"All right, let's talk." Shen Mingsong's expression was terrifyingly dark. The wrench in his hand tapped Yang Fan's face lightly, not hard at all—yet a single slip of force would have shattered several of his teeth. "Tell me—where were you planning to lure my little sister?"
Only then did Yang Fan realize whom he had offended. He no longer dared glance toward Song Erya, hurriedly tucking his tail between his legs and begging for mercy. "I was wrong, I was wrong, brother. I didn't know she was your sister. I'll apologize to her."
Lu Nian glanced at the girl behind Shen Mingsong. The two didn't look alike, and he had never heard of Shen Mingsong having a sister.
But he had heard Yang Fan's filthy remarks clearly. Even if she weren't Shen Mingsong's sister, he still couldn't stand seeing someone bully a young girl.
He rushed up and slapped Yang Fan across the face. "Harassing a little girl—what kind of guts is that? Try harassing me instead and see whether your dad here has developed or not!"
Song Erya looked up at the foul-mouthed boy for a long moment. She remembered him—he was one of Uncle Mingsong's friends.
Lu Nian had a heavy hand; Yang Fan's face swelled immediately. He didn't even dare resist, bowing his head and apologizing to Song Erya again and again, nearly dropping to his knees.
Afraid Shen Mingsong would really beat someone and draw the police, Song Erya hurried forward and tugged his arm. "Brother, let's go."
Shen Mingsong shot her a chilling look, scanning her from head to toe to make sure she was unharmed. Only then did he grab Yang Fan by the hair and deliver two more hard slaps before tossing him aside.
Lu Nian added another round of threats, telling him to get lost and warning that if he was ever caught bullying girls again, he wouldn't be walking away.
Yang Fan scrambled off in a panic.
Shen Mingsong then dragged Song Erya by the wrist out of the underground skating rink. His expression was grim all the way, like an enraged father who had caught his daughter hanging around delinquents.
He hauled her back beneath the banyan tree, casually picked up a thin branch, and raised it to strike her. "Song Yao—this is the kind of people you mix with at school?"
"Brother Song, you really shouldn't hit kids," the boys who had stayed behind rushed over when they saw Shen Mingsong dragging a little girl around so fiercely, afraid he might actually make her cry.
Someone asked, "Where'd this kid come from, Brother Song? Don't tell me you kidnapped her?"
"Oh, I remember now." With the skating rink so dim earlier, Lu Nian only now got a clear look at Song Erya's face. He clapped his hands. "Isn't this the idiot kid from the police station last time? She even called you 'uncle.'"
"Uncle? Then she's your niece. Hi there—I'm your Uncle Taoran. Hello, kid, can you understand what Uncle's saying?"
Song Erya felt like she was suffocating.
"I think you're the idiots," Ming Qiuyue cut in coldly.
The noise around him grated on Shen Mingsong's nerves. He told them all to get lost and stop yelling.
Amid the chaos, Song Erya quietly grabbed the branch. While the boys were clowning around, she snapped it in two.
Shen Mingsong shot her a look, tossed the broken branch aside, and pinched her cheek between two fingers. "Tell me—will you dare do this again?"
"No, I won't." Song Erya shook her head obediently. Her glassy eyes were clear and bright as she coaxed him with a smile, cupping the hand pinching her cheek. "Brother, don't tell my sister, okay?"
Shen Mingsong couldn't take it. He jerked his hand back at once.
There was something uncanny about this girl—why was she always acting cute around him?
In the end, though, he didn't tell Song Fang.
~
After that incident, the boys in the back row rarely bothered Song Erya again, avoiding her whenever they could.
Rumors spread through the class that she had a brother who ran with gangsters, and that anyone who provoked her would have their head smashed open with a wrench.
Her deskmate quietly erased the dividing line between them. Lin Feifei also stopped talking to her much.
Song Erya didn't feel much about it. She hadn't even gotten angry yet—why was Lin Feifei upset first? Some people just couldn't get along. What could you do?
She was the type who gathered friends around her, lively and conspicuous. She studied well and was happy to explain problems to classmates. As long as no one provoked her, she was good-natured. Since no one had actually seen her rumored brother, things soon returned to normal.
On the sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, it was Song Yao's birthday. Using her employee discount, Song Fang bought her a reddish-brown plaid coat and paired it with a beret. It was meant for her birthday and also to be worn as New Year clothes.
Fashion was cyclical; even decades later, this coat would still look stylish—a retro classic.
