Chapter 2: Next Time I’ll Kill You
On the edge of the Walled City, Dong Tou Village Road is densely packed with dentistry clinics. One street has nearly 200 dentistry clinics, plus dozens of clinics and pharmacies, as well as several restaurants.
The sign for Chen Hanliang’s dentistry clinic is squeezed among the rows of plaques.
Few of the dentistry clinics and clinics here have business licenses; they are all barefoot doctors. The advantage is that they are cheap, only half or even one-third the price outside.
So many people from other places also come here for dental work or medical treatment.
The dentistry clinic is on the second floor, occupying 31 square meters. The only advantage is that it’s their own shop, so no rent is needed.
Not only is no rent needed, but even the water and electricity fee is free.
The water supply in the Walled City relies entirely on one street hydrant, connected by a pipe from outside the Walled City, extending all the way to the center of the Walled City. Everyone has to line up there to fetch water.
As for electricity, it is available throughout the entire Walled City via privately tapped lines, and no one pays the electricity bill.
Chen Wujun glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already 5 p.m.
In the whole day, there were only three guests: one for tooth extraction, and two regular customers for dental repairs.
“I’m going out for a stroll!” Chen Wujun stood up and said.
“Come home early! Stay away from those good-for-nothings!” Chen Hanliang cautioned.
In a place like the Walled City, full of all sorts of people, there are naturally many good-for-nothings. Chen Wuhong got mixed up with them and developed a gambling addiction.
“Got it!” Chen Wujun waved his hand.
Chen Hanliang was still satisfied with this second son. Although he wasn’t good at studies, he was much less trouble than the eldest son.
However, his favorite was still the youngest son. For one thing, the youngest is always more favored; for another, the youngest son was much better at studies and might be able to leave the Walled City to make a living in the future.
You have to know that people in the Walled City do the most menial jobs and can only earn 1500 a month.
Whereas outside, a white-collar worker can earn 4000 a month.
……
Chen Wujun left the dentistry clinic and entered the Walled City directly, walking along unfamiliar roads while memorizing the routes.
The roads in the Walled City are like a maze.
He was looking for ways to make money and, at the same time, memorizing the roads in the originally unfamiliar areas.
He hadn’t thought about these things before, but now that he wasn’t planning to go to high school, he would have to make a living in the Walled City in the future, so he felt he needed to memorize the routes.
“Kid, don’t run!” Shouting suddenly came from ahead. A young man in a floral shirt was fleeing desperately, chased by several people behind.
Chen Wujun immediately pressed against the wall to one side, watching with interest as the group ran past, then regretfully watching them disappear into the alley.
Otherwise, he could have watched the excitement.
In such a no man’s land like the Walled City, full of all sorts of people, it naturally has ties to gangs.
The main road in the Walled City is called Long Jin Road, which runs from east to west, dividing the Walled City into north and south parts. The two largest gangs in the Walled City, He Tu and Li Dong, use Long Jin Road as the boundary, occupying the north and south respectively.
Among them, He Tu is the oldest gang in the Walled City. Since the Walled City existed, He Tu has been there. The big boss is called Lin Jianxin, who also has the identity of owner of He Tu Martial Arts School.
He Tu’s style is relatively old-school, mainly involved in some grey industry, with few people, only a few hundred, almost all from the martial arts school.
Li Dong emerged in the past decade or so, with rapid development momentum, many people, many good-for-nothings, and ruthless methods.
Li Dong also has a martial arts school called Dong Sheng Martial Arts School.
These two martial arts schools are the only two New Technique Martial Arts Schools in the Walled City and also the talent cultivation bases for the two gangs.
Besides these two gangs, there are seven or eight small gangs, mostly outposts of gangs from outside the Walled City. They act low-key and rarely conflict with the two major gangs.
……
Chen Wujun helped at the dentistry clinic during the day and wandered around the Walled City at night. He didn’t find any ways to make money, which made him increasingly unhappy.
Three days later, when he got home in the evening, he saw Chen Wuhong sitting dejectedly on a stool next to the sofa, with a bandage wrapped around his head.
Seeing him like that, Chen Wujun knew he had lost again.
As soon as he saw Chen Wujun come in, Chen Wuhong jumped up from the sofa and angrily pointed at Chen Wujun: “Dad, the second son pushed me down the stairs! He was trying to kill me!”
“I know I’m useless, but I’m still his big brother! I’m still part of this family!”
