Translator: Lynn
The temperature had fallen ten degrees from the day before, and it was snowing. Despite his ability to sprint for several kilometers in just one piece of clothing, Jiang Yuduo disliked the weather because it was so cold that he lost body heat quickly. As he breathed, his breath gently condensed before vanishing into the air.
Had his Er Tu not been snatched today, he would not have gone out at this time.
Er Tu gestured towards the buildings ahead and stated, “It’s over there. They are heading this way, and there’s only one spot around here where people could stay, isn’t it?”
After adjusting his glasses, Jiang Yuduo proceeded toward the destination. Upon seeing the road, it became apparent what Er Tu meant.
Chen Qing gave Jiang Yuduo a pair of glasses today with yellow lenses that supposedly reduce glare when driving at night. Even though Jiang Yuduo does not drive, Chen Qing thinks that wearing them at night could enhance his visual acuity.
Chen Qing remarked, “It can also provide wind protection. Give it a try and see how effective it is.”
Jiang Yuduo lowered the glasses before pushing them back up again.
Chen Qing inquired, “Have Da Bin and the others arrived?”
“They are at the intersection ahead.” Someone from the group replied.
Around four or five individuals are fighting with Er Tu. It seems that additional individuals are lurking in the vicinity. These people may be considered civilians, as gangsters typically only target other gangsters. This was a street altercation where the majority of the battle was won through sheer physical strength.
Jiang Yuduo approached the location and urged, “Let’s move quickly and refrain from taking any action.”
“Okay.” Several people responded.
“Okay!” Chen Qing shouted while holding up his mobile phone, half a beat slower than others.
Jiang Yuduo gave him a quick look and asked, “Do I need to provide you with a video camera?”
Chen Qing responded, “No need, the camera on my mobile phone is high-quality, and I am not familiar with using a video camera anyway.”
Jiang Yuduo sighed.
The buildings were situated on the outskirts of Jiang Yuduo’s area, and yellow lines had been marked to indicate that the structures would soon be demolished. Several inhabitants had already vacated their residences. As night fell, only a few lights illuminated the second floor. However, the first floor was well-lit due to the street lamps, and a handful of convenience stores, auto repair shops, and grocery stores remained open.
Locating those individuals was not difficult for Jiang Yuduo and his companions since they were already familiar with each other.
Da Bin arrived at the intersection accompanied by a group of individuals. After surveying the area, he proceeded towards a cramped passageway that served as the entryway to a billiards hall situated on the second floor. The establishment was currently teeming with patrons, and when the group pushed open the door, over a dozen pairs of eyes swiveled in their direction. If they intended to play, someone would need to vacate their spot to create sufficient room.
“The one in the yellow clothes.” Er Tu glanced inside and whispered something in a low voice.
Upon Er Tu’s guidance, the group entered the billiard room, causing several players to stop their game and stare at them while holding their clubs. Jiang Yuduo glanced around at the faces of the individuals present and fixed his gaze on the person seated against the wall.
This person is unfamiliar to Jiang Yuduo, indicating that he is neither a newcomer, a local resident, or someone from the neighboring area. Despite his unassuming appearance, resembling that of an honest and uncomplicated villager, Jiang Yuduo can sense that he is the leader, based on the sharpness in his eyes.
Chen Qing directed his gaze towards the man dressed in yellow and spoke, “My brother dropped something on the road today due to carelessness. I was told that this gentleman picked it up?”
The man in the yellow suit expressed confusion and furrowed his brows, saying, “I have no recollection of that.”
Chen Qing addressed the man in the yellow suit, “It’s understandable if you don’t recall such a minor incident. It was just a wallet with my brother’s recent salary inside. Losing it would be a major blow to him since he’s financially struggling. Could you please tell us where you found it?”
The straightforward man responded, “I don’t make a habit of scavenging. I don’t know where it is.”
This statement is inappropriate, as it may provoke a confrontation that most people on the street would avoid and it’s unlikely for regular people to engage in such thongs. It was almost like intentionally instigating a conflict.
Chen Qing spoke up, “That’s not an appropriate thing to say. If we find out that you have it, it could lead to serious consequences for you.” The tension in the billiard room escalated abruptly, and the friction between the two groups was palpable, like a spark igniting a bonfire.
