Chapter 20
GU FEI USUALLY HATED trouble. He didn’t like to get involved in other people’s business. But here, in this handful of city blocks where he grew up, all kinds of trouble happened every day. The kind of melodramatics you’d see in TV dramas were daily occurrences here—in fact, the TV soaps fell short of reality.
When he was bored, Gu Fei would take in these scenes as if watching a show. For a long time, these things were his inspiration for the song lyrics he wrote for Ding Zhuxin: the desperate yet un-self-aware struggles of the people living at the bottom of society. They looked hopeless, but they lived lives full of color; they would mock you for being too sensitive.
Gu Fei would come across someone getting pummeled like this every now and again. Sometimes the main character was the same, sometimes not, but whatever the case, it was hardly a rare sight. On any other day, he would have just stayed back and watched from the comfort of his bike.
But today, he couldn’t. Once Jiang Cheng recognized Li Baoguo, his face contorted into an unreadable expression, like he found the situation both absurd and confusing. If Gu Fei had known Jiang Cheng just a little better—as well as he knew Wang Jiuri, maybe—he would have stopped Jiang Cheng from approaching.
People usually weren’t beaten to death in these situations. Besides, nobody involved was a decent person, so no one was being wronged; a bit of blood or some broken bones would just be another lesson—sometimes even a solution.
Jiang Cheng said nothing. When he turned to walk toward them, Gu Fei felt something he couldn’t quite describe. It wasn’t sympathy; there were far too many people deserving of sympathy in this world, so it didn’t matter if he felt bad for somebody or not.
Maybe it was helplessness.
Gu Fei hadn’t known that Li Baoguo had a younger son. He didn’t know if it really was as Li Baoguo had said—that he gave up his son because he couldn’t afford to raise him. Knowing Li Baoguo, Gu Fei wouldn’t be surprised if he’d simply sold his child for the money.
There was no way for Gu Fei to understand how Jiang Cheng felt right now. The air about him was so fundamentally different from the people who grew up here. Gu Fei couldn’t begin to imagine how such a person would feel in an environment like this, with a…“father” like that.
In any case, Jiang Cheng just walked over quietly. Perhaps because of his unusual relationship with Li Baoguo, he didn’t look anxious or panicked, much less angry.
Gu Fei stretched. From several yards away, he ambled over as well, fishing his glasses out and putting them on as he went.
Jiang Cheng didn’t go to stop the fight. He didn’t even speak. He tossed his bag to the side and drove his elbow into the back of the person kicking Li Baoguo’s head. Jiang Cheng was good at using his elbow; there was a lot of power behind the strike. Gu Fei had been on the receiving end of it before.
With one smash, the man howled and turned his head. Gu Fei recognized him: He was someone from the side of town by the steelworks who went by the nickname Big Dick, though Gu Fei had no way of knowing if the nickname was true to life. He was part of a group that often came around here to play mahjong.
They were okay with cheating, normally, but only if they were the ones doing it.
Before Big Dick could react, Jiang Cheng slammed his head against his face, hitting the bridge of his nose. Gu Fei felt his own nose twinge in sympathy.
Then, Jiang Cheng seized Big Dick’s collar and shoved him backward viciously.
The man staggered and collided with the two people behind him.
The rest of the group who’d been preoccupied with beating Li Baoguo immediately noticed the sneak attack. After a brief smattering of cursing and confusion, they swiftly turned their attention to Jiang Cheng.
“Fucker! What do you think you’re doing?!” someone shouted, sending a fist straight toward Jiang Cheng.
Gu Fei was surprised to see Jiang Cheng step straight toward the guy’s fist instead of dodging it. As it brushed past the corner of his eye, Jiang Cheng’s own punch landed solidly on the left eye of his opponent. This enraged the other, still-confused members of the group; all at once, they abandoned Li Baoguo as he curled up on the ground and swung their fists at Jiang Cheng instead.
Gu Fei frowned. He looked around, but the ground was unexpectedly clean. He didn’t even have a brick at his disposal to help Jiang Cheng if he ended up too badly beaten.
“Stop!” Li Baoguo hollered, still curled up on the ground and covering his head. “Stop it!”
None of the people converging on Jiang Cheng paid him any mind.
Though they had no weapons in their hands, all of them were large men—their fists were enough.
One, two, three, four… Gu Fei counted them. Four people circled Jiang Cheng, with one more bouncing on the balls of his feet at the fringes, having failed to squeeze his way in. Before the guy could bounce a third time, one of the four was launched out of the circle and tumbled to the ground; Jiang Cheng had kicked him out.
Jiang Cheng swiftly rushed out of the circle as well, stomping his foot hard into the stomach of the man on the ground.
“Fuck me!” Big Dick bellowed, his nose bloody. He leaped up and kicked Jiang Cheng in the back. Ungraceful as it was, the kick carried a lot of force.
