My Little Poplar - Chap 44

“My mother wanted to visit you, so she asked your grandfather for your address, I didn’t ask her to come, I thought, well, if you’re angry and want to beat me up, you can do it.”

Jian Suiying seemed to be in a daze, probably because Bai Xinyu had suddenly appeared and changed so much, that he didn’t get angry for a while.

Bai Xinyu looked at Jian Suiying as if he had lost his mind, he felt very uncomfortable, he wanted to ask his brother how he was doing but was afraid to say anything.

Jian Suiying said in a muffled voice: “When did you come back?”

“I just came back today, I wanted to see you as soon as I got back, brother, I promise I won’t run away this time, I’m sorry, brother, I didn’t know any better, I’m very sorry, you can punish me as much as you want, you can beat me up as much as you want.”

Jian Suiying gave him a blank look and said, “I don’t want to beat you up.”

“It’s okay, you can beat me up all you want, you’re my brother, I’ve done something wrong. Brother…” Bai Xinyu patted his face and pouted, “Brother, don’t be angry with me, I was wrong, I was wrong, I’ve really changed.” He had been a pamperer since he was a child, he knew that pampering worked on adults, he made them happy, he bought him this and that, he pampered them in every way, his brother, even though he was sometimes mean, actually did eat it up.

Sure enough, Jian Suiying’s face lightened up a bit, he glared at Bai Xinyu and said, “I won’t let you back out of the army even if you admit you’re wrong.”

Bai Xinyu said sharply: “I didn’t mean that. Although I did want to go home at first… When I first went there, it was like being in prison every day and I resented you but I know now, you did it for my own good. Now I think about what I was, I’m not a man, now I’m a man. I know I’m not cut out for business, I think I’m fine in the army.” He added with a customary stroke of his short stubble, “My parents are happy too.”

Jian Suiying gave him a suspicious look and said, “Go and find me a cigarette.”

“Hey.” Bai Xinyu habitually obeyed the command, got up to find him a cigarette, circled around the bed and reacted, “Brother, you’re not in good shape, let’s eat.”

“No, give me a cigarette.”

Bai Xinyu reluctantly fetches a cigarette from the bedside table and lights it for him.

Jian Suiying took a drag and said: “Go and get some wine, let’s have a drink, tell me what you’ve been doing these last few months.”

Bai Xinyu said hesitantly: “Brother, I know you’re upset but drinking hurts your health, shall I warm up your food?”

“You think I’m Lin Daiyu?”

Bai Xinyu had no choice, he took out a few cans of beer, he warmed up the food he had brought from home, he put the food on the table and greeted his brother with a meal.

Jian Suiying got out of bed, changed into linen house clothes, the loose collar and trouser legs made his body look a bit thin and with his pale and haggard appearance, he looked a bit like a sickly man.

Bai Xinyu rubbed his chin and said, “Brother, you’re not as strong as you used to be, how long has it been since you’ve worked out?”

Jian Suiying sat on his butt at the table, took a sip of his wine and whispered: “No time.”

Bai Xinyu laughs and lifts up his jumper, points to his abs and says proudly: “Brother, look at this, I’m in great shape now.”

Jian Suiying didn’t even bother to look up, he ate his meal.