Chapter 12 The Guest
Some people couldn't help but mutter that as night fell, Zhou Weifang arrived with gifts.
The family had just finished eating, and Liu Yinfeng, who was leisurely clearing the dishes, quickly made room for the guests, saying, "You're here, why did you bring anything?"
Zhou Weifang: "It's nothing valuable. It's a local specialty that a friend sent me from Xinjiang. I'm letting you and your uncle try it."
He went to pay his respects to the elders in a proper manner, putting on quite a show in front of them. Luo Hong couldn't stand it and nudged him twice from behind, saying, "Don't be so polite."
Zhou Weifang ignored him and said to himself, "Uncle, there's no need to make tea, I'll just drink water."
Luo Xinmin took out some good tea leaves from the cabinet, poured water into them, and pulled the bench outside, saying, "Son, why don't you invite them to sit down?"
Luo Hong said sarcastically, "Please sit down, distinguished guest."
Luo Xinmin didn't know how the two usually got along, so he glanced at his son as a warning.
Luo Hong didn't care at all and sat down, saying, "Dad, it's a waste to give him this tea."
Liu Yinfeng laid out dried fruit for the guests, and lightly patted her son on the back: "You're so rude."
Zhou Weifang: "It's alright, Auntie. Luo Bu and I are like family. Otherwise, I wouldn't feel comfortable asking him for help so often when I come back this time."
There are no secrets in the alley. If the Luo family had a minor argument about him, the news would spread to everyone the next day. He felt bad about it and thought he should come and greet his elders.
They were very nice; there's no reason to slap someone who's smiling.
No matter how much Liu Yinfeng scolded her son, she always said, "You two grew up together, so feel free to order him around. He's always idle anyway."
Luo Xinmin also said, "It's not worth the trip for you, you're too kind."
It's just polite talk; we can go on and on about it.
Luo Yan listened to the door for a while, then thought it was a waste of time, shrugged, and continued doing her homework.
She's been busy dealing with chemistry lately. While writing, she would put down her pen, twist her neck, and let out a long sigh. Before she could finish her sigh, it would suddenly turn into a scream.
The people outside were having a pleasant conversation, and they reacted quickly, crowding towards the room from all sides.
Luo Yan also ran out, her momentum too great to stop. After seeing who was closest to her, she instinctively raised both hands and pushed them outwards.
Zhou Weifang staggered back two steps, nearly knocking everyone down with him.
Fortunately, he was quick and managed to veer off course and fall to the ground.
Luo Hong didn't help him up first, but instead grabbed his sister and asked, "What's wrong?"
The parents also chimed in with their questions.
Luo Yan, still shaken, said, "There were bats."
Her eyes were already big, but when she stared, they became even rounder, as if tears were about to fall.
Luo Hong was both amused and exasperated: "A bat? You're really scaring me to death."
Luo Yancai was scared: "If you look up and make eye contact with it, you'll scream too."
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat, and she didn't look too good.
Luo Hong didn't engage in banter with her, and stretched out his hand: "Mom, give me the broom."
Upon hearing the word "bat," Liu Yinfeng went to get tools and handed them to her son, saying, "Just chase them away, lest they get bitten."
Luo Hong grunted in agreement, glanced into his sister's room, and then turned back to say, "Sanfang, help me get this chair down."
When his name was called, Luo Yan remembered that she seemed to have pushed him just now, and looked over at a loss.
Zhou Weifang had already stood up bravely, brushed the dust off his clothes, smiled at her to show that it was okay, and replied, "I'm here."
He readily agreed, though he had some reservations. After all, it was a girl's room, so he kept his eyes straight ahead and didn't look around. He just looked up at the bats hanging on the central purlin of the roof.
The roof is sloping on both sides, with the highest point more than four meters above the ground. Luo Hong, who is 1.8 meters tall, could barely reach it by placing a chair on the table and stepping on it.
But the chair legs wobbled whenever he moved, making onlookers uneasy.
Zhou Weifang: "Don't smash me again later."
The house wasn't soundproof, and Luo Yan could hear everything clearly even while hiding in her parents' room, especially the word "again".
She lowered her head shyly, fidgeting with her hands awkwardly.
Liu Yinfeng thought she was still in a daze, and said helplessly, "You've always been timid since you were little, just like your brother."
Luo Yan was afraid of more than just bats; she would scream and yell even if a dung beetle got into the house.
She knew she was a bit overly dramatic, but she just couldn't change it: "Next time I'll be quieter."
Liu Yinfeng laughed: "I thought you were going to say something impressive."
Luo Xinmin couldn't help but chuckle, unconsciously touching the empty sleeve with one hand.
Liu Yinfeng, with her sharp eyes, noticed and said, "Old Luo, can you check if it's in our room? I opened all the windows for a while this morning."
Luo Xinmin got to work, making noise and banging things up everywhere.
The knocking made Luo Yan nervous, and she clung to her mother, looking around anxiously.
As children grow up, they rarely have moments like this to snuggle up to their parents.
Liu Yinfeng recalled her childhood and touched the back of her daughter's hand.
The tender moment between mother and daughter was interrupted by a knock on the door.
Luo Hongyang said loudly, "They've been kicked out."
Luo Yan breathed a sigh of relief, opened the door a crack, revealing half of her face: "Are you sure there's only one?"
Luo Hong said helplessly, "Yes, come out."
Luo Yan carefully stepped over the threshold, shuffling forward like a tortoise to Zhou Weifang, leaving enough space for a slight bow: "I'm sorry, I bumped into you just now."
