Chapter 19: Taking Advantage of Alcohol to Make a Scene
Chapter 19: Taking Advantage of Alcohol to Make a Scene
Cheng Junjun went home this time not only to sign some documents, but she also had something else to do.
My good friend Yanzi dropped out of school after junior high and went to work in a clothing factory in town. A few days ago, Cheng Junjun suddenly received a letter from her. The letter contained only a few words, but they were all encouraging Cheng Junjun to study hard and get into a good university. The last sentence told her that she was getting married.
After reading the letter, Cheng Junjun was stunned for a long time.
Yanzi is two years younger than her, and she hasn't even turned eighteen yet.
At that time, she was deaf in one ear, and it seemed that she did not receive much treatment. Not long after, she obtained a disability certificate. She struggled too much in regular school, and her family had no intention of sending her to a special school. She drifted through her short school years in a daze and started working. Working was not easy either. She was slower to react than the average person and not very efficient. Two years later, she was still doing odd jobs such as cutting thread. She didn't earn much money, and all of it went to her family.
Cheng Junjun wanted to visit her, but didn't know which garment factory she worked at.
There are many garment factories in the town, which were set up a few years ago to promote women's employment. The result is that a group of teenage girls have dropped out of school to work, which seems to be a better way out for them and their families than to continue their studies.
I had no choice but to ask my mother, Cheng Qiuyan.
Cheng Qiuyan said, "I really don't know. Have your dad ask around; he knows people at the garment factories in town."
Cheng Junjun hurriedly said, "Please don't let her mother know."
Cheng Qiuyan knew about this family's situation, so she nodded and said, "Don't worry."
Then she asked, "Did Yanzi tell you how she met the man she's going to marry?"
Cheng Junjun shook her head: "No."
Seeing her daughter so dejected, Cheng Qiuyan felt bad and held her hand to comfort her for a long time. She also told Lin Guohui not to waste time and to hurry up and find out.
Lin Guohui put down the bowl and started making phone calls. After asking around, he quickly found out that there was a Naman Garment Factory in town where a disabled girl named Yanzi was working as a laborer. The insider also said that Yanzi was slow and often worked overtime.
Cheng Junjun didn't want to delay Yanzi's work time, so she planned to wait for her at the garment factory gate early the next morning. Cheng Qiuyan said, "That's too early. They all start work at six o'clock. If you want to wait, you have to be there at least by five-thirty."
Cheng Junjun bit her lip silently and didn't say anything.
Seeing her like this, Cheng Qiuyan softened and said, "Forget it, it's just an early start, your dad can take you there quickly."
Thus, the two girls met briefly the next morning, before Yanzi went to work.
Yanzi was very thin, her face was sallow, and her hands were extremely rough. When Cheng Junjun took her hand, she suddenly lowered her head and shed two tears.
After returning home, Cheng Junjun remained in a bad mood.
Lin Guohui took her documents to the village to get them stamped, and she followed him out, but instead of going to the village committee, she wandered around the riverbank outside.
She and Yanzi had walked this road to the village school countless times. Before Yanzi's hearing was damaged, she was very smart. She was good at everything, from jumping rope to catching pebbles. She also had good grades. But as time went by, Cheng Junjun had almost forgotten how lively and playful Yanzi used to be.
As she strolled along, she came to a mahjong parlor on the edge of the village. From the window, someone called out to her, "Little Junjun? Little Junjun? You've come to your house?"
Amidst the clattering of mahjong tiles, Cheng Junjun managed to pinpoint the source of the sound. It was Qinqin's father. Qinqin's father wasn't at the table himself, but was just watching the game. He came out specifically for this moment, his voice unusually loud: "Oh my, college student, why are you home at such a tense time? I just saw your father ride his motorcycle to the village."
Cheng Junjun looked at him, puzzled, and gave a perfunctory "Qinqin's Dad" before turning to leave. Just then, Lin Guohui finished his business and caught up with her from behind, calling out, "Junjun!"
Qinqin's father greeted Lin Guohui warmly and offered him a cigarette, but Lin Guohui said he didn't want one. After Cheng Junjun got on the motorcycle, he said, "I hope you win more at cards, we're leaving now."
After the father and daughter left, Qinqin's father returned to the mahjong room with his hands behind his back and said to his mahjong partners, "I'm not exaggerating, the Cheng family's little one is really polite. Every time she sees me, she greets me sweetly. Cheng Qiuyan and her husband know how to raise their little one. No wonder the little one is willing to go to their house, unlike some other people."
Before he could finish speaking, Fang Wu, who was in the corner, slammed his teacup on the table and left with a dark expression.
People were watching the spectacle everywhere, and one man deliberately laughed and said, "Some people won't like hearing what you're saying."
Qinqin's father shrugged: "I don't care whether he wants to listen or not. He doesn't discipline his son properly. Fang Yuenian is a scoundrel. He trampled my vegetable garden to pieces that year, and we haven't even confronted him yet."
