River City Story

Chapter 18

After lunch, He Zhengxi started to focus on fishing again, while Lin Yan and the other three were wandering around the B&B.There is a well-known bookstore in the village. The decoration is old and old, but the books in it are very new, and most of them are expensive and rare foreign language magazines.

"Can you make money selling books here?" Lin Yan asked Song Rui.

"Guess you have to ask, casual tourists like us passing by occasionally are not their main target." Song Rui pointed to the lobby downstairs of the bookstore, "They have a dedicated online team, and they also do offline regularly. Activities, don’t look at how few people there are now, petty bourgeoisie, literary youth, and big bosses in the city and out of town all love this place.”

"You are really good. I thought you were just a dude." Lin Yan looked at Song Rui with some admiration, "I'm really sorry haha!"

Song Rui said aggrievedly: "It turns out that I have such an image... You have never seen Xiao Fengzi before. He is much more arrogant than me in school."

"Hey!" Feng Bowen walked over, "Why am I so arrogant? I just have a fierce expression, but I have never violated school rules and disciplines. I don't know who treats me like a follower every day."

Song Rui also got excited: "Yes, that's right, you are the kindest, gentle and virtuous little Fengzi in the world, and I am a wicked young man who bullies the common people."

Lin Yan couldn't help laughing while listening to the conversation between the two.This Song Rui is quite conscious of being a wealthy person, and there is a small amount of bad words behind.The bookstore was quite quiet at first, when the two of them quarreled, other customers came to see them, but the two were so selfless in their quarrel, Lin Yan had to drag them into the yard with Cai Hengyuan.

"Hey...wasn't this just a joke? Why did they really scold each other?" Cai Hengyuan picked up the camera and snapped a photo of the quarreling duo.

Lin Yan sat on the porch and glanced at the courtyard, then shook his head helplessly: "I don't care about them, you bring a camera every day, what can you do?"

Cai Hengyuan said "Hi" and sighed: "My mother asked me to take the picture. She is a little nervous now. If I tell you to play with you, she doesn't believe me. I can only show her the picture, and I have to send it to her every hour. The news reports a whereabouts."

"It's not easy for you." Lin Yan stretched out his hand and grabbed a wild wheat tree to play with.

Cai Hengyuan shrugged casually, skipped the topic about Chen Shan, and looked over curiously, "You knew how to make up this when you were in elementary school, and you are still learning."

"That is, when I get older and retire and have nothing to do, I will go to the street to push a small cart to sell small flower baskets, small dustpans, small bracelets, etc., all handmade, green and pollution-free." Lin Yan said He said, the movement in his hands didn't stop, and he wove a small ring in two or three times. It was too big and could only be put on the thumb. He played for a while, and was about to stuff it in his pocket when Cai Hengyuan suddenly stretched out his hand.

"give it to me."

"Huh?" Lin Yan froze for a moment.

"Give it to me as a transfer gift." Cai Hengyuan smiled and stared straight at Lin Yan.

"How many years have you been transferred to another school, and you still ask for a gift from here? I don't dislike you for leaving without saying a word." Lin Yan had no choice but to pass the small ring over, and Cai Hengyuan put it on his index finger in satisfaction.

When Song Rui quarreled with Feng Bowen for about ten minutes, he was sent out by the bookstore manager with a smile on his face.On the way back, the two were still cursing each other non-stop.

Lin Yan listened carefully to a few paragraphs, and felt that the content of the two people's quarrel was too boring.It's all about "why do you buy mineral water instead of pure water", "I don't like drinking too thick yogurt", "did you step on my white sneakers during the sports meeting in the second grade of primary school", etc. trivial matter……

There is no nutrition, and most of them are Song Rui's unilateral complaints against Feng Bowen.

They were arguing in front, and Lin Yan and Cai Hengyuan followed behind like they were watching a play. When they were about to enter the door, Cai Hengyuan suddenly said something surprising, muttering: "Song Rui is Feng Bowen's wife, right?"

