Chapter Eleven: Returning Home

All members of the pyramid scheme organization were required to stay in the old building for five days. Only after five days would they be sent home. However, now there was an added benefit—everyone was allowed a phone call to assure their families of their safety. Of course, most people were truly ensnared by the pyramid scheme by now. Take Gao Zi, for example—not only had he lured Shen Ye into this, but had also brought his own parents in; there was no need for him to call home with reassurances.

When Shen Ye finally got hold of the phone, he couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief—he could finally call home and let his family know he was safe. He started dialing his family’s number, his mind wandering to thoughts of home.

His father was named Shen Jiaping. Men of his father’s generation often had names like “Bao,” “Jia,” “Wei,” “Guo,” “Jianjun,” or “Jianguo”—all names carrying hopes or ideals. His father wasn’t exactly a hardworking man; he enjoyed playing cards, though never for high stakes—usually a ten-yuan chip per game. He liked to smoke too, not caring much about the brand—even the five-yuan White Sand cigarettes suited him fine.

His mother was named Lin Mei. She was ordinary in appearance, fond of nagging, and somewhat vain. She liked to boast about Shen Ye’s younger sister’s good grades to others.

His sister, Shen Xiaoyun, was now in high school. She was much more accomplished academically than Shen Ye, who had always been something of a disappointment—a star student by any measure. It was likely that, come her final year, she would be admitted to a prestigious university.

The phone rang several times before it was finally answered.

“Who is this?” A woman’s voice came from the other end, tinged with uncertainty.

“Mom! It’s me, Xiao Ye,” Shen Ye said, barely able to contain his emotion.

“Xiao Ye, is it really you? Where are you? We're coming to get you right away—we will save you from that pyramid scheme!” His mother, Lin Mei, was equally emotional. “Quick! Tell me where you are.”

Lin Mei was aware that Shen Ye had been trapped by the pyramid scheme. She had gathered relatives and friends and made several trips to Yunnan, but they never found him. Each time, they returned in vain. Over the past three months, worry had nearly broken her heart. Now, suddenly hearing her son’s voice, she asked straight away for his location.

“Mom, don’t worry. The head of the pyramid scheme—somehow he was killed, probably because he made an enemy. We’ve all been released. I’ll be home in a few days—I just wanted to call and let you know I’m safe,” Shen Ye said, his voice steady.

“That’s wonderful! Wonderful!” Lin Mei was so overwhelmed she could barely speak. “Where are you? I’ll come pick you up right away.”

“No need, Mom. I can come home myself—I should be back in a few days. There’s no need to pick me up,” Shen Ye replied, amused. He was in his twenties, after all—did he still need his mother to come for him?

“By the way, how is everything at home? How’s Dad’s old cough? He always gets it in winter. And Xiaoyun, how is she?” Shen Ye asked.

“Your father is the same as ever, playing cards every day. Everything at home is fine, really fine,” Lin Mei said, her voice choked. “Just come home soon.”

“I will. I’ll be back in a few days,” Shen Ye said with a smile. After hanging up, he felt a sense of peace settle over him.

…

During the next five days, the police continued to investigate the deaths of Zhang Jianguo and the others, but ultimately, they could not determine the true cause. After days of investigation, it seemed that the pyramid scheme members weren’t much involved.

So, five days later, Captain Xu from the criminal police paid a visit to the old building, explained the situation, and began arranging the repatriation of the pyramid scheme members.

It was worth noting that most members of the pyramid scheme organization were adamant that they did not want to be sent away. To them, this was the promised land—they couldn’t just leave. Even those who were sent away planned to return and continue their “glorious” pyramid scheme work.

Shen Ye, however, dutifully allowed the authorities to arrange his return. He boarded the train from Kunming to Yangcheng, and from there, took a bus to County N.

It took over a day, but finally he arrived back in his hometown, County XN. After four or five months away, some things had changed—the county seemed more modern, almost trendy. Although County N was small, it belonged administratively to Yangcheng, a rapidly developing city. It was not an exaggeration to say things were changing daily. There were now many luxury stores and urban complexes in town. In recent years, a few universities from Yangcheng had even moved their campuses here.

There were also many factories in County N, attracting a large workforce from other places.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Excuse me! Thank you very much!”

“Being too tall is useless.”

The streets rang with the familiar local dialect. This was, after all, a Cantonese-speaking area, though Mandarin could be heard more often now, as more outsiders came to work.

Shen Ye walked toward the LC district of the county. As he entered, the roads narrowed—from four lanes to two—and the buildings on either side grew older and shorter. He had wanted to visit his family’s shop first—a small storefront on an LC district street, where they sold daily goods. But the store’s metal shutter was tightly locked.

He headed for the alley where his family lived. The alley was even narrower, barely wide enough for a car. Several houses bore large signs indicating demolition.

The rumor that the alley would be demolished had been around for years. Was it finally happening? Perhaps he would even become one of those suddenly wealthy “demolition millionaires,” able to marry into wealth and beauty.

Shen Ye smiled at the thought and walked along the concrete alleyway. Soon, he arrived at his family’s home.

It was an old ground-floor apartment built over thirty years ago, looking quite dilapidated. It had a tiny ten-square-meter courtyard, but the yard was stacked with belongings—the house itself was only about sixty square meters, and after living here so long, they had accumulated a great many things. There was nowhere else to put them but outside.

“Dad, Mom, I’m home!” Shen Ye tossed his bag onto the wooden sofa. These wooden sofas were quite cheap—nowadays, a whole set would only cost around fifteen hundred yuan at the mall. But theirs had been in service for over a decade. He remembered it from his childhood—hard, but sturdy.

“Dad, why aren’t you out playing cards today?” Shen Ye asked, a little surprised to find his father sitting on the sofa at this hour. It was just after two in the afternoon—usually his father would be out playing cards by now.

His father, Shen Jiaping, was actually quite handsome, though he was now in his forties. In looks, Shen Ye took after him.

Shen Jiaping glanced at his son. “Oh, you’re back. How foolish to have been tricked into a pyramid scheme. I’ve played cards for so many years and never been duped.”

“Must you say that the moment your son comes home? You think playing cards all day is something to be proud of?” Lin Mei, still graceful, came out of a room, gave Shen Jiaping a glare, and hugged Shen Ye tightly. “It’s enough that you’re back, that you’re safe. Look at you, you’ve lost so much weight. I heard the food in those pyramid schemes is terrible. I’ll get you something to eat right away.”

Soon, she brought out dishes—braised pork and braised fish, Shen Ye’s favorites.

She hadn’t known when exactly he would return, so she had only made these two dishes. “I’ll go make a few more things,” she said.

“No need, Mom. These two are more than enough. I’m starving—I can’t wait,” Shen Ye replied, quickly finding a bowl, serving himself rice, and digging in. As he ate, he said contentedly, “Mom, your cooking is the best.”