I walked up and asked the waiter for a glass of brandy, neat.
Seeing it was me, the waiter was about to greet me, but I put my finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet.
Holding my glass, I patted the man next to me, who was talking excitedly, "Brother, you're so impressive, mind taking on a little brother?"
The big bald guy impatiently waved me away, not even turning his head. "Who are you? Go away, stop bothering me."
I patted him again, a little harder this time. Enraged, he jumped down from the bar stool and yelled at me, "Are you looking to die?"
I smiled and said, "Yes, I am. What are you going to do about it?"
He suddenly froze, his ferocious expression softening. He stammered, "You... you... are you... Li Hua?"
"Seems like you, Big Baldy, haven't forgotten about a nobody like me. What, you've stopped studying and started hitting the streets?"
The big bald guy awkwardly scratched his head and said, "Brother, I'm having a bit of a tough time. I heard Sister Zhou is working with you, and I wanted to ask her to put in a good word for me, to get a bite to eat with you. I was just asking this young man where Sister Zhou was, and I ran into you yourself." Da Feng Novel Network.
"When did Big Baldy learn to be so polite? And 'yourself'? Don't forget, you beat me black and blue back then, even made me drop out of school and nearly end up on the streets."
The big bald guy sheepishly scratched his head, not daring to look at me, and said in a low voice, "I was blind and didn't recognize your true worth. I offended you, and I hope you'll be magnanimous and overlook my transgressions, for the sake of our past friendship. Give this brother a chance to earn a living, and I promise to give it my all and do a stellar job."
"How about this: you'll have to ask Zhou Yingying about this. If she agrees, I have no problem. You go back and wait for word."
Truthfully, I still resented Big Baldy. But I was no longer the impulsive youth consumed by revenge from two years ago. I wouldn't resort to violence with him anymore. It wasn't that my inner hatred had disappeared, but that the current Big Baldy wasn't worth it. How could I argue about victory or defeat with someone so far beneath my level?
I handed this problem to the "demoness" to solve.
After speaking, I tilted my head back and finished my drink. I placed the glass on the bar counter and told the waiter, "Put their drinks on my tab." Then I left the hall without looking back.
Wen Siqiang had already driven the car to the entrance of the hall. I got in and told him to head to the hotel to find Zhou Yingying first.
On the way, Wen Siqiang called Zhou Yingying and asked her to wait for us in the lobby.
I asked Ah Bei if there had been any changes today. Wen Siqiang said he was still the same, his consciousness hadn't returned. The doctor said even if they saved his life, the chances of him waking up were slim. Once the authoritative institutions issued the brain death鉴定, the hospital would ask us to decide whether to continue life support.
If a patient with brain death doesn't have spontaneous breathing, the hospital will suggest the family give up. After all, valuable medical resources shouldn't be occupied to maintain someone without vital signs, which is unreasonable.
I told Wen Siqiang that if the hospital's brain death鉴定 results came out, perhaps we should give up. We had done our best in this matter.
Wen Siqiang nodded and said nothing more.
No matter the time, discussing death is always a heavy topic.
The car stopped at the hotel entrance. I got out and saw Zhou Yingying waiting for me.
I hadn't mentioned Big Baldy on the phone, so she didn't know why I was looking for her so suddenly.
I said, "I just saw Big Baldy. He wants to work at Da Shijie. If you think it's okay, find someone to guide him."
"Hua Zi, you know what kind of person Big Baldy is, why would you take him in?"
"What kind of person he is isn't really that important. After all, he came to us and was quite sincere. However, it's not appropriate for me to say this. You can inform him tomorrow to go see the front desk manager and arrange an entry-level position with a probationary period. If he proves himself as he claims, he'll be officially hired."
"Okay, I understand. I'll tell him tomorrow."
"What about you? Any plans? Want to come back to work at Da Shijie?"
"I'll pass. After all I've been through, I don't want to go back to my old life. I've saved some money over the years and plan to find a suitable farmhouse in Tengchong to open a guesthouse. It doesn't matter if I have guests or not; I just want some peace and quiet."
"That's a good idea. It almost makes me want to do the same. Tengchong has many attractions; it might even become popular. You might not be able to have your peace and quiet after all."
"Whether it becomes popular or not, the main thing is I'm tired. I don't want to wander around anymore."
Seeing that it was getting very late, I chatted for a bit and then quickly asked Wen Siqiang to take me home.
Arriving at my doorstep, I checked the time on my phone. It was almost one o'clock. I didn't dare to knock and instead took out my key to open the door.
To my surprise, the living room light was on. My father was sitting on the sofa behind the coffee table, drinking tea.
Ever since Nana came home to live, my father had never smoked in the house, not even in the bathroom. Sometimes, when he couldn't hold it in, he would go to the external stairwell to smoke a cigarette, and he wouldn't return until the smell had completely dissipated.
My mother and Nana must have been asleep. If my father wasn't asleep at this hour, was he waiting for me specifically?
Although I said I would stay at home this time, apart from that one time we met, I hadn't been home. Even today, I had to push aside all my commitments to come back.
I hadn't informed them in advance, though. If he was indeed waiting for me, he might have been waiting for several nights.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?"
My father looked up, glanced at me, and said, "You're back? Come sit for a bit, we have a few things to talk about."
It seemed he was indeed waiting for me.
Ever since my father got into trouble, and then I dropped out of school, my father and I hadn't had a proper conversation. A formal talk like this, like he was suggesting now, had never happened before.
Feeling a bit nervous, I walked to the sofa next to my father. He gestured for me to sit down.
"Hua Zi," he began.
"You've been out in the world for over two years now, haven't you?"
I nodded, not interrupting him.
"For these past two years, your father has watched you go through one bloody storm after another, living on the edge of a knife. I saw it all and my heart ached, but at the time, I couldn't even protect myself, let alone guide or educate you to choose a path that suited you. For that, I often feel guilty and uneasy. Especially now, when you're about to become a father yourself. The burdens of family, the responsibilities of a husband and father, do not allow you to continue to fight recklessly as you did before. You must consider everything you do from now on, so that Nana, the baby, your mother, and I don't have to worry about you anymore, or lie awake at night fearing for your life. Have you thought about these things?"
I can guarantee that this was the longest speech my father had ever given me in my life.
I nodded and said, "Even if you didn't say it, I've already made up my mind. From now on, I won't get involved in Jianghu affairs. Even if I encounter them, I won't resort to extreme measures to resolve them. I will calmly build and operate the park in the suburbs, live a quiet life, give Nana and the baby a stable home, and provide you and Mom with a happy old age."
"I'm relieved to hear you think this way. Alright, go see Nana quickly. She kept mentioning you at dinner, wondering if you'd be back tonight. Before, when you were away, she knew it was useless to want you home. Now that you're back, you need to spend more time with her. Women at this time need a man's companionship, do you understand? No matter how busy you are, come back and spend more time at home."
I nodded, got up, and went to our bedroom. I gently pushed open the door.
Nana was lying on her side on the bed, covered by a light blanket. The dim light from the bedside lamp cast a faint smile on her sleeping face.
I didn't dare to disturb her. I quietly went to the bathroom, freshened up, and lay down beside her.
My father's earnest words still echoed in my ears. He told me to stay away from fighting and killing. In truth, it was always the fighting and killing that found me; I was merely reacting. Even if I wanted to distance myself from Jianghu today, is it possible to truly leave it behind when it's right beside you?
I'll try my best. I'll try my best to give Nana, the baby, and my parents a stable home, a safe harbor.