"Ouch... Dongzi, please be gentler!" An Yi, who was lying on the hard bed wearing only a pair of loose underwear, cried out in pain.
Dongzi laughed, poured some of the medicinal wine from the white glass bottle into the palm of his hand, and quickly rubbed it to heat it up and then applied it to An Yi's bruised waist. He rubbed it lightly for a moment and then increased the intensity and started rubbing it quickly, regardless of how painful An Yi was.
Wailing like a butchered pig, he comforted me cheerfully: "Be patient, this is Mr.'s special medicine for bruises. It's still working. This is how Mr. used it on me last time...Brother, who beat you to death?"
Like this?"
An Yi finally managed to catch his breath and hummed in reply: "In the afternoon at Tianzi Pier, I saw a woman carrying two boxes alone and fell down, so I went to help. Unexpectedly, she was beaten by two people after only a few steps.
I was beaten up by a guy who came out of nowhere. Fortunately, if the police hadn’t arrived in time, I might not have been able to get back."
"What does the person who hit you look like?"
"The two turtle boys are both wearing black water satin tops, the kind of shiny clothes. One of them has a tiger head tattooed on his arm. He is probably not a good person."
"This is terrible! Those people are the Sihai Gang who have been running rampant in Guangzhou City for decades... Brother, how did you get into trouble with them?"
An Yi replied frustratedly: "What did I do to offend them? They probably mistakenly thought that I went to the pier to help customers resist the package and beg for money. This was only known to me by Brother Li Tiekui, the police captain in charge of the pier's security. It has always been there."
The gang's territory does not allow outsiders to interfere. Even if you work as a coolie, you have to get their consent first, otherwise they will start fighting. The lighter ones are like me, and the worst ones are beaten to death and thrown into the Pearl River. The murderers who commit crimes will go to Dongguan or even to the south.
The gangs in Hong Kong continue to mess around, and the police can't do anything to them. Alas... This world is the same in all eras, there are gangs and gangsters everywhere..."
"Wait, what did you say...Brother Li, the policeman?" Dongzi stopped and asked curiously.
"That's Captain Li Tiekui, who is in charge of the dock area and the middle section of Nandi Road. He is my fellow Sichuan fellow. In 2001, several bosses of the Sichuan Tongmenghui came to Guangzhou to protect the Sichuan Tongmenghui. Later, for some unknown reason, he stayed and worked as a police officer. That day
When I first arrived in Guangzhou, I was almost beheaded on the pier by the Self-Defense Forces who attacked the Merchant Corps. If Brother Li hadn't heard my cry of injustice before dying and knew that I was from Sichuan and not from the Merchant Corps, he hurriedly screamed for a knife.
I am afraid that the three-foot-long sword has fallen down a long time ago. Brother, I can’t be with you today... His ancestors were killed in Japan. To this day, I still often dream about the tragic scene at that time, with heads pouring with blood.
It flows like a river..." An Yi closed his eyes and lay weakly on the bed, obviously he was too frightened and didn't want to mention it again.
Dongzi stayed for a long time before he suddenly realized: "I see... No wonder when my husband checked your pulse, he said that your illness seemed to be a high fever that would not go down. In fact, it was caused by the cold and wind invading the body and excessive panic. Sir, he was stunned! Brother, why haven't you been there all this time?
Are you talking to me about this?"
An Yi struggled to get up, sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed and pointed to the clothes box on the shelf in the corner: "I don't want to think about these nonsense, how can I still have the mood to talk to you? Go, there are two sets of clothes in that box
, Brother Li gave it to me in the afternoon. I can’t bear it if I don’t want it. Seeing how he raised his nose and stared, I can only take it back. You go pick out a set and take it to the fourth aunt’s shop tomorrow to have it altered. Don’t wear this corpse collection team outfit all day long.
Ragged clothes, after all, you are now a civil servant who earns royal food, so don’t let others look down upon you."
