Chapter 60

At 1 o'clock in the morning, Buyecheng is as lively as ever [1]. The wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves in the private room upstairs sounded through the window and out into the street [2]. A man had finished his indulgence, pushed the door askew and came out to stop the car.

This is the most sensual place in Runcheng, and it can be said that it is full of filth. Perhaps because there are some forces behind it, or nothing has been caught yet, but since it opened two years ago, there has not been any rectification program.

Looking at a group of dissolute men and women in front of him, Tang Junhe squeezed the box in his pocket with some trepidation. He took a deep breath at the door, and then walked in.

There was a rest area in the hall on the first floor, with men and women sitting in pairs. He found a remote corner and sat down, stretched out his hand to pull down the hood, and looked at the surrounding environment.

Not long after, a drunken woman sat over. Tang Junhe smelled the smell of alcohol from that person, and subconsciously wanted to move aside, but in the end he held back and stayed still.

The woman tilted her head and looked at him unabashedly, and Tang Junhe also turned to look at her. Her face was painted with heavy smokey makeup, making it difficult to tell her age.

"How old are you?" The woman looked at him for a moment, then asked in a drawn-out tone, with a slightly hoarse smoker’s voice.

"18." Tang Junhe said.

"Really? You are 18?" She leaned in and examined his appearance. The smell of wine and perfume mixed together, and hit his face.

Tang Junhe saw her bright red lips that had come closer, and he suddenly thought of Yang Xuan. He looked at her intently. But Yang Xuan always smelled good, even if he smelled of cigarettes and alcohol, it would be mixed in and neutralized by his natural body scent.

He turned his face to avoid the strong smell on her body.

Seeing that he didn't speak, she asked again: "It's so late, what are you doing here, kid?"

"Looking for someone." Tang Junhe tried his best to behave naturally.

"Who are you looking for? Let me find them for you. I know this place very well."

Tang Junhe thought for a while, took out the cigarette case from his pocket, handed it to her and asked, "I want to buy this, do you know where I can find it?"

The person brought it over and looked at the case. She pulled out the metal box inside, as if trying to concentrate. After a while, she shook her head and said confusedly: "I haven't seen it before."

Tang Junhe was not surprised by such a result, but he was still a little disappointed. He reached out and took the cigarette case, and put it back in his pocket.

"You smoke?" The woman looked at him with great interest.

Tang Junhe didn't respond.

"Or are you actually with the police?" Maybe because she felt that this speculation was too absurd, the woman laughed as she spoke.

"Whatever you think." Tang Junhe said.

"Well, I can't help you with this." She stood up crookedly, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "However, if you want to have sex, my friend there can help you. You won't be charged."

Tang Junhe looked up at her, and said coldly: "No, thank you."

After staying in the lobby for nearly an hour, except for being accosted this time, nothing else happened. Despite the deliberate choice of clothes he put on before going out, he still looked too out of place. Besides, he is not good at chatting with people proactively, and there are few people alone like himself, so staying here makes him restless. He observed the cigarettes in everyone's hands, but he couldn't find the one he was looking for. 

He’d come in vain. Tang Junhe returned home, opened the door lightly as usual, and quietly stepped in. At 2:30 in the morning, Tang Xiaonian and Yang Chengchuan were sleeping soundly in their room, and this night walk did not disturb them.

Tang Junhe returned to his room, laid on the bed and looked at the cigarette in his hand. He fell into deep thought again — should I hand it over to the police? If he hands it over, and if he’s lucky, the police will investigate the source of the cigarette, and then find a witness from the class that night, proving that Feng Bo did induce him to smoke the cigarette... But, what if Feng Bo denies that this cigarette has anything to do with him? What if he transfers the blame over to Yang Xuan? After all, the people present at that time all saw Yang Xuan taking out the pack of cigarettes...

To create direct evidence between Feng Bo and the cigarette, and to exclude Yang Xuan as much as possible... Looking at the swaying tree shadows outside the window, he gradually perfected the next steps of the plan in his mind.

It was almost three o'clock in the morning, and Tang Junhe still didn't feel sleepy. He took out the mobile phone that Yang Chengchuan gave him when he first came to this house from the drawer, and opened the address book. There are only two numbers in his contacts, one is Tang Xiaonian's and the other is Yang Xuan's.

Is Yang Xuan still using this number? Can I receive text messages from him when he arrives in the United States? Tang Junhe thought for a while, and entered a few words: "Ge, have you landed yet?" After hesitating for a moment, he pressed the send button.

Maybe Yang Xuan won't receive this text message at all, maybe he won't reply if he receives it, Tang Junhe thought while holding the phone. Even so, he wanted to talk to his brother, even if he didn't receive a response.

