Song Xiaobao, with halting and ineffective speech, finally managed to explain what had happened.
Ever since Wei Qian stopped picking them up from school, the nightly treat of a "twin popsicle" was gone, which greatly displeased Xiaobao. However, she dared not ask Wei Qian for money, and it was certain Wei Zhiyuan would not ask either. Hoping that their elder brother would remember such a trivial matter was pure fantasy.
Therefore, the two of them devised a plan to take a shortcut home every day and collect cans along the way. They would secretly stash the cans under Xiaobao's bed to sell later for money.
One day, for some unknown reason, halfway through their journey, Zhiyuan suddenly refused to take the shortcut. They ended up walking back to the main road. Xiaobao, puzzled, argued with him as usual, but this time, Zhiyuan didn't engage and forcefully dragged her along.
Zhiyuan's expression was so terrifying that Xiaobao ended up complying without any resistance.
Xiaobao, in this case, was a typical timid child, easily cowed by a harsh word or look, quickly becoming meek as a quail.
It's a good thing she's a girl; otherwise, she might have grown up to be prime eunuch material.
Zhiyuan led her aimlessly along the main road, first into a department store at the crossroads, meandering through before leaving. He then looked around cautiously and led her through several small shops, entering through the front and exiting through the back, wandering around outside for over half an hour.
Afterward, Wei Zhiyuan took Xiaobao and started walking towards home. By that time, it was already getting dark.
To get home, they had to pass through a small alley, which was the only way and could not be avoided.
Xiaobao noticed that Zhiyuan was not carrying his backpack properly but was holding it in his hand, with the zipper open. He had one hand inside the bag, searching for something all the way, but never took it out.
Then, she heard footsteps. Wei Zhiyuan's nerves seemed to tense up instantly, and Xiaobao saw a man approaching.
She couldn't describe his exact age or appearance, crying as she tried to explain, only saying he was an adult, similar in size to San Pang's father, a stranger.
Suddenly, Wei Zhiyuan pushed her hard, telling her to run fast.
Even then, Xiaobao couldn't understand what was happening. However, Zhiyuan's attitude filled her with great fear. Although she didn't know what she was afraid of, she was terrified to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat.
She instinctively followed his instruction, running to the end of the alley, becoming more and more scared. Unable to resist, she looked back and saw Zhiyuan taking his hand out of the backpack. It turned out he had hidden a steel pipe inside. Holding it with both hands, he pressed himself against the wall, warily watching the stranger.
Catching her looking back, Wei Zhiyuan angrily yelled at her, "Run! Call big brother!"
Song Xiaobao no longer dared to stop and ran home in one breath. However, it was only when she reached her doorstep that she realized she didn't have the keys. There were three sets of keys to her house: one was with Wei Qian, another was kept as a spare, and the third, which was previously held by San Pang's mother, was now given to Wei Zhiyuan.
Wei Qian initially thought that since the two kids always went in and out together, one set of keys would suffice. He was also concerned that Xiaobao, being clumsy, might lose them. However, at a critical moment, both kids forgot about this arrangement.
If it hadn't been for Lei Zi, who rushed over after receiving a call from San Pang, the young girl would still be cluelessly crying at the door.
Wei Zhiyuan, having roamed the streets, was much more alert to malicious intentions than Xiaobao. He probably sensed someone following them halfway through, which is why he took detours with Xiaobao. His method was indeed correct, but being just a child, he ultimately failed to shake off the pursuer and got cornered.
At this time, San Pang also arrived. Concerned, he took a taxi back home after calling.
As soon as he got out of the taxi, he said to Wei Qian, panting, "It's okay, Qian'er, don't worry. Le Ge also heard about it. As soon as he knew it was about your family, he immediately sent people to help you find..."
His words were suddenly interrupted because Wei Qian, with an expressionless face, raised his hand and slapped Xiaobao's face to the side.
Lei Zi was startled and quickly jumped in between Wei Qian and Xiaobao, saying, "Qian'er, hey, Qian'er! She's still young, just a little kid. What does she know? Why are you so angry with her?"
