Fei Cheng parked his bike in the courtyard and dashed straight into the house, calling out for his grandparents.
He didn't find them inside, but his grandmother’s voice drifted over from the chicken coop.
Tossing his schoolbag into his room, he ducked into the coop. "Grandma, are you feeding the chickens again?"
"That’s right. It’s dirty in here, don’t come in. You must be hungry, right? There’s food warming in the pot and drinks in the fridge. Go get something to eat and line your stomach first."
"Yeah, I’m starving." Fei Cheng noticed a brood of newborn chicks—tiny, fluffy things kept separate from the hen. He squatted down, cupping one in his palm to play with it. "Grandma, where’s Grandpa?"
"Your grand-uncle’s fish pond was drained today. Your grandpa went to look at the fish; he wants to buy some for steaming tomorrow."
Fei Cheng gave an understanding "oh" and stood up to leave.
"Come back here!" his grandmother called out. "Take that chick out of your pocket!"
Fei Cheng: "..." Fine.
His grandmother took the chick and tucked it back into the nest, sounding both annoyed and amused. "How old are you? Still acting like a little kid. Go wash your hands, go on."
Fei Cheng grinned and ran to the well to wash up. Just then, Fei Qi walked through the iron gate. The two crossed paths again; Fei Cheng simply shook the water off his hands and ignored him completely.
Fei Qi felt a sudden surge of irritation, though he had no real reason to blow up. He turned to close the gate and greeted their grandmother as she emerged from the chicken coop.
"Ah, Qi is back too. You two brothers certainly timed it well today, arriving home one after the other."
Fei Qi gave a noncommittal grunt, feeling a sense of disdain. Junior high let out at 4:10 PM, yet Fei Cheng hadn't made it home until 6:00. It was obvious he’d been out fooling around again.
Fei Cheng went back to his room to grab clothes for a shower. He’d been exercising all afternoon and felt sticky and smelled of sweat. Thinking about the group he’d ditched in the alley gave him a headache. He’d escaped this time, but what about next time?
If they came to corner him every Friday, wouldn't he be exhausted?
Reasoning with a bunch of middle-schoolers going through a rebellious phase was impossible. The best method, he felt, was to beat them until they were submissive!
But...
He squeezed his thin arms, which lacked any real muscle. *Sigh... life is hard enough as it is.*
At 8:00 PM, the family sat down for dinner. The landline suddenly rang. Fei Qi went to answer it and called out "Mom." The mother and son talked for about ten minutes before she asked to speak to the grandparents one by one.
Fei Cheng sat alone at the table, eating his side dishes while watching the three of them huddle around the phone. He nibbled on his chopsticks, lost in thought, but quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind.
Receiving a call from their son and daughter-in-law always made the grandparents happy. As the conversation wound down and the daughter-in-law prepared to hang up, the grandmother hurriedly said, "Chengcheng is right here. I’ll call him over to take the phone."
"Chengcheng, come here quickly." His grandmother covered the mouthpiece and beckoned him over in a low voice.
Reluctant, Fei Cheng set down his chopsticks and walked over slowly. He took the receiver and said, "Hello."
"Can't even call me 'Mom' anymore?"
Tsk, what a harsh tone.
"...Mom." Fei Cheng glanced at the three people hovering around him to eavesdrop and gestured for them to move away.
"I heard you got into another fight last week? You even took a whole week off! Why are you even going to school if you're like this? All you do is cause trouble all day—can't you learn a thing or two from your brother? I’m telling you, Fei Cheng, if there’s a next time, you don't need to go to school anymore. Don't waste my money. You're thirteen or fourteen years old and haven't improved a bit!"
The woman’s voice on the other end was shrill. It grated on Fei Cheng’s ears as she continued to nag and drone on. He blurted out, "You want me to stop going to school? Go tell my homeroom teacher then. Oh, by the way, do I need to tell you what grade I'm in, which class, or who my teacher is?"
The other side went silent, likely stunned into speechlessness by his retort.
Right in front of his grandparents, Fei Cheng hung up the phone with a sharp *click*.
He turned to the two elders. "Grandpa, Grandma, you don't need to go out of your way to make me talk to them. There’s really nothing to talk about."
Grandpa and Grandma: "..."
A dozen seconds later, the phone rang again. Fei Cheng shrugged at them and went back to the table to finish his dinner, clearly having no intention of dealing with the aftermath.
Fei Qi gave him a complicated look before picking up the phone again.
After 9:00 PM, Fei Cheng went to his room to do homework. He was actually in a pretty good mood. He had experienced "family affection" in his past life; it was miserable, utterly miserable, and had nearly driven him to his death. He’d rather not have it at all.
Since his parents in this life were the same way, he would take it as a lesson. No more hesitating—he would just let go.
When Fei Qi passed by his room, he instinctively stopped. Through the crack in the door, he saw Fei Cheng scribbling furiously at his desk. He didn't know what his brother was writing, but he certainly didn't believe it was homework.
Fei Cheng finished his politics assignment and stretched. Thinking he was about to turn around, Fei Qi quickly walked away, returned to his own room, and shut the door.
The next morning, Fei Cheng crawled out of bed at 6:00 AM. He reviewed the material he’d learned the previous week. At 8:00 AM sharp, he went downstairs for breakfast. He spent some time playing in the courtyard with the big black dog—who wasn't so scary anymore—to help his digestion. Around 9:00 AM, he returned to his room to continue studying.
Around 10:00 AM, his grandmother called out happily from downstairs, "Chengcheng, your classmates are here to see you! Come down quickly."
Fei Cheng put down his book. His first thought was: *Did Liu Yucong and his gang actually dare to come to his house?!*
He bolted downstairs, but halfway there, his brain caught up. It couldn't be Liu Yucong’s group.
