Stringy Wind in the Ear - Chap 57
Led by the security guard, Li Chuzhi came to a small classroom at the end of the corridor. The Go class would start in the afternoon, so there were no students at the moment. There was only a man sitting behind the desk in the first row.
The man heard footsteps and looked up suddenly, with a light flickering in his eyes. Although he had thought of many opening remarks on the way here, the shock of seeing the real person still made him lose his mind and he was unable to speak for a long time.
Li Chuzhi was confused and was about to go back to class when the man called her, “Your name is Chuzhi, right?”
Li Chuzhi turned around and said nothing, only using his eyes to express his confusion: “How do you know my name?”
The man stood up and introduced himself: “My name is Zhang Han, and I came here specially to see you.”
Li Chuzhi blinked: “What do you want from me?”
The security guard stared at the two of them for a while and said, “You two really look alike.”
Zhang Han started by asking Li Chuzhi about her date of birth and information about her family members. Li Chuzhi was reluctant to answer at first, but Zhang Han actually guessed her birth month and the names of all her family members, which shocked her so much that she became concerned about Zhang Han’s identity.
Then Zhang Han said a lot of things that were contrary to her previous understanding, which completely confused her.
Zhang Han half-knelt the whole time, holding her little hand, and apologized sincerely over and over again: “Dad is so, so sorry for you… I also regret breaking up with your mother. I looked for her later, but she refused to see me.”
He lowered his head in remorse: “I did many stupid things back then. I’m so sorry to your mother. You weren’t even born when she left me.”
Li Chuzhi was bewildered when she heard this, but at least she knew that the person in front of her who kept begging for her forgiveness was her biological father who was related to her by blood.
He looks young and handsome, very much like the actors in movies and TV dramas. When he talks about emotional things, his eyes turn red and he looks like he’s about to cry in the next second. It’s hard not to be moved.
A child’s intuition told her that her uncle was hiding many things from her.
Zhang Han looked at her and asked, “Your uncle never told you this, right?”
Li Chuzhi shook her head and pouted, “He said you guys went to other places to work and make money, and you will come back when I grow up…”
“He lied to you.” Zhang Han frowned. “He never told me that you were born. Otherwise, how could I just leave you here? He hid you just to get revenge on me. That’s why I couldn’t find you before.”
Li Chuzhi believed in his identity, but had doubts about the content of the accusations. In her eyes, her uncle was not that kind of person.
“Fortunately, I saw you on the news…” Zhang Han gently stroked her hair and tucked it behind her ears, and asked kindly and gently, “Are you still willing to forgive me?”
The security guard was smoking in the corner, and when he heard this, he gave me a look.
With the vision and experience of an adult, one can already guess the purpose of the man’s visit, and can also imagine what the child and her family are about to endure.
The ups and downs of destiny and the turbulence of life all depend on one’s thoughts.
But in the eyes of children whose social and emotional cognition is not yet fully developed, forgiving this person is all good.
From then on, she would be like other classmates, with her father picking her up and dropping her off, and she could go to the amusement park on weekends. She no longer had to make up a father when writing essays.
What’s wrong with having one more person who loves her?
So the dramatic scenes in TV dramas where people shake off their father’s hands and walk away out of resentment did not happen to her. She even nodded happily and said, “It’s okay. I wasn’t angry with you in the first place.”
Her words gave Zhang Han great encouragement, and he then inquired about her life over the years from various angles.
When he learned that Li Xun worked as a physical education teacher in school with an average salary, and that Li Guotao had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed on one side of her body and often left her to be taken care of by her friends, the purpose of his trip became more determined.
His lawyer friend talked to him about the solution. First of all, he must get familiar with the child, and then talk to the child’s parents about the matter. Things that can be solved with money are not a big deal. If the other party is unwilling, then he can go to court.
The lawyer also gave him some reassurance: “I’ve seen many cases like yours. The child is very young and incapable of acting. The judge will consider family factors more. One is the biological father and the other is the uncle. If they really go to court, they have little chance of winning.”
