Chapter 8 Brothers (Part 2)

Peng Sanjun's second uncle served as an engineer in the military for a few years during the 1970s, acquiring skills in demolition. After retiring in the early 1980s, he had nothing to do and went to Weijia Village, where he partnered with Peng Sanjun's father in the stone business. It was only after several years of afforestation and mountain protection that they concluded their business and returned to the city

Fang Yi was without father or mother, and apart from the old Taoist priest, the two people before him, Peng Sanjun and Wei Jinhua, were the ones he was closest to. The bond among the three brothers, forged since childhood, had not changed in the slightest with the passage of time

Fang Yi gritted his teeth, knowing that from the day he descended the mountain, his life would be completely different from when he was on the mountain. If he wanted to integrate into this society, not to mention changing his clothes, he would probably have to undo the hairstyle on his head and get a new one.

At this moment, San Pao was still unconscious, and Fang Yi, who had consumed the snake venom, had swollen lips and felt utterly weak, lacking the strength to carry San Pao back to the Taoist temple. Fortunately, Wei Jinhua, who was nicknamed Jinhua, was still present and carried San Pao for over a mile along the mountain path, encountering the old Taoist priest and others who had come upon hearing the news along the way.

"Perhaps... I should just change back into my robe..." Wearing this new outfit, Fang Yi felt an unbearable itch all over his body, especially under the intense gaze of San Pao and the Fatty, making him feel as if he were covered in tiny insects, wishing he could take off the clothes immediately

At this moment, it is the transition between spring and summer, "Oh, with this change of clothes, you immediately look like a Taoist who has returned to secular life..."

"Don't listen to that fat guy's nonsense..." San Pao said with a smile, "Even if you sing well, you won't be able to enter the entertainment industry. That world is too far removed from us. I think we should focus on finding some work to do, and first ensure that we can support ourselves before anything else..."

"I almost forgot why I came here..." Upon hearing San Pao's words, the chubby man suddenly exclaimed, "You brat called us over for a meal; let's finish eating first before we talk..."

Fang Yi had heard from his master that if a person is bitten by a snake, they must immediately suck out the snake venom. Therefore, after cutting the wound, Fang Yi directly used his mouth to suck out the venom until the blood flowing from the wound changed from dark to red, at which point he stopped.

When Fang Yi was young, there were almost seven or eight children on the mountain every day, but the reason he had the best relationship with Fatty and San Pao is due to a story behind it

Although the words of the fat man are somewhat exaggerated, Fang Yi's appearance is indeed quite good. The lines on his face, which originally appeared somewhat rugged, give off a very gentle and sunny feeling when paired with Fang Yi's extremely pure eyes.

Many of Peng Sanjun's relatives live in Shanghai and Nanjing, and in the city of Nanjing, there is an ancestral home left to his father by Peng Sanjun's grandfather. After Peng Sanjun joined the army, his parents moved to live in the ancestral home in Nanjing

After Fang Yi changed out of his somewhat worn Daoist robe, both San Pao and the Fatty's eyes lit up simultaneously. San Pao reached out his hand and said, "Let down your sideburns as well; it looks a bit awkward..."

When Fang Yi put on that outfit, San Pao and the Fatty felt that Fang Yi resembled an urban white-collar worker. The clothes worn by city dwellers seemed to fit him perfectly, as if he was always meant to dress that way

Wear, who says I do not wear

Hey, I said Sanpao, are you really going to make us drink Fenjinting? Aren't you being a bit stingy? The Fenjinting that Fatty mentioned is a type of low-grade liquor produced locally, which was quite popular in the early to mid-1990s, but by the year 2000, it has become somewhat out of fashion

Is it time to change now?" Fang Yi hesitated a bit. He had grown up wearing a Daoist robe, and now being asked to wear different clothes, he found it somewhat difficult to adjust at the moment

Although Peng Sanjun, who understands without saying much, shouted random insults like "stinky Taoist" and "little con artist," he has regarded Fang Yi, who is slightly younger than himself, as his elder brother since childhood. Every year, he would have relatives from the city bring some books up the mountain to give to Fang Yi

After playing for a while, San Pao pulled a frozen, stiff dead snake out of a tree hole and used it to scare a little girl who was playing with them. However, what no one expected was that the snake was not dead; it had simply entered hibernation.

In the hands of San Pao, the snake gradually revived, suddenly and without warning biting the forearm of the mountain cannon. The venom that had accumulated over several months instantly paralyzed San Pao's nerves, and within just a few minutes, his consciousness had become quite unclear.

"What is the entertainment industry? Is it just singing?" After hearing the words of the chubby man, Fang Yi said with some curiosity, "My singing is just average, I can't make a living in that line of work..."

Having seen ... ... the chubby man nodded honestly and said: "However, I have never seen anyone like you ... ... "

I think this is quite good...

"What are you two staring at me for?" Fang Yi, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, looked at San Pao and the Fatty in front of him and said irritably, "I have a flower growing on my face, why do you two keep staring at it? Haven't you seen one before?"

San Pao felt somewhat dejected, and his face turned red. In fact, he had originally brought two bottles of Hu Zhou Lao Jiao from his home in the city, but accidentally dropped them on the way. Seeing that he had little money left in his pocket, he could only spend a few yuan to buy two bottles of inferior liquor at the village shop.