The birthday was simple, and Song Erya was content. Life went on as usual—monthly exams, midterms, finals—and just like that, the semester ended and winter break arrived.
Winter in Coconut City never brought snow, but there was often a lingering drizzle that left the ground damp and soaked the clothes hanging outside with morning frost.
Winter break was short. Shen Mingsong continued going out to sea with Uncle Tao, hoping to earn a good sum before the New Year.
Song Erya's chicks also grew rapidly, reaching four or five jin in weight. Cute when small, they became noisy when grown—producing enormous amounts of droppings and pecking people, pecking her many times.
Song Fang said the roosters would be slaughtered for New Year, while the hens would be kept for eggs. Every morning she fried an egg for Song Erya; the rest were saved and sold.
On New Year's Eve, the family went to Grandma's house for dinner. The old woman felt Song Erya's new clothes and asked about the price, looking displeased. She thought it was wasteful to spend so much on her when Song Guoliang didn't even have new clothes.
At midnight, fireworks exploded across the city. The Song family gathered together in lively celebration. People asked Song Fang when she would start dating and get married, saying several young men were interested in her.
Song Fang showed little interest. She said she still had siblings to support through school and that no one wanted to take on someone with dependents.
The old woman bluntly said Song Erya should go to work after finishing middle school.
"No," Song Fang replied firmly. "Yao Yao has excellent grades. She'll definitely become a college student someday." She had given up on Song Guoliang long ago—her sister absolutely had to continue studying.
Unwilling to listen to such nonsense, Song Erya pulled Song Fang outside to set off fireworks.
Tao Dongdong and the others were playing in the alley. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, smoke swirling—one breath was enough to smell the joy of the New Year.
Shen Mingsong also wheeled his mother out to watch the fireworks. As the sky filled with brilliant explosions, a rare, relaxed smile appeared on his usually somber face.
Shen Xiaonian was throwing match crackers around with his friends, either blowing up dog bowls or scaring girls. Seeing Song Erya laughing happily with a sparkler, he decided to scare her too. He struck a match and tossed a cracker at her.
It landed on her with a bang. Startled, she dropped her sparkler, her mind blank.
The cracker wasn't powerful—just frightening.
Song Fang reacted immediately, rushing over to grab Shen Xiaonian by the ear and scolding him. "You little brat—why are your hands so itchy? Not enough tormenting Da Huang, now you're bullying my sister too? You asking for a slap?"
It wasn't that Song Fang had a mild temper in her youth—she simply couldn't stand up to the old woman. But she had no tolerance for outsiders.
Shen Xiaonian's mother, Lin Guihua, was nearby. Seeing this, she hurried over to smooth things over. "They're just kids playing around. Don't take it so seriously, Xiao Fang. It's New Year's—why hit a child?"
Song Fang snapped back, "If you can't teach your child properly, I'll help you."
Lin Guihua's face changed instantly. "How dare you talk to an elder like that!"
Shen Xiaonian's family was notorious for being troublesome. Seeing Song Fang was young, Lin Guihua tried to pressure her with seniority, telling her to let it go. Shen Xiaonian hid behind her, pulling faces.
Suddenly, a string of firecrackers was tossed at their feet, crackling loudly. Lin Guihua shrieked and fell to the ground.
Shen Mingsong flicked his hand, extinguishing the matchstick.
"Oh my god!" Lin Guihua screamed. "Shen Mingsong, you little bastard!"
"Aunt," Shen Mingsong said politely. "Happy New Year."
His gaze was icy, his smile sinister, like a mad dog ready to lunge and bite.
A sudden fear rose in Lin Guihua's chest, and she fell silent. Years ago, she might have scolded this arrogant nephew with ease, but now he was grown—strong, able to earn his own living, and no longer cared about his paternal family.
He no longer valued blood ties. He didn't even spend New Year with them. To him, they were closer to enemies—after all, they had once nearly driven him and his mother to death.
It was just a small incident. Shen Xiaonian and his mother were clearly at fault, and a few onlookers stepped in to smooth things over. The matter ended there.
Some people whispered that the Song sisters hadn't taken care of Mingzhu for nothing—they had gained a man who would stand up for them.
However, early the next morning, Song Erya was woken by the sound of crashing and banging from next door.
When she got dressed and went over, the yard was crowded and chaotic. Mingzhu's wheelchair lay overturned in the courtyard.
***
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