Xin Hexue was very polite.
He told Lu Yang that he could not be his younger brother, but Lu Yang could invite him to his house to watch the colored version of Black Cat Sheriff together.
Lu Yang could not understand why Xin Hexue could be Zhuang Tongguang’s younger brother but could not be his.
Still, he accepted Xin Hexue’s suggestion.
“Then I invite you to come to my house to watch TV after school this afternoon.”
Lu Yang said.
Xin Hexue was just about to nod in agreement when Zhuang Tongguang spoke up, “No.”
Lu Yang stiffened his neck, his two dark eyebrows furrowing. “I wasn’t asking you, I was asking Xin Hexue. You’re so talkative.”
“Even if you’re his older brother, you can’t be so controlling.”
Zhuang Tongguang only said one word, “No,” yet Lu Yang fired off a rapid series of retorts like a string of firecrackers being lit. It was unclear who was really being talkative.
For some reason, perhaps they just clashed, Lu Yang and Zhuang Tongguang’s first impressions of each other were not very good.
Lu Yang turned and asked Xin Hexue seriously, “Tell me, are you willing to come to my house to watch TV after school this afternoon?”
Xin Hexue was originally about to nod, but after thinking, he turned to ask, “Big Brother, can I go?”
On one side was his newly made friend, on the other was the older brother who took care of him. Xin Hexue’s heart was as clear as a bright mirror, the scales obviously tilting towards his brother’s side.
Zhuang Tongguang stacked the bowls and chopsticks. “Mom is off work today. After Dad gets off work this afternoon, our whole family is going out to eat at a restaurant.”
He emphasized the word “whole family”, simultaneously casting a glance at Lu Yang, who desperately wanted to join this family.
When he looked at his younger brother, his expression softened. “We just talked about it last night, have you forgotten?”
Xin Hexue remembered and said to Lu Yang apologetically, “Then I can’t go to your house to watch TV today. Maybe next time.”
Lu Yang’s expression fell, and he
shouted to Zhu Cuifeng in the living room, “Mom! I want to go out to eat at a restaurant too, I want to go with them!”
Zhu Cuifeng put her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing with anger. “I think you want a taste of the rolling pin! Why are you everywhere?”
Lu Guoxing chuckled. “Auntie Xin and Uncle Zhuang’s family are going to eat together. And here you are, singing and dancing all over the place.”
“Tch.” Lu Yang was unwilling. “I can perform for them.”
Seeing that his parents wouldn’t agree, he sighed like an old man and held Xin Hexue’s hand. “Then you have to come to my house to watch TV tomorrow.”
Lu Yang’s parents shook their heads and said helplessly to Xin Zhiying and Zhuang Ping, “This child Lu Yang is really hard to discipline. We don’t know who he takes after.”
“Kids are all like that. When they’re mischievous, it’s truly endless.” As parents, they deeply understood. Xin Zhiying brought up an old story, “Tongguang was like that before too. He secretly took his younger brother to school! He didn’t tell us, and his dad and I were so worried we were about to turn the roof over looking for them.”
The two families chatted happily for a while. Later, Zhu Cuifeng was the first to say goodbye. “It’s almost time for the kids to go to school. We won’t disturb you any longer.”
“Xiao Xue, time for kindergarten.”
Zhuang Tongguang had already put on his own backpack and picked up Xin Hexue’s.
Lu Yang, who was originally sitting on the sofa, glanced at the cartoon that was still playing. “So soon?”
“Any later and we’ll be late.”
Zhuang Tongguang felt for the small knob on the right side of the TV and turned it counterclockwise until it stopped. A rapidly shrinking small white dot appeared in the center of the black-and-white TV screen, then it went completely black.
“Let’s go.”
After turning off the TV, he turned back, only to find that Lu Yang had grabbed Xin Hexue’s hand and was holding it. “Let’s go, we’re going to school!”
Zhuang Tongguang stepped forward, grabbed Lu Yang, and slapped his hand away. “Let go, let go!”
He quickly put his arm around his younger brother and walked out, quickly going down the stairs as if some flood or fierce beast was following behind.
“Why can only you hold his hand!”
“Because he’s my younger brother.”
“What’s so great about that? I’ll tell my mom to have another Xin Hexue for me.”
“Big Brother, walk slower.”
“Lu Yang, Auntie Zhu can’t give birth to another me.”
“Ah! Then what should we do? Can the scientists do something about it?”
Outside the tube-shaped apartment building, the greenery was gradually deepening. The birds on the branches were noisy, and the spring light stretched the shadows of the three of them long.
………
Xin Hexue had sown two glass marbles and reaped a big trouble that chased after him every day.
