Chapter Eighteen
Chengjia experienced an unprecedented disaster.
Well, it's not that it's unprecedented, but we've never encountered anything like this since we moved to the city.
At dinner, Cheng's father and Cheng Xiangdong, who rarely come home, were both present. Cheng's mother and Aunt Li had been busy in the kitchen for a long time, preparing a large table of dishes and drinks. The family sat around the table, chatting happily, waiting for Cheng Xiangbei to return so they could start eating.
They waited and waited, and it got dark. Just as Cheng's father was about to say he wouldn't wait for him, Cheng Xiangbei returned from outside. As soon as he entered, he rushed in with his head down. Aunt Li had just stood up and called out "Tiger..." but before she could finish the word, Cheng Xiangbei disappeared at the top of the stairs.
"What's wrong with the child?" Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Cheng's mother couldn't sit still any longer, gesturing for everyone to eat first, and hurried upstairs to check on the child.
Going up to the third floor, Cheng's mother knocked on the door. "Tiger, dinner's ready!"
A muffled sound came from inside the room. Cheng's mother twisted the doorknob, but couldn't open it. She raised her voice slightly. "Tiger!"
"Leave me alone!!!" A roar came from inside the door, like that of a wounded wild beast.
Cheng's mother was taken aback; her youngest son hadn't done this in a long time. She was a little worried, but she couldn't force him. She could only sigh and go downstairs.
"Where's Tiger?" Grandma Cheng asked, stopping her chopsticks when she saw that no one was behind her daughter-in-law.
"It's nothing, just a child throwing a tantrum," Cheng's mother smiled and sat down to eat.
Cheng's father, Uncle Li, and Cheng Xiangdong ate and drank, having not relaxed in a long time; it was so much more comfortable to eat at home. Cheng's father happily sipped his wine, and even Uncle Li, who doesn't usually drink, poured himself a beer to soothe his throat. Cheng Xiangdong was busy serving food to his grandmother, removing fish bones from his mother's plate, and even serving soup to Aunt Li, making all the women in the family beam with joy.
Before half the dishes were even finished, a loud thud was heard from upstairs. Everyone stopped eating and listened intently. The sound stopped again. Cheng's father, stroking his wine glass, asked, "Was that...our house?"
Some said yes, some said no, and after waiting a while, there was still no sound. Everyone thought they must have misheard. "Let's eat!" Before they could even take a bite of the food they had just picked up, they heard a clattering and crashing sound coming from above. Everyone froze—oh no, it really was their own house!
Cheng's father threw down his chopsticks and went upstairs.
Cheng Xiangdong and his mother followed closely behind. Grandma Cheng also wanted to go up, but was persuaded to stop by Aunt Li and Uncle Li.
Cheng's father climbed to the third floor and knocked on the door, but it wouldn't open. The banging and crashing noises from inside continued unabated. Cheng's father's anger surged. "That brat! He's trying to demolish the house again!" His youngest son's explosive temper wasn't uncommon; the last time he went berserk was back in their hometown, when Cheng Xiangbei destroyed one and a half floors of their two-story house. But that was five or six years ago. Everyone said Tiger's temper had improved as he grew up, so why was he exploding again now?!
Cheng's father kicked the door open and roared, "Cheng Xiangbei! Open the door!"
The door wouldn't open. Cheng's father kicked it again, but the door had been installed too sturdily during the renovation; it couldn't be kicked open.
It was Cheng's mother who was alert and brought the spare key. Cheng's father opened the door, and the room was dimly lit.
Cheng's father frowned, snapped on the light, and saw the room was a complete mess. Not a single piece of furniture or appliance was in its original place. "Cheng Huzi, what the hell are you doing?!"
Cheng Xiangbei stood in the center of the room with his back to them, without saying a word.
"Cheng Xiangbei!" Cheng's father was furious! "What exactly happened?!"
After a long pause, Cheng Xiangbei slowly turned around. His face, panting heavily, still bore the savage expression of his previous actions.
The Cheng family gasped in shock. Cheng's mother's heart broke instantly. She rushed forward and grabbed her youngest son's hand, asking anxiously, "Tiger, what's wrong with you?"
Cheng Xiangbei remained silent, and the entire Cheng family gathered around. Cheng's father's anger immediately subsided. The youngest son's anger wasn't frightening; what truly alarmed everyone was the stream of tears streaming down his face. Years ago, when Cheng Xiangbei smashed the house to pieces, and his father broke wooden planks, Cheng Xiangbei hadn't shed a single tear. What was happening today? His youngest son, who never cried, was crying like this?!
