Scars of the Past
Fang Huai lay quietly in bed, sleeping soundly, while Kong Lingyu sat in front of the bed with a gloomy expression.
"Come out with me." After a while, Kong Lingyu turned around and said to Fang Henan.
The two of them came to the corridor, and Fang Henan was the first to speak: "Senior, do you know my brother well?"
"Don't worry about answering me."
"Perhaps you really do understand my brother, but you're just the Fang Huai of the past." Fang Henian laughed self-deprecatingly, "My brother does like fireworks, but what he fears most is also fireworks, especially the sound of them exploding."
Kong Lingyu suddenly looked up and looked into the young man's eyes. Under the dim light, his eyes were bloodshot.
"He...is scared?"
After Fang Huai grew up, he no longer followed his family to his grandmother's house because he knew he was not welcome there.
He Lijun never forced him to do anything. She would buy food and put it in the refrigerator, letting Fang Huai cook for himself. Every few days, she would call him to ask about his situation. Year after year, this became an unspoken agreement within the Fang family.
During my senior year of high school, earth-shaking changes took place in my family.
His adoptive father was anonymously reported for his illegal activities, leading to his suspension from school. His adoptive mother had quit her job after Fang Henian gave birth and became a stay-at-home mom, effectively ending the family's income. During that time, Fang Huai used all his free time to work part-time.
Fang Huai's deskmate was a thoughtful girl who knew a little about his family situation and helped him find a part-time job. After Fang Huai finished helping her with his homework, she stared at his pen-holding hand and thought, "Fang Huai, I think you could be a hand model."
Fang Huai's hands are slender and slender, with harmonious proportions, smooth and graceful lines, fair and smooth skin, and faintly visible joints. They are bony yet soft, not inferior to the hand models in online stores.
Through her introduction, Fang Huai met the owner of an original bracelet shop. After seeing his hands, the owner readily agreed to cooperate and regularly asked Fang Huai to take pictures of the products. After several collaborations, they signed a six-month contract.
During that time, the sky was foggy and the thick dark clouds did not allow a single ray of light to penetrate.
Fang Huai frantically squeezed time to work part-time, tightly grasped the five thousand yuan in the envelope, and handed the money to his adoptive mother, looking forward to her reaction.
He Lijun took the envelope and saw a wad of money inside. Shocked, she wanted to ask where the money came from, but was interrupted by a phone call—her father had passed away. The old man had died of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. He had gone out that morning to buy firecrackers, hoping to celebrate the New Year, but he left without a trace.
He Lijun hung up the phone in confusion, supported herself on the table, stood up, and then sat down again. She casually put the envelope in her bag and called to her husband in the study with a trembling voice, "Fang Sijie, Fang Sijie."
Hearing the call, the adoptive father slowly walked out of the study, his hair disheveled and his beard unshaved. He thought Fang Huai had quarreled with his wife again and tried to mediate: "It's not a big deal. Xiao Huai, apologize to your mother."
Fang Huai stood awkwardly at the door. He didn't know what he had done wrong. His mother received a phone call and became very agitated.
"I'm sorry." He apologized obediently.
He Lijun rushed over, grabbed her husband's yellowed collar, and angrily said, "My father is dead. My father passed away."
"My father passed away... My father is gone." She cried and punched her husband with her fist. "What does this have to do with Xiao Huai?"
The adoptive father regained consciousness and his father-in-law passed away.
"Grandpa passed away?" Fang Henian, who had just woken up, ran out barefoot. Seeing that his parents seemed to be fighting, he huddled behind Fang Huai, pulled his sleeve, and asked in a low voice.
Fang Huai was in a complicated mood. He took Fang Henan back to the room to put on his shoes. "Yes, grandpa passed away."
After a while, there was a knock on the door. My adoptive mother's voice was still filled with tears. She looked up and wiped her tears. "Pack your things. We are going back to grandma's house."
Her neck was tense, and she looked at Fang Huai with red eyes, "Xiao Huai, you go back too."
"Mom and Dad will be very busy these two days, you have to help us look after your brother."
