Tang San rubbed his nose and laughed awkwardly. How could he have the nerve to tell Brother Du that the wine was bought for the purpose of getting him drunk? He found a small stool and sat down. Then, he sighed as he said to Du Xi, "Brother, we've been with you for so many years and have always treated you as our biological brother. Don't hide anything from us. Tell us what's troubling you and we'll think of a way to get through it together! It's better than holding it in!"
Seeing that he was acting up again, Du Xi couldn't even be bothered to look at him. His gaze was fixed on his phone as he said, "Can you stop nagging? Why are you blabbering so much nonsense?" Seeing that Tang San was blabbering on even though he was ignoring him, Du Xi lit a cigarette and said aloofly, "If you're too idle, I'll arrange more work for you after work tomorrow night."
His words made the chattering Tang San stop. Tang San held back the words that were about to come out of his mouth and didn't dare to speak again. He could only place all his hopes on Liu Qiang. Tang San looked at Liu Qiang with anticipation in an attempt to obtain his help. However, not only did Liu Qiang not help him, but he even rolled his eyes at him. Tang San was speechless. So he was the one who was too nosy? The two of them had discussed it just now, but now that Liu Qiang saw that Brother Du seemed displeased, Liu Qiang decisively abandoned him.
When he saw Du Xi's meaningful expression, Tang San wiped away his nonexistent tears and squeezed out an awkward smile. "Well, it's getting late, so I won't disturb you anymore. Brother, go to bed early!" After he finished speaking, he pulled Liu Qiang and was about to get up to leave when he accidentally tripped over the table leg and brought down a box on the table.
He wanted to reach out to pick it up, but his hand was slapped to the side by Du Xi. As he stood at the side in a daze, he felt a little wronged. Wasn't it just a broken box? How could it be more important than their many years of brotherhood? It wasn't anything valuable, so why was he so nervous?
Fortunately, he had a good balance. Otherwise, he might have really been knocked to the ground by Du Xi. Du Xi ignored him and bent down to pick up the scattered things back into the box.
Tang San stood up straight and was about to leave when he turned around and accidentally saw Du Xi's phone at the head of the bed. The screen was lit, and a photo was enlarged. He saw the person on the screen clearly. In the dark night, the little girl looked like an elf who had accidentally entered the mortal world. She had rosy lips, clear eyes, and fair skin. As she sat quietly on the wooden chair, her appearance was adorable.
No matter how he looked at the photo, she looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before. Just as he was about to ask, he was kicked out by Du Xi. "You incompetent fool. Get lost quickly."
Tang San felt wronged. Although he was a little gossipy sometimes, he was usually quite reliable.
He watched helplessly as the door was slammed shut. Then, he shook his head and pulled Liu Qiang to the backyard. "Let's go over quickly. Otherwise, those bastards will eat all the skewers." Halfway there, he suddenly stopped and slapped his forehead hard. "I remember now. I finally remember where I saw that young lady before."
...
In March in Longjiang City, the snow had just melted. The old trees on the street had yet to sprout, and everywhere still appeared desolate. The northernmost village in Longjiang City, Dawn Village, was the most remote and backward village in the entire city. After entering from the town, there was only one mountain path that could accommodate two people passing through at the same time.
The snow had turned into water and was mixed with the soil on the mountain path. It was a waste of time and effort to go to the village at this time, and if there was nothing especially important, the villagers wouldn't leave the village.
On a good day, it would take nearly four to five hours to walk back to the village from the town. In this sort of weather, it would take even longer.
When Du Xi arrived at the town, it was just past eight in the morning. When he reached the entrance of Dawn Village, the sun was about to set and the sky was gradually darkening. He didn't enter the village. Instead, he walked around the side path. On the right side of the hill, there were a few red brick bungalows. They were his destination.
After he climbed up the hill, a flat ground hundreds of square meters wide was revealed. The five-star red flag erected in the middle of the flat ground showed that this was a village school. A few steps forward, he saw a dilapidated mud house with the door closed. It was quiet, and there was only a wisp of green smoke floating into the sky, indicating that this place was inhabited.