Chapter 5: Second Year of High School
The next morning, Liu Yin called Nan Jiu over to the next room. The cosmetics counter was right next to Liu Yin's cashier, and she was familiar with the saleswoman, so she often got samples. Liu Yin gave Nan Jiu a bag of brand-name samples, saying they were new products and she wanted to give them to her to try. Nan Jiu, who rarely wore makeup, flipped through the samples in her bag and asked Liu Yin how to use them.
Liu Yin simply asked Nan Jiu to sit down and she helped her put on makeup and taught her how to use it. Nan Jiu sat in front of the dressing table, head held high, letting Liu Yin tinker with it.
While putting on makeup, Liu Yin, intentionally or unintentionally, asked Nan Jiu about Song Ting's blind date today. Nan Jiu looked at Liu Yin's shy expression in the mirror, and a hint of eager interest flashed in his eyes: "Do you want to ruin his blind date?"
Liu Yin's face turned pale, she raised her head to meet Nan Jiu's gaze, her cheeks gradually turned red, and she quickly lowered her head.
This was Nanjiu's first time wearing full makeup. High school was strict; makeup wasn't allowed inside. At most, classmates would secretly apply lip gloss. Nanjiu had narrow, willow-shaped eyes, a face shape that didn't fit the mainstream aesthetic, and even seemed to be growing more world-weary as she grew older. Yet, these features transformed under makeup. The three-dimensional features, enhanced by the touch of makeup, instantly defined a striking appearance.
Liu Yin looked at her beautiful figure that was beginning to take shape and jokingly asked, "Are there a lot of boys chasing you in your school?"
Nan Jiu smoothed her hair and said, "Of course." She mentioned the cosmetics Liu Yin had given her and winked at her, "I won't take your things for nothing. Wait for my good news."
Song Ting and his blind date were sitting at a tea table by the window. The woman had her back to the door, and Song Ting was sitting opposite the woman, making tea with his head down.
Under the urging of Old Man Nan, Nan Jiu finally changed out of her baggy pants and wore a dress. When she appeared at the entrance of the teahouse, many customers cast their eyes at her.
Song Ting lifted his eyelids and glanced toward the door. His gaze lingered on her face for a second, perhaps even shorter, so brief that no one noticed the pause. The window was half-open, casting a halo of light. He sat outside the halo, the floating light and shadows lingering on his white lapel shirt.
Nan Jiu smiled sweetly at Song Ting and walked towards him. Her figure entered the light and shadow, her voice soft and innocent: "Uncle."
Song Ting narrowed his eyes slightly, taking in every subtle fluctuation on her face.
Nan Jiu sat down next to him and looked at the woman opposite him: "Is this my new aunt?"
Nanjiu was enthusiastic, his smile harmless. The woman across from him noticed the word "new," and her expression changed slightly. She was plainly dressed, not looking young, with a flat frame and thin-framed glasses, giving her a serious air.
Song Ting naturally heard the deliberate meaning in Nan Jiu's words. He did not say anything to clarify, but only said: "Don't call her randomly, her name is Zhou Yan."
Although Zhou Yan was suspicious, she still maintained a relatively good attitude and asked politely, "Is she your niece? She looks really good, just like you."
Song Ting replied to her: "Xiao Jiu is Old Nan's granddaughter."
Zhou Yan suddenly realized. Nan Jiu, sitting at their table, looked like a giant lightbulb. She could tell that she had most likely taken a liking to Song Ting. Not only did he think he was good-looking, but his eyes always smiled when he spoke. Eyes never lie.
But between Zhou Yan and Liu Yin, Nan Jiu would undoubtedly side with Liu Yin. First, Liu Yin was her friend; they had known each other since childhood, and their friendship was already there. Second, Liu Yin was prettier than Zhou Yan, making her a better match for Song Ting. Putting all that aside, Song Ting had caused her to be beaten by Old Man Nan, leaving her with legs aching for days. Now she had nowhere to go all day, and she remembered all of this. Nan Jiu, having finally found the opportunity to humiliate him, was certainly not going to let it go.
Seeing Nan Jiu's lack of tact, Old Man Nan waved at her vigorously, calling her over. Nan Jiu pretended not to see and continued to add fuel to the fire.
