Chapter 10

Wei Zhiyuan glanced at his arm, which had a new bandage, straightened his chest and said: "I will take her to school. You won't need to come tomorrow. I will bring Xiaobao back, and once we are home, I will keep an eye on her so she won't run around and will lock the door from the inside."

Wei Qian, with a look of confusion, gestured at his own waist and said: "That little brat with thin arms and legs, if you poke him, isn't he just a chopstick? What's the big deal? Who is it? Is there something wrong with them?"

Wei Zhiyuan obediently did not argue. Although his elder brother had a foul expression and spoke harshly, Wei Zhiyuan did not mind; in fact, he enjoyed listening. He was a child who had truly suffered abuse and could distinguish between genuine malice and different forms of concern.

Finally, it has been nearly a month since Niu Niu's incident, and nothing else unsettling has occurred in the vicinity. Wei Zhiyuan appears to be very reliable, so Wei Qian has decided to stop escorting the two of them. The three individuals have each returned to the normal course of their lives.

Wei Qian felt a strange sense of unease in his heart. This picked-up child was not an ungrateful wretch; he was sensible and knew how to care for others. However, on the surface, Wei Qian still frowned without courtesy, lifted Wei Zhiyuan by one hand, and turned on the faucet to rinse his little dirty hands: "You can still endure it—wash your hands clean, and go to sleep obediently. If you keep bothering me, I will hit you!"

Hiss ... ... I curse you ... ...

The future is perilous and uncertain; even though Wei Qian is a money-oriented person, it is difficult for him to express joy over the additional income.

Song Xiaobao sat cross-legged on the sofa, his mouth full of watermelon juice, and excitedly said while eating: "Brother, Niu Niu Jie has died"

"This is how one dies." After Song Xiaobao finished speaking, he rolled his eyes in place, tipped over the half watermelon he was holding, and a stream of watermelon juice flowed out from the corner of her mouth, perfectly matching the scene.

Song Xiaobao revived from a state of death and hurriedly asked, "How did you know?"

Wei Qianyang shouted: "Mazi!"

He thus developed a pair of legs that could surpass a bus in speed

The old lady was not thinking clearly; she believed that if this matter were reported to the police, her family would be unable to hold their heads high in society. Alas, in any case..." At this point, San Pang suddenly fell silent, for when he looked up, he saw Wei Zhiyuan leaning against the kitchen door, and he had no idea how much he had heard.

Wei Qian found the situation somewhat amusing yet exasperating. He watched as the two children made their way home. Wei Zhiyuan, with a very serious demeanor, instructed Xiao Bao to enter the house first. Then, like an underground operative, he held up the ridiculous steel pipe, peering out to carefully scout the area around the house. Although he failed to detect any signs of danger, he did notice his brother standing not far away, leaning against the wall with his arm hanging down.

The girl with the braided hair who lives in front is one year older than Xiaobao. Sanpang glanced into the two children's room, lowered his voice, and leaned close to Wei Qian's ear, saying, That girl passed away this afternoon, she poisoned herself with rat poison

Wei Qian leaned back a little, distancing himself from her: "You sit properly and speak nicely. Did you just spit in my face—how did you die?"

Originally, Wei Qian had intended to let this matter pass after hearing it, as he ultimately could not recall who "Niu Niu" was from Xiao Bao's account. However, this matter that he had overlooked did not fade away. In the evening, San Pang and Ma Zi went grocery shopping together and came to his house to cook. While serving the dishes, San Pang deliberately kicked Wei Qian in annoyance and said, "Am I here to serve you like a master? Don't just sit there waiting to eat; you still have one hand, right? Go get the bowls and chopsticks!"

Wei Zhiyuan was dragging a long steel pipe, looking up at him innocently

Three Fatty was startled: "Oh dear, this unfortunate child, how can he walk without making a sound, just like a weasel!"

After running back and forth like a donkey on a mill for over ten days, when Wei Qian went to the hospital for a follow-up examination, he was immediately scolded harshly by the doctor, who issued a serious warning: "If you continue like this, be prepared to have an arm as twisted as the eighteen bends of a mountain road!"

Sister Niuniu, so tall, with two small dimples on her face, her eyes are like this, and her hair is styled like this, living over there in the small bungalow..." Song Xiaobao described her eyes by stretching his own eyelids and when talking about her hair, he tugged at his own hair. His animated speech was accompanied by lively gestures, clearly indicating that there was a reason for his failing grade in first-grade Chinese.

Ge Lian hasn't even had a sip of water yet, Wei Zhiyuan thought

"Qian'er," at this moment, San Pang suddenly spoke up, "Keep an eye on our younger sister Xiao Bao these days, and don't let her run around aimlessly after school."

