Chapter 10

Thinking of his trip on the weekend, Jiang Wang bought a few more decent clothes.

He deliberately made himself look clean and tidy, but he couldn’t help but feel that sand and dust were still flying around. The smell of dust on his body alone had to be washed away for a long time every day.

After Peng Xingwang received the old lamb plushie, his meal intake briefly decreased for two days. Later on, when Jiang Wang took him to have a meal of thirteen fragrant crayfish he became lively again.

Jiang Wang put the dirty old lamb next to the pillow, reminding himself to take it and rub it with soap later. While the small book that had been glued together crookedly with tape was hidden somewhere.

Jiang Wang observed him for a few more days and felt that he had accepted the fact that he might have a new mother, so he was a bit relieved.

In Jiang Wang’s old memories, Peng Jiahui had brought women home a lot since he was in elementary school.

At first, he still found it annoying, but after being annoyed for so long he gradually became numb to it.

Whatever, everything was different now.

——After buying a house in Beijing in two years, he could take the child away and study in the UK. Did he still need to worry about this and get a headache?

In the quarter-finals of the World Cup, no one expected that Germany would play and win against Argentina by 5-3^[1]Score was tied at 1-1 even after the extra time. Then penalty shootouts were made scoring Germany all 4 goals while Argentina only got in 2.. Such a high number of goals seemed like an astronomical number.

Jiang Wang bet 200,000 yuan at the time. Many people were frightened and did not dare to follow. But a few people still gritted their teeth and bet on it as well.

At four in the morning, half of City A stayed awake as the penalty kick was being made, and then a sensation of yelling and cheering flowed throughout the town. This scared many women and children not knowing about the event.

“The man surnamed Jiang is so awesome?! Can even this, be f*cking calculated???”

“I’ve had some interactions with him. To tell you the truth, I am a neighbor of his distant cousin. Hey, has this person really studied the Book of Changes. Do you know the Book of Changes?^[2]Ancient Chinese divination text. Quotes many Confucious’s discourse.”

“Could it be that he is from the bureau and waiting to pit us for the money? No thanks, I warn you not to gamble anymore money, do you dare?”

There were actually a few gangsters who had been eyeing Jiang Wang.

He opened the only two express delivery stations in the city, and won a lot of money every time he went to the sports lottery. Anyone who’s able to grab his money could spend it happily for several months.

However, while they were holding butterfly knives and wondering how to do it, Mr. Jiang had already equipped one of his security guards with a hand-held chainsaw.

He even bought it online using Sufeng Express.

Chainsaw, the only legal and highly lethal weapon in China, comes with a horror bonus and a full score in deterrence.

Immediately afterwards, Sufeng sponsored two patrol vans for the police station, making security in the Hongshan Elementary School area and nearby blocks improve rapidly. It was even rumored that the ghost market now closed half an hour earlier than usual.

Jiang Wang smiled twice as wide as he looked at everyone. After a long time, he was finally recognized as a tough stubborn man by the people around him, and those with brains did not dare provoke him easily.

Robbery? Was the chainsaw not exciting enough or were they afraid that the police car won’t be able to pull a truckload of bakers?^[3]Internet slang. Originally they were supposed to type “叫一面包车的人来打死你 (Call a truckload of men to kill you)” but instead typed “叫一车面包人来打死你 (Call a … Continue reading

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One more day and it would be the weekend.

Peng Xingwang originally wanted to stay at home and watch the Little Dragon Club, but he couldn’t resist the temptation of a certain person’s true feelings.

“You can take a boat in the provincial city.”

The child was so serious as if he was going on a spring excursion and stuffed a backpack full of things. He also brought him and Teacher Ji two bottles of orange juice after Jiang Wang refused his share.

Then as soon as he got in the car, he fell asleep in the back row, snoring like a pig.

Jiang Wang slapped his forehead with his hand.

Ji Linqiu sat in the front passenger seat and put on his seat belt, politely saying, “Brother Jiang, it seems it will take two and a half hours to drive?”

“Well, the car is relatively broken. If you are dizzy, I have prepared a medicine patch here.”

