Chapter One: Back to Parents' Side
Since they didn't go to kindergarten, Qi Bing and his brothers stayed at home for a few days. One day, Da Ming from downstairs called them down to play. After playing for a while, he said there was something to see on the street. Qi Bing didn't understand and asked, "What is it?" Da Ming replied, "I don't know either, let's go take a look." So they came to Binjiang Avenue. The last time they went to kindergarten, Qi Bing had been here before and felt that this place was very wide and long, with the willow trees along the road being particularly magnificent. Many people had already gathered on both sides of the road, and from time to time, cars drove slowly by in the middle of the road, with huge portraits standing upright on top, and red banners hanging from the side. Qi Bing heard people around him shouting slogans like "Long live Chairman Mao! Long live the Communist Party of China! Congratulations on the successful convening of the Ninth Congress! Carry the proletariat to the end!" and so on. The people on the cars were singing and dancing, cheering and waving small flags in their hands towards the crowd. Qi Bing asked Da Ming, "Where are they going? Who is that portrait?" Da Ming was also at a loss for an answer.
As the days went by, the weather gradually warmed up. Binjiang was one of the three major "fire stoves" in the country. Qi Bing and his brother stayed at home every day, playing and no longer going to kindergarten. Qi Bing felt that these days were very happy and comfortable. Although they couldn't go to the lake to pick lotus pods, break off water caltrops, or climb trees to turn over bird nests like in the countryside, they could slide down the wooden railing every day, which was also quite enjoyable. The neighbors' kids sometimes played with fighting roosters, ice sticks, and glass balls, and there were also girls playing hopscotch, shuttlecock, and jumping rope. Qi Bing thought it was very novel and enviable. Before long, Qi Bing also came down from the slide at home and joined in the fun with his friends.
Every day when the sun sets, it's a happy time for the little friends. At this time, each family sprinkles water in front of their own door to remove the heat of the day, then puts out bamboo beds, lays out food and drinks, and the whole family gathers around the bamboo bed to eat and drink. The Qi family lives on the second floor, so they have to come down early every day to occupy a good spot, otherwise there won't be any good place left. This task falls on Qi Bing's shoulders, as soon as it gets dark, Qi Bing takes a small bucket of water downstairs, finds a clean and flat place, sprinkles water, then he and his brother carry the bamboo bed down from upstairs.
Across from us was the Cow Niu's family, with only a passageway in between, and the two families' bamboo beds facing each other. The two grandsons of Cow Niu's family, Da Ming and Xiao Ming, were about the same age as Qi Bing and his brother. After Qi Bing returned to Zha Jia Dian, they became the best of friends.
Actually, the Qi family has been living here for a long time, and it was introduced by Da Ming's father. At that time, they didn't have children yet. Every time they had meals, when the adults drank wine, the dishes of the two families were also exchanged and eaten together. The Qi family was very happy and often boasted, "We eat food from both families!"
After dinner, they started playing games. They played chicken fight, and every time Chiying was in the upper hand, almost always defeating his companions. In fact, Chiying's two legs were slightly thicker than those of his companions, so he had an advantage. Qiangqiang from the second floor was always alone, kicking a football around, and Chiying was very curious. Every time he approached, Qiangqiang would take the ball and leave. Chiying thought it was boring and told Daming that Qiangqiang was being petty. One time during chicken fight, Qiangqiang was also there. Chiying went over to him, jumped up, and used his knee to push against him. Qiangqiang was caught off guard and fell to the ground. Chiying went over to pull him up, but Qiangqiang said, "You're a sneak! That doesn't count! Let's do it again!" This time, Qiangqiang was prepared, and with his companions cheering him on, the two of them wrestled together. Back and forth, neither one could gain the upper hand. Qiangqiang had strong legs too - his father had noticed this and encouraged him to play soccer. He often went to the youth center next door for extracurricular training. Chiying saw that he couldn't defeat Qiangqiang, so his pride was a bit wounded, and he became even more aggressive.