"Huh?" Lin Yan turned to look at him in shock.

Cai Hengyuan smiled wretchedly: "You don't understand, all you think about is saving money, studying, and your little brother."

"A nerd like you is not qualified to say that to me." Lin Yan curled his lips, and finally gave a mouthful of dissatisfaction.

As a result, Cai Hengyuan quickly responded: "Bah!"

Lin Yan did not show weakness: "Bah!"

In short, when the four of them walked to the door of the hotel, the scene was very weird.The two in front were arguing, and the two in the back were yelling at each other, which stunned Li Si, who was squatting on the edge of the pond smoking a cigarette with his little assistant.

He Zhengxi specially asked Li Si for professional fishing skills this afternoon, and he gained a lot.He blushed and ran to ask Lin Yan for praise with a small bucket in his hand, but he caught sight of the small straw ring on Cai Hengyuan's finger, and immediately became angry.Throwing the bucket to Cai Hengyuan's feet, He Zhengxi jumped upstairs without looking back.

"Hey! Come back to me!" Lin Yan yelled at He Zhengxi twice, but the child didn't agree, he turned around and apologized to Cai Hengyuan, "I'm sorry, he's just like this, he goes crazy every now and then."

Cai Hengyuan looked at the wet trousers, and shook his head nonchalantly: "It's okay, everyone is in puberty, each other, just a few words of comfort will be fine."

Lin Yan mentioned the bucket that He Zhengxi dropped: "Okay, I'll put these fish in the kitchen, and you can decide how to cook them. Just keep the vegetables for dinner, don't have to wait."

"Okay." Cai Hengyuan responded with a smile.

He Zhengxi felt irritable, everything was wrong from head to toe.He was angry, like a kettle that just boiled, he had to howl a few times to feel happy.

He could recognize that the ring on Cai Hengyuan's hand was definitely made by Lin Yan. He had asked Lin Yan to weave it for himself before, saying that he wanted to hang it around his neck. At that time, Lin Yan said with a look of disdain that hanging a straw rope around his neck would make him poor. lifetime.He understands the truth, but he still wants a small ring, which can be worn on his finger instead of hanging around his neck.He Zhengxi walked into the room, changed out the shorts that were wet from fishing and hung them on the balcony, and sat on the bed with only a pair of shorts on, thinking about life with his back bowed. Pretty cute.Not long after, the sound of Lin Yan's footsteps going upstairs, He Zhengxi turned his head and went to bed, leaving his brother with a back like a shrimp.

"Hey, who is this who provoked our classmate He? It's too dishonest." Lin Yan leaned over and poked He Zhengxi's cheek with his fingertips.

"There is no classmate He here, you have gone to the wrong door." He Zhengxi snorted reluctantly, and moved a little bit to the middle of the bed, in short, he did not look back, and turned the quilt into a small hillock.

"As for you, there are two states of anger. One is madness, and the other is whine. I think today is fuzzy, sweet, and tired." Lin Yan said while sitting on a chair and took out a small bag from his bag. Paper bag, throw it on the small mountain bag.He Zhengxi propped up his upper body, stretched out his hands, and took them apart rustlingly.

"Huh?" He Zhengxi turned his head, "What is this for?"

Lin Yan smiled shyly: "A simple little bracelet." He waved his wrist towards He Zhengxi, "We each have one."

He Zhengxi grinned and said happily, "You made it up?"

Lin Yan raised his eyebrows: "Of course, I made it up a long time ago. I made it up when I was playing with Qi Minmin. He asked me for it, but I didn't give it to me."

He Zhengxi got out of the bed and stretched out his hand in front of Lin Yan.

"what?"

"Help me put it on."

Lin Yan reluctantly took it, put a set on his wrist, and said: "There is a small mechanism with a loose buckle, you can close it yourself and see how tight it is."

He Zhengxi withdrew his arms, rolled violently on the bed, and almost fell over.

"That little bead is not something expensive. I bought it from a street stall for two yuan. Don't mind."