When Fang Yi let down his hair, the impression he gave to San Pao and Pang Zi suddenly changed. With his long hair, Fang Yi appeared somewhat unruly, resembling the rock stars they had seen on television, exuding an air of unconventionality.

Although Fang Yi is very young, he has been following the old Daoist since childhood, and he did not panic at all. He immediately untied the shoelaces of San Pao's white sneakers and tightly bound his forearm. Then, he picked up a sharp-edged stone from the ground and made a cross on San Pao's swollen wound.

Therefore, the house left by Peng Sanjun in Weijia Village has been vacant for the past two years, except for his parents occasionally coming back to tidy it up. Due to the small size of the house in Jinling City, and because Peng Sanjun is unwilling to stay with his parents and feel constrained, he returned to Weijia Village.

The chubby man shook his head and said, "Look at Fang Yi's demeanor now, doesn't he resemble an artist? I think those male celebrities on television don't even look as good as Fang Yi. If he were to enter the entertainment industry, those male stars would surely be out of work..."

It is known that the overweight man has been working in the city for several years after serving in the military, yet no matter how he dresses, he always gives off a sense of being out of place among the urban residents. Unlike Fang Yi, who merely changes his clothes and attains a similar temperament to that of the city dwellers.

In the winter of the year when Fang Yi was about eight or nine years old, the adults in the family went to the forest to gather winter mushrooms. The six or seven children, feeling bored, also ran to play near a grove two miles away from the temple, wielding branches as swords, laughing and frolicking.

I wish I could live in such a large courtyard by myself

My buddy has been dating recently, and now he can't even pull out ten yuan from his pocket; being able to take out this bottle of wine is already quite good

It was better not to mention food, but once it was brought up, both Fang Yi and the胖子 felt their stomachs rumble. Especially upon seeing the six dishes and one soup on the table, they could no longer hold back and immediately rushed to the table. The胖子 reached out and grabbed the bottle of wine on the table.

As the saying goes, one relies on the mountains for sustenance. In the resource-scarce 1970s, nearly everyone living in Weijia Village would go up the mountain to gather some wild products to supplement their households. Since there were few wild animals in the Fang Mountain, many people would also take their young children with them. The Taoist temple of the old priest often served as a resting place for them.

As the saying goes, a person should be dressed well and a Buddha should be adorned in gold. Fang Yi's change of clothes and hairstyle truly left the Fatty and San Pao somewhat dumbfounded, for the little Taoist in front of them had transformed so much that even his demeanor was different.

The children playing together, the oldest among them appeared to be no more than ten years old. Upon witnessing this scene, nearly all the children were so frightened that they were left dumbfounded, each one crying as they ran back. The only ones remaining by San Pao's side were the chubby boy and Fang Yi.

Thanks to Fang Yi's timely treatment and the fact that the snake's venom was not particularly potent, after the old Taoist administered the snake antidote to San Pao, he gradually recovered. By the next day, he was full of energy. In contrast, Fang Yi, who had drawn out the toxic blood from San Pao, had his lips swollen for three to four days before they returned to normal.

"Fatty, stop bullying San Pao, I am going to stand up for him..." After watching for a while, Fang Yi also joined the fray, but rather than saying he went to fight, it would be more accurate to say that Fang Yi separated the two people who were rolling on the ground.

"Nonsense, of course it's different now, Benni Road, a branded item..." Peng Sanjun smacked his lips and said: "This outfit cost me over 200, if you don't wear it, just return it to me, I can still take it back for a refund..."

Hao..." Fang Yi nodded slightly, letting down the hair that was pinned up on top of her head. Her long hair immediately cascaded down to her shoulders, making her appear even more ethereal and detached from the mundane world.

Don't, this is quite good as it is, just tie your hair up again...

After playing around for a while, the chubby one and San Pao finally stopped, tilting their heads to look around. The chubby one said: "San Pao, I think we should let Yi Ge live with you, since you are the only one living alone..."

Hearing Fang Yi's words, San Pao and Fatty simultaneously stopped Fang Yi's actions. San Pao even ran to the drawer and rummaged for a while, taking out a rubber band and saying: "This is what my mom used before, you can make do with this for now. When we return to the city, we will find a barbershop to give you a proper haircut..."

San Pao, whose full name is Peng Sanjun, was not originally from Weijia Village. His parents were educated youth sent down to Weijia Village in the 1970s. Due to policy issues, they were unable to return to the city with the last batch of educated youth, and thus settled in Weijia Village.

After this incident, Fang Yipeng, San Jun, and Wei Jinhua, who had shared hardships together, grew increasingly close. They almost always played together inseparably whenever they went up the mountain.

I still have a bit of monkey wine left, and if I mix it with some other liquor, it can barely be drunk. Let's drink this today, brothers... Seeing San Pao's awkward expression, Fang Yi took out the wine gourd from the box. As he uncorked it, although there were only a few drops of wine left inside, the aroma of the wine filled the room.

Of course, Yi Ge will stay with me; I have already bought all the clothes he will wear in the future... After San Pao entered the room, he picked up a bag from the table and threw it to Fang Yi, saying: "You little rascal are a fake Taoist; stop wearing that Taoist robe all day long. Hurry up and change your clothes..."