Taking advantage of the gap between the two of them chatting, she held her chin and kept praising Zhou Yan: "So you are a math teacher, I have always felt that people who are good at math are also very smart. If my uncle marries you, he will definitely give birth to a top student." After saying this, she tilted her head towards Song Ting and pouted, "Unlike that aunt before, she couldn't understand any of the questions I asked her."
Old Man Nan approached, intending to ask Nan Jiu to leave, but after hearing her sweet words, he realized that Song Ting and Zhou Yan were inevitably a bit reserved since it was their first meeting, and Nan Jiu was quite sensible and knew how to lighten the mood. So, Old Man Nan turned around and greeted the next table. Turning around, he heard Nan Jiu's next words, and nearly lost his temper.
He immediately turned around and twisted Nanjiu's ear fiercely: "Come here."
Nan Jiu reluctantly returned to her room with Old Man Nan. As soon as the door closed, Old Man Nan pointed his cane at her and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? I told Wu Guiying that your Uncle Song had never been in a relationship before. Why are you interfering?"
Nan Jiu saw that Grandpa was really angry, so he leaned forward and stroked his back: "If it doesn't work out, we can introduce them later. Zhou Yan looks much older than Song Ting, why don't you introduce him to someone younger?"
"That's all very nice of you to say. If there was a younger man, wouldn't I have arranged it for him? It's because Zhou Yan is old and her family is worried that she agreed to meet your Uncle Song. If she doesn't like your Uncle Song because of what you just said, where can I find another one for him?"
Nan Jiu glanced at Grandpa, opened her mouth, and then closed it again. After holding it in for a long time, she finally couldn't hold it in any longer and leaned forward, lowering her voice and saying, "I think...Sister Liu Yin next door is pretty good. She seems to have feelings for Song Ting."
Old Master Nan scolded Nan Jiu for speaking without restraint: "Don't say that again in the future. No matter what Liu Yin thinks, her parents will not allow it."
"Why? What's wrong with Song Ting? He's tall, good-looking, hardworking and able to endure hardships. Why is he not allowed?"
This was the first time Old Man Nan had heard Nan Jiu speak on Song Ting's side. He shook his head and sighed, "You're thinking too simply. These days, when women are looking for a partner, they want him to have a house and a car, and his parents must be healthy, have a decent job, a pension, and be able to help raise the children. What does your Uncle Song have?"
Nan Jiu fell silent. At her age, she didn't think too much about it. She just thought that if Song Ting and Zhou Yan weren't suitable, she could still be with Liu Yin.
Although Nanjiu had gotten into trouble, he didn't intend to escape. He asked tentatively, "How about...I go out and explain?"
Old Master Nan said unhappily, "Stay in the room and don't go out and cause trouble."
After Old Man Nan finished his instructions and was about to leave, Nan Jiu hurriedly asked, "What about them?"
"Your Uncle Song doesn't have a mouth of his own?" Old Master Nan said this and went to get busy.
Just as Mr. Nan left, Li Chongguang, who hadn't been seen for many days, walked past Nan Jiu's window carrying a supermarket bag. Nan Jiu immediately opened the window and called to him, "Li Chongguang, the missing person has finally appeared?"
Li Chongguang turned around from the alley and glanced cautiously into the teahouse: "My dad's not here, right?"
“No.”
After getting the answer, Li Chongguang peeked into the teahouse again. Nan Jiu told him, "Song Ting is busy with a blind date right now and can't pay attention to me. You wait."
She opened the door and slipped out, walking with Li Chongguang to the shade of the alley. Li Chongguang pulled a bag of potato chips out of a plastic bag and offered it to her. Nanjiu didn't take it, but instead snatched the bag and pulled out a bag of spicy noodles, asking Li Chongguang, "What have you been doing lately?"
Li Chongguang had a hard time saying that his father had grounded him to the house. That day, his father had gone to Maoer Teahouse for tea, and for some reason, he came back and scolded him and forbade him to leave the house.
Nan Jiu sneered, "Song Ting is really capable. How did he convince your father?"
"He just needs to talk, and these old guys will give him face."
"Why?"
Nan Jiu had noticed that everyone who came to drink tea, even the elderly, was polite to Song Ting. Logically, he was a young man in his twenties, much older than Nan Jiu, but still a junior. He shouldn't sit with the elders.
