Chapter 57: You on the Left, Me on the Right
Chapter 57: You on the Left, Me on the Right
Night had just fallen.
Although it couldn’t be described as dazzling with neon lights, the county town of Jinzhou County was already brightly lit.
On the central section of Yanwu Tower Avenue, vehicles and pedestrians were constant. Hawkers called out in front of the roadside stalls, shops, and restaurants lining both sides of the street. The scents of various snacks and meals filled the air, making people’s mouths water.
Yanwu Tower Avenue got its name from the famous historic site of Jinzhou County, the Yanwu Tower, which was built during the late Ming dynasty.
The Yanwu Tower faced north and was three stories high. It had carved beams and painted rafters, with upturned eaves and flowing ornaments, exuding a majestic aura. According to county records, during the late Ming dynasty, government troops were stationed here long-term. Before each expedition, the generals would ascend the Yanwu Tower together, and the soldiers would line up in formation in front of it. Put simply, that was where military parades were held and pre-battle assemblies were convened back then.
Nowadays, although the Yanwu Tower still stood as grand and imposing as in ancient times due to multiple renovations and strong protective measures by the local government, there was no longer any military training ground nearby.
Kaixuan Road passed under the Yanwu Tower and intersected with Yanwu Tower Avenue.
Less than a hundred meters east of the Yanwu Tower was the main gate of the No.1 High School of Jinzhou County. Two kilometers north along Kaixuan Road was the county’s No.2 High School.
This year, the main examination sites for the High School Entrance Examination in Jinzhou County were set inside these two schools.
After a day of exams, the initial nervousness of the teenage students had eased considerably. By evening, they wandered and played in groups on the county town’s streets, especially the middle school students from the surrounding rural townships, who were full of longing and curiosity for the bustling county town.
In those days, it was understandable that children from the countryside rarely came to the town.
It was just a shame that most students were short on money and couldn’t spend freely. They could only pass by the dazzling array of enticing, aromatic snacks and take deep whiffs of the smells. Then, with their friends, they would pick the cheapest noodle shop to have a bowl of pulled noodles or a noodle stew, some affordable meal.
On Kaixuan Road, more than twenty students walked out noisily from the entrance of a mutton stewed noodle restaurant less than a hundred meters from the Yanwu Tower.
They were from Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School.
Su Chunfeng was among this group of students.
Today, these classmates had pooled money to treat him and Li Zhichao to a meal. The so-called treat was just each having a bottle of beer, adding a cold mixed dish to each small table for four, and then each having a big bowl of mutton stewed noodles.
The reason for the treat was…
Before the High School Entrance Examination, Su Chunfeng and Li Zhichao had led them in a glorious victory at school—a victory they could boast about to their peers for a long time to come, a victory that finally allowed them to completely vent the anger and frustration accumulated from being bullied for three years. They had severely beaten the off-campus bullies who usually picked on them and whom no one dared to provoke, the notorious Ten Brothers! They even inflicted serious injuries on two of them, nearly killing one!
Most importantly, after being on edge for several days following the incident, it turned out they didn’t have to take responsibility, and it didn’t affect their High School Entrance Examination…
What a relief!
Would it have been right not to treat Su Chunfeng and Li Zhichao to a meal?
Su Chunfeng couldn’t really refuse, though he felt a bit amused and exasperated inside.
As the saying goes, sometimes things happen when you least expect them. Ever since the conflict between Su Chunfeng and Wang Liqiu erupted, Wang Liqiu slinking away from Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School, and the news spreading through the school that Zhao Shangang considered Su Chunfeng a brother, without anyone noticing, Su Chunfeng had become the unofficial king of the kids at Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School!
Unofficial because he was a good student. He never formed gangs or acted arrogantly and showily at school.
Instead, he was low-key and studious.
But no one dared to provoke him!
At the same time, among all the boarding boys, he held the prestige of a leader figure.
The boarding students were proud of him!
So that night, before the big brawl broke out, when Su Chunfeng told Li Zhichao to gather people, he instructed him to use his name as a banner. When Li Zhichao returned to the dorm and raised the call, everyone in the dorm, including some boarding students from the neighboring second-grade dorm, all responded as if pumped with adrenaline. They pulled on their pants, threw on clothes, grabbed whatever weapons were handy, and charged out!
