Qiao Wen was amused by his little gesture, after pondering for a moment, he said. “The gambler is the least credible. Although Uncle Ming said he won’t gamble again, someday he can’t help it. Even if this money is not earned by us, we’ll have to let him write an IOU.”

Chen Jianan said angrily: “If he is not an elder, I would have beaten him to the ground to let him look for his teeth.”

It was better to pay off the gambling debt sooner rather than later, maybe tomorrow the scar would go back on his words, and 20,000 will become 30,000 in a blink of an eye. So the two dared not delayed and hurried back to the Walled city to Uncle Ming’s incense paper stall with the money, and asked him to ask Scar to come over and collect the money.

The scar came quickly, with a toothpick in his mouth, swaying, followed by cowering Uncle Ming, and two little horses. People who didn’t know would think he was a big boss.

(** Horses/pony refers to siblings(people))

“Pretty boy Nan, have you and your sick kid prepared money so soon?” he said eloquently, clearly not believing that Chen Jianan, a 49- boy could raise 20,000 yuan in one day. Without waiting for his answer, he glanced at the pale Qiao Wen, who was sitting behind Chen Jianan, and smiled: “If you guys are playing tricks on me, it will be useless even if your fourth brother comes.”

His hands were very itchy recently, someone came to his door to fix it, so how could he let this opportunity go. Today, he had to smash the handsome face of the Pretty boy Nan.

Standing behind the glass counter, Chen Jianan pulled out a thick envelope and threw it on the counter: “Brother Scar, here is the money. Twenty thousand yuan no less.”

Scar was taken aback, stretched out his hand to take it, but was blocked by Chen Jianan: “Brother Scar, where’s the IOU?”

Scar snorted: “We and the people from Hexing have been able to operate in the walled city for many years, because of the word faith. Are you afraid that I will not return the IOU once I take the money?” He took out an IOU from his pants pocket and slapped it on the table with a snap.

Chen Jianan glanced at the IOU and let go of the hand that was pressing on the envelope.

Scar suspiciously took up the envelope and opened it, taking out the banknotes inside. It’s really a lot of notes just by counting randomly.

His face changed so slightly. He picked up the IOU on the countertop and tore it off with gritted teeth. “Pretty boy Nan, count you have the ability!”

Chen Jianan casually returned him: “Brother Fei’s money, I dare not refuse to pay it back.”

Scar tugged the corner of his mouth and waved his hand to the horse beside him to leave, but when turning around, as if he remembered something, he looked past Chen Jianan to Qiao Wen, with a sordid smile.

Today there was no way for him to smash the handsome face of Pretty boy Nan but he could scare his younger brother, anyway it was better than nothing.

But this time not only he didn’t bow in horror at the sight of him, as he had done before, instead Qiao Wen stared calmly at him, even cracking a specious smile.

For some reason, Scar suddenly felt that this sick seedling was a little evil, and he was taken aback for a moment, only to feel bored, and walked away angrily.

The surrounding people who thought about watching the excitement were driven away by Chen Jianan. Only Qiao Wen, Chen Jianan, Uncle Ming and his daughter were left in the small incense stall.

Uncle Ming was still conscious; he wrote an IOU and pressed his handprint, and handed it to Chen Jianan with a trembling hand and said: “Anan, thanks to you this time, otherwise my Baolian will be killed by me, and I won’t be able to live anymore. Don’t worry, I will definitely pay this money back to you.”

Bao Lian choked on the side: “Abba, you can’t gamble anymore.”

“I won’t gamble even if you kill me.”

“Uncle Ming,” Chen Jianan took out a cigarette and put it on his lips, ready to light it, but looking at the sickly Qiao Wen, he hurriedly put it down, “You can repay the money slowly, but the thing is I can help this time, not next time, you have only one  daughter. If something happens again, she will still be harmed.”

Uncle Ming knelt on the ground with a thud and raised three fingers to make a curse: “I swear I won’t bet again. If I violate my oath, I will be hit by the thunder.”

Chen Jianan snorted: “If the swearing is useful, I am afraid that our Kowloon Walled City would have been burned to ash by the thunder long ago.”

Uncle Ming gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. Suddenly he took a paper cutter from the side and pressed it hard against his left index finger.

“Abba!” Amidst Baolian’s scream, a bloody finger fell on the floor and blood splattered.

Chen Jianan subconsciously went to cover Qiao Wen’s eyes.

Qiao Wen was afraid of seeing bloody scenes since he was a child, he didn’t even dare to watch the killing of chickens and fish. When he accidently encountered the fighting and bloody scene he couldn’t eat well for three days.

Chen Jianan didn’t expect Uncle Ming to make such a sudden appearance, it seems that he really made up his mind. He frowned and said to Baolian who was so frightened, “Hurry up and take your dad to Uncle Hua’s place to get a bandage.”

Only then did Bao Lian come back to sense and hurriedly pick up the broken finger and cover it with a handkerchief, and help her father who was groaning in pain to run outside.

Chen Jianan stretched out his long legs and wiped the bloodstain on the floor indiscriminately before releasing his hand covering Qiao Wen’s eyes.

“It’s okay, Xiao Qiao.”

However, Qiao Wen’s expression was unexpectedly calm.

Chen Jianan froze for a moment and couldn’t help but ask, “Xiao Qiao, are you not scared?”

Qiao Wen chuckles: “I’m not so intimidated.”

Chen Jianan breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn’t help sighing: “You have really changed a lot recently.”

Qiao Wen looked up at him and said seriously: “I am eighteen years old, so I can’t let you cover my eyes for a lifetime.”

Chen Jianan smiled dismissively: “That’s not impossible, you are my brother!”

Qiao Wen laughed but said nothing.

Seeing his handsome brows frowned lightly and frowning in contemplation, Chen Jianan asked curiously: “Xiao Qiao, what are you thinking?”

Qiao Wen said: “I’m thinking we have to find Lin Zihui.”

“Lin Zihui? Who is it?”

Qiao Wen looked up at him: “Lin Zhaoming’s illegitimate son.”

Chen Jianan remembered: “Oh, the four-eyed boy in the Furong Tea Room. You even know his name?”

Qiao Wen babbled: “I heard Lin Zhaoming call him Zihui in the teahouse.”

Chen Jianan nodded without realizing it, and asked again, “Do you want to go now?”

“We only have five days, so we can’t waste it.” Qiao Wen stood up, but suddenly a wave of dizziness hit him.

Chen Jianan quickly supported him, looked at him up and down worriedly. They only went out once these days, the little color on his face which had been rose from well eaten and drunk for the past few days faded again, revealing the original pale sick face.

“You are already tired today, your face is not good, or we should go again tomorrow.”

Qiao Wen shook his head: “I’m fine. We will take a rickshaw ride out of the city. It will only take 20 minutes, I can’t get tired. Let’s talk to grandma first.”

Granny Qiao knew that they had settled Uncle Ming’s account and asked where the money came from. Qiao Wen only said that it was Chen Jianan’s idea and granny didn’t ask much. Hearing that he was going out to meet a middle school friend, she told him to come back early.

Qiao Wen nodded: “Don’t worry, grandma, with Brother Nan I don’t have to worry.”

Granny Qiao was still at ease with Chen Jianan, and even felt that if one day something happened to her, Chen Jianan would take care of her grandson.

It’s just…

Granny Qiao didn’t know what she was worried about but always felt that her grandson was not the same as before, but anyway seeing him getting better now makes her feel satisfied.