"Xu Chang?"
Jiang Chen recognized the young man in front of him at a glance and spoke with a slightly surprised tone.
Xu Chang didn't expect to see Jiang Chen here. He paused and hesitated for a while before nodding: "Senior Jiang." He lowered his eyes to the little boy's red and slightly swollen face. His expression changed and he squatted down to check the boy's injuries. "What's going on?"
Hearing Xu Chang's anxious concern, Jiang Chen explained: "When your brother was playing outside, he was hit by something by a young boy. My mother brought him to my house to apply some medicine."
"Who smashed it?" Xu Chang looked up with coldness in his eyes.
Jiang Chen was slightly surprised. He remembered that when he first met Xu Chang, he was being beaten up by Sun Zhi and his gang. He didn't get so angry even when they punched and kicked him. Instead, he planned a counterattack very calmly. When he saw him several times later, he was mostly cold and precocious. He didn't expect that he would be so impulsive when it came to his brother.
"My mother only saw the side of his face and said it was a boy of about 17 or 18 years old." Jiang Chen reminded: "Your brother is still young, so try not to let him go out alone in the future to avoid any more accidents."
"I'm not afraid!" The little boy held Xu Chang's hand and looked up and said, "Brother, I remember what he looks like. Let's go find him!"
Xu Chang nodded, holding the little boy's hand and was about to walk out.
Jiang Chen didn't expect that the two brothers would just leave as soon as they said they would. He paused for a moment before raising his leg and following them.
The little boy knew the way very well. He led them through twists and turns, passed several houses, and walked straight in one direction without any hesitation.
"Is it here?" Xu Chang looked at the iron gate in front of him.
"He came out from here." The little boy pointed at the door and sniffed, "He also brought a bowl of sticky bean curd. I ate it yesterday. It was really delicious."
Jiang Chen could vaguely hear the sound of the little boy swallowing his saliva from the sound of his nose sniffing. Xu Chang was no exception. He lowered his head and asked, "Did you ask for food?"
"No." The little boy shook his head immediately. Although he was young, his words were very clear: "He wasted food and threw the sticky rice dumplings on the ground. I picked them up and gave them back to him. He asked me if I wanted to eat them, so I said yes."
"Then why are you hurt?"
"Because he told me to stand farther away, and whoever I caught would be mine!" The little boy pouted: "But the sticky rice dumplings were too hard, and I only caught one." He took out a frozen sticky rice dumpling that had softened a lot from his pocket.
Xu Chang's face turned dark and he knocked on the door in front of him.
"Here I come!" The peasant woman pushed open the door and was stunned to see Jiang Chen and the other two outside. She rubbed her hands and smiled, "Xiao Jiang, what do you want to see me for?"
Jiang Chen didn't expect that the person living here was Aunt Zhang who had given him a lot of food before, but he remembered that Aunt Zhang said that she only had one daughter who was already working. "Aunt Zhang, we want to ask if you have a boy who is about my age."
"Boy?" Aunt Zhang shook her head. "I only have one daughter. She didn't buy a ticket to come back for the New Year this year. What's the matter?"
Jiang Chen and Xu Chang looked at each other: "Nothing."
"But that brother came out from here!" The little boy stretched his head to look inside, his eyes lit up: "And that! That brother was holding the sticky bean bun!"
Aunt Zhang turned around and looked in the direction of the little boy's hand. She saw the sticky bean buns she had frozen outside and smiled: "I made those for the New Year. Do you want to eat them? I'll give each of you a bowl to take home."
"I want it!" The little boy raised his hand.
Xu Chang held down his brother's hand, his face looked better, and he asked, "Aunt, did you give sticky bean buns to other boys who are about our age today?"
"Yes!" Aunt Zhang said with a smile, "Not long ago, the boy from the He family took a bowl from me and the bowl hasn't been returned yet. Did you get greedy after eating his bowl?"
"He family?" Jiang Chen asked, "Do you know his name?"
"I don't know." Aunt Zhang shook her head: "There are several boys in their family. I remember it should be the second child."