Dongzi quickly went over and took the box to the bed and opened it. She exclaimed when she saw the two neatly folded sets inside. She carefully took it out and looked at it with envy. Finally, she folded it and put it into the box as it was: "Brother, I can't have it so expensive.
clothes, this gift is too big."
An Yi sighed: "I told Brother Li the same thing, but I couldn't push it away. Thinking of living in Guangzhou in the future, there might be unexpected things that require Brother Li's help, so I had to bite the bullet and accept it.
Next. I can see that Brother Li is a fiery and affectionate person, and I also know that the prosperous area he is in charge of is a fat vacancy. He doesn’t care about dozens of oceans of clothes, but to me, it is a heavy affection. Dongzi
, since we can’t shirk it, let’s accept it and look for opportunities to repay others in the future.”
"But...brother, you've been wearing old clothes for such a long time. I guess it's because you can't find anything to do to make old clothes. Just leave them and wear them by yourself. We'll talk about it later when you find something to do. I'm ashamed to say that.
, I have been hiding this from you. The two sets of old clothes you are wearing... were ripped off by me from dead people. It is all my fault that I have failed to live up to expectations. I have been in Guangzhou for more than a year and I don’t have much money left. I am sorry for you...
" Dongzi lowered her head sadly and sniffed sharply, her eyes red and filled with tears of shame and helplessness.
An Yi climbed up and hugged Dongzi. He wanted to say a few curious words but couldn't. He remembered that Dongzi served him all night long during the days when he fell ill, and spent all his savings to get medicine and supplements for himself. Because
Even after his arrival, the stingy landlord charged him an additional two yuan per month in rent. Dongzi endured all this silently without a single complaint or a word of credit. But now he felt so guilty because of a set of clothes, which made An Yi
My heart is like a knife cutting my nose and my nose is sore.
After a while, An Yi gently pushed away Dongzi, who was crying on his shoulder, stared into his hazy eyes and said a series of words excitedly: "Dongzi, you dragged me back from the dead. This life will be the fate of my brother."
It's all yours, let alone a small set of clothes? Just because my eldest brother can't find a job doesn't mean that he will be useless all his life. I believe everything will be fine. We will have countless money in the future, I swear! My eldest brother doesn't have much ability, but he has
I have mechanical operation and spare parts processing skills, and I can draw and repair machine tools. I also helped in the car repair shop run by my former classmate for half a year. I can repair motorcycles and troubleshoot common car faults. My eldest brother also knows a lot of English words, so he can
I can conduct simple conversations in English, and I feel that I am no worse than most people today. Although my eldest brother still cannot recognize characters with many strokes, he is learning every day, and I believe he will master it soon. Believe me, Dongzi! Your eldest brother is not a fool.
, knowing the hardships of the world and the preciousness of friendship, if the eldest brother can’t make it in this life, he will plunge into the Pearl River and go back wherever he came from..."
"Well... I believe it!" Dongzi wiped away the tears on his face, strode to the door, took off the scarf and handed it to An Yi. Watching An Yi wipe his face randomly, he suddenly remembered what he said just now: "Brother, you
Can you repair cars? Can you speak English? Why didn't you tell me earlier? These are great skills that ordinary people don't have. If you have this ability, let alone find a job, the government will recruit you immediately if it knows about it. Brother, I will go find Cai tomorrow.
Section chief, tell her what you are capable of, the government and the army are in short supply of people like you."
An Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It can't be said to be a plenary meeting. I may have said too much when I was excited. In fact, most of my elder brother's skills are half-baked, especially English, which is half-baked. I can still make do with daily conversations.
I can also curse a few words, and I can understand the special English vocabulary and instructions on the mechanical drawings with some effort, but it is not enough if I want to have a fluent conversation with foreigners. Furthermore, the eldest brother does not like working in the government department, so
I am willing to look at the faces of bureaucrats and live with my tail between my legs. I like my old profession and live an unfettered life. So, you should let your elder brother go out and try again. If you still can't find a job to make a living, your elder brother will definitely listen to you.
