Da Ge

Chapter 20
Xiao Bao spent a whole week in the hospital.vvCZOkzVATlbuyJkhcfDXSeduMVPwM

On the day she was admitted, the city was blanketed in heavy snow, but by the time she was discharged, the temperature had risen sharply, hinting at the imminent arrival of spring.zcVoxmuUYwyrKZnZJuBlJPwRCdjfea

Back at home, Grandma Song cooked a large pot of dumplings.kzzighIRhzvLeQQvKldlaVgAdKsdeI

Xiao Bao noticed a miraculous softening of tensions between her once-strained brother and grandmother. And even though she was still feeling under the weather, Xiao Yuan seemed unwilling to continue their previous disagreements, instead offering her the notes he had taken over the past few days.lvGqkKSeehYOnTCkLvkaXaJYEJzvOV

In the shabby one-bedroom apartment on the third floor of the old tenement building in the slums, there was suddenly a hint of home.JyHdZraPnhkBcMLRxbdOgZNpZaQmxE

Le Xiao Dong had passed away, and with him, Wei Qian’s lingering hatred seemed to dissipate. His demeanor had changed considerably… though Xiao Pang couldn’t quite pinpoint how. He simply felt that the heavy malice was no longer there.MwAaZlJgwazuhsPAQlIvHPdzqldiyL

Regardless, it was all for the better.nmrcVXZRntHixuTscZMvvGXFwGVgfv

As they prepared to escort Ma Zi’s mother home, Xiao Pang, along with Wei Qian, arrived at Ma Zi’s doorstep.FutlGlBHnAoyAQWKKvLRgxMbkoOGyD

Spitting into his palms, Xiao Pang began to dig beneath the tree. “That Ma Zi, that little scoundrel, he’s like a mole, burying everything underground. There must be something left—hey, Qian Ye, could you stop standing there with your hands in your pockets? Could you please come over and use your noble paws to help me out?”CnUNBcNCwRzQNVzYZyDLqOCEQvdlwn

Wei Qian scraped the mud off his shoes, not bothering to lift his head. “Second Junior Brother, Master’s giving you a chance to lose weight, so stop wasting your breath and start digging.”VlHaITznbhVpnOgwTjUXozzcnNRkCr

With that said, he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, then stuck it between his lips before leaning back against the big locust tree, patting its trunk. “It’s been a long time since you’ve had a taste, hasn’t it? It’s not the best smoke, but make do with it.”aFKytLNZBTkrusdALiCYvvuuExuiJu

The big locust tree stood silently on the side, swaying gently in the breeze, accompanied by the faintly crooked cigarette, rustling softly.bmCtNpTMZrKArvxgKNUROMdmwLcQDD

It really was a bit like Ma Zi, always standing there quietly, smiling foolishly at anyone who glanced his way, never uttering a word unless asked.ajdrikayKqaNKzYIHiFOQUWMfRhYpZ

Xiao Pang quickly unearthed the money Ma Zi had buried underground, along with an envelope sealed in a plastic bag, containing a note explaining that he was about to leave home and had no choice but to entrust his mother to his two brothers… “entrust” was misspelled as “truat” in the note.OLHzaVMWyMHdoCrVklyBjhFoikxyGK

Illiterate as he was, this grown man couldn’t even write a farewell letter as well as Xiao Yuan, who had only been in school for two months back in the day.zswIlZCZyNgPCLhgnjGnYvqKijjbjN

Wei Qian and Xiao Pang deliberated briefly and decided to keep Ma Zi’s death a secret, only handing the money and the note to Ma Zi’s mother. They agreed on a story to tell her, saying Ma Zi had gone with a group of businesspeople to Cambodia to sell coffee beans, all to save money for her treatment. “Going to Cambodia” was Xiao Pang’s idea, fitting the theme of leaving home, aligning with the words in the note.ouWNRSSjNvybazuxQZKkEbIiqSdeJZ

Ma Zi’s mother, with one arm and one leg already amputated, was considered disabled. According to regulations, she could apply for welfare support, but it wasn’t as simple as it seemed. It required a lengthy process of obtaining various proofs and going through formalities—a task that Wei Qian could have undertaken back when he was underage, but he lacked the time and energy then.JQmsQlmrrGhYfaWtvJTTjqcfWLJTTS

Now, both he and Xiao Pang were willing and able, yet they still couldn’t accomplish it because Ma Zi’s mother posed an obstacle they couldn’t overcome on their own.EBOLqakibfAIcgHJWSjPDbISxjZycI

