DXXZL - 16

It was yet another love letter from the mysterious “J” classmate.

His words were still brief but powerful—

“I hope time passes a little faster,

and that I can get a little closer to you.”

The card was written at 12:30 PM on January 19, 2007.

Signed: J

Li Xixi leaned over to take a look, then turned her head and blinked, lowering her voice. “It’s definitely J again—this time there’s no doubt. It’s Lu Ji. I checked for you. He probably doesn’t like writing because his handwriting is messy, so he usually signs with just initials or sometimes just a single ‘J.’ Plus, he likes Jay Chou... And when it comes to love letters, how many people dare to write their full names? They always use aliases or initials.”

That was true. Jiangcheng No. 1 High School cracked down hard on early romances, so anyone who dared to sign their full name on a love letter was practically a warrior.

Warriors did exist, but if caught, the consequences were dire.

Even so, nothing could stop the hearts of sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds from fluttering. Students still tiptoed along the edge of forbidden romance, testing the waters. For instance, Senior Song Yi’s pursuit of Qu Wei had become the talk of the entire school. There were also rumors about certain classmates being together…

Zhu Xingyao knew all these gossip stories. Many boys liked her, but she still felt distant from the idea of an early romance.

Li Xixi continued, “Look at the handwriting—it’s definitely Lu Ji’s. And think about it: he gave you tickets to the cello orchestra concert, the cello charm, and now this greeting card with the cello-playing girl… I don’t think any other boy would be this thoughtful. You should see how cheesy other boys’ love letters are.”

Zhu Xingyao thought for a moment. “So… does wishing for time to pass faster count as a confession?”

Li Xixi rolled her eyes. “Maybe he’s hoping for the division into arts and sciences classes to happen sooner. If they do, maybe you’ll end up in the same class, which would bring you closer.”

It made sense.

Zhu Xingyao agreed.

Li Xixi whispered, “When he says things like that, does it make your heart flutter?”

Zhu Xingyao thought carefully. Honestly, she didn’t know what it felt like for her heart to flutter for someone. She felt it when she heard a piece of music she loved, but what did it feel like to have a crush on someone? She answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

Li Xixi: “...”

Well, the goddess had the luxury of saying no to any boy—even Lu Ji, the campus heartthrob, would have to work hard to win her affection.

________________________________________

Jiang Tu threaded the earphones through his collar and spent an entire class listening to Zhu Xingyao’s recorded performance. Since it was a recording, even her voice during the encore was captured. The girl’s voice was soft and pleasant, like a melody itself.

When he first heard her voice through the earphones, his nerves trembled.

This was the best gift Jiang Tu had ever received in his seventeen years of life.

________________________________________

Classes, review sessions, homework, tests… Three weeks flew by in the blink of an eye. When the final exam results came out, some rejoiced while others lamented. Jiang Tu still ranked third in the class. As Zhu Xingyao looked at the score sheet, she turned to him and said, “Jiang Tu, I noticed that you’re really lopsided in your grades. You’ll definitely rank in the top three in the grade once we’re divided into arts and sciences classes.”

Jiang Tu raised his eyes to look at her. “What about you?”

Zhu Xingyao replied, “I’m not particularly lopsided.”

“I mean, are you choosing arts or sciences?”

“Me…” Zhu Xingyao tilted her head. “I haven’t decided yet.”

Jiang Tu fell silent. If she chose science, there was still a chance they might end up in the same class. But if she chose arts… He lowered his gaze, hiding the struggle in his eyes. If she chose arts, it seemed there wasn’t much he could do about it. With so many classes, being assigned to the same one would be a rare stroke of luck and fate.

He couldn’t afford to study arts, nor did he have the means to gamble on it.

He had no room to be reckless—one wrong step, and everything would fall apart.

After some thought, Zhu Xingyao added, “I’ll probably choose science—I don’t really want to memorize books.”

A faint joy rose in Jiang Tu’s heart, but he remained composed. “Your science scores are better than your humanities ones anyway.”

________________________________________

For Jiang Tu, winter break and the Spring Festival held no anticipation. Without classes, all he had was more time to work multiple jobs. That was all.

Hexi Alley only showed a hint of warmth during the Spring Festival. Regardless of how tough life was, the New Year had to be celebrated. Shu Xian bought some New Year goods and asked Jiang Tu to help carry them home from the entrance of the alley.

After Jiang Tu brought the items home, she handed him a bank card and sighed. “Withdraw five thousand yuan from this card. If Chen Yi and his gang come to cause trouble over the next few days, try to stop them from smashing things again. Otherwise, how will we celebrate the New Year?”

Jiang Tu glanced at the card, took it, and left with his own card as well.

