Taking a Shower
Both of them were in a hurry, leaving no room for Fang Xing to overthink. It wasn’t until they were in the car that Fang Xing began to regain his composure.
They drove a relatively new white SUV. Gu Xun was behind the wheel, Zhou Hong occupied the passenger seat, and Fang Xing was alone in the back, listening to their conversation.
“Jiang Ge said it was those idiots from the bar last week! Damn, they really pissed him off. Telling them to leave is the least he could do; last time, he should’ve just beaten them up…”
“Enough,” Gu Xun drove the car recklessly but spoke calmly, “Fighting in the bar, and you still want to keep the place?”
“That’s not in the bar anymore!” Zhou Hong protested indignantly, “Tomorrow, I’ll contact some brothers I know!”
Fang Xing stayed silent in the back, following their conversation to get a rough idea of what happened. Probably, a few people had caused trouble in Jiang Zhijin’s bar last week, got kicked out, and now they had confronted Jiang Zhijin again, resulting in him ending up in the hospital, having shed some blood.
So, while Fang Xing was waiting for Jiang Zhijin at the airport, the other person was most likely brawling in some alley.
… Sounded like a very “society-oriented” person.
And Fang Xing had to spend the entire high school senior year with this “society-oriented” person.
In the twenty minutes it took to reach the hospital, Fang Xing’s emotions shifted from confusion to speechlessness, frustration, and finally settled into a state of “to hell with it, love whoever you want” self-abandonment.
Regardless, he came to find Jiang Zhijin, and no matter if Jiang Zhijin was at the airport, the bar, fighting in an alley, or lying in a hospital bed unable to move, Fang Xing had to find him.
Because arriving in Shaojiang for the first time, Fang Xing didn’t know anyone else, and his mom was still waiting for him to reply.
Thinking about this, Fang Xing felt a bit of a headache in his temples, a throbbing pain like pulsating blood vessels. He thought he might be hungry.
From Chaocheng to Shaojiang, a three-and-a-half-hour flight plus three hours of rushing around and waiting, Fang Xing hadn’t eaten. The feeling of hunger had crawled up from his stomach to his head.
But now that the car had just stopped, Gu Xun and Zhou Hong rushed to the emergency room as if their lives depended on it. Even if Fang Xing was starving, he couldn’t say, “Wait for me to grab a meal first.” He could only endure the headache and follow them.
The hospital was lively at past eight, with doctors, nurses, and patients coming and going. The three of them walked through the crowd, finally arriving at the emergency room door.
Zhou Hong dashed ahead, scanning the area and rushing toward a certain direction.
“Jiang Ge!”
His shout was loud, and the nurse in front turned back, giving them a disdainful look.
Next to the emergency room was the waiting area, with three rows of blue plastic chairs. In the first row, three middle-aged women sat together gossiping. Behind them was a mother with her son, and the last row had a young man sitting alone.
Jiang Zhijin had been sitting on a plastic chair in front for forty minutes.
His left forearm, sewn with seven stitches, was hurting, as if it had been scorched by fire.
The teenage boy sitting in front of him, around fourteen or fifteen years old, might have just entered adolescence. He seemed to be in the “nobody understands me” phase, filled with melancholy and non-mainstream sentiments. Jiang Zhijin couldn’t tell if the boy was sick; he guessed it might be something related to his brain—because his mother kept holding water for him to take medicine, and the non-mainstream teen was playing games, loudly communicating with teammates, occasionally shouting at his mother to “shut up” at the same volume.
When the non-mainstream teen shouted at his mother again, Jiang Zhijin, unexpectedly, opened his eyes and used his right hand to grip the back of the teen’s neck, forcing him to turn around.
Caught off guard, the non-mainstream teen, who probably wanted to retaliate with a few words, was scared stiff when he saw the large bloodstains on Jiang Zhijin’s clothes. He could only stare blankly as Jiang Zhijin, expressionless, spoke.
“Excuse me.” Jiang Zhijin said, “Take the medicine and then be quiet, alright?”
The non-mainstream teen nodded in a daze, and before his mother could say anything, Jiang Zhijin preemptively added, “Thank you,” and then let go.
The world fell silent.
Jiang Zhijin let out a sigh, pulled a cigarette from the pack with one hand. Although smoking was prohibited in the hospital, he didn’t light it; he just bit it between his lips, giving himself some placebo pain relief.
Before he could steady the cigarette in his mouth, a thunderous “Jiang Ge!” rang out from somewhere. Startled, he dropped the cigarette on the ground.
Jiang Zhijin took a deep breath, picked up the cigarette, and turned to look at Zhou Hong, who had rushed over. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Are you here to call my soul in the hospital?”
As he turned, Fang Xing could finally see his complete appearance.