Wei Zhiyuan obediently turned around and entered the house, locked the door from the inside, climbed onto the bed, pulled back the curtains, and leaned against the window, watching Wei Qian light a cigarette, silently finishing it, which served as a brief respite, before quickly turning around and leaving.

The half of the kitchen connected to the balcony is usually used for cooking, while the other half is used for storing various miscellaneous items, among which are not lacking various weapons carelessly discarded by Wei Qian

Wei Zhiyuan is after all just a child. Wei Qian can actually see that sometimes he pretends to be foolish on purpose. However, Wei Qian has always thought that Xiao Yuan was trying to please Xiao Bao and never considered it in relation to himself

He spoke with a certain sense of entitlement, as if he were a little adult capable of handling matters

However, although Wei Zhiyuan did not speak up at that time, the next day, when Wei Qian was not paying attention, he still stuffed that water pipe into his backpack

Wei Qian was taken aback: "Who?"

These two little rascals actually did not wait for him and boldly returned home on their own

Brother Le instructed Wei Qian to first work the day shift, and once the arm is out of the cast, he will switch to the night shift

Wei Qian: "Hmm?"

He has completely understood the nature of this little sister and is very skilled at dealing with her

Wei Zhiyuan was taken aback for a moment, and then he saw that Wei Qian not only did not get angry at his presumptuousness, but instead smiled at him.

Hearing the words "man," Wei Qian frowned uncomfortably and asked again, "Why not call the police? Is her grandmother senile?"

The weasel, Wei Zhiyuan, appeared unfazed, as if he had not heard the conversation between the two, and confidently stated: "I am helping my brother carry the plates"

That evening, when Wei Qian returned home, he was surprised to find a cup of cooled boiled water in the enamel mug on the table. He reached out to touch it; it was neither cold nor hot, but at the perfect temperature

After speaking, he exchanged a glance with Wei Qian, and the two of them simultaneously ceased the previous topic of conversation

Wei Zhiyuan remained silent, feeling as if his heart had been struck, a dull ache resonating within him.

Wei Qian : " ... ... "

San Pang said seriously: "Listen to me! That little girl has been violated. The child is timid and for several days she didn't dare to tell an adult. It's been hot these past few days, and I heard that in the end, it became infected and festered. I don't know how much suffering she endured, and she still didn't dare to speak up. Yesterday, in a moment of despair, she took rat poison and committed suicide—can you please pay some attention to your sister?"

Wei Qian : " ... ... "

Wei Zhiyuan spoke calmly, like someone who had seen much of the world: "She is foaming at the mouth, her face is that color; she must have died from rat poison, I have seen it before"

For several days thereafter, Wei Qian was responsible for taking the two children to and from school.

Song Xiaobao eagerly asked: "Is it crispy?"

In the middle of the night, Wei Qian heard a clattering noise coming from the kitchen. He reached out and felt that the young man beside him had gotten up at some point. Rubbing his eyes and muttering a curse, Wei Qian walked into the kitchen, raised his hand to turn on the kitchen light, shielding his eyes from the blinding brightness while impatiently saying: "What are you messing around with in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Wei Qian wandered into the kitchen, his toes nudging open the cabinet, and lazily glanced into the small room. The two little brats had finally settled down, each occupying a corner of the table, focused on their homework.

For the following week, it was always like this: Wei Zhiyuan would take Xiao Bao home from school alone, while Wei Qian would follow them from a distance, watching as they arrived home, locked the door, and then left.

San Pang said: "Do you know Niu Niu?"

Because they did not see Wei Qian across the street, and Wei Qian did not approach either, he merely followed from a distance behind them

Mazi readily agreed and was about to go do the work for him, but was startled back by a glare from San Pang.

Wei Qian was too lazy to listen to these trivial matters of others; he couldn't even manage his own issues. Thus, he impatiently glanced at San Pang and said, "I think you must be bored out of your mind, Fatty. All day long, it's either matchmaking or the nonsense about three mice and four eyes, you..."

Wei Qian's mood suddenly became uncontrollably good, feeling as if there were two little beings breathing in the room, making it feel like a home

The school for prodigal children starts too late in the morning and ends too early in the evening, making it very difficult for Wei Qian to accommodate their schedule

Wei Qian felt quite embarrassed, as Mazi was waiting outside with two small children. This large adult and the two small ones had never seen much of the world, and Wei Qian felt it was very humiliating to be reprimanded in front of them, as it undermined the authority of his elder brother

On this day, Song Xiaobao and Wei Zhiyuan returned home from school. Wei Qian cut a small watermelon weighing over 2 jin in half, allowing each of them to take a half and eat it with a spoon, after which they would do their homework.