During this period, Li Xun devoted all his energy to the Universiade. Together with several participating team members, he trained until very late every day before resting.
One weekend afternoon, after Chuzhi’s painting class ended, he received a call from his teacher at the Children’s Palace.
The teacher’s voice was a little anxious: “Chuzhi’s father came to pick her up and said that she would not go to class. Did you know about this?”
Li Xun was leading a group of people to run around the playground. The wind was very strong and he was confused: “What dad? Whose dad? Why aren’t you in class?”
The teacher stared at the people in the corridor while explaining the whole story.
“He’s just a tall, thin man with a small mole on the tip of his nose. He’s been here many times before, always bringing food to the child. I always thought he was a relative, but today he told me he’s Chuzhi’s father and that he’s going to take the child back to Beijing to live for a while. I don’t know what’s going on. Are you busy now? Come over quickly.”
Her description made Li Xun feel cold all over, and he stopped in his tracks: “I don’t know anything about this matter, please take care of Chu Zhi first, I will come right over.”
Song Yang immediately noticed that something was wrong with Li Xun’s eyes and asked, “What’s going on? What happened to Chu Zhi?”
Li Xun didn’t explain why, but just said, “I have something to do and have to go back. You guys can score points with each other. I’ll be back later.”
Song Yang immediately said, “I’ll go too.”
On the way back, Li Xun had to make a phone call every ten minutes to ask Chu Zhi if he was still in the Children’s Palace.
The teacher said on the other end of the phone: “Don’t worry, the get out of class is over now. Chu Zhi is staying with me and has not gone anywhere. I am in the coffee shop opposite the Children’s Palace. The man is also there. He is waiting for you to come over. Drive slowly on the way. Don’t worry.”
Li Xun breathed a sigh of relief briefly, but continued to step on the accelerator: “It’s troublesome.”
Song Yang hung up the phone and asked curiously, “Who is that man?”
Although he didn’t want to admit it, Li Xun had to confess at this point: “I should have mentioned to you that Chu Zhi has a biological father named Zhang Han.”
Song Yang remembered when he first met Li Xun, he heard him say that Chu Zhi’s mother was pregnant out of wedlock, and later the man cheated on her and they broke up. At that time, Chu Zhi was already six months old, and Li Xun was reluctant to abort the child, so he gave birth to the child.
Song Yang’s impression of Chu Zhi’s biological father can be summed up in two words – scumbag.
He couldn’t understand. This man was already married and should have nothing to do with Chu Zhi’s life, so why did he suddenly come looking for someone?
Li Xun drove very fast and arrived at the entrance of the Children’s Palace in less than two hours.
The wind blew outside the window, blowing up the fallen leaves all over the ground. The burning sunset in the sky was disrupted by layers of dark clouds, and it became dark in an instant, and there seemed to be a tendency for heavy rain.
Li Xun immediately spotted Zhang Han sitting by the window. His facial features and body shape had not changed much from more than ten years ago, but he was dressed more respectably than before.
The teacher and Chuzhi sat opposite him. There were a lot of things on the table, including snacks bought from the supermarket. Li Chuzhi was poking a piece of chocolate cake in front of him with a small spoon.
When she saw Li Xun coming back, she waved, happiness overflowing from her eyes: “Uncle, come here and try this.”
In her immature worldview, all people who are good to her should love each other, such as Song Yang, her godfather and godmother, and Teacher Sun.
But Li Xun asked coldly: “Did I allow you to eat food given by a stranger?”
His words were sharp and aggressive, and everyone could hear the anger in them. Li Chuzhi immediately put down the spoon.
She was most afraid of being scolded by Li Xun, so she timidly and quietly denied it: “I didn’t ask for it on my own initiative.”
Zhang Han stood up and looked at Li Xun: “Long time no see…Brother Xun.” But his “brother” with a smile on one side of his mouth did not sound respectful.
Li Xun sneered and went straight to the point: “What do you want to do by coming here today?”