Cheng's father sighed, and Cheng's mother was anxious, bombarding her youngest son with questions. Cheng Xiangbei remained silent.
Cheng Xiangdong sighed and persuaded his parents to go downstairs.
The house was in complete disrepair, with nowhere to even step. Cheng Xiangdong had no choice but to drag his younger brother to his room.
"What exactly happened?" Cheng Xiangdong pressed his younger brother down on the sofa and went into the bathroom to wring out a towel for him.
Cheng Xiangbei wiped his face and remained silent.
“Tiger,” Cheng Xiangdong frowned and said, “You don’t want your whole family to worry about you, do you?”
Cheng Xiangbei remained silent for a long time before finally squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Nannan is going to the provincial high school."
"Just for this?" Cheng Xiangdong chuckled. "Going to the provincial high school is a good thing, isn't it? Why don't you just go too?"
"No!" Cheng Xiangbei suddenly raised his head and roared, "That's not how it is! He secretly applied to the provincial high school! He thinks I'm too controlling and that he's incapable of acting! He doesn't want to be with me anymore!" As he spoke, he became so agitated that he almost jumped up, and the pain in his eyes was obvious.
Cheng Xiangdong remained silent for a long time before asking in a low voice, "Do you like Lu Nan?"
"Huh?" Cheng Xiangbei paused, turning his head away uncomfortably.
"Answer me," Cheng Xiangdong said seriously, "Is it liking like a friend, or... the kind of liking between a man and a woman?"
"Why should I answer you?" Cheng Xiangbei refused to cooperate.
"Tiger!" Cheng Xiangdong exclaimed, his eyes wide.
Cheng Xiangbei remained dejected for a long while before finally humming in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "The...the kind of thing behind you." Then, he glared at his brother with a very serious look and said, "Don't tell Mom and Dad!"
Cheng Xiangdong chuckled and said, "Am I that kind of person?"
At the same time, Lu Nan also went home.
Lu's mother prepared a delicious meal, hoping to give her child a good boost before the start of the new school term.
As a result, Lu Nan went straight to her room as soon as she entered the house. Her mother followed her in worriedly and found Lu Nan curled up on the bed wrapped in a quilt, not making a sound no matter how she called her.
"Nannan, are you feeling unwell?" Lu's mother asked worriedly.
The blanket shifted, and a soft sound was heard. "Hmm."
Lu's mother patted her son, but received no response. She could only sigh, close the door, and leave. While she was deep in thought, Lu's father returned. The two chatted for a while, told each other about their son's condition, and planned to have a doctor come and examine Lu Nan after dinner.
The food on the table was plentiful, and the two of them ate it bite by bite, occasionally straining their ears to listen for any sounds coming from Lu Nan's room. Before they had finished their meal, the phone rang.
"Hello? Who is this?" Aunt Lu hesitated before picking up the phone. "Oh, it's Lao Cheng! What's up?"
The Cheng family had no appetite and sat around drinking tea in the living room. Upstairs, the two brothers were having a heart-to-heart talk, while downstairs, the elders were speculating about the reason for Cheng the Tiger's outburst. The discussion eventually focused on Lu Nan… Cheng Xiangbei had been fine when he left, but he was acting strangely upon his return, and the reason he went out was Lu Nan. The more they discussed it, the more they felt Lu Nan was the prime suspect, especially since the last time the Cheng family's little tiger had acted so fiercely, it was also because of Lu Nan.
Thinking about it this way, Cheng's father couldn't sit still any longer and made a phone call to the Lu family.
Well, that little rascal from the Lu family is also holed up in his room, holding his breath! The adults looked at each other, wondering what Lu Nan had done to make Cheng Xiangbei cry like that.
Cheng's mother sighed helplessly and sadly, "Nannan's words are more effective than mine as her mother."
Upstairs, Cheng Xiangbei finally told his brother the truth.
He had been holding back his feelings for Lu Nan for far too long since the day he realized they had changed.
"Oh, so Nan Nan feels that your kindness to him is restricting him? So he wants to be independent?" After listening to his younger brother's fragmented account of the whole story, Cheng Xiangdong gave a concluding speech.
Cheng Xiangbei nodded. She said, sounding aggrieved, "I'm only nice to him because I like him!"