"Second brother?" Xu Chang narrowed his eyes: "He Qianmin?"
"I think his name is He Qian or something." Aunt Zhang said, "It seems that all the children in their family have this name. What's the matter? Do you have something to do with him?"
"Nothing." Jiang Chen said, "Aunt Zhang, sorry to bother you. We'll leave first."
"You're leaving? Without a bowl of sticky bean curd? I have other food at home, do you want some?" Aunt Zhang said, "There are sweet potatoes in the pot, do you want some?"
Xu Chang had already turned around, holding the little boy's hand.
“I’ll eat it next time, thank you.”
Jiang Chen took two steps at a time and walked side by side with Xu Chang: "Are you going to the He family?"
Xu Chang: "He Qianmin beat my brother, so of course I have to ask for an explanation."
"I know Qian Min, he would never hit your brother."
"Aunt Zhang said it was the second child." Xu Chang knew that Jiang Chen and He Qianmin had a good relationship. When he heard him defend He Qianmin, his tone became heavy: "If not He Qianmin, who is the second child of the He family? Is there someone else?"
Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows slightly, and suddenly remembered something. Logically speaking, He Qianyang was the eldest grandson of the He family, but when it came to ranking, everyone started from He Qianjian.
"He Qianyang should be here too." Jiang Chen said calmly, "Aunt Zhang probably judged by age."
Xu Chang frowned and was about to say something when he saw a few people coming towards him.
"elder brother!"
He Qianmin's eyes lit up, and he walked quickly towards Jiang Chen. However, the one who got one step ahead of him was He Qianyu, who was like a little cannonball. She opened her arms and threw herself into Jiang Chen's arms, hugging him and not letting go.
Jiang Chen touched He Qianyu's head and looked at He Qianmin and He Qianyang who were walking over: "Where did you go just now?"
"Digging sweet potatoes." He Qianyang raised the basket in his hand: "When did you come here?"
"In the morning." Jiang Chen glanced at Xu Chang, then lowered his head and asked the boy he was holding, "Is there anyone here who just bullied you?"
The little boy shook his head: "No."
Xu Chang frowned: "Not them?"
"What are you talking about?" He Qianyang asked.
Jiang Chen explained the situation, and He Qianmin crossed his arms and said, "We went up the mountain early in the morning. Only He Qianjian stayed at home."
He Qianyang frowned: "No matter how ignorant He Qianjian is, he won't bully a child."
He Qianmin felt that there was nothing He Qianjian couldn't do behind people's backs, especially since he was in a very bad mood now. He could vent his anger on anyone, and this kid might have walked into trouble.
However, it is hard to say who is more unlucky. When He Qianjian bullied the kid, he certainly didn't think that the kid could ask his brother to come to him.
Thinking of this, He Qianmin couldn't help but look forward to He Qianjian's expression later: "Since this kid knows someone, we'll know when he goes back with us."
Jiang Chen saw He Qianmin's gloating, rubbed his head, and said, "Speak less later."
"What can I say?" He Qianmin curled his lips, feeling a little aggrieved: "He did it himself, I just watched the fun."
"You——" Jiang Chen paused and turned to look at He Qianyang. He Qianyang naturally withdrew his hand and said with a smile: "Chenchen did a good job. He deserves praise for helping the poor injured child."
Jiang Chen's forehead twitched and he dodged He Qianyang's hand which was still covered with mud or dust. For the first time, he felt the frustration of wanting to curse but having to hold it back.
“You still despise your brother?” He Qianyang raised his muddy hands and sighed to the sky: “These hardworking hands are digging sweet potatoes planted by the working people, just to feed my hungry brothers and sisters, but they are always ungrateful and don’t understand their brother’s hard work. They even despise their brother who gets his hands dirty digging sweet potatoes for them. It’s so hard to be a brother - ah - ah -”
Hearing He Qianyang dragging it out three times and still wanting to continue "Ah", Jiang Chen couldn't stand it anymore and turned around and said, "Brother, I'll help you get it."