“If you don’t want me as a son, I just won’t come back from now on!”
Chen Hanliang glanced at Chen Wujun, then frowned at the eldest son.
That day, Chen Wujun had mentioned the eldest son falling down the stairs, but his account was completely different from the eldest son’s, so he instinctively suspected the eldest son.
After all, no one in the family believed this gambler anymore.
Chen Wujun narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint flashing in them, then spoke with some annoyance: “Lost gambling again? The injury on your head was from someone beating you, and you want to find a scapegoat?”
“How much did you owe this time? Coming back for money again?”
“Dad, this guy… this guy really tried to kill me. He pushed me, the injury on my head is from him pushing me down, and he stepped on my ankle to threaten me. I’ve been limping these past few days…” Chen Wuhong grew even angrier, also embarrassed at having his thoughts exposed.
“Enough!” Chen Hanliang slapped the sofa armrest, looking at Chen Wuhong with disappointment and exhaustion.
“Look at yourself now—what do you even look like? Still human? Even framing your own younger brother! How did I raise a thing like you!”
“I… Dad, believe me, he pushed me down!” This time, Chen Wuhong really felt wronged.
“Believe you? Believe what? Believe you won’t gamble or believe you’ll frame your younger brother? Is there a single truthful word in your mouth now? How am I supposed to believe you?” Chen Hanliang then gritted his teeth and said:
“You’re better off dead like this. I’ll just pretend I never had this son! Even if it wasn’t the second son who pushed you, if it was, you deserved it!”
Chen Wuhong stared dumbfounded at his father, then his face flushed red.
He angrily said: “Fine, fine! I knew you wanted to get rid of this burden! You can shut the door and live your lives. Whether I starve outside or get my hands and feet chopped off and die in the street, you don’t have to care!”
“Also, let me tell you, the second son is no good!” After saying that, Chen Wuhong strode out.
When he reached Chen Wujun, he glared at him angrily, then shoved him aside with his shoulder and stormed off.
But once out the door, he slowed his steps.
Those last two sentences of his were to make his parents soften and call him back.
……
In the room, mom Huang Meizhen wiped her tears while trying to chase after him.
“Don’t mind him! He gambles every day, comes home for money when he owes debts. Even if we had a mountain of gold and silver at home, it wouldn’t fill his bottomless pit! Let alone that we don’t.”
“Let him die outside!” Chen Hanliang clutched his chest, gasping heavily.
He was furious.
He didn’t know about other things, but seeing the eldest son like that, he knew the second son was definitely right—this guy had gambled again and owed money.
“I’ll go take a look! Talk to him!” Chen Wujun said as he turned to open the door.
“Second son, talk to your brother. We’re all family! Your dad was just speaking in anger!” Mom said while wiping her tears.
“Wait a moment!”
After Huang Meizhen said that, she went back into the bedroom. Moments later, she came out with some bills: “Give this money to him for food. In a couple of days, when your dad’s anger subsides, tell him to come back.”
Chen Wujun looked down; it was a total of 162 bucks.
“If he doesn’t quit gambling, don’t let him come back to this home!” Chen Hanliang said furiously from the sofa.
“I’ll give it to him!” Chen Wujun went out, closed the door, and pocketed the money.
Then he glanced to the side, where some neatly stacked cardboard boxes were piled not far away, with two wooden planks weighing them down.
Chen Wujun pulled out one wooden plank, weighed it in his hand, and slowly walked toward the stairs.
At this time, the eldest son had just gone downstairs not far, his face full of grievance and hesitation.
The grievance was that his parents didn’t believe him, and this time he was telling the truth—it really was the second son who pushed him down.
And his father had kicked him out.
After all this time, his mother still hadn’t come chasing him. Could it be they really didn’t care about him?
He was hesitant because if he couldn’t get money, the loan shark’s people wouldn’t let him go.
After descending the stairs to the ground-level alley, the eldest son’s feet wouldn’t move; he stood there, torn.
Going back now, he couldn’t swallow his pride.
But if not going back, where could he get money?
While he was torn, he heard footsteps. The eldest son instinctively looked over and saw a figure gradually emerging from the darkness of the stairs.
Then he felt some disappointment.
It wasn’t his mom, but the second son.
The next second, he saw the square wooden stick in the second son’s hand.
“Second son, what are you doing?” Chen Wuhong was immediately startled.
“Didn’t I tell you that day?” Chen Wujun grinned, revealing a mouth of white teeth, his face carrying a hint of ferocity.
