Morning Glory

Turn left from the back of the hall and enter a side courtyard with carved beams and painted buildings, sparse flowers and trees, rattan or wooden tables and chairs placed under the wisteria trellis and under the shade of the trees, and a hand-built small palm-width canal leads a bend of flowing water around Looking at the yard, there is a slight gurgling sound, which means that there are some curved waters flowing.

The little girl in Chinese costume greeted her with a smile, "Sirs, do you want to sit in the room or in the yard?"

"In the yard."

The two chose a seat under the corridor and sat down. Fatty Zhang leaned deeply into the wicker chair, "You really enjoy it, this is really a good place to drink tea."

"Come here often if you like it." Lei Zheng replied while ordering tea with the waiter.

"It's a bit far away..." Fatty Zhang dragged his voice exaggeratedly, "My life is hard, and it's not as comfortable as your Boss Lei!"

"Boss Wang is self-effacing. How many people with a body like yours have a hard life?"

"Hahaha..." Fatty Zhang laughed, "Can you stop being so hurt?"

"It's so hard for you to open a supermarket and a restaurant at the same time? Isn't this just putting words on people's lips?"

"It's all hard-earned money for me, of course it's hard work! Every month, the little turnover, after excluding costs, labor, materials, water and electricity properties, as well as industry, commerce, taxation, sanitation, urban management, gangsters..." Fatty Zhang stopped suddenly, and then Silently read it again, "The underworld is white... Really, there really is no underworld."

Lei Zheng took out a cigarette and handed it to Fatty Zhang, then lit one himself, "Is Yu Wei still there?"

"Maybe, I don't know."

At this time, the tea artisan just came over with tea, and both of them were silent, watching the tea artisan lightly and skillfully help them arrange the tea set, then rinse the tea leaves, and then proceed to the next procedure, Fatty Zhang suddenly said, "Thank you, Let's do it ourselves."

The tea artisan nodded with a smile, then backed away silently.

While making tea, Fatty Zhang said, "Lei Zheng, do you think we were stupid back then? I never thought about who he was. You didn’t dare to ask, and you didn’t tell me.”

Lei Zheng exhaled smoke and nodded, "I only found out later, he didn't talk about him himself, so it's my turn to talk about it? People told me that I've been yelling at people all over the world? If you want to know, you might as well just tell me." ask him."

"How can I have such friendship with him!"

"He did a good job for you, maybe you are still enjoying benefits... You said that he has no friendship with you? Are you a human?" Lei Zheng scolded with a smile.

"Pull you down, it was because you were an idiot that he made the move in the first place!" Fatty Zhang also shot back with a smile.

Lei Zheng laughed out loud, "That's what I call stabbing my brother!"

"Why didn't I stab you to death!"

After receiving the tea from Fatty Zhang, smelling the aroma of the tea, he replied with a smile, "It's not wrong to stab someone to death, buddy."

"Righteousness!"

"At that time, there was such a big incident in your family, and you suddenly stopped coming to class. You asked the teacher, saying that you didn't ask for leave, and you were considered absent from class. I guessed that something happened to your family. You are so cowardly, how could you be absent from class? I will go to your house to find you. But there is no one in your family..."

"At that time, my dad ordered the gang of hooligans who collected protection money to hurt me. My mother and I were both in the hospital. Of course there was no one."

"Yeah, the neighbors don't dare to say anything, and they don't even know which hospital your father is in."

"So you had to come to my house every day...Really, when I saw you that day, I wanted to cry."

"Really!" Lei Zheng pretended to be reproachful, "I didn't see it, you're so good at leaving me a note and ignoring me, even if I give you a message, I can still recall those days. God's mood."

"I wanted to go all out at the time, how could I drag my buddy back! Of course I can't talk to you."

Lei Zheng still remembered that when he finally blocked Fatty Zhang at home, and knocked on the door for a long time, Fatty Zhang opened the door, and he said, "Why are you here!"

Lei Zheng felt a sudden burst of unknown fire in his head, and replied sharply: "You fucking nonsense! Why can't I come?"

It was raining that day, Lei Zheng was half wet, but Fatty Zhang didn't intend to let him in, the two of them just stood deadlocked at the door.

"Who is it?" Fatty Zhang's mother's voice came from inside the room.

"Auntie is me, Lei Zheng, I'm here to deliver homework to Fatty." Lei Zheng immediately changed from the angry tone just now, and changed into the same casual and cute attitude as before.

"Oh, come in and sit down, it's raining outside." Fatty's mother's voice became clearer, as if she was about to come out.

"No, no, I'm leaving now. Goodbye, auntie."

