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Around eleven-thirty, Su Yudie quietly reached over and poked the back of Zhuang Zi’ang’s hand.
“What’s wrong?” Zhuang Zi’ang looked up from his book.
“I’m hungry,” Su Yudie pouted her lips, looking particularly pitiful.
Zhuang Zi’ang was speechless; she truly was like a glutton reincarnated.
Hadn’t they just finished eating shao mai not long ago?
The two returned their books and walked out of the library.
Finally, Su Yudie was free to speak loudly, her happiness evident as if she were a bird released from its cage.
“Zhuang Zi’ang, what are we having for lunch?”
Zhuang Zi’ang started counting on his fingers, “Hotpot, skewers, milk tea, ice cream…”
Listening to him list a bunch of delicious foods, little Su Yudie’s mouth nearly watered.
Unexpectedly, he changed his tone: “But we can’t have any of those.”
“Ah?” Little Yudie’s eyes instantly lost their sparkle.
“I’m just a poor student with no income. If I feast every day, I’ll end up starving on the street sooner or later.” Zhuang Ziang poked her forehead lightly.
Su Yudie quickly unzipped her backpack and pulled out two twenty-yuan bills.
“This is all I have today, but you need to save some for my bus fare.”
Zhuang Zi’ang laughed and asked, “Is your bag a treasure chest? Does it magically generate money every day?”
Su Yudie replied, “No, my grandma gives me money every morning. Since she bought you breakfast, there wasn’t much left.”
Hearing this, Zhuang Zi’ang felt even more reluctant to spend her money.
After a moment of thought, he said, “I know a place that serves clay pot rice noodles—it’s delicious and cheap. Want to go?”
“Of course! As long as there’s food, I’m in!” Su Yudie beamed.
This girl was certainly not picky about food.
The clay pot rice noodle shop Zhuang Zi’ang mentioned was near his neighborhood.
It was run by a middle-aged couple who were down-to-earth and charged reasonable prices.
In the past, when he had nothing to eat at home, he would come here for a meal.
When they arrived at the shop, it was just around noon.
It was lunchtime, and the place was bustling with customers, filled with the vibrant atmosphere of a local eatery.
As soon as Su Yudie entered, she immediately drew a lot of attention.
Zhuang Zi’ang hurriedly led her to find a seat, squeezing her into a corner.
They ordered two bowls of chicken soup rice noodles, and the owner’s wife quickly brought them out.
The soup was clear and fragrant.
Su Yudie couldn’t wait to take a sip, only to find it too hot and stuck out her tongue.
“Slow down a bit; if people see you like this, they’ll think I haven’t fed you in three days,” Zhuang Zi’ang teased.
“This soup is really delicious,” Su Yudie praised with a smile.
In her eyes, it seemed there was nothing that didn’t taste good.
A girl who wasn’t picky about food was easy to please.
As they ate the rice noodles, they chatted away.
Of course, most of the time, it was Su Yudie doing the talking while Zhuang Zi’ang listened quietly.
He enjoyed hearing her share the jokes she had come across that morning.
Ordinary jokes, when retold by her, became amusing and made him chuckle.
As he watched her, there was a smile in his eyes.
As for the book “Nanjing,” they both tacitly agreed not to mention it again.
Medicine is vast and profound, but the more one understands, the more helpless one often feels.
In the face of bizarre and varied diseases, what medicine can do is actually quite limited.
“Zhuang Zi’ang, didn’t you run away from home? What are you doing back here?”
An unpleasant voice suddenly interrupted from nearby.
Zhuang Zi’ang turned his head to see Zhuang Yuhang’s provocative gaze.
He had come with a few classmates from the same neighborhood to eat rice noodles as well.
Zhuang Zi’ang didn’t want to engage with him; he remained silent and withdrew his gaze.
“Who is that?” Su Yudie curiously glanced at Zhuang Yuhang.
“My father’s son,” Zhuang Zi’ang replied flatly.
“So… isn’t that your brother?” Su Yudie pondered for a moment before clarifying their relationship.
When she first met Zhuang Zi’ang, he had mentioned that he didn’t have a good relationship with his family.
But she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
From Zhuang Yuhang’s tone earlier, it was clear he didn’t treat Zhuang Zi’ang like an older brother at all.
Ignoring Zhuang Yuhang, Zhuang Zi’ang felt a surge of anger as Zhuang Yuhang pointed at him, “You laid your hands on me last time at home. I haven’t settled that score with you yet!”
Zhuang Zi’ang coldly replied, “I didn’t hit you; that was already giving you face.”
“You coward! What kind of medicine did you take that day to dare to hit me?” Zhuang Yuhang boasted arrogantly.
At home, he had long been accustomed to seeing Zhuang Zi’ang as a submissive and compliant person.
He completely disregarded Zhuang Zi’ang’s warnings.
Several kids sitting at the same table as Zhuang Yuhang chimed in with smirks, fanning the flames.
“Yuhang, is this the brother of yours who doesn’t have a mother?”
“I heard he’s treated like a servant in your house.”
“An insipid bookworm; life must be so boring for him.”
…
Zhuang Yuhang burst into laughter. “Right? Even his own mother hasn’t visited him in over a decade. Just how annoying must he be?”
Hearing this, Zhuang Zi’ang suddenly clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.
Su Yudie stood up abruptly, glaring at Zhuang Yuhang. “How can you speak like that at such a young age? He’s your brother!”
Zhuang Yuhang shot her a disdainful glance. “Who are you? His cowardly mistress?”
Su Yudie widened her eyes in disbelief, struggling to comprehend how such a young child could use such vicious words.
What kind of parents raise a child like this?
But he shared the same father as Zhuang Ziang.
Zhuang Zi’ang was clearly kind and gentle.
“Your brother treats you so well. Didn’t he buy you a cake a few days ago?” Su Yudie still tried to reason with Zhuang Yuhang.
“You mean that disgusting cake that even a dog wouldn’t eat? I stomped it into the ground, and my dad slapped him hard and chased him out like a dog,” Zhuang Yuhang laughed mockingly.
To those around them, his words were particularly jarring.
A ten-year-old child displaying such violent and unruly behavior.
Humanity could be this cold.
“Zhuang Zi’ang, you big fool.” Su Yudie looked at Zhuang Zi’ang, tears welling up in her beautiful almond-shaped eyes.
Now she understood the tragic experience Zhuang Zi’ang had endured that night.
But the next day, this big fool had smiled and told her that his brother really liked the cake, devouring it with cream all over his face, even calling him “brother.”
Although she had known at the time that Zhuang Zi’ang was lying, she hadn’t expected the truth to be so cruel.
What kind of torment must Zhuang Zi’ang have gone through that entire night?
How disappointed must one be in their family to resolutely run away from home and hide in that cramped rental room?
“You hanging out with this coward doesn’t seem to indicate you’re a decent girl either,” Zhuang Yuhang sneered, glancing dismissively at Su Yudie.
As soon as he finished speaking, a gust of wind rushed toward him.
Zhuang Zi’ang, unable to endure any longer, raised his hand and slapped Zhuang Yuhang hard, knocking him to the ground.
The sharp sound of the slap startled all the patrons in the little shop.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward them.
“You worthless piece of trash, how dare you hit me?” Zhuang Yuhang lay on the ground, looking up at Zhuang Zi’ang with fear in his eyes.
In his memory, Zhuang Zi’ang had always been gentle or, rather, easily bullied.
He couldn’t believe that he actually dared to strike back.
Zhuang Zi’ang looked down at Zhuang Yuhang with cold indifference, “I hit you because I wanted to. Do I have to pick a day to do it?”