Bloody Romance: I, the big troublemaker, Zhong Yuemin!

The children from the compound and the children from ordinary families outside are like natural enemies. They look down on each other. The children from the compound think that the children from ordinary families are all poor, living in slums, eating steamed buns and pickles, and it is cheap to play with them. The children from ordinary families outside look down on the children from the compound even more. They think they are just petty hooligans who can't do anything but talk. They just rely on having a good father, otherwise they are nothing. The two sides will quarrel and argue as soon as they meet.

Zhong Yuemin and Li Kuiyong were considered "oddballs". That year, Zhong Yuemin's father was transferred from Nanjing to Beijing. It was very sudden and the time was very tight. The primary school in the compound no longer accepted new students, so he had to choose students outside the compound. So he became a classmate with Li Kuiyong. Li Kuiyong was still on the school wrestling team at that time. Although he was small in size, he was more fierce than anyone else in a fight. No one dared to mess with him. The two became good friends there. Later, Zhong Yuemin was transferred back to Yuying Primary School in the compound and became classmates with Li Kuiyong. It was only a year and a half at most, but it did not affect their friendship. They kept in touch frequently afterwards and never broke off.

Although Li Kuiyong's family is poor, he is a sincere man who values ​​friendship and loyalty. In order to save the little bastard, the two of them dared to face a group of crazy gangsters in the compound alone. In the end, if Zhong Yuemin had not risked his life to save him, Li Kuiyong's fate would have been the same as the little bastard, and he would have been stabbed to death.

After Zhong Yuemin returned to the city, Li Kuiyong started driving a taxi. At least during that period, the "status" of the two was adjusted. Li Kuiyong did not mock him, but took practical actions to help his buddy. He took his taxi colleagues to patronize the pancake stall opened by Zhong Yuemin. Although his contribution was small, it was sincere and heartfelt.

How can such a buddy not be worthy of close friendship?

After searching for a while and asking people on the way, he finally found the large courtyard where Li Kuiyong lived. There was a dark and narrow passage into the courtyard, with some scrap wood boards, cardboard boxes, honeycomb coal for burning stoves and other sundries piled on the side. If someone wanted to come over, both of them had to turn sideways, otherwise they couldn't pass. The area of ​​this large courtyard was about the same as his courtyard, but there were seven or eight households living in it. There were so many people these days, with a family having at least three or four people and as many as seven or eight. There were forty or fifty people living in this courtyard alone. Just think about how crowded and noisy it was.

He remembered that Li Kuiyong's home was the innermost room on the east side of the compound. When he arrived at the door, he found a little girl of about seventeen or eight years old, wearing a gray coat with patches all over her body, squatting on the ground and lighting a stove. There was also a younger girl next to her, about five or six years old, holding a palm-leaf fan in her hand, her hands and face dirty. These should be Li Kuiyong's two younger sisters, but he couldn't remember their names.

He went over and said, "Little sister, is your brother at home?"

The two little girls looked up at him. The younger one dropped her palm-leaf fan when she saw a stranger and ran back into the house. The older one got up from the ground and said timidly:

"Yes...Yes, my eldest brother went out to fetch water and will be back soon."

"I'm your eldest brother's friend, my name is..."

"I know, you are Brother Zhong!" the girl said:

"Brother told me last night that you would come over, so...then come in and sit down."

"it is good!"

Zhong Yuemin followed him into the house. This was the main house, and there was a small bungalow next door. The total area was only about 30 to 40 square meters, which was too crowded for six people to live in.

There was a 'bed' placed in the corner of the room. It looked like a door panel, with large blue bricks stacked up at the four corners. Kui Yong's mother was lying on the bed. When a guest came, she got up and leaned against the headboard. Her face was pale and she said weakly:

"Is it the Leap People who are here?"

"Auntie, it's me." Zhong Yuemin went over and the older girl brought a chair over.

"Brother Zhong, please sit down!"

"Okay!" Zhong Yuemin sat down.

"Auntie, I was busy last night and didn't have time to see you. Are you okay? What's wrong with you?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing, it's just an old problem," said Li's mother.

"I didn't need to go to the hospital in the first place. I could have just recuperated at home. Xiaoyong insisted on carrying me there. What a waste of money! Yesterday, Xiaoyong told me that you paid for the medicine. I don't know how to thank you."

"Aunt, Kuiyong and I are good brothers, his business is my business",

Zhong Yuemin said:

"You should know something about my family's situation. I'm the only one here, so I don't have any burdens. Money isn't urgent, and I'm not short of it right now. You still have to take care of your health. We have to listen to the doctor and not endure it on our own. Otherwise, a minor illness will turn into a major one. How can Kuiyong and Kuiyuan just sit there and do nothing? It will cost more money, so getting cured now will also reduce the burden on the family."

"Brother Zhong, drink some water!"

The girl poured a cup of hot water, Zhong Yuemin took it, and then the girl went over and sat on the small stool and started to paste the paper box. Zhong Yuemin said:

"Is this the job assigned to your family by the street office?"