There were only a little over seven thousand yuan in Shu Xian’s account. He withdrew five thousand yuan and then emptied his own savings of over five thousand yuan. On his way back to the alley, he spotted Chen Yi and his gang heading toward his house from afar.

Frowning, Jiang Tu began to run.

Inside the alley, Jiang Jinhui, pockets stuffed with over twenty thousand yuan he had won, hummed a tune as he entered the house. Shu Xian immediately knew from his demeanor that he must have won money. Just as she approached him, a commotion erupted outside, and the slightly ajar door was kicked open.

Chen Yi strode in with his gang, looking at Jiang Jinhui and drawling, “Brother Hui, judging by your cheerful expression, looks like you’ve won some money, huh?” He swaggered inside as if it were his own home, plopped down on a chair with his legs crossed, and said, “If you’ve won money, pay up. Don’t make us come knocking every time—it’s exhausting.”

Jiang Lu was watching TV at Lin Jiayu’s house because their own TV had been smashed by Chen Yi during a previous visit. When he heard the commotion, he stepped out and immediately spotted his brother running toward the door. He hurriedly called out, “Brother, Chen Yi’s here again!”

Jiang Tu smacked the back of Jiang Lu’s head and handed him his glasses. “Hold onto these and stay outside.”

Lin Jiayu also came out, looking worried. She glanced at Jiang Tu before whispering to her father, “Dad, go check what’s happening...”

Her mother shot her a glare and whispered back, “You’re just a young girl—don’t get involved.”

Their family’s mess was something no one could fix. What if they got hurt in a fight? She signaled to her father, urging him not to intervene.

Jiang Tu walked inside.

Jiang Jinhui was smiling ingratiatingly as he said, “I did win some money, and I was planning to pay it back tonight. We’re busy getting ready for the New Year...” Just as he looked up, he saw Jiang Tu walk in. Chen Yi turned around as well, and the entire group stared at the tall, lean, and cold-faced youth standing at the doorway.

The last time Chen Yi and his gang fought with Jiang Tu here, he hadn’t forgotten how that went. Seeing Jiang Tu now, Chen Yi’s expression darkened slightly.

Jiang Tu glanced at him but ignored him, walking straight toward Jiang Jinhui, who was still standing near the sofa. Jiang Jinhui eyed him warily. “What are you doing?”

The youth’s face remained emotionless. After a moment, he reached directly into Jiang Jinhui’s pockets without hesitation.

Jiang Jinhui suddenly realized what was happening and began to struggle, pushing hard against Jiang Tu. His eyes bulged with rage as he cursed, “You bastard! What the hell are you doing? I’m your father! Once or twice I can tolerate, but you keep laying your hands on me. Do you want to get struck by lightning?”

“Then let it strike.”

Jiang Tu had grown to 183 cm, three centimeters taller than Jiang Jinhui. Recently, whenever Chen Yi’s gang came to cause trouble, it was mostly Jiang Tu who handled them. The boy was naturally strong and explosive in power. With a cold face, he pinned Jiang Jinhui onto the sofa, ignoring his curses and struggles, and forcibly retrieved the more than twenty thousand yuan from his pockets.

Years of gambling had eroded Jiang Jinhui’s character, turning him into a complete scoundrel. Enraged beyond reason, as soon as Jiang Tu released him, Jiang Jinhui grabbed an ashtray from the table and hurled it at Jiang Tu. Breathing heavily, hands on his hips, he was so furious he couldn’t even speak.

Jiang Tu sidestepped and dodged.

The ashtray slammed into the wall with a loud bang.

Shu Xian snapped out of her daze and rushed over, shouting at Jiang Jinhui, “What are you doing?!”

Jiang Jinhui angrily pointed at Jiang Tu. “What am I doing? You should ask your son what he was doing just now! Did you teach him this? Huh?”

Shu Xian was pale and thin, once a delicate beauty in her youth. Now in her late thirties, she still retained some of her charm. Her eyes reddened as she glared at her husband. “Yes, I taught him. So what?”

Jiang Jinhui raised his hand to slap her, but Jiang Tu quickly intervened, grabbing his wrist and pulling Shu Xian behind him. He glared icily at Jiang Jinhui. “Try laying a hand on her in front of me.”

Jiang Jinhui twisted his arm with all his might but couldn’t break free. Feeling utterly humiliated, his face turned green with anger.

Chen Yi, seated comfortably in his chair, had just witnessed a dramatic father-son showdown. Jiang Tu shoved Jiang Jinhui aside, walked over, and dumped both the more than twenty thousand yuan and the ten thousand yuan he had just withdrawn earlier onto the table in front of Chen Yi. His expression remained cold. “Thirty-three thousand. That should cover half a year.”