Zhang Han rubbed Chuzhi’s pigtails and said, “I just came to see Chuzhi. I didn’t know she had grown up so much. You should have told me earlier. After all, I am her father. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t blame you for this.”
His words successfully angered Li Xun. He poked his finger into his chest like a gun barrel, and his eyes were almost emitting sparks: “What the hell are you qualified to see her?”
The athlete’s hand was very strong, and after just two taps, Zhang Han sat back on the sofa like an overturned doll, with his head lowered and not saying a word.
Not only Li Xun, but Song Yang was also annoyed by his words. What does he mean – I don’t blame you?
It made it seem as if Li Xun was the one who made the mistake.
Li Xun’s suddenly high voice not only attracted curious looks from customers and waiters, but also frightened Li Chuzhi, who threw herself into his arms and trembled as she hugged Li Xun’s waist: “Uncle, don’t be angry.”
Li Xun grabbed her wrist with one hand and put his other hand on her back, pushing her towards Song Yang: “Be good, go play with your brother first, we still have things to talk about.”
Song Yang tactfully took her hand, but Li Chuzhi seemed to have his acupuncture points pressed and stood there without moving.
Although Li Xun was often mean to her in the past, he would explain everything to her in detail, and he had never encountered a situation where she needed to avoid it.
Li Xun’s gloomy expression gave her a bad feeling, and she didn’t dare to leave.
Li Xun winked at Song Yang, and Song Yang carried her into Li Xun’s car like a sack.
The cafe has floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. Although you can’t hear anything, you can still see what’s going on inside clearly.
Song Yang comforted Chu Zhi and told her that nothing would happen, while carefully observing the situation on the other side. No one could remain calm when the biological father who suddenly appeared showed goodwill to the child he had raised for almost ten years.
Inevitably, Li Xun and Zhang Han had a verbal conflict, and both of them spoke loudly. The waiter seemed to be pressed in slow motion and pricked up his ears to listen to the gossip.
“That’s because you’ve been hiding her from me! Are you going to tell me why I’ve ignored her?”
“How dare you say such things? Do you think you are worthy of being her father? When you broke up with my sister, did you care about their lives?”
“It’s not up to you to decide whether she’s worthy or not. Legally, I’m her father. I have the right to bring her to my side and the obligation to raise her. On the contrary, what qualifications do you have to monopolize her?”
Later, no one knew what Zhang Han said, but Li Xun lifted him up from the chair and punched him. Song Yang gasped and rushed to the road.
Li Xun grabbed Zhang Han’s collar with one hand, hooked his leg, and knocked him to the ground, bringing over the tables and chairs. He swung his iron-hard fist directly at Zhang Han’s jaw, followed by another punch in the face. The waiters in the store were so scared that they didn’t dare to get close.
Everything happened in a flash. Zhang Han had no time to react. He only felt a black screen in front of his eyes and his body suddenly became numb. By the time all his nerve cells reacted, intensive pain was transmitted to his brain. He grimaced in pain and tasted blood on the tip of his tongue.
“Fuck.” In a rage, he gathered all his strength and swung his fist towards Li Xun’s temple.
But Li Xun’s reaction was too quick. He raised his hand to block and then punched him again. Zhang Han was defeated repeatedly and his anger was directly converted into energy. He waved his limbs randomly and hit whatever he could.
His fighting style without any tricks caught Li Xun off guard, and he felt pain in his lower abdomen and arms.
Li Xun pushed him to the ground with his knees and grabbed his neck with his right hand: “Try to make up rumors again.”
“What I said is all true! I have photos here, taken this morning, his hands were even inside Chuzhi’s clothes.” Zhang Han covered his bleeding gums with one hand, glaring, “So many children were raped in the news, and they were all done by people she knew. If she has any psychological trauma, can you take responsibility?”
The moment Li Xun hesitated briefly, Zhang Han, with a bruised face and nose, launched an attack, and the two of them wrestled with each other like they were drunk.