Fang Yuenian herself probably forgot about this old incident. Qinqin had an older brother who was in the same class as Cheng Junjun and was very disliked. He would gossip about Cheng Junjun in class. At that time, Fang Yuenian was in the third grade. She couldn't beat the older kids, so she would trample on their vegetable garden.
—It seems this is something people will remember for a lifetime.
Fang Wu left the mahjong parlor with a grudge, and instead of going home, he rode his motorcycle to the street, found a spicy vermicelli shop, opened a few bottles of beer and whiled away the morning. When he returned at noon, he was still angry and prepared to find Fang Yuenian to yell at.
Fang Yuenian is not at home.
Seeing that her husband was acting strangely and smelled of alcohol, Wang Jing said, "What are you doing? Dad's still at home, and you've gone out drinking again?"
Fang Wu said, "What business is it of yours whether I drink or not? What about Fang Yuenian?"
Wang Jing asked, "Why are you looking for him?"
Old Fang, ever the talker, blurted out, "Where else could he go?"
This was bad. Fang Wu's pent-up emotions from the entire morning instantly exploded, and he stormed out of the door in a rage.
Fang Yuenian, on the other side, was completely unprepared. He was engrossed in the buzzing sound of the wood cutting, letting the sawdust fly all over his head. Even when Fang Wu slammed open the door of the carpenter's shop, he only turned around after seeing Cheng Bing's shocked expression.
The three people inside were equally surprised. Cheng Jiagong immediately stopped the cutting machine and unplugged it.
Although Fang Yuenian didn't know what had happened, she reacted quickly. Before Cheng's father could speak, she stepped forward and asked, "Dad, why are you here?"
Fang Wu strode inside, glaring at Fang Yuenian: "You damn bastard! What are you doing?"
His face flushed with anger, and his cheeks trembled uncontrollably. Fang Yuenian was all too familiar with him like this, and immediately said, "I was just about to go back, let's go!"
He couldn't vent his anger here; he just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Fang Wu wasn't about to leave so easily. He glanced around and said, "Well, you really have some free time! You don't even lift a broom at home, but you're busy doing odd jobs here!" There was a small table nearby, and he swept all the odds and ends off the table. "I've fed the dogs all this good food and drink, and they all come over here, old man Cheng! Don't you have enough of your own grandsons?"
Fang Yuenian and Cheng Bing were shocked.
“Xiao Wu,” Cheng’s face darkened, “you’ve had too much to drink, go home.”
"Whether I drink or not is none of your business, you son of a bitch..."
"Stop talking!" Fang Yuenian grabbed Fang Wu's hand, which was flailing wildly in the air. "What are you trying to do?"
"Why shouldn't you speak!" Fang Wu shoved his son aside. "What the hell is your surname? Your own grandfather stays at home, what are you doing following this dead carpenter around like a shadow? Are you his son? You're willing to acknowledge him as your grandfather, but I'm not going to acknowledge him as my father!"
He's always like this; when he's drunk and gets angry, he'll say anything. Fang Yuenian was furious, her face flushed, and she yelled at him, "I told you to stop cursing! You fucking stop cursing!"
Fang Wu slapped him on the head: "You think you're so great now!"
He acted without warning, and before Cheng could stop him, he shouted, "Hey! Fang Wu!"
Fang Wu ignored him and wanted to fight again, but Cheng Bing stepped in front of Fang Yuenian, tilting her head back and staring straight at him.
Cheng's father rushed over and separated Fang Wu and the child, suppressing his anger as he said, "Let's talk this out."
Fang Wu: "Get out of the way. Do you expect me to stand in for my own son?"
He reached out to pull Fang Yuenian, but Cheng Bing stubbornly blocked him from grabbing her. Cheng's grandfather had never pushed or shoved anyone in his life, and he was seventy years old. At this moment, he was being pulled and tugged by Fang Wu and almost fell. Cheng Bing then went to take care of her grandfather, and the four of them ended up in a chaotic mess. Seeing that they couldn't pull their son away no matter what they did, Fang Wu turned around and grabbed a mop from the corner and threw it at Cheng Bing.
Fang Yuenian had just used that mop to mop the floor. He was determined not to waste any more wood and to only be Cheng Bing's assistant, so he diligently cleaned up without any slack.
The mop didn't land on Cheng Bing.
Fang Yuenian grabbed Cheng Bing's hand, pushed him away with all her might, and then stepped aside to block him.
A sharp pain shot through his shoulder, and his body lurched uncontrollably to the side with a thud as his head slammed hard against the metal handle of the cutting machine.
And so this farce came to an abrupt end in a blurry, blood-red mess.
Fang Yuenian was not completely dizzy at first. The sudden onset of tinnitus caused her eardrums to hurt from the shouts, but the first thing she saw was Cheng Bing rushing over.
He felt comforted; this was his last thought before he fainted.
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