It was an intense and satisfying bloody fight.
In the chaos, the sight of Su Chunfeng supporting the frightened teacher Xiao Qian and calmly walking away made many of the students who participated in the brawl admire and envy him, longing to be like that—this was the demeanor of a boss!
…
After the meal, the group of students chatted and laughed, discussing going shopping.
Su Chunfeng excused himself, saying he felt a bit dizzy from the beer and wanted to return to the inn early to rest. He said goodbye to everyone and headed back.
Seeing this, Li Zhichao simply decided not to go shopping either. He grinned and followed Su Chunfeng. Now, he not only saw Su Chunfeng as a good friend but also as an idol, a boss.
During the meal today, Li Zhichao almost blurted out that he was the one who stabbed Hou Gang with the knife. Fortunately, Su Chunfeng, sitting beside him, kicked him, making him swallow the words. He broke out in a cold sweat afterward—on the way home that night after the incident, Su Chunfeng had already told Li Zhichao to throw that dagger, the murder weapon he had recently bought and cherished like a treasure, into an old, filthy, unattended kiln pit by the roadside filled with stagnant water. And he seriously reminded him, “Keep this matter buried in your heart. Never speak of it!”
Later, when the police indeed focused their investigation on who had stabbed someone with a knife, Li Zhichao couldn’t help but think, “Chunfeng was really farsighted!”
Luckily, the playground was pitch dark that night, and in the chaos of the fight, no one noticed who was who.
The inn where Su Chunfeng and Li Zhichao were staying was in a small alley dozens of meters east of the Yanwu Tower.
Calling it an inn was generous; it was actually an ordinary farmhouse in an urban village, and the accommodation was a large room with five bunk beds.
There was a fan and free mosquito coils.
The cost was five yuan per person!
Before they even reached the inn’s entrance, under the dim light, they saw two girls in dresses walking out from the inn’s small courtyard gate.
It turned out to be Zhang Lifei and Wang Haifei.
“What are you two doing here?” Su Chunfeng asked with a smile, taking the initiative to greet them.
Wang Haifei’s face showed a shy smile, but Zhang Lifei answered openly, “Looking for you! We asked many classmates and just found out you’re staying here. The owner said you all went out to eat. We were just about to wait for you at the entrance. Good timing—you’re back.”
Su Chunfeng smiled and asked, “Where are you two staying?”
“At my aunt’s place,” Zhang Lifei said cheerfully, linking arms with Wang Haifei. “Su Chunfeng, come shopping with us.”
Su Chunfeng smiled and glanced at Wang Haifei. The seemingly shy Wang Haifei also looked at him with what seemed like expectation in her eyes. When their gazes met, Wang Haifei quickly bit her lip lightly, smiled, and turned her head away. Her delicate, slightly shy face, which seemed to have mustered some courage, looked even more charming under the dim yellow light.
“Sure, let’s go shopping!” Before Su Chunfeng could speak, Li Zhichao eagerly agreed.
Su Chunfeng nodded. “Let’s go.”
Truth be told, since the brawl incident, Su Chunfeng hadn’t been back to Dongwangzhuang Township Middle School, so naturally, he hadn’t seen Zhang Lifei or Wang Haifei. So, how could he not miss them?
The four of them walked out of the alley. Li Zhichao was very proactive in talking to the two girls, especially Zhang Lifei.
By eagerly agreeing to accompany the girls shopping, Li Zhichao had his own little scheme—months ago, it was already common knowledge in their class that Wang Haifei and Su Chunfeng were dating. Li Zhichao had even asked Su Chunfeng privately and received an honest confirmation.
So, if they went shopping tonight, Su Chunfeng would have Wang Haifei. If the two of them occasionally needed a bit of private space, Zhang Lifei naturally shouldn’t be a third wheel. Then… Li Zhichao could justifiably keep Zhang Lifei company. Actually, he didn’t have any wild fantasies; like all boys his age, being able to stroll and have fun with pretty female classmates was a great pleasure.