San Pang, less polite, rushed over in three strides and roared into Wei Qian's ear, "Are you acting like a stubborn donkey? Where are you hitting? You shouldn't hit a child's face, do you understand? Have you lost your mind, Wei Qian? With such heavy hands, what if you made her deaf? Huh?"
For Xiaobao, it was the first time she had ever been hit in her life, and she was truly shocked. It took her a moment to react, and then she felt a burning pain on her face. She touched her face in disbelief, her cheeks swelling and turning bright red, as tears started to fill her eyes.
Pulled aside by San Pang, Wei Qian looked at her coldly, "I dare you to cry! Do you even have the face to cry?"
Indeed, Xiaobao didn't dare to cry, trying her best to hold it in. Unable to suppress it, she hiccupped like she was having a spasm, her face turning from red to purple from the effort.
Wei Qian pulled his arm away, looking down at the pitiful young girl, "Where did you leave him alone?"
Xiaobao, sobbing, mentioned the name of an alley, "I... I just told Brother Lei Zi..."
Lei Zi quickly interjected, "Right, right, I've already notified our guys, and they're on their way there now. Don't worry, Qian'er."
Wei Qian bent down, looking directly into Song Xiaobao's eyes, "Preserve your integrity, flee when faced with battle, Song Lilil, have I ever taught you to behave like this?"
Although Xiaobao didn't understand two of the words, she grasped the essence of his message. This hurt her even more than the slap from her brother, causing her tears to finally fall freely.
Unable to watch anymore, San Pang pulled Xiaobao behind him, "What kind of way is that to talk? You're just taking out your anger on her! Do you feel better by dragging your own sister into this? Are you sick?"
Wei Qian ignored him, took out the keys from his pocket, and handed them to Lei Zi with courtesy, "Thanks, brother. Come in and have a drink of water. I can't entertain you today, I need to check on something first."
After speaking, he didn't even glance at Song Xiaobao before turning around and walking away.
Song Xiaobao cried even harder, and San Pang quickly bent down to lift her up, awkwardly patting her back like a big bear, trying to comfort her by saying, "Sister, let's not cry, okay? Your brother didn't get vaccinated this year, and now he's acting like he's got rabies. It's okay, I'll find you a towel to put on, and it'll stop hurting soon. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here, your brother won't dare to hit you again."
Xiaobao lay on his shoulder, crying as if she was going to die.
In Song Xiaobao's childhood, she only remembered the embrace of one person, her chubby brother.
Chubby brother had a sweat smell in summer that couldn't be washed away no matter what, always seeming smelly even when he was clean, not to mention sometimes his body would also be covered in the smell of cooking oil and vegetables, very choking... However, that was almost the only bit of warm consolation she could get.
Her short-lived mother died too early and too disgracefully, so much so that she had no memory of that woman.
And her brother... since she had clear memories, her eldest brother seemed to have hardly ever hugged her, the most affectionate gesture was probably just stroking her head a few times.
Sometimes Xiaobao would kick off her blanket in the middle of the night and wake up cold but wouldn't cover herself back up, doing it on purpose. She pretended to sleep, waiting for her brother to come and cover her up. Her brother would gently pull up the blanket and tuck in the corners, sometimes even brushing the hair off her face to the side.
That was a tenderness he didn't show during the day, a rare sight of warmth.
She knew her brother cared for her, Xiaobao understood, whatever she wanted, her elder brother would provide, she was aware. But she still feared him, often feeling nervous and not quite justified when asking for things directly, because her brother always had a cold expression at home, frowning and hurrying back and forth, even lacking the patience to talk to her a bit more or watch TV with her for a while.
Xiaobao always felt that although her older brother loved her, his love was quite limited. She worried that if she became too annoying, her brother might withdraw that little bit of love and stop giving it to her.
Xiaobao cried bitterly, not because Wei Qian had hit her, but because she was more afraid that her brother would no longer like her.
Unfortunately, Fatty Ge was a rough man, and his attempts at comforting her never hit the mark.
Wei Qian encountered Xiaoyuan on the way, who was with a younger brother of Le Ge, named Xiao He. Although Xiao He and Wei Qian were not very close, they occasionally interacted.
