River City Story

"So you have been waiting at the gate of No. [-] Middle School for more than two days?!"

"Don't even take an umbrella! Are you a big boy?"

"How does Fang Jue take care of people?"

"Ask for leave before the exam, you're really good at it!"

"Isn't it a special sense of ceremony to squeeze together with grandpa, aunt, uncle, aunt and so on?"

"I didn't call before coming..."

He Zhengxi was in the living room of Cai Xusheng's house, neither standing nor sitting, he could only focus on the floor, listen to the criticism and education, and nodded his head to express "you are right".

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Yan frowned and closed his eyes wearily, waved to He Zhengxi and said, "Just weigh your own affairs, don't think I talk too much." He quietly opened his eyes as he spoke. With half an eye, observing He Zhengxi's expression on the opposite side, and confirming that the child is neither angry nor blushing, he was slightly relieved.When Lin Yan met He Zhengxi at the gate, he was a little annoyed, and he unconsciously covered his head and face. Now that he finished speaking, he was afraid of scolding him again like three years ago.

"Have you got the books? Don't pretend to be terracotta warriors here, find a place to study." Lin Yan stood up from the sofa and walked into the kitchen. "Let's go back in the afternoon and have lunch at your Brother Cabbage's."

"My name is not Baicai, I'm Cai Xusheng, I'm so lifelike!" Cai Xusheng in the bedroom yelled, knocking on the door.

Wearing an apron, Lin Yan agreed, "Yes, that's right, a lifelike Chinese cabbage."

"Don't belittle me in front of your handsome younger brother, it will make a bad first impression!" Cai Xusheng roared again.

"First impression?" Lin Yan looked at the idiot's expression all over his face, "Don't make trouble, you don't have such a thing, you are the most unscrupulous in our class, you don't know that Zhao Sheng personally gave you the name? Besides, my brother and you It's not the same person, this is not your blind date scene."

"Hey, aren't all handsome guys ruthless? You are not at all, you have sharp teeth." Cai Xusheng slammed the bedroom door again with a frustrated face.

"Some time ago I was said to be cold, but now it's not..."

Lin Yan shook his head helplessly and walked to the refrigerator, opened the bottom layer, rummaged for a long time, found a piece of beef, threw it into the microwave to defrost, turned around and started boiling water, and cut tomatoes along the way.The kitchen in Cai Xusheng's house is not often used. The kitchen utensils are clean, and the south-facing windows make the interior very transparent.Lin Yan was busy with concentration in such an environment, exuding some warm and beautiful smell from his whole body.

He Zhengxi stared at the tip of the pen for a long time, but he couldn't write any more questions.

"Isn't he handsome, charming, and excellent?"

At some point, Cai Xusheng had already changed his clothes and walked out of the room. He suddenly leaned into He Zhengxi's ear and said something in a low voice.

He Zhengxi frowned, lowered his eyes to look at the test paper again.Seeing that he didn't respond, Cai Xusheng turned to the front of He Zhengxi with his hands behind his back with a 'tsk' sound, and leaned forward abruptly, and He Zhengxi followed to hide behind.

"what are you doing?"

"I don't do anything, I just want to see you." Cai Xusheng said frivolously.

"You are really..." You are crazy, He Zhengxi wanted to say that, but considering that this person was Lin Yan's classmate, he had no choice but to hold back and shut up.

"Are you trying to say that I'm a psycho?" Cai Xusheng swayed to the living room, sat on the sofa clearly, and pointed his toes, "Your brother has given me many titles, neuropathy is the most elementary, and there are perverts and libertines." , hooligans, sticks, old monsters, handsome little bums, etc..." While counting, he said righteously: "Don't worry, my heart is very strong."

He Zhengxi laughed aloud when he heard it. That's right, Lin Yan is definitely the one who can say these words.But he laughed for a long time and his heart began to turn acid again. He hadn't been taught by Lin Yan for many years...

"You have a pretty good relationship with my brother, otherwise ordinary people are not qualified to be given nicknames by him." He Zhengxi said with a smirk.

He stopped writing papers, put away his pencil case, and sat on the sofa with his legs spread out, his hands crossed, and at first glance he looked quite imposing.

Cai Xusheng chuckled twice: "It's okay, at least I was my classmate in high school for three years."

