Chapter 102 I Look Just Like My Mother? "Kill me and you'll live a good life..."

Late at night, Li Leshan pulled his collar up high, all the way to his neck. After making sure his grandmother was asleep, he quietly left the ward.

The phone screen lit up again, and Li Leshan leaned against the wall and typed: Same place, come out.

I'll only give you one hour, otherwise you won't get a single penny.

After sending the message, he put his phone in his pocket. He glanced at his grandmother through the glass window from a distance, then hurriedly left the hospital.

The howling north wind whistled past my ears, a bit chilly. It seemed to be telling a story, or perhaps it was also silently welcoming something to come.

"The Old Place" is in Tiedong, a desolate area. It used to be bustling with activity, with great fanfare and announcements that they would build the largest department store in the county, but in the end, only a desolate wasteland remained. Over time, it gradually became a place for young people in the county to fight or for thugs to make deals.

Li Leshan leaned against the dilapidated wall. He glanced down at the time and finally saw Li Yong's figure just as the hour hand was about to point to 12 o'clock.

"Stop talking nonsense," Li Yong spat on the ground, seemingly unaware of what had happened, his expression suggesting he was completely oblivious. "What do you want from me in the middle of the night? Are you tired of living?"

Li Leshan clenched his fists, his suppressed anger finally erupting the moment he saw Li Yong, and he slammed his fist down hard on Li Yong.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Li Yong didn't react for a moment and fell to the ground in pain.

Li Leshan grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. "You're out there, owing money?"

"Damn it, what the hell is it to you!" Li Yong poked Li Leshan's shoulder hard, gritting his teeth, "You little brat, your job is to send me the money on time, nothing else is your business!"

"Didn't I warn you?!" Li Leshan punched Li Yong in the face again. "Don't mess with my men. Whatever debts or gambling you have outside is none of my business!"

"Warning?" Li Yong scoffed, as if he'd seen the biggest joke in the world. "Who the hell do you think you are? I'm your father! Let me tell you..."

"You sent those debt collectors to threaten Grandma? Are you crazy?!"

Li Yong suddenly realized something, and he grinned viciously, his expression extremely sinister. "Ha, that old hag is just unlucky! If she were dead, would there be so much trouble?"

These words struck Li Leshan like a dagger, making him gasp for breath. "What did you say?!"

"Am I wrong? How many more years does she have to live? Is she going to take all that money to her grave? I gave birth to you, so your money is mine! And her money is mine too!"

Seventeen years of pent-up anger and resentment completely overwhelmed Li Leshan's reason in that instant. He swung his other fist fiercely, smashing it towards Li Yong.

This time, Li Yong was on guard. He suddenly turned his head to dodge the punch, and at the same time, he raised his foot and kicked Li Leshan hard in the abdomen.

"Cough," Li Leshan cried out in pain, his grip loosening involuntarily.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Yong broke free and, like an enraged beast, swung a punch at Li Leshan's face. The punch was quite powerful; Li Leshan's vision went black, and he tasted blood in his mouth.

"Damn it! You dare to lay a hand on your father! I'll beat you to death today, or I'll curse you to death!" Li Yong went completely mad, lunging forward and punching and kicking haphazardly, targeting vulnerable areas like the head, face, and abdomen.

In the chaos, Li Leshan's forehead was broken, and warm blood flowed down his brow bone, blurring his vision on one side.

...

He didn't know how much time had passed. Li Yong lay sprawled on the ground, like a lump of mud, only his chest still heaving violently. He spat out the blood and foam from his mouth, and the madness in his eyes faded somewhat, replaced by a kind of resentment that seemed to defy all reason.

He stared intently at Li Leshan, his voice hoarse, and shouted, word by word, "Come on! Hit me! Kill me! You can live a good life if you kill me! Go ahead and kill me if you dare!"

Good days?

Good days… what exactly constitutes a good day?! He had never considered living that so-called good day—eating well, drinking well, sleeping well, and not even that. Just living a life without worrying about money or making a living. Was that a good day? Li Leshan didn't know, and he dared not even dream of it. He couldn't imagine such a good day; he couldn't even begin to imagine it.

He just wanted to live a normal life. Why was it so difficult?! What crime did he commit? Did he kill or commit arson in his past life? Why, why did he have to suffer all this? Why was it so hard for him to live a normal life?!

Li Leshan felt a sharp pain in his heart. He stared groggily at the face in front of him that he hated and loathed, and felt his stomach churning.

Kill Li Yong?

...

The thought popped into Li Leshan's mind, and then he shook his head vigorously, feeling his vision blur.

Will he end up in jail like Li Yong?

Is he going to follow in Li Yong's footsteps?