After this text message was sent, Tang Junhe closed his eyes and started getting sleepy. While he was half-dreaming and half-awake, the mobile phone in his hand suddenly started to vibrate, and he woke up immediately. He picked up the phone and saw a series of strange numbers on the caller ID. The attribution below showed that the number was from Seattle, United States.

Tang Junhe stared at the screen with his eyes wide open, sat up from the bed, and when he pressed the accept button, his fingertips were trembling slightly.

The call was connected, and Yang Xuan said on the other end: "I’m here." The surroundings seemed a little noisy, and an old lady's voice came over, sounding like she was trying to persuade him to call after dinner. Yang Xuan said, "I'll be there soon." He had moved the phone away from his mouth; his voice sounded farther than before.

"Is that your grandma?" Tang Junhe asked.

Yang Xuan let out a "Mnn" and asked: "Why are you still awake, what time is it?"

"It's past three o'clock."

"Can't sleep again?"

"Well, I thought you wouldn't talk to me when you went to the United States," Tang Junhe hugged his calf and said with his chin on his knee, "and I said some wrong things this afternoon."

"What did you say wrong?" Yang Xuan asked.

"If I want to be with you, I should go with you instead of you staying for me." Tang Junhe truthfully expressed his thoughts.

"That's it," Yang Xuan gave a low laugh, and asked again: "Then will you come with me?"

"I will." Tang Junhe nodded, as if Yang Xuan could really see him. His tone was very firm, as if he was talking about something that was certain, and then he was a little discouraged, "But ge, can you wait for me, maybe next year, or maybe the year after, it won't be long..."

"Go to sleep, it's already so late." Yang Xuan interrupted him.

Tang Junhe hadn't finished speaking yet. He wanted Yang Xuan to wait for him to grow up a little bit, leave Runcheng, escape Tang Xiaonian's airtight care, then he could go with him, anywhere would be fine. But Yang Xuan told him to sleep, so he could only swallow the next words.

"Okay..." He responded, and asked again, "Ge, can we still talk on the phone on New Year's Eve?"

The old woman over there seemed to say something again, and Yang Xuan's voice sounded further away, turning into a vague humming noise. It took a few seconds for it to become clear again: "What did you just say?"

"It's nothing." Tang Junhe said, burying his face on his knees.

In the next few days, Tang Junhe went to The City that Never Sleeps several times in the quiet of the night. Occasionally, someone would come over to strike up a conversation, but when they saw him take out the cigarette case, their reactions were different. Some people’s complexion would change, like they were suspecting that he was an addict, and left with an excuse. Others would enthusiastically recommend other alternatives to him, saying that the effects of these things were similar. Some people were not interested in the cigarette case in his hand; it is self-evident that the priority was to ask for a date to have a meal.

After a few times, Tang Junhe gradually lost the restraint he had when he first came. Sometimes when he saw someone who seemed likely to provide clues, he would deliberately look at that person. People here are usually drunk and confused. After observing for a long time, Tang Junhe also changed his habit of staring straight at people. He would lift his chin slightly and gaze at others with his eyelids slightly dropping, which made him look more mature and blend in with the surrounding environment more. He is a quick learner and his ability to imitate is quite amazing.

Being stared at by a boy with an outstanding appearance, few people will ignore it, not to mention that this is the most lively place for hooking up in Runcheng. Most people come here just to have fun.

Tang Junhe would also often see the woman who came to strike up a conversation with him on the first night. The men who accompanied her changed one after another, but every time she showed the same expression and intimate behavior, with only one exception:

That time, he was ready to leave, and just as he opened the door and stepped out, there was a loud "bang" behind him. It was the sound of a smashing wine bottle smashing against the other side of the door. He turned his head subconsciously, and saw the woman who accosted him that night drenched in wine, her back hunched, and she couldn't resist reaching for the door to escape, while another woman with a ferocious face was holding a bag in her hand, hitting her hard on the head.

The woman covered her face in embarrassment and kept begging for mercy. The bag on her shoulders had fallen to the ground, and all kinds of cosmetics, small mirrors, coin purses, and mobile phones rolled out, soaked in the spilled red wine. Before she could pick it up, she was dragged away by the woman in front of her by her hair. The spectators gathered in a circle, pointing at that side, gossiping with the people around about this sudden "existing partner vs. prostitute" incident, and no one cared about the mess on the ground.

Tang Junhe opened the door, bent down and picked up the bag and those scattered things on the floor. Seeing that there was still a pack of unopened tissues in the bag, he took it out and roughly wiped off the things that were stained with wine. He then put them all in the bag, left it at the front desk and left silently.

