be honest with myself, then I would be too pathetic.

But this story is long. Let me think about how to tell it.”

“Hmm… actually, I was also called Zong Liangu.”

Nineteen years ago, Zong Yougu arrived at Shengting Orphanage.

At that time, Zong Yougu was not yet called Zong Yougu.

She was Zong Liangu.

Shengting Orphanage was located in a remote small county town and was once a key support project.

However, as time passed, the town of Shengting was forgotten, and the orphanage was naturally forgotten along with it.

The volunteers who used to provide constant service gradually thinned out, and the staff kept leaving.

Eventually, the entire orphanage was left to the director to manage alone. Out of a sense of morality, she stayed there until the very last moment of her life.

Despite the director pouring out her love without reserve, emotional abundance could not save this land, which was barren due to material deprivation.

Like all the children growing up there, Zong Yougu was numb and precocious.

There was an old-fashioned television in the orphanage—square, heavy, and clumsy.

Every night, it played cartoons, and the space in front of the small screen was crowded with little heads.

However, because of the remote location, there weren’t many channels, and only a few cartoons were broadcast.

As time went by, fewer children came to watch TV.

But Zong Yougu would still go every day.

Because only by immersing herself in the television could she briefly forget the swirling dust and the leaking roof.

The children who, like her, still sat in front of the TV every day were Zhang Yinyang and Zhang Mumu.

“Liangu, what are you doing?” Zhang Yinyang shouted, then immediately covered her mouth as if realizing her mistake.

She immediately lowered her voice: “Mama told us we can only watch this channel. The other channels are for adults.”

Zhang Mumu looked from Zong Yougu to Zhang Yinyang, and finally echoed in a small, uncertain voice: “Yeah, yeah.”

“Oh.” Zong Yougu remained crouched by the TV buttons, switching through the channels one by one.

The screen flickered, and Yougu’s hand stopped.

Her eyes were completely glued to the protagonists of a TV drama.

“Their clothes look like they’re glowing,” Zhang Mumu whispered in awe.

“Would they be more comfortable than our clothes?” Zhang Yinyang rubbed her sleeve against her cheek.

“I don’t know—” Zong Yougu was interrupted by Zhang Mumu’s exaggerated cry.

“Xiaoyang, Liangu, what are they doing!” Zhang Mumu pointed at the TV dramatically.

Zong Yougu turned her head following the finger. She saw the two protagonists on the screen focused on gnawing at each other’s lips, their mouths opening and closing repeatedly, like starving people devouring noodles.

“So weird.”

“So disgusting.”

“So scary.”

The three of them offered their calm critiques and then continued to watch with their heads propped in their hands.

“So boring,” Zhang Yinyang switched the TV back to cartoons. She blinked, her tone taking on a hint of fawning, “Sister Liangu, I’m a little hungry. I want to eat something.”

Zong Yougu said coldly: “If you’re hungry, endure it. Where would we get the money to buy eggs?”

“I saw them! You brought back so many today. Xiaoniu saw them too, didn’t you?”

Zhang Mumu nodded somewhat hesitantly.

“Those are for setting up the stall.”

“Liangu is a liar,” Zhang Yinyang’s tone was certain. “Xiaoniu saw it. You didn’t go to the stall at all. You’ve been stealing lately!”

Hearing this, Zhang Mumu immediately reached out to cover Zhang Yinyang’s mouth, but it was too late.

Zong Yougu turned her head quickly, calmly sizing up the somewhat triumphant Zhang Yinyang.

“So?” Zong Yougu asked.

“I want to eat an egg pancake,” Zhang Yinyang said.

Zong Yougu smiled. She continued to ask: “And?”

“I want to go stealing with you from now on.”

Zong Yougu weighed the options. One egg pancake in exchange for not being reported—a good deal.

She agreed with a smile: “Egg pancakes are okay, stealing is not.”

“Why?”

“You’re too stupid.” Zong Yougu was heartless.

Zhang Mumu also repeated mockingly, his finger constantly poking Zhang Yinyang’s cheek: “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

Zhang Yinyang seemed about to say something else, but Zong Yougu didn’t listen. She carefully opened the door, and after confirming the director wasn’t around, she ran quickly to the small vending cart.

She skillfully turned on the gas tank, and the iron plate slowly heated up.

Thump—

An eggshell cracked against the edge.

“I want to be a thief too,” Zhang Yinyang muttered.

Zong Yougu hummed, her hands never stopping.

Thump—

Another egg was cracked open.

The golden-orange yolk landed on the iron plate, and then the egg white turned opaque.

