Big Brother / Da Ge / The Unknown

Chapter 1

(Kipzi - Okay so MTL says she actually said burping/hiccups and catching a cold and I tried to figure out what it meant and then I realized she's probably just saying do everything in moderation or else.

："所以说，人不能过得太舒服，等你脑满肠肥、每天都吃饱混天黑的时候，就离嗝屁着凉不远啦......")

Her pleasant yet crude words were interrupted by the shrill ring of a bell, startling Wei Qian into suddenly opening his eyes and springing up from the bed.

It was five-thirty in the morning, and the sky was not fully bright yet.

Wei Qian was still somewhat immersed in the dream, which was both beautiful and nightmarish.

Bearing the low pressure of sleep deprivation like a dead dog, he struggled to get up, grabbed his slippers, squashed a cockroach that had been strutting around his bedside, then hopped on one leg to the water pipe to rinse off the sole, making "pitter-patter" sounds as he washed his hands and rinsed the rice, putting porridge on to cook in a deformed pot.

Then, he stuck his head out the window and saw that the breakfast stall of the guy with acne scars downstairs was already set up, heating the oil pan.

Wei Qian blew a long whistle downstairs, not minding waking the neighbors, and shouted, "Scarface, get me three fried dough sticks!"

Just after he yelled, a window above him creaked open, and a chubby man with a toothbrush in his mouth mumbled, "Bro, make it six for me, pick the thick and big ones!"

The one shouting from upstairs was San Pang, who had ballooned into a spherical shape yet still took pride in being a glutton, a trait he regarded with almost a transcendental philosophy.

Wei Qian felt that compared to six, three fried dough sticks seemed hardly heroic, so he looked up at San Pang and said, "Pig, eager to be slaughtered, aren't we? Quite the enlightened thinker!"

San Pang, mouth foaming with toothpaste, couldn't bother to respond and, amidst his busy morning routine, managed to extend a chubby hand and flip Wei Qian the bird.

Scarface had lost his father early and lived with his widowed mother, who made her living selling breakfast. Scarface had to get up early every morning to help his mom fry dough sticks, so hearing his friends squabbling like dogs first thing in the morning was nothing new to him.

He wiped his hands on his apron, said nothing, but smiled and waved at the two "gentlemen" upstairs to show he heard them-oh, Scarface had a stutter, so he usually kept quiet in public.

With breakfast sorted, Wei Qian battled his way to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, starting another busy and tough day.

He let the cooked porridge cool down while he got himself ready, then with some change in his pocket, he dashed downstairs to grab the fried dough sticks, and came back to wake up his little sister, Xiao Bao. He made sure she finished her breakfast, then carried her upstairs to leave her with San Pang's mom, swatting away Xiao Bao's hand as she tried to sneak more food into her mouth before he left.

Then, Wei Qian pedaled his worn-out bicycle towards school.

This day was the day Wei Qian was to take his middle school entrance exams.

Wei Qian never knew who his father was, nor what he looked like. His only concept of the man came from his mother's incessant daily ranting over ten years, painting him as a despicable scumbag-a loser through and through.

Rumor had it that this shameless man was still locked up, carrying the so-called "glorious" title of a rapist, with no telling when he might be released-if ever. Of course, Wei Qian didn't look forward to his release. An ex-convict who was worthless, he'd just be a burden to society once out.