Chen Wuhong was scared and turned to run.
Chen Wujun wasn’t in a hurry to chase. Instead, he looked to one side, where at a doorway one meter away, a skinny little girl was lying on a table doing homework and now looking up at him.
Chen Wujun put his finger to his lips, making a hush gesture.
He knew this family: the man was also a gambler, the woman named Hua Jie was a prostitute who took guests at home every day.
The girl was called Shufen, in first grade of primary school. While her mom took guests inside, she did homework outside.
Seeing the girl also put her finger to her lips, signaling she wouldn’t say anything, he then chased after Chen Wuhong.
Just right to get farther from home, so the sounds of him getting beaten wouldn’t be heard inside.
Chen Wuhong had long been hollowed out by eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, so he couldn’t run fast. Just as he turned into an alley, Chen Wujun caught up and swung the stick at his head.
Chen Wujun didn’t hold back at all. Anyway, this gambler living or dying didn’t matter.
Chen Wuhong was knocked down by one swing of the stick, fell to the ground dizzy and disoriented, clutching his head and shouting: “Second son, are you trying to kill me?”
Chen Wujun smashed the stick onto his arm.
Chen Wuhong immediately screamed: “My arm is broken, broken!”
“Broken is right. I said if you owe money and come home for it again, you won’t have to wait for the loan sharks to chop off your hands and feet.” Chen Wujun sneered, then fiercely swung the stick at Chen Wuhong’s calf.
Chen Wuhong immediately let out a scream that didn’t even sound human.
Chen Wujun casually tossed the stick aside, then dragged Chen Wuhong by his other leg farther away.
“What are you doing? What do you want to do? I’m your blood brother! I watched you grow up!”
Chen Wuhong struggled constantly, but though Chen Wujun was only 16, he exercised regularly, and fetching water from the street hydrant was mostly his job at home. His body was much stronger than the eldest son’s, and he couldn’t break free.
Seeing Chen Wujun ignore him, Chen Wuhong begged for mercy again:
“I was wrong. I really won’t gamble anymore. Second son, let me go!”
“I’m not Mom; I’m not that soft-hearted.” Chen Wujun sneered coldly, dragging the eldest son a full hundred meters and throwing him into another alley.
Then he stepped on the eldest son’s face and said coldly: “It doesn’t matter if you live or die here. Don’t come home!”
“Next time, I won’t let you off so easily. I’ll beat you to death!”
“If Dad and Mom find out about this, what will they think? We’re brothers, second son!” The eldest son begged with snot and tears, his eyes full of fear.
He was really scared.
The way Chen Wujun looked at him wasn’t like looking at family, or even at a person.
“My arm and leg are broken… second son…”
Chen Wujun kicked him in the stomach, kicking back his remaining words, then sneered:
“I’ll just say the loan sharks broke your arms and legs. Guess if Dad and Mom will believe you or me?”
“Don’t worry about your arms and legs. I know how hard I hit; the bones are cracked at most and can heal even without treatment.”
As for whether they’ll work well or have any aftereffects… as long as they heal, it’s fine.
After saying that, Chen Wujun strode away.
On the way back, he deliberately took Long Jin Road. He wanted to buy a lollipop, but when he reached the convenience store, he saw a child at the door clutching a lollipop, about to unwrap it.
He walked over and looked down at the child, who also looked up with big eyes, staring blankly at him.
Then he reached out and snatched the lollipop from the child’s hand, turned, and slipped into the crowd.
Behind him, the child was stunned at first, looking incredulously at his empty hand, then burst into loud cries.
Followed by a woman’s shrill cursing: “Which asshole who shat out without an ass even robs a little kid’s lollipop? Why don’t you go die?”
When he got downstairs, he saw Shufen still doing homework at the door, so Chen Wujun tossed the lollipop to her.
The little girl caught it, confirmed it was for her, and was immediately delighted, clutching the lollipop tightly without wanting to eat it.
Back home, father Chen Hanliang glanced at him and continued smoking sullenly.
Seeing his mother’s concerned look, Chen Wujun put on an honest appearance: “I gave the money to big brother and advised him too.”
“But he ran off when the loan sharks came for him. The loan shark people chased after!”
Hearing this, mother Huang Meizhen became even more worried, tears nearly falling, and looked at Chen Hanliang: “What are we going to do!”
“Let him die outside!” Chen Hanliang gritted his teeth, speaking in anger.