He Zhengxi turned back, sat firmly in front of Lin Yan, and said solemnly: "I don't mind, I can keep it for a lifetime."

Lin Yan wrinkled his nose and smiled lightly: "You think it's a diamond! But people say it's good to wear a red string on your hand. I read the steps written in Qi Minmin's book, so I'll learn it. Tell me if it breaks, I’ll make another one for you, I still have materials at home.” Lin Yan twirled the beads on the bracelet, and quickly said: “But my skills are mediocre, and I don’t intend to improve. make fun of."

"They dare not." He Zhengxi blinked while listening.

"This speech sounds like a triad." Lin Yan said, he patted He Zhengxi's thigh, "Stop messing around, take a shower and prepare to eat."

"Understood!" He Zhengxi knew that Lin Yan was a little superstitious, but he never found it strange or resisted.Lin Yan's wish was quite simple, he just hoped that everyone would be well, and He Zhengxi understood this.Losing a straw ring, gaining a red string bracelet, and still being a pair with his brother, He Zhengxi thought he had earned it.

When the two went downstairs, they happened to meet Li Si again. When they said hello and were about to leave, Li Si suddenly turned around, pointed at the things on their wrists and said, "You guys are quite interesting."

The two brothers were full of doubts, and asked in unison: "Sex?"

"Eh..." Li Si suddenly realized that he couldn't poison the pure feelings of the two young people, so he spread his hands and said in a cadence, "I mean, your bracelets are very beautiful."

He Zhengxi raised his chin: "Of course, my brother made it, it must look good."

"Oh? It's rare." Li Si stretched out his wrist, "Then make it up for me too."

After hearing this, Lin Yan smiled and was about to say to take a soft ruler to measure the size, but He Zhengxi who was beside him had already replied first: "Impossible, my brother only made it up for me."

Li Si deliberately shook his shoulders, left a word, turned and left.

"Horribly possessive," he said.

Lin Yan and He Zhengxi hadn't even had a bite of their meal, and Song Rui's voice came from upstairs, Lin Yan listened carefully, it's terrible, it's not enough noise.A few minutes later, Song Rui ran down from upstairs holding the car keys, pulling Lin Yan up with his left hand and He Zhengxi with his right hand, not forgetting to take Cai Hengyuan who ran down behind him.

"Let's go, let Feng Bowen stay here alone, we'll go back to the city today."

"This...so sudden?" Lin Yan quickly picked up the chopsticks and stuffed a fish bun into He Zhengxi's mouth.

Song Rui scolded: "Fuck, I don't care if you guys go back or not, and if you don't go back, you can find a car tomorrow."

Lin Yan thought in his heart that if he took a ride by himself, it would cost a lot of money, and it would be more cost-effective to go back with Song Rui. He nodded and said, "Go back! I'll find Assistant Li Si to pack dinner later."

"Then hurry up and don't leave your luggage behind." Song Rui went out angrily to drive, and the remaining three looked at each other.

"What's the matter? We were not here just now, how is the battle going?" Lin Yan was talking, and his hands kept moving. He was thinking about which dishes to pack.

"I've been listening for a long time, and it seems that the two of you didn't apply for the same university." Cai Hengyuan yawned, "I don't want to go back. Brother Song's temper and driving skills are too dangerous. I feel that this time is really noisy. Got up, Brother Bowen just dropped a chair upstairs and almost hit Brother Song."

"It's so serious..." Song Rui must be very angry, Lin Yan pondered.Driving in this state is probably going to be crazy, he rushed to He Zhengxi and asked: "Then why don't we stay for another night and go back before noon tomorrow."

He Zhengxi's eyes were fixed on the straw ring hanging on Cai Hengyuan's schoolbag, and he suddenly became irritable again, wishing he could pick up the chair and throw it down, but considering that Lin Yan was still there, he had no choice but to put on a docile expression and said : "Come back today, I still have a study plan tomorrow."

