2
After taking the tablet and coming out of the noisy house, Qin Qing’s footsteps became lighter.
Although he didn’t like the Sun mother and son, his hometown of C City always made him feel fond.
He was born here and brought up by his deceased grandparents. He also had a carefree childhood with close friends.
He had run freely through these familiar streets, had eaten mug bean popsicles for 5 cents apiece, and bought plastic toys for a few pieces of cash.
This small town has the fondest place in his heart.
Not only was there a place to belong, but there were also friends.
The friend’s name was Xie Lei. He was Qin Qing’s childhood brother and they grew up from bare-assed toddlers together.
In the last life, one of them dropped out of school and drifted north, and the other was sent abroad to study by his family after failing the college entrance examination.
While Qin Qing was mixing in B City, Xie Lei got a green card, settled across the ocean, and got married.
The two of them relied on phones and the Internet to keep in touch. They had also made appointments and vowed to get together again, but there were always various things delaying it.
Now they could finally see again.
At a stationery store outside No. 8 Middle School……..
The stationery shop was opened by Xie Lei’s uncle and in addition to selling stationery and books, it also had the electronic gadgets that students liked best.
Those mobile phones and tablets were not expensive. They were all second-hand. Students who had no money could buy them by saving their pocket money. They can also rent them if they couldn’t buy them.
When Qin Qing rushed to the stationery store, Xie Lei had just finished lunch in his uncle’s shop. He was alone, looking depressed, and not even playing games.
His uncle joked: “I wondered if you had been dumped by a girl.”
Xie Lei stood in front of the stationery store shelf, pulled out a ballpoint pen, and played with it. Sighing as he played with it, he said: “Not a girl, I was dumped by my brother.”
Which brother and what was abandoned, his uncle knew very well. he stood behind the counter and asked: “Qin Qing’s family really won’t let him go to school anymore?”
Xie Lei was angry when he mentioned this and frustratedly said: “hmm, yeah. ”
Uncle: “How does that mother think, she’s clearly pitting her own son.”
Xie Lei frowned: “What own son. It’s a stepmother! That’s his stepmother! ”
Uncle: “Forget it. other people’s stepmothers don’t stop stepsons from going to school. This family is cruel to not treat their sons as sons.”
After saying that, he asked: “How is Qin Qing’s side?”
Xie Lei became even more frustrated. He stopped playing with the pen and threw it back on the shelf: “I don’t know.”
Uncle: “Don’t know? or you didn’t ask? ”
Xie Lei didn’t know what to ask as he couldn’t even contact anyone at all.
Qin Qing didn’t answer his calls or reply to his messages. The last time he saw him on the road from a distance, he’d yelled and run away.
Xie Lei actually understood that if it were him, he would be sad and depressed and wouldn’t want to see anyone.
Because of this, Xie Lei was listless. He couldn’t help and also had nowhere to be of use.
However, when he looked up, Qin Qing was entering the stationery store.
Shit!
Xie Lei hurriedly greeted him. He stared and opened his mouth to ask: “Are you okay?” ”
Qin Qing looked at Xie Lei. He was as he remembered: strong, big-eyed, short-haired, and had a pair of piercing eyes.
Qin Qing was happy from the bottom of his heart: “I’m okay.”
Thinking that he hadn’t contacted Xie Lei during this period, he explained: “I was in a bad state, and I didn’t look at my phone much.” ”
Seeing Qin Qing’s usual expression, Xie Lei was relieved. Everything was fine. their relationship was still good, so who would care about those things.
Uncle stood behind the counter and said with a smile: “My eldest nephew thought you dumped him. ”
Qin Qing nodded at Xie Lei’s uncle, and then looked back at Xie Lei, and asked jokingly: “Dumped? How come I don’t remember that conversation?”
“F*ck you.” Xie Lei upped the play: “You obviously chased me, but now you’re turning your back on me, aren’t you?” ”
Qin Qing followed with: “I will not take the blame for that.”
Xie Lei hummed, rolled his eyes, and squeezed his voice: “The people chasing after me can circle this store thirty times, but I still love you!”
This caused several girls in the store to turn back and cover their mouths snickering.
Uncle: “Okay, don’t be dramatic. ”
After speaking, he looked at the tablet in Qin Qing’s hand. He saw that he should not only be looking for Xie Lei when he came here.