Su Zhuang asked for leave, so Lu Yang simply took his spot, sitting intimately next to Xin Hexue. During the morning snack, he would even break a steamed bun in half to share with his good friend.
It was great to make a new friend.
Xin Hexue pursed his lips.
But it was also a bit troubling.
Although Lu Yang had beaten Su Zhuang black and blue, which was very satisfying for the other children, his feat of taking on ten people alone was deeply imprinted on these young minds. With Lu Yang sitting next to Xin Hexue, the other children didn’t dare to come play with Xin Hexue anymore.
This, of course, wasn’t too big of a problem. The biggest problem was that Lu Yang was very noisy.
Zhuang Tongguang’s personality was like Zhuang Ping’s, he was relatively steady. Miao Ling was usually very cheerful, but in reality, she was still a relatively quiet girl. So, counting it all, Lu Yang was truly the first lively friend Xin Hexue had made in Lingzhou City who could lift roof tiles to cause trouble and climb walls to tease dogs.
Sometimes he was like wildfire ignited by the rustle of grass in the wind, flaring up in an instant. Xin Hexue even had to stop him from fighting.
“Here.”
Once again, Lu Yang gave the afternoon snack finger biscuit to Xin Hexue.
This biscuit was named for its long, thin shape. It had a rich egg fragrance, was crispy to bite, and the biscuit crumbs melted sweetly in the mouth.
Xin Hexue had gone from an attitude of refusing several times to slowly saying a thank you, and now he could calmly accept the biscuits Lu Yang fed him.
It wasn’t really a question of whether to accept or not, because if he refused, Lu Yang would chase after him trying to feed him from then until after school.
The mysterious uncle in his head told him that this was because if you want to get close to a free-roaming cat from someone else’s house, the best way is to offer food.
So what Uncle K wanted to express was that the principle of making friends with cats could also be applied to making friends between people?
Thinking about it this way, it was correct. The slogans outside all said “Food is the paramount necessity of the people.” Food is always very important no matter when.
Xin Hexue nodded.
“But… Why are you friends with me?”
He chewed and chewed, and the biscuit melted crisply in his mouth.
Xin Hexue felt that having hard fists wasn’t the obstacle on Lu Yang’s path to making friends. The reason Lu Yang had few friends, aside from this, was purely because he ignored the other children.
He was very arrogant.
Lu Yang shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
Xin Hexue thought about it and changed the way he asked. “Why don’t you make friends with others?”
As a return gift, Xin Hexue stuffed an orange into Lu Yang’s mouth.
The relatives from his uncle’s side had sent many oranges. Xin Hexue didn’t like eating oranges. Originally, he was indifferent to them, but now he liked them less and less. He was very afraid of sourness; oranges were so sour his eyelashes were about to fall off, and the smell of orange peels made him want to sneeze.
But there were too many oranges at home, and the adults stuffed them into his and his brother’s schoolbags as snacks for break time.
Just right, they were all consumed by Lu Yang.
Not a single one was wasted.
Xin Hexue took out a handkerchief with satisfaction and wiped his fingers stained with orange juice.
Lu Yang was still pondering the question Xin Hexue had just asked. “Why don’t I make friends with others? Why should I make friends with others?”
“First, I don’t like those I can’t beat;” he seriously stated his rules, “Second, I don’t like those who can beat me; third, I don’t like those who fight with me.”
He really blocked all possibilities.
Xin Hexue was so surprised his lips parted slightly.
“Then why are you still friends with me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You won’t fight with me.”
“But I can’t beat you, doesn’t that satisfy the first point?”
Xin Hexue rigorously analyzed the logical problems in Lu Yang’s words with him. He also said that the other children wouldn’t fight with Lu Yang either.
So in what Lu Yang said, the three conditions were contradictory and didn’t match reality. The reasoning was invalid.
[What is he mumbling about?]
[I can’t understand.]
[Want to kiss.]
?
Xin Hexue became alert, his black hair sticking up a little.
He directly questioned Lu Yang, “What are you thinking?”
Lu Yang honestly confessed that he was wondering if Xin Hexue’s mouth was sweet, and if there were glutinous rice cakes inside.
“Glutinous rice cakes?”
Xin Hexue didn’t understand why Lu Yang made that connection.
The activity room floor was covered with a layer of crawling mats. Lu Yang sprawled back casually. “You speak softly and gently, like there are glutinous rice cakes.”
Suddenly thinking of something, Lu Yang nimbly rolled up to sit and said excitedly, “I know, I know why I like being friends with you.”
He moved close to Xin Hexue, staring without blinking. “Because your eyes are very beautiful, like cat’s eye glass marbles.”
He didn’t quite understand Lu Yang’s metaphor.
However, Xin Hexue was very receptive to this. He liked others praising him; his eyes were indeed very beautiful.