Leading the way, Xiao He frequently looked back to make sure the child was still following. Wei Zhiyuan had met him once and recognized him, but refused to let Xiao He pull or carry him, preferring to silently carry his steel pipe and walk behind.
The little one walked without looking up, focusing intently on the ground beneath him. From Xiao He's perspective, all he could see was the top of the child's head.
When Xiao He found Wei Zhiyuan, he didn't see the rumored pervert who targeted children. Instead, there was a woman in her sixties holding a long-handled broom, watching over Xiaoyuan and occasionally asking him questions.
The pervert had already fled. Wei Zhiyuan's jacket buttons had popped off, his face was swollen on one side, and he had a large gash on his head, clearly inflicted by someone smashing the child's head against a wall. The tip of the steel pipe had traces of blood, and the wall and ground bore sharp marks from the steel pipe, indicating a fierce battle had taken place.
This little warrior never let go of his weapon from beginning to end, until he luckily attracted the attention of an elderly lady passing by.
When Xiao He approached, Wei Zhiyuan was resting in a corner. Feeling someone nearing, his shoulders tensed and he became visibly alert. Although he made no move, Xiao He felt an illusion that if he took one more step forward, the youngster might actually strike his head with the steel pipe.
Xiao He stopped walking and tentatively called out "Xiaoyuan". Wei Zhiyuan struggled to open his swollen eyes, looked at him for a moment, recognized Xiao He, and finally relaxed a bit.
The elderly lady, looking suspiciously at this young man who seemed like a delinquent, asked uneasily, "Child, do you know him?"
Wei Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.
The elderly lady then felt relieved, walking away with her long-handled broom. Before leaving, she sighed, "What kind of people are these? They should be executed; the world has become too chaotic."
Xiao He checked and found that the child's clothes were still intact, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief for the moment.
He walked ahead, with Wei Zhiyuan following behind at a distance. Wei Zhiyuan's steps were unsteady, but his demeanor was defiant. He refused to be helped or to look anyone in the eye. Xiao He felt that despite his young age, Wei Zhiyuan possessed a desperado's aura, seemingly oblivious to pain or fear, instinctively ready to fight.
Xiao He no longer attempted to converse with him, as the boy's bloodied and injured appearance, coupled with his fierce demeanor, was somewhat unsettling.
That was until Wei Qian rushed over and scooped Wei Zhiyuan into his arms.
The boy seemed stunned for a few seconds before realizing who was holding him. He belatedly relaxed, and the steel pipe in his hand clanged to the ground, bouncing twice. Xiao He observed the dust and blood-covered pale hands tightly clutching Wei Qian's clothes. Subsequently, Wei Zhiyuan began to tremble as if his reaction to situations was naturally slower than others. It was only then that he seemed to understand what had happened and began to feel afraid.
He meekly called out, "Brother..."
Xiao He watched as the child carefully nestled his head in Wei Qian's neck, half-expecting him to cry. However, Wei Zhiyuan didn't cry; he merely shivered in his brother's embrace. After a while, as if seeking confirmation, he called out "Brother" again.
Wei Qian asked, "Does it hurt?"
Wei Zhiyuan, unaccustomed to his brother's gentle side, was initially taken aback and instinctively nodded. Then, realizing his reaction, he vigorously shook his head.
Unexpectedly, this action caused his nose to bleed. Wei Zhiyuan immediately lifted his sleeve to wipe it away, secretly hiding his blood-stained hand behind his back, fearing his brother's disdain.
But this time, his bad-tempered and sharp-tongued older brother did not scorn him or let him go. Instead, he allowed him to clingingly wrap his arms around his neck and rest his head on his shoulder, carrying Wei Zhiyuan all the way back home.
Wei Qian was still a youth, tall but not fully broad-shouldered yet. His bones were somewhat uncomfortable to lean on, and his muscles hadn't fully developed, feeling rigid.
However, the more this rigid shoulder pained him, the more secure Wei Zhiyuan felt.
Unknowingly, the young boy fell asleep nestled against such a firm, slightly medicinal-smelling chest.