Lin Yan thought so too. Although he was in a hurry, he always felt uneasy when he came out this trip, and it's okay to go back today.He put away the packed lunch box, wiped his hands and said to He Zhengxi, "Then let's go now, you go upstairs to get your clothes and schoolbag."

On the way back, Song Rui didn't hold the steering wheel, Brother Tang was driving the car.He is very familiar with the route, and when he arrived at the toll booth in the city, it happened to be just after get off work time, and there was no traffic jam, and it went smoothly.

Lin Yan and He Zhengxi got off the car at the alley of Linshui Street, said goodbye to them, chatted and walked back.But after walking a few meters, Lin Yan felt that the expressions of the people around them were strange.He couldn't tell what was wrong, but it was very subtle anyway, and there was something like pity and sympathy in his eyes. It had been a while since Lin Yan had received such attention.

"Why is there a police car in front of our house? Isn't that brother Lu Chi?" He Zhengxi stretched his neck to look over, Lin Yan followed his line of sight to look forward, his heart began to feel uneasy, and his mouth was still calm: "Ah, is it, come back Let's take a look at home."

When we walked to the gate of the old ancestral hall, the people in the car happened to get off.Both of them looked a little strange, the tall one waved at them with a smile, and reported his family name, "The Criminal Investigation Detachment of Xicheng Public Security Bureau may want to talk to you about some situations."

Lin Yan took their IDs and checked them carefully. The tall one was Gao Liming, and the other one was Guo Fei.He nodded after reading it, and returned the things to them to open the door, but found that it was unlocked.

"Hey."

He sighed briefly, this way, Lin Yan knew what was going on in his mind, he collected his expression, pushed the door in calmly, and said to the two policemen as he walked, "Did something happen to old man Xu?"

"An accident happened? What do you mean?" He Zhengxi didn't understand.

Gao Liming followed and patted He Zhengxi's shoulder, without saying a word, Guo Fei from behind also walked in quickly, and he carefully helped close the door.

"We just came back. There is no hot water at home, so you just drink it." Lin Yan found out two teacups and prepared to turn on the water dispenser.Gao Liming waved his hand: "No, you two sit down first. This time, I'm here mainly to learn something about Xu Jialin."

At this time, He Zhengxi had already understood some things, but he didn't dare to speak casually, and had to wait for Lin Yan to speak first.He Zhengxi felt that his brother seemed to be prepared, and he was a little calm and relaxed.

"You can ask, although we don't know what happened, but we both will tell what needs to be said." Lin Yan pulled He Zhengxi to sit down obediently under the table, "Our names, the two eldest brothers should be the same. Got it, my name is Lin Yan, and my brother's name is He Zhengxi."

"Okay, then I won't go around in circles with you." Gao Liming said, "Don't be nervous, just chat and don't care too much about the rules."

Lin Yan smiled and motioned him to start.

Gao Liming felt that the young man in front of him was too calm, he didn't even have a surprised expression, which made him a little passive.

"Cough" Gao Liming cleared his throat, "In the past six months, is there anything unusual about Xu Jialin? What do you usually do at home?"

"No, he drives a truck and is very tired. He just sleeps when he comes back, and sometimes he takes us out for dinner."

"What hobbies does he have?"

"Aside from smoking and drinking, I have no other hobbies."

"Has anyone ever been in the house?"

"If you count."

"... What kind of job did he have before driving a truck?"

"Squat at home and dawdle."

"How do you feel about your life?"

"Poor, you have to plan in advance to eat meat."

"In your impression, or when you were young, did Xu Jialin come into contact with...drugs?"

Lin Yan smiled: "Brother policeman, you asked so directly, does this really conform to the process? We are just children, and we don't even know what drugs look like. My brother probably doesn't even know what drugs are. "

Gao Liming closed his notebook, feeling a bit of a headache, "Boy, don't play tricks, your Uncle Xu won't be coming back for a while, every word you two say may have an impact on him, good or bad."

