Eighty-two years old, just like young students
The room quieted down, and the two gamblers, one in black and one in white, started playing ball.
Li Wei watched them wandering around, unsure of the rules. She looked around and, seeing no one paying attention, leaned close to Luo Da's ear and whispered, "How do you determine the winner?" She remembered a saying about rural people going to the city to watch a football match and not knowing who would win or lose, and now it seemed to be a perfect description of her own situation.
Luo Da's ears turned bright red from the hot breath Li Wei exhaled, and they even twitched slightly, like rabbit ears, but Li Wei didn't notice.
Luo Da was intently watching the game and didn't want to speak, but he felt a constant burning sensation near his ear if he didn't make a sound. He turned his head and reluctantly said, "See the big and small balls on the balls? There are fifteen balls in total, seven big and seven small. Each person gets seven balls. After you finish, you can play the black eight. The side that pockets the black eight wins."
Li Wei glanced at it and roughly understood. She thought it was something like snooker, but it turned out to be so simple. What's so fun about this?
The simplest part was yet to come. In less than ten minutes, the fair-skinned city guy put the black eight into his bag and won. Without saying a word, he took out a wad of cash from a money bag and threw it to Gang Ge. Then the three of them left with the two bags of money.
Clearly, the losing side was quite devastated, but they weren't entirely unprepared. They exchanged a few words with Gang Ge with grim expressions, and then the group left.
After both sides left the gambling den, the atmosphere at the scene immediately became lively, and a discussion broke out, with everyone talking about the match that had just taken place.
Shen Tao, who had been sitting on the other side of Luo Da, also perked up and leaned over to Li Wei, saying, "So, did you figure anything out? I heard that they charge at least three thousand for a game, otherwise they wouldn't bother coming." There was a hint of envy in his voice.
Li Wei was increasingly annoyed with Shen Tao. "Look at this guy," she thought, "he's never done anything good. He's always thinking about Luo Da when it comes to messing things up. What a jerk!" She said irritably, "I can tell. It's just gambling. What's the point of making such a big fuss? All this fussing and indecisiveness. If you ask me, just be straightforward! Rock, paper, scissors, one round to decide the winner, then the winner takes their money and the loser becomes penniless and jumps off a building. That would be so much more satisfying! Why all this dragging on? It's so childish! I really can't stand it!"
Well……
Shen Tao suddenly realized that Luo Jianhua's little girlfriend might not be so obedient after all. Her words were full of violence. She sounded much more daring than the two who had just been gambling on the game. It seemed he had really misjudged her.
Unlike Shen Tao, Luo Da naturally sensed the unfriendly tone in Li Wei's voice. He glanced at the bewildered Shen Tao, said nothing, and stood up: "Let's go back."
They didn't even greet Gang Ge. The group followed the others who were leaving and left the billiard hall.
Li Wei went outside and, as usual, took a breath of fresh air. The evening sun hung in the western sky like a fireball, turning the sky a deep red.
Having escaped that filthy house, I suddenly realized that simply breathing fresh air every day, being warmed by the sun, and having a clear blue sky overhead—this is all happiness.
If you spend your days in the smoky, chaotic environment of arcades in pursuit of endless material desires, what good will it do to amass a fortune? Can you truly enjoy the fresh air, the sunshine, and the sky in peace?
When Li Wei was almost home, she finally came to her senses. Seeing that Shen Tao was gone, she guessed he had left first. After thinking for a moment, she felt she still had to say something to Luo Da: "Um, Luo Jianhua, I know you are a very sensible person, but I still want to say what I think."
Luo Dayang knew what Li Wei was going to say. He wasn't ungrateful, although he thought Li Wei was overreacting. He figured he'd better listen. Otherwise, she'd bring up the "a drop of kindness is a blessing" thing again, and he'd end up nagging for ages. Thinking this, he said in a low voice, "Go ahead."
Li Wei tried to keep her words concise, otherwise she would doubt that she would sound like an old woman: "I just want to say one thing, that is, money is not as important as we imagine. What's important is that you get it with a clear conscience." Short enough, right? She felt like she had the air of a philosopher.
Luo Da immediately understood Li Wei's implication: "I don't think money is that important, and there's no need to take risks for it, like those two people just now. Besides, do I look like that kind of person?" Li Wei was quite pleased to hear this; Luo Da was quite sensible after all, and she had worried for nothing. However, she changed her mind after Luo Da's next sentence.
"Anyway, I already owe you so much, so what's a few more drops? I'll borrow from you when I'm short of money, and I'll repay you in full when I make money in the future. A drop or two, isn't it all the same as a spring of gratitude?" Luo Dake never thought making money was difficult. Even a fool like Li Xiaoming could make money, so he certainly wouldn't lack it. He was confident in that, but now wasn't the time. According to his master (that is, Old Master Cheng), he'd wait until he could shatter ten bricks with one kick.
