Chapter Two: The Incomparable Widow Zhang!
On the rooftop, that kid was shouting fiercely, swinging a set of dog-beating fists, his inner rage escalating continuously! The wind from his punches was so strong that the sparrows on the nearby branches shrank their necks and turned into tiny quails.
“Zhuzi! Having another hysterical episode?”
Aunt Wang from next door stood by the courtyard wall carrying a bamboo basket, the amaranth inside still dripping with dew. She looked up and shouted at him, “Zhu’er… why do you have to scare everyone like this every day… fooling around? Doesn’t your auntie ever try to keep you in check?”
Liu Haizhu, exuding an almost ethereal aura, flipped nimbly and landed firmly, the sound of his boots thudding against the blue bricks echoing through the yard.
The old yellow dog in the courtyard didn’t even droop an eyelid at the sight.
Liu Haizhu was pushing his bicycle out when suddenly, “Zhu’er!”
The sharp call startled him. He turned his head and shouted back, “Brother-in-law!”
The second aunt, who was feeding the chickens in the yard, looked completely distressed.
Realizing she had spoken out of turn, Liu Haizhu shivered and hurriedly asked, “Auntie, where’s Wudi?”
The second aunt relaxed and stirred the chicken feed in the basin. “He went to the construction site again.”
“What the hell?!” Liu Haizhu stood frozen for several seconds before cursing under his breath, “Damn it!”
The second aunt suddenly turned to glare at him, her eyes shooting daggers, causing him to shiver once more. Trying to save face, he clicked his tongue, “He’s such a mess. How long have I been telling Xiao Le and the others to get him to work for the urban management? Isn’t that better than carrying bricks?”
The second aunt turned calmly and shouted, “Why are you yelling at me so early in the morning? Yesterday after work, Wudi even went to the pond and set a trap to catch some eels as a gift for me. Look at what he can actually do!”
Seeing his stubborn expression, the second aunt softened her tone, “Zhu’er, he’s just simple-minded. He definitely wouldn’t dare tell you about this.”
Liu Haizhu stomped his foot furiously, almost bouncing, and muttered, “Why the hell not?!”
The second aunt raised an eyebrow. “You think he’s really stupid? Wudi said working that job irritates people!”
Liu Haizhu paused again. Closing his eyes, he thought it over deeply and finally felt a sense of relief.
The second aunt wiped her hands on her apron and headed to the kitchen, reminding him, “Don’t forget after work today, Aunt Gu introduced you to little Zhu, that girl who works at the local tax bureau.”
Hearing this, Liu Haizhu suddenly slammed on the brakes, stammering as he turned his head, “What? Gu… which Aunt Gu?”
“Who else but Aunt Gu?” The second aunt shot him a sharp glance like a knife, then continued deliberately, “She’s the wife of your Uncle Dongping’s family, who lives at the east end of the village. Remember? Her husband works at the tobacco factory. Just a few days ago, she invited me over to play Mahjong, you used to often watch the big color TV at their place.”
“I’m telling you, Aunt Gu said that little Zhu Honghua just turned twenty this year. She’s a good girl from Zhu family lane in Huahé, and she’s a top graduate from high school. Although she’s not as tall as you and looks fairly plain, the main thing is she has a proper job.”
“Zhu’er… I’m telling you, did you hear me?!”
The big yellow dog in the yard lifted its head and barked once, as if answering.
The second aunt craned her neck to look outside.
On the dirt road beyond the yard, that kid was already cycling away, the chain almost sparking from the pedaling.
It was 7:30 in the morning.
On the newly paved asphalt road, a young man sped into the city on his old bike.
“Creak!”
The widow Zhang, selling vegetables, suddenly turned around, her hair still wet with dew.
Such youth and beauty!
In the morning sun, the youth on his old two-eight bike rode with a carefree flair, speeding straight towards her.
Zhang’s wrinkled face blossomed into a smile. If there were no romantic encounters, at least buying some vegetables would be nice.
“Boss, how much for the roujiamo?”
At the stall opposite hers, the burly man selling roujiamo was busy with his work, not even bothering to look up, acting as if he couldn’t be bothered.
Liu Haizhu narrowed his eyes. “How much each?”
“With meat or without?”
“With!”
“One yuan.”
“Hiss…” Liu Haizhu glanced sideways at him. “Don’t you know who I am?”
The man chuckled and looked up. “Heh, who are you, kid?”
Liu Haizhu glared. “Not daring to disrespect, known in the underworld as Iron Monkey!”
Hearing this, the burly man gave him a serious look and nodded. “Hmm, heard of you.”
Liu Haizhu gritted his teeth. “Since you know me, how about seventy cents?”
The vendor’s eye twitched as he kept working. “One yuan.”
“Eighty cents?”
“One yuan.”
“Eighty-five?”
The man looked up again, indifferent. “Even if you’re Sun Wukong, my buns still cost one yuan!”
Damn it!
Liu Haizhu was furious, feeling utterly wronged! Since childhood, his second uncle and aunt had been extremely strict with him, so he never saw much money. Money meant nothing to him.
As he grew older, the second aunt brought him back to the Liu family village.
The second aunt’s favorite saying was: “A child who isn’t disciplined won’t be educated; raising a poor nephew builds ambition.”
That very saying shaped this kid’s difficult and tragic growth path.
When he was little, Haizhu clutched his rusty homemade tin piggy bank, eyes shining with dreams.
But the result was, after saving coins of five and two cents for years, he never reached ten yuan.
Meanwhile, Geng Wudi that brat often managed to get some pocket money from Auntie, and as his older brother, Haizhu didn’t dare snatch it — he just didn’t have the face.
At the stall, Liu Haizhu stared longingly at the vendor’s skilled hands.
The freshly baked bun was white with a few golden brown rings.
The rough hand carefully stuffed juicy meat with fat and lean bits into the steaming bun, then ladled on a spoonful of dark savory sauce.
Damn!
Liu Haizhu swallowed hard, lit a cigarette, flicked a smoke ring, and said coolly, “One of those, please.”
The vendor looked up coldly. “One yuan?”
Liu Haizhu nodded. “Yeah, one yuan!”
“Want chili?”
Liu Haizhu was confused. “What? You charge for chili?”
The man shook his head. “No.”
“Damn!”
Could Liu Haizhu stand this insult?
He couldn’t!
Grinding his teeth, he glared fiercely at the roujiamo and shouted, “Add chili, add chili, add chili, pile it on till it kills me!”
Hearing this, the man paused his work, glanced at him, and said slowly, “If you get diarrhea, I’m not responsible!”
As he neared his workplace, his mood suddenly soured.
Damn it!
Thinking about last night, he was completely tangled up. Would the boss fire him? If he lost this job, what would he do?
“Glug glug…”
The sound was clearly not hunger...
Damn it!
Liu Haizhu was at his wit’s end.
Almost at the workplace, and this happens?!
One hand on the handlebars, the other clutching his stomach, he staggered toward the roadside toilet.
He didn’t even bother locking his bike, grabbed a few leaves off a tree, and rushed in.
Sigh!
This one yuan was wasted.
“Bili bili bili…”
Liu Haizhu was trying hard, when suddenly a surge of wicked anger shot to his forehead. Excited, he squeezed so hard the poop was forced back in!
If he remembered correctly... the next door must be the women’s restroom, right?