“Yes, yes,” Cheng Xiangdong agreed, “but you’re too good to him.” Cheng Xiangbei wanted to raise his hand in protest, but Cheng Xiangdong calmed him down. “I know that feeling of liking someone and wanting to be nice to them. But you have to be sensible, right? How do you usually treat Lu Nan? Eating, drinking, dressing, washing your face, you take care of everything. Lu Nan is sixteen years old, has traveled a lot, and has never packed a single piece of luggage himself, that’s a fact, isn’t it?”
Cheng Xiangbei was taken aback and asked, "How did you know?"
Cheng Xiangdong shook his head and continued, "You two have hardly been apart for so many years, so it's not bad that you treat Nannan like a child. But people always have to grow up. You will graduate and start working. If you are together then and Lu Nan still can't take care of himself, what will you do when you have to go to work or travel for business? Will you ask someone to take care of him or tie him to your belt? If you force Lu Nan to grow up at that time, can you imagine what kind of situation will arise?"
Cheng Xiangbei was stunned, he hadn't thought of that. He knew that if you liked someone, you should cherish them, take care of them, protect them from the wind and rain, and share their burdens. "So, I was wrong?"
"Not entirely," Cheng Xiangdong said with a smile. "It's a good thing that Nannan wants to be independent, but independence doesn't necessarily mean she has to leave you!"
Cheng Xiangbei nodded emphatically; this was something he couldn't understand or accept.
“So,” Cheng Xiangdong patted his younger brother’s shoulder and tucked him in, “have you ever thought that Lu Nan was in such a hurry to leave you because…” He paused, as if keeping him in suspense. Cheng Xiangbei jumped up and down in frustration, shouting, “Because of what? Just tell me!”
"Because...he likes you too."
Lu Nan likes me? Cheng Xiangbei rolled around on the bed.
My brother's conclusion was so shocking that he kept thinking about it and couldn't sleep.
He thought about his conversation with his older brother over and over again, afraid that his brother had misjudged him and that he had misunderstood.
"He wants to leave you because he's scared. In a relationship, the two people should at least be equals, but right now Lu Nan is practically your appendage, so he wants to break free and be independent. He's a boy, and even the weakest boy doesn't want to be someone else's appendage. Besides, Nan Nan is a seemingly clueless but actually proud child."
"But I can't tell from this that he likes me?" someone asked, puzzled.
"Idiot! If your parents were overly doting on you, would you run away from home to prove yourself?"
"No." The person shook their head.
"This shows that he cares about you. Much more than you can feel."
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Overwhelmed with joy, the person asked cautiously.
"What good would it do me to lie to you?" Cheng Xiangdong shrugged, feeling helpless about how the two little brats had gotten to this point. "Tiger, start growing up now! If you still stick to your ideas three years from now, I'll pave the way for you. But I must tell you, the path you're on will be much harder than others. You'll need to be strong enough, both mentally and materially, to guarantee your and Nannan's future."
"Is it that serious?" Cheng Xiangbei asked seriously.
"I hope not, but we should always be prepared for the worst." Cheng Xiangdong patted his younger brother and laughed, "If we can't even overcome this little difficulty, what will you do when we encounter bigger obstacles in the future, and Lu Nan regrets it and backs down? Smash the house again?"
Cheng looked north with embarrassment.
"So grow up. Only when you have enough leverage can you negotiate with others."
Cheng Xiangbei stayed home for two days, and Lu Nan also suffered from insomnia.
On the first day of school, the two pandas left home one after the other. Lu Nan, carrying a travel bag and pulling a suitcase, strolled leisurely down the street. His father offered to see him off, but Lu Nan refused, insisting on walking by himself.
Cheng Xiangbei left a little earlier, standing on the street corner with his suitcase, which was Lu Nan's usual route.
Less than two minutes later, Lu Nan appeared, dragging her luggage. Cheng Xiangbei stared wide-eyed at Lu Nan with intense focus. As if by telepathy, Lu Nan stopped and slowly turned her head.
The two stood facing each other silently across the street. Lu Nan opened her mouth, but said nothing.
Cheng Xiangbei looked at him, feeling an overwhelming pang of sorrow, but still managed a smile and shouted, "Nannan, keep going!"
Lu Nan's tears streamed down her face as she dragged her suitcase forward, head down.
Cheng Xiangbei stood there for a long time, until Lu Nan's figure disappeared from sight. Only then did he sigh and stride forward.
Nan Nan, from now on, we really have to part ways.
So, take good care of yourself.
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