Therefore, Luo Da always believed that, apart from not being able to have children, he was better than Li Wei in every way. With his intelligence and skills, he could easily make a name for himself in society in the future. Right now, the important thing was to master his kung fu and go to school; nothing else mattered.
It's just like the saying "a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger".
Regardless, it seems Luo Da disdains anything related to money, which makes Li Wei quite happy. Luo Da is now a role model; Li Lianhui, Luo Er'er, and Fatty all look up to him, so it's crucial to ensure his integrity.
The midterm exams are next Wednesday, so Li Wei didn't go to her aunt's over the weekend. Instead, she stayed home and reviewed her lessons. Whether she likes studying or not, she wants to get as many points as possible. Good grades not only give her an advantage in getting into better schools, but they can also be a get-out-of-jail-free card in many situations. Often, the more points you get on exams, the more freedom and influence you have with teachers and parents. And these are two things Li Wei desperately needs.
The arts and culture performance on Monday was quite successful. Students were not allowed to attend; only teachers and leaders from various schools were present.
Zhou Xiaoyan and her friends won first prize and performed another instrumental piece. They are said to be participating in a city performance in two weeks. They have become quite famous.
The midterm exams ended quickly, and most students reported doing poorly, finding the questions too difficult. Li Wei, however, felt she did fairly well because she had thoroughly read the entire textbook and done some practice questions.
The school gave them two days off. Without saying a word, Li Wei packed her things, told her mother, and jumped on a bus to go to the city to visit her aunt.
It's been quite a while since I went there, and I wonder how the security guard situation is going. And Zhang Tong—yesterday Grandpa told me that Blind Qian asked my aunt to look after her daughter. I wonder what Blind Qian meant; did Zhang Tong say something when she came back? Also, I wonder if that lecherous Qi went back. I forgot to ask my aunt last time what happened to all those things he had. Were they returned…?
Li Wei arrived at the company with a head full of questions.
From afar, I could see that the gate had changed; it used to be a large iron gate and a high wall. Now, there seems to be a small pavilion next to the gate.
As Li Wei approached, she saw that it was actually a guard post. Inside, a man in a gray uniform was writing something, but he noticed Li Wei coming in and quickly opened a small window: "Who are you looking for?"
The tone was polite enough, though a bit stiff, but Li Wei thought it was good enough. This was a company, not a hotel, so there was no need to be so polite, almost servile.
Li Wei waited a moment. The security guard confirmed with Cheng Fei via internal phone before letting Li Wei in.
Li Wei found it quite interesting. A few days had passed and things had changed a lot. There were security guards now, and they even had an internal telephone installed. She wondered what other surprises awaited them.
When she arrived at her aunt Cheng Fei's office, a pleasant surprise awaited her: a refined-looking man wearing glasses was sitting calmly on the sofa. And judging from the situation, the two seemed to have had a very harmonious moment.
That wasn't the most important thing. What surprised Li Wei the most was that this person was actually her former uncle-in-law!
Oh right, what was his name again? Han...
It's all a mess, my mind is a jumbled mess, I can't remember anything right now.
Li Wei tried her best to remain calm, but her heart was far from at peace. She felt a tightness in her chest. What was going to happen to Ding Anping?
When Cheng Fei saw Li Wei enter, she quickly introduced her to the man: "This is my niece. The little rascal I told you about. Oh, Li Wei, come here. This is my high school math teacher. He just graduated with his master's degree. You can just call him Uncle Han."
Li Wei greeted the man politely and then sat down to observe him closely. In her previous life, she had only met him once. At that time, he seemed to be around thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, or perhaps even younger. He was already the Chinese technical director of a well-known foreign company, exuding the air of a successful and mature man, quite different from the poor scholar she knew now.
He is now about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. His speech and manners are gentle and proper. More importantly, he has a mature, steady and confident temperament that Ding Anping does not possess.
Compared to him, Ding Anping was much more sunny and enthusiastic, but he was clearly less experienced and more naive.
Watching the two chatting and laughing, Li Wei didn't know what her aunt was thinking. Although she had to admit that, regardless of their family background, this former uncle-in-law surnamed Han did seem more charming and reliable than Ding Anping, her former uncle-in-law.
But people have feelings, and over the years, Li Wei has developed a sense of kinship with Ding Anping. Perhaps due to preconceived notions, Li Wei has gradually come to regard him as a member of the family.
But now, when the two parallel lines suddenly intersect, Li Wei feels a sense of bewilderment and helplessness.
Although she knew she couldn't control many things, she was helpless to prevent her loved ones from being hurt when it happened right before her eyes.
Is this fate?
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