Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 52 5 Love

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Xiao Wei said, "Alright, there's no need to act tough since it's just the few of us. Even if you put him in jail for a hundred years, he'll still get beaten up, right? Doesn't it hurt? What if you run into a bastard and he gets seriously injured? It'll be too late then, it's not worth it."

Chen Hui nodded and said, "Xiao Wei is right. It's okay to have hit them back then, it's not shameful to stay away now. It would be really unfair if they actually blocked our way and beat us up. The area around the station is full of thugs, where would you find them after you've left? There are a lot of people from Liaoning there, what if they really have connections? Listen to Xiao Wei, I've found that this guy is quick-witted and doesn't hesitate to fight, he's awesome."

Xia Maosheng nodded and said with a smile, "I finally understand why Xiao Hong always calls him 'Guizi Ge' these past two days. It's because he's a ghost."

Chen Hui raised his voice and said to Xiao Hong, who was heating up food in the kitchen, "Xiao Hong, why are you calling Xiao Wei a Japanese devil?"

Xiao Hong giggled in the kitchen, added water to the pot, and came out to lean against the kitchen door, saying, "When he was little, he would always coax other kids home to steal their treats, or lead them to steal things from their own fields. He always ate the most and ran the fastest, and he never got a beating. He acted like nothing happened. Gradually, everyone in the village, adults and children alike, knew about him and called him a devil. But now it seems like not many people call him that anymore."

Xiao Wei, holding his water glass, said, "What are you talking about? Let's heat up our food."

Xiao Hong went into the kitchen with a smile. Chen Hui laughed and said, "I knew it! It's true. I bet all the kids who grew up with you are traumatized now, haha."

Xiao Wei said, "When I was little, I was mischievous. There wasn't enough to eat back then. There were a lot of kids in my family, and my dad had a back problem so he couldn't farm much. We were always hungry, so we had to figure out how to get something to eat. We were all forced into it. It's like fighting. Who wants to fight? If you don't fight, you'll get bullied, so you just fight. Anyway, everyone only has one head, and everyone gets a headache."

Xia Maosheng said, "You're really brave. I was too scared to fight when I was a kid. I was always getting bullied and would come home crying, and my dad would beat me up. I was small when I was little, not as big as I am now. Once my aunt got so angry that she scolded me, 'Why don't you hit him? Don't you have hands? What will you do in the future? You can't even fight. All the new clothes and good food will go to others, and you won't get any. Look at you, you pathetic thing.'"

"Those words really got to me. In my family, there were only my dad and my aunt, and I was their only boy. They spoiled me a lot growing up. Back then, my aunt said some really harsh things. Besides, when I was little, new clothes and good food were nothing. They were the whole world. When I heard that, I thought, 'The world is going to end just because I got bullied?' I couldn't stand that, so I went out to find those two kids who always bullied me."

"When I got to their area, I negotiated with them. I said, 'Will you stop bullying me? You can't share the new clothes, but I'll share the good food with you. Back then, everyone was poor, but my family was considered quite well-off.'"

"Turns out those two bastards probably hadn't eaten anything good before, and thought it would be similar to what they were used to. They refused and tried to push me into the coal washing pit, which you've never seen before. It's pitch black, and even if you go in and come out to wash, you still won't get clean. You'd definitely have to throw away all your clothes. So I fought them. That was the first time I had the courage to go up against them. To be honest, food is a huge motivator for a kid. In the end, I ran away, and they made me end up in the coal washing pit, haha."

"After I ran home, I thought, 'Damn, this isn't that hard. I can beat them. What am I afraid of?' From then on, I dared to fight. But being able to fight wasn't right either. I got scolded for causing trouble. It's not easy being a kid. Everything I do is wrong, but adults are always right. I thought, when I grow up, I'll definitely beat my dad up. But now that I'm grown up, he's still my dad. If he wants to hit me, I still have to run away."

The three of them laughed together. Which child hasn't thought of this when they were little?

Chen Hui said, "Last summer, my dad was scolding me at work. There were a lot of people watching, and I was so embarrassed. I don't know what got into me, but I said to him, 'If you scold me again, do you believe I'll beat you up?' As a result, he chased me for over an hour, trying to hit me with the sole of his shoe. In the end, I had to carry him home because I was exhausted."

The three laughed again. Xiaowei said, "Being a dad isn't easy. They have to raise us and protect us. My dad's back hurts so much he can't even turn over at night, yet he still gets up at five in the morning to go out and work. Why? My older brother joined the army, and my younger brother was too young, so I dropped out of school and went home to farm. I just couldn't bear to see my dad like that, so I thought I'd do more work so he could rest a bit. Now that I can earn money, they won't take it even if I offer them some. They tell me to buy a house in the city, and once I have a house there, they'll ask me for it even if I don't give it to them. But even if I do have a house in the city, I guess they still won't take it. Parents, let's work hard, guys. When they get old, if we can make sure they can enjoy a comfortable life, then their efforts won't have been in vain."

Chen Hui and Xia Maosheng remained silent, only nodding together, seemingly lost in thought.

Xiao Hong brought out the heated food and said, "What's wrong? Are you all stupid? Put the table down." At this time, the dining tables used by ordinary people were usually placed to the side, and when not in use, they were folded up and placed against the wall to save space.

Xiaowei got up and set the table, then helped Xiaohong put her things on the table. Xiaohong went back to get the bowls and chopsticks, and the four of them ate.

After taking a few bites, Xiaohong said, "My classmate's sweater is so cute today! I want to buy one too. She said she bought it at some night market and it was pretty cheap. I don't have time to knit, so how about we both buy one and wear it? Okay?"

Xiao Wei took a sip of hot porridge and said, "Let's buy it. Knitting is too tiring. Where can we buy it? Let's go check tomorrow."

Xiao Hong chewed on her chopsticks and thought for a moment before saying, "I don't remember, but it was some kind of night market. What's a night market?"

Chen Hui, his lips glistening with oil from eating, swallowed a mouthful of food and said, "Night market, it's a market at night, you can find them anywhere. There's one on Taiyuan Street, not far from the Cultural Palace, just a two-minute walk. The food is alright, not cheap, but not expensive either. I'll go with you guys tomorrow night. You three country bumpkins, and Old Xia's mouth is full of Chaoyang accent, it's no wonder you get ripped off."

Xiao Hong asked, "Then, where can I find cheap clothes?"

Chen Hui said, "It's the Wu'ai Market. It's the cheapest in the whole Northeast, but you have to get up early. It opens at 3:30 in the morning and closes at around 10:00 in the morning."

Xiao Hong blinked and asked, "Why is that so strange? Isn't the market for selling things? It only opens before people go to sleep, and closes as soon as they leave. So who do you sell to?"