Jiang Cheng stumbled several steps forward before steadying himself. He lifted a hand and wiped the corner of his mouth.
Turning, he saw Big Dick run up to give him a second kick. Jiang Cheng stood still, waiting until Big Dick jumped—then he ducked down, rushed forward, and launched an elbow at Big Dick’s…big dick.
Big Dick didn’t even make a sound. He fell to the ground, gasping; his mouth gaped wide open as his face contorted in agony.
Gu Fei pushed his glasses up. If his eyes hadn’t deceived him, Jiang Cheng didn’t actually elbow him in the balls, or Big Dick would’ve passed out from the pain by now. Did Jiang Cheng miss, or was he still able to control his emotions even under these conditions?
Nevertheless, Big Dick’s collapse looked so gruesome that his companions—Dick Two, Dick Three, Dick Four, and Dick Five—all hesitated briefly.
That was what these people were like. Each one was as unafraid as a gang leader when they beat up someone like Li Baoguo, but they’d shrink back the moment they met someone tough. They didn’t dare to take him on alone—even as a group, they all waited for someone else to start the fight.
In their moment of hesitation, Jiang Cheng rushed toward them again, slamming into the man closest to him. Top students were always fast learners:
His body-slam was supplemented by a jumping start in imitation of Big Dick, but with far more grace. He leaped shoulder-first and bashed it into the man’s chin.
The man’s head was knocked backward from the impact; he jumped on the spot and then fell. The blow must have split his lip or made him bite his tongue; the man on the ground covered his mouth, then drew his hand away to reveal blood.
With two down now, the remaining three seemed to feel the threat. Since they were still at an advantage numerically, they all charged at Jiang Cheng at once.
Jiang Cheng must have been hurt earlier when he was surrounded. This time, he couldn’t avoid being mobbed. He took several punches in the gut and back, and those were only the ones Gu Fei actually saw. Gu Fei sighed and started crossing the street.
Just as he stepped onto the road, he saw Jiang Cheng knock someone down and launch a torrent of blows to his face, two of which hit his neck. The man struggled, coughing and yelping. The other two couldn’t pull Jiang Cheng off their companion, so they began to kick him from behind. After taking a few hits, Jiang Cheng reached behind himself, grabbed a leg, and yanked, then turned around and pressed that leg back.
His victim clearly wasn’t flexible, and the forced split made him howl in agony. He tried to kick Jiang Cheng but couldn’t muster up the strength; he frantically flung both arms at him instead, but both were weak.
It was then that the last guy standing lifted his leg. Gu Fei could tell he was aiming for the back of Jiang Cheng’s head.
“Hey!” Gu Fei shouted.
He grabbed a dictionary from his bag. When the man looked up at him, Gu Fei hurled the dictionary at his face.
It was an English-Chinese dictionary. Lao-Lu would explode at anyone who showed up to his class without it. The dictionary wasn’t expensive, but it was a sturdy, hardcover book. Gu Fei had never opened it, so it was just as solid as when he first bought it—it didn’t even flip open in mid-air, and its impact against the man’s face was almost like that of a brick.
After the dictionary hit him, the others all stopped and looked at Gu Fei as a group.
Without a word, Gu Fei walked over to pick up the dictionary, dusted it off on his pants, and put it back into his bag.
Jiang Cheng let go of the leg he was holding and got up.
The one hit by the dictionary glared at Jiang Cheng. “You fucking—” Jiang Cheng cut him off before he could finish his sentence. “Is there anything else?”
Sitting or standing, everyone froze. Nobody said a word.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.” Jiang Cheng turned to get his bag.
He picked it up and walked off down the block.
“You know him?” someone asked Gu Fei.
Gu Fei eyed him. “You should get going.”
***
Ow.
Every damned part of Jiang Cheng’s body hurt. He didn’t even know where the pain was coming from anymore. He clenched his jaw and kept walking; each step he took was taxing, but at the same time, it was satisfying. It felt like he’d just run a full marathon: He was sore and aching and weak, but every breath he gasped in poured into his whole body, the air cooling him down to his gut.
Why were they beating Li Baoguo up? He’d been planning to ask at first, but now that it was over, he no longer wanted to find out. All he knew was that this was how the man lived—squirming and crawling on the ground like a worm.
He couldn’t change that, and neither could Li Baoguo.
The fight had been satisfying, but also deeply depressing. This was the source of Jiang Cheng’s frustration and bitterness.
He wasn’t any kind of great or noble person. He didn’t want to save anyone or change anyone’s life. He just thought that since this guy was indisputably his birth father, he would have to do his best to adapt to this fact.
But though he could strive to accommodate Li Baoguo’s vulgarity, his messiness, his chauvinism, his gambling addiction, and his drinking problem… he was coming to realize that this wasn’t a complete list of Li Baoguo’s issues.
