My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 203 Heading Straight Home

"Haha, you're quite the clever young man!" The old lady laughed heartily a few times, then lowered her voice: "Well... according to the rules... when do you need it?"

"Of course, the sooner the better." Hu Yi smiled and stared at her. "If possible, it would be best to get it done now, so I don't have to make another trip."

"Hmm, today? That's difficult, unlikely." The old lady rested her chin on her pen and thought for a moment. "Tomorrow then, I'll come pick it up after noon."

"That's fantastic." Hu Yi pointed to his visa application: "Could you please give me the application? I want to move the start date forward a bit."

"Let me do it for you!" The old lady eagerly picked up the pen, her gaze towards Hu Yi filled with kindness, as if she were looking at a younger relative. "How about changing the date to the day after tomorrow?"

"Very good. Thank you, beautiful lady." Hu Yi suppressed his disdain and forced a Chow Yun-fat-esque smile at the counter: "See you tomorrow."

"Please don't be so polite." The old lady laughed heartily. "Goodbye! I might not be here tomorrow. Have a safe journey and a Happy Chinese New Year!"

Hu Yichong waved her hand, turned around and went out into the corridor, secretly feeling sorry for the thousand rubles she had just thrown away.

"Oh well, I'll just consider it money for feeding Misha," he consoled himself, pulling out his wallet to look at the thick wad of rubles inside, muttering to himself, "Money really does work. Thank you, full wallet."

Two days later, Hu Yi and Xiang Nan left Moscow by plane. Because the winter vacation was relatively short, he only told his family and a few closest friends about his return home, without making a big fuss. He also didn't ask Xiang Nan to tell his parents that he was going to visit them, so as not to make any preparations for them.

The journey back home was already quite familiar. From the Capital Airport to Beijing South Railway Station in the morning, his feet were on his hometown soil by the afternoon. After getting off the train, Hu Yi went straight home with Xiang Nan to see Xiang Dong. Xiang's mother was at the tobacco and liquor store, leaving her husband alone at home with their son.

Mr. Xiang only knew his daughter was coming home today, but he didn't expect Hu Yi to come along too. At first, he forced a smile and pulled Hu Yi into the living room for a few pleasantries. However, upon hearing that Hu Yi had returned specifically for Xiang Dong, the old man's smile vanished. He frowned and sighed softly, "Sigh, look at that unlucky bastard! He gets completely scammed online. It's so pathetic! If word gets out, it'll be a disgrace to our family!"

"Uncle, please calm down." Hu Yi didn't know how to comfort Xiang's father. "I've also heard of people being scammed online. After all, it's a long distance, and nobody can see each other. But... I never thought Dongzi would be the one to get scammed this time."

"Life is hard enough as it is, it's not surprising to be fooled a few times, but the problem is this kid is so stubborn! We've suspected something's wrong for a while, but no matter what we say, he won't listen! And look, he's been fooled for a whole year! How much work has he missed? How much time has he wasted? How much money has he squandered?"

Father Xiang, who had probably never had a chance to vent his anger to outsiders, seized the opportunity to recount all the events that had transpired: "...He's online every night, and our phone doesn't work at night. Luckily I have a cell phone, otherwise, how much would have been delayed? That spendthrift! Not only has he spent tens of thousands on things for others, but you haven't seen his monthly phone bill, sigh... Your aunt and I run a small business, how much do we earn in a year? And he squanders it all!"

"Don't be angry, he's at least pulled back from the brink now." Hu Yi finally found a chance to interject, "Is Dongzi inside? Can I go check on him?"

"I'm never away, go ahead. Oh dear, look at you, I've been so busy talking I haven't even poured you some water." After venting his frustrations, Xiang's father felt a little better and waved to Hu Yi, instructing him, "Talk to him about other things, try not to mention that woman, or he might have another attack."

"Really?" Hu Yi hesitated for a moment. "He's not... not over it yet?"

"I don't think he's recovered yet." Xiang's father pointed to his head: "This part isn't quite right right now, try not to agitate him."

Hu Yi nodded silently and tiptoed with Xiang Nan to the door of Xiang Dong's bedroom.

To meet the needs of lighting and ventilation, buildings in the past usually had a small glass window installed in the upper part of the interior door panel, and a window of the same width as the door was left at the top of the door frame.

The bedroom door facing east was like this, except that the two windows, which used to be brightly lit, were now covered with newspaper from the inside. Hu Yi hesitated for a moment outside the door, then raised his wrist and gently knocked twice.

There was no response, so he knocked twice more heavily. A moment later, Xiang Dong mumbled from inside the house, "What is it?" His voice was lazy and sticky, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

Just as Hu Yi was about to speak, Xiang Nan, who was beside him, answered first: "Brother, open the door, I'm back."

"Who? Nan Nan?"

"It's me!"

"Oh. You...wait a minute." The room was quiet for a moment, then the wooden bed creaked and groaned, as if someone was getting out of bed. Immediately after, with a crash, a glass bottle fell to the ground. Xiang Dong muttered something under his breath, then walked barefoot over and unlocked the door: "When did you...hey? Yi...Brother Yi?"

"Ha! Surprised?" Hu Yi grinned broadly, making a gesture to give him a hug, then immediately covered his nose, overwhelmed by the strong smell of alcohol emanating from the bedroom: "Damn, how much did you drink in broad daylight?"

"No...not much." Xiang Dong, dressed in a faded shirt and trousers, grinned blankly at Hu Yi with a scruffy beard: "Just now, I kicked a bottle and spilled some."

"It's past three o'clock, why are you still sleeping?" Hu Yi reached out and pulled the light cord by the door, then turned to Xiang Nan and said, "Nan Nan, go open the window to let some fresh air in, the whole room smells of urine."

Xiang Nan followed his instructions, went inside, and opened the window, letting in a refreshing breeze. Xiang Dong silently took a coat from the wall and wrapped it around himself, awkwardly and suspiciously avoiding Hu Yi's gaze: "Brother Yi, what brings you here?"

"What do you mean? You don't welcome me?" Hu Yi entered the room. The furnishings in the bedroom were almost unchanged from when he last saw it. A wall was piled with boxes of cigarettes and alcohol. There was a single wooden bed by the window, and an old five-drawer chest next to the bed. A large glass plate was laid flat on the heavy wooden writing desk, with several old photos under it. The computer case and monitor on the table looked new, but the milky white keyboard and mouse were filthy.

"Of course you're welcome." Xiang Dong slowly walked back to the bedside and sat down, forcing an unnatural smile. "You... you're doing quite well, aren't you?"

"I'm alright. How about you?" Hu Yi leaned forward and, under the light, could see that his eyes were vacant, his face haggard, and his cheeks sunken. He couldn't help but sigh, "How did you get so thin? You look completely different. Anyone who didn't know better would think you lived in the evil old society."

"No." Xiang Dong subconsciously lowered his head and touched his face. "No, it's always been like this."

"Before? How long has it been since you looked in the mirror? Look at your beard, you haven't even shaved. And that hair, calling it a bird's nest is an insult to a bird's nest!" Hu Yi felt a little sorry for you: "You looked pretty good in the photos I saw before, weren't you? You looked presentable, what happened to you now!"

"Photos? What photos?" Xiang Dong was stunned for a moment, then his expression suddenly changed. He turned and glared at Xiang Nan, coldly asking, "You showed him the photos I sent?"

(End of this chapter)