With the arrival of the new semester, Xu Mengyao naturally formed a close circle with Chen Chen, Zhao Huihui, and Dou Yingdi. During the summer vacation, they were regular customers at her snack stand.
Chen Chen, in particular, became a regular. His aunt loved it, and when she first asked him to buy some, she unexpectedly found the portion larger than if she'd bought it herself. Only then did she realize the girl working the stall was actually Chen Chen's deskmate. From then on, Chen Chen became a "special customer," a bit shy each time he came, fearing he'd be given more than he'd been given. At home, he tried to avoid his aunt, unwilling to take advantage of her.
Until they met Zhao Huihui and Dou Yingdi who came to buy, their straightforwardness gave Chen Chen a sense of relief. They made a request to Xu Mengyao without hesitation:
"Huang Wenjuan, please give me more gluten. I love the taste!"
"And me, add more chopped peanuts, the more fragrant the better!"
Chen Chen then felt a lot more relaxed, as if he had found his balance.
During this time, every nightfall, the Huang family's courtyard became the busiest spot in the village. After dinner, villagers flocked to grab the rare viewing spot. Huang's father deliberately moved the television to the center of the courtyard so that more neighbors could watch together.
As soon as the seven o'clock time signal sounds on TV, no matter what topic was being discussed before, everyone will become quiet at the same time, sit up straight and focus their eyes on the screen to watch the news broadcast, their eyes shining with love for the country and hope for a better future.
That day, while the family was preparing dinner, Huzi rushed into the yard breathlessly and shouted at Huang Wenbin:
"Wenbin, bad news! Jiezi and Zhang Zhao are fighting. Zhang Zhao has more people and more power. Jiezi asked me to find some help!"
Huang Wenbin rushed out without saying a word when he heard it, leaving only Xu Mengyao's Erkang hand hanging in the air, and shouted to the two people who ran out of their afterimages:
“Be careful!”
Huang Wenbin didn't return home until the news broadcast ended and the TV series began. Xu Mengyao felt increasingly uneasy. She quietly left the crowd and headed out into the streets, hoping to find her brother.
Just as she was getting extremely anxious, the devil's figure unexpectedly appeared in her sight. The scars on his face were particularly glaring in the moonlight, and the panic in his eyes made Xu Mengyao's heart tighten suddenly.
"Brother Gui, where is my brother? Is he hurt?" There was a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.
The devil became even more flustered, stammering, "Wenbin... he's not injured, but... but things are a little complicated."
His voice was intermittent, and every word was like a heavy stone, hitting Xu Mengyao's heart.
"But what? Tell me quickly!" Xu Mengyao was anxious, her voice trembling slightly, revealing uneasiness.
The devil exhaled heavily, his eyes filled with helplessness and worry. "Wenjuan, you have to be mentally prepared. Wenbin accidentally broke Zhang Zhao's head. Now Zhang Zhao is lying in the hospital. His family has detained Wenbin and won't let him leave. They are clamoring for compensation."
Upon hearing this, Xu Mengyao involuntarily clenched her fists. "What's going on? My brother...he's not usually this reckless!"
Guizi sighed and told the whole story in detail. It turned out that all this was due to the grudge between Zhang Zhao and Jie Zi, and Huang Wenbin was involved in this unprovoked disaster just to protect his friend.
"Zhang Zhao, that brat, knows that his dad and Jie Zi's dad are vying for the position of deputy mine manager. He's been picking on Jie Zi lately, trying to show off how powerful he is. This time he went even further, directly snatching Jie Zi's girlfriend to show off. Jie Zi couldn't stand this, so he went to Zhang Zhao to argue, but Zhang Zhao, relying on his numbers, resorted to violence..." Guizi's voice choked up when he said this, "Bin Zi only helped Jie Zi out to prevent him from getting hurt."
Xu Mengyao felt a mixture of emotions after hearing this. She knew Huang Wenbin was a straightforward man who valued friendship and loyalty. While this incident was unexpected, it was also consistent with his character. However, the Huang family's finally stable life was likely to be disrupted again.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down: "Brother Gui, please take me to the hospital first. I need to see my brother and understand the situation on Zhang Zhao's side."
The hospital at night was quiet yet somewhat oppressive. The lights in the corridor were dim and hazy. Xu Mengyao and Guizi walked through the long hallway, each step feeling particularly heavy. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, which made people feel even more complicated.
When they arrived at Huang Wenbin's ward, the scene before them was heartbreaking. A furious woman was shouting curses at Huang Wenbin, her words so vicious they were almost outrageous. A sullen-faced man sat beside the bed, his gaze fixed on the patient with a bandaged head. Huang Wenbin, crouched in a corner of the ward, his hands clenched into fists, his head bowed, silently enduring the pain.
"Brother!" Xu Mengyao's eyes reddened upon seeing this. She quickly walked to Huang Wenbin and called softly, "Are you okay?"
Huang Wenbin looked up. The red and swollen slap marks on his face showed that he had just been beaten. Seeing his sister coming, he forced a smile, but there was a hint of uneasiness in his eyes. "I'm fine, why are you here? Go home quickly."
As soon as she finished speaking, the agitated woman rushed forward and grabbed Xu Mengyao's slender arm, her eyes burning with anger: "Is this bastard your brother? Where are the adults in your family? Take me to your house quickly and give me an explanation!"
Huang Wenbin saw this and immediately stood in front of his sister: "I said, I will take responsibility for my own actions, don't touch my sister."
"Bullshit! If anything happens to my son, your whole family will have a miserable life!" The woman's voice was sharp and contained an unquestionable threat.
The air seemed to freeze, the tension was so intense that it was suffocating. At this moment, Jie Zi and his father rushed over like saviors.
"Sister-in-law, let's discuss it carefully. How is Zhang Zhao doing now?" Jie Zi's father tried to ease the atmosphere.
"Hmph, it's just false mercy!" The woman snorted coldly, her face full of disdain.
"Enough!" Zhang Zhao's father finally spoke in a deep voice. Although his voice was not loud, it revealed unquestionable majesty.
"Lao Zhang, I heard that Xiaojie was indeed wrong about what happened today..."
Upon hearing this, Jie Zi wanted to argue, but was stopped by his father's stern look, and could only shut his mouth unwillingly.
"Lao Zhang, I've already paid the hospital bills. If you have any follow-up needs, just let me know. Can you please let the children go home first? I'll stay with you in the hospital tonight."
Jie Zi's father spoke sincerely and tried his best to calm the other person's emotions.
The other party was silent for a while, and finally nodded slightly, reluctantly agreeing. Jie Zi's father quickly signaled them to leave, fearing that there would be more trouble.
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