"If he really did something wrong and was punished, detained and sentenced, he deserved it. We didn't try to play tricks, because we really don't know much about him." Lin Yan grabbed his pants and raised his face , there were ups and downs in his expression, "Brothers, I'm sure he doesn't take drugs. Since you guys talked about drugs, I want to ask boldly, is he...is he involved in drug trafficking? Poisoned? I know that there are regulations that you can’t casually share the details of the case with outsiders, so you don’t need to answer. However, I hope you can reveal a little bit, whether he can still survive..."

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his voice was trembling, but he didn't cry, and he still tried his best to maintain his composure.

Lin Yan had already done psychological construction in advance, but he was just lucky. Now that the luck is gone, he feels empty.He Zhengxi was at a loss as he was listening, not knowing what to do.

Gao Liming and Guo Fei looked at each other indiscriminately, thinking that this child is a big deal, and it can be guessed very closely...

"It's not clear at the moment. It will take some time to find out." Gao Liming said, "He is very cooperative. Don't worry too much. No matter how fast the speed is, you have to wait patiently for a few months until the result is determined."

Lin Yan laughed dryly and took a sip of water, "Don't worry, as long as he can live." From the expressions of Gao Liming and Guo Fei, he probably knew that his prediction was correct.

And He Zhengxi was still shocked, it was too scary that Xu Jialin could be involved with drugs, and even go to jail.

Gao Liming didn't ask any other questions, he just told the two brothers not to travel far away for the time being, and they may need to cooperate with the investigation in the future. He also said some comforting words, nothing more than what to do, and it will not affect school and college entrance examinations. of.No matter what he said, Lin Yan smiled and nodded in response.

"Vegetable field, did you grow it yourself?" Before leaving, Guo Fei asked suddenly.

"Well, we plant it every year to save money." Lin Yan replied.

Guo Fei: "Excellent."

The two policemen stayed in the old ancestral hall for about an hour, and by the time they left, it was completely dark.Lin Yan sent them to the door and waved goodbye to them. He didn't turn around until the car drove out of Linshui Street, closed the door tightly again, and walked back.

Gao Liming looked at the figure that disappeared in the rearview mirror, and sighed slowly.

"A 15-year-old kid with this mental quality should really come to our team 10 years later."

Guo Fei nodded: "Their family looks poor enough. I don't know what to do with the money that Xu Jialin got."

Gao Liming shook his head: "He was cheated, and he probably didn't make much money at all, but good luck tricked people, and he couldn't do anything about it. Those two children are really pitiful. They were adopted in the first place. Now it’s helpless again.”

"Yeah... who wouldn't say it." Guo Fei exhaled, feeling very complicated.

There is a lively neon world separated by two rows of tube buildings, but how many people outside know that in the depths of that dilapidated alley, there is an old ancestral hall where two lonely children live.

As soon as he entered the small courtyard, he felt uncomfortable.The room was tidy and the small vegetable garden was quite lively. Such a good boy should not have encountered such a thing.When Lu Chi asked him to take care of him, Guo Fei didn't worry about it. Looking at it now, it is indeed necessary.

After sending the police away, Lin Yan took out the lunch box from his schoolbag, put it on the table, and greeted He Zhengxi for dinner.After shouting twice, the child didn't agree, Lin Yan patted his forehead and thought, it's over, his brother must have been hit.

"What's the matter, it's not that you're going to jail, with such a long face, it looks like I owe you money." Lin Yan walked over, dragged He Zhengxi, who had shrunk into a mushroom, to the table, and stuffed a pair of bamboo chopsticks into his hands , "The buns made by Li Si are really delicious, eat two more."

He Zhengxi said depressedly: "I don't eat, I'm not in the mood."

Lin Yan snorted: "Forget it, get me a plate of vinegar." He Zhengxi obediently stood up to pour the vinegar, exuding a small aura of displeasure.

"Don't worry too much about this matter. How many days did you say we stayed with old man Xu?" Lin Yan poked the bun, put it in his mouth full of vinegar, squinted his eyes contentedly, and his mouth was bulging, "He is at home , is there any difference from not being at home?"

