Chapter 17: The Cousin's Fighting Prowess
Around three in the afternoon, Wang Peng sold his last watermelon. He then bought three jin of braised beef and went to the farmers’ market to pick up rice, salt, and other daily necessities. Since he would be living with his cousin for a while, it was necessary to cook meals at home. This would save money and ensure the food was safe to eat.
When he returned home, Du Lei had already packed his luggage. Seeing Wang Peng, he blushed and said, “Peng, I’m sorry, I can’t help you sell watermelons anymore. I just don’t have the heart for it right now.”
Wang Peng comforted him briefly, “It’s good to get some fresh air. We’ll go register at the school together when the time comes.”
Such matters required healing from within; no amount of advice from others could help.
Looking at the textbooks on the table, Wang Peng suddenly remembered that the new students at No.1 High School would have a placement test.
“Take your textbooks with you,” he said. “Starting this year, No.1 High School will hold an annual placement exam for new students and assign them to advanced classes based on their scores.”
“Really?” Du Lei shook his head bitterly. “It doesn’t matter anymore. I really don’t feel like studying. You can take them.”
His first love, a girl who didn’t cherish herself, had broken his heart, leaving him without the will to do anything.
Wang Peng patted his shoulder and offered some words of comfort, then took the textbooks back to the neighboring courtyard.
He fed Xiao Bai some cat food and took the beef to his second uncle’s house in Li Village.
---
Li Village.
At the home of Li Guixi.
A dilapidated three-room main hall, a kitchen built of adobe bricks, with heaps of garlic piled in the yard.
Li Guixi, dressed in patched trousers and a faded old military uniform, squatted at the doorway peeling garlic.
Opposite him, Wang Peng’s mother, Li Guifen, was loudly scolding.
“Second brother, I’ve never seen someone as heartless as Wang Peng. I raised him through thick and thin—was it easy for me?”
“And yet, because of a single acceptance letter, he runs away and cuts ties with me.”
“They say the eldest brother is like a father. If he’s the eldest, he should contribute to the family.”
“If I had known he was born bad, I wouldn’t have given birth to him—I should have strangled him at birth.”
At the end of her rant, Li Guifen spat contemptuously on the ground.
“Mom, please don’t say that,” Wang Cheng feigned concern. “Big brother just lost his way for a moment. He’ll come home and apologize in a few days.”
“Come home? Don’t even think about it!” Li Guifen snorted coldly. “I’d rather he die out there.”
While cursing Wang Peng with her mouth, her hands didn’t stop stuffing garlic into a woven sack.
---
She was here just to freeload garlic.
Li Guixi frowned as he took drags from his dry tobacco pipe.
Although their homes were seven or eight miles apart, Li Guixi knew Wang Peng’s character well.
Every year around this time, Wang Peng would come to help harvest garlic for him.
That boy was sensible, obedient, hardworking, and capable—far from the evil and ungrateful person his sister accused him of being.
Hearing his sister’s harsh words, he couldn’t bear it any longer and was about to retort when Li Fang, Wang Peng’s eldest female cousin, suddenly stood up.
“Auntie, what you’re saying makes no sense!”
“I attended junior high in Wang Village for three years and never saw Peng wearing normal clothes. No matter the season, every piece of his clothing had patches.”
“Cousin Wang Cheng and my two younger cousins, I’ve never seen any of them wearing patched clothes.”
The primary and junior high schools in Wang Village shared a campus, so cousins saw each other often.
“If I were Peng, I would have run away long ago—not waited until now.”
“Besides, Peng studied hard for eight years and finally got accepted into high school. Why should he give his acceptance letter to cousin Wang Cheng?”
Li Fang grew angrier the more she spoke.
Li Guifen was left speechless, her face flushed, unsure how to respond.
“Who forced him? You don’t even know our family situation, so stop spouting nonsense,” she said darkly, glaring at Li Guixi. “Second brother, control your daughter.”