Lei Zheng didn't wait for Fatty's mother to respond, he reached out and grabbed the clothes on Fatty Zhang's chest towards him, dragged Fatty Zhang out of the door, moved most of the umbrella to the fatty's head, "Go out and talk."

It was still raining outside, and reflected by the light of the street lamps, one could clearly see the rain falling in lines.

The two stood under the streetlight, Lei Zheng looked at Fatty Zhang, waiting for him to speak, but Fatty Zhang, who was usually talkative, was rarely silent, and stubbornly closed his mouth tightly.

There was silence between the two, only the dull "bang bang" sound of rain falling on the umbrella.

"What are you going to do?" Lei Zheng finally broke the silence.

"I have no plans." Fatty Zhang replied quickly.

Lei Zheng raised his eyebrows, Fatty Zhang's tone clearly showed a kind of sternness and determination, but he said that he had no plans, obviously he didn't want Lei Zheng to be involved.

"Don't take me as a buddy, do you?"

Fatty Zhang finally turned his gaze to look at him, "Lei Zheng, it's none of your business, don't worry about it, you can't care about it either, this is not a few gangsters at the school gate robbing some pocket money, just help me out Yes, this is a man of the Tao.”

"Both groups of people have to collect protection fees, right? Have you tried to get them to talk to each other?"

"The two groups of hooligans who are not on the stage are all rascals, saying that they don't care about others and only take what they deserve." Fatty Zhang spat bitterly, "Bah, you deserve it!"

"Or... I'll think of a way to raise some money for you?"

"Can you give me a lifetime?" Fatty Zhang smiled wryly, "It's not that I haven't, but I need both. The family is a small business, and it can't last anymore. If I can't give it, I will beat someone. Isn't this my dad just got out of the hospital? .”

"What about calling the police?"

"The police said that if there are no casualties, they will not be in their charge. In my opinion, they are taking advantage of them. Just turn a blind eye."

"The uncle..."

"Yeah, it was taken care of that time, but now as long as we open for business, they will come and stay in the store and won't let customers in... Even if the police ask, what can they do? People say they just come to the store for a sit-down Can't you?"

"Is that so...or try to find a middleman?"

"I found it. The asking price is hundreds of thousands. We can't afford it. In fact, we just don't want to care about it. Maybe there are forces on both sides. No one wants to stand out, but they don't want to lose face, so they set a high price." Fatty Zhang said His gaze shifted from the raindrops to Lei Zheng's face, and he suddenly smiled, "It's okay, my parents are going to try to sell or close the store, so they can survive no matter what."

Lei Zheng didn't speak anymore, he could ask his father for help and lend money to Fatty Zhang's family, but Fatty Zhang would definitely not ask for it, and the so-called middleman was really not sincere.

Looking at the resentful Fatty Zhang, Lei Zheng was silent for a while, and finally just reached out and patted Fatty Zhang on the shoulder, "Take care, I'm leaving first." After speaking, he walked away on his own, leaving only Fatty Zhang behind. Standing alone in the rain.

Fatty Zhang watched his back disappear into the rainy night, wiped the rain off his face, and turned to go home.

Early the next morning, Lei Zheng first went to find the girl who played with him since he was a child and is now a nurse in the hospital, and got Fatty Zhang a slip of absence. Dismissal is also a hassle.

Lei Zheng ran back to school to hand over the leave note to the head teacher, but the head teacher hadn't come yet, so he had to go back to the classroom first.I was absent-minded in the class, so I decided not to wait for the class teacher, but to go to Fatty Zhang first.He handed the leave slip to Zhao Hui, "I'm sorry, please help give her the slip when Lao Zhang comes later, thank you!" Then he started to pack his schoolbag.

Zhao Hui took it and glanced at it, "What's wrong with Fatty?"

Lei Zheng summed it up hastily, "Fatty's shop is in trouble, two gangs collect protection money, and if they don't pay, they won't let his family do business."

Zhao Hui frowned, "Two dials?"

"Well, his store has a good location, but both parties claimed that it was their own site, fuck!"

"Couldn't it be that the two of them first made it clear whose territory it is?"

Lei Zheng stopped his movements, "Brother, have you watched too many Hong Kong movies? These two groups are rogues, the kind who can't get on the stage! It's not moral in movies, understand?"

Zhao Hui twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, and said in a flat voice, "I probably understand."

"They claim to be their own territory, and they only charge what they should. Let Fatty Zhang's family reason for themselves, what do you say? His parents are honest, and they gave double shares for a while. These grandchildren want more and more. Now If you can’t give it out, you will beat someone.”

"Then what are you going to do?" Zhao Hui was still not emotional.