Jiang Zhijin was wearing a white T-shirt, stained with sporadic blood that had dried. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his hair slightly disheveled and damp on his forehead. He held an unlit cigarette while conversing with Zhou Hong.
Not bad. Initially, when Fang Xing heard about Jiang Zhijin fighting, he imagined a person in tight pants and canvas shoes, ready to pull out a bottle of mineral water and pour it on his head at any moment.
Now it seemed that although Jiang Zhijin’s actions were quite “social,” his face was still within the acceptable range of a normal human.
Fang Xing walked a few steps in front of the three and stopped, quickly glancing at Jiang Zhijin’s left forearm wrapped in bandages. There was no intention to go up and greet him. Meanwhile, Zhou Hong had started talking about who to call and where to block people on the street tomorrow.
“Enough already, they’re all still sitting in the police station. You want to block them at the police station entrance?”
Jiang Zhijin, annoyed by the noise, felt the pain in his wound intensify. He looked around and finally focused his gaze on Fang Xing.
After a few seconds of scrutiny, Jiang Zhijin furrowed his brows and asked, “Who’s this?”
In the noisy hospital lobby, Fang Xing felt his temples throbbing vigorously. He took a deep breath and said, “Uncle Jiang.”
Everyone present fell silent.
Jiang Zhijin looked at Fang Xing, his face expressionless. It seemed that being addressed as “uncle” left him bewildered. After a while, he asked, “What did you call me?”
Jiang Zhijin, a 28-year-old single man, had just been called “uncle” by a completely unfamiliar guy of similar age or even a bit taller. Now he finally understood the feeling of a young girl being called “aunt”—if his hand didn’t hurt so much, he might have slapped someone by now.
Fang Xing, seeing the expression on his face that seemed to say, “Although I’m asking you, if you dare to use those two words again, you’re done,” simply replied, “My mom asked me to find you.”
“My mom’s name is Zhou Ling.”
Jiang Zhijin didn’t react at first, staring at Fang Xing for a moment before saying, “Fang Xing?”
Still, a question.
When his mom sent him off, she kept emphasizing that if he met Jiang Zhijin, he should be polite. However, due to the events of the day and hunger, Fang Xing was quickly overwhelmed by fatigue and even a bit of irritation. So, he dryly responded with a simple “Yes.”
“weren’t you taking the flight tomorrow at noon?”
“…Today,” Fang Xing’s tone was surprisingly calm. “September 17th, 1 p.m., from Chaocheng to Shaojiang.”
Jiang Zhijin subconsciously wanted to take out his phone to confirm. When he saw the spider-web-like cracks on the screen, he suddenly remembered that his phone was shattered during the fight, and its functionality was now equivalent to a brick. Even the call he made earlier was from the nurse station’s landline.
He muttered a quiet “damn,” then stood up and nodded at Fang Xing. “Sorry, my phone is broken.”
Apologizing promptly, he didn’t wait for Fang Xing’s response before turning to Zhou Hong and Gu Xun, saying, “My sister’s son, Fang Xing.”
Zhou Hong, boldly, chimed in, “Jiang Ge, you have a sister?”
“A sister next door.”
The pain in his arm started again. Jiang Zhijin gave a short reply and frowned.
In fact, this situation was not entirely Jiang Zhijin’s fault. He had gone through a day of chaos, first fighting with someone in an alley filled with trash, then getting taken to the police station after a passerby called the police, and finally discovering his injuries and being sent to the hospital. In this highly chaotic state, the fact that he could still stand here was quite remarkable.
The only person present who was still clear-headed, Gu Xun, put his arm around Zhou Hong’s shoulder, breaking the suffocating awkwardness.
“Let’s go back. It’s going to rain soon.”
Gu Xun drove Jiang Zhijin and Fang Xing home. Fang Xing still sat in the back, but now there was an additional Jiang Zhijin next to him.
His temporary guardian for the ten months of his senior year.
Thinking about it this way, Fang Xing couldn’t help but turn his head to glance at Jiang Zhijin.
Jiang Zhijin leaned against the seat with his eyes closed, possibly asleep.
Judging by appearance, Jiang Zhijin was above average, with distinct features and sharp facial lines. Even with his eyes closed, his brows were furrowed. This didn’t seem to align with what Fang Xing’s mother described—a well-behaved and adorable child from childhood.
Jiang Zhijin, the rumored kid from the neighboring house of Fang Xing’s mother, with only a green brick wall separating their homes. When Jiang Zhijin was born, Fang Xing’s mother, Zhou Ling, was in junior high school. When Zhou Ling graduated from college, Jiang Zhijin was seven years old, left an orphan after his parents died.
It was said that on the day before New Year’s Eve, Jiang Zhijin’s parents were on a motorcycle heading to the county town to buy New Year goods and firecrackers. Midway, they collided with a cement tanker, and both the people and the motorcycle were rolled under the wheels.
