Chapter 76

Chapter 76

"Mom" kept clinging to the short young man, planting herself stubbornly in front of him and shielding even Ji Ting, who had just come over, behind her. As Ye Mo looked her way, she said timidly in a small voice, "My Little Qing is a good boy."

Ye Mo took half a step back and looked away.

Chris coughed and muttered, "Rebellious phase."

Since Ye Mo refused to cooperate, Sergei didn't press the issue. He naturally took the out Chris gave him, turning back to Chris, "...I apologize for today's incident. I will provide compensation. For the job I mentioned, I'll send someone to discuss terms later; payment will be separate."

After Chris nodded in agreement, Sergei left with his men. As they passed Ye Mo, they all noticeably gave him a wide berth.

The person behind "Mom" seized the chance to break free. Eager to leave, he shoved Auntie Ji aside roughly with a wave of his hand. But soon, his movements froze—Ye Mo was staring at him from not far away.

After Ji Ting calmed Auntie Ji down, the short man gave Ye Mo a wide berth. Ye Mo's gaze followed his movements as he stumbled and scrambled away. Even after running quite a distance beyond the factory gate, when he looked back, he could still see Ye Mo's eyes locked on him from afar.

Auntie Ji was still struggling in Ji Ting's arms, hitting his back and arms.

Ye Mo slowly approached. By now, he vaguely sensed something was wrong, but he still whispered, "I'll behave better."

But Auntie Ji seemed not to see him at all, continuing to whimper softly, "My Little Qing, Mom's Little Qing."

Ji Ting was already quite adept at handling such situations. He held Auntie Ji, gently patting her back, "Little Qing is outside playing with others, he's fine."

Auntie Ji leaned into his embrace and gradually quieted down. Then Ji Ting looked at Ye Mo and said softly, "Thank you for saving my mom."

Ye Mo remained silent, quietly hiding the dirtied hand behind his back.

Chris had somehow appeared beside Ye Mo, "Let's go home first."

Ji Ting nodded. They all started moving, walking a short distance towards the door.

Katia stopped first, then Chris and Ji Ting also came to a stop.

They turned to look at Ye Mo. He was still standing there watching them, with the faded, grayish walls and floor of the abandoned factory behind him.

Chris spoke first, "Come on, come back with us."

...

Ye Mo returned to that building once more. Chris was very considerate; he sent away the others who were still there, leaving only Katia and Ji Ting behind.

He bent down to ask Ye Mo, "Do you want to take a hot bath first and change your clothes? There will be something to eat after your bath."

Ye Mo hesitated for a moment before nodding. He didn't know what he should do either. If Chris hadn't invited him, he wouldn't even know where to go now.

Although this place was usually their gathering spot, only a few people actually lived here, so there were quite a few empty rooms.

Chris led Ye Mo into a room, striking up a casual conversation as they walked, "I'm actually a bit surprised you followed us so easily."

He waited a few seconds before Ye Mo spoke. His speech was just slightly slow now, but it sounded fairly normal, "You told me to come back with you."

He paused, then added, "I have nowhere else to go."

Chris glanced at Ye Mo with some surprise, "Trusting strangers too much is dangerous here. Were you kicked out by your parents?"

Here, many children were kicked out to live on their own by their parents in their teens. What Chris really wanted to ask was whether he had escaped from somewhere. Space pirates usually robbed starships for cargo, but sometimes they sold passengers as commodities to various places in the drifting star sectors.

Or perhaps, like himself, he had lost in political struggles and been exiled here.

Ye Mo simply didn't seem like a child who grew up here. Most children here were quite wild; only that way could they survive in such a place.

Ye Mo lowered his head and said nothing.

Chris didn't mind, continuing to advise Ye Mo, "The other group from earlier are from West Street. It's best not to get involved with them."

He prepared the hot water for Ye Mo, testing the temperature before straightening up, "You can call me if you need anything. I'll be right outside."

Ye Mo stood there, only speaking softly as Chris was about to push the door open, "I don't remember."

Chris didn't catch on, "Hmm?"

Ye Mo stood in front of the bathtub, his back to Chris, head lowered, looking somewhat forlorn, "I don't remember my parents. I thought she was my mom."

"She called me Little Qing, stroked my cheek, gave me bread and a blanket. I hid the blanket under the eaves in an alley. I was always worried someone would find and steal it when I went out."