"I don't know!" Lei Zheng frowned hard, and thought for a while, he really didn't know how to help, and continued to pack his schoolbag, "But I don't worry about Fatty, I went to him yesterday, he He said it like a normal person, saying that his parents were going to sell or close the store. But their store, encountered such a thing, it is impossible to sell it, so it has to be closed... No matter which one is a loss There is nothing left, his father is injured and I don’t know how long it will take to raise him, his mother is not in good health, it is impossible to do physical work, the fat man is alone..." Lei Zheng stood up and walked out, "I don't know what I can do. Well, but I have to go and see."

Zhao Hui grabbed him, Lei Zheng stopped and turned his head, watching him hold his hand, then follow his hand upwards, look into his eyes, waiting for him to speak.

"Have you thought about what your parents will do if something happens to you?"

After hearing this, Lei Zheng tilted his head and thought about it, but there was no result, "I don't know! But there are things that must be done! I can't leave Fatty alone..." Then he smiled lightly, and the smile was unexpected. Minglang, "Besides, I don't believe that the little hooligans who do this kind of thing dare to kill people, don't worry."

Zhao Hui stared at him for a while, a smile flashed across his eyes, and he let go, "Go." The voice was calm and calm, and seemed to have some affirmation.

Lei Zheng walked back a few steps with his bag on his back, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just smiled and waved to him, then turned and left.

Lei Zheng rushed to Fatty Zhang's shop in a hurry, but he didn't push it away, and saw Fatty Zhang waving a long stick at seven or eight people alone while lying on the glass, the beating had already started!

Lei Zheng kicked the door hard several times, but it still didn't open!The people in the room paused for a short while at the noise he made, and then continued to fight.

Lei Zheng ran to the side, went around to the back door of Fatty Zhang's house, picked up a short and thick stick while running, and when he rushed into the shop panting, he just caught up with the other party who grabbed Fatty Zhang's long stick A punch on the fat man's jaw.Lei Zheng took advantage of the momentum of rushing in, and wedged a stick on the opponent's head!The man fell down with a scream. He probably had a lot of experience in fighting, so he quickly got out of the way to avoid another attack.

Fatty Zhang took advantage of the situation and withdrew to Changgen, swept away with a huff, and forced a group of people to a distance of two meters. He and Lei Zheng took a few steps back, and the two sides formed a short confrontation.

Lei Zheng saw several spots on Fatty Zhang's body, it shouldn't be serious, the corner of his left eye was swollen and half-sealed, his right cheek was punched just now, the corner of his mouth was also swollen, and blood was still hanging on his face. .Lei Zheng saw that his originally round face was swollen on the upper left and lower right, and was torn into a strange parallelogram. He couldn't help laughing, and reached out to help him wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Fatty Zhang grinned back at him. At this moment, nothing else would be said.

The person who was knocked down by Lei Zheng just now may be the leader of this group. When he rolled away on the spot, he knocked down a row of shelves, and the things on it smashed on him. Someone rushed to help him, but no one Attack again.He got up from the ground cursing, looked at the two people opposite him, and seemed to be a little bit unresponsive, until a stream of blood slowly dripped from his forehead, covering his eyes, he wiped it hard, and grabbed a glass After the bottle was knocked, there was a crisp shattering sound, and he grabbed the mouth of the bottle with the sharp broken glass and bullied him again.

In the past, Fatty Zhang relied on the stick in his hand, barely gaining some advantage, but whenever there was a gap, the other party would bully someone and come closer to him, which made him suffer. Now that there is Lei Zheng, Lei Zheng who bullied him, said hello, Lei Zheng Fighting has always been ruthless, but Fatty Zhang was forced to go all out again. Gradually, although he couldn't gain the upper hand, he didn't suffer any losses. The two sides were at a stalemate.

Someone on the other side was red-eyed. Seven or eight of them had been wrestling with the two and a half adults for so long, and their patience had long since run out. The man held the knife, and when Lei Zheng narrowly avoided the blade, his heart tightened. He was not afraid, but realized that the situation was getting worse.

The dodged knife swiped back and Lei Zheng had nowhere to dodge. Just as he was about to be stabbed, Fatty Zhang's stick stretched out from somewhere to block the knife. At the same time, Fatty Zhang got kicked by someone else. He snorted and threw himself forward!Seeing another saber light strike in front of his eyes again!Lei Zheng only had time to hug Fatty Zhang and rolled back to the side. Although the two managed to avoid two stabs and retreated to a corner, Fatty Zhang's long stick was out of his hand!

The two stood side by side in the corner of the wall, the other had the upper hand, like a prey to play with, looked at them proudly, and slowly approached... Lei Zheng felt the sweat slipping from his temples, and he heard his heart beating wildly !They were already at a complete disadvantage. Glancing at the wide open back door not far from him, he clenched the stick in his hand, took half a step forward, and whispered to the empty-handed Fatty Zhang, "You go first!" .”

