Chapter 19
During those years, Dai Yan returned to her family for a short time, going to and from get off work, buying groceries and cooking, and no longer bringing people home to play mahjong. The people who played cards with her, both men and women, were heavy smokers. After a few times, the walls of the house were smoked yellow.
So later she went back to the chess and card room that her old friends often went to, which was right at the entrance of the alley. During the winter and summer vacations, Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing often went there to bring her lunch. After they brought her lunch, the two children were not in a hurry to go home. They wandered around together and ate noodles in the small noodle shop next to the chess and card room, taking turns eating two bowls of noodles, you took a bite of mine and I took a bite of yours. When they came out after eating, the sun was shining brightly, warming the rugged land in the alley. The old man was basking in the sun on a lounge chair under the telephone pole, and the old yellow dog was lying at his feet. Several old ladies moved their small stools to a cooler place and chatted about family matters, looking at the two children passing by. The boy was dark, handsome, and tall, and the girl was even more beautiful, with black hair, white skin, and eyes like Su Daji on TV.
"How old is the little girl?" The old woman fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan. After the person had passed by, she covered her mouth with the fan and said, "Look at her eyes and eyebrows, she's full of seduction. Whose virgin girl is this kind of person?"
"She's not a virgin! She's just a seductress. Look how she seduced that boy. His eyes are wide open!"
They spoke in low voices. The two children had already walked far away. The girl was walking on the high and narrow dirt slope, with her arms stretched out to keep her balance, and the boy was holding out his hands below to catch her. He squinted his eyes because of the sun, and his dark face was covered with a layer of fine beads of sweat due to nervousness. He would rather hold his hands up all the way, not daring to breathe, but just to indulge her, grinning foolishly like a little slave. The two of them walked through the alley and went to the Xinhua Bookstore across the street.
"Oh my... what nonsense are you talking about? They're brother and sister!" The old man on the recliner couldn't hide his disdain even through his sunglasses, and the walnuts in his hand made a crackling sound. "That guy, what's the name of Zhou Yi's son? Oh, right! Zhou Tiancheng! Zhou Tiancheng's son and daughter, and his wife... Look!"
His tobacco-scorched hand pointed toward the alley entrance. "That little girl is still playing mahjong there every day! Oh... she's full of bad intentions..." He shook his head as if he had taken some very bitter Chinese medicine. "Those two kids are going to have a hard time in the future!"
"Oh brother and sister, they don't look alike!"
"Yeah, not really."
When everyone heard that they were brother and sister, they stopped talking, but their suspicious eyes followed the two figures walking away until they disappeared.
Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing, who entered the bookstore, were like two little fish swimming into the water. Kang Xingxing pursed his thick lips, his philtrum was covered with sweat, and he stood in front of the "Mathematics Teaching Aids" sign with bated breath.
He seldom bought books for himself. Every time he came back, he would buy books for Zhou Yue. He would read and choose one book after another. The pocket money Dai Yan gave him was not much, so he and Zhou Yue had to spend it carefully. He vowed to make more money in the future so that she wouldn't have to sit on the cold granite floor to read novels every time, just reading without buying, and then hiding in a corner to read again under the contemptuous eyes of the bookstore management when she found a book she was not satisfied with.
But logically speaking, the books in the bookstore are for people to read, and no one dares to say that people are not allowed to read them. But people, when they are not satisfied with their work and life, always have to find a place to vent. At such times, they like to pick on the weak, and the two timid children are the weak.
"There are simplified versions of world classics, and they're not that expensive!"
"That's right, a book reveals one's character. If you read it to pieces and then refuse to buy it, how can you be so unethical?"
Two women in white shirts were pushing a cart with books piled up like a mountain, messy like unwanted garbage, but each book was wrapped in plastic and exuded the smell of brand new ink.
It was a spot in the farthest corner of the first floor, with no lights on. Next to Zhou Yue was the bookstore warehouse with its door open. The books inside were piled up like mountains, covered in thick dust, and the pungent dust floated in the air.
Zhou Yue had curled herself up into a tiny ball, wishing she could be invisible, but the cart still ran over her feet.
