Chapter 11: A Morning of Malatang and Mayhem

Since that day, after I had yelled at Dragon Brother, we had barely exchanged a word. Several more days passed, and life continued its usual rhythm.

Old Han, restless as ever at home, had reportedly picked up basketball again. Back in our middle school days, she had always been passionate about the sport, often pulling up her hood and scouring for courts. She had been quite popular in school, too; whenever she played, young girls would surreptitiously watch, and some would even offer her bottled water.

Old Han wasn’t home today, likely having gone to the courts to play.

Old Chu, as always, spent her entire days in slumber. Her room, perpetually dim, meant I hadn’t seen her venture out all week. Her already pale complexion had now taken on an unhealthy, almost ghostly white pallor.

Occasionally, when I rose in the mornings, I would find her staring gloomily at the coffee table. What, I wondered, had that particular piece of furniture ever done to offend her?

It was another early morning. Too lazy to cook, I simply splashed water on my face before heading downstairs to buy some malatang.

There wasn’t a single breakfast shop for several blocks around my place. Coupled with my inherent laziness and disinterest in cooking, this was precisely how I had become familiar with Xiao Xiu Sister. After all, someone eating malatang first thing in the morning was bound to leave an impression.

Donning my down jacket, I walked directly towards Xiao Xiu Sister’s shop.

Early in the morning, her shop was deserted. Xiao Xiu Sister, busy washing vegetables in the kitchen, looked up and smiled when she saw me enter. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she advised, “Don’t always eat malatang first thing in the morning; it’s not good for your health.”

I found a table and sat down, casually stating, “Three portions to go. I live close by, so I’m just supporting your business.”

Xiao Xiu Sister chuckled. “You don’t need to worry about my business,” she said. “Eat something better in the morning; you’re still growing, you know.”

I countered, “Sister, I’m already twenty. How much more can I grow? Am I supposed to grow horizontally?”

Xiao Xiu Sister giggled, then returned to her bustling work in the kitchen.

I waited, utterly bored. Before long, she emerged with four steaming bowls of malatang, each securely packed in a plastic bag with a tightly tied opening.

Noticing the complete absence of chili oil in the bags, I gave Xiao Xiu Sister a helpless look. She offered a sweet smile, then explained, “Eating spicy food in the morning isn’t good for digestion!”

I shook my head, exchanged a few casual remarks with her, and then departed, carrying the three bags of malatang. On the way home, I passed the alley where I had previously been cornered by over thirty people. I glanced inside, a sigh escaping my lips.

Upon arriving home, Old Han still hadn’t returned, and Dragon Brother’s door remained tightly shut. I had just stepped into the living room and hadn’t even sat down when Old Chu opened her door. She appeared to have just woken, sniffing vaguely before turning a bewildered gaze upon me.

Smiling, I held up the three bags. “It’s clear broth, no spice,” I announced. “Could you please go get Dragon Brother? It’s time to eat.”

Old Chu nodded calmly, then walked towards Dragon Brother’s room. I headed to the kitchen, searching the cabinets for four bowls. Three were identically sized, but one was noticeably smaller, barely enough to hold a large spoonful of rice. There was nothing to be done; my home had simply never hosted so many people before.

I picked up the small bowl, sighed, and decided it would be for me.

Old Chu was in Dragon Brother’s room, and the two of them remained quiet. I wasn’t sure if Old Chu had actually called her out yet.

I placed the bowls on the coffee table just as my phone rang. Picking it up, I saw the caller ID was Old Han. I answered, “Hello?”

Old Han let out a wry chuckle on the other end, remaining silent for a moment, while faint murmurs from a little girl could be heard. I quipped, “What’s going on? Are you livestreaming child molestation?”

Old Han was panting heavily on the phone, as if she’d been walking for a long time. After a moment of gasping, she swore, “Go to hell… Is there enough food at your place?”

I asked, “Why?”

Old Han, still panting, replied, “Xiao Yao is coming.”

I paused, then after a moment’s thought, said, “There’s plenty to go around, just come. But we’re out of rice, so we’ll have to make do with malatang for now.”

Old Han gasped again, then said, “Alright then, we should be at your place in about ten minutes… Xiao Yao, you’re a big girl now, can’t you walk by yourself? I feel like my legs are about to break…”

On the other end, a faint whimper was heard, followed by a rustling sound. Old Han breathed a sigh of relief, saying contentedly, “That’s better… Why would a big kid still need to be carried? It’d be embarrassing if other kids saw… Lu Ren, get some proper dishes ready later; I feel like I’m about to collapse…”

I readily agreed, then hung up the phone.

Xiao Yao was Old Han’s younger sister, currently in third grade. She was incredibly cute, always loved wearing little skirts, and when she smiled, she resembled a loli from an anime.

Old Han and I were childhood friends, and Xiao Yao had always been clingy towards me since she was little. She seemed to have a slight disdain for Old Han, often declaring that she wanted me as her older brother instead, leaving Old Han looking utterly helpless.

Remembering those past events, I couldn’t help but smile. Today would certainly be lively, with another little girl joining us.

Old Chu expressionlessly pulled Dragon Brother out of her room. Dragon Brother, who seemed to have just woken, had a face etched with impatience. She clicked her tongue, glanced at me, then shifted her gaze elsewhere.

The two of them settled onto the sofa. Old Chu stared unblinkingly at the malatang, while Dragon Brother, lost in thought, turned her head to gaze out the window.