“One for each of you, no eating more,” Zong Yougu said.

Zhang Yinyang, however, pulled both egg pancakes into her arms.

“Take them back,” Zong Yougu said.

Zhang Mumu lowered his head, twisting his fingers.

“Cowardly, useless.”

Zong Yougu firmly grasped Zhang Mumu’s wrist, forcing him to hit Zhang Yinyang.

“I don’t want them anymore, I won’t eat,” Zhang Mumu said.

“Cowardly, useless,” Zong Yougu repeated again.

She straightened up and made another egg pancake for Zhang Mumu.

Looking at the two people devouring the food, she scolded them mercilessly: “One of you is greedy to the bone, and the other is scared to death.”

“What about you?” Zhang Yinyang asked while chewing. She smiled happily, her mood not affected at all by Yougu’s insults.

“I am perfect,” Zong Yougu snorted, brushed her sleeves, and turned to leave.

Unlike these two little kids, she had to work tomorrow; she needed to rest early.

She had to rest well. Only by resting well could she work well.

Even if it wasn’t exactly “respectable” work.

But it paid well.

Zong Yougu went back to her bed. Her thoughts wandered as she looked through the window at the bright stars in the sky.

She very piously pressed her hands together, closed her eyes, and made a wish.

I hope when I wake up tomorrow, everyone’s backpack zippers won’t close.

At 4:00 AM, Zong Yougu woke up on time.

She got out of bed stealthily.

When she opened the door, Zhang Yinyang and Zhang Mumu were already waiting at the entrance.

“We want to go with you. If you don’t let us, we’ll wail,” Zhang Yinyang assumed a rogue-like posture.

Zong Yougu calmly took a step back, dodging the two who wanted to pounce forward.

She furrowed her brows.

If three children moved together, the target would be too large.

She looked at the two of them with irritation. She hated it when people disrupted her plans.

Or rather, she disliked people in general, and this behavior made her dislike them even more.

She narrowed her eyes, as if remembering something.

Two days ago, she had discovered a well-decorated house not far from town.

But because she lacked someone to keep watch for her, she hadn’t gone in to scout yet.

Looking at the bouncing Zhang Yinyang and the somewhat awkward Zhang Mumu, she smiled.

“Fine, let’s go together then.”

Under the guise of going to town to sell egg pancakes, she successfully left the premises.

It was thanks to the director having a cold recently and not having time to watch them that they could leave so smoothly.

At four o’clock, it was just before the sun was about to rise.

When they first stepped out the gate, it was still dark, but now it was starting to get light. With every step, the sky grew brighter, as if predicting that this operation would surely be a success.

“So? You failed?” Zong Liangu leaned against the corner with her arms crossed.

“Yeah. We successfully climbed into the yard of that house. Just as we breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to move further, a big dog rushed out.”

Zong Yougu gestured to Zong Liangu: “Standing up, it was taller than us.”

“So? You abandoned them?” Zong Liangu asked.

“Of course not… well, I guess I did.” Zong Yougu turned to look out the window. “You know, in a panic, people freeze up. Zhang Yinyang was okay; she could move a few steps. Zhang Mumu… he was completely stunned in place.

I had no choice but to pull Zhang Yinyang and run out. Later, I heard Zhang Mumu crying.”

“Hmm. I saw that Zhang Yinyang has a bit of a limp. Was that left over from then too?”

“No, that happened later. She lost her spirit and could only work in a factory. She had an accident at the garment factory and her leg was crushed,” Zong Yougu’s voice was very small.

“How should I address you now?”

Zong Liangu brushed a bit of dust off her shoulder and finally stood straight.

She wasn’t much affected, her face still wearing that half-smiling indifference.

“Yougu. I’m called Zong Yougu. Just call me Zong Yougu.”

“So has your laziness and silence these past few years been out of guilt? Were you waiting for her to come back and take revenge on you?”

Zong Liangu placed her palm on top of Yougu’s head, forcing Yougu to look up.

“Of course not,” Zong Yougu’s voice remained soft.

Zong Liangu raised an eyebrow.

“I still understand the principle that the higher you stand, the harder you fall.

I need to settle all of this before I take flight.

It’s almost time.”

“Do you need my help? I told you, I’m best at killing, dismembering, and destroying the evidence.”

Zong Yougu broke free from the restraint and took two steps forward to close the distance between her and Zong Liangu. “No need.”

She embraced the person before her who looked identical to her and held her former name.

The familiar scent lingered at the tip of her nose, making her unable to distinguish whose scent it actually was.