He Zhengxi: "Three years? Always?"

Cai Xusheng: "It can be said to be as gluey as paint."

He Zhengxi's complexion changed instantly, and Cai Xusheng secretly applauded himself in his heart.He could tell that Lin Yan's younger brother was not easy to provoke, his eyes were very sharp, like a little wild wolf on the grassland.But no matter how awesome he is, he is still only a half-grown child.Cai Xusheng likes to tease such silly children the most.He took his chin and pointed to the kitchen, "Has your brother become very handsome?"

He Zhengxi then turned his gaze, stared at Lin Yan's side face and straight long legs for a few seconds, nodded seriously, and said to himself, "It's tall, and the hair color looks healthy, too. It looks better than the photos, although the photos are already very handsome."

"Really." Cai Xusheng stood up with a smile and walked into the bedroom, and walked out again after a while.

When He Zhengxi saw the things in his hands, his pupils shrank instantly, and his shoulders leaning on the sofa were a little stiff, "Did you take those photos of him?"

Cai Xusheng shook the camera in his hand, and said, "That's right, your brother is a very good source material. You don't need makeup or poses at all. Just walk a few steps and you will be a blockbuster." He changed the lens, walked to the kitchen door, held Picked up the camera and took more than a dozen shots.

"Stop shooting blindly, I'm busy." Lin Yan smiled and stretched out his hand, as if to cover the hood.

"That's it, go on, Boss Lin, you feel really good. The movement of raising your hand and your smile are very natural and comfortable." Cai Xusheng followed Lin Yan's footsteps into the kitchen, and the backlight made the room shine brightly on the camera. It became a little dark in the room, so he turned on the light, smacking his lips and said: "Although handsome guys all over the world are not on camera, the camera can only restore one-third of your handsomeness, and the dynamics can restore almost half of it. I Record a few videos, cut them into 3 or 4-minute clips, and upload them on the Internet, you may become popular, and it is not a dream to rely on your face for food. At that time, why do you need to ride a broken bicycle to run a part-time job?"

Lin Yan rolled up his non-existent sleeves, picked up the knife, and said while cutting the beef: "If you are really free, go and wash your dirty clothes, I really can't stand it anymore, or help me Boiling hot water, I want to blanch the meat."

Cai Xusheng was immediately discouraged after hearing this. He turned off the machine, turned around and walked out of the kitchen, sighing, "The college entrance examination is a big project. I'm tired and need to catch up on sleep. Call me when the meal is ready."

"It's hopeless." Lin Yan pouted.

"Let me help you. Reboil a pot of hot water, right?" He Zhengxi stood at the door and asked aloud.

Lin Yan opened the cupboard, picked out a medium-sized saucepan, handed it over and said, "Don't overcook it, just let the blood foam rise to the top, be careful not to burn it, the pots at home with Chinese cabbage are expensive but not easy to use."

"Understood." He Zhengxi replied with a smile.

The kitchen is not very big, but it is a hundred times better than the small shed in the old ancestral hall, and the cooking experience is very comfortable.After Lin Yan chopped the onion, ginger and garlic, he began to add oil, and when he was about to turn around, He Zhengxi, who was nearby, had already brought the boiled beef to him.Lin Yan was taken aback for a moment, then raised his face slightly, and He Zhengxi was staring at him very intently.

"You seem to have eaten some feed, which is higher than mine." Lin Yan talked nonsense, raised his hand, poured the meat into the pot and started frying. When the color of the beef gradually faded, put tomatoes .

"It's very fragrant." He Zhengxi stretched out his head and smelled it.

"What fragrance? Are you smelling me or vegetables? Open it, it will splash on your clothes."

He Zhengxi changed his position and stood behind Lin Yan again, buried his chin in Lin Yan's shoulder, and said intoxicatedly, "It's all very fragrant."

"What a mess." Lin Yan stood up straight with trembling arms, and pushed He Zhengxi's head away, "Don't press me down, you're so heavy, I managed to grow to 181, I want to be half a centimeter shorter than you Desperate."

After hearing this, He Zhengxi giggled and said, "How can you be short? By the age of 20, you may grow longer." After laughing, seeing that the tomatoes were almost fried, he helped him to pick up a bowl of water and pour it into it. Cover the pot and try to adjust a small fire.

