bastard

Wen Changling met 16-year-old Zhu Nanjiang when he was 11 years old.

At that time, he was on his way home from middle school, passing through Sanli, when he suddenly saw a child sitting on the stone steps at the end of the alley.

Because it is close to the Jiangnan printing factory, most of the factory workers live here.As the only son of Wen Chengru, the owner of the printing factory, Wen Changling is quite familiar with the people on this road, and has never seen such a child.

Which family is he from?

Wen Changling walked up the steps with curiosity.The child sat motionless, with his back against the wall, and only when he came close did he suddenly raise his head as if waking up from a dream.

Looking at each other, Wen Changling saw a dirty but extremely beautiful face, with timid and slightly frightened eyes under the long eyelashes.Then he smiled, as if to comfort the other party, and said in a slow and extremely soft tone: "What's the matter? Why are you here alone?"

The child didn't intend to answer, but he didn't seem to hate his approach, and even moved to the corner to make room for him.

Wen Changling accepted the silent invitation, took off his schoolbag and stood side by side with him on the stone steps.

It's a pity that he didn't get even a word from the other party, although he asked many, many questions and offered his own story in exchange.

it's dark.Before leaving, he even suspected that the child was simply dumb.

The child was there again the next evening, and for the next few days.

Wen Changling began to get used to spending more than half an hour in the alley on the way from school, talking to him like a one-man show.

At first he suspected that the other party was a child of a certain family living nearby, but when he returned home and asked his father, he learned that no worker in the factory had such a child in his family—a teenager, good-looking, but not can speak.

Wen Chengru wanted to see the child with his own eyes, but Wen Changling lied that he hadn't seen him for several days.

For some reason, he subconsciously didn't want his father to get close to that alley.That hidden alley, that row of narrow bluestone steps, should only belong to the two of them.

Seven or eight days later, he got his wish and heard the first sentence from the child, and at the same time, he finally knew that the child was not dumb.

With the first time, there will be the second time and the third time.

Wen Changling gradually learned a lot of information about the other party.For example, his name is Nanjiang, he doesn't live near Baoshan Road, he attends classes in private schools during the day, but he doesn't want to go home after class because his family doesn't like him.

"The south of the south, the frontier of the territory?"

"Ah."

"What's your last name?"

"It's just... called Nanjiang."

"Southern Border?"

"Southern Border."

Wen Changling guessed that the other party was a doormat who was bullied in a private school because of a poor family, because although the clothes he wore were not bad, they didn't fit well, and they were not very clean from head to toe.

Out of pity, he often took some sweets and pastries from home with him, and when he met Nan Jiang on the way home, he took them out for him to eat, sometimes brown sugar biscuits, and sometimes Saqima from relatives.

Nanjiang seems to be very greedy, and he always refuses anyone who comes, and eats as much as he gives.Wen Changling thought he was cute like this, so he carried more and more things in his pocket every day.

He has always wanted a younger brother, from a very young age until he was 15 years old.It's a pity that his mother passed away early, and his father was busy working in the factory all day long. He spent his entire childhood alone.

It would be nice to have a younger brother.He looked at the boy beside him chewing biscuits, and his heart felt warm.

Then one day, he suddenly saw the injury under the other party's collar.

"What happened? Who hit you?"

"elder brother."

"elder brother?"

"Not dear."

Wen Changling understood immediately, and sighed after a long silence: "If it's a relative, it won't be like this."

"Brother, what is it like?" Zhu Nanjiang asked.

"My brother will treat you well, buy you delicious food, and play with you."

"same as you?"

"Yes, same as me."

It was getting dark.Wen Changling got up as usual and shook his trousers: "I'm going home, see you tomorrow."

Zhu Nanjiang sat still with his head bowed and did not speak.

Wen Changling felt a little weird after going down the stone steps, so he looked back at him again: "You should go home too."

Still no response.

"Want me to go with you?"

"...Brother, take me away!"

"Nanjiang?" Wen Changling looked at him in surprise as he stood up and walked down the stone steps: "Nanjiang, what happened to your leg?"

"I'm afraid."

"Did your brother do it?"

"I do not want to go home."

