Chapter 6 (1/2)
Hu Yu soon learned about the boycott, then she heard the school canceled Class 5’s English lessons. It frightened her so much she wanted to rush to the principal’s office to apologize, but her students stopped her.
Who says A must say B; moreover, half of the reason they did it was to get back at Li Yurong for bullying Hu Yu. Besides, what was the difference between having or not having a teacher like Li Yurong? Even Hu Yu’s own son, Gao Sheng only felt vengeful glee. Li Yurong harassed Hu Yu for so long but didn’t suffer any consequences—on the contrary, it was smooth sailing for her. This time, she experienced an unprecedented fall, enough to shame her for a few years. Perhaps now that she ran with her tail between her legs, she’d learn to behave herself.
In order to convince Hu Yu, Gao Sheng and a few of Class 5’s students showed her the notes they took listening to Lin Jingzhe explanation. The content was clear and easily understood, who knew how much better than anything Li Yurong had ever taught them. Finally, Hu Yu let herself to be coaxed by them and agreed to let the things continue as they were.
Hu Yu felt helpless. She hated her own clumsy tongue, because of which she failed to create a good environment for the students. She hated Li Yurong for being such a wretched waste of a teacher, and she even hated the school leadership. They actually canceled English class for third-year students! It was ridiculous!
Though she was denied work benefits, was not included in the official teachers’ quota, and suffered all kinds of injustices, Hu Yu patiently endured. But this time, for the first time, she was disappointed with the school where she’d been teaching, giving her all, for so many years.
However, she was also a little comforted—the children were quite obedient to Lin Jingzhe and were now doing their assignments, putting in many times more effort it than usual.
She embraced the stack of textbooks and the revised curriculum she’d spent several days researching, and which the school’s headship rejected without a sliver of hesitation. The timid attitude she formed because of being constantly doubted and questioned was replaced by the unprecedented firmness of mind.
Give a try, a voice in her head said. Try it.
Class 5 had no path of retreat, and their results couldn’t possibly be any worse.
Try it, what’s the harm?
Baima Street was close to Jiefang Road. By day, it was a commercial street, but after night fell, it hosted many the night market. It was Liyun Town’s busiest place.
Gao Sheng couldn’t hide his excitement at the thought he’d soon meet the Liyun Town’s “mafia boss.” He carried Lin Jingzhe’s bag and walked down the stalls. Even the fragrance of grilled skewers from the barbecue stall didn’t slow his steps. Occasionally, he’d get too far ahead and have to backtrack to his irritatingly slow friend.
“Jingzhe, Jingzhe.” He daydreamed of the future. “What should I do if Zhou Haitang’s big brother recognizes my worth? I heard not only is he powerful, but also—rich! You know the game room on the street behind the school? It’s owned by him. Zhou Haitang must’ve burned a ton of incense in front of his ancestors’ graves to get to know this guy.”
Burned incense? Don’t you mean dug up their graves and desecrated corpses? Lin Jingzhe ambled, staring at the ground, both hands in his pockets. His lowered head made people unable to see the expression on his face. “Uhm,” he replied perfunctorily.
He wasn’t listening to Gao Sheng. Instead, he recalled the memories of his past life.
The public order in Liyun Town was poor and would be for years to come. Before the government took severe measures to deal with criminal activities, all kinds of gangs and underworld dwellers had free run of the place.
However, in his impression, these gangs were small fries, satisfied with collecting protection fees and owning a disco or games room. Things continued like that until an outside force appeared in 1998—only then did Liyun Town learn the real underworld. Compared with them, the local “mafia” was like a flock of herbivores and was swallowed clean in less than a week. Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang’s gang disappeared just like that.
He pondered as they walked when something suddenly attracted his attention, and he looked back. The red-haired man in a leather jacket walking some distance behind them was caught unaware and didn’t manage to look away in time.
The man kept close to the wall, trying to be unobtrusive. Realizing he had been noticed, he pretended to act—poorly—as if nothing was wrong, and hid in the crowd. He had “I’m not a respectable person” written all over him—he seemed to be a low-ranked gang member.
Deng Mai’s warning flashed through his mind: Jiang Run said he’s gonna ask his ‘big brothers’ to teach you a lesson.
A plan hatching in his mind, Lin Jingzhe calmly kicked away a stone under foot.
The easternmost stall of the night market was a large food stall; the fragrance of its fried noodles spread through the whole street. They hadn’t reached it yet when they heard a loud, excited voice calling them: “Jingzhe! Gao Sheng! Here! This way!”
Lin Jingzhe looked up, and the expression in his eyes became deep upon seeing his old friend. On the street not far from the food stall, there stood two round, plastic tables packed with people. The long-not-seen, still childish-looking Zhou Haitang stood among them, jumping and waving.