"Yeah!" The girl nodded.

"After my father passed away, the neighborhood committee took care of our family and gave us work. We got one cent for pasting 100 paper boxes. I was fast at it, so I could earn a dime or two a day."

There was some pride in his tone.

"This way I can help share some of the pressure on my eldest brother. However, this kind of work doesn't come every day, and it's not easy for other families either. They all rush to do it... Xiaoling, Xiaobin, stop watching and come over to paste the paper boxes."

The two little ones were not even as tall as the square table. They put their hands on the edge of the table, staring at the cans, candies, eggs and other items in the net bag on the table. These were brought by him. Zhong Yuemin smiled and forgot about it. He went over to untie the net bag, grabbed a handful of White Rabbit candies and gave them to the two little ones.

"Here, take it and eat it!"

The eldest girl came running over.

“Brother Zhong, this…this is too valuable. I can’t take it from you.”

In fact, she was also greedy and had seen it a long time ago.

"It's just a few candies, what's so expensive about them? Your eldest brother and I are best friends, brother, why are you being so reserved with me?"

Mother Li said, "Since it was given to you by Brother Zhong, then take it and thank him."

The three children then answered.

"Thank you, Brother Zhong!"

"Thank you, big brother!"

"Thank you, big brother!"

The two little ones couldn't wait to peel off the candy wrappers, put them in their mouths, and smacked their lips.

"Sister, this White Rabbit candy is so sweet!"

His eyes narrowed into slits with joy. He ran to the bed and peeled another one.

"Mom, you eat too!"

"If mom doesn't want to eat it, keep it for yourself. But don't eat too much, just one a day."

"Oh!"

After a while, Li Kuiyong and his brother Li Kuiyuan came back with water.

"Yuemin, you're here? Why are you carrying so many things? I'm going to make you spend money again."

Zhong Yuemin said:

"I finally came to your house to see Auntie and your brothers and sisters. I can't come empty-handed, right? Your yard still doesn't have running water? My area already has it."

Li Kuiyong said:

"My neighborhood is a slum, nothing compared to yours. They said they were going to install running water at the beginning of the year, but nothing's happened yet. I guess they'll have to wait until next year."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries and went to the next room, where Li Kuiyong and his brothers and sisters lived. They had bunk beds separated by a simple curtain.

"Please sit wherever you like. It's a small place, don't mind."

Zhong Yuemin sat directly on the bed. "It's been a few years since we last met. When I first came here, I almost couldn't find your house. I had to ask for directions."

Li Kuiyong nodded,

"Yes, Yuemin. To be honest, I look down on everyone in your compound, except you. I don't have many good friends, and you are one of them."

Zhong Yuemin smiled bitterly, said nothing more, and turned to say:

"How's the family been these years?"

Li Kuiyong sighed.

"As you can see, life has become even more difficult since my father passed away. If it weren't for the neighborhood office taking care of us, my family would have starved to death. I want to find a job, but I can't find one at all. Every day I think about how to make sure my younger brothers and sisters don't go hungry and have enough to eat. I'm so worried!

By the way, I really can’t pay back the money right now, please give me some time…”

"Don't keep bringing this up. It makes me sound like I'm asking for money," Zhong Yuemin said.

"I'm not short of money now, don't worry about paying me back."

"You only have 15 yuan a month for living expenses, but the people in your compound are so busy eating, drinking and having fun every day that they'll starve at the end of the month," Li Kuiyong said.

"In the past, at the end of the month, you often came to my house for free meals."

Zhong Yuemin felt a little embarrassed and thought that he was quite an asshole. What people said was the truth. Li Kuiyong's family was in such a difficult situation, but he could still bring himself to talk nonsense. This also indirectly showed that Li Kuiyong's family was honest and sincere, and no one had ever complained.

"I recently found a way to make money, fishing!"

Zhong Yuemin said:

"I can catch 30 to 40 kilograms every day and sell them to the supply and marketing cooperatives for 30 cents a kilogram. I can earn more than 10 yuan a day."

"You're just bragging. You're still fishing in the dead of winter, and you caught 30 or 40 kilograms of fish. How are the fish in the river at home?"

Zhong Yuemin took out a military water bottle from his bag and handed it to someone.

"This is a foreign 'potion', specially used for fishing. You pour it on bait, earthworms, corn tortillas, etc., throw it into the river, and the fish will bite immediately. I say 30 to 40 kilograms a day is not a small amount. If you don't believe me, go and try it yourself."

"Is this true? Are there any potions like this abroad?"

Li Kuiyong unscrewed the lid and smelled it, but there was no smell.

"You'll know if you try it," Zhong Yuemin said.

"But, Kui Yong, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this. You can be a little high-profile with your fishing, but this 'potion' must be kept secret. You should go fishing every few days and sell it to the supply and marketing cooperative. Otherwise, going every day will attract too much attention and attract the attention of villains, which will inevitably cause trouble."

Li Kuiyong saw Yuemin speaking seriously and said:

"Yuemin, if you can really catch this much every day, you can fish once a week."

