I spent New Year's Eve in the detention center. The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year.
around noon, Xu Rang and Yang Huzi came to bail me out.
Sir Niu was the only one working in the entire station. When I left, he had already reverted to his usual cold and aloof demeanor.
But the look of hating evil as if it were a personal enemy was gone from his eyes.
He stood at the main gate of the station and shouted to me, "Shanhe, can I have a private word with you?"
Hearing him call me "Shanhe" made my legs shake uncontrollably.
Usually, he just called me "Chu Lao Er."
Motherfucker, did he realize something and decide to silence me?
Xu Rang had nerves of steel and didn't notice anything, but Yang Huzi looked at me with suspicion.
Sir Niu was waiting right at the gate, so I had no choice but to brace myself and walk over.
The moment our eyes met, I felt like my scalp was going to explode.
Because in Sir Niu's eyes, I saw a trace of softness.
"Shanhe, I just called my dad."
Why are you telling me this? Never mind your dad who's practically an emperor; even Captain Xu and Director Wang could handle me however they pleased—sideways, upright, any way they wanted.
When you gods of officialdom fight, please don't drag me into it!
I let out an "Oh," and didn't say anything else.
Sir Niu sighed. "I'm going to be transferred soon. Among all the people I've interacted with in Liu Xiang Town, you count as the piece of scum that isn't too crumbled, so I wanted to say a few more words to you."
Shocked, I looked up at Sir Niu. I squeezed a few steps forward until we were almost face-to-face before I dared to speak.
"What, your old man at home can't even handle those two animals?"
Sir Niu shook his head in frustration. "It's not that he can't handle them. It's too complicated. They belong to the same faction as my dad; pull one hair and the whole body moves... Forget it, you shouldn't know about this."
I nodded my head like a chick pecking at rice. Indeed, I shouldn't know about this.
If I knew too much, it would become a blade at my throat, and I wouldn't even know how I died.
Sir Niu did something rare and patted my shoulder. This gesture made Yang Huzi, who was not far away, stand on his tiptoes to get a better look.
"Shanhe, that matter I told you about last night—let it rot in your stomach. Even if you're sleeping with a woman, don't mumble half a word about it in your dreams. Otherwise, get your coffin ready!"
I nodded furiously. Wasn't that obvious? I wasn't stupid; how would I dare speak of such things?
In the end, Sir Niu actually smiled. It was a smile full of meaning.
I felt that overnight—or rather, in the span of one phone call with his old man—he had grown up a lot.
He handed me a slip of paper. written on it were seven digits, a phone number (landline numbers started with seven digits back then).
"Memorize it, then burn it."
I looked at the number a few times, nodded slightly, and used the flame from lighting my cigarette to burn the slip of paper.
"Whose number is this? What's it for?"
Sir Niu said breezily, "My house. If you ever slip up and those two bastards want you dead, you can call this number. As for whether you live or die, that depends entirely on my old man's mood!"
I shuddered with fear and hurriedly said, "Scum like me still wants to live a few more years. If those two want to handle me, I still have a sliver of a chance to survive. But if I catch the eye of your old man, I'll really be begging to live but unable to, and begging to die but unable to."
Sir Niu didn't push it and laughed heartily. "Suit yourself. But Chu Shanhe, remember this: I will come back one day. I'll come back and handle those two bastards with my own hands."
"When that time comes, if I find you haven't been fixing bridges and paving roads, I'll handle you right along with them."
Before I could speak, Sir Niu waved his hand. "Get lost. Don't die on this road of the underworld."
Sir Niu turned and walked back into the station, and I got into the car with Yang Huzi.
That farewell lasted two years. It wasn't until the spring of 1998 that Sir Niu returned to Liu Xiang Town, wearing a grey uniform and looking glorious.
And it was precisely his return that gave me a chance to catch my breath and not die in Liu Xiang Town.
As Yang Huzi drove, he asked casually, "Number Two, since when are you so close with the Crown Prince?"
Crown Prince? Heh, that nickname was certainly fitting.
I shook my head. "No, he was just warning me a bit, telling me not to cause trouble in the future."
Yang Huzi looked at me with a faint smile. "Is that so? Looking at the two of you just now, it didn't look like a warning!"
I wanted to offer a few more perfunctory words, but Xu Rang spoke up to bail me out.
"Aiyah, you two stop talking this bollocks. Huzi, have you thought about how to help Number Two later?"
Yang Huzi shook his head. "How can I help? We can only see what Big Brother intends."
I was a bit confused. I had just spent the New Year in the detention center; it had only been one day. What had changed outside?
"Wait... what are you guys talking about? What's happened that I need your help, or even Big Brother's help?"
Xu Rang and Yang Huzi exchanged a glance. Both of them looked grim.
I started to get anxious. "If you two have something to say, say it. If you have a fart, let it out!"
Xu Rang guiltily turned his head away and said without much confidence, "Number Two, that Song Jiawen we handled yesterday... he's Xu Feilin's brother-in-law."
My heart skipped a beat.
Xu Feilin. He was that white-haired Big Brother from the county seat whom I had met once when Xu Rang and I dealt with Old Yu and Wang Hai.
Seeing my ugly expression, Xu Rang couldn't help but try to comfort me. "Number Two, don't worry. Dawei has already stated his position. He'll carry this with the two of us."
I let out a long breath and rubbed the bridge of my nose.
Ignoring Xu Rang, I asked Yang Huzi directly, "Brother Huzi, what is Big Brother's attitude?"
Yang Huzi's face was unreadable, as if he were focusing entirely on driving.
"Big Brother is very unhappy. You've only had a full belly for a few days! And you don't even tell Big Brother about something like this? Are you planning to turn the sky upside down in the future?"
Xu Rang said anxiously, "Didn't we think that we shouldn't trouble Big Brother with such a small matter?"
Yang Huzi shook his head and said nothing.
I leaned back against the seat and rubbed my forehead. To say I wasn't afraid would be a lie.
I never expected Song Jiawen to have such a big background—actually being the brother-in-law of the county boss, Xu Feilin.
For the current me, provoking a Big Brother from the county seat was tantamount to a death sentence.
The car stopped outside the courtyard of Chen Qiang's house. Before getting out, I said to Xu Rang, "This matter has nothing to do with you or Dawei. You stop Dawei for me. I'll carry this myself."
Xu Rang jumped up in agitation. "Saying this kind of crap—do you not consider me a brother? The men who handled Song Jiawen were mine. You're my sworn brother. How does it have nothing to do with me?"
Before entering the courtyard, I glared fiercely at Xu Rang. "If you consider me a brother, listen to me this one time."
Xu Rang wanted to argue more and chased me toward Chen Qiang's courtyard, but Yang Huzi held him back.
"Xu Rang, Big Brother said only Number Two goes in."
With Xu Rang blocked by Yang Huzi, I stood before the courtyard gate, took a deep breath, and without knocking, pushed the door open and walked in.
In the center of the courtyard, Chen Qiang and Xu Feilin were sitting. Song Jiawen and his men were standing behind Xu Feilin, staring at me icily.
Their gazes were like knives; they looked like they wanted to hack me into a thousand pieces.
I took another deep breath, closed my eyes briefly, then opened them again and strode into the courtyard.
"Big Brother, I'm here."