In an instant, Jiang Zhijin was left alone with his grandmother.
Jiang Zhijin’s grandmother was in poor health, and there was no other income source at home. After Zhou Ling graduated, she directly settled in Chaocheng and rarely went back to her hometown. In Chaocheng, she was a well-known strong woman in the field of engineering. She and her husband had started a fairly sizable cost consulting company. Their financial situation was good, and she took pity on this child Jiang Zhijin, whom she had seen grow up. When Jiang Zhijin was in high school, Zhou Ling, who was already working, paid for his three years of tuition and accommodation.
Later, when Jiang Zhijin turned 18 and finished the college entrance examination, his grandmother passed away, and he didn’t go to university but joined the military. After being discharged, he started a business in Shaojiang.
Zhou Ling had gradually told Fang Xing these things before Jiang Zhijin came to Shaojiang. The main point was to explain that Jiang Zhijin would take responsibility for Fang Xing. Zhou Ling didn’t mention anything else, and Fang Xing didn’t ask.
Fang Xing averted his gaze.
Neighbor, friend, benefactor, and beneficiary?
Could these four roles support someone agreeing to take care of someone else’s high school son for nearly a whole year?
Jiang Zhijin actually agreed.
The residential area where Jiang Zhijin lived was not far from the bar. When Jiang Zhijin and Fang Xing got off the car, Gu Xun peered out from the driver’s seat and looked at Jiang Zhijin with concern.
“Are you sure, Jiang Ge?”
Lightning flashed across the sky, and the wind blew Jiang Zhijin’s shirt hem, making it flutter. He waved his hand casually, “Drive slowly and send me a text when you get home.”
As the car turned around, Jiang Zhijin glanced at Fang Xing, “Come inside.”
Jiang Zhijin’s apartment was on the 32nd floor, the top floor, with two bedrooms and one living room. After entering the elevator and pressing the floor button, Jiang Zhijin didn’t say anything more. On the one hand, his whole body ached, and speaking would consume the last bit of his strength. On the other hand, he felt a bit awkward because he had made a mistake in the timing, failing to pick up Fang Xing, causing the young boy to cross more than half of the unfamiliar city on his own.
Most importantly, he was still fighting when he should have been picking Fang Xing up.
If being a guardian for a high school student in their senior year required a score, Jiang Zhijin felt that he should start with a negative score.
Fang Xing also remained silent, partly due to hunger, partly due to irritability, and a bit of confusion about the future.
A new city, a new environment, a new school, and the temporary guardian he just met at the hospital on the first day after finishing a fight and being released from the police station.
This kind of extraordinary life experience that most people couldn’t bear made Fang Xing feel a strange emptiness inside.
It wasn’t until they reached the door after getting off the elevator that Jiang Zhijin took out his keys, opened the door, and Fang Xing stood at the entrance without entering, asking, “Do I need to change my shoes?”
Jiang Zhijin turned to look at him, “No need, just come in.”
Fang Xing frowned, hesitated for a few seconds, and followed inside.
Jiang Zhijin’s apartment was decorated quite simply. In the living room, besides the necessary furniture and appliances, there was nothing else. It looked like a model room prepared when buying a house, giving a spacious feeling. Several flattened beer cans were thrown on the living room table. Jiang Zhijin walked through the living room and pushed open a room, casually turning on the light.
“You’ll stay in this room. I’ve already arranged with the school, and tomorrow, I’ll take you to register.”
Fang Xing stood next to him and looked inside. The room wasn’t large, and at a glance, you could see everything. Directly opposite was the window, a white wardrobe and desk, and on the bed was a set of SpongeBob SquarePants printed sheets and quilts, with obvious creases, indicating they were newly bought.
This aesthetic didn’t seem like someone from the underworld.
Fang Xing and the bed full of grinning yellow squares exchanged a glance. In the end, Fang Xing, following basic courtesy, said, “Thank you.”
Jiang Zhijin glanced at Fang Xing, tilting his head slightly, “No need to be so polite.”
The entrance area wasn’t spacious, and the two stood very close. Jiang Zhijin caught a faint scent of blood on himself, so he took a few steps back. “I’ll go change clothes. You can take a shower first, and there’s a change of clothes in there.”
Fang Xing was tired, exhausted to the point where weariness overcame hunger. He just wanted to tidy up and get a good night’s sleep. Nodding, he took a few steps towards the bathroom but abruptly stopped.
The next moment, Fang Xing cursed in his heart: Damn it.
He finally figured out where the sense of emptiness in his heart had come from since he entered the house.
When he heard that Jiang Zhijin had been hospitalized just now, Zhou Hong and Gu Xun were in a hurry, acting like they were escaping from doomsday. Fang Xing was rushed along without much time to consider, and he jumped into the car with them.
His suitcase, clothes, shoes, toiletries, everything… all left behind at the bar.