"Then go back and try it."

He understood Li Kuiyong's personality and his strong self-esteem. If you gave him money directly, he would definitely not accept it and would think that you looked down on him. So it would be better to give him a way to make money. It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. He had plenty of fairy spring water, so he could fill a pot for him after he used it up.

Li Kuiyong asked, "Yuemin, why didn't you tell me that something happened last night? What was it?"

"Nothing!"

Let’s talk about buying tickets for Tianqiao Theater on Saturday.

"I didn't think it was a big deal, it's just a favor," Li Kuiyong said, patting his chest.

"I'll definitely come on Saturday. If those guys dare to show their teeth, I'll help you deal with them."

"Not really. I don't think a fight will break out."

After staying here for about an hour, he left. Li Kuiyong couldn't wait to take the fishing rod at home. He had one at home and had gone fishing before, but he usually came back empty-handed.

"Brother, what are you doing here?"

"Go fishing, Kuiyuan, come with me and bring a bucket."

"Oh," Li Kuiyuan was a little confused as to why they were going fishing at this time of year.

The two brothers took their fishing gear and went out. When a neighbor asked them where they were going, they said they were going fishing. When they walked away, the neighbor smiled and shook his head.

"These two silly boys, fishing in the middle of winter, their brains are frozen."

The two brothers came to the moat. Kuiyuan dug earthworms and Li Kuiyong poured some "medicine".

"Brother, why are you pouring water? The earthworms are drowned."

"This is the potion your brother Zhong gave me. He said it can catch big fish. I'll give it a try."

He put the earthworm on the hook and threw it into the river. Before Li Kuiyong squatted down, the float moved immediately. He pulled up the rod suddenly.

Shen!

In stock!

The fishing rod is bent in half!

"Brother, I got it, I got it!" Kui Yuan shouted excitedly on the shore.

"Dip net, dip net, hurry up!"

"Oh, good!"

Kuiyuan quickly picked up the landing net on the ground and went down to the river. After a busy time, the two finally pulled the big fish ashore. It was a big carp, weighing about five or six kilograms.

Kui Yuan said excitedly: "Brother, this carp is really big. We have never caught such a big one before."

"Put it in the bucket!" Li Kuiyong was also excited. It seemed that what Yuemin said was true. This potion was really useful.

Throw the bait into the water again...

After more than an hour, the bucket was full of carp, crucian carp, and grass carp, probably about 40 to 50 kilograms.

Li Kuiyuan said:

"Brother, we can't fit any more. These fish are enough to feed us for a while."

Li Kuiyong put away his fishing rod,

"That's all for today. Sell these fish to the supply and marketing cooperative for money."

They found a wooden stick, passed it through the bucket, and the two brothers carried it one after the other and left the moat. Half an hour later, they returned to the slum, each holding a big grass carp. The neighbor who had just mocked them was so shocked when he saw this.

"This...this is what you two caught?"

Li Kuiyong said proudly:

"Uncle Wang, my family will make fish soup for lunch. I'll bring you a bowl later."

When we got home, the kids all gathered around us.

"Brother, this fish is so big!"

"Well, let's have fish for lunch."

"Oh, there are fish to eat, there are fish to eat",

The child was overjoyed. He had candy and canned fruit in the morning and fish at noon. He was happier than during the Chinese New Year.

The two fish were kept in the bucket first. Li Kuiyong entered the room, came to the bed, took out the money he earned from selling the fish,

"Mom, look!"

Mother Li asked, "Xiaoyong, where did this money come from?"

Li Kuiyuan said:

"Mom, this is what my eldest brother just earned from fishing. He caught over 50 kilograms and sold it to the supply and marketing cooperative for 15 yuan."

Sister Li Kuiyong said:

"Big brother, second brother, this... is this really earned from selling fish? How can you catch so much? You've only been out for over an hour."

"How could it be false?" Kui Yuan said:

"That's because Brother Zhong gave us a 'potion' that works really well. The bait is immediately taken as soon as we cast it. We're both too busy to catch anything. If the bucket had been full, we would have caught even more."

Li Kuiyong said:

"Kuiyuan, Xiaomei, don't tell anyone about this. Just keep it to yourself. I'll go fishing once a week and earn ten or twenty dollars per trip."

Li Meidao:

"Brother, is that really that much? Then you can earn 70 or 80 yuan a month, which is more than what our father used to make. And the best part is that you don't have to work every day."

Li Kuiyong nodded,

"From now on, Mom will have money to buy medicine, and our family won't have to go hungry anymore."

At noon, a large pot of grass carp was cooked and served with corn pancakes. The soup was thick and white, the pancakes were golden, and the aroma filled the room. The children were ravenous and Li Kuiyong said:

"Eat, eat, eat to your heart's content today..."

Looking at his mother, brothers and sisters eating cakes and drinking fish soup with big mouthfuls and laughing happily, Li Kuiyong had a satisfied look on his face. He felt that he was like a real big brother now, and his family was happy and warm.