"We're going to wrestle, how about it?" said Qi Bing. "I'm not afraid of you, come on!" Qiangqiang took a fighting stance. The two of them tangled together, Qi Bing using all his strength and even some moves he had learned from his grandfather, but no matter what, he couldn't knock Qiangqiang down, and almost got thrown to the ground himself. His face red, eyes blazing, Qi Bing used every last bit of energy, but still couldn't win. Suddenly, Qi Bing thought of a dirty trick, and viciously grabbed at Qiangqiang's crotch. All that could be heard was Qiangqiang's pained cry as he fell to the ground. The other kids cheered: "Qi Bing wins!" At this point, Qiangqiang's face was covered in cold sweat, rolling around on the ground, nonstop crying out in pain. "You lost, just admit it, why pretend?" "You're a cheater, you used a dirty move, I'm going to tell my dad, waaahhh!" Qiangqiang cried out. Qi Bing hadn't expected his move would be so vicious, causing such a bad result.
Qiang Qiang's dad rushed over upon hearing the news, and after listening to Qiang Qiang's account, his face twisted with rage. He slapped Ji Bing hard on the ear, making her see stars and stumble before falling to the ground.
In the evening, many people were cooling off and saw Qiangqiang's father hitting Ji Bing. They immediately surrounded him, accusing him of not being allowed to hit other people's children. "What do you know? You only see me hitting him. Do you know how he hit my child? Ah? Look at him, he grabbed my child's lower body. Such a small child is so ruthless, who taught him? My child is now in pain and can't move. Let's go to the hospital first. When we come back, I'll deal with you." Qiangqiang's father shouted at Ji Bing. The onlookers saw Qiangqiang's father like this and stopped talking, advising him to hurry up and send the child to the hospital, not to delay any longer.
Qí Bīng felt that he had gotten into big trouble and regretted what he had done. His grandfather and father had taught him a lesson after the incident in Huáng Lín Town, telling him not to cause any more trouble and to stay at home quietly until school started in a few months. But when faced with Qiáng Qiáng's provocation, he couldn't control himself. All warnings, teachings, and good intentions were forgotten. Qí Bīng didn't dare go home and hid in the corner of a nearby house, staring blankly. His father searched for him everywhere later, extremely angry in his heart, wondering how this child could get into trouble as soon as he came back, really not letting people have any peace of mind.
On such a summer evening, the heat became more and more oppressive, and a storm was brewing. Flashes of lightning occasionally streaked across the sky, accompanied by continuous rumbles of thunder. Summer in Binjiang is like this - whenever it gets unbearably hot, a sudden rain shower will come to drive away the annoying heat. Binjiang has many lakes, located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Han rivers, and situated in the low-lying areas of the Jianghan Plain. During the day, the scorching sun heats up the lake surface, and by evening, the lake surface releases heat, making the air unbearably hot and humid. Moreover, with little wind at night, people often feel suffocated by the heat. When Qi Bing got into trouble, his father was even more irritated, and he wished he could give him a good scolding to vent his anger.
Qiang Qiang's father is not a kind person and is not easy to get along with, he is the leader of a rebel group in his unit. This is something that Ji Bing's father knows, and it is also one of the main reasons why he resents Ji Bing.
A heavy rainstorm came down quickly, bringing lightning with it. The sound of the rain hitting the roof was deafening and the strong winds bent the big trees at the waist.
Dad searched everywhere but couldn't find him, and when the rain got heavier, he came back to put up the bamboo bed downstairs against the wall and went upstairs to prepare to take an umbrella to go out and look for Qi Bing again. Qi Bing was afraid that Dad would search for him everywhere, so he secretly snuck back home. Seeing Qi Bing return, Dad was furious, grabbed Qi Bing with one hand, and hit him with the umbrella. Qi Bing's buttocks were severely beaten by the umbrella, but he bit his teeth and didn't cry. "You don't listen, I told you to be good, but you deliberately cause trouble outside. Last time Liu Da Ya's son beat you to death, it would have been better if you hadn't come back to cause more trouble." Dad raised the umbrella again to hit him, but Mom intervened: "The matter has already happened, hitting the child is useless now. Let's wait for the doctor to come back and see what he says."
