Chapter 27
That evening, Lin Xiu took Chi Abei home. He’d promised to tutor him, but the little fool went back on his word, saying he didn’t want to study.
Chi Abei: “Brother, I’m tired. Can we study tomorrow?”
Chi Abei’s ulterior motive wasn’t clear to Lin Xiu. He knew Lin Xiu was tutoring him to complete a task. What if Lin Xiu sent him back to school after today’s session?
Chi Abei thought, one day at a time. No studying today meant a win.
Lin Xiu hadn’t thought that much; he just assumed Chi Abei was tired from running around all day. “I’ll send you back to school tomorrow. Stop following me everywhere.”
Chi Abei was startled. “No! You promised to tutor me!”
Lin Xiu had promised, but…
Chi Abei slumped. “I’m not tired. Tutor me now. I won’t be lazy.”
Lin Xiu watched him for a moment. “Fine, follow me if you want.”
The next day, Chi Abei slept in, had breakfast, and Lin Xiu took him to the nursing home to see his grandmother.
The old lady had enjoyed her last conversation with Chi Abei. Seeing him again, she smiled from ear to ear.
Lin Xiu: “I’ll pick you up next weekend to stay at home for two days.”
The old lady missed home but was worried about causing trouble for Lin Xiu; even she found herself a burden. She asked, “Has your uncle been back recently?”
Lin Xiu put a peeled orange segment in the old lady’s mouth. “No.”
Chi Abei secretly glanced at Lin Xiu, not daring to speak.
Seeing the old lady sigh, she didn’t say anything else.
They left after lunch with his grandmother. While waiting for the bus, Chi Abei asked, “Brother, your uncle…”
Lin Xiu’s face was expressionless. “He’s out.”
As Lin Weimin’s family, Lin Xiu received calls from the police station both when he was arrested and released. Lin Xiu hadn’t cared when he was arrested, and now that he was out, he was helpless.
Chi Abei guessed Lin Weimin didn’t have much money. Even if he was reported and arrested, for that level of gambling, three or five days would be enough.
However, Chi Abei was worried. Lin Weimin was a major factor in Lin Xiu’s grandmother’s death, and the grandmother’s death was the reason Lin Xiu didn’t take the college entrance exam. If things followed the novel’s plot, Lin Xiu’s fate would be just as tragic.
It would be good if Lin Weimin didn’t reappear before Lin Xiu’s college entrance exam.
Chi Abei couldn’t think of a solution. He looked at Lin Xiu, noticing his grim expression. He asked, “Brother, are we going to the milk tea shop?”
Lin Xiu “Mmmed” after a while.
Chi Abei thought they were going to work, but at the shop, he heard Lin Xiu telling Xu Kerui he was quitting.
It was sudden. Xu Kerui: “Quitting?”
Lin Xiu: “Yes.”
Xu Kerui was unprepared. “Why?”
Lin Xiu said, “I’m in my second year of high school. I need to focus on studying.”
Xu Kerui looked at him suspiciously. “Don’t lie to me. It’s not your first day of second year. Did you win the lottery?”
Lin Xiu didn’t have that luck. He said, “No lottery, but I have a sponsor.”
Xu Kerui misunderstood “sponsor.” “You, no, you didn’t…”
Lin Xiu pointed to Chi Abei, who looked bewildered by the sudden resignation. “Don’t overthink it. The sponsor is here.”
Xu Kerui looked at Chi Abei in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Lin Xiu briefly explained that Chi Abei’s brother was paying him to take care of him. Xu Kerui looked at Chi Abei again. “Little money-making machine’s family is so rich?”
Lin Xiu: “Yes, a real little young master.”
Xu Kerui was a little regretful. “I thought he was like you. I wanted to trick him into coming every week to be my lucky charm.”
Lin Xiu knew what she was thinking. “I told you to give it up.”
…
Lin Xiu’s decision to quit was spontaneous. Seeing his grandmother today, Lin Xiu found her condition wasn’t good. In his previous life, he hadn’t spent much time with his grandmother, focusing on work. This time, he wanted more time, both to accompany her and to do other things.
Leaving the milk tea shop, Lin Xiu took Chi Abei to buy exercise books. They didn’t talk much on the way back.
Chi Abei’s usually chatty mouth was unusually quiet, making Lin Xiu feel uncomfortable.
The bus was bumpy. Sunlight fell on the pensive boy’s face. Lin Xiu looked at him and said, “I quit not because of you.”
“Ah?” Chi Abei looked up. “I know.”
Lin Xiu: “Know what?”
Chi Abei stammered.
He couldn’t say he knew everything.
Chi Abei said, “You don’t need the money anymore, so you don’t need to work.”
That was true, but Lin Xiu felt his “I know” meant more than that.
Lin Xiu didn’t press further, and Chi Abei didn’t say more.
Back at Lin Xiu’s house, Lin Xiu offered to tutor him, and Chi Abei didn’t refuse.
Lin Xiu thought tutoring Chi Abei would be troublesome, but he soon understood why even Jiang Yu, so impatient, was willing to explain problems to the little fool.
“Brother, you write the test papers. I’ll ask if I have any questions.” Chi Abei was distracted today. Although he liked listening to Lin Xiu explain, his mind wasn’t on it, and he didn’t want to waste Lin Xiu’s time.
Lin Xiu looked at him, said nothing, and sat down to write the test papers.
He wrote and watched Chi Abei. He tapped his pen on the exercise book. “This is wrong.”
Chi Abei looked at the question; it was indeed wrong. He “oh”-ed, but didn’t write the correct answer for a long time.
Lin Xiu: “Should I explain it to you?”
Chi Abei shook his head. “I’m a little tired. I want to rest.”
Chi Abei went for a walk in the yard. After a while, he stood by the window and knocked on the glass.
Lin Xiu looked over and saw him pointing to a corner of the yard. “Brother, you’re lying. There’s a barbecue grill. We can have a barbecue in the yard.”
There was a grill; what was the problem? Even without one, they could borrow one from a neighbor. Lin Xiu just wasn’t interested.
Seeing the previously listless boy so interested in a barbecue, Lin Xiu got up and opened the window. “Want a barbecue? No more studying?”
Chi Abei didn’t actually want a barbecue; he just didn’t want to leave and needed an excuse to stay. It was already past four; if he didn’t find an excuse, he’d be sent back to school.
He looked at Lin Xiu ingratiatingly. “Can we, Brother?”
Lin Xiu neither agreed nor disagreed. He took his phone and house keys and went outside. Chi Abei followed him to the door, and Lin Xiu suddenly closed and locked the gate, leaving Chi Abei in the yard.
Chi Abei: “?”
The gate was an iron fence. Lin Xiu put a padlock on it and handed the key to Chi Abei. “I’m going to buy things. Wait for me here.”
Chi Abei clung to the fence. “Brother, I want to go with you.”
Lin Xiu: “Either wait at home or eat instant noodles. Choose.”
Chi Abei “…” The options were too extreme.
Chi Abei obediently stepped back. “Then I’ll wait for you at home.”
Lin Xiu nodded in satisfaction. “Don’t open the door to strangers.”
Chi Abei felt Lin Xiu still treated him like a fool; why lock the door and give such instructions?
He nodded. “I know.”
After Lin Xiu left, Chi Abei moved two chairs outside and sat, looking up at the sky. Just as his eyes got tired, a loud banging came: “Damn it, little brat, you’re not home again!”
Chi Abei tilted his head towards the gate…
Lin Weimin stood outside cursing, “I don’t know where he went—” He paused, then saw a head peeking out from the yard. He recognized him instantly. “It’s you again?”
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