Walking on the brightly lit street, the four chatted and laughed while enjoying the bustling night scenery of the county town.
Su Chunfeng generously bought four tanghulu candy-coated haws on sticks—the kind with sesame seeds that weren’t available in the countryside yet, very large skewers, one yuan each!
He handed one each to Li Zhichao and Zhang Lifei first, then gave one to Wang Haifei. As they walked, he asked, “How did you feel about today’s exam?”
“Not bad. How about you?” Wang Haifei said with a smile.
“Pretty much the same.”
Zhang Lifei chimed in, “Hmph, your usual grades are so good. Of course you don’t feel pressure.” Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “Oh, right, if you get into a specialized secondary school, are you planning to go to a normal school or a police academy?”
“Huh?” Su Chunfeng paused, then smiled. “I’m not going to a specialized secondary school. I’m taking the high school entrance exam.”
“High school?” Zhang Lifei stuck out her tongue. “Are you silly? With such good grades, why not aim for a specialized secondary school? So many people want to get in but can’t!”
Su Chunfeng smiled and didn’t explain. He turned his head and asked, “Haifei, what do you want to aim for?”
“Specialized secondary school. If I don’t get in, then high school,” Wang Haifei said with a smile—she was no longer as restrained and shy as before. After all, they were in the county town, not many people knew them here. Besides, even if they ran into classmates they knew, it wouldn’t matter. Zhang Lifei and Li Zhichao were there, and they had all graduated anyway.
“I’m aiming for high school. I probably can’t get into a specialized secondary school anyway,” Zhang Lifei said.
At the moment, Su Chunfeng was in the middle, with Wang Haifei on his right and Zhang Lifei on his left. The three walked side by side, chatting and laughing.
Li Zhichao walked behind, looking miserable—he had tried to initiate conversation several times, but Zhang Lifei only gave him brief, perfunctory replies.
“Wow, a fountain!” Zhang Lifei suddenly exclaimed in delight. At the same time, she naturally reached out and linked arms with Su Chunfeng, leaning her body slightly and tilting her head as if looking at the fountain, but she ended up leaning against Su Chunfeng’s shoulder.
Unnoticed, they had reached the edge of the county town’s square.
The newly built square was illuminated by bright, colorful lights. At its center stood a sculpture of a flying horse in the middle of a pool. Under the lights, a ring of high water jets shot up from the pool’s edge, reaching the height of the horse sculpture before cascading down like shattered jade, exceptionally beautiful.
Being linked by Zhang Lifei like this, Su Chunfeng felt both warmth and awkwardness. He didn’t want to pull his arm away and upset her. Just then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Wang Haifei biting her lip, looking slightly displeased but also wearing a smile that seemed unbothered. Su Chunfeng decided in for a penny, in for a pound. He raised his arm and put it around Wang Haifei’s shoulders, while keeping his gaze on the fountain. He exclaimed as if nothing was amiss, “Ah, so beautiful! It makes me want to compose a poem…”
Being pulled close and almost hugged by Su Chunfeng like this, Wang Haifei’s face flushed instantly. She struggled slightly but didn’t break free, so she stopped struggling. Her heart full of sweetness, she teased, “We’re all ears.”
“Yeah, yeah, hurry up and compose a poem!” Zhang Lifei held her tanghulu in one hand and grabbed Su Chunfeng’s left wrist, which held his tanghulu, swinging it playfully as she smiled.
Su Chunfeng chuckled. “Too bad I don’t know how.”
“You’re so annoying!”
“I don’t care. You have to compose a poem today, or I’ll pinch you to death!”
Laughing and joking, the four of them walked onto the square.
Li Zhichao followed behind, biting his tanghulu. Watching Su Chunfeng with one arm around a girl and the other girl holding his arm, his heart filled with boundless bitterness. If only he were more eloquent, he really would have composed a poem to express his infinite sorrow: “Chunfeng, oh Chunfeng, you’re really something. One guy gets two, leaving no chance for your buddy to survive?”
He didn’t know that at this moment, Su Chunfeng was also feeling a bit troubled: “Zhang Lifei, this girl… Haifei… what are they both thinking? Sigh.”