Jiang Yuduo was growing impatient. He had no desire to engage in a brawl with anyone and had made plans to have a barbecue with Cheng Ke earlier. He didn’t want to waste any more time than necessary. He pulled out his phone to check the time and, after returning it to his pocket, glanced up at the man in front of him. “The wallet,” he said.
The man in the yellow suit sneered.
As Jiang Yuduo approached, the people around him crowded forward. Everyone in the room except for the civilians stood up. The opposing party disregarded the rules and provoked them without hesitation, and when they made their move, the other party immediately responded.
The individual nearest to Jiang Yuduo swung his billiard cue toward his face, but Jiang Yuduo reacted quickly and caught the pole before it could make contact. With a firm grip on the pole, he pressed down on the man’s wrist, causing the pole to slip from his hand. Before the man could react, Jiang Yuduo struck him under the ears with the stick. The man fell to the ground and lost consciousness immediately.
Those who had the intention to continue fighting came to a halt.
Jiang Yuduo dropped the billiard cue, surveyed the room, and fixed his gaze on the man in the yellow suit. He repeated his demand, “Wallet.”
Yellow suit’s sneer turned into a scowl as he charged towards Jiang Yuduo. Da Bin, who was standing next to Jiang Yuduo couldn’t stop him in time. Frowning, Jiang Yuduo used Da Bin’s shoulders as leverage jumped up, and kicked the man in the chest, causing him to fly away.
Jiang Yuduo was growing increasingly irritated; he had no intention of engaging in individual fights. He leaped onto the table and hopped over to the other side. The onlookers were still reeling from his sudden movement when he landed on the ground and strode towards the man in the yellow suit.
The man in the yellow suit finally reacted and quickly reached into his clothes.
Jiang Yuduo seized the man in the yellow suit by his hair, yanked him toward the edge of the billiard table, and slammed his face onto the surface as the man pulled out a knife. The weapon slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor, and the man’s legs gave way as he knelt motionless.
“Wallet.” Jiang Yuduo repeated firmly.
The man in the yellow suit leaned against the wall, struggling to stand up. He took out a wallet and threw it on the ground in front of Chen Qing and Da Bin. Da Bin picked it up and handed it over to Er Tu.
Er Tu opened it and took a look, “That’s right.”
Jiang Yuduo released his grip on the man’s hair, causing him to fall to the ground. “Let’s go,” he said and turned to leave with his companions.
There was silence in the billiards room. “Thank you for helping my brother to find the thing.” Chen Qing told the people in the room as Jiang Yuduo walked into the door.
When Jiang Yuduo returned to the street, he pulled out his phone and checked the time again: “Let’s go. You’ll be smarter in the future, Er Tu. Can’t you just run if you can’t beat them? Don’t get stolen again.”
“Many thanks, San-ge1Previously called Third Brother, I decided not to translate it into English..” Er Tu shook his wallet and turned to face the group, saying, “Thank you guys, let’s go have a drink.”
Everyone responded one after the other.
Jiang Yuduo walked back with them without making a sound.
“San-ge opened my eyes today,” someone groaned, “fuck, he doesn’t need us there at all.” He could handle everyone in the room by himself.”
“There’s no need for San-ge to take care of this if they didn’t break any rules around here. When challenged, everyone went to the third brother, only then can they be truthful.” Da Bin stated.
Jiang Yuduo remained silent, listening to their excited discussion in the night.
These were the topics that can pique the interest of these morons. The third brother singled out one, two, three, five, a group, and so on. There aren’t many people that can compete with him in this arena.
However, Jiang Yuduo detests witnessing such a situation. He was able to manage it simply because he used to dwell in the darkness, unable to see the light at an age when he might have rolled around on the floor and played rogue with adults.
Jiang Yuduo looked at Chen Qing as they reached the small shop where they normally drank. Chen Qing approached him and walked to his side.
“I’m not going,” Jiang Yuduo replied quietly. “You go with them, keep an eye on them, don’t drink too much and cause trouble, and tell them to go home after drinking.”
“Yes,” Chen Qing agreed and inquired quietly, “Where are you going? Are you going back?”
“I’ll be meeting Cheng Ke. He requested that I treat him to a barbecue,” Jiang Yuduo explained.
“Then let him come over,” suggested Chen Qing. “It just so happens that we’re going to eat together,” Chen Qing explained. “Oh, but this is Er Tu’s treat, not yours, so it isn’t the same. Anyway, just give him something to eat.”