When Wei Qian attempted to broach the subject with Ma Zi’s mother, she firmly believed that she already had a son who was nearing adulthood and capable of labor. Even though her son was overseas doing business, providing financial support, she felt it would be dishonest to intentionally deceive the government for a meager subsidy.yyXxSmGYmBzFtrsluqbPbxLkqQCcuP

Her determination was so high that it gave Wei Qian a headache. So when he returned, he fiercely pounded Xiao Pang.jesjSszUnDwOkmkOgTPPRKArAeHKgn

It was all because of this idiotic fatty and his nonsensical ideas. They had backfired, and now they were left to deal with the consequences.KGGuELHfhaQCEtxbCpRAPLrVciEnEl

Wei Qian didn’t return to the nightclub, not even bothering to inquire about what happened to Le Xiao Dong’s assets after his death.oCIBdnlBncudinfVdHkCqtJDxgyofE

“Little Brother Wei” had vanished along with the deceased Le Ge, washing his hands of it all. He was just a hired thug, and although he had a fierce reputation, nobody paid him any mind. They had other things to worry about, things that could easily turn violent.hgzZpCPgSPhFlYuivOjPJrCWnJmliK

Through Xiao Pang’s father, Wei Qian managed to secure a job as a warehouse stocker at a factory—essentially a manual laborer.VcLYZVlHAmYhJBLbFRpNQHXjXOkwMW

It was a temporary job, paid by the piece, pure physical labor, with lunch provided at noon—two steamed buns per person. Wei Qian hadn’t been working long before his hands were covered in blisters, and he was constantly dirty, always at the mercy of someone else’s mood.xzdoSeFuYzrCPfZKjhALquuLNzKbiL

The days of being the feared “Little Brother Wei” seemed like a distant dream.pLsfSNVveoXuFxxTkHaYMPbIjBcuHT

On the third day of his new job, as he squatted by the roadside picking at the blisters on his hands with a needle, he was surprised by how calm he felt. He had once thought that this kind of life would crush his youthful spirit, that the vast gulf between his current situation and the lofty goal of “making it big” would torment him endlessly.PaQAAzduODKaJndzguXAGcCBWWcWXC

But it didn’t.szCiYuwRnmNwYOdCYcqjmAuNAgpOlZ

The desire to “make it big” still burned within him, unchanged. He was still a dreamer, chasing after wealth to support his family. Yet, perhaps having witnessed enough glamour and experienced the harsh realities of life and death, his heart had unknowingly become much heavier.xTrZpLTXqezOnAErtNRiqgCOiQhEzn

Someone who found joy in this change was Grandma Song.OBlFlfFaHDGUlUfAnPQJVSeVDHwKvk

Even though Wei Qian worked tirelessly every day, enduring the same hardships as her grandson, she took comfort in seeing him finally “turning over a new leaf.” Coming from a farming background, she saw nothing wrong with physical labor—earning one’s keep through hard work was only natural. To her, working as a laborer, even if it meant scrimping and saving, was better than the flashy but morally dubious lifestyle of the nightclub.NKwcOkrWrsDbXYdVKQKhFFbrAyJqdh

Grandma Song, in her subjective view of Wei Qian’s bright future, finally realized that this young man, not yet eighteen, was already shouldering the responsibility of a household, so she began to treat him better.TtkTFwSQNpAKtFZKsApGfjQbLnFNtL

She somehow obtained some ointment for bruises and secretly placed it on Wei Qian’s bedside table. Additionally, to help supplement the household income, she woke up before dawn every day, boiled a pot of tea eggs and corn, and went out to sell them during the time when people were heading to work. In the afternoon, she would collect cardboard boxes, paper, and bottles to sell.FVEOtzXmJPobgNmFKEybmimLNcncoR

Even Wei Qian had to admit that this quirky old lady was quite remarkable—rising before dawn to work tirelessly, managing to provide three meals a day for the children at home, and engaging in spirited battles with the neighboring cranky old lady every day, exchanging insults with gusto.xQTvAGlXuAqFDbglDVTslWXpMUVjBD

The cranky old lady had been scared off by Wei Qian wielding a kitchen knife when he was a child, so she dared not confront Grandma Song directly. Both households locked their doors, leaving just enough space for voices to pass through, before commencing their verbal warfare.GbFtVKYHGOHegJKrQtKCddCZDNcnak