The answer is obvious, but you are changing the concept secretly.

He Zhengxi couldn't understand Lin Yan at this moment, how would a normal person react?What should ordinary children do when they know that their family members are selling drugs?he does not know.But people like Lin Yan definitely cannot be classified as normal.From returning home in the evening to now, there are only three words in his mind-"I don't know" or "What should I do", which are messed up into a ball of wool and cannot be pulled apart.He snorted twice, dragged the stool to Lin Yan, and began to rub his brother's arm habitually.

"I just didn't expect Uncle Xu to do such a thing."

If Xu Jialin was going to spend the rest of his life in prison, would he still be able to live with Lin Yan in the future?This was what He Zhengxi was most concerned about.

Lin Yan put down his chopsticks, pinched He Zhengxi's ears, and said, "He may live more comfortably when he goes in than outside. Can't you see, he doesn't like to drive long distances at all. Life matters, You don't have to worry, I have savings in my card, we can still apply for relief money at worst, anyway, you won't starve and freeze, don't worry."

"Then no matter what happens in the future, we can't be separated." He Zhengxi stared at Lin Yan and said.

Lin Yan picked up the bamboo chopsticks, noncommittal, "Let's take one step at a time, your brother knows it well, and won't let you get lost."

"I don't need anything..." He Zhengxi whispered.

"Huh? What?"

"It's nothing, I'm hungry, I eat buns."

After dinner, Lin Yan called Lu Chi. He said it didn't matter, but he was more anxious than anyone else. He had to find someone who understood.

Lu Chi's family is relatively close to Xu Jialin, and the case is related. There are not many places where he can get involved, and he needs to avoid it, and what can be said is quite limited.All I know is that Xu Jialin didn't use the car in Shen Han's father's company to commit an accident, and even submitted a letter of resignation before the accident, and cooperated with the police throughout the whole process after surrendering himself. Lu Chi didn't bother to inquire about other details.

Lin Yan is very content, he doesn't expect to know too much, at least from the feedback of several people, Xu Jialin's attitude is indeed good, and he didn't cause too much trouble for Shen Han's father, that's enough.

Before hanging up the phone, Lu Chi said he wanted to come over, but was rejected by Lin Yan, and he could not meet people outside for the time being.Lin Yan's heart was teetering on the edge of the cliff at this moment, and he couldn't bear any face-to-face comfort.

He turned around and started counting the family's savings. The money that Xu Jialin gave Lin Yan every year has not been touched, and it will be saved. Now it has been transferred to his account, with 10,000+.Lin Yan already figured out where the money came from when he was in junior high school, but it was not dirty, and it had nothing to do with drug trafficking.Xu Jialin goes out with people every summer vacation to do side-by-side business, and sometimes helps out as a short-term bodyguard, following the big boss or the boss.

Xu Jialin's skills are so good that he can serve as a bodyguard for others, and he has deceived Lin Yan. He has always thought that the old man Xu is a weak chicken who only knows how to eat and drink, and only knows how to put on airs. Looking up, he didn't even know that the lazy man beside him had a comprehensive quality that was not inferior to most people.

Then still pretending to be cowardly in front of the Lu family father and son?Looking back on the past, Lin Yan found it quite funny.

In any case, this money should be put to good use.

At the age of 16, Lin Yan can do more jobs, and he doesn't worry about having no money to eat.I still have to go to school, and I have to work harder to earn more scholarships and minimize the consumption of savings.Now he only hoped that Xu Jia would stop playing too much, otherwise the money would be nothing but the fine. If he borrowed the money, the family would not be able to find anything to mortgage it.

However, since the matter has already happened, it is useless for him to worry here, he still has to look forward...

Lin Yan leaned on the back of the chair, stroking He Zhengxi's small cropped hair with his hand, the heart that had been stuck in his throat, finally forced himself to comfort himself, and fell a few inches down.