“Yeah,” murmured Jiang Yuduo, “did he crave this barbecue meal?”
“That’s right, he’s a young master, isn’t he?” Chen Qing clicked his tongue, paused, and questioned again, “Didn’t you say you won’t be seeing him anymore?”
Jiang Yuduo gave him a blank stare.
“Oh, he was the one looking for you,” he says. “Speaking of which,” Chen Qing nodded, “although Jae-ge has a different background from us, his personality is great, and he doesn’t hold any grudges at all.”
“Yes.” Jiang Yuduo replied.
Jiang Yuduo took out his phone and dialed Cheng Ke once he arrived at the community’s entrance. “I’m downstairs, you can come here right now.”
“Downstairs? Simply tell me where the spot is.” Cheng Ke was taken aback.
“What’s the point when I’m already here?” Jiang Yuduo stated this.
“All right, then. I’ll go down.” Cheng Ke explained.
Jiang Yuduo hung up the phone and took another glance around. The lights in the neighborhood were brilliant, flickering back and forth, and all of the shadows dissolved in brightness. This type of illumination allowed him to relax a little bit because he didn’t have to stare into the darkness and watch for shadows.
He hadn’t spoken to Cheng Ke in a long time, and he hadn’t been here. As a result, there should be no threat presently. The only thing that made him nervous was that he didn’t understand why Cheng Ke started seeking him.
After all, they had a terrible conflict in the last month.
Friends have trust in one another.
He considers Cheng Ke to be his friend, thus he had to trust him.
When Cheng Ke contacted him, he felt relieved rather than skeptical.
In comparison to the risk, he is more concerned about his friend’s safety.
When Cheng Ke exited the elevator, he noticed Jiang Yuduo standing outside the corridor, his back to this side, smoking a cigarette.
His emotions are difficult to define at the moment, yet he had the illusion of a long-awaited reunion.
He walked over slowly, not wanting Jiang Yuduo to notice how quickly he was moving.
However, after only a few steps, Jiang Yuduo turned his head.
“…very perceptive.” Cheng Ke stated.
He came to a halt when he spotted Jiang Yuduo’s face.
Jiang Yuduo wore a pair of yellow night vision glasses, the most prevalent type of toad style, which, when worn on anyone’s face, would not make people want to look twice2it means that they are very attractive and made people want to take a second look.. Cheng Ke, on the other hand, locked his gaze on Jiang Yuduo for five seconds. He typically had an ordinary, arrogant, and gorgeous countenance with an indifferent aura, but suddenly he looked…quite handsome.
“Who the hell is perceptive?” Jiang Yuduo wondered, “The elevator rings so loudly that you can’t hear it.”
“What does the elevator sound like?” Cheng Ke was taken aback.
“Ding! The first floor is here,” Jiang Yuduo cleared his throat and imitated the elevator sound.
“I can hear it from ten meters away,” he said as if it was a fact that everyone knows.
“Oh,” Cheng Ke laughed as he returned his gaze to the elevator, “I hear it every day, so I barely notice it.”
“Barbecue?” Jiang Yuduo pulled his cigarette from his lips and glanced at him.
“Whatever,” Cheng Ke replied nonchalantly, “I’m just saying it casually, anything is fine.”
“There’s only barbecue at this point.” Jiang Yuduo exited.
“You, just now… is the matter over?” Cheng Ke asked.
“En3the sound of agreeing,” Jiang Yuduo replied as he turned his head to look at him, “you said it so elegantly.”
“The fight is over?” Cheng Ke asked once again.
“It’s all over.” Jiang Yuduo gave a nod.
“Are you hurt?” Cheng Ke inquired once again.
“No, it’s just a bunch of small fries.” Jiang Yuduo remarked.
Then, unable to think of anything to say, Cheng Ke walked silently behind Jiang Yuduo until they exited the community, neither of them speaking.
It was only at this point that Cheng Ke noticed he and Jiang Yuduo were not as close as he assumed. It was just that they had not seen one other in a month, and he didn’t know where to begin refilling the cup. It’s difficult to think of a topic to discuss. Everyone, according to Chen Qing, is unique. After probing his gut, he discovered that his mind was empty. If he had to open his mouth right now, he’d probably just be able to ask which place to eat.
“Do you want to walk or take a taxi?” Jiang Yuduo came to a halt and inquired.
“How far?” Cheng Ke inquired.