Chris knew who Ye Mo was referring to, "We thought you were a scammer before. Auntie Ji has been like this for a long time. Her youngest son died in front of her, and she's never been able to accept it. If Little Qing were alive, he'd actually be much older than you by now."

"Don't overthink it. Take a good hot bath, then get some sleep. We'll talk about the rest after you wake up. We'll get your blanket back too. I'll go find you some clothes and leave them by the door in a bit."

Chris gently closed the door.

After Chris left Ye Mo's room and returned to the living room, Ji Ting had already settled Auntie Ji. Katia, as usual, was sitting on the windowsill looking outside.

Hearing Chris close the door, both Ji Ting and Katia looked over at him.

Chris looked at Katia. His age, height, and build were quite similar to Ye Mo's, "Do you have any new clothes you haven't worn yet? Can you lend me a set? Everything, from inside out."

Chris was really just trying his luck. Although Katia usually acted with them, he was actually somewhat detached from the group. He also had a bit of a cleanliness obsession and hated two things most: others touching his stuff and people calling his name.

Katia jumped down from the windowsill, just glanced at Chris, said nothing, and went back to his room.

Chris sighed, "Failed, as expected."

Ji Ting shrugged, "You should be used to it by now. I'll go borrow some from someone else later. Also, what's the deal with that kid? Doesn't seem much like the previous scammers."

Given Auntie Ji's condition, there were still occasional scammers here who would deceive her for supplies.

He pretended to be nonchalant, "If my brother hadn't died right in front of me, I'd almost think he really was my brother."

Ji Ting's brother was named Ji Qing and had died a long time ago. Chris didn't know the details; Ji Ting didn't like to talk about it, and Auntie Ji had never accepted the fact.

Chris sighed again, "He's lost his memory, doesn't remember anything. Probably just followed Auntie Ji back as soon as he saw her."

"So when you drove him away before, he might have thought his older brother was kicking him out of home."

Ji Ting turned his face away, "How could I have possibly thought of that at the time? He didn't say anything."

As Ji Ting turned his head, he saw Katia, who had somehow appeared standing in the corner, holding neatly folded clothes in his hands.

Katia handed the clothes to Chris, "No new jackets. I've worn this one twice, but it's been washed."

Chris took the not-so-light stack of clothes and belatedly hummed in acknowledgment. He looked at Katia, then at the clothes in his hands, "Then I'll go give these to him."

...

Ye Mo essentially settled down here. He had nowhere else to go. Chris's cooking was delicious, and he would explain the local situation to him.

During the day, Ye Mo stayed here, and at night, everyone would usually return.

Chris was stir-frying in the kitchen, Ye Mo stood beside him.

He said to Ye Mo, "If you want to find out where you came from, it's actually quite simple. Starships generally don't dock here. There are only two ways to get here, which essentially represent two rival factions. They jointly manage this place and control the entry and exit routes."

Ye Mo gazed at Chris intently, just like the younger brother in Chris's memory who had always admired him.

Chris couldn't help but emphasize to Ye Mo again, "Don't rush. I'll help you. First, you need to learn how to survive here."

Ye Mo nodded, only half understanding, then handed Chris a plate.

As Chris took it, he went on.

"A planet has to be bought by a government to be designated a garbage planet. To qualify, theoretically, it can't be a resource-rich world, nor have any native life or citizens residing on it."

"But we're here, and there are even cats here."

Ye Mo recalled the cat he had seen before.

Chris nodded, "Right, those are the inspections before it became a garbage planet. Everyone here moved in after it was designated one."

"The two factions here are: first, the administrators dispatched by the planet, just like any other, who have a legitimate military; second, the violent groups that have sprung up locally. Neither can eliminate the other, so they're stuck in this stalemate."

Chris handed the plate of cooked food to Ye Mo.

"Why so surprised? Don't be fooled just because it's a garbage planet in the rogue star sector. Since it is one, there are actually administrators and a permanently stationed military. They've established a basic management system, including prisons."

"Although their names differ, their nature is essentially the same—both are in it for the money. Don't hold any expectations for them just because of their titles. These two factions actually collaborate quite a bit. Alright, time to eat. Call the others."

Chris stopped Ye Mo from picking up another plate. "This one is a bit hot. Take that one instead."

Then he turned to call Ji Ting, "Come quickly, Ji Ting. There are more dishes coming."