Qin Qing put the tablet and charger on the counter together.
Xie Lei approached in two steps and looked down at the items: “Yours? Is it broken and needs repairing?”
Qin Qing leaned against the counter: “Ding Zhongs’. It’s new.”
Uncle understood: “You want to sell it? ”
Qin Qing nodded: “It depends on whether uncle accepts second-hand or not. ”
Xie Lei and Qin Qing grew up together. When he saw that Qin Qing took Ding Zhong’s new tablet and said that he was going to sell it, he immediately said: “You want to rob your stupid brother’s wealth and help your own poverty. ”
Qin Qing nodded. Exactly.
However, the store was not the place to talk about it. Uncle took the tablet and headed for the storeroom: “let’s talk inside.”
When they get to the storeroom, it’ll be easier to speak freely.
Qin Qing didn’t hide it and told the truth. He was going north and needed some travel money.
Xie Lei was angry: “If you want to travel, shouldn’t your mother give you travel expenses? ”
Qin Qing calmly said: “I’m going to quietly leave by myself. ”
Uncle and Xie Lei were both stunned.
Uncle: “Are you going to run away from home? ”
Running away was not being considered, but was a fact.
As a result, without waiting for Qin Qing to explain, Xie Lei hit his fist in his palm and said with great approval: “Go. I support you to go! Is that really your own mother? It is simply Snow White’s vicious stepmother! Your grades are so good, and yet your mother wants you to drop out of school. The principal was notified and said that if you don’t have money, you can apply for financial aid. Cause if want you delay anything else (in life), you shouldn’t delay your education. All this and she still won’t let you go!”
The more Xie Lei said, the angrier he got: “Your mother is really short of money and conscience! ”
As he said this, he took out his phone: “Forget it, You don’t have to be a son in their house. I’ll call and ask my mother and see if she lacks a son, you can come to my house and be my brother.”
On one hand, Qin Qing was touched but on the other, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He pressed down the hand holding the mobile phone: “Forget it, don’t let your mother worry too much about you. I’ll take care of my own business.”
Uncle: “You’re trying to save money and leave home? ”
Qin Qing looked back calmly and with a firm tone said: “Yes. ”
Xie Lei: “There is really no way to come back to school? ”
Uncle explained: “It’s not really a question of whether you can go back to school.”
So what if you can go back to school? When the mother was so determined not to let him go to school, even if he passed sophomore year, there was still a second and third year, and the college entrance examination to stir up trouble if she wanted. After all, this wasn’t someone else, let alone a passerby. This was a mother who has absolute authority in front of her children.
The immediate problem seems to be the issue of going back to school but If you look further, there will be future problems: if you were not allowed to go to school now, what else would you not be allowed to do in future?
The uncle thought about it but couldn’t make a decision for Qin Qing, so he could only advise: “You have to think it over.”
Qin Qing was very clear-minded and determined: “I want to go north. ”
Xie Lei supported Qin Qing no matter what and immediately said, “Then go!.” He stuffed his mobile phone into his uncle’s hand: “Boss, how much can I sell this phone for as second-hand?.” ”
The uncle was speechless and kicked him: “I just bought you this phone last month! ”
Xie Lei: “Then I don’t want it anymore, you can convert it to cash.” He spread his hands out as if asking for money.
Uncle: “…”
Qin Qing was amused.
Then he froze for a moment while smiling.
This long-lost relaxation and happiness. it turns out that life can really start again from scratch and it can also be less painful and tiring.
Qin Qing stepped forward and stretched out his arm around Xie Lei’s neck. He reached out his fist and hammered on his shoulder: “Alright you. ”
Xie Lei raised his hand and hooked it around his shoulders. With a face of bravado: “Brother, just wait. I will help you with the travel expenses. ”
With this intention, Qin Qing was already very satisfied. No one’s money was truly blown by the wind. There was no reason to ask friends to help with the travel expenses of running away. If there was a debt owed, the Sun mother and son were the first in line.
Qin Qing finally sold Ding Zhong’s tablet. Xie Lei’s uncle helped, and the recycling price was 3,000; no more, no less. It was exactly what Qin Qing needed.