Song Yang pushed aside a group of customers who were blocking the door and hesitating whether to call the police. He rushed over, grabbed Li Xun’s wrist, and tried desperately to pull him away.
He had never seen Li Xun lose his temper like this, but he knew that Li Xun’s arm strength was not something that ordinary people could withstand. If he hit him a little harder, Zhang Han would probably be killed with just three or two punches.
In the chaos, he hugged Li Xun’s waist and pulled him back: “Stop making trouble! Sit down and talk if you have anything to say.”
It just so happened that Zhang Han licked a loose tooth at this moment, and he became furious. He started cursing, uttering many dirty words. Without caring about anything, he raised his foot and kicked, which happened to hit Song Yang’s knee. Song Yang fell forward without preparation, knelt on his knees, and almost kowtowed to Li Xun.
“Does it hurt?” Li Xun hurriedly helped him up.
Song Yang gritted his teeth and shook his head.
Li Xun could see that he was trying hard to hold back. His heart rate, which had originally dropped, soared to a new level because of the kick from Song Yang. He stepped forward and kicked him.
Zhang Han curled up, holding his stomach, his features twisted in pain: “Is it wrong for me to care about my daughter?”
When Li Xun tried to step forward again, he was stopped by Song Yang.
“Hatsuzhi is still here! Do you really want to go to the police station with someone like that?”
Li Xun’s eyes were red as he pointed at Zhang Han and said, “You are the worst person and you still have the nerve to criticize others!”
Zhang Han is a man after all. After being hit so many times in front of everyone, he couldn’t calm down. He picked up a menu stand at hand and threw it at Li Xun’s chest, but he knew it was bad the moment the stand flew out.
The angle is off.
Li Xun also realized this instantly and stretched out his hand to block it, but the stand was very thin and it passed through his fingers and hit Song Yang’s nose hard.
With a loud “ah”, the hands that were wrapped around Li Xun’s waist loosened.
Song Yang squatted down, covering his mouth and nose. He was in so much pain that he couldn’t open his eyes. Physiological tears kept flowing out.
Li Xun didn’t care about anything else. He squatted down and held his hand. His tongue trembled: “Don’t move, don’t move. It’s bleeding. Lift your head up.”
Now everyone was quiet.
The most painful moment lasted for about half a minute. Song Yang gradually recovered, but his nose was still bleeding. Li Xun didn’t let him move and blocked it with a tissue. He then drove the car over to the door of the coffee shop and helped him into the car.
Before leaving, Li Xun pointed his finger in Zhang Han’s direction and said to the waiter, “Let’s calculate the cost of the broken tables, chairs and benches, and he will pay for it.”
Zhang Han stretched his neck: “Why?”
Li Xun ignored him and walked away without looking back.
Li Chuzhi was so scared when he saw Song Yang with blood all over his face that he collapsed and cried as if he saw the end of the world: “Brother, are you going to die?”
Song Yang was successfully amused by her.
When Li Xun saw that he could still laugh, he knew that nothing serious must have happened. He originally wanted to go to the hospital for a check-up and treat the external injuries, but Song Yang refused to let him go.
It was raining heavily and the sky had already darkened completely.
“It’s too troublesome. I have to wait in line for a long time. I can just buy some disinfectant and wipe it and it will be fine.”
“Are you really okay? Does your bone hurt? If so, you need to get it checked.”
“It’s really okay. I know my own injuries.” Song Yang had paper stuffed in his nose and spoke with a strong nasal tone, “What should we do with that person?”
Li Xun turned around in annoyance and drove towards home.
“Don’t worry about him.”
Song Yang replaced two clean pieces of paper to plug his nose and asked again: “What did he say to you just now? Why did you start fighting?”
Li Xun was silent for a while.
The reason is simple. Zhang Han said that he saw Song Jingshan touching Chu Zhi with bad intentions, and he was also blaming him in a disguised way for failing to supervise him properly as a guardian.
A man who abandoned his wife and daughter turned around and questioned other people’s character and blamed others for not taking good care of his children. Li Xun was so angry that he started to attack him, trying to make him shut up.
