Chapter Three, Beginning of Spring (03)

With the college entrance examination approaching and the holidays being scarce, the third-year students only have time to rest on Sunday afternoons and evenings every two weeks. On the day of the holiday, after finishing lunch in the school cafeteria, Xu Tang completed her homework in the classroom, packed her bag, and headed home. As she walked out of the school gate, she remembered that Xu Yang had mentioned a few days ago that his pen refill was running low, so she turned to the pedestrian street behind the school to buy some supplies.

Xu Tang's breath hitched, her fingers quietly clenched, her voice calm, without the slightest tremor, "I haven't heard a single word I wanted to hear"

Fang Ju continued, "I think now we can only give Uncle Zheng a bit of trouble, making his time in Duhhe Town not so pleasant. Biaozi feels the same way, we can join forces."

She did not notice at all that her steps were becoming faster. When she brushed past Zhou Xian, a fleeting thought of luck even crossed her mind, but this thought lasted only a moment—Zhou Xian suddenly yanked her backpack strap, causing her to lose control and slide backward, crashing into Zhou Xian's embrace.

Xu Tang, feeling utterly bored, began to contemplate the matter of setting up a stall. She had spent the entire day surveying outside, sweating profusely, and upon returning home, she took a shower, with the sun in the west still hanging low in the sky. She carried a plastic bucket to the back door to pour water and wash the ground. Just as she opened the door, she suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps echoing through the narrow alley.

Zhou Xian looked at her, his gaze as calm as usual, yet with a deeper layer of probing intent. At this moment, Xu Tang completely relaxed, allowing him to look at her without any attempt to evade.

Xu Tang was so frightened that her breathing nearly stopped, her body stiffened, and her scalp tingled

Xu Tang gazed at the cigarette butt lying in the shade of the locust tree, a slight smile curling at the corners of her mouth as she let out a faint laugh

Oh," Xu Tang came back to her senses, "You should also go to bed early

Xu Tang nodded, set down her backpack, and went to take a shower. After finishing, she noticed that Xu Yang's room still had the light on, so she walked over and knocked on the door

Xu Tang stood up, adjusted her breathing, climbed through the window, and retraced her steps. She glanced around at the entrance of the internet café, tugged at the strap of her backpack, and quickly headed in the direction of her home

Fang Ju chewed the ice cubes, making a crunching sound, "Uncle Zheng has eaten all the meat and won't even spare the soup, now that's a bit out of line"

Today, the supermarket is holding a promotional sale. Xu Tang was handed a stack of advertisements, and as she read them while walking down the alley, she inadvertently looked up and immediately halted her steps.

Xu Tang took off her backpack and held it in her arms, holding her breath

Boss Zhao did not open his eyes and waved his hand at her

Finally, Zhou Xian withdrew his gaze, no longer saying anything, turned around, mounted the motorcycle, and started the engine, driving out of the alley.

The restroom is unisex. Xu Tang and others came out from inside, walked in, closed the door, opened the dirty window, and pushed hard on the windowsill with her hands, leaning her knees against it. She cautiously extended her body and looked outside. Below was a narrow drainage ditch, with a row of red bricks laid beside it.

In Xu Tang's eyes, the "Qinglong Gang" is no different from a child's game. Under Xiao Ge's command, a group of ruffians has accomplished nothing more remarkable than collecting tolls on the road from Lushan County to Duhhe Town.

Zhou Xian uttered a sound of acknowledgment, saying, "Xiao Ge is not a match for Uncle Zheng."

A moment of silence, as if waiting for Zhou Xian to make a decision

Upon hearing this sentence, Xu Tang immediately perked up her ears, yet Zhou Xian did not speak again

After that, for a long time, Xu Tang did not see Zhou Xian again. The "fashionable" girls at school also seemed to have finally remembered to respond to the call of the college entrance examination, and one after another, they restrained their usual behavior

Xiao Ge is the leader of the "Qinglong Gang," and the boss of Zhou Xian and Fang Ju. The "Uncle Zheng" they refer to is the leader of another force in town.

Xu Tang stared at him, "I can hold my liquor quite well too"

As soon as that half shirt fell into the bucket, it turned the entire bucket of water red. Xu Tang glanced at it and felt a surge of fear. When she looked again at Zhou Xian's arm, she saw a long wound, with the flesh turned inside out.

Zhou Xian was silent for a few seconds, "Xu Haitang, you have quite a bit of courage"

Zhou Xian remained silent. After a moment, Xu Tang caught a faint whiff of smoke.

Upon arriving outside the internet café window, Xu Tang heard a soft female voice, which faintly resembled Zhang Xue's voice

The man reached into his clothing pocket, pulled out an object, and held it in front of her, his voice close to her ear, "Xu Haitang, you have quite a bit of nerve."

Days swiftly and slowly pass by in their ordinariness, and soon Xu Tang would face the most important examination of her life

While reading a novel halfway through, Xu Tang suddenly heard the bell hanging on the door of the milk tea shop across the street ring once.

What do you want to hear? Zhou Xian's hand moved upward, his thumb seemingly unintentionally pressing against her carotid artery.