He's gone inside, what will happen to Grandma?

What should Jiang Yueming do?

Li Leshan stood up unsteadily, blood dripping from his forehead onto the cold cement floor.

He leaned down to look at Li Yong, raising his hand with difficulty. "This is the last time. If you dare let me see those people again, you can forget about your money and your life."

"Only for the last time."

Li Leshan turned around, casually wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand, and slowly walked out of the place.

His legs ached, his head ached, his stomach ached, and his heart ached—everywhere he looked hurt. Li Leshan took a deep breath, found a tap, and rinsed his wounds. The icy water only intensified the pain. His hair was instantly soaked, radiating a chill in the winter cold.

He covered his face hard, his stomach aching terribly.

Why does he have to endure all this? Why does he have to live such a miserable life? What did he do wrong?! When will this end... It's too painful, he can't see it.

Li Leshan slammed his fist into the wall, causing plaster to crumble and fall onto the cement floor. His hand was instantly scraped raw by the rough surface, bleeding profusely and becoming a bloody mess.

This warning was a warning he would never give Li Yong a second chance. Li Leshan leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and wondered where he would end up. Now, even going to university seemed so far away. Perhaps he wouldn't even live to see that day, ending up like Li Yong.

Good days... Li Leshan thought to himself, over and over again, almost chewing those three words up and melting them into his bones.

His life had been ruined by Li Yong long ago. Seventeen years ago, Li Yong destroyed it, preventing him from even having an ordinary life. His short life was spent in darkness for a long time.

He wanted to cry, but not a single tear came out. It was as if his tears had dried up long ago, and those days he wondered how he had survived were still vivid in his mind.

But he had to hold on.

Li Leshan leaned against the wall for a while to catch his breath. His throat was burning. He drank some tap water and finally straightened his back and walked slowly but firmly toward the health center.

Three days later, Grandma was discharged from the hospital. She couldn't wait to leave the clinic, saying she was completely cured, but Li Leshan knew she was worried about the bed fee. The little money she had saved up all her life was for her grandson's college education, to pay off her son's debts... there was no extra money left for anything else.

Her legs were becoming increasingly weak, and now even walking long distances was difficult. Li Leshan carried her back from the health center to Third Alley. Grandma was thin and small, and carrying her was quite light, but she still didn't want to, clamoring to get down. These days, she was always complaining about Li Yong, and always apologizing to Li Leshan. Even though Li Leshan told her not to think that way, he couldn't persuade her. Perhaps talking it out would make her feel better.

"Leshan..." Grandma touched Li Leshan's face tenderly and murmured, "Grandma still remembers when you were so small. Back then, Grandma carried you on her back. Now it's your turn to carry Grandma."

She blinked her cloudy eyes twice, then couldn't help but shed tears again. As people age, they often find themselves involuntarily weeping when they think of something. Her life had been quite difficult; no matter how she recalled it, there were always unpleasant things.

“My dear grandson, I’m so sorry. You were so young and couldn’t speak. All these years, you never told me a single hardship. You swallowed it all down. I don’t know how you got through it…” She became more and more heartbroken as she spoke.

He was so small, had no parents since he was a child, and couldn't speak. What did the neighbors think of him?

Li Leshan didn't want to remember anymore, and he didn't want to. He didn't want to be called "mute," didn't want to be bullied, didn't want to be called "bastard," and he didn't want to be either.

But the cost of resistance was far greater for him than the cost of endurance.

Li Leshan couldn't fight back, so he endured it all, little by little. He was scolded here and beaten there, and he thought this kind of life would continue forever. Until one summer afternoon, as the setting sun slanted into the alley, he squatted on the ground sorting through the books that other children had thrown away, and met a boy who said, "Wait for me after school."

He waited, and that was seven years.

Jiang Yueming took over his services, and he did so for seven years.

Over the past seven years, he first followed behind Jiang Yueming, taking one step at a time, and later walked alongside him shoulder to shoulder. He was no longer alone, and finally someone was willing to stand in front of him.

"Leshan," Grandma's voice came intermittently in my ear, "you know what, you're just like your mother."

Li Leshan's steps faltered abruptly. Over the years, the word "mother" had become so distant from him. Even his Chinese essays had long since abandoned the phrases "my mother" and "my mom." He could only recall that woman from many years ago through the few fragments of memory he had—a woman serene, elegant, and gentle…

Li Leshan's eyes stung, and he felt a tightness in his throat.

Do I look a lot like my mother?

He... he doesn't know.

She left too early. Li Leshan can barely remember what his mother looked like. He's also forgotten a bit of her name, only remembering that she was well, and that the days with her were...very happy.