He’d see soon enough; he barely had any "classmates" who would come to visit.
As soon as he stepped out the front door, he saw Cheng Yifei and Yu Qing standing outside the half-open iron gate. *Oh boy, talk about a heart-pounding surprise.*
Although his grandmother was happy, she was also a bit cautious. She hadn't let them in immediately, but stood by the gate with a kindly smile, chatting with the two boys.
Fei Cheng ran over and shouted, "Brother Cheng, Yu Qing! What are you guys doing here? Come in, come in."
He lightly rested a hand on his grandmother’s shoulder and introduced them. "Grandma, these are my classmates. This handsome one is Cheng Yifei." He leaned in and whispered into her ear, "He’s ranked first in the entire grade every single exam."
Then he continued, "This decent-looking one is Yu Qing. Don't be fooled by his size; his grades aren't bad either. He claims he’s in the top twenty of the grade."
Yu Qing let out a huff. "Grandma, don't listen to Chengcheng’s nonsense. I earned that rank fair and square. Right, Cheng Yifei? Cheng Yifei, back me up here!"
Cheng Yifei only smiled and said nothing.
Fei Cheng invited them in. "This is my grandmother."
"Hello, Grandma."
"Hello, hello," she replied, her smile very warm. One of these boys was energetic while the other was steady; both had clear eyes and were polite. They were good company.
She led them into the house. "Come in, come in and sit down. Chengcheng, there are snacks in the fridge. Take them out to host your classmates. Grandma won't bother you; you boys have fun. Make sure you treat your friends well, you hear?"
"I know, I know." Fei Cheng led them inside. "Have a seat. I'll go make some tea."
Yu Qing looked around the living room curiously. He hadn't been sure when they were outside, but this was a two-and-a-half-story small building, while his family still lived in a tile-roofed house.
Seeing no other elders around, he let his true nature show and leaned back against the long bench. "I'm roasting! Don't bother with tea, just give us some plain cold water. Hurry, hurry! Cheng Yifei is heartless—he dragged me out of bed at 7:30. We cycled for ninety minutes to find your place. Luckily, everyone in your village knows you. Holy crap, I'm exhausted."
Fei Cheng turned the ceiling fan to its highest setting and poured two glasses of cold water for them. He laughed, "What’s this? We just saw each other yesterday, and you missed me already? Coming all this way."
Cheng Yifei felt there was something slightly odd about the way Fei Cheng spoke. He took a few sips of water and continued to observe him. "Are you okay? You didn't run into Liu Yucong and the others after school yesterday?"
Mentioning that made Fei Cheng angry. "I did! I thought that since they were disciplined, they would at least—" He glanced toward the door and lowered his voice. "At least behave for a few weeks. Instead, those three groups actually united to corner me."
Yu Qing perked up, though he remained sprawled across two seats on the bench. "Then how did you escape? You didn't get beaten up, did you? I don't see any bruises on your face. Or did they get smart and hit you somewhere else?!"
Yu Qing suddenly lunged forward, reaching out to pull at Fei Cheng’s clothes.
"Holy crap! What are you doing?! Get off, get off!" Fei Cheng clutched the hem of his shirt, but he wasn't as strong as Yu Qing. He hurriedly yelled, "Brother Cheng, help! Yu Qing’s gone crazy! I'm fine! I didn't get hit!"
Cheng Yifei stood up, grabbed Yu Qing by the back of his collar, and pulled him back to his seat.
Fei Cheng straightened his clothes, his face flushed with anger. "Are you looking for a fight?"
Yu Qing looked aggrieved. "I was just worried about you~ But man, your skin is so white and smooth, hehehe. No wonder you never take your clothes off in the dorm."
"Get lost!" Fei Cheng gritted his teeth. After sitting for a moment, he went to the fridge to get fruit, drinks, and snacks to arrange on a platter.
Yu Qing’s eyes widened. "Whoa! Your house has so much good food! I'm never leaving!"
"Sure, we have three empty rooms." Fei Cheng leaned back against his chair. Seeing that Cheng Yifei was only drinking plain water, he pushed a Coke toward him. "Brother Cheng, not even a Coke? Don't be a stranger; make yourself at home."
Just as he finished speaking, Yu Qing suddenly sat bolt upright, his posture becoming incredibly proper.
Fei Cheng glanced at him, then followed his gaze and turned around. Oh... Fei Qi had come downstairs.
Fei Cheng acted as if he hadn't seen him. After a thought, he suggested, "Let's go play in my room. I think I still have a game console."
"A game console!" Yu Qing’s voice rose. He stole a glance at Fei Qi and then lowered his head again.
"Let's go." Fei Cheng picked up the fruit platter and drinks, leading the way upstairs. As he passed Fei Qi, he still didn't offer a greeting.
Cheng Yifei, however, gave Fei Qi a nod. He had met Fei Qi before and they were somewhat acquainted.
Yu Qing followed suit.
Once they reached the second floor, he whispered, "Chengcheng, was that your brother? He looks familiar, I think I've seen him somewhere! But how come I've never heard you mention him?"
Fei Cheng felt that Yu Qing had a real talent for social interaction. They had only been friends for a few days, yet they were as familiar as if they had grown up together.
"He’s my brother, I guess." He pushed open his bedroom door and invited them in.
"He either is or he isn't, what do you mean 'you guess'?" Yu Qing muttered, but he was quickly taken aback by the state of Fei Cheng’s room. It was clean, tidy, and had no smell. He accused loudly, "Why are you just like Cheng Yifei! Why make your room as clean and tidy as a girl's? It’s not manly at all!"
It was nothing like his own room, which was so messy he couldn't even find his own things.
***