Li Chongguang explained the reason: "Your teahouse is like an intelligence center. Your grandfather is the boss behind the scenes, and Brother Song is the head of the intelligence center, holding all kinds of connections. Any child who can't get into public kindergarten, any old lady who can't get an appointment with a specialist, or any young person who wants to transfer to another position will all go to your teahouse to find a way. Brother Song knows a lot of people, and he does a lot of matchmaking. As a result, many people owe him favors, and when he speaks, others have to give him some face."
Nan Jiu seemed to understand. Chewing on a spicy noodle, he said, "I know. It's the social etiquette my grandfather always talked about. So you all acted so cowardly in the internet cafe that day because you were afraid that Song Ting would complain to your parents?"
"...That's not the case." Li Chongguang felt a little embarrassed for standing by and watching that day. "When he gets angry, he'll punch his own father to death. Who's looking for trouble?"
Nan Jiu turned his gaze to the side and said in shock, "Really? I think he has a good temper."
"He used to have a bad temper. So many people were trying to trouble him. If he had been in a good mood, he would have been beaten to death long ago."
"What was it about him that you mentioned last time?"
"Why don't you go back and ask your grandfather?"
"Nonsense! If my grandfather was willing to tell me, why would I ask you?" Nan Jiu just finished speaking when he remembered something and continued, "My grandfather mentioned that there was no one in his family."
"No one, they're all dead."
Nanjiu paused holding the spicy strips and asked, "How did he die?"
Li Chongguang looked around and lowered his voice: "His family used to live in that red house up the slope. Have you seen it?"
"No."
"His father worked at a cement factory and would beat his mother every now and then. When Brother Song defended his mother, his father would beat Brother Song as well. When I was a kid, I'd run into him in the alleys and he'd often be covered in bruises."
"No one cares?"
"Who cares? It's all a family matter. If we go to the police station, the police will mediate and send us home. Her mother's family isn't here. She married from outside, so she had nowhere to go after being beaten. She can only make do with what she has. Even though there are so many problems at home, his grades haven't fallen behind. When he took the high school entrance exam, he was admitted to the No. 1 Middle School in the city, and his mother even came to my house to give him red eggs.
"If you ask me, his admission to No. 1 Middle School is both a good and a bad thing. No. 1 Middle School is far from home, and he only comes back once a week. When he's at home, his dad is more restrained. When he goes away to study, his dad becomes even more ruthless once he drinks. If his mother says something unpleasant, his dad will move tables and smash stools to hit her.
"Song Ge knew his father's behavior and would occasionally come home during the week. One time, his mother wasn't home, and his father told him she had gone to visit relatives. Song Ge didn't believe his father. It was said that his mother's body was dug out from under the dirt slope behind his house. I heard that her body was covered in blood and flesh, with arms and legs broken.
"His father said he had knelt down before him, almost calling him dad. Brother Song didn't relent and wanted to call the police, but his father attacked him with a kitchen knife. The two of them quarreled from the house to the alley, a little in front of your teahouse. Brother Song pinned his father to the ground and beat him, crying as he did so. Everyone living nearby heard the noise, it was horrific. After his father was beaten into submission, Brother Song dragged him and personally took him to the police station. He then returned to collect his mother's body. His mother was in such a terrible state that no one dared to help."
"Oh my God!" Nanjiu's voice was hoarse, and his hand holding the spicy strips loosened. The spicy strips fell to the ground, and several ants surrounded him.
"Don't even mention the heavens. His family's situation is so awful. His father was in jail, and he owed a ton of debts. The creditors were afraid they wouldn't be able to collect the money after his father was killed, so they said the son should pay for his father's debts. They would wait for him at the school gate every day, or block the alley entrance to prevent him from going to school. I've seen this happen twice. With all the noise he's making all the time, he can't even go to school. He finally managed to sell the house and pay off the debts, and his father was also executed..."
Later, despite rumors and neighbors' dissuasion, Mr. Nan took him in. From then on, Song Ting stayed with Mr. Nan for many years.
The ants gathered in ever-increasing numbers, dragging the spicy strips away. The densely packed tiny figures on the stone bricks vanished in an instant. The setting sun, along the eaves, formed irregular shapes on the stone bricks, obscuring even the remaining traces.
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Random red envelopes in this chapter
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