The contradiction between the increasingly strong desires of a powerful heart and the limited physiological conditions of a child constitutes Wei Zhiyuan's primary psychological conflict before adolescence

Song Xiaobao, who is carefree and oblivious, does not know how to feel sorry for her brother. She seems quite satisfied with this kind of life, as she has a whole and a half "double sticks" to eat every day. The extra half comes from Wei Zhiyuan, who usually breaks the double sticks in half, eats one half himself, and most of the time, the remaining half ends up benefiting Xiaobao.

Although he is well-nourished and has grown a bit taller, the little boy is only two fingers taller than the little girl. However, he stands like a strong protector, with a serious expression, one hand holding his sister's hand and the other raised, wielding a dirty steel pipe, walking this short distance home as if charging through a formidable barrier without any hesitation

"Who is messing around with you? Is there anyone who would joke about this? People have died! Am I that heartless?" San Pang glared at him and said, "I am seriously telling you, keep a close eye on our sister these days, do you hear me?"

"Hey, this little yellow weasel is quite filial!" A large palm, as broad as a fan, slapped the back of Wei Zhiyuan's head, nearly enveloping his small head. In a hurry, he pushed him on the back, "Hurry up and go."

The result truly caused a problem

Wei Zhiyuan dragged out a discarded steel pipe from this pile of clutter, specifically choosing a shorter one this time, so that it would not embarrass him by dragging on the ground like last time. Holding a weapon in his hand made him feel very powerful

The night shift compensation at the nightclub is very good, with two groups of people alternating shifts. Each shift lasts only four hours, yet the pay is three times that of the daytime. This means that one can work just four hours a day and provide a very comfortable life for their family. Of course, it is the bouncers who earn the high salaries, not the underlings like the ones who clean up and toil away.

The morning is still bearable, but the time after school, especially around three o'clock, is particularly troublesome. At that hour, Wei Qian still has a while before finishing work. He has to rush back and forth with one arm in a plaster cast, dashing to the elementary school at the fastest speed possible, hurriedly bringing the two children home. He buys each of them a fifty-cent "double popsicle," then locks them inside the house before racing back as if he were hurrying to be reborn.

Given Wei Qian's qualifications, he originally should not have been able to take on this prestigious night shift. However, in order to express his closeness, Brother Le personally instructed the manager and made an exception for his promotion.

Wei Zhiyuan calmly added from the side: "Died from rat poison"

His little sister, although still young, possesses an extraordinary ability to penetrate the essence of phenomena through her imitation. For the first time, Wei Qian felt that it was a pity that the girl was not particularly good-looking; otherwise, when she grows up, she might have the potential to become an actress

San Pang, with a serious expression, lightly slapped his injured arm and said: "Keep your voice down!"

Ma Zi was extremely envious, yet Wei Qian showed little joy, instead smoking even more fiercely.

Wei Qian : " ... ... "

"Ma Zi," Wei Qian slowly stood up and candidly remarked, "You truly are quite cowardly, aren't you!"

Wei Zhiyuan: "Crisp"

After all, he rarely received care throughout his life, to the extent that he would even neglect himself

In the afternoon, when Wei Qian came to pick someone up at the usual time, he unexpectedly saw Xiao Yuan walking home with Xiao Bao halfway there

Literally speaking, he really ran with his legs. Wei Qian, due to the need to transfer to the night shift, already had many people secretly looking at him unfavorably. He was afraid of taking too long, giving others the opportunity to gossip, and he was also reluctant to part with that little bit of fare

Mazi does not feel ashamed but rather takes pride in it, happily saying: "Indeed!"

Wei Zhiyuan was taken aback by her unexpectedly foolish question, and after three seconds, he decided to cooperate with this brain-deprived fool. Thus, in a serious and earnest tone, he said: "It's alright, colorful and vibrant. The red ones are watermelon-flavored, the green ones are apple-flavored, and even the mice love them"

Song Xiaobao said in admiration: "How have you seen everything? Is rat poison tasty?"

Wei Qian raised the uniquely slender chin of the young man and nodded slightly at Wei Zhiyuan, indicating for him to lock the door securely

Wei Qian was taken aback and asked, "What are you going to do with it?"

"It's pointless to explain things to you, you ignorant fool. All you know is money and fighting; what else do you understand?" San Pang waved his hand impatiently, "Some people just can't get it up for normal women; some like those immature kids, and there are even those who prefer men. Niu Niu's mother is almost crying herself into a nervous breakdown, shouting about calling the police, and now she's been locked up at her grandmother's house."

He felt a certain protective instinct akin to that of a man, while his body remained small and clumsy

Wei Qian frowned and glanced at him: "Nonsense..."

Wei Qian casually replied, "What happened?"