She didn't tie her hair up, and with that flick, every strand floated up.
Zhou Weifang didn't take it to heart at all: "It's okay, I'm tough."
Luo's parents had been so focused on their daughter that they hadn't really noticed him fall. Now that they remembered, it seemed like he had. They exchanged a glance and both felt they had been impolite in front of their junior.
Liu Yinfeng: "Fangzi, sit down, sit down, and continue drinking tea."
The tea party, which was originally for four people, was joined by Luo Yan, who was temporarily too afraid to return to her room.
She wasn't reading; her eyes were listless, and her mouth was moving slightly.
Zhou Weifang became curious and turned his head to ask, "What does your sister study?"
Luo Hong: "It's either vocabulary or text, just ignore it."
Zhou Weifang was deeply impressed by his hard work and chatted with the adult for a few more minutes before taking his leave.
Luo Hong escorted him to the courtyard gate: "I've noticed that you've become particularly hypocritical since you returned to the city."
The childhood friend he remembered would never have thought about being considerate of all social niceties.
Zhou Weifang: "No, could you be a little more tactful in your speech?"
Luo Hong: "It's impossible."
Zhou Weifang: "Get out, get out, get out! Isn't that hypocritical enough?"
Luo Hong raised his middle finger, sneered, and went home without saying another word.
Liu Yinfeng was tidying up the cups in the living room when she said, "Lock the door."
He also instructed, "Get up early tomorrow, put up the Spring Festival couplets, sweep the floor, and you must take a shower before eight o'clock."
On Lunar New Year's Eve, the most important day of the year, everything must be done in a way that brings good fortune, and there are many rules and customs.
Luo Hong suddenly blurted out, "Mom, I just kicked 'Fu' out."
This was like stirring up a hornet's nest. Liu Yinfeng grabbed the broom she had just used and started hitting him: "Can't you sew your mouth shut?"
She hadn't even thought of that meaning before, and then belatedly realized, "Yeah, how did we get kicked out?"
Luo Yan, biting into a biscuit, pretended to walk by and stomped hard on her brother's foot: "Are you stupid?"
Luo Hong regretted it too late; he could only watch his mother wander around the house.
Although feudal superstition was not popular a few years ago, many things were still passed down orally.
Liu Yinfeng was praying here and there, chanting Amitabha, Jesus, and Mary all over the place.
She found much comfort in this and then returned to her room, satisfied.
Luo Yan was greatly surprised and whispered, "Mom knows about Jesus and Mary?"
Luo Hong: "It's not like there aren't churches in the city; they've just been repurposed for other purposes."
That's true. Luo Yan broke the cookie in her hand in half: "The gift your friend gave you is quite delicious."
Luo Hong: "That's strange. You call everyone 'brother,' so why not the three of you?"
Luo Yan thought for a moment: "Everyone else is used to calling him that, but I've never called him that before, and I can't change it now."
She felt obligated to accept his hospitality, and no matter how hard she tried to say "Brother Weifang," she couldn't manage it. She said, "It's probably because he doesn't act like a proper older brother."
Luo Hong: "It didn't exist before, but it does now."
Indeed, Luo Yan had seen him a few times recently: "Now that you mention it, he has changed quite a bit, at least on the surface."
Luo Hong: "You can still see inside him?"
I didn't realize my sister knew him so well.
Luo Yan: "Anyone can tell he's still as audacious as ever, otherwise, why would he dare to say he wants to open a shop?"
Indeed, Luo Hong nodded: "They're just better at pretending."
Whether she's faking it or not, it's none of Luo Yan's business.
She took a sip of water, sipped the cookie, and said, "Going to sleep."
Luo Hong remembered his mother's instructions: "Wake me up when you get up tomorrow."
Luo Yan grunted in agreement, pushed open the door with one finger, and craned her neck to look outside.
Luo Hong knew how afraid she was of snakes, insects, and rodents, so he said, "Let's switch beds tonight."
Luo Yan couldn't fully trust her room yet: "Then change the blankets and pillows too, go ahead."
Luo Hong: "It's really a good thing you didn't mention the bed sheets."
Luo Yan: "My bed is bigger than yours, it won't fit."
What's even more infuriating is that Luo Hong said, "My arms and legs are clearly longer than yours, yet I take up less space than you."
Luo Yan: "I'll hold onto it for a few more years, and then I'll give it to you when you get married."
She had been mentally preparing herself for this, but Luo Hong had his own ideas: his room was poorly lit and ventilated, and so cramped that it could only fit a small bed and a single-door wardrobe. It was not only vastly different from where his sister was now, but it was also in a completely different league. Although he couldn't provide a good life for his family, he had no reason to let his sister's life get worse every day.
Luo Yan was unaware of these words.
She just watched her brother move the bedding with longing eyes, saying, "And take the homework from the table too."
"You're so bossy," Luo Hong said. "I don't have a desk in my room. You can write tomorrow night while I'm on night watch."
Luo Yan actually retorted, "You actually made me do my homework on New Year's Eve, that's too much!"
Luo Hong scoffed, "If I let you do your homework, I'll break your pen in half."
Luo Yan stopped arguing and pushed her brother out of his room: "Goodbye, I'm going to sleep."
Luo Hong said, "Do you want to see whose territory this is?" He didn't resist much and was pushed away.
A note from the author:
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I should be able to add an extra chapter today; I'm currently working on it urgently.
P.S.: I've turned on the paragraph comments, and what do you all think of the new book title?
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