Volume One, Chapter 8: Bearing It Alone

I lay face down on the bed as Sister Yuzhu instructed. She disinfected my wound with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, repeatedly asking if it hurt. I shook my head, telling her I’d been in fights since I was a kid, so this level of pain was nothing new to me.

“Don’t your parents care about you at all?” she asked.

“My father moved here when I was very young.”

“And your mother?”

“She died during childbirth… it was a difficult delivery…”

Sister Yuzhu paused mid-wipe, her hand still on my skin.

“Xiao… Xiaohui, your brother was right. You’re still young; you need to look after yourself first…”

“Sister Yuzhu, I’m an adult now, not a child! I told you I’d protect you, and I always keep my word. Besides, when those two men from the motorcycle gang cornered you at the skating rink, you didn’t give me up, did you? So why don’t you look after yourself first?”

Her hand faltered again while wiping the alcohol.

After a long moment, she smiled strangely. “Xiaohui, adults don’t always keep their word. So in truth, you’re still a child. Actually, I’m a child too. We’re all children…”

I scratched my head, a little confused.

After finishing the alcohol, Sister Yuzhu applied some bruising ointment to the bruises on my body. Unlike the alcohol, which stung when applied with a cotton swab, this ointment she rubbed in with her hands, and it felt wonderful… especially when her delicate, warm fingers massaged the bruises on my legs. I felt a familiar sensation, much like when I went to the salon before—everything felt blocked, but as she gently rubbed, it was incredibly soothing.

Suddenly, she stopped as if she noticed something.

“What’s wrong, Sister Yuzhu? Keep going, it feels so good,” I said, glancing back. Her face was flushed with a strange pink hue.

She shot me a sharp look, telling me to face forward, then tugged at the hem of my towel. I wasn’t sure if she saw something through it…

After she finished applying the ointment and used a hairdryer to dry my clothes and pants, I thanked her and changed. I noticed Sister Yuzhu holding the hairdryer, staring blankly, looking deeply troubled.

I asked if she was still worried about Old Hei from the motorcycle gang.

She nodded, then asked me who Uncle Nan was, the one my brother mentioned.

“He’s a friend of my father’s, someone with connections in the underworld. Sister Yuzhu, don’t worry. Whether or not Uncle Nan can help, I will settle this matter myself. You have nothing to fear!”

“Xiaohui, don’t do anything reckless!” Sister Yuzhu looked at me with concern. “At worst, I’ll go back home. You and your brother can just switch factories. Don’t go provoking them.”

“Sister Yuzhu, if you go back home without earning money, what about your little brother? Won’t your family blame you?” I asked, making her fall silent again.

“Don’t worry, Sister Yuzhu. I really can handle this!” I patted my chest confidently.

“Then… how do you plan to handle it, Xiaohui?” she asked again.

I couldn’t explain why, but a bold phrase suddenly popped into my mind.

“Sister Yuzhu, when a man takes care of things, women shouldn’t ask too many questions!”

To my surprise, she burst out laughing.

I must say, when Sister Yuzhu laughed, she was truly beautiful—like a cloud dreaming of fine clothes, a flower longing for a face.

The next day, Sister Yuzhu and I went as usual to the fifth group to learn how to ride the balance bike. At lunch, I seized the chance to find Sister Jing, who was walking out of the workshop, and asked her a question.

“Sister Jing, do you know Old Hei from the motorcycle gang around here?”

Since her husband was a big shot in this area, she should know about the shady side of things nearby.

Sure enough, she nodded but looked at me with a mix of surprise and reserved coldness. “Why do you want to know about Old Hei?”

“Oh, he’s my great-uncle, but I don’t know where he lives. My father told me to find him, said I should visit,” I fabricated hastily.

Sister Jing smiled curiously. I thought she’d catch me in a lie, but instead, she turned and went back into the workshop, retrieved a pen, and pulled out a small card from her pocket. She wrote down a string of addresses.

When she handed me the card, she hesitated a little—but only briefly—before giving it to me. Then she walked away in her heels without another word.

I looked at the card, then at her retreating figure.

The card was covered with images of scantily clad women—I had no idea what kind of card it was.

But one thing was certain: on the card was the address of Old Hei, written by Sister Jing.

I clenched my teeth and pocketed the card.

Almost at the same time, my brother came rushing over, firing questions at me.

I noticed Sister Yuzhu standing behind him, her head bowed.

Of course, I knew it was Sister Yuzhu who had told my brother about my plans to take matters into my own hands.

I didn’t blame her; she only wanted what was best for me.

“Brother, you can contact Uncle Nan, right? Uncle Nan should be able to help us settle this, yes?” I replied.

My brother paused. “Ahui, when you told Sister Yuzhu you could handle this, you meant you’d get in touch with Uncle Nan?”

“Yeah, what else? What other way do I have?” I shrugged.

He visibly relaxed but then his expression darkened as he shook his head.

I asked him what was wrong.

He answered with a hint of frustration, saying he had called Uncle Nan just now, but the landlord answered instead.

The landlord said Uncle Nan had moved and couldn’t be reached for the time being.

“Two more days. I don’t know if we’ll be able to find him…” my brother rubbed his head.

Hearing this, I tightened my grip on the card Sister Jing had given me.

“Alright, alright, Ahui. Let’s eat first. I’ll figure something out,” my brother waved me off.

That’s how I managed to stall him with the Uncle Nan story.

That evening, after work, I asked my brother if he could buy me a roast duck from the market. I’d missed having it on my birthday and was craving it badly.

He rolled his eyes at me but agreed.

When he returned from the market, he did bring me a large, plump roast duck, fragrant and tempting.

He also brought a soda, telling me to enjoy it, then left with a heavy heart.

After watching him go, I took the duck and soda up to Sister Yuzhu’s small rooftop room.

The door was closed, but I could hear water running inside—she was probably showering.

I hesitated but knocked anyway.

The water stopped immediately.

“Who… who is it?” Sister Yuzhu’s voice was wary.

“Sister Yuzhu, I wish you… I wish you great success, an early return home, and a speedy recovery for your little brother,” I said all at once, placing the duck and soda at the door before leaving the dormitory building.

It was exactly nine o’clock, and darkness had fallen.

Under cover of night, I slipped into the cafeteria, searched around to find a fruit knife, and tucked it into my pants.

Then I left the factory and headed straight to the address Sister Jing had given me for Old Hei.

That was my plan to solve this problem: go alone and face Old Hei directly.

Since I was the one who had started this to stand up for Sister Yuzhu, I, Chen Hui, would bear all the consequences myself.