The third-hand Xiali ran like a tin can, but fortunately, the previous two owners did not destroy it much, and it was still around 70% new when he got it.

Most of the domestic high-speed railways would be fully built from 2008 to 2012. Jiang Wang circled the national highway routes with a red pen twice on the map before going out.

Twenty years ago, the world was still barren and primitive. Large areas of rapeseed fields could be seen endlessly outside the car window, and occasionally a few cattle walked by the roadside.

Ji Linqiu spoke very little. When Jiang Wang talked about something, he would simply smile and agree, and would not ask anymore even if he encountered things he was curious about.

Peng Xingwang who had fallen asleep earlier finally woke up, he stuck his face by the window and pointed to the distance.

“Big brother! Look, so much wheat!”

“…That’s a rice field.”

The road conditions were flat, and his neck had turned slightly sore after driving half the way.

Jiang Wang parked the car aside, leaned against the window and smoked a cigarette. Then he let Peng Xingwang pee on the dog’s-tail grass.

He was too busy with business and got home late yesterday. He was actually a little sleepy and even had a hangover at this moment.

Ji Linqiu stretched out slowly, took a few breaths of fresh air, and then turned to look at him, “Brother Jiang, let me drive.”

Jiang Wang thought he heard it wrong.

“Teacher Ji can drive?”

Ji Linqiu took out his driver’s license from his pocket, he had already taken the test four years ago.

Jiang Wang raised his eyebrows and gave up his position.

“Come here.”

The three of them returned to the car. Ji Linqiu fastened his seat belts, started the car, and drove steadily. The speed was smooth, showing he was a complete veteran.

Jiang Wang was ready to drive himself for three hours, he was not very comfortable sitting in the passenger seat.

Ji Linqiu didn’t even ask him which national highway he should take. He glanced at the road and sped up ready to change lanes. There was an indescribable wildness in his movements even as he did it in an orderly manner.

The man looked at him for a long time, and then said, “Teacher Ji understands the road very well.”

Ji Linqiu stared ahead, holding the steering wheel with one hand, “Calling me Teacher Ji again, Mr. Jiang is too polite.”

Jiang Wang smiled and said, “I respect you very much, I can’t help it.”

Peng Xingwang agreed with bleary eyes, “Teacher, I praise you with my eldest brother every day!”

“Good boy, keep sleeping.”

The child let out a sigh and planted himself back into the unopened snack pile.

The two chatted for a while, then Ji Linqiu handed him a bottle of mineral water.

“Go to sleep, there are still fifty minutes to go.”

Jiang Wang took two sips, not used to being taken care of like this.

“Should I really sleep?”

Ji Linqiu glanced at him, turning down the broadcast sound with his empty right hand and turned up the air conditioner.

Jiang Wang’s gaze fell on the other’s slender and cold wrist for a moment, and lost consciousness as soon as he closed his eyes.

But he slept very lightly.

The relaxed state of his child self had been completely replaced with too much vigilance from when he was a soldier.

The jeep on the next lane ran over an empty can, making Jiang Wang who was still dreaming wake up immediately. But he closed his eyes and squinted for a few minutes.

When he opened his eyes again, Jiang Wang looked at Ji Linqiu silently, his breathing still long and steady.

Ji Linqiu didn’t realize that he was awake, and was still driving intently, looking straight ahead.

It’s just that there was a shallow indifference in his expression.

It wasn’t aimed at anyone, but his expression rested at keeping a little indifference to the world.

He turned and changed lanes carelessly, moving very lightly, and he even deliberately avoided small pits of sand and gravel to make the sleeping two more comfortable.

Jiang Wang thought he had never seen such a side of Teacher Ji.

He began to doubt his old memories.

As soon as the label ‘teacher’ was put on, both men and women would become covered with silhouettes, where they must be tall and rigorous.

Ji Linqiu had a gentle and patient attitude towards the children that came from the bottom of his heart, but when he turned to face the world, he kept the same distance as Jiang Wang.

It would neither be so cold that everyone could tell the hustle and bustle at a glance, nor would he choose to blend in more.

