Chapter 7
Via Merrick hung up the phone and heard a continuous, incessant crying. She opened the bedroom door, scolded him harshly, and then suddenly remembered that she had been bathing her youngest son half an hour earlier. She exclaimed "Ouch!" and slapped her head as she rushed upstairs to the bathroom.
What she saw was exactly what Tang Zefei had seen earlier. Tang Zefei was sitting on the bathroom floor by the door, the floor a mess, water stains everywhere, he was soaking wet, wiping his eyes and crying uncontrollably, sobbing.
Merrick stood frozen in front of the bathtub, then suddenly screamed wildly—a scream that actually calmed Tang Zefei down. She turned and ran to pull back the curtains, returning to the bathtub, trembling uncontrollably. "Ah—Little Rosie, ah!" she cried, clutching her head, slowly crouching down and muttering to herself over the edge of the tub, her throat emitting hissing sounds like someone struggling to breathe during an asthma attack. Then she began pounding her head. Seeing this, little Tang Zefei became even more frightened and turned to hide against the wall.
Tang Zefei didn't know, and dared not know, how his mother dealt with the horrific scene in the bathroom. His mother, who seemed to suffer from intermittent mental illness, had a fit after discovering she had accidentally drowned her youngest son. She cried and wailed on and off for an entire afternoon before finally calming down. She sat on a leather sofa, with strangers who appeared to be servants constantly coming and going, tending to the broken or damaged items in the villa.
Throughout, Tang Zefei remained obediently in his bedroom, his body trembling rhythmically. In his memory, his mother rarely lost control like this, but once she did, she would cause a huge disturbance that wouldn't stop on its own. His father, on the other hand, was a very busy man, often away from home due to his career. At these times, Tang Zefei would close the bedroom door and even secretly hide in the closet, hugging himself and trembling slightly until it all ended.
Late that night, Don Wilson rushed home. Via Merrick, now calmer, sat at the red velvet table in the dining room, eating a plate of berries with cheese sauce. Mister Don had already heard about the tragic accident at home. The sudden loss of his youngest son, coupled with the exhaustion of a day's work, made him appear grief-stricken and weary. He took off his coat and draped it over his arm, standing at the table, his gaze fixed intently on Merrick.
Merrick forked a cranberry and looked up at her husband. Her eyes were red and slightly swollen, from crying so much during the day. Mister Tang went over, bent down, and Merrick fed him the fruit. Suddenly putting down her utensils, Merrick looked silently at her husband, her throat tightening again. "Will you forgive me, darling?" she said, looking at him. Mister Tang went over, bent down, and held Merrick's head to his chest, whispering comforting words in Italian, his voice very soft, almost a whisper. Then, he turned and kissed Merrick's cheek.
Merrick felt guilty and remorseful, but even more so, he felt uneasy and panicked. Mister Tang knew all about her mental problems, so he was neither comfortable nor inclined to criticize her further. The couple chatted for a long time, until Mister Tang, perhaps feeling weary of it all, finally mustered his strength and asked gently, "Where is little Zephyr? Where is he?"
Merrick suddenly remembered vaguely hearing a baby crying that afternoon, and guessed that Tang Zefei must have seen something, but she wasn't sure and was afraid to face the fact. She shook her head, "He's in the room, isn't he?"
“Does Xiao Zefei know about what happened today?” Mister Tang asked. Merrick shook his head uncertainly, and Mister Tang sighed, “We had no choice but to keep it from him. I don’t want this to have any impact on him.”
Merrick nodded. The couple quietly went to Tang Zefei's bedroom and found him lying on his side on the bed, hugging the blanket, fast asleep.
The bedroom door opened and closed quietly, and Merrick's voice could be heard faintly outside, "Little Rosie, I've already taken his body away... I've had someone find a good place for him to rest in peace..."
“Via…” Mister Tang sighed sadly again, shook his head, and turned to go downstairs.
This time, he went straight to the foyer after going downstairs. Merrick hurriedly followed, asking where he had been. Mister Tang looked very apologetic, kissed his wife's forehead, and only said that he had things to do. "Darling, it is indeed something very important waiting for me to deal with. You're not feeling well, go to sleep early. Look at you, your eyes are still red. Don't think about anything, just get some sleep." He said. It was the middle of the night, and Merrick had no reason to stop her husband. She could only watch helplessly as he walked out the door again shortly after coming home. She wiped her face and sat down on the sofa, feeling very dejected. She didn't think about comforting Xiao Tang Zefei or going to see him again, but went straight back to her bedroom.
Hearing the faint sound of the front door closing on the first floor, Tang Zefei suddenly opened her eyes in the bedroom. Her eyes widened as she stared at the crystal chandelier on the pitch-black ceiling.
He felt a little too disappointed. The little child didn't have many deep thoughts, but he could still sense a kind of resentment and confusion taking root deep in his heart.
Why did his mother seem to feel no remorse when his younger brother was drowned due to her negligence? Now that things had come to this, he no longer hoped that his mother could comfort him, but even that was not the case.