“It’s very close, you don’t have to take a taxi for three hundred meters right?” Jiang Yuduo pointed out.
“…I don’t.” Cheng Ke clarified.
“Then let’s take a walk over there, it’s right next to the market.” Jiang Yuduo indicated with his finger.
“Okay.” Cheng Ke gave a nod.
Jiang Yuduo turned his head and asked, “How is your eye?” after a while of walking.
“It’s fine; it’s no longer swollen. What about your hand?” Cheng Ke stroked the corner of his eye
“Good, it’s not broken anyway,” Jiang Yuduo said with a smile.
“Okay.” Cheng Ke smiled as well.
“I… on that particular day… I… had a nightmare that day,” Jiang Yuduo cleared his throat. “I was so frightened that I mistook the person.”
“Oh,” Cheng Ke said, but couldn’t help but think about it. “Who do you recognize?” he continued asking.
“Chu Renmei4The female ghost from the horror movie “A Wicked Ghost”.” Jiang Yuduo replied.
Cheng Ke was surprised for a moment before smiling and saying nothing.
He was a little taken aback. Jiang Yuduo has stated ‘they’ several times previously. He avoided it somewhat, notwithstanding his refusal to elaborate. He expected Jiang Yuduo to respond with ‘they’ this time.
Jiang Yuduo avoided talking about ‘them’.
Near the market, there are numerous BBQ restaurants. Only BBQ restaurants are open in this icy weather. Cheng Ke felt at ease with the heat, the scent of cooked meat, the cumin and chili powder in the air, and the noise in his ears when the cotton curtain was lifted.
“Why don’t we just go to that shop?” he said.
“There are Chen Qing, Da Bin, and others eating there. If we go, we’ll have to share a table with them.” Jiang Yuduo stated this.
“Huh?” Cheng Ke was perplexed.
“Can you bear sitting at a table with a group of gangsters who are very excited after a fight and eating barbecue?” Jiang Yuduo stated this.
Cheng Ke considered the scene and realized that if he had to put himself in it, he would not be able to tolerate it.
But now… it doesn’t seem to matter.
Jiang Yuduo ordered a boatload of pork skewers and various types of meat, as well as everything else in the store. Cheng Ke has nothing to add other than some vegetables. The server brought the wine and four little bottles of Erguotou after the two had seated down.
Cheng Ke examined the wine and paused. “You drink… three bottles?”
“Don’t you dare drink it,” Jiang Yuduo said, clicking his tongue, “I can drink four bottles.”
“All right.” Cheng Ke laughs and shifts two bottles in front of him.
“Don’t worry, even if you die, I’ll carry you back.” Jiang Yuduo snuffed out a cigarette.
Cheng Ke is perplexed as to why this sentence made him so happy.
“I’m afraid you won’t be able to carry me.” He turned to face Jiang Yuduo.
Jiang Yuduo has hardly changed…Of course, he couldn’t change in a month, yet something felt different when he glanced at Jiang Yuduo’s face. But this distinction has nothing to do with Jiang Yuduo; the source is himself. He had a different feeling now as he glanced at Jiang Yuduo.
“When I came here looking for you, I looked into your Moments5WeChat Moments/WeChat Friends of Circle, basically the news feed of your WeChat profile.” Jiang Yuduo retrieved his phone and turned it on.
“Huh?” Cheng Ke gave him a look.
“There is nothing. I assumed there would be sand painting videos or something.” Jiang Yuduo stated this.
Cheng Ke remembered something and took out his phone, “The video of that day’s performance, Xu Ding cut out your part separately. Would you like to watch it?”
“No. Are you insane? I’m not going to watch it.” Jiang Yuduo spoke up right away.
The video is only approximately 10 seconds long; the camera pans from left to right, and Jiang Yuduo is standing in the center, so he is included throughout the frame. His expression seems somewhat ridiculous, but his genuine conduct is…cute.
“I’ll send it over to you.” Cheng Ke forwarded the video.
“I told you I won’t watch it!” Jiang Yuduo frowned, but when the phone rang, he still bent his head and tapped twice on the phone, looked at the screen, and raised his head after a while, “Fuck, I’m pretty. It’s great.”
“…ah.” Cheng Ke couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Yes.”
“Chen Qing also likes to make short videos. Take a fucking phone and shoot blindly,” Jiang Yuduo said. I felt like a coolie lugging a heavy bag on the dock every time he snapped shots of me, and it appears that the photography equipment is the one that makes a difference.”