When Jiang Wang realized this, he smiled inexplicably.

He deliberately sat upright, as if he had just woken up, rubbed his eyes and said, “Have you entered the city?”

Ji Linqiu was a little distracted, it took a few seconds before he let out a hum.

“I’ll get off at Bichuan Road later. See you tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock?”

“Well, I can pick you up at the entrance of the University when the time comes.”

Jiang Wang spoke out what he thought of, and said, “Could it be earlier?”

“I plan to open a bookstore, one offline and one online.” Jiang Wang looked at him, “If Teacher Ji is familiar with this aspect, you can recommend a few booksellers to me.”

“Okay, then I’ll see you at ten in the morning.”

When Ji Linqiu got out of the car to say goodbye, both the older and younger looked out of the car window and waved.

“See you tomorrow—” The child shouted, “I will miss you!”

Jiang Wang slapped the child’s head.

Peng Xingwang was a little aggrieved, “What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing, I just thought it felt good.”

“???”

Jiang Wang drove to the company of the Sufeng branch, and the child sat in the back row gnawing at WangWang snow cookies.

After gnawing one, he remembered to also stuff one for the eldest brother in the front row.

“I won’t eat it.”

But the child continued to put his hand forward and handed it again.

Jiang Wang frowned and grasped the sweet biscuits that he hadn’t eaten for hundreds of years, and said vaguely, “Do you have many friends at school now?”

“It’s much better than when I first started school. They found my sparkle.” The child was full of confidence, “Some wanted me to recognize them as my big brother, but I didn’t agree.”

Jiang Wang took two bites of the snow cake, and glanced at him from the rearview mirror, “It’s better to keep a low profile at school, don’t show off everywhere.”

“Yeah,” the child blurted out, “Those Leifei keep pestering me to recognize them. But I have successfully slipped away from the side many times.”

The car made an emergency stop because of the yellow light.

“Huh, Leifei.” The man repeated slowly.

In the dialect of H province and Plastic Mandarin, the word Leifei was equivalent to the word extortion.

Undesirable juvenile delinquent activities that were common in secondary schools and elementary schools.

Elder Brother Jiang, in the past month, had been committed to improving the atmosphere in the community and maintaining world peace. But some places had been directly ignored due to the adult’s nonchalant attitude towards the younger generation.

Peng Xingwang realized he had leaked sensitive information, so he covered his mouth and said, “I didn’t say anything!”

“You said it.” Jiang Wang repeated calmly, “Let’s talk about it, who are the Leifei fighting and what have they said to you.”

The child shook his head violently, “No, there was no one.”

The red light turned green, and the car started to move again slowly, just as it drove to Yanjiang Avenue.

“Be frank and I will be lenient,” Jiang Wang pointed his finger at the raging river outside the window. “Or I will throw you off the ship later.”

Peng Xing looked at it for a second, then hesitated, “That’s… just four or five people.”

The youngest was in the fourth grade and the oldest was in the second grade of junior high. They had been wandering around Hongshan for a long time in the upper and lower school levels. They would consciously bypass parents and then ask elementary school students for money with a smile.

Because these little triads were so young, most parents didn’t take them seriously, thinking that they were just playing among children.

However, in the eyes of the third-grade children, the second eldest brother was not much different from a Russian black bear.

After Peng Xingwang finished speaking, he covered his mouth with both hands very consciously, his face full of worry.

Jiang Wang drove the car into the parking lot, pulled out the key, and asked casually.

“I’ll clean them up, what are you afraid of?”

Peng Xingwang stretched his legs to reach the ground, carrying a small school bag on his back.

Although he didn’t say anything, the terrifying picture of a Hong Kong styled elder brother chopping fingers appeared in his mind.

“Relax.” The man patted him on the head and walked forward shaking the car keys.

“This is not called bullying the weak, but justice from heaven.”

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TL NOTE:

Hello everyone! If you find that some words/phrases aren’t clear enough for you, feel free to ask me in the comments o(^_^)o Thank you all for the support! ♡♡♡