Lin Zhen struggled to find a topic to talk about. He had never been so frustrated with his inability to communicate.
Song Wei decided to take her leave. “I’ll head back now. When Heidan returns, just tell him to come find me.”
“Wait!”
Song Wei looked at him.
Lin Zhen scratched his head awkwardly. “Uh, let’s talk about the thing with Heidan breaking your watch.”
After racking his brain, he could only think of bringing up his younger brother to save the situation.
Song Wei replied calmly, “Oh, that? Heidan didn’t break my watch. I lied about that.”
She went on to explain her reasoning.
“The Lin family treats Heidan like free labor. Even though he’s still young, he does a lot of work for them. If I’d simply asked to take him in, the Lin family wouldn’t have let him go easily. They’d probably demand compensation or find ways to cling to me later. Luckily, I had a broken watch, so I used it to my advantage. Even the brigade leader knows about it.”
After clarifying things, Song Wei said, “You and Heidan are brothers. He’s not willing to live with you yet because he doesn’t know you well enough. Give it some time, and then you can bring him over.”
Lin Zhen replied, “As long as you don’t mind the trouble, he can stay with you as long as he wants.”
“Can you tell me more about Heidan?”
Song Wei stayed and began recounting her first encounter with Heidan, the injuries he had when she met him, and the stories she’d heard from the villagers about him.
Meanwhile, Heidan was parading around the village with a sugar painting and a stick of candied hawthorns, drawing a small crowd of children behind him.
Shuanzi stood proudly by his side, his chest puffed out.
The one holding the candied hawthorns is his brother!
“Heidan, can I have a lick?”
“Heidan, is that sugar painting really as good as you say? Let me try a bit, and I’ll believe you.”
“Heidan, let me see those candied hawthorns. When my mom picks some from the mountains, we’ll make some too.”
The group of kids surrounded Heidan, their chatter nonstop. Their envious gazes fixed on his sugar painting and candied hawthorns, their admiration practically dripping like their unspoken drool.
In that moment, Heidan was the most dazzling kid in the village.
“These were made by my Sister Song and my brother!”
“Candied hawthorns aren’t just hawthorn skewers. See that shiny coating on the outside? That’s sugar!”
“This sweet and sour taste is the best snack I’ve ever had.”
“My Sister Song said she’ll make hawthorn cakes and some other kind of treat called ‘danpi’ next.”
As Heidan proudly boasted, he became the center of envy for every child in the village.
Inside, he was thrilled. Take that! None of you wanted to play with me before!
To show his gratitude, he handed Shuanzi a candied hawthorn.
Shuanzi had fought alongside him against the Lin family, and Heidan hadn’t forgotten.
With the candied hawthorn in hand, Shuanzi stood even taller, basking in the other children’s admiration.
However, Heidan’s triumphant display soon met a challenge.
Not all the children in the village were friendly. Like the adults, some were domineering.
The more aggressive kids—particularly those used to snatching things from others—soon caught wind of Heidan’s prized snacks and came running.
“You little jinx! Why should you get to eat something so good? Hand it over!”
The leader was none other than Da Hu, the seven-year-old grandson of old lady Niu and son of Liu Guifen.
Da Hu, larger and stronger than most kids his age, had inherited his family’s domineering nature. He had a gang of “followers” and often bullied other village children, including Heidan.
Heidan, of course, refused to give up his treats, and the two boys started fighting.
Da Hu, older and bigger, quickly gained the upper hand.
But Heidan had a fierce spirit, just like his brother. Even if he couldn’t win, he’d take a punch just to land one back.
Pinning Heidan down, Da Hu sneered, “Don’t think your brother’s return means anything. I can still beat you up. Your brother’s just a cripple—he can’t even take on my dad!”
“You’re the cripple! My brother can take on ten of your dads! But your dad can’t even beat my Sister Song!” Heidan retorted.
Shuanzi rushed in to help but was soon outnumbered by Da Hu’s gang.
Remembering Song Wei and Lin Zhen’s advice, Heidan shouted to the other kids watching from the sidelines, “Come help me! If you do, I’ll give you candied hawthorns and sugar paintings. I’ve got more at home!”
Tempted by the promise of treats, one kid hesitated for a moment before jumping in.
“I’m coming! You better not forget this, Heidan!”
The promise of candy made even a beating seem worthwhile.
Seeing one child join, the others quickly followed.
Da Hu tried to intimidate them. “You dare touch me? My mom and grandma won’t let you off!”
But even his size and strength couldn’t fend off so many kids at once.
Heidan cheered them on. “Don’t be scared! My Sister Song and Brother will back us up!”
The scuffle escalated as the kids, initially motivated by the candy, began venting their frustrations over past grievances with Da Hu.
Outnumbered, Da Hu and his gang were soon overwhelmed, beaten until they cried.
Hearing the commotion, nearby villagers rushed over.
Sensing trouble, Heidan called out, “Time to run!”
Knowing Da Hu’s family’s reputation for being unreasonable and violent—even towards children—Heidan led the group in retreat.
When Da Hu’s family arrived, they found him wailing, bruised, and battered.
“Who did this to my boy? I won’t let them off!” Old lady Niu screeched, beating her thighs in fury.
The other children’s parents also showed up, equally livid upon seeing their own kids’ swollen faces and torn clothes.
As Da Hu and his gang told their version of events, the angry parents banded together, storming toward Lin Zhen’s house.
Meanwhile, at Lin Zhen’s place, Song Wei and Lin Zhen were chatting as they processed the leftover hawthorns.
Suddenly, the gate burst open, and Heidan ran in with a group of kids, all looking disheveled and battered.
“Sister Song, Brother—I got into a fight!” Heidan blurted, his voice tinged with nervousness.
Despite his bravado, he felt uneasy.
Back when he’d fought Da Hu while living with the Lin family, they hadn’t cared why he fought. They had forced him to apologize to Da Hu’s family and even beaten him for it.
This time, Heidan didn’t want to face that kind of punishment again.
Leave a Reply