I thought that after raising it for so long, it had already become part of the family. This morning, I opened the cage to let it out to play, but as a result..." Xu Yang's words carried a hint of regret, yet he was not overly melancholic. He placed a stool to take down the birdcage and set it aside

Come in

Zheng Shuze, on the other hand, holds significant influence primarily in Lushan County, particularly in the remote and impoverished area of Duhe Town, which is, however, within his sphere of influence. For Xiao Ge to challenge Zheng Shu would be akin to striking a stone with an egg

Xu Tang glanced at the shop across the street and saw Zhou Xian and Fang Ju walking to the innermost position. She did not dare to enter, thought for a moment, and turned into the internet café next to the milk tea shop. She did not go to the computers, but headed straight for the restroom in the internet café

After a while, Zhou Xian's low and somber voice finally spoke up, "Choosing friends is more difficult than choosing opponents, do you know..." Zhou Xian's voice rarely carried a hint of hesitation.

Xu Tang knew she could not excuse herself. After the initial shock, she became calm at this moment and said, "I was eavesdropping on your conversation"

A chaotic sound of footsteps outside gradually approached, only to gradually fade away again

Xu Tang was still holding a plastic bucket in his hand, his arm tightly gripped by Zhou Xian. His warm and hurried breath sprayed onto her face, which had just been washed and still carried the moisture of water.

This street is a popular spot for students in Duhhe Town, featuring inexpensive and flashy clothing, a variety of hairpins, as well as a multitude of snack stalls and milk tea shops.

Today, after she bought the pencil leads, she went to the bookstore as usual. The owner exchanged a few pleasantries with her, but paid her no further attention, moving a rocking chair to the front door and lying back with his eyes closed, listening to the radio. Xu Tang shifted the chair a little closer to the door, just enough to bask in the sunlight outside

He turned around and saw Xu Tang standing still at the door, and asked: "What's wrong, sister? Aren't you going to sleep yet? Don't you have early self-study tomorrow?"

Xu Tang wanted to turn back and run, but she swallowed hard and forcefully restrained this impulse. She tightened her grip on the advertisement in her hand, gave a slight nod to Zhou Xian, and then lowered her gaze, continuing to walk in as if nothing had happened

A distant bark of a dog echoed, prompting Zhou Xian to finally release her arm and lean heavily against the door. At that moment, Xu Tang caught a whiff of a metallic scent reminiscent of rust, causing her heart to shudder. She quickly turned to look, noticing that Zhou Xian's left arm was tightly wrapped in a half piece of black shirt.

A motorcycle was parked under the soap pod tree ahead, and a person stood beside it, holding a cigarette in their mouth, gazing in her direction

After a moment of silence, Zhou Xiansong finally released his grip. Xu Tang immediately stepped forward, breaking free from his control, turned around, and looked up at him, "You still owe me money"

She had no time to think further, quickly supported Zhou to her room, sat down, opened a drawer, grabbed a handful of money, and rushed out the door to find a doctor

Xu Tangning focused her gaze and saw a tall figure rushing towards her. Before she could utter a word, in the blink of an eye, the figure had arrived in front of her, squeezed through the gap beside her, entered the door, and promptly pulled her inside, firmly closing the door behind them

The window was quite low, Xu Tang extended one leg and then jumped down from the window. She stepped onto the red bricks, crouched down, and slowly moved to the outside of the milk tea shop window

Xu Tang had not yet had the chance to feel disappointed when a sudden ringing sound came from the door. Startled, Xu Tang heard the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor inside the window, and immediately pressed her body lower, swiftly darting to the side.

What happened

He spoke. Zhou Xian's arm tightened even more, and from a certain angle, it seemed as if he was tightly embracing Xu Tang from behind

After returning home, Xu Tang explained the reason for her late arrival, stating that it was due to a classmate's birthday party. Xu's mother did not suspect anything amiss but was somewhat displeased with her daughter reeking of alcohol: "You are about to take the college entrance examination; such gatherings should be postponed if possible. In the future, make sure to call home first. It is not safe to come back this late"

Xu Tang immediately looked up and saw two familiar figures flash into the store. She gazed for a moment, closed the book, and returned it to the shelf, saying, "Boss Zhao, I have something to attend to, so I will leave first. I will come again next time."

The four examinations were as uneventful as these days. After completing the exams and waiting for the results, Xu Tang returned to her grandmother's house. Upon her return, Jiang Hehua and Xu Yang had already begun their final review phase.

Xu Tang widened her eyes, staring at the hairpin in Zhou Xian's palm

Her footsteps quickened, and only after leaving the pedestrian street did she gradually slow down. In Duhui Town, there are bridges to the south and north; Xu Tang's home is located to the south of the bridge. After crossing the bridge and walking west, she would pass by a supermarket and turn into an alley to see her home.

Xu Tang pushed the door open and saw Xu Yang standing on the balcony, staring blankly at the birdcage hanging above.

Xu Tang's breath hitched, and she involuntarily reached out her hand, but Zhou Xian waved her hand away, tearing off her shirt and casually tossing it into a plastic bin, saying: "Get me a doctor."

On a long street, there was only one bookstore, selling some old magazines and pirated books. Xu Tang had no interest in clothes or accessories, and spent all her pocket money on reading. She did not dare to take the books home, so she squatted under the bookshelves in the store to read, finishing one book in two hours, and then had the store owner keep it for her. Over time, the owner got to know her and no longer required her to buy books; she could simply read them and return them in the same condition. Later, the owner specially set up a chair for her behind the counter, and Xu Tang spent all her leisure time immersed in the bookstore. Over time, the owner got to know her and no longer required her to buy books; she could simply read them and return them in the same condition. Later, the owner specially set up a chair for her behind the counter, and Xu Tang spent all her leisure time immersed in the bookstore

Half of the houses in Duhou Town are in that person's hands, and Uncle Zheng's henchmen can just sit and count money, which will surely displease Brother Xiao. The speaker is Fang Ju.