"Okay, the basic skills have not been abandoned in recent years, not bad." Lin Yan clapped his hands in satisfaction.

"Lao He hired a nanny to cook at home. I feel so awkward. It's like the old society. I'm still not used to it."

"They are all very busy, so they don't have time to cook carefully, and there is nothing to say about hiring a cooking aunt."

"But I still like the dishes we cook. They are delicious." He Zhengxi saw that the pot was about to crow, and hurried over to pick it up before Lin Yan, to fill the thermos bottle.

"You little... You are just awkward. Let me enjoy the nanny's cooking. I'm too happy to be happy. How can I dislike you." He was going to say 'you kid', but after thinking about it, he changed the word, worried He Zhengxi didn't like it.Lin Yan stretched his waist, yawned and continued without a trace: "It's really sleepy. After this exam, my spirit is also relaxed. I'm bored. It's time to start a part-time job again, or I'll lose my job."

He Zhengxi packed up the water bottle, found a chair and handed it to Lin Yan, "Don't be too busy working part-time jobs these days." He looked at Lin Yan worriedly, "Your current weight, I guess, is definitely less than 120. , it is best to rest more while you have time."

"How come, I was 121 during the college entrance examination, and it's only been a few days." Lin Yan muttered and walked to the weighing scale at Cai Xusheng's door, the pointer jumped wobbly for a few seconds, and finally stopped at the position of 58.5. "You really told me, this is 117." He smiled at He Zhengxi, showing a small row of white teeth.

"For your age and height, 121 is too light, okay...don't say 117." He Zhengxi frowned, "Is it because the pressure of the college entrance examination is relatively high? You used to be thin, but it's normal."

"Really?" Lin Yan squeezed his arms, "I don't think I'm too thin. In fact, I've eaten a lot recently, but I may have consumed a lot. Everyone looks pale. Don't worry, after a summer vacation, brother can grow 10 catties." He poked He Zhengxi's arm casually, and said with regret on his face, "...Damn it, why don't I play basketball more? It stands to reason that I do a lot of exercise, anyway, I often ride a bicycle."

"You are part-time job, busy, the same as exercising?" He Zhengxi said loudly.

"Slow down the decibel, someone is sleeping." Lin Yan pressed his ears tightly, then turned and went to the kitchen to look at the pot.

He guessed that He Zhengxi had probably reached the age of being easily irritable. Lin Yan knew that he couldn't be serious, and if they really got into a fight, the two of them would probably quarrel again.This is not the old ancestral hall, what the hell is going on between the two brothers fighting in someone else's house.

He Zhengxi's temper is indeed not small. Seeing that Lin Yan didn't pay attention to him, he immediately became angry. He raised his foot and wanted to kick the weighing scale. When he was about to fall, he retracted it as if he suddenly woke up. .Although he didn't kick it, he still touched it as if to vent his anger.

"I really don't know what you have learned in the past three years." Lin Yan came out, pointed at the weighing scale and said coldly to He Zhengxi, "If this was in your own home, wouldn't you kick it to death? ?”

"Yes." He Zhengxi looked up at the ceiling and replied fearlessly.

"Forget it, don't eat this meal." Lin Yan took off the apron and folded it, and walked to Cai Xusheng's door, "I'll tell him, let's go back first."

He Zhengxi turned his face to the side: "What do you mean?"

"In your current state, we'd better go home first." Lin Yan said.

"What's my status?"

"Don't you feel that you are very irritable now? No, it is manic. You are not normal."

"I think I'm pretty normal."

"Normal?" Lin Yan looked He Zhengxi up and down in disbelief, "Tell me, what's normal? Aside from grades, what's normal about you?"

"I don't quite understand what you want to say." He Zhengxi rubbed the floor with the soles of his shoes, went to the sofa and picked up his schoolbag, without turning his head, said: "Anyway, the plane will go home the day after tomorrow. I will go to my cousin's today. You are in the way."

Lin Yan was also a little annoyed, he could see that something was wrong with He Zhengxi, but he couldn't tell what went wrong, he just felt inexplicable about what He Zhengxi said and did.

"Wait." Lin Yan called He Zhengxi to stop, "Put things in order before leaving."