“Cousin, you’re wrong. My mother is fair and treats all of us equally,” Wang Cheng laughed in rebuttal.
“You wear good clothes, and Peng wears patched ones. Is that equality?” Li Fang retorted. “I’m not blind!”
“My big brother is kind-hearted. He doesn’t let us wear torn clothes. He understands the principle that the eldest brother is like a father,” Wang Cheng said.
Such shameless words almost broke Li Fang’s composure.
“Xiaofang, don’t talk back to your great aunt like that,” Li Guixi mildly reminded his daughter.
Then he frowned at Li Guifen. “Third sister, as parents, it’s hard to be perfectly fair, but you’re too biased.”
Li Guifen glared, about to retort.
“Mom!” Wang Cheng shouted, interrupting, then smiled and looked at his second uncle. “Second uncle, I’ll take this bag of garlic. When my mom pickles the sweet garlic, I’ll bring you a jar.”
“Forget it. You say that every year but we never see your sweet garlic,” Li Fang snorted.
“Xiaofang!” Li Guixi shot her a warning glance, then smiled, “She’s just blunt. Guifen, don’t be angry.”
Li Guifen forced a smile without warmth. “Second brother, we’re leaving now.”
Mother and son hoisted two bags of garlic and headed for the door, only to find Wang Peng standing outside.
---
Li Guifen was startled. “You scared me! What are you doing here?”
“Big brother?” Wang Cheng’s eyes flickered with jealousy.
Besides his new sneakers and jeans, big brother was wearing a Playboy jacket.
One of his classmates also had a Playboy jacket, though it was a high-quality fake and still cost over forty yuan.
Wang Peng passed by them without even sparing a glance.
Second uncle and cousin heard the voices and quickly came outside.
“Da Peng, when did you get here?”
“Just arrived,” Wang Peng said calmly, handing over three jin of beef. “Second uncle, this is for you.”
“What’s this?” Li Guixi opened the bag and exclaimed, “Braised beef?”
Li Guifen stepped forward swiftly, reaching to grab the beef.
“What are you doing?” Li Guixi quickly hid the beef behind his back and glared at her.
“What do you mean?” Li Guifen was furious, glaring at Wang Peng through gritted teeth.
This was beef—better than pork. She had dreamed of buying two jin to try.
Wang Peng ignored her and smiled at second uncle. “I want to ask Fang to help guard the watermelon field. I’ll pay her two hundred yuan.”
“Guard the watermelon field?” Li Guixi was puzzled.
He knew his nephew earned tuition by selling watermelons, but guarding a field? Did he lease a watermelon patch?
Thinking this, he pulled fifty yuan from his pocket. “Selling watermelons requires hundreds of jin of stock. You must be short on cash. Garlic is cheap this year. I can only give you fifty yuan to help.”
“Second uncle, I’m not here to borrow money.” Wang Peng turned to Li Fang. “Cousin Fang, do you have time?”
“I do. I’ll go pack my things.” Li Fang turned and headed to the bedroom.
“You’re serious about this, huh?” Li Guixi put the money back in his pocket, smiling. “We’re family. Don’t worry about wages. Food and lodging will be provided.”
The job of guarding the field was easy, so he was happy to have his daughter help.
“Wang Peng, you’re heartless!” Li Guifen was upset. “Your second brother is standing right here, and you have your third and fourth sisters. Any of them could guard your field!”
“Sorry, none of them can watch my field. I don’t trust them,” Wang Peng said with a cold laugh.
“Big brother, I know you don’t like me, but don’t make mom angry,” Wang Cheng looked aggrieved. “Cousin’s busy packing garlic. Let’s not bother her.”
Sure enough, the good little brother was a master manipulator—playing innocent in front of others while sowing discord behind their backs, his schemes deeper than the Pacific.
“Let your second brother guard the field!” Li Guifen shouted. “If you don’t agree, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”