There were many other things he couldn’t adapt to or accept, revealing themselves gradually before his eyes: Li Baoguo’s stealing habits; Li Baoguo getting beaten up on the street until he had to crawl on the ground.
What else was there? How much more was beneath the surface?
Behind him, someone whistled. He didn’t have to turn to know it was Gu Fei, so he didn’t. Turning made his neck ache.
“You should go to the hospital,” Gu Fei said.
“No need,” Jiang Cheng mumbled.
Gu Fei didn’t catch up with him; instead, he followed at a distance. “Let’s make a bet.”
“What?”
“I bet your rib is broken,” Gu Fei said. “Get it checked. If it’s broken, do my homework for a week and let me copy your exam answers. If it’s not, I’ll buy you dinner.”
Jiang Cheng stopped. Gu Fei walked over and stood beside him.
“Is it broken?”
“Dunno, I haven’t broken a rib before.” Jiang Cheng swept a look at him.
“You sound experienced. Do you break your ribs all the time?”
Gu Fei laughed. “I should’ve let that guy break your neck.”
“Thanks for earlier,” Jiang Cheng said.
His rib probably was broken. Jiang Cheng would sometimes get hit in the stomach when he fought, but it had never hurt this badly and for this long.
“Where’s the nearest hospital?” he asked.
“There’s one by the coal mines,” said Gu Fei. “Five minutes by taxi.”
“Okay.” Jiang Cheng took a few steps forward, then grit his teeth and turned to add, “Thanks.”
“You’re so polite I feel like bowing and saying ‘you’re very welcome,’” Gu Fei said.
Jiang Cheng didn’t speak again, just walked ahead and turned the corner.
He was lucky enough to flag down a taxi after waiting less than two minutes.
“I’m finishing up my shift, go get the next one,” the driver said.
“I’m going to the hospital. I’ll die on the street if I wait.” Jiang Cheng looked at him. “It’s probably acute gastroenteritis.”
The driver studied him. “Get in. I’ll clock out after I drop you off.”
“Thanks.”
Jiang Cheng hopped in. When he sat down in the back seat, he almost cried out from the pain; adjusting his posture hurt his right rib so much it felt like someone had punched him again.
“Got into a fight, huh?” The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror while driving. “Acute gastroenteritis doesn’t do that to your face.”
“Is my face messed up?” Jiang Cheng asked. He knew there was a cut inside his mouth—he kept tasting blood.
The driver chuckled. “Yes, but it doesn’t look too bad. It won’t affect your looks.”
“Oh.”
“You shouldn’t be so reckless, young man. If anything happens to you, your family will worry about you, even if you don’t care. You know?”
“…Uh-huh.” Jiang Cheng forced a smile. The corner of his mouth seemed to be hurt as well—the slight stretch of his lips sent shocks of pain to the roots of his ear.
Your family will worry about you.
You know?
Would they, though? Who actually was his “family”?
His old family would never know how he was doing. Even back when he was living with them, he wouldn’t let them know about the fights he got into.
And now… His dear father had been right next to him earlier, holding his head in his hands and not saying a word the entire time.
When Jiang Cheng left, Li Baoguo didn’t even look at him.
So who would worry?
What a joke.
When he reached the hospital, he went to the emergency room. There weren’t that many people around.
After he told the doctor he might have broken a rib, the doctor palpated his chest and back. “Does it hurt anywhere?”
Jiang Cheng focused hard on the sensations. “…No.”
“No?” said the doctor. “Let me see.”
Jiang Cheng unzipped his jacket. Just as he was about to roll up his clothes, he saw bloodstains on his sweater. He froze. “The heck?”
The doctor pulled his sweater up. “Looks like a cut. It sure doesn’t look like broken bones… I’ll check for any grinding noises.”
“…Okay.”
Jiang Cheng was baffled by the seemingly paranormal way he’d been wounded to the point of heavy bleeding when his clothes weren’t even torn. The doctor checked him all over before pressing the area around his wound again.
“Any bone pain?”
“Just muscle pain,” Jiang Cheng answered.
“No broken bones, then,” said the doctor. “We can take an X-ray if you’re still worried.”
Jiang Cheng breathed out a sigh of relief. “No, it’s okay.”
The wound on his side wasn’t too serious, either. It was fine once the doctor cleaned it up and put some gauze over it. Jiang Cheng sat in the hospital chair and let his mind wander for a very long time. A lot of his physical pain was gradually fading, and the initially explosive aches had already subsided. He pressed and prodded at each of his ribs over his shirt. No pain at all.
Fuck! That nutjob Gu Fei! He’d said it with such certainty, like someone who had loads of experience with broken bones. He’d scared Jiang Cheng into coming to the hospital when he didn’t even want to in the first place!