Fatty Zhang put his shoulders against him, and said firmly, "No!"

The person whose head was broken by Lei Zheng just wiped his bleeding forehead, looked at the blood on his hand, and said bitterly, "Neither of you wants to leave, this matter can't be like this today!"

Lei Zheng half turned his head to look at Fatty Zhang and smiled, "You bastard, the next time someone intercepts you, show off the way you are today!" Then he said to the man, "What can't be done? Today I want to There is no money to die for!"

As he said, he was about to rush forward!

At this moment, the store door opened with a bang!

Lei Zheng knew that the door was pinned from the inside with a stick, so he kicked it several times but failed to open it.

The other party also knew that the door was locked by one of his own people and it was impossible to open it...

Therefore, both sides were surprised!At the same time, he stopped and looked towards the door.

A wind chime was hung on the door of the store, and at this time it was making a crisp and sharp sound. There was a person standing under the shaking wind chime. He was wearing the same school uniform as Lei Zheng's, but Lei Zheng's school uniform had been ripped out of shape long ago. , and the school uniform on his body is well-proportioned and meticulous, and the backpack is also carried upright. He looks like a standard good student, but...it is Zhao Hui!

Zhao Hui looked at everything messy in front of him calmly, his eyes swept over the two groups of people with bloody heads, his face was calm, as if the confrontation between the two sides in front of him was the most normal in an ordinary small department store look.

The two sides who had just fought were stunned, unable to react for a while, watching him pause for a few seconds, then stepping on the mess on the ground and entering the store, his pace was neither fast nor slow, like someone who came in to buy things Similarly, he was very quiet, didn't speak, and didn't make any special movements. He just looked at the person holding the knife, and his eyes stayed on the knife for a while. The other party actually lowered the hand holding the knife.

"Zhao...Zhao Hui..." Lei Zheng couldn't believe the situation in front of him, Zhao Hui's appearance was really unexpected.

Zhao Hui just walked across to Fatty Zhang and Lei Zheng indifferently, and stood still.At this time, the sound of the wind chimes has gradually slowed down from fast to slow, ding~ding~ dragging the end, in this strange and quiet atmosphere, it is particularly melodious.

He looked at Lei Zheng and Fatty Zhang for a while, then turned around, turned his back to them, slightly tilted his head and said to Fatty Zhang, "Fatty Zhang, bring me a popsicle." His voice was flat and without any emotion.

"What... what?" Fatty Zhang couldn't believe his ears.

Zhao Hui looked back at him with a blank expression on his face. Fatty Zhang stared at him blankly for a few seconds, and suddenly felt that he didn't know this person... Then he walked to the side of the freezer as if he had been hypnotized. He opened the door, took an ice cream, closed the freezer door, walked back to Zhao Hui's side, and handed the ice cream to him.

Zhao Hui took the ice cream with one hand, and patted Fatty Zhang's shoulder with the other hand, then leaned casually on a shelf that hadn't been overturned beside him, carefully tore off the wrapping paper, and actually started to eat it. His eyes fell on the group of people on the opposite side, still so dull.

Fatty Zhang was a little at a loss, and stood there in a daze. After a while, he seemed to understand and stood behind him.Lei Zheng also leaned over and stood with the two of them, silently considering whether he was an extra burden or increased his fighting power. He had never seen Zhao Hui fight, but he was able to rush over, and he was very happy. He was a little happy, but seeing such a flat expression, he suddenly had an illusion of victory.

The leader of the other party seemed to be relieved, and cursed, "Fuck!" He was about to continue, but was suddenly pulled back by a short man beside him, and then the short man stood on tiptoe and whispered a few words.

The leader looked Zhao Hui up and down, then turned to the shorter one and said, "Impossible!"

The short man didn't let go, and whispered a few more words, the leader listened and stared at the three of them, when the short man finished speaking, the leader pointed a knife at Lei Zheng, "What did you call him just now? Zhao Hui? "

Lei Zheng couldn't figure out what was going on for a while, and didn't know how to answer, so he froze there and didn't answer.

Zhao Hui had finished eating the ice cream, so he stretched out his feet to stand up the overturned trash can, and threw the stick into it.

Fatty Zhang didn't know if he had a brain twitch at this time, but he stuttered and asked, "Still... still... still?"

Zhao Hui turned his head and shook his head with a smile at Fatty Zhang, then turned back, just in time to meet the leader opposite him with a stern and inquiring gaze, only raised his eyebrows, his expression showing a little contempt.

The wind chime on the door had already stopped, and the leader stared at Zhao Hui for a long time, and finally waved his hand and ordered, "Go!" He turned around and said harshly, "You two will wait and see!"

A group of people disappeared in an instant...