These two old ladies had developed their own unique style and level of proficiency, with their profanity-laden exchanges even causing Wei Qian, a seasoned thug, to cringe.YOZyfaXtcvnwagoowkQIfjPbDiEhtZ

When Xiao Pang wasn’t out procuring goods, he would sit in the corridor, munching on sunflower seeds, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. When the battle ended, he would discard the sunflower seed shells and loudly applaud, his voice booming enough to create a “standing ovation” effect on his own.gNiVSXgweCzvMDgkGFQBmaDufKnhgb

At this point, Grandma Song and the cranky old lady would unanimously address him.JJnDxwKxwLyAAycUPNmHZiworMKoho

Grandma Song would scold, “You little brat!”JllRYSuETTpLdvDwgtxFobCcVWcdpM

The cranky old lady would retort, “You fatso!”flJWriWqHppbkaBzdcNpFadZcLWLPP

Xiao Pang would chime in with a satisfying “You moron,” before happily departing.AORlXxSffHIwqMNUcroUuOmFbxafMI

Later, when Wei Qian stormed over and kicked down the cranky old lady’s door latch, followed by a heated argument with Grandma Song at home, he made it clear to these two troublesome old ladies that they should watch their mouths and not corrupt the well-behaved children.pngFVJlIbXSaDlYOxEwcBhDKuwZeQi

… It turned out, the two quarrelsome women couldn’t match his one-man show, so they consciously shifted their squabble time to the afternoons, during weekdays when the children were at school, and they called for a truce on weekends and public holidays.FYxOIMsOwBTYfvOzOfoxYVtlStXrsj

Wei Qian quit smoking because it was too expensive.PLiqhRZqoXAwBrXSniwHdMrqpqmafG

Wei Zhiyuan felt that his childhood was defined by two distinct smells: the cheap tobacco scent and the medicinal aroma of the ointment for bruises and injuries.kaRfFhNaChBCLkRNWHHTWoSZBaCkWf

During that time, every day when he finished his homework and looked up, he knew his older brother must have already collapsed from exhaustion onto the bed. As the weather grew warmer, Wei Qian would wear a sleeveless undershirt and shorts, draping a thin blanket around his waist, leaving Wei Zhiyuan with just his back to look at.yUCuwDKoOgzUWsJZJTGENGUUMZmVEi

Years of being a hired thug and engaging in strenuous physical labor had honed Wei Qian’s body, leaving no trace of fat around his waist. His long, firm muscles hugged his body tightly, and the small of his back always remained narrow, with his shoulder blades protruding like a pair of spread wings, seemingly invulnerable beneath.mtxYufwrUZaJUSHEslGzmmEOBDzeuD

Wei Zhiyuan glanced at him, then lowered his head to write a few lines. He was copying a passage from a text, and the phrase he was currently writing was “an elder brother like a father.”sbCiyLnQhEorLnHxMveeQhVlIAYfSi

The boy meticulously wrote it five times as instructed by the teacher, then closed the book, turned off the light, and, accustomed to the medicinal scent in the air, climbed into bed. He crawled past Wei Qian and adeptly nestled into his arms. Wei Qian, half-asleep, subconsciously lifted his hand to pat the child’s back, softly saying, “Go to sleep.”XuSeMXPfynPtWjDzfcTpIfNuQJKLGJ

From these two words, Wei Zhiyuan discerned the thick, perfectly fitting sense of affection, and contentedly closed his eyes, savoring the most comfortable moment of the day.RnJLkqGBCVfqFshaoTzeGbWMbnpdgi

From then on, whenever he thought of “happiness,” Wei Zhiyuan would recall his childhood moments snuggled in his older brother’s embrace, leaning against his chest, closing his eyes, waiting for the deep sleep to come… even though he had grown too big to fit in his brother’s arms anymore.igIDfqMczZzDnDKoVHLlHfqvqVmHCl

And half a year passed in the blink of an eye.IyQFIkabGTJjifQEipWdUfjUnItTsW

On this day, Xiao Bao and Xiao Yuan had their final exams, marking the beginning of their summer vacation.AWdJjKfmGujgoVKHcdQOHKJwORGGSG

With the summer heat blazing, Wei Qian rode a second-hand bicycle he bought for twenty yuan to the wholesale market for cold drinks. Small vendors and merchants all sourced their goods from here, and Wei Qian planned to buy a crate of ice cream to satisfy his two kids’ cravings at home.JOupEzzKzHjYauXuwtQJnCTgbllowA