"What are you doing?" Zhou Yue was reading intently when she suddenly felt pain. She stopped and jumped up to argue with the person. However, she felt uneasy because she had been reading for nothing. When she stood up, she felt pain again. She subconsciously reached for the bookshelf behind her. As soon as she did so, there was a crackling sound of books falling to the ground. Arguing is about momentum. If you lose the momentum, no matter how right you are, it's useless.
"What are you doing? Get to work! This is where we tally the goods, this is our work area! What are you sitting here for? You have no manners!"
"Look at what you've done to our books!" another woman yelled, her face flushed with anxiety as she rushed over to pick them up, cursing as she did so: "Books are worthless these days. People just read and touch them for free. They've been torn apart and you don't even think to pay for them. How shameless!"
"Why do you say I'm shameless?" Zhou Yue got anxious now. She was good-tempered and timid outside. Sometimes Kang Xingxing would get angry and feel aggrieved when she scolded her. She would argue with him, so she had never lost her temper with anyone, let alone been called "shameless" so directly. She burst into tears all of a sudden, her mouth pursed, tears streaming down her face. Her throat was so sore and choked that she couldn't utter a word. All she could say was sobs of grievance.
Kang Xingxing was picking books for Zhou Yue on the first floor. She vaguely heard her voice, so she put down the book and rushed upstairs. She saw two middle-aged women in white shirts surrounding her. The women had sharp voices, and their shouting and scolding were particularly harsh. Their fingers were almost poking Zhou Yue's nose. Looking at Zhou Yue again, her face was full of tears, and her eyes were as red as a rabbit. She was wearing a light blue dress that day, and the lotus leaf collar was soaked.
Kang Xingxing's eyes immediately turned red, and he rushed forward with a roar and pushed the two women away. The two women didn't expect that the little girl was accompanied by a big man, who was dark and strong. Before they could react, they fell to the ground like a stack of balls and slid a long distance together, with their four legs facing the air and blocked by the bookshelf.
That was the first time Kang Xingxing roared in anger, and his eyes turned red. Not only the people in the bookstore, but Zhou Yue was also frightened and forgot to cry.
In fact, she didn't understand Kang Xingxing. Even though they were so close, she couldn't fully understand his pain. She felt that some grievances were just accepted, and she couldn't imagine how many times her grievances were magnified by him.
He just wanted to protect her. She was so kind and didn't hurt anyone. When they saw a puppy on the roadside, they would squat there with a smile, feed it water, buy it sausages, and touch its little nose. They had a mother, but they were still like stray dogs, shrinking themselves to the smallest size like compressed biscuits, afraid to trouble others, afraid to take up an inch of space in this world, and only kissing and hugging each other when there was no one around. But even that didn't work. She was still bullied, pointed at in the nose and cursed, just because she wanted to save money and read books. She hid in a corner and repeatedly flipped through a sample book that had already been unwrapped for people to see.
He never felt aggrieved for himself. He was numb most of the time. The feeling was dull, and the pain was dull too. When Zhou Tiancheng dragged him onto the train, he couldn't even move his eyeballs. He leaned on the window and watched the lush green trees in Guangzhou turn into the cold black mountains in the north. He would be fine if he was alive. He wouldn't struggle even if Zhou Tiancheng kicked him down.
But the moment he walked in and saw the little pink girl in a princess dress, he wanted to live.
She bathed him roughly and beat him. He sat in the water with his knees hugged, secretly looking at her and smiling while she turned around and cursed at him while squeezing shower gel into his mouth.
For many years, he had forgotten his mother's embrace, but he would never forget the pain he felt when he held her soft body, her sweet breath, her soft, curly hair, the way she coquettishly called him "gorilla" in his arms, the sound of her voice vibrating in his chest... The mere thought of these things caused him pain, coursing through his blood, piercing his heart with every breath...
Whenever he saw her, no, whenever he thought of her, he felt pain.
He couldn't bear any grievance on her part. Her suffering was his suffering, magnified thousands of times.
At that moment, all the injustice, anger and bitterness roared out, and his roar echoed throughout the bookstore, and the window frames buzzed.