"I don't want to show it off." He Zhengxi said.

Lin Yan closed his eyes, suppressed his anger, bent down and reached out to put the weighing scale back to its original position, went to the kitchen and turned off the gas stove.

In the past few years, he has never really been angry with anyone.In the first semester of high school, when Xu Jialin was in prison for a few months, there were a lot of rumors in the school, but he didn't think there was anything wrong.Xu Jialin did commit a crime. As an adopted son, it is quite natural for him to be scolded.But the only thing he couldn't stand was the look of He Zhengxi in front of him, like a spoiled child, indifferent to people and things, conceited and arrogant.

Is this still the stupid He Zhengxi?Is this the rebellious period?Getting angry out of nowhere?Just kick it casually?

"If you don't want to listen to me, I won't say anything." Lin Yan said lightly, "If you don't want to stay, it's okay to go back. Let's go after dinner. I'll take you to the hotel that Fang Jue booked .”

"Don't bother you." He Zhengxi left a sentence, walked to the entrance, and was about to open the door.

"You dare to go one step further and try."

He Zhengxi paused the movements of his hands, and then he said with a smile: "What's the matter, are you going to scold me again? Come on, come on, I like to hear you talk to me like this the most, scold me more, comfortable. "He Zhengxi stepped back and sat down on the sofa again.He cocked his feet, turned his back to Lin Yan and shook his head.

Lin Yan walked up to him with a face full of shock, "Is there something wrong with your brain? You are not here to accompany the exam, you are here to piss me off."

He Zhengxi put his head on the back of the sofa, raised his face and blinked his eyes, "Isn't this the usual rhetoric used by old men and old ladies in TV dramas, such as 'You're going to piss me off', 'You're such a white-eyed wolf', 'No used' or something."

"Yeah, you're just a white-eyed wolf, useless." Lin Yan smiled bitterly.

He knew that he couldn't talk to He Zhengxi anymore, this scene seemed to be a replay of Xiaonian's day three years ago.They are still young, each other is too impulsive, not calm enough, continue to quarrel, don't know what hurtful words will be said.

"I guess Cai Xusheng will have to sleep all afternoon. You can take care of the dishes in the pot by yourself, and go back to the hotel after you are full. The meat and tomatoes are all bought by me, not free food. I am also very tired now, so I will go to sleep first." .” Lin Yan pressed his forehead and turned around wearily.

"Are you just sleeping in someone else's house casually like this? What's the relationship between you two?" He Zhengxi suddenly stood up with a questioning tone.

"Student, it's about making up lessons for each other." Lin Yan walked to another bedroom and reached out to push the door. Halfway through the push, his hand was clenched.He raised his head and looked at He Zhengxi, "You have to have a fight with me today, don't you?"

"Don't sleep here, go back to the ancestral hall." He Zhengxi said sullenly.

"Are you fucking insane?! As I said, I'm tired! After the exam, I want to sleep!"

Lin Yan pushed He Zhengxi away and continued walking towards the house.He Zhengxi straightened his body and crossed to Lin Yan, "Go home and sleep, not here."

Lin Yan turned his head, his eyes were bloodshot, "I*, even if you are my own brother, I can knock out two of your teeth with one punch, believe it or not!"

"Then you try..." Before He Zhengxi finished speaking, Lin Yan's fist flew over quickly, and he couldn't dodge for a moment, a red mark was rubbed on his face, he pressed the painful place, and it turned red He yelled at Lin Yan with a straight face: "Since I was a child, this is the first time you hit me, and you were at someone else's house!"

"I'm your fucking brother, why can't I hit you?! If you don't accept it, let's hit each other!" Several veins popped out of Lin Yan's neck. He really wanted to punch He Zhengxi, and he felt that one punch was not enough. This kid owes a lot, if you don't fix it, I'm afraid it will turn upside down in the future.

"Fight against each other? All right, buddies fight against each other like this, I like it."

He Zhengxi seemed to think of something in his mind, and suddenly he laughed wickedly. He stared at Lin Yan, and said seriously: "You are not my brother, and I don't want you to be my brother. Let's Let's fight as equal buddies, the one just now doesn't count, okay?"

"...Are you crazy?" Lin Yan shook his body, his voice trembling.