The fourth time he came to the city that never sleeps, Tang Junhe only stayed for half an hour before getting up and leaving. Later that day, at noon, Tang Xiaonian asked him over lunch if he hadn’t slept well at night. Tang Junhe lied that he drank too much water before going to bed and went to the bathroom several times in the middle of the night. Tang Xiaonian seemed a little suspicious. But after all, Yang Xuan was not home these past few days, and Tang Junhe's final exam results made her quite satisfied. Tang Xiaonian was in a good mood, so he didn't pursue the matter too much.

Standing at the gate of the city that never sleeps, Tang Junhe exhaled a long breath, which instantly condensed into a thin cloud of white steam in the air eight degrees below zero. Someone pushed the door diagonally behind him, he turned his head, and saw the woman who had struck up a conversation with him again. She was coming out cuddling a man—not so much cuddling, but she was supporting the drunk man with her body. He walked out crookedly and with difficulty. The bag on her shoulders kept swaying with her movements. It was a different one from the one Tang Junhe had picked up and put on the front desk that night.

"Hey handsome, open the door for me." The woman pushed a small gap against the glass door and called to him.

Tang Junhe walked to the door and stretched out his hand to pull the door open.

"Thanks," the woman looked at him and said, "It would be even better if you could call me a car, I really can't help it..."

Tang Junhe followed them, walked to the side of the road and stopped a taxi, then took a step back, watching the woman with heavy makeup get the person on her into the car.

"Fuck, I can't do anything after drinking so much, I wasted the whole night..." She rubbed her shoulders and complained, then looked at Tang Junhe and said, "Why are you here again, you haven’t bought it yet?"

"Yeah." Tang Junhe said.

"You smoke it yourself?" The woman looked at him.

Tang Junhe didn't directly answer "yes" or "no", but just looked at her.

"There are all kinds of this kind of thing, and the effect is practically the same..." The woman lit a cigarette and smoked, "I have a friend who sells some similar stuff. Would you like to try a different flavor?"

Tang Junhe shook his head and said, "I just want this."

"Take it out and let me see."

Tang Junhe took out the cigarette case from his pocket and handed it to her again. She looked down carefully, then raised her eyes and said, "I can ask for you, but I can't guarantee that anything will come up." After she finished speaking, she held the cigarette case and said, "I'll keep this first?"

"No," Tang Junhe said nervously, "I can't give this to you."

"Then how should I ask?" The woman took out her mobile phone from her shoulder bag and said, "Forget it, I’ll take a photo." She photographed the front and back of the cigarette case, and smiled meaningfully , "Leave me your cell phone number?"

"I don't have a mobile phone." Tang Junhe lied, thinking vigilantly that traces of this encounter shouldn’t be left behind.

"Huh? Without a phone, are you really 18 years old, boy?" The woman smoked a cigarette and looked at him, then smiled and said, "Then it will depend on luck if you can meet me again next time."

Tang Junhe thought for a while and said, "You can leave me your number."

"And you’ll use your mother's cell phone to call me?" The woman seemed to say something funny, her shoulders shook with a smile, "Okay, that's fine too."

She borrowed a pen from the front desk, deliberately did not borrow paper, and took Tang Junhe's wrist to write on the back of his hand. She had a provocative expression on her face, and winked at him after she was finished writing: "Remember to call."

Tang Junhe nodded seriously, and retracted his hand to read the numbers on it carefully.

After returning home, he immediately transcribed the number on paper and washed his hands. Three days later, he took a bus to the vicinity of Runcheng First High School, found a public phone booth and dialed the number for the first time. The woman's voice sounded sleepy on the phone. After figuring out who was calling , she yawned and said, "I asked for you, but that guy is not in Runcheng now. He’ll come back after the Chinese New Year. Can you wait?"

"Yes," Tang Junhe said. After thinking about it, he asked again, "Is there anyone else I can get it from?"

"No, Runcheng is such a big place, but there are not so many people who sell it... and I heard that this thing is a new product. My guy said that he just came back from Taiwan last month. He found it by himself. Le Ziyong didn't even want to sell it, but I said you are my friend, so he agreed to sell it to you."

"Only he sells it." Tang Junhe summed up what she meant.

"Yeah," the woman yawned, "Why?"

"Then," Tang Junhe asked, "can you give me his contact information?"

"Wait for me to check my phone..." The woman reported a series of numbers, and then said, "Just say you are a friend of Cai jiejie and he will know. By the way, just buy it for yourself, don't tell others. This buddy is a big deal for me, don't ruin it for me."

Tang Junhe responded, and after getting the phone number, he quickly dialed it on the public phone.

The handset rang "beep-beep-" for a long time before it was picked up by a lazy male voice: "Who is it?"

Tang Junhe was a little nervous. He gulped, tried to calm down and said: "I am sister Cai's friend."

There was a lot of noise over there, and the man said before he finished speaking: "Oh, I know, I'm not in Runcheng right now, call me after the sixth day."