But now that he has calmed down, Li Xun has figured it out. Zhang Han was just finding various excuses to fight for custody.
Li Xun was not in a position to speak about Song Jingshan, and only said: “Every word he said was quite infuriating.”
“That’s right.” Song Yang said, “Then next time he asks you out, you must take me with you.”
“Why?”
“I’m afraid you two will start fighting again if we disagree.”
“Will not.”
“What do you mean I can’t do it!” Song Yang pointed at his nose, “So I dropped this myself?”
“Don’t worry, I said I won’t do that, and that means I won’t do that…” Li Xun raised his eyes and looked at him in the rearview mirror, “I promise you, okay?”
His tone was incredibly gentle, which reminded Song Yang of the promise his father made to his mother.
He was also very soft-hearted and muttered softly: “Whatever you say.”
Li Xun curled the corners of his mouth.
The injuries on Song Yang’s face were neither serious nor minor. A piece of skin was scraped off the bridge of his nose and a spot was rubbed under his eyelid, causing a lot of bleeding. By the time he got home, large patches of blood had dried up and were still sticking to his skin.
There were bursts of thunder outside the window, and raindrops made a rhythm on the glass windows.
Li Xun used a wet wipe to wipe Song Yang’s skin bit by bit until the wound appeared. Chu Zhi sat on the edge of the bed and watched, four eyes fixed on one place, more nervous than during surgery.
“I’m going to apply disinfectant. It will be a little painful. Please bear with it.”
Song Yang half-opened his eyes, shaking like a sieve: “Just go ahead, don’t remind me, or I’ll be nervous.”
Li Xun screwed the lid on and dipped a cotton swab in some disinfectant. He wiped it while saying, “You shouldn’t have run out at that time. If you hadn’t stopped me, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything to him.”
“How would I know…hiss…” Song Yang frowned and looked at him, feeling very aggrieved, and said in a low voice, “I have never seen you lose your temper so much. I was thinking at the time, what if you beat him to death with one punch? I will have to visit you in prison in the future.”
Li Xun was so amused by his train of thought that he said, “I was very measured in my attack. I kicked him because he kicked you first. If you hadn’t come out, I would have stopped.”
“Oh!” Song Yang’s eyes widened, “Are you blaming me for meddling in your business?”
“How can I blame you for meddling in other people’s business? What I mean is that next time you encounter something like this…”
Halfway through his sermon, Song Yang lowered his head and said nothing, but raised his hand to cover his eyes, wiped them, and his mouth was pouting so hard that a bucket could be hung on it.
Li Xun’s heart trembled.
Although this was not the first time he had encountered such a situation, he was still a little at a loss.
After a while, he put down his things, stretched out his hand, and hugged the person into his arms. He stroked her back with one hand and rubbed the back of her head with the other hand, apologizing continuously: “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have hit anyone. My tone was also wrong, but I really don’t mean to blame you.”
Song Yang didn’t expect to be hugged and didn’t react for a moment.
Li Xun thought of the time when Song Yang was kicked to his knees by Zhang Han, and asked again: “Are you injured anywhere else?”
“My knees hurt a little.” Song Yang was wearing a pair of slim-fitting trousers today. The trouser legs could not be rolled up over the knees, but it was visible to the naked eye that the fabric was worn and there was a circle of dark bloodstains on the edges.
Li Xun turned around and told Li Chuzhi to step aside. Song Yang felt a little embarrassed and said, “Take it off now?”
“if not?”
“I didn’t even bring any sweatpants with me, so it’s hard to put them back on after I take them off.”
“I have one.” Li Xun said as he dug out a pair of loose pants from the closet and threw them on the bed. “Try this one, it should be wearable.”
Song Yang picked it up and looked at it for a long time, confirming that it was a pair of pajamas, made of silk, which did not match the clothes he was wearing at all.
“You’re just going to let me go out wearing this?”
“You can also choose not to go out.” Li Xun said, and threw him a pair of pajamas and underwear.