Surprisingly, Jiang Cheng’s first thought when he found out his rib wasn’t broken was: Great, it won’t affect the basketball tournament. He was astounded by his strong sense of team spirit. Maybe Lao-Xu’s great and noble love had quietly influenced him after all.
His phone rang in his bag. He pulled it out and stiffened when he saw the number on the screen: His mom was calling him. Though he’d deleted the whole family from his contact list, he couldn’t forget her number that quickly.
He picked up. “Hello.”
“Xiao-Cheng?” His mother’s voice came down the line. “I know I haven’t been in touch lately; it’s been busy here. How are things with you?”
Jiang Cheng fell silent for a long time. He didn’t know what to say—he didn’t know what he could say. His mind was as chaotic as the brawl he just had, practically buzzing.
“Did you get the things I sent you?” she asked.
“Yeah.” Jiang Cheng shut his eyes and took a breath in.
“How are you getting on with your…dad?”
“Pretty well.” Jiang Cheng bit his lip. The pain from the corner of his mouth was so intense that he frowned. “He’s my real dad, after all.”
She laughed. “That’s good. I was a bit worried. He seems rather rough around the edges. I was afraid you—” “I’m doing great,” Jiang Cheng said.
His mom fell silent, as if she was trying to find something else to say.
“I really am.” Jiang Cheng looked down, staring at a bit of mud caked on his shoe. When did that get there? “Don’t worry about me.”
“Xiao-Cheng…” His mom sighed.
“I’m getting along great. I’m adjusting well. I have to go,” Jiang Cheng said. “Bye for now.”
He hung up before she could reply. After staring at his darkened phone screen for a while, he stood and left the hospital.
***
“I wasn’t planning on visiting,” Yi Jing said as she stood at the cash register, hugging her school bag, “but I was in the neighborhood… Xu-zong said you guys are playing in the basketball tournament soon. I’m guessing you won’t have time to study before midterms, right?”
“I don’t study whether I have the time or not.” Gu Fei poured her a glass of hot water and added a slice of lemon. “You worry more than Lao-Xu does.”
“Not really.” Yi Jing smiled, a little embarrassed. “I just don’t have much else to do.”
Gu Fei smiled too. “All right, then. Why don’t you let me copy today’s homework? I—”
“No copying.” Yi Jing immediately shot him down. “If you don’t know how to do it, I can teach you.”
Gu Fei was tempted to reply, In that case, I’ll just copy Jiang Cheng’s.
Still, he took a textbook from his bag. “Okay. Teach me English, then. I’m only planning to do the English homework today.”
“All right.” Yi Jing sighed. “English is probably the only homework you wouldn’t dare not to do.”
“Mhm.” Gu Fei rose and unfolded the little table next to them. “Nobody skips Lao-Lu’s homework.”
Yi Jing grabbed a stool and sat down. She took his worksheet and began to explain the questions to him. Gu Fei was a bit distracted. Whenever it came to studying, he could never focus—even if Lao-Lu himself was sitting in front of him, Gu Fei’s thoughts would still be a world away.
Yi Jing was Lao-Xu’s able assistant. Like Lao-Xu, she was full of enthusiasm for their class. Even after Wang Xu had twice angered her to tears during self-study periods at the start of last semester—and only one week into her role as class president, at that—she was still as passionate as ever.
“So this is…” Yi Jing wrote on a piece of scrap paper. “You see…” Someone pushed open the curtain at the door. Gu Fei turned and saw Jiang Cheng rooted to the spot in the doorway, his hand still holding the curtains apart.
Yi Jing turned around and stared at him in surprise. “Jiang Cheng?”
“Ah,” Jiang Cheng said awkwardly. He pointed outside. “I think I’ll…” “No, don’t. You’re looking for Gu Fei?” Yi Jing said hurriedly and got to her feet, just as awkward. “I was just explaining some homework to him… But if you need him, I can go… Or maybe you could explain it to him instead?”
“Huh?” Jiang Cheng froze.
“Mr. Lu says your English grades are stellar.” Yi Jing smiled and packed her things. “I’ll be leaving, then.”
“Hey, you—” But before Jiang Cheng could finish his sentence, Yi Jing squeezed past him and left in a fit of embarrassment.
“You went to the hospital?” Gu Fei asked.
“Yeah.” Jiang Cheng walked inside and stood by the shelves, hesitating. “Now you have to buy me dinner.”
“Nothing broken?” Gu Fei was a little taken aback.
“Why do you look so disappointed?” Jiang Cheng said. “Come break my rib, then.”
“What do you want to eat?” Gu Fei asked.
“Dunno. Anything’s fine.” Jiang Cheng furrowed his brow. “I’m starving.
And annoyed.”
“Okay then.” Gu Fei stood and paused to think for a moment. “I’ll take you to eat my favorite food.”