Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 71
Chapter 71: It doesn’t matter who you sleep with?
2024-10-13 07:28 Category: Four-Faced BuddhaTurn off the lights
Just as You Shulang lifted the restaurant’s curtain, his phone rang again. He hung up immediately and went inside, where he saw Zhang Chen as soon as he looked around.
There were only a few customers at a barbecue pit next to the school at lunchtime.
“Brother, over here!” Zhang Chen waved his phone.
A simple address made You Shulang pause for a moment; Zhang Chen hadn’t called him “brother” for many years.
You Shulang walked over, pulled out a wooden chair, unbuttoned his trench coat, and sat down.
“It’s the weekend, is the road easy to drive on?” Zhang Chen’s enthusiasm was not outward, and he seemed not quite used to being so warm with You Shulang.
You Shulang picked up the deliberately aged-looking kettle and poured some water into the enamel cup: “I sold the car and came by bus.”
Zhang Chen paused, his chopsticks still in his hand, a hint of embarrassment on his face. He knew You Shulang had sold his house to help him pay off his debts, but he didn’t know he’d sold the car too.
He picked up a piece of chicken and placed it on You Shulang’s plate: “Brother, I know you like this, so I ordered it in advance.”
Pit roasting is a specialty dish in northern China. Food is heated at high temperatures in an earthen kiln without an open flame, and is cooked in a smokeless environment, resulting in food that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, while retaining its original flavor.
When You Shulang was a boy, his family was poor and couldn’t afford to eat anything good. Occasionally, they would roast some sweet potatoes and potatoes in the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) to keep warm. Although they weren’t delicacies, the laughter as they tossed the hot sweet potatoes back and forth in their hands left a pleasant memory of those difficult years.
“Brother, do you remember? Once, when it snowed heavily, almost half of the basements on West Street were buried. You volunteered to help clear the snow, and in the end, you were so tired that you couldn’t lift your arms anymore. To express their gratitude, those people insisted on giving you a roast chicken. When you brought it home, we reheated it with the fire in the pit, and it smelled so good!” After reminiscing, Zhang Chen sighed, “Now, no matter what good food we eat, we can’t find that feeling anymore.”
You Shulang doesn’t drink baijiu often, but now he’s opened a bottle of Erguotou. The small glass, about one qian in size, is very shallow, and he accidentally poured it to the brim.
He drank half a glass of spicy liquor, trying to dispel the chaotic memories in his chest, and said in a deep voice, “Xiao Chen, what do you want from me?”
Zhang Chen’s smile froze on his face. He tried to adjust it, and his expression softened again. He put down his chopsticks and poured himself a glass of wine: “Brother, you know I work for Boss Fan, right?”
“Um.”
“I heard you and he had a fight?”
You Shulang pondered for a moment before looking at the person opposite him: “Xiao Chen, why do you think Fan Xiao would give you such a high-paying job?”
Zhang Chen frowned, looking somewhat displeased: “Are you saying I benefited from your fame?”
“It’s not about taking advantage of someone else’s position. Fan Xiao is not a kind person. I hope you can resign from this job as soon as possible.”
Zhang Chen picked up a peanut and popped it into his mouth, chewing it with a loud crunch. “I know he’s no good.” He flipped his hand over, palm up, revealing a round scar. “Look, this is what he gave me.”
You Shulang was startled: “What’s going on?”
Zhang Chen withdrew his hand, nonchalantly saying, “Even after how he treats me, I don’t mind working for him. So, bro, can’t you be a little more mature? Why are you arguing with him? Do you know how rich he is?”
Even though You Shulang was prepared, he was still a little saddened to hear this. He slowly sat up straight: “So, you’ve come here today to persuade me to go back to Fan Xiao’s side?”
Zhang Chen shook off the peanut shells he had pinched off his fingertips, pressed himself against the table, and leaned forward to say, “Brother, haven’t you had enough of being poor? With a sucker like Fan Xiao right in front of us, the two of us brothers can team up and make a killing off him!”
“You still want to embezzle other people’s money?” You Shulang’s face darkened. “Haven’t you learned your lesson from last time?”
“No.” Zhang Chen lowered his voice. “The situation is different now. You and Fan Xiao have that kind of relationship. As long as you can coax him and make him entrust the money to me for investment, we can always find a way to get the money…” He clenched his fist and grabbed a handful of air.
You Shulang’s eyes flashed with hidden anger: “Zhang Chen, you underestimated Fan Xiao and you also look down on me.”
“Here’s my final piece of advice: stay away from Fan Xiao immediately. He’s not as simple as he seems on the surface. He’s not someone you can control, and you’d never guess how wicked he really is!”
Facing his younger brother whom he had grown up with, You Shulang’s hidden anger slowly turned into sincerity: “Xiao Chen, I hope you can find a job steadily and not always think about taking shortcuts and making big money.”
His slender fingers rested on the buttons of his trench coat, as if to end the conversation: “It’s Mother’s death anniversary in a few days, let’s go and pay our respects together.”
Before the button was even sewed into the buttonhole, Zhang Chen’s sharp voice rang in his ears: “You Shulang, it doesn’t matter who you sleep with, is he that precious?”
His voice wasn’t loud, but it drew the attention of several faces in the restaurant, their gazes sharp.
The fingers that were picking at the buttons suddenly stopped. You Shulang looked at Zhang Chen and said coldly, “Have all those years of studying gone to waste?”
Zhang Chen pursed his lips. He needed Zhang Chen’s help now, so he softened his tone and said, “What I said is true. You men don’t need to get married. It doesn’t matter who you’re with, right? President Fan is handsome and rich. What more could you want?”
He stretched out his arm and poured You Shulang a glass of wine: “Brother, even if you two really can’t get along, can you put up with it for my sake? The job market is tough right now. I finally found a high-paying job, and I need to work there for at least a year to get a good resume before I can find another job.”
“Besides,” Zhang Chen glanced around furtively, lowering his voice, “the evidence of what happened between us is still in his hands. Fan Xiao used this to get me involved. Bro, if you don’t get back together with him, I’m finished!”
He suddenly pulled up a stool and sat down next to You Shulang, leaning against him, his voice trembling with tears: “Brother, for Mom’s sake, you can’t just abandon me! If that matter gets exposed, I really won’t be able to work in this industry anymore! Mom won’t be able to rest in peace even in the afterlife!”
You Shulang’s body was swaying back and forth, like a lifeless puppet, his eyes devoid of any light. The hot food, freshly taken from the earthen kiln, emitted a rich aroma, but it could no longer evoke any pleasant memories in You Shulang.
The boy who used to follow her around calling her “brother” has now been devoured by hatred and the ugliness in his heart, making him unrecognizable.
The profound and unspeakable grief intensified the ever-present sense of loneliness. In the noisy and bustling mortal world, there was no human warmth or connection for You Shulang, not even a sliver of it.
“Xiao Chen,” You Shulang picked up his wine glass, his voice somewhat low, “If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can still come to me, but I’m sorry, I can’t help with this matter.”
He pulled his hand off his sleeve, drank the wine, and got up to leave.
As I approached the door, I heard a cold sound behind me.
“Brother, you’re trying to kill me.”
Three days later, You Shulang received a call from 110.
“You Shulang? Your brother is planning to commit suicide on the roof of the municipal building!”