He Qianyang handed the sweet potato basket to Jiang Chen and patted his shoulder: "Be good."
Jiang Chen picked up the basket and said to Xu Chang, "Let's go."
"Your name is Xu Chang?" He Qianyang paused, "A member of the Xu family?"
Xu Chang paused, his face turned colder: "Yes."
He Qianyang nodded slightly and changed the subject: "I heard that Grandpa Xu will also be here for the New Year this year. Are you and your brother here to accompany him?"
Xu Chang's expression eased a little, and his tone was much gentler than before: "My...father doesn't have time, so we came here to accompany him."
"Is that so?" He Qianyang remembered something and asked, "I remember you are also in Chenghua now, are you in the second year of high school?"
Xu Chang nodded: "I was in Yanyi High School in my freshman year and transferred here in my sophomore year."
Jiang Chen raised his eyes and heard the conversation between He Qianyang and Xu Chang. He then realized that Xu Chang had transferred to Chenghua in his second year of high school. No wonder he seemed to have not seen him this semester.
"So you and Chenchen knew each other when you were in the first year of high school?" He Qianyang always had a smile on his face. When he spoke to people in a relaxed tone, it was easy for people to let down their guard: "How did you two know each other?"
"Senior Jiang and his friends helped me." Xu Chang said.
He Qianyang nodded and pointed at the door: "We're here, let's go in."
Xu Chang pursed his lips, took the little boy's hand, and followed Jiang Chen into the He family.
Yang Yun was making dumplings with Old Lady He. When she saw He Qianyang and the others coming in, she put down what she was holding and said in surprise, "Chenchen is here."
Seeing the bamboo basket in Jiang Chen's hand, Yang Yun immediately wanted to take it: "Why are you carrying such a heavy thing? Your hand has not healed from the cut last time. Didn't the doctor say to try not to lift heavy objects?"
Jiang Chen avoided Yang Yun's hand and said with a squinting look, "It's been more than a month. It's already healed."
"Your mother is right. It takes a hundred days to heal a broken bone. Even if it takes three months, you still need to be careful." Old Mrs. He also came over and said to He Qianyang, "Hurry up and help your brother carry it."
He Qianyang didn't expect Jiang Chen to have been injured, so he immediately took the basket and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier that you were injured? Come and check to see if the wound has split open."
Jiang Chen pulled his hand back: "It's fine now." He turned to look at Xu Chang who looked surprised, sighed in his heart, and said: "Mom, grandma, this is Xu Chang, he brought his brother here for something."
"What's up?" At her age, Mrs. He thought all children were cute. When she saw the little boy Xu Chang was holding, she immediately asked with a smile, "Little boy, what's your name? How old are you? What are you doing at grandma's house?"
"My name is Xu Xi, I'm five and a half years old, and I'm here to look for someone."
The little boy's voice was clear and a little childish. Old Mrs. He smiled even more, took out a piece of candy from her pocket, handed it to him and said, "Who are you looking for?"
"Find a brother." Xu Xi took the candy, pointed to his injured face, and said with a pout, "That brother beat me."
Yang Yun carefully looked at Xu Xi's now purple face, raised his head and looked at Jiang Chen and the others, puzzled: "What's going on?"
He Qianyang first recounted what he had just heard, and then said: "They went to Aunt Zhang's house, and Aunt Zhang said it was someone from our family, so they came here to find us."
"Impossible." Old Madam He shook her head: "You went up the mountain early in the morning, and Qian Jian stayed at home the whole time. Aunt Zhang must have remembered it wrongly."
Yang Yun knew that He Qianjian was out today, but she didn't believe he would bully children. She squatted down and asked Xu Xi: "Little boy, do you remember what color clothes your brother who hurt you was wearing today?"
"blue."
Yang Yun's face changed slightly, and he was silent for a few seconds. He stood up and said to He Qianyu, "Go and call Brother Qianjian down. Tell him that I have something to talk to him about."
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