Everyone in the bookstore was crowded at the second-floor stairwell. The bookstore manager pushed through the crowd and came up to find out what had happened. He looked at Zhou Yue, then at Kang Xingxing, especially Kang Xingxing. The young man had lost control, and there was no telling what he would do. He put his hands on his hips, his face dark with solemnity. He glanced at the two employees in the corner who looked aggrieved, sighed, forced a smile, and said to Zhou Yue, "I'm sorry, girl."
"I don't want your apology," Kang Xingxing's voice was shaking, and her body was shaking too. Her fists were clenched like stones, and she protected Zhou Yue behind her. "I want those two people to apologize to my sister."
"Where are your parents?" The manager's face suddenly darkened and he wanted to bring up the adults, after all, Kang Xingxing was the one who took action first.
"Apologize." Kang Xingxing stepped forward. He was more than a head taller than the manager, his arms muscular in his white short-sleeved shirt revealing muscular arms. In the 2000s, while hitting someone was illegal, what was the legality of a minor hitting someone? The manager was unsure; he'd never encountered this before, and he thought less was better. He was also annoyed and anxious. He knew he couldn't do business if this continued, so he turned around and yelled at the two people in the corner, "Come here! Apologize! You're a grown man, bullying two children! This is a bookstore! A place for teaching and educating people, not a market!"
In fact, the matter should have ended here. The two adults looked at each other, pushing each other. No matter how unwilling they were, they would agree when they thought about having their wages deducted.
But no one knew that there was someone behind these two children who only wanted an apology even when they were extremely angry. To be honest, even they themselves forgot about the strongest fighting force in the family, and they just heard that the first floor was noisier than the second floor.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" The people who were blocking the second floor now looked towards the first floor. They had never seen a female comrade with such a loud voice. It was louder, sharper, and more penetrating than the two women combined.
After a while, you will see the crowd being broken apart by a huge force, and a leopard rushing out. When you look closely, it is not a leopard, but a woman wearing a leopard print skirt, with long calves and a pair of bright red high heels. She rushes to you in a few steps. Who would not be afraid?
It is said that gangsters are gangsters. You know who to beat up without listening to the long-winded explanation. She rushed to the two people, stopped, and said with a cigarette in her mouth, "Just you two?" She didn't know whether she was asking if they were the only two who participated in the fight, or if they were the culprits.
The two men had never seen such a scene before. They were just thinking about how to respond when they saw a black shadow. Before they regained consciousness, they had been swung into the corner and bounced back. It was a bag of frozen pork ribs. Dai Yan went to the vegetable market after playing mahjong and bought some vegetables and pork ribs. She stood under the telephone pole at the entrance of the alley, smoking and waiting for Kang Xingxing, the free laborer, to carry her bag and vegetables. She waited and waited, but no one showed up. The bookstore was just across the alley from her. Someone who was curious passed by and usually didn't dare to say anything to this middle-aged woman who still had charm. But now he took the opportunity to complain. Dai Yan didn't rush to listen. She looked at the sky and said "hmm". She ignored the lackey who was complaining, smoked a cigarette, threw it on the ground and crushed it with the toe of her shoe, then took another cigarette in her mouth, lit it, and then rushed to the battlefield.
"Hey, why are you hitting people?" The person who was hit by Dai Yan was stunned. The other one was scared and angry. What was going on? Think about it, wasn't he doing it for the bookstore? He pushed Dai Yan. Dai Yan didn't even need to look. She turned around and slapped her based on her feeling. She spun several times on the spot. She couldn't find the enemy. As soon as she stood still, she was slapped again. She was attacked from both sides. This time she could see clearly. She had an oval face, a big wave that reached her waist, green eyeshadow and big red lips. At first glance, her whole face was a pair of big eyes, which were even bigger now. It was so scary.
"Hit someone? Who are you looking down on? Try to find out who I am! Does this count as hitting someone?" Dai Yan poked her nose with her nails. "I haven't hit a woman in years. Don't force me to break my vow!" After scolding her, she looked her up and down with a cigarette in her mouth and sneered. "Besides, I never hit a woman shorter than me!"