“It also depends on the person.” Cheng Ke paused, took out his phone, and pointed toward Jiang Yuduo.
“Do you want to take a picture of me?” Jiang Yuduo gave him a look.
“En, can I take it?” Cheng Ke gazed at Jiang Yuduo in the camera.
“Just do it. I’m not a celebrity.” Jiang Yuduo mentioned.
“You are the Third Brother,” Cheng Ke said, pushing and dragging the phone to take a picture of Jiang Yuduo. “This angle is good.”
Just then, the waiter brought over a large platter of pork skewers and placed them in the center.
The screen began to fill with steam.
“Eat first, then take pictures later.” Jiang Yuduo took a skewer of pork meat.
“Yeah.” Cheng Ke answered, and as he was about to stop, he noticed Jiang Yuduo’s collarbone in the camera, and he couldn’t help but press the shutter, taking another few seconds of shooting at the collarbone.
Jiang Yuduo took a bite and looked at him, saying, “Where are you taking pictures?”
Cheng Ke said nothing, grinned, and returned the phone to his pocket.
“Where did you take the picture?” Jiang Yuduo looked down at himself, his eyes continued to look down, and then he abruptly raised his head and stared at him, “You fucking…get out!”
Cheng Ke cut him off, saying, “You fuck off! What are you looking for? Put your eyes in your crotch and look, can you see my camera?”
“I feel like you’re shooting downwards, whatever it is that you see,” Jiang Yuduo clicked his tongue and ate more meat. “Are you going to do anything with that photo tonight?”
He came to a halt midway through his speech, looked at Cheng Ke, said nothing more, and took another chunk of meat.
“No way,” Cheng Ke complained, “I want to go back to do something at night, but these pictures of you eating barbecue will probably put out the fire I’m having.”
“Fuck, you can say it quite well, and you still dare to complain about my WeChat handle being Big Inch?” Jiang Yuduo remarked.
“…these two are very different in their nature.” Cheng Ke explained.
“As far as you can imagine, a Big Inch is a snatch.” Jiang Yuduo stated.
“Yes, then what is Small Inch?” Cheng Ke took a large number of leeks.
Jiang Yuduo chuckled, didn’t say anything, grabbed up the wine bottle, and shook it at him.
Cheng Ke took the bottle, opened it, poured himself some wine, and sipped it.
They didn’t speak to each other again after that. Cheng Ke was hungry, so he ate quietly, with a mouthful of meat and a mouthful of wine. Despite his insistence on using plates and bowls this month, he ate nothing but fast noodles and takeaways, which was miserable. As a result, the grill and Jiang Yuduo in front of him are quite appealing right now.
He grabbed another strand of sausage-like meat and chewed into it; it was crunchy.
“What exactly is this? Intestines? Why is it a little crispy?” he wondered as he took another bite.
“Have you never eaten anything like it before?” Jiang Yuduo gave him a look.
“No, it couldn’t be a bug, could it?” Cheng Ke paused.
“No, some shady shops may pretend to make it and use bugs, but this one does not. These skewers are scarce. You won’t be able to consume it if you arrive too late.” Jiang Yuduo said.
“…What are you pretending to make out of bugs?” Cheng Ke inquired.
Jiang Yuduo glanced at him for a moment before reaching out and taking half a string of ‘intestines’ in Cheng Ke’s hand. “You can eat something else instead because I didn’t buy it for you in the first place.”
“What the hell is this?” Cheng Ke became tense.
Jiang Yuduo approached him and said, “I’ll tell you, just don’t scold me.”
“Ah.” Cheng Ke also moved towards him subconsciously, staring at him.
“Penis.” Jiang Yuduo stated this.
Cheng Ke was taken aback.
“It is a pig. This is a pig’s whip.” Jiang Yuduo stated once more.
After devouring the skewered pig whip in one mouthful, he suddenly laughed and said, “Hey, young master.”
“Huh?” Cheng Ke gave him a look.
“It’s funny how you look shocked,” Jiang Yuduo remarked, “it’s a bit like the three-and-a-half-year-old kid next door.”
Hello, this is Lynn. I’ll be translating this series on a weekly basis. I’ll be posting every Monday and will be posting 3 chapters this week as an opening(?) bonus.
The first 31 Chapters are translated, and the links could be found on NU ^^