Fang Huai held Fang Henian's hand and met his adoptive mother's earnest gaze. A piercing itchy pain climbed up his arm. He couldn't help but let go of Fang Henian's hand and grabbed his arm hard.
"good."
He went to his grandmother's house again. There was a coffin in the mourning hall and spirit banners were hung. The smoke from the incense made people's eyes hurt. He and Fang Henian knelt in front of the brazier and burned paper.
Fang Henian was still young at the time and had no concept of death, but he could read the expressions of his elders. Seeing that all the elders were very sad, he didn't dare to act naughty anymore and followed his brother obediently.
My grandmother's family lives in a small village with only fixed shopping days. In addition, transportation is inconvenient, so they stock up on everything they need at once, including fireworks for funerals and the Spring Festival. A pile of charcoal and fireworks are all placed in a shed on the roadside.
After finishing his grandfather's funeral, the Chinese New Year was approaching. Fang Sijie saw that his wife was not in good condition and had a lot of troubles at home, so he discussed with her to spend the New Year in her hometown, and Fang Huai also stayed.
During the New Year holidays, his adoptive mother finally cheered up and helped the family prepare for the New Year. Seeing his parents' improved mood, Fang Henian also returned to his usual mischievous self.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the villagers had a custom of going out. They would tie a long rope to the back of the car, secure the firecrackers, and drive out as soon as the firecrackers were lit. Whenever this happened, a group of children would follow the car, picking up the firecrackers from the pile of debris as the car drove away.
Fang Henian also joined the team. After being discovered by Fang Huai, he was taken home by the collar.
But this guy always sneaked out without telling Fang Huai. That day, the long firecrackers behind the car kept going off. Fang Henian, who had sneaked out, followed his friends to pick them up from the back, and each of them held a lit incense stick in his hand.
The flying firecrackers raised a green mist with the smell of gunpowder. The ropes tied to the firecrackers were ignited. A large string of unlit firecrackers fell to the ground and was kicked into a nearby shed by the child following behind.
moment--
Countless smoke came out of the shed along with the sound of explosions, and the heat wave rushed towards Fang Henian, who was closest to the shed. He stood there in a daze, holding an unburned incense stick in his hand.
"He Nian! Run."
At once, cries and explosions were heard, and the scene was in chaos. Fang Huai rushed over and hugged Fang Henan. The two fell heavily to the ground. A layer of skin was scraped off his white arm. He protected his brother tightly. The fireworks and firecrackers behind him exploded, all falling on his thin back, making it a bloody mess.
By the time his parents reacted and rushed out to put out the fire, Fang Huai had already fainted from the pain.
Fang Henian pulled the corners of his mouth and said dryly: "After that, my brother was particularly afraid of explosions." Out of selfishness, he still did not tell everything.
He looked at Kong Lingyu and said, "Senior, you don't understand my brother."
The man stood against the wall, his hair covering his eyes, making it impossible to tell his emotions. After Fang Henian finished speaking, he left with mixed feelings.
It was unknown how long it was before the man took action. He took out a cigarette from his pocket with trembling hands and was about to light it, but as if he remembered something, he threw the cigarette into the trash can next to him.
Kong Lingyu pulled the loose hair on his forehead back, revealing his sharp and cold facial features, his eyes full of self-mockery and sarcasm.
He really knew nothing about this matter, and his arrogance became the hand that opened Fang Huai's healed scars.
Kong Lingyu stood at the door of the ward, looking at Fang Huai's pale face, his eyes blurred. He was arrogant and conceited, thinking that he knew everything about Fang Huai, the school he graduated from, his job, his lover, but he knew nothing about his fears and scars.
The first person Fang Huai would turn to for help would not be him, but Li Xuan.
And he was the culprit who made Fang Huai experience fear and embarrassment again.
Kong Lingyu's eyes grew darker and darker, his nails digging into his palms, the piercing pain making it hard for him to breathe. What on earth was he doing?
Fang Henan had been sitting by the bed guarding Fang Huai. When he received a call, he hurried out and asked Kong Lingyu to help take care of his brother temporarily.
"Brother Li Xuan, why...are you here?"
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