"I've been crazy for a long time. I've been crazy since the day I was taken away by the traffickers." He Zhengxi clenched Lin Yan's wrist tightly, but his tone gradually eased, "Actually, what you just said is right, I'm just not normal. I don't deny that."

Lin Yan rounded his eyes and opened his mouth, unable to speak a word.He looked at He Zhengxi, who seemed calm and full of nonsense in front of him, and panicked for a long time.

He Zhengxi's words were too destructive, he was a little dazed after hearing this, his head was chaotic and silent, his ears seemed to be blocked with paste.I can't hear clearly, and even my vision is blurry.That's right, everything was exactly the same as that day three years ago, and they still had an argument after all, and it was even worse.

After a brief silence, Lin Yan spoke in a daze.

"I shouldn't have let you go back to Yancheng, and now I regret it very much. Even if you have been living a hard life, you are still a cheerful and lively silly child, and you will definitely not become what you are now... He Zhengxi, what are you doing?" What's the matter?" Lin Yan sat on the ground and covered his eyes in pain, "I used to think that when you were in adolescence, you must talk to you more often, and we have time to communicate frequently. But I couldn't do it. Until now, I’ve been busy, and I don’t know what I’m busy with. I’m still so poor, empty, and have nothing. After all, we’ve only been together for 5 years. Uncle Xu is not a model parent. The three of us have nothing to do with each other. Everyone is with everyone. What bonds and bonds are written in the book, how can there be such a thing, don’t take the initiative to grab it ,Nothing at all……"

He talked for a long time on his own, until his throat hurt, and he stood up against the wall.Lin Yan pulled out the hand that He Zhengxi had been holding all the time, and knocked on Cai Xusheng's bedroom door.

"Are you finished talking?"

Cai Xusheng opened a crack in the door and poked his head out.

"Well, I'm so sorry, it's like eight o'clock." Lin Yan said awkwardly.

"It's okay, let's finish lunch first, and leave after eating, otherwise it's too much, I might eat half and eat half." Cai Xusheng joked.

"A pure prodigal son."

"Then I am also a good prodigal son who is gentle, cute, sensible, handsome, likable, and not annoying."

"Ha!" Lin Yan laughed hoarsely, "Let's go, let's have dinner, you good prodigal son."

The dining table in Cai Xusheng's house is not big, and the three of them are a bit crowded.Sitting next to Lin Yan, He Zhengxi moved a lot, always touching his arm, which felt cool to the touch.The quarrel just now seemed to have exhausted the energy of both of them, neither of them said much, leaving Cai Xusheng alone to find topics to talk about.Before leaving, when He Zhengxi was about to go out after rinsing his mouth in the bathroom, Cai Xusheng who walked in blocked the door.

"What are you doing?" He Zhengxi frowned and looked over.

"Let me do some research, what kind of person is it that can make Lin Yan such a cute little brother?" Cai Xusheng leaned against the door frame with his eyes raised, "Your brother is like a tree desperately pawing at rocks with its roots. The small pine tree growing on the edge of the cliff, no matter how harsh the weather outside, he can still grow quietly with one heart and one mind, but if those few rocks are loose, he probably won't be able to survive."

He Zhengxi's eyes darkened, "What do you mean?"

"I don't mean anything. Everyone has times when they are at odds with the world. Some people are so vigorous that they can't wait to overthrow the entire universe; but there are also people who rely on that energy to run forward desperately to survive." Cai Xusheng moved He Zhengxi aside. Squeeze, turn on the faucet, lower your voice, "Forget me meddling. It must be difficult for you both, but there are different types. Stop irritating your brother, he is really tired. Take time off every month Going to see your Uncle Xu, the weekends and vacations are full of homework and part-time jobs. As the adopted son of a drug trafficking prisoner, in school, in Linshui Street, will his pressure be less? If I were him, I might have To steal, rob, and retaliate against society, I will not spend time caring for my younger brother and visiting my adoptive father."

After Cai Xusheng finished speaking, he turned on the faucet again, took a towel and wiped it casually a few times, pushed open the door and walked out dangling.

"Do you like my brother?" He Zhengxi looked at his back and asked.

"Huh? Just now you seemed to say...he is not your brother?" Cai Xusheng turned his head and joked.