I stood there. I didn’t have to look closely to see that this man was Marlin. He still wore the same dress
he wore during the day.
The rain fell on him. His thin body seemed so shaky.
I said, “uncle, I’ve said you’re mistaken. Why are you here? How did you find it?”
My tone was peaceful as if I had nothing to do with him.
No, I really had nothing to do with him.
Marlin walked up to me step by step and grabbed my clothes with her hands. “June, we were wrong
before. I told your mother I saw you when I got home. She insisted that you go home for dinner. She
made the meal.”
Could Inez cook?
I didn’t believe it.
Inez said she was a lady. She didn’t go into the kitchen at all. Could she cook now? I didn’t believe it.
“What are you going to do?” Ming asked me with an umbrella.
If I didn’t care about him, I was afraid Marlin would really stand here all night.
After all, he was living a hard life now. If he was in a coma in front of his own daughter’s door, it was
sure to attract attention.
I hesitated and asked marlin, “uncle, where do you live? We will send you back. You’re really wrong.”
“Uncle, her name is Becky. She’s not the one you’re looking for.”
Ming said it for me.
“Becky? What Becky!” Marlin was excited. “She’s my daughter. Her name is June!”
“I...”
“Your mother almost died in the hospital to give birth to you and your sister. Please go back and see
her.”
Marlin’s hand took my arm.
The chill penetrated my skin. I couldn’t help shivering.
I took my hand back and looked at Ming. “Let’s take this uncle to your hospital. He seems to be out of
his mind.”
To be honest, the last people I wanted to see here were Marlin and Inez.
Marlin was excited when I finished. He grabbed me, “I’m out of my mind? I’m too awake! One of my two
daughters died. People said it was you who died, but I saw the picture. I know Molly died! We’ve been
looking for you for a long time!”
“Picture?”
I looked at Marlin suspiciously.
“Yes!” Marlin took me. “Please, June, come home with me and see your mother.”
I was a little hesitant.
Although kinship was the most delicate relationship in the world, we separated for several years. I had
no nostalgia for Marlin or Inez at all.
And I was not going to forgive them for what they did.
Ming took my arm. “Let’s get him back first.”
“... All right.”
I could only agree.
We pulled Marlin into the car.
He told us the address.
I couldn’t help but feel sad after hearing this address.
It was the worst shantytown in southern York. Basically, the poorest people in York lived there.
Even though Marlin was poor, they couldn’t live in such a place.
What happened these years?
I wanted to ask, but I was Becky. I shouldn’t ask.
It was raining. Ming drove very slowly.
In the car, Marlin kept calling me, “June.”
At last I couldn’t stand it. I turned to him and said coldly, “uncle, if you call me that again, I’ll throw you
down and leave.”
Marlin shut up as soon as I finished.
It took about an hour and a half to get to the address Marlin said.
After getting off the car, I saw the building in front of me by the yellow light on the side of the road.
The building was at least decades old and dilapidated.
On this rainy night, the whole building seemed to be about to fall down.
I couldn’t help frowning. “You live here?”
“Yes.” Marlin took the umbrella given by Ming and nodded, “our money was cheated by others. It’s nice
to have such a place to live.”
“...”
I didn’t speak because I didn’t think Marlin would make himself so poor.
Maybe they lied to me on purpose.
They wanted me to give them money.
“Here we are. You go upstairs. We’re leaving.” Ming and I had an umbrella. He raised his hand and put
it around my shoulder.
It made me feel a little warmer.
Marlin saw that we were leaving and immediately turned around and took my arm. “June, go upstairs
and see your mother.”
“Uncle, you have the wrong person.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“I...” Marlin hesitated for a moment and said, “OK, I got the wrong person. Our daughter has been
missing for years. Her mother is crazy. We used to do a lot of wrong things and now we get the
punishment we deserve. We live to see our daughter. Can you pretend to be her?”
I listened to Marlin and hesitated.
Yes, although they used to bully me, if they were really so miserable now, they had got the retribution.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and have a look?”
Ming always knew what I thought.
His words reassured me.
I hesitated and nodded, “OK.”
Marlin immediately said, “thank you, thank you. It’s very kind of you. My wife will be very happy to see
you. We have been looking forward to my daughter’s return. Today you finally come back.”
His words made my heart ache.
After all, he was my father. Molly was dead. If I ignored them, I would regret it.
I considered giving them money before I left.
Anyway, I wouldn’t come back.
Marlin led Ming and I upstairs.
There was no light in the corridor and it was very narrow.
My hand wanted to be on the handrail next to me but I felt something fluffy.
Soon, the fluffy thing moved away quickly. I didn’t move my hand, and I felt a long thin thing.
Finally, the long thin thing disappeared.
It took me a few seconds to realize that what I felt was...
Mouse!
I took a deep breath and my eyes were filled with tears because of fear, but I bit my lips and forced
myself not to cry.
“What’s the matter?” Ming found out my abnormality.
“I’m fine...”
I just touched the mouse.
I restrained my fear. My hands were rubbing wildly together.
I really couldn’t imagine how they lived in such a place.
Marlin and Inez used to be very noble people.
We followed Marlin up to the fifth floor.
He opened the door with the key.
The moment the door opened, I saw the scene in the room and was shocked.
This room was only about thirty or forty square meters. It was chaotic. There were empty paper boxes
on the sofa and on the floor. There were many paper boxes that had not been folded.
In other words, they had been making money by folding paper boxes?
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