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Third Period (2)
T/N: Translated by Jen on Broken Jinsei! Please do not repost my translations! All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
He casually swung his backpack over his shoulder and then went over to take Jiang Huihui’s backpack, carrying it for her, “Where are you going now?”
She wanted to take back her backpack, but he was too tall. By just slightly lifting his arm, she was unable to even reach it.
She could only temporarily give up.
“Going home.”
“Going home to eat?”
After pausing for a few seconds, Jiang Huihui slowly nodded her head.
This time, Zhou Yanli was certain, on this bit, he was completely not like his mom. Whenever he lied, no one could tell.
“Let’s go.”
Jiang Huihui went over to retrieve her bag, “Go where?”
Zhou Yanli didn’t even turn his head, “Go eat, of course, where else can we go? Since your dinner got eaten by me, I can’t just let you go hungry because of me.”
There were many restaurants near the school. He entered a noodle shop that seemed relatively clean.
He has never eaten at this kind of roadside stall before.
He’d heard his dad mention once that his mom liked to eat noodles and would add a lot of vinegar. One time, halfway through eating, he saw that her complexion wasn’t right, but no matter how he asked, she refused to say anything. He even thought that she’d bitten her tongue and pinched open her mouth to check, but there wasn’t anything wrong.
Afterwards, he learned that she’d accidentally mistook the soy sauce for black vinegar.
At the time, when Zhou Yanli heard, he had laughed for a long time, asking his dad, “Why didn’t mom say anything and even kept eating?”
His dad’s expression grew a lot heavier, his eyes also gradually dimming, “I only found out afterwards that, that day was her birthday. She said it was the first time someone took her to eat noodles on her birthday. In their family, only children that are loved get to eat longevity noodles[1].”
Zhou Yanli had never seen that kind of look on his dad’s face before.
TN: All translations outside of Broken Jinsei are stolen and reposted without permission!
The heartache for a beloved, turns out, in the ten plus years after their passing, can still continue to ferment.
Zhou Yanli was unable to understand his father’s feelings at the time.
But now, he seemingly understood a little.
When that bowl of noodles was brought before her, Jiang Huihui looked to him in disbelief, “You want to treat me to noodles?”
Zhou Yanli pulled out the chopsticks, wiping a pair clean before handing them to her, “Right, eat however much you want, this young mas…..I’m paying.”
She was unable to hide her happiness. That pair of beautiful eyes curved with smiles, but she also began to question, “But you said this morning that you didn’t have any money.”
Zhou Yanli unconcernedly said, “I sold some things, so now have a bit of money on hand.”
She curiously asked, “What things?”
“Coat.”
A coat that was worth several thousand just sold for a few hundred.
F#ck.
Jiang Huihui only just realized that she indeed didn’t see him wearing that very expensive-looking coat of his again.
Zhou Yanli’s bowl also got brought over. He’d ordered beef noodles. He used the chopsticks to have all the beef put into her bowl.
Jiang Huihui wanted to refuse, but he said, “I don’t eat beef.”
Only then did Jiang Huihui stop blocking him.
Zhou Yanli was even feeling quite smug inside. See, this is what’s called lying, absolutely seamless.
Looks like, in this aspect, he had inherited from that black-hearted businessman father of his.
It seemingly had reached the mealtime. The people in the restaurant gradually increased.
Four men sat at the table next to them. Judging from their appearance, they should be a few years older than them, most likely in their early twenties.
One had a red afro, one had a gray tin foil perm, while the remaining two were both bald.
As soon as they entered, they just started loudly talking and laughing as if no one was around.
The people in the surrounding seemingly were all very scared of them, staying far away.
Jiang Huihui had her head buried even lower, nearly about to sink into the bowl.
Zhou Yanli used his hand to hold her forehead, “Are you planning on using your head to eat noodles?”
Jiang Huihui returned to her senses, but didn’t say anything.
The chatter from that group next to them seemingly was getting even louder, going from boasting to talking about women.
“A while ago, didn’t Ah Wu fall in love at first sight with a schoolgirl at the internet cafe?”
“That girl went to look for her younger brother who’d sneaked out to play on the internet.”
“Who cares who she came to look for, even deliberately wearing her school uniform. That skirt even showed legs, both pure and slutty, no wonder Ah Wu likes.”
“Already a whore yet acting all pure. Chased her for that long, but she still didn’t agree. If you ask me, just find a time and directly do it, see whether she agrees or not.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
That laughter clearly carried malice and mockery, making others feel particularly uncomfortable.
Zhou Yanli just frowned, feeling that these people had no morals and no bottom line.
No matter how rebellious he was, he at most just got into fights.