“Reason approved.”
He nodded, delivering the verdict.
………
Su Zhuang never came back to kindergarten after being beaten up by Lu Yang.
Xin Hexue didn’t know why. Was it because of Lu Yang that he was so scared he didn’t dare to come?
Later, he heard that Su Zhuang’s father had been anonymously reported for taking bribes. The evidence was submitted to the complaint mailbox, and Section Chief Su was currently suspended and under investigation.
What did taking bribes mean?
Who was this Anonymous? Was he related to Anonymous?
Xin Hexue didn’t understand.
But from the tube-shaped apartment building across the street, the sound of pots, pans, bowls, and dishes clattering and banging could be heard from the Su family.
Xin Hexue was brushing his teeth when he heard Zhuang Ping say it was because Section Chief Su lost his job and was facing investigation by the police uncles, so his wife was arguing with him about getting a divorce.
“What about Su Zhuang?”
Zhuang Ping shook his head.
Xin Hexue looked at Zhuang Tongguang.
Zhuang Tongguang returned a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?”
It seemed his brother didn’t know either.
Xin Hexue couldn’t help but think that Zeng Zishi must have lied to him. He actually told him that Su Zhuang didn’t dare to come to kindergarten because Zhuang Tongguang blocked him and threatened him with a wooden stick, which was very scary.
How could his brother do such a thing?
With Zhuang Tongguang cleared of suspicion, Xin Hexue breathed a sigh of relief.
He carried his blue plastic toothbrush cup from the bathroom in the corridor. As he pushed the bedroom door, it seemed to hit something behind it.
Curious, Xin Hexue held onto the door.
A smoothly polished wooden stick slowly fell to the ground with a “thud”.
………
“Xin Hexue, my dad asked me to go to the convenience store to get soy sauce, come with me!”
“Xin Hexue, I stole the canned yellow peaches my mom hid, come out and eat together!”
“Xin Hexue, come downstairs and play!”
“Xin Hexue, the preview for ‘Calabash Brothers’ is on tonight, come to my house and watch!”
Lu Yang never got tired of coming to find Xin Hexue every day. The scenario repeated again and again, and he could always find one excuse after another.
Zhuang Tongguang “snapped” the tip of his pencil, leaving a gray line on his homework notebook. He quickly walked to the door and pulled it open.
As the evening light spilled into the corridor, he said with a dark expression. “Xiao Xue isn’t back yet.”
“Where did he go?”
Lu Yang pressed for details.
Zhuang Tongguang shot him a glare. “I won’t tell you. Even if you knew, my brother wouldn’t go to your house immediately. He still has to eat dinner at home.”
Lu Yang pursed his lips. “Oh, then tell him to come over after dinner.”
Zhuang Tongguang closed the door.
Lu Yang still shouted loudly from outside the door, “The preview for ‘Calabash Brothers’ is at 7:30!”
The neighbors teased, “Lu Yang, are you here to find Hexue to play again?”
The sun completely sank below the mountains, and the night sky became a deep blue. The moon was visible outside the window.
It was already summer. The floor fan in the corner shook its head, blowing with a “whoosh, whoosh” as it turned towards the dining table in the living room.
Xin Hexue had already bathed and carried a faint scent of shampoo on his body. He was using his chopsticks to scrape the bottom of his rice bowl, having added loofah soup to the rice. It was sweet and smooth.
Xin Zhiying said helplessly, “Xiao Xue, don’t eat so quickly.”
He lifted his head and said muffled, “Aunt, I’m going to Lu Yang’s house to watch TV.”
“Can’t you watch it at home?”
Zhuang Ping asked curiously.
Xin Hexue explained, “Um… Calabash Brothers is different. The Calabash Brothers wear different colored clothes. The TV at Lu Yang’s house shows it clearly.”
Zhuang Tongguang picked up a golden piece of egg and put it in his brother’s bowl.
“Pa.”
Xin Hexue suddenly went quiet and still.
A white tooth fell into the bowl like a ripe melon dropping from the vine.
The family became lively and excited because of this first lost tooth.
“Oh, he’s losing teeth.”
“Is it an upper tooth or a lower tooth?”
“No wonder your brother said his tooth was loose a few days ago.”
Only the subject of the conversation remained silent.
“Mm…” Finally, Xin Hexue covered his mouth and said gloomily, “I’m not going to Lu Yang’s to watch TV tonight.”
He put his bowl on the table and returned to his room like a little mushroom under a dark cloud.
Zhuang Tongguang stared at the newly lost tooth, feeling sorry for his brother on one hand, but his eyes lit up as he looked at Xin Zhiying and said happily, “Mom, let’s change to a color TV too.”