Just then, a man burst in, "Your son did a good thing, he grabbed my son's place and made it purple, the consequences are not yet clear." After finishing speaking, he threw the hospital records in front of his father. This person was Qiangqiang's dad, and Ji Bing didn't dare look at him, lowering his head to stare at his own toes. The medical record read: "External genital injury, skin ecchymosis, no damage to the genital area, observation required. If uncomfortable, come to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible. Treatment fee and registration fee 5 yuan 50 cents." After reading it, Dad said, "I'm really sorry, I didn't take good care of my child, I apologize to you. The child is used to being wild in the countryside, we have responsibility for this matter. You see, your child spent money on medical treatment, we'll give it to you." "This isn't a matter of money or not, it's the child's future! If the child has hidden dangers when they grow up, who will take responsibility?!" "Then what do you want us to do?" "What can you do?! The child still needs observation and rest. Give me 100 yuan first, we'll discuss later matters later." "100 yuan? Isn't it just 5 yuan 50 cents on the bill?" "What? You think the money is too much?! Alright! Then calculate for me how much nutrition fees and mental damage fees my child has incurred so far. Go ahead and calculate! This way, I'll leave my child here with you to care for until they're fully recovered and safe, then I'll come back for them, how's that?" Qiangqiang's dad said stubbornly. Ji Bing's dad was very displeased in his heart, 100 yuan? His monthly salary was only over 40 yuan, this wasn't robbery?! First, it was his own son who was at fault, so he couldn't blame the other person for being unreasonable.
Here is the translation:
Qī Bīng's father was unhappy with Qiangqiang's father's aggressive tone, but he didn't want to make a scene. "How about this, Old Huang? We've been neighbors for many years, and you know our family has many children and we're not well off. It's really difficult for us to come up with so much money all at once. Can't it be a bit less? Our child made a mistake, and we should compensate for your loss. What do you think?" Qiangqiang's father gave Qī Bīng's father a sideways glance with his eyes. "Less? How can it be less? It would be better if you didn't give anything at all! Are you trying to haggle over the price? There are still things that haven't been said yet, and if my son has any... unpleasantness, I won't let it go." "But our child isn't strong enough to cause such consequences, and the doctor said he wasn't hurt badly." Qī Bīng's father's words made Qiangqiang's father unhappy. "You're saying your child is weak and my child is strong? My child is as tough as iron! If you say that, I'll tell my son to grab your son again, can you accept that?" "Aren't we discussing this matter? Otherwise, why don't you compromise a bit? I'll give you 50 yuan first, and then we'll pay the rest after we get our salary next month. What do you think?" Qiangqiang's father hesitated for a moment before agreeing to Qī Bīng's father's suggestion, seemingly reluctantly.
After Qiang's father left, Ji Bing's father dragged him over: "You're quite capable, aren't you? You've forgotten about the last time in Huanglintown, haven't you? You didn't get beaten or suffer any losses, did you? Why are you using such tactics to harm others? Who taught you this?" Ji Bing didn't dare look up, letting his father scold him as he stared at his own dirty feet, alternately rubbing them together in silence. Ji Bing remembered a time when he accidentally bumped into something while walking and was in so much pain that he couldn't move, covering his mouth with his hand. It took a while for the sharp pain to gradually subside. At the time, he didn't knock Qiang down, but suddenly thought of using this trick, not expecting it would lead to big trouble.
Ji Bing remained silent, and Father said with a heavy heart: "Child, you're about to start school and become a student. Don't get into all sorts of trouble. Your father's money doesn't come easily, don't think it just floats in like water. If we have to compensate others for their losses, we'll all have to eat less and drink less. I think it would be better if you didn't eat at all, let you go hungry for a few days and see if you still dare to cause trouble or make mischief. Did you hear me?" Father pinched Ji Bing's ear and said. Ji Bing protected his own ears and finally spoke up, murmuring in response: "I won't do anything wrong again." "You promise easily, but I'm afraid you can't keep your word. Let me tell you, if you cause any more trouble, I'll kick you out of the house and make you go beg for food."