Chen Yi hadn’t quite finished enjoying the show. Slowly gathering the thick stack of cash, he stood up in a good mood, looked at the youth in front of him, and smirked. “That depends on whether your dad borrows more. And who said paying five thousand a month is enough? Can’t we demand repayment earlier if we want?”

Jiang Tu’s face remained icy, silent as he stared at him.

Chen Yi, a man in his late twenties who had seen all kinds of people through years of hustling, had never encountered someone like Jiang Tu, who seemed ready to risk his life at any moment. Narrowing his eyes, he patted Jiang Tu’s shoulder. “We’ll see how I feel. Think about it.”

With that, he led his gang out.

One of the henchmen clicked their tongue, partly in admiration. “That kid dared to lay hands on his own father—no wonder he was so bold with us last time.”

Chen Yi still didn’t understand why Jiang Tu had been so defiant last time but chuckled dismissively. “He’s probably gone crazy from being pushed too far.”

After they left, Jiang Tu didn’t spare a single glance at Jiang Jinhui. He walked straight out of the house. Jiang Lu and Lin Jiayu stood dumbfounded by the door. Neither expected him to take Jiang Jinhui’s money. Especially Jiang Lu, who usually begged Jiang Jinhui for pocket money whenever he won. As for Jiang Tu, he hadn’t touched a penny of Jiang Jinhui’s money in a long time.

Jiang Tu took his glasses from Jiang Lu, put them on, and left.

Lin Jiayu tiptoed and called after him, “Hey, where are you going?”

Jiang Tu didn’t turn back. “To get some fresh air.”

________________________________________

Jiang Tu ran to the villa area where Zhu Xingyao lived. From afar, he saw the driver loading box after box into the SUV. Zhu Xingyao stood nearby, her precious cello on her back, wearing fluffy earmuffs. She looked soft and fresh, like a breath of spring.

Zhu Xingyao was heading to her grandparents’ house for the New Year celebrations, located in a small city next to Jiangcheng—a three-hour drive away.

As the car pulled out of the courtyard, she caught a glimpse of a tall, lean figure in the rearview mirror. She turned her head slightly, but Lao Liu suddenly coughed loudly. “Miss, sit still. Don’t look around everywhere.”

Zhu Xingyao: “...”

Wasn’t she sitting perfectly still?

Lao Liu had excellent eyesight. As he drove out, he thought he saw that boy from last time hiding behind a tree trunk. How dare he come right to their doorstep? And wasn’t the young miss being too bold as well?

Zhu Xingyao felt somewhat confused by Lao Liu’s reaction but simply said, “I’m sitting still.”

________________________________________

This Spring Festival was full of flavor for some, while others endured great hardship. After Jiang Tu confiscated all of Jiang Jinhui’s gambling winnings, the latter couldn’t borrow any more money. Almost every day, he argued with Shu Xian. As long as there was no physical violence, Jiang Tu generally stayed out of it.

On the evening of the Lantern Festival, Jiang Tu plugged in his earphones and walked out of Hexi Alley. He didn’t go far, just leaned against the red brick wall at the entrance, watching the flow of cars and people.

Lin Jiayu somehow followed him and suddenly jumped in front of him, trying to scare him with a loud shout.

Unfortunately, Jiang Tu didn’t even flinch. He looked down at her with an expression that seemed to regard her as foolish.

Lin Jiayu huffed. “What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought.”

From the earphones came Zhu Xingyao’s closing remarks after a performance—a voice Jiang Tu had listened to countless times.

He was thinking about Zhu Xingyao.

In his heart, he admitted it, but outwardly, he remained calm and indifferent. “Nothing much. Just hoping school starts soon.”

Earlier, when Lin Jiayu had stepped out of the house, she overheard Jiang Jinhui on the phone trying to borrow money. Thinking about how meaningless the New Year must feel for Jiang Tu, she sighed and turned to ask, “I heard that Hexi Alley might actually be demolished next year, with compensation calculated per person. Do you think it’s true this time?”

Jiang Tu’s face showed no emotion, his voice flat and detached. “I don’t know.”

The topic of demolition had been talked about for ten years. Some said compensation would be based on property size, others said it would be per person. Nothing had been confirmed yet.

Though Jiang Tu had never asked directly, he could guess why Shu Xian endured being beaten by Jiang Jinhui multiple times and still refused to divorce him. If they divorced, she wouldn’t receive any compensation from the demolition. What would all those years of suffering mean then?

She kept telling herself to wait just a little longer.

Maybe the demolition was finally going to happen.