The father was utterly indifferent. In this family, he was probably the only one truly grieving and fearful of his brother's death.
After that day, his mother, Via Merrick, and his father, Don Wilson Lois, never mentioned the tragedy to him. They were completely unintentional; these two people, so indifferent to their own flesh and blood, didn't know how to be normal parents. They merely maintained a superficial, eerie harmony and peace, unaware of the psychological trauma this event had inflicted on their eldest son, Tang Zefei. His younger brother, Little Rosie, simply vanished from the Tang family without a trace. Tang Zefei didn't dare ask any questions, feigning ignorance. But every time he went to that bathroom and looked into the bathtub, he felt like he was hallucinating the horrific scene from that day, leaving an indelible scar and shadow deep within his heart.
Having fully realized that she was growing up in such an indifferent family atmosphere, Tang Zefei became more and more withdrawn in her mind and behavior every day.
When he was ten years old, his father sent him to Maria Primary School. By this time, his personality had evolved to the point where he almost never communicated with anyone, only occasionally speaking to his closest nanny. That year, the elderly maid went home to care for her disabled younger brother, and no one was willing to speak to the withdrawn young master of the Tang family anymore. Tang Zefei's temperament became even more cold and eccentric. Mister Tang, unable to bear it any longer, sent him to a church boarding school, only bringing him home once a month.
Although it was called a boarding school, those who could attend the church school were either rich young masters or warlord "sons"; ordinary people couldn't possibly afford the school's exorbitant tuition. In the primary school, every student was a spoiled brat, and no one was willing to submit to anyone else. Tang Zefei, with his eccentric personality, naturally became the target of everyone's criticism.
Little Tang Zefei was still small and thin, with little flesh on his bones, as weak as a chick. His appearance was also so unusual that his mischievous classmates, who were naturally xenophobic, often played pranks on him. Little Tang Zefei went from being confused and scared to fighting back in anger in just one week.
That day, his classmate, Young Master Qian, waited for Tang Zefei downstairs at the dormitory building. He devised a unique plan to make Tang Zefei kowtow to them and greet them, while also cleaning the toilets in their dorm room.
These rich young masters, accustomed to a life of luxury, disdain robbery for money and instead resort to humiliating others by damaging their self-esteem.
Tang Zefei, of course, wouldn't stand for it and immediately wanted to fight them. However, the three opponents were all a head taller and more robust than him—they were junior high school students from the third floor of the same dormitory building.
Tang Zefei was no match for them, but she still charged forward desperately. The young master Qian, whose father was the commander of an army in Hebei Province, was a strong man. He reached out and pushed Tang Zefei, making her stumble.
"Hey!" the young master Qian said rudely, "You dare to hit me? Kneel down and kowtow to apologize to me right now, or I will definitely not let you off easily!" The two people next to him chimed in, also rubbing their fists together.
Tang Zefei gritted her teeth, her eyes wide with rage, her fists clenched tightly, and shouted, "So what if I hit you? I won't!" With that, she charged headlong into the three people in front of her once again.
The second man stepped forward, scoffed, and smugly surveyed his surroundings. He rolled up his sleeves and declared, "Hey! Watch this!" He then kicked the man hard, sending him sprawling to the ground. "No need to waste words with this kind of guy!" the second man said arrogantly to his companion. "Just go for it! That's all, isn't it? This kid can take a beating anyway!"
Tang Zefei was kicked in the chest and lay on the ground in pain for a long time, unable to get up. After finally managing to kneel up, the second person took off his shirt, threw it aside, and walked over to give him another violent lesson.
Before Tang Zefei could get up, he saw the other person raise their right leg again. He was actually a little scared, and in his panic, he raised his arm to shield his face. Just then, a figure rushed up from the side and blocked his way!
At the same time, the man punched to block the attacker's attack, blocked the attacker's right leg, then bent over, flipped over, grabbed the man's neck, and swiftly and cleanly threw him over his shoulder, viciously throwing him three meters away!
The man was stunned, as were the other two assailants, and Tang Zefei stood frozen in place. The rescuer was a recent junior high school graduate named Yu Congyi, two years older than the assailants and four years older than Tang Zefei. After throwing the man to the ground, he stood fiercely among them, hands on his hips, much taller than anyone else.
Xiao Yu Congyi snorted and looked at the three provocateurs with disdain. "Useless trash! Anyone else want to fight? Come on!"
The three young masters all shared one thing in common: they were bullies who preyed on the weak and feared the strong. Young Master Qian was still somewhat resentful, but Yu Congyi rolled up his sleeves, walked up to him, and showed him his fists. Yu Congyi had been completely unharmed when his companion was hit, while the other was lying on the ground, unable to move. Seeing that the three of them combined might not even be as strong as Yu Congyi, Young Master Qian quickly tucked his tail between his legs and scurried away. His two companions, seeing his behavior, followed without a word. Yu Congyi watched their retreating figures with satisfaction, then turned to look at Tang Zefei.