"Okay, okay... If you don't want to go back, you won't go back." Wen Changling stepped forward and grabbed one of his wrists, "Tell me, what's wrong with your leg?"

"I fell while walking."

"Did you drop it yourself?"

"Ah."

Wen Changling felt that Nanjiang was not telling the truth, but since he refused to tell, he couldn't ask more questions.

Turning his back and squatting down, he will move his schoolbag to his chest: "Come on, I'll carry you on my back, let's go home together, shall we?"

Zhu Nanjiang stood still in a daze, and after a while, he leaned over and wrapped his arms gently around his neck.

Wen Changling carried him all the way to his home on the northern section of Baoshan Road.

Wen Chengru was still in the factory and hadn't come back. Only Mama Liu was preparing dinner at home, so it wasn't surprising to see Wen Changling bring a strange child back.

"The young master came home so late, and he was messing around outside again."

"My friend..." Wen Changling replied vaguely, leading Zhu Nanjiang into the courtyard.

He usually likes to play with his neighbors' younger brothers and sisters, and often entertains people at home, and the children of the employees' families also recognize him.So Mama Liu just looked at the two of them from a distance, and then went to wash the vegetables: "Don't delay people from having dinner!"

Wen Changling brought Zhu Nanjiang into the bedroom, and went to the living room to make him a bowl of lotus root noodles.

His clothes were really dirty, and he was embarrassed to stain the bed or soft leather cushions, so he consciously found a small bench to sit on.Wen Changling looked pitiful, but he was really worried about leaving a stain and being blamed by his father, so he had to let him go.

"The teacher in the school doesn't care? How can I go on like this?"

Carefully rolling up Zhu Nanjiang's trousers, he wanted to see how his foot was hurt, but he couldn't see anything.The thin ankle was slightly swollen at the ankle joint, the skin was white, only the wound was red.

"He hits you like this often?"

"I accidentally dropped it myself."

"What about the wound on the neck?"

"He gets angry occasionally."

"I'll take you home in a while, how about talking to him? How can an older brother beat a younger brother like this?"

"Don't!" Zhu Nanjiang yelled, and at the same time pulled back his injured leg forcefully, "Only occasionally... I get angry."

Wen Changling stopped talking.

He said that he wanted the teacher to take care of him, and he wanted to talk to his brother, but he just talked on the spur of the moment.He didn't know what to do at a time like this, and he himself was only a teenager.

All he can do is bring him something to eat on the way home from school every day, and talk to him.

"You eat lotus root starch first, and I'll get you some candy, the peanut candy Dad just bought yesterday."

Wen Changling walked out of the bedroom, and just took out the sugar bag from the cardboard box under the coffee table, when he suddenly heard noises from outside the yard, followed by Mama Liu's footsteps running all the way out.

——Oops, is father back?

He nervously followed out of the living room and saw the person coming from a distance.It's not Wen Chengru, it's the neighbor next door.

In the old house next door to the Wen family lived a family surnamed Yun.The head of the house is a young woman named Yunrong, who lost her husband for some unknown reason, and is alone with a ten-year-old child.

It seems that Wen Changling has met that child before, but because he has almost never communicated with him, he only knows that he is a "not very likable" withdrawn boy.

Yunrong came here to deliver some freshly made pickles and pastries.

Wen Chengru sympathizes with her orphans and widowed mothers who have a hard life, so he helps out as much as he can on weekdays, and has helped her several times, large and small.The latter remembers this kindness, and will send a copy of the good dishes during the New Year and holidays as a way of expressing his gratitude.

Mama Liu put the dim sum on a plate and put it on the table, then carried the pickled vegetables into the kitchen.Wen Changling took a closer look and saw that there were two osmanthus cakes cut into square pieces, still steaming hot.

No, it's rice cakes. Pulled cakes should be translucent.

"It's hot, this dish is just right over cold porridge." Mama Liu's voice came from half the living room.

"Oh, oh..." Wen Changling agreed indiscriminately, reached out and picked up a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus cake and went back to the bedroom.

"Southern Border?"

He opened the door and called, but no one answered.

The room was empty, and Zhu Nanjiang was no longer there.

The author says:

Sorry I couldn't help it!I'm a bad guy (?????) so can I ask for a favorite starfish comment?