In fact, there was no need to ask. When she rushed out, someone recognized her. The crowd whispered that she was the eldest brother's woman. A notorious tigress, she beat the third and fourth mistresses, beat the fourth and fifth mistresses...
It's just that no one connected her with those two children just now. Who would have thought that these three people were a family? If she had such fighting power, why didn't she show it earlier and cry and ask for an apology.
People who are polite before using force always inspire respect. Besides, onlookers never mind making a fuss and start talking at once: "Serves you right! Such a poor service attitude, I've always disliked the people here! And they even bully children. Now that the parents are here, they can't say a word!"
Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing were even more confused than the two people who had been beaten. They looked at each other, not knowing whether to be happy or even content. But they were still more confused.
That day, Zhou Yue and Kang Xingxing walked behind Dai Yan, not daring to say a word. Kang Xingxing carried her bag and the pork ribs that had long since melted, while Zhou Yue hugged the book her mother bought for her tightly as they walked under the brilliant sunset.
She had chosen the book herself, "Wuthering Heights". She was stubborn and insisted on having the sample copy that she had read many times.
Dai Yan was checking out at the cashier with her wallet in hand. He poked her on the forehead and called her stubborn. The manager stood by, sweating and then drying himself. He had been frightened all afternoon, his heart almost stopping. He just wanted to send the whole family away, so he said he didn't want the money, just to apologize to the child. But Dai Yan pointed at his nose and scolded him again: "Do you think I look like a poor guy who needs those two coins?"
Zhou Yue was holding a book, squinting her eyes in the sunset, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up. She unconsciously wanted to jump and follow her mother, trying to step on her shadow step by step, but she slipped away as soon as she stepped on it.
"Orangutan," she leaned close to Kang Xingxing, asked him to lower his head, and whispered in his ear, "Before you came to my house, there was one time when I was in the small room and Mom and Dad were in the living room. When I went out to peek at them, I saw Dad resting his head on Mom's shoulder, hugging her and acting coquettishly with her."
"Ah?" Kang Xingxing lowered her voice and exclaimed, "Really?"
This was really horrifying, but Zhou Yue pursed her lips and nodded mysteriously at him, meaning that this was true.
"Mom is the boss." She smiled with her head down, then stepped on her mother's shadow.
Kang Xingxing said to her with lingering fear, "Don't call her the wrong name. If you call her "old lady", they will both be finished!"
"No," Zhou Yue smiled, her dimples showing, and she hugged the hardcover copy of Wuthering Heights tighter. "Mom is the boss, Mom is the boss."
"Tsk, what are you two whispering about?"
Dai Yan, walking in front, was empty-handed and relaxed, taking slow, unhurried steps with her outward-facing feet. Her curly hair was disheveled from the fight, and when the wind blew, she looked like a chivalrous and uninhibited female warrior. Turning back, her leather jacket draped over her shoulders, she squinted in the fierce west wind, biting a cigarette and said lazily, "Let's go."
After saying that, he looked at the two kids looking sneaky, snorted, turned around and went his own way.
Many years later, Zhou Yue thought, how wonderful it would be if people could completely love or hate someone. That way, she would be able to be cruel when her mother became a vegetable. Without her mother, there would be no Jiang Huai.
Unfortunately, love and hate can never be offset. Whenever she wants to love her mother, she always thinks of everything she did for Kang Xingxing, for her father, and for her.
But when she decided to hate her mother, she thought of such an evening. She, Kang Xingxing, and her mother were walking in the cool autumn evening in the north. She looked at her mother's majestic and domineering back and held the book her mother bought for her. The ribs Kang Xingxing was holding melted, and cool water droplets dripped out of the plastic bag and dripped onto her legs, refreshing her heart.
Every household was filled with the aroma of cooking. The thought of eating the braised pork ribs made by her mother made her so hungry that her mouth almost burst open. Her hands rubbed against Kang Xingxing's thick, dark hands, which were warm and dry.
She looked up at him for a long moment, and then, in the golden sunset, in broad daylight, she took his hand.
He was looking down at the road, and was stunned for a moment when she held his hand, then he held it tighter, and then interlocked his fingers with hers.
No one could have imagined that this handshake would become his and her grave several years later. She should regret it, but she didn't.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