Many families with children and a high consumption of cold drinks would directly purchase a crate of ice cream from here. With an average retail price of one to two yuan per ice cream, the wholesale price was only four to five mao, saving a lot of money.btMHYJTeyLsqAjcgUFthwcYScRHlOQ

As Wei Qian was browsing through the product catalog, suddenly, someone hesitantly called out to him.YJzLMNaubnZbVzBYmyyDMJPYPXWNVS

“Wei Qian? Are you… Wei Qian?”pAnkdyOaYSkfiXAaAGJOVxMzxacSqL

Wei Qian turned around and saw a middle-aged woman who looked somewhat familiar. He was momentarily stunned, then carefully scrutinized her before realizing, “You… You’re Teacher Li?”PmaHOSGKoylxpbQSxqZtONbsOCkkvT

Teacher Li hurried over in high heels and bombarded him with questions in rapid succession. “It’s really you! What happened to you? You dropped out without even saying goodbye. I searched for you for a long time, but there was no news. What happened? Why didn’t you finish school? Was there something major going on?”klrDdOvDEUotOzwSKXRvctEHZLcLey

Three years had passed, yet seeing her suddenly made Wei Qian feel like he had traveled through time. School? It seemed like… it belonged to a past life.mxDKratqytoGxGbHPgCiiAaqkvBZJd

But facing his former teacher, Wei Qian couldn’t help but lower his head. In this moment, he didn’t resemble the violent nightclub thug nor the reticent young laborer.IrOnvsBoMPdOoOrBLLFqCkkFSdLOld

Suddenly, he felt like a normal, slightly awkward student in front of his teacher.HOSLkAeOLZmPPFnVoRhoNxJbVkmqLF

Wei Qian chuckled bitterly. “Teacher, it’s a long story.”YvqMEFoZYcbhaEutfSFYILSwBSYFWF

The fact that Wei Qian returned home with a crate of ice cream and a middle-aged woman whom no one recognized shocked everyone in the family—because in their memory, Big Brother had never been so polite to anyone.BJXsgcWTVwzizgHDjYuDRektrYfNZK

This guest, neat and polite, wearing glasses and speaking with courtesy, was clearly an intellectual. She stood out like a sore thumb in their surroundings.nQDtihmmGnvBuZHaXeqMaRcWtYfHLK

Once Grandma Song understood who Teacher Li was, she was so astonished that she could hardly speak coherently. In their administrative division, there was a province, followed by a city, each city overseeing a dozen or so counties, forming an administrative region. Below each county were seven or eight townships, and only then came the countless villages.CPrzCXItDAgLSbwEWhnEcXkMlhWeXR

Grandma Song’s hometown was relatively remote and backward. Children had to go to the township to attend primary school, travel to the county seat for junior high, and endure a seven to eight-hour journey to reach the city for high school. Many years had passed without anyone from their village being able to attend high school.UkJdqYjtbcrNNKUjdBOJkFIXMZLmvf

Not to mention a high school teacher, Grandma Song had never seen a living high school teacher in her entire life.hHhyskdoPCtAtERHqOWitWutAzLGWs

Grandma Song practically treated Teacher Li as if she were a national leader, pulling out all the stops and preparing the most lavish meal, insisting that she stay for dinner.GGhjCNMKqUfcrUAqRkJENLuwKnRAqJ

Unable to resist Grandma Song’s hospitality, Teacher Li reluctantly sat down at the dining table. Observing the household, Teacher Li could somewhat understand the reason for Wei Qian dropping out of school. Amidst Grandma Song’s enthusiastic and incessant serving of dishes, Teacher Li tentatively said, “Wei Qian, I remember you used to have good grades. Honestly, it’s such a waste to see you not attending school.”SjwxhyqxCgJxNpOkASzLrGUyGCDFLy

Wei Qian remained silent, picking up a small bowl. “Teacher, let me serve you some soup.”CFmwSkoSFkOdbqMmQKXgGfDcxJtKYo

Accepting the bowl, Teacher Li continued, “You know, I’ve been working at our school for over twenty years. As an old teacher, I have some influence with the school leadership. And your uncle… oh, my husband, he works at the Municipal Education Bureau. If you’re willing, I can ask him to help you reinstate your student status and place you in the class I currently teach.”kDaHRIVROUEiDhSMcbbLQdIvUTuynu

As soon as these words were uttered, everyone at the dinner table simultaneously stopped what they were doing.vzUmNYjfMXLXNtlflIzRxjGEwLCgeb