Lin Jingzhe’s hands clenched in his pockets, moist with sweat. He kept recalling the prematurely aged Zhou Haitang he visited in prison in his previous life and wanted to bash this youthful, cheery face in.
You fucking idiot, of all stupid things, you just had to get involved with the fucking underworld!
He took a few deep breaths to repress the violent impulse.
Gao Sheng had already run over. However, apparently in awe of the “big boss,” he abruptly slowed down before crossing the food stall’s gate, and his steps became cautious.
Zhou Haitang took upon himself to break the ice: “Let me introduce you. This is Big Brother Xu Liang, the number one man in Eastern Earthquake Gang! Brother Xu, these are my good friends, Gao Sheng and Lin Jingzhe—I mentioned them to you, please take care of them from now on.”
Xu Liang was tall and fat, looking about 220 pounds; the plastic chair almost collapsed under him. He had a high, shiny forehead, afflicted with seborrheic dermatitis, and a brutish face. Though it was a cold spring evening, he only wore a low-cut jacket under a big, undone coat, revealing the tiger’s head tattoo in the middle of his chest. A single glance was enough to see he was not an upright citizen.
For a former “reformed-through-labor” prisoner, he really could bluff.
When Gao Sheng saw the tiger’s head, he immediately greeted him respectfully: “Brother Xu.”
What power and prestige! He eyed the people sitting at the two tables, who were obviously Brother Xu’s men, and was filled with reverence. Red and yellow-haired men, wearing leather and denim jackets… These people were obviously from a different world than him. Eastern Earthquake Gang—with such a domineering name, they must be an existence that calls the wind and summons the rain in Liyun Town. If he could become a member of such an organization, would anyone dare to bully Hu Yu again?!
Xu Liang let out a deep hum and raised his eyelids to glance at Gao Sheng, then his gaze swept over Lin Jingzhe, who followed behind.
Lin Jingzhe looked him up and down with an ambiguous expression. The corners of his mouth twitched. “Brother Xu,” he said.
In Liyun Town of the early nineties, Xu Liang was probably the most “evil man” people could imagine. Lin Jingzhe, however, was speechless—why the hell did Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang decide to follow such an incompetent buffoon in the previous life? Fuck, he really wanted to get a camera and take pictures so he could show them to those two fools in twenty years, to let them remember their so-called rebellious youth.
It was the first time Xu Liang met a teenager who didn’t shake in his boots at his sight. He looked at Lin Jingzhe and, inexplicably, felt his prestige as a gang leader was threatened.
So, he threw down his chopsticks and said—to Zhou Haitang, but staring at Lin Jingzhe all the while: “I didn’t expect you to have such an… extraordinary brother, huh.”
A little anxious, Zhou Haitang sprang to his feet and rushed to Lin Jingzhe’s side. It took Lin Jingzhe by surprise, and he moved aside, avoiding him, but Zhou Haitang didn’t care about that. He grabbed his friend and urged in a low voice, “Don’t be like this, Jingzhe. Brother Xu has powerful connections and much influence in our Liyun Town. They say he can kill without batting an eye; don’t provoke him!”
Speechless, Lin Jingzhe looked at his genuine nervousness and said with a blank expression, “Okay.”
Zhou Haitang smiled with embarrassment. “I haven’t seen you for only a week, how come I think you’re getting more and more good-looking?” He felt the protruding shoulder bones under his palm, and his attention immediately shifted. There was a flash of pain in his eyes. He rummaged through his pockets and fished out a wad of banknotes held together with a rubber band. “Here! This is the salary Brother Xu gave me. I missed your birthday, so take this and get yourself a birthday cake.”
The condition of Zhou Haitang’s family wasn’t good. Both of his parents used to work in Liyun Thermos Factory, but last year one was laid off, and their economic situation worsened even more. There were about a hundred yuan in that roll of banknotes—that year, it was a big sum of money for young people. Lin Jingzhe had no doubt this was all Zhou Haitang had on him, and this gesture warmed him (though he wasn’t short of money).
He pushed Zhou Haitang aside, giving him a cold glance, but his expression eased a bit. Actually, the person he was truly disgusted with was Xu Liang.
Although the man was just a ratbag and bully, not some hardened criminal, heavens only knew how many innocent teenagers went astray because of him!
One corner of his mouth curled up in a smirk. He watched Xu Liang unblinkingly for a moment then, under the man’s malicious gaze, walked to the table and picked up an unopened bottle of beer. He expertly knocked it against the iron rod supporting the awning—with one move, the bottle cap fell.