I thought for a moment, then put on my down jacket again, recalling the twenty-odd yuan still in my wallet. I told them, “You two eat first. Old Han’s sister will be here soon, so I’ll go downstairs and buy another portion.”

Old Chu remained silent. Dragon Brother, upon hearing me, said nothing, nor did she stand on ceremony. Instead, she grabbed her chopsticks and began slurping her food.

I sighed and left the house again. My home was only five minutes from Xiao Xiu Sister’s shop, a straight walk around a corner. Suddenly, I felt a sense of unease – a large crowd had gathered there, all pointing and murmuring about something.

My heart unexpectedly skipped a beat. I hurried forward, quickly pushing through the crowd to peer inside the shop.

Inside, the shop was a complete wreck. The legs of the wooden tables were all broken, and plastic chair fragments lay scattered everywhere.

Xiao Xiu Sister sat in the middle of the shop, her eyes red from crying, sweeping up the chair fragments with a broom.

I stood at the entrance for a moment, then stepped into the shop. Xiao Xiu Sister raised her red eyes, and seeing it was me, she lowered her head again.

I asked, “What happened?”

Xiao Xiu Sister didn’t respond, silently sweeping a broken table leg.

I stood there with a grim expression, watching her sweep in silence for a while. The table leg was too large to fit into the dustpan, no matter how she tried. As she swept, her shoulders suddenly began to tremble, and tears, like broken strings of pearls, streamed uncontrollably down her face.

I watched her as she covered her face with her elbow, sobbing aggrievedly.

I was about to ask again when an elderly woman in the gawking crowd sighed, clapping her palm.

She exclaimed, “I just passed by, and I don’t know what kind of vendetta or grudge it was so early in the morning! Those hooligans, they came into the shop with iron rods and just started smashing things… Oh my, it was truly…”

I remained silent for a moment, then asked the old woman, “Were those people with dyed hair? Yellow, blue, green – all sorts of colors?”

The old woman, still caught up in her story, replied, “Of course… Don’t all young people nowadays style their hair like that? Those people were terrifying, you know. Could they be gangsters?”

“Before they left,” she continued, “they even mentioned something about being friends with Bai Hailong, saying they were teaching a lesson or something… I think they’re definitely gangsters. Why didn’t anyone call the police?”

The onlookers remained silent, tutting and crossing their arms as they surveyed the malatang shop. Xiao Xiu Sister sat on the shop floor, still sobbing, her eyes red, about to pick up the broom again to sweep the scattered fragments.

I murmured, “Scumbags.”

Xiao Xiu Sister tried her best to suppress her sobs, her eyes red. She murmured, “It’s fine… at least they only broke the tables… It’s not much money; I can just clean it up…”

Under the gaze of the curious onlookers, she couldn’t hold back. Tears flowed down again, and she simply swept the floor in silence.

I stood beside her, watching silently for a while, then also began to bend down and pick up the pile of plastic fragments.

The crowd of onlookers, seeing there was no more excitement, dispersed like startled birds. I could vaguely hear them still describing the scene they had just witnessed, how someone had swung a stick and shattered a table with a *crack*, then twisted around and pushed the young girl down. They were gleeful, as if they had just watched an American action movie.

Xiao Xiu Sister began to sob again after sweeping for a while. I stood beside her, helping with the sweeping. She seemed a little scared, asking, “Is it… is it because I didn’t pay protection money…? How do I pay it? If I don’t, what if they come back…?”

I shook my head. “It’s alright,” I assured her. “We live in a society governed by law now; it’s quite harmonious, without all that messy stuff… They won’t come back again, don’t worry.”

Xiao Xiu Sister’s voice was hoarse from crying as she asked, “How do you know…?”

I comforted her, “Because I used to be a bad student. I know their ways. There’s no need to be afraid. If you’re short on cash, I can cover some of the cost for the chairs to help you out.”

Xiao Xiu Sister’s eyes were red as she looked at the dustpan for a moment. “No need,” she said. “It’s not much money, and since I run a shop, I can afford it.”

I glanced around the shop; the damaged items were worth at least four or five hundred.

I remembered a time I joked with Xiao Xiu Sister. Laughing, she mentioned her daily turnover, saying she worked herself to death for less than a hundred yuan a day and might as well quit to become a beggar.

There wasn’t much left to clean in the shop. Xiao Xiu Sister sighed, saying she would close soon and that I should leave first. I nodded and turned to depart.

After walking about twenty steps, I inexplicably turned my head and saw Xiao Xiu Sister standing at the shop entrance, watching me leave. When she saw me look back, she tentatively raised her hand and waved shyly.

On the way home, I passed that same corner again, almost colliding with a girl. I looked closely; it was Dragon Brother.

She looked at me in surprise, then after a moment, said, “I thought you were lost. Where did you go? To make malatang?”

I suddenly laughed, pointing behind me. “What ‘make malatang’? The shop got smashed!”

Dragon Brother froze, then craned her neck to look behind me, exclaiming, “What happened?”

Seeing her surprised expression, I chuckled and said,

“Guess what happened? Because our society’s Dragon Brother’s friends went to that shop and bought three portions of malatang – all thanks to Dragon Brother, her friends on the street were so generous, they just smashed the shop!”

Dragon Brother stared at me for a long moment, her expression unreadable.

I chuckled, brushing past Dragon Brother’s shoulder, and walked straight home, drawling lazily, “Eat… eat your damn rotten crap… You all can starve to death, all of you starve to death! Don’t live!”

“Are you ever going to shut up, Lu Ren?!”

I hadn’t even taken two steps when Dragon Brother’s roar came from behind me.

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