, okay?"
Dongzi had no choice but to nod: "Okay, I'll listen to my elder brother."
"This is my good brother." An Yi smiled and picked up two sets of clothes and shook them open: "Choose one, you are not much shorter than me, your waist is about the same, you are almost 1.7 meters tall anyway, the clothes are long
It doesn't matter at all, maybe you will grow taller the second time, just change your trouser legs... What are you ashamed of? I have made the decision. If you work in a government department to be more dignified, just wear this black suit!
"
An Yi threw the black clothes into Dongzi's arms, jumped out of bed and bent down to take out the pair of rubber-soled canvas shoes from under the bed: "Brother Li also gave these shoes to me. The quality of the ones made in Nanyang is good, but they are one size too small for me."
Pin your feet, you wear them just right. Okay, I have to go to the well to wash myself, go to bed early tonight, and try my luck tomorrow."
Dongzi, who was so dizzy with the deep affection, sat quietly on the edge of the bed, holding the new clothes in her hands and looking at the new shoes at her feet in a daze. She didn't even know that those shoes were very comfortable for An Yi to wear, and she didn't know that An Yi was wearing them.
He quietly took away the pair of plastic sandals with a big crack and went out.
The partition walls have ears, and there are no secrets in the simply separated rooms. Mr. Lao heard An Yi and Dongzi's words without missing a beat. Because he saw what happened in the afternoon, the scheming Mr. Lao deliberately came back late and walked to the corner of the street.
Tan slowly finished his bowl of rice and it was already dark. He calmly entered his room and stopped going out. He thought carefully about what he saw in the afternoon and predicted what changes An Yi would have. So he listened to the words of the two fellow sufferers next door.
After realizing it clearly, I was moved to the point of sighing frequently.
He didn't hear the sound of well water in the yard. Mr. Lao stood up and walked behind the window with a slight frown. He looked at the yard through the creaking window hinge. After searching for a long time, he found the stove in front of the east wing.
Mr. An Yi, who found the fire, was a little surprised. He gently opened half of the window and saw An Yi, illuminated by the red flames, holding half a piece of iron sheet and putting it in the fire to bake. After a while, he carefully pinched it.
He took out the red-hot iron sheet and began to repair the broken sandals placed on his knees.
A breeze blew, and the smell of burnt plastic penetrated Mr. Lao's sensitive nose. His nose expanded slightly several times, and his deep eyes were full of emotion and approval.
After a while, An Yi, who had repaired his shoes, happily tried them on and took two steps. After finishing, he put out the stove and whistled and returned to the well. He lifted a bucket full of water with a bucket and poured it down head on, making a cheerful sound from his mouth.
He whispered softly, put down the bucket, hummed an unknown song, and quickly washed himself with soap.
Mr. Lao closed the window and went back to the bedside to sit down, looking at the bright oil lamp flames and lost in thought. Years of experience in the arena told him that the young man named An Yi had the same clear mind as he secretly judged when he first saw him.
Qi's bones are like a kind heart, with dignified friendship and a repaying nature. But before tonight, Mr. Lao didn't know that An Yi had many abilities. He only knew that he was a smart and persevering good man.
The child's gentle and easy-going appearance conceals his extraordinary arrogance and perseverance. This is the first time Mr. Lao has encountered such a person with the same appearance and personality in his half-life career. Occasionally, there are some individuals whose appearance is beyond words.
Mr. Lao could easily make inferences from customers who came to tell fortunes, but this homeless young man named An Yi gave him an unexplained sense of powerlessness.
It was late at night, and Mr. Lao lay fully clothed and listened to the even breathing coming from the next door. A bright purple light appeared in his mind but he could not catch it. Finally, he sighed slightly and whispered as if to himself: "Jin Lin How can it be that the thing in the pond turns into a dragon when it encounters the storm..."