Moving House at Fifty-Two

Seeing me put down my phone, Lin Xiaoyu lowered her voice and asked, “Feng, who were you talking to? Was it your girlfriend?” After our brief conversation earlier, her demeanor had relaxed considerably; she was no longer as tense and uneasy as she’d been when we first met.

I gave a wry smile and replied, “You could say that. But I can’t be entirely sure.” Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyu looked at me timidly, curiosity shining in her eyes. “Feng, I heard you went to prison because of that thing. Is it true?”

I couldn’t help but ask, “Do you believe that, little sister?” Lin Xiaoyu whispered, “Feng, I know you’re a good person. You would never do something like that. My brother told me you only went in because of money.”

I shook my head. “Don’t go guessing, little sister. Who knows, maybe I really am a bad person—the one who brought harm to your brother.” She didn’t press any further, just lowered her head and continued with her homework.

Feeling that my presence in the room might distract her from her studies, I left and headed for the door. At that moment, my craving for a cigarette flared up, so I went to the little shop at the alley’s entrance to buy a pack of Red-Label Liqun.

I handed over twenty yuan. The shopkeeper glanced at me with a puzzled look and said, “Liqun is twenty-three a pack now.” I searched my pockets but couldn’t find three yuan in change. “But I remember Liqun was only twenty a pack!” I protested. The shopkeeper replied gruffly, “That’s ancient history. It’s been twenty-three for a while.”

“All right, I’ll send you the three yuan via Alipay. By the way, how much is the disposable lighter?” I asked. He handed the lighter to me. “Two yuan. You can pay with Alipay.”

I paid with my phone. Everything’s getting more expensive these days, I thought. Even the disposable lighters, which I remember used to be just one yuan each. I took the lighter, lit a cigarette, and smoked it at the entrance to the alley. Before long, Fatty returned with Aunt Lin.

Seeing me standing outside, Aunt Lin asked curiously, “Feng, why aren’t you inside?” I replied, “Auntie, I wanted to smoke a cigarette outside.”

Fatty overheard and said, “Having a smoke? Give me one too.” I took out the Liqun to offer him, but he snatched the whole pack from my hand. “Liqun, nice cigarettes! Let’s trade,” he declared, tossing me a half-used pack of Red Double Happiness.

I laughed, “Damn! Good thing I only bought the twenty-yuan Liqun. If I’d bought the premium stuff, I’d really be losing out.”

Fatty grinned, “Look at you, so stingy. You’re a rich man now, with the latest iPhone and all, yet you’re still embarrassed about smoking Liqun?”

Seeing us chatting outside, Aunt Lin smiled, “Why not come inside and sit?” I said, “Little sister is studying—didn’t want to disturb her.” Fatty nodded, “Auntie, you go in. Feng and I will finish our cigarettes out here.”

Aunt Lin took the empty suitcase inside, and Fatty squatted beside me, lighting up. Watching him, I couldn’t help but light another cigarette myself. “Fatty, send me the video of Ironhead’s accident.”

Fatty nodded. “I copied about an hour of footage. The part where Ironhead gets hit should be in there.” He sent me the video. I played it back quickly, scanning the car’s movements—it looked suspicious.

Fatty leaned against me. “Feng, if you find evidence that guy hit Ironhead on purpose, are you planning to report it to the police?”

I took a long drag, feeling the weight of the situation. Even if I could prove it was deliberate, if he refused to confess, there was little I could do. Let alone dealing with Qian Duobao—it would be hard enough to handle Xu Qingyun. Besides, if it was proved that Huang Yongfa hit Ironhead on purpose, the insurance wouldn’t pay out. Then Ironhead’s medical bills and lost wages would be left unresolved, and at best, the perpetrator would only get a few extra years in prison.

Qian Duobao was a second-generation rich kid, with deep roots here. Toppling him with just this incident was impossible.

I shook my head. “We can’t act rashly. Otherwise, we could provoke even bigger trouble.” Fatty nodded. “That’s what I think too. We’re no match for them, so it’s best not to alert them just yet.”

I said, “Right. A gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years. I’ll get justice for Ironhead, but now isn’t the time. And we can’t let Aunt Lin or little sister know about this—they’d be scared and anxious, especially with her exams coming up.”

Fatty replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word.” I continued, “I want to act, but only after Ironhead recovers and little sister can go study elsewhere. I can’t drag them into this.”

“If you ever decide to act, just let me know,” Fatty said. “I want to help, too.” I asked, “Aren’t you afraid of ending up like Ironhead because of me?” Fatty replied, “Ironhead’s our brother. How could I not help avenge him?”

I patted his shoulder. “All right. For now, let’s put aside thoughts of revenge and focus on helping little sister.”

Fatty asked, “Got any ideas?” I replied, “I live in Oasis Community—it’s close to her school. I want her to move there.”

Fatty smiled, “Great idea!” I added, “But the truth is, that place isn’t really mine—it belongs to someone else.” Fatty laughed, “Yeah, I know. Some rich beauty fancied you and gave it to you. Now you want to keep your little darling tucked away.”

“Cut it out, Fatty. Little sister’s at a sensitive age—don’t joke like that in front of her.”

Fatty stuck out his tongue. “Got it.” I patted his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go inside and talk to Aunt Lin and little sister. You can help them move when the time comes.”

Fatty grinned, “No problem. I can borrow a big electric tricycle from the hotel and help them.”

We went in together. Aunt Lin made tea for us and invited us to sit.

I said, “Auntie, I have an apartment sitting empty in Oasis Community. I’d like you to move there—it’s close to the school and would be convenient for little sister.”

Aunt Lin was surprised. “How could that be? That’s your future marital home—you can’t just let us live there.”

Fatty chimed in, grinning, “Auntie, Feng’s been picked by a rich beauty—he’ll be living in a villa soon. That apartment means nothing to him now. Besides, little sister’s health is delicate, and getting up so early every day isn’t good for her.”

I added, “Auntie, little sister’s exams are coming up—it’s important for her to have a good environment for studying.”

Fatty said, “Auntie, don’t stand on ceremony. Feng and I are Ironhead’s brothers—we’re big brothers to Xiaoyu too. Helping her is the least we can do.”