Before Tang Junhe could think of what to say next, he had already hung up the phone. He had no choice but to put the handset back. Anyway, getting the number showed that his plan was feasible.


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Without Yang Xuan, Tang Junhe could only study. He did test papers, vocabulary, and math problems. Ever since he saw Yang Xuan's talent in solid geometry, Tang Junhe had become very fond of doing solid geometry problems. He could happily come up with many solutions to a problem. If he could solve a problem without any auxiliary lines or equations, if he could tell the answer at a glance, he would be even happier. He marked such questions, intending to show them to Yang Xuan when he came back, to see if he could solve them at a glance.

The night before New Year's Eve, Tang Junhe couldn't help but send another text message to Yang Xuan: "Ge, can we talk on the phone tomorrow night?" He waited until he couldn't hold on and fell asleep, but he didn't receive a reply. Early the next morning, Tang Junhe opened his eyes. The first thing he did was check for any new messages, but he was disappointed to find that there was nothing on his inbox.

On New Year's Eve, Tang Xiaonian's work was on holiday, and the housekeeping aunt went back to her hometown for the day. Tang Xiaonian was busy preparing the house for the whole day. She cleaned the house and started making dumplings. She was very busy. Yang Chengchuan came back from a social event and brought her jewelry as a New Year gift. The glittering necklace and earrings looked very eye-catching under the light. She couldn't help but beam with joy.

At eight o'clock, the TV broadcast for the Spring Festival started on time. Tang Xiaonian finally stopped Tang Junhe from studying. She knocked on the door and called him to roll the dumpling wrappers. Every New Year's Eve in the past was spent together by Tang Junhe and Tang Xiaonian in that old house. He rolled the doe, and his mother made dumplings. The two cooperated seamlessly.

Tang Junhe's best housework skill was rolling dumpling wrappers. Since he was four or five years old, he took the initiative to help Tang Xiaonian with a rolling pin to share the pressure. At the beginning, he put his two little hands on the rolling pin and rolled them together. It took him half an hour. A piece of dumpling wrapper was barely rolled into a round shape, but after perfecting his technique, the speed became faster and faster, and Tang Xiaonian no longer needed to devote all her energy to supervising him.

Sitting on the sofa, Yang Chengchuan finally felt the long-lost family happiness. Only now did he realize the benefits of having two sons – one son is not around, but the other can still be by his side.

But within an hour, he began to miss his eldest son. The youngest was right in front of him, but the boy didn't hide the strangeness in his eyes. Every time Yang Chengchuan met his gaze, his heart felt cold. Although the eldest son always fights with him, at least he sees him as his father. Comparing the two, the balance in Yang Chengchuan's heart can't be maintained no matter what.

Firecrackers went off in the distance, and the earth-shattering crackling sound was vaguely transmitted into the home. There are three members of the family, but the most exciting thing is the TV, showing Zhao Benshan coming out with his apprentice Xiaoshenyang [3]. Tang Xiaonian was going to put the wrapped dumplings in the pot. Yang Chengchuan laughed a few times at the sketch on TV, feeling a little bored, and planned to make a phone call across the country to give his father-in-law and mother-in-law the New Year's greetings, and talk a bit with his eldest son to have a taste of family affection. Before making the phone call, he still didn't forget to ask Tang Junhe: "I want to call your brother, will you talk to him later?"

After saying this, Yang Chengchuan saw that the unfamiliarity in his youngest son's eyes faded a little, he seemed to hesitate for a few seconds, and then nodded towards him.

After nodding his head, Tang Junhe began to make a draft in his heart. In front of Yang Chengchuan, he naturally couldn't say nothing to his brother, but also he couldn't say what he wanted to the most, so he didn't know what to say. He can talk about many things, such as how many solid geometry problems he has done and how many dumpling wrappers he has rolled, but Yang Xuan may not want to hear such nonsense.

Before Tang Junhe could think of what to say, Yang Chengchuan had already picked up the landline’s handset and started dialing the phone number.

Every time a number was pressed, the phone made a "beep-" sound, and when the last number was dialed, there were a few knocks on the door suddenly.

"Knock knock knock."

Yang Chengchuan was waiting for an answer on the phone, so turned around and said to Tang Junhe, "Junhe, go and open the door."

Tang Junhe got up from the sofa, walked to the entrance, turned the doorknob and opened the door. His eyes suddenly lit up.

Under the incandescent sensor light, Yang Xuan dragged his suitcase and stood at the door. It was cold outside, and a few snowflakes fell on his shoulders. There was a subtle and bright glow shining under the entrance light.

Tang Junhe was startled again and again, and remained motionless for a long time. When Yang Chengchuan asked "Who's here?" from inside, his brain woke up — his Yang Xuan-ge was home on New Year's Eve. He came back from the other side of the ocean.




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Chapter 59  ✈ Chapter 61



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