He was suddenly surprised—because he saw a little foreign boy with black hair who looked almost like a porcelain doll. He didn't know how to communicate with him, stared at him for a moment, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word, so he turned to leave. Unexpectedly, Tang Zefei got up from the ground and said with difficulty, "Thank you."
Yu Congyi was very curious, so he stopped and walked over to the other person, who was now a full head taller. He asked, "Have they been bullying you like this all along?"
Tang Zefei nodded. He wasn't much of a talker, so despite his gratitude towards Yu Congyi, he maintained a reserved and aloof demeanor. Yu Congyi, puzzled, asked, "Why are they treating you like this?"
Tang Zefei raised his head, words almost escaping his lips, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. He thought for a moment, then finally, his cheeks flushed red, and he uttered a few words, "Because I'm timid."
Yu Congyi, always appearing unpredictable, actually didn't have many friends at school. He found this elementary school student very interesting, and after thinking for a moment, he smiled and said to Tang Zefei, "Come with me!"
"Where are you going?" Tang Zefei asked, a little curious.
"Hmm...I'll show you something nice!"
Tang Zefei followed in his footsteps, and the two sneaked into the school library. "Want to read?" "Shh, don't talk!" Neither of the two kids had book tickets, but the books they read in the library, which they had climbed over the wall to enter, were even more fascinating. Yu Congyi knew the way well and led Tang Zefei to take away the series "The Eight Great Swordsmen".
“This is the one! I’ve read this before, and it’s really good!” Yu Congyi pulled Tang Zefei out of the library and slipped into a quiet spot to sit down.
This was far more interesting than the scriptures recited by the monks at school. The new-style martial arts world, composed of historical writing and elements of gods and demons, unfolded before the young man's eyes. The extraordinary skills and techniques of the Fairy in Mystic Robes, the Iron Umbrella Master, and the Paper Knife Master left them speechless. They spent the entire afternoon hiding under the red brick wall in the shade of the green trees in the library's back garden, engrossed in reading the same book.
After school ended, Tang Zefei followed behind Yu Congyi, her heart filled with admiration and fascination for martial arts, swaying happily and contentedly as they walked through the square in front of the Church of Mary at dusk. The bells rang at dusk, and they parted ways at the church entrance.
“I’ll come see you again tomorrow,” Yu Congyi said.
Tang Zefei smiled happily; this was the first time he had ever smiled like that at a stranger. It was strange; he clearly didn't know the older brother's name or which junior high school he attended, yet he unexpectedly believed he would see him again the next day.
The next day, Tang Zefei indeed saw Yu Congyi again under the large willow tree at the church. Yu Congyi was wearing a shirt and shorts, revealing his arms and calves, which were gleaming in the sun. He was leaning against a rock playing the harmonica, and Tang Zefei slowly approached him, listening with great appreciation.
After Yu Congyi finished playing a piece, he turned his head and saw Tang Zefei standing under the top of a weeping willow tree in the dazzling sunlight, smiling at him with her eyes narrowed into slits.
“You look a bit like my younger brother,” Yu Congyi said, looking at him.
"Like your younger brother?" Tang Zefei approached and stood beside him, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Yu Congyi put away his harmonica and placed it in his backpack. "Yeah, what about you? Do you have a younger brother?"
"Yes. But he was adopted by my father, so he can't be considered my biological brother."
Yu Congyi thought about it for a moment, finding it somewhat strange, but it wasn't really that unusual. He smirked, "My brother too... sigh, never mind that!" With that, he grabbed Tang Zefei's wrist and ran forward. Tang Zefei also immediately forgot about these trivial matters and ran after him recklessly.
This happiness lasted for more than a month. Two months later, Tang Zefei's father, Tang Weixunluis, suddenly appeared at the entrance of the Mary's Church, his face grim, and told him to immediately return to his dormitory and pack his things.
"What are you doing?" Tang Zefei asked her father timidly, but then mustered up her courage as she ran from the classroom into the corridor.
Don Weisson Lois looked down at his son, seemingly noticing the change in his eldest son's temperament, but he wasn't good at understanding these things. "Xiao Zefei, Dad has arranged for you to transfer schools. The family is moving, so you don't need to study here anymore."
"Why?" Tang Zefei immediately became anxious, clenching his fists. "But I don't want to leave!" Tang Weixun Lois stared at him with wide eyes. "What did you say?" Tang Zefei was intimidated by him, lowered his head timidly, clenched his fists, and stammered.
Mister Tang ignored him and pulled him along by the wrist.
Tang Zefei's eyes instantly welled up with tears. As he was dragged forward, he kept whimpering and sobbing, looking back, but he couldn't see anyone. Transferring schools meant he might never see his only friend again.
When Tang Zefei was forcibly dragged out of the Church of Mary and shoved into the back seat of the car, he still pressed his face against the car window and peered into the school. However, he never saw the figure he wanted to see.
…
Seventeen years later, the tall, handsome boy from her memory was now a blur, his former self nowhere to be found. At the crossroads where they had parted ways, covered in golden sycamore leaves, Tang Zefei gazed thoughtfully at Yu Congyi's retreating figure.
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