Qin Qing accepted this favor and solemnly said: “Thank you. ”
Uncle smiled and comforted him: “The road is still long. walk steadily step by step and take your time.” He also advised: “In fact, if you can go back to school, you should try to go back. You still have to learn.”
Qin Qing nodded.
On weekdays, the noon break was almost over, and Xie Lei will have to go back to school soon. Before leaving, he and Qin Qing stood under the shade of the tree in front of the stationery store drinking coke and chatting.
Xie Lei sighed: “Are you really leaving? ”
Qin Qing: “Hmm. ”
Xie Lei: “Have you decided when you want to go? ”
Qin Qing looked at the road in front of the stationery store. The road was full of students walking to the school. In his previous life, he was unwilling to be reconciled. He felt sad and uncomfortable every time he passed by the entrance of 8 Middle School. Now he was extremely calm.
“It will be as soon as possible. ”
Xie Lei: “Let me know when you decide when to leave. ”
These parting words only added sadness. Xie Lei was really sad, but Qin Qing didn’t want to be sad.
He turned sideways and his coke touched Xie Leis’: “Just regard this as a send-off. ”
Xie Lei was taken aback. He looked down at Coke, then looked at Qin Qing, and blurted out: “How can this be a send-off? ”
Qin Qing took a sip of the coke that was supposed to be a send-off to him and said: “I’m mainly afraid that you will cry when you’re sending me off. ”
Xie Lei: “F*ck you. ”
After thinking for a while: “Don’t tell me, I might really cry. ”
Qin Qing laughed.
Seeing Qin Qing laugh, Xie Lei also smiled. Amongst them, there wasn’t much sadness again.
Xie Lei turned to complain about the upcoming sophomore summer vacation cram school: “It’s really killing me. ”
Qin Qing looked at him, remembering that Xie Lei had failed the college entrance examination in the previous life and he had confided his regrets to him on the phone. He advised: “it is better to read carefully, so you don’t regret it in future.”
Telling a student to study hard is like telling a worker that you have to work hard to make money. we all understand the reasoning but it is difficult to do it.
Xie Lei shook his leg: “I think so too. ”
He asked Qin Qing again: “You really won’t study anymore. Do you want to go north to work? ”
Qin Qing hasn’t thought that far for the time being. Now he just wants to leave home first and stay away from that mother and son. Not to mention that after the previous life, money and a career were not that important in his eyes. He just wants to live a healthy and happy life.
“We’ll see when the time comes. ”
Xie Lei worriedly said: “If it’s too difficult outside, you can come back and follow your brother. ”
Qin Qing chuckled and took the opportunity to encourage him: “Then brother, you must study hard, take the entrance examination of a good university, find a good job, and be an excellent fallback in the future. Wait for me to come to you.’
Xie Lei proudly raised his hand to pat his chest: “of course! ”
After thinking of something, he squeezed the coke can after drinking: “By the way, there is half a paper that I started at noon. I was so focused on talking to you that I forgot. ”
Pulling Qin Qing towards the stationery store he said: “Hurry up, top student*, help me do it in ten minutes. ”
t/n: xué bà: top student or a book worm
It was impossible to get it done and even more impossible to do it in ten minutes. After all, for the current Qin Qing, it’s been more than ten years since he last flipped through a book.
Linguistics was still okay, but what about physics and chemistry…
Qin Qing stood in front of the counter holding a pen, with half of a chemistry paper in front of him, and under Xie Lei’s eager gaze, he scanned one question after another. he could understand some, but not all.
Qin Qing raised his head: “For this, you can just uniformly choose C.”
Xie Lei: “Huh? ”
Qin Qing: “Blind selection is in line with your appearance as a slacker. ”
What the hell?
Xie Lei raised his hand and pointed to the paper with a baffled expression: “Didn’t you come here to do this question? ”
Without any shame, he said: “Just finish writing the answers for me. ”
Qin Qing pushed the paper over. He couldn’t say that he couldn’t do it: “You are so old, you have to learn to do your own paper. ”
How could Xie Lei know that Qin Qing couldn’t answer the question? He became angry and asked: “Aren’t you my brother?” ”
Qin Qing didn’t hesitate: “No.”
”…” Xie Lei was speechless, and cocked his fingers, pointing at him: “You heartless scumbag!”