He was just about to say something to Jiang Huihui when he discovered that her complexion was deathly pale, her hand holding the chopsticks also shaking, clearly frightened.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Yanli also panicked, hurriedly asking her what was wrong, but she wouldn’t say.
The people at that neighboring table were speaking too loudly, completely drowning their side out.
“I remember that girl was also from this school, what was she called again?”
“Her name was even quite unique, what was it…..Jiang Huihui, I think?”
“That schoolgirl was very slutty.”
Zhou Yanli’s hand that was stroking Jiang Huihui’s head to comfort her suddenly froze. He paused for at least five seconds. Afterwards, he put down the chopsticks, and while getting up, he grabbed a chair, walking over and directly smashing it against that person’s head.
The chair got shattered, the wood shards flying everywhere.
Aside from that person’s painful cries, the people in the surrounding also got startled by this move of his, breaking out in screams.
Seeing someone picking a fight, those friends of his naturally couldn’t just sit by and ignore, successively rolling up their sleeves, pointing at his nose, and asking, “Are you f@#%ing looking to die?”
Zhou Yanli was also too lazy to waste his breath with them, directly punching the other party in the face, having his nose bridge shattered. The sound of the bone cracking was clear and resounding.
He grabbed him by the hair and had him smashed against the table. Afterwards, he dragged him up and rammed him against the wall, leaving a pool of blood each time.
“What the f@#&ing hell did you say just now? Say it one more time?”
He was gripping the other party by the neck with one hand, having him ruthlessly pressed against the wall. The corner of his eyes were red, fierce and dangerous like a wild beast hunting in the jungle, making one fear.
These words were entirely squeezed out between gritted teeth.
That person didn’t dare to keep quiet.
“Are you…..looking to die.”
Although repeating his original words, the tone clearly had become weak and uncertain. In fact, because of immense fear, he was even endlessly trembling.
Zhou Yanli ruthlessly landed another punch on his broken nose, “I wasn’t talking about this line!”
That person was wailing from the pain, sobbingly opening his mouth, “I said……that schoolgirl was very……slutty.”
Zhou Yanli’s face contorted in anger, directly kicking him in the stomach, “You even f#$%ing dare to say it again! Still daring to say! F$@# your mom!”
This kick had the person directly sent flying.
Jiang Huihui had long gotten frightened to the point of freezing in place.
These people, she knew, frequently blocking her on her way home from school, saying some very disgusting things.
She had no other way and could only take a longer route, walking an extra half hour everyday.
Even those girls that gave her trouble this morning also only showed up because of them.
Jiang Huihui was a well-behaved, rule-abiding good student, where has she ever seen this kind of scene before.
The Zhou Yanli right now, she truly was……scared of him.
But no one in the surrounding dare go stop the fight, fearing that they would get dragged in.
But she can’t let him continue fighting. If they continue like this…….someone will die.
Jiang Huihui could only tremblingly go forward, carefully reaching out to go pull Zhou Yanli’s arm.
That heavy punch that had yet to fly out stopped because of that little hand on his arm.
He lowered his head, directly meeting with a pair of teary eyes that were clearly full of timidness and fear, yet she still firmly held on to him.
“Zhou Yanli, please stop fighting, you’ll get expelled.”
After saying that last word, the tears she’d been holding back for a long time softly trickled down.
The boy who still had a face full of violent rage just now instantly panicked, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
He’d seen many girls cry before him, crying after getting rejected by him when handing him a love letter, getting frightened into tears when disturbing his sleep and getting glared at by him, as well as those that just cry upon seeing him.
The way he chose to deal with those people was to entirely ignore, too lazy to bother, letting them cry however they want. Even if they cry to death, it would all have nothing to do with him.
But now…..
He bent down to her level to meet her eyes. However, he didn’t have any experience with coaxing a girl before.
“Don’t…..don’t cry.”
He stammered, not knowing what to do.
His hand was covered in blood from that person he was beating just now, and also some of his own.
Having been punching that hard, it will inevitably leave some wounds.
Fearing that he will dirty her face, he had the blood on his hand randomly wiped on himself, but he was truly unable to wipe it clean, so could only pull down his sleeve, and after covering his hands, he finally went to wipe her tears for her.
He carefully cupped her face, wiping her tears as he softly coaxed, “I won’t fight anymore, won’t fight anymore. I’ll listen to you, listen to you on everything.”
[1] Longevity noodles – Noodles eaten on one’s birthday. Traditionally, the type of noodle that’s used is a long uncut single noodle, but nowadays any kind of noodle can be used. It has the meaning of wishing the person to live a long life.
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