Chapter 43: Group Fight
Mrs. Bai was still persuading him. This time, she changed the subject. “Why don’t you and your little brother…” Before she could finish, she saw her son’s face about to darken and immediately changed her words. “Why don’t you and your cousin take some snacks to Little Good Boy’s house? We still have a lot of fruit at home. Didn’t you say the kiwis were delicious yesterday? How about Mom picks some for you to take to Little Good Boy’s house?”
Mi Yang was about to refuse when he saw Bai Luochuan standing there and nodding. “Alright then.”
Mi Yang didn’t want them, but Mrs. Bai was too enthusiastic, and he couldn’t refuse. When Bai Luochuan wasn’t looking, she even winked at him and mouthed, “Take Bai’an with you to play, okay?”
Since the adult who had been taking care of him for a long time was asking, Mi Yang nodded and said, “Mm.”
However, Mi Yang didn’t want the kiwis. He looked around the table and tugged on Bai Luochuan’s sleeve. “I don’t want to eat kiwis anymore. Let’s take an apple.”
Bai Luochuan looked down and asked him. Mi Yang still shook his head and whispered, “I don’t know when I’ll be going home. The others will spoil easily.”
Bai Luochuan loved to hear him say things like this. It made him feel as if Mi Yang would be staying at his house for a long time, which made him very happy. He looked up at Mrs. Bai. “I want two apples, the sweetest ones.”
Mrs. Bai was a little surprised and nodded repeatedly. “Okay, okay, I’ll go get them for you.”
The red apples were placed in Mi Yang’s hand. Ji Bai’an, beside him, was also holding two or three bags of snacks. The colorful packaging was clearly the kind that children liked the most. Bai Luochuan glanced at it and was about to reach for it when Ji Bai’an dodged him and pouted. “I’m bringing these for Mi Yang to eat, not for you.” He had been taught not to casually call him “Little Good Boy” anymore. He couldn’t do it in front of Bai Luochuan. When Bai Luochuan was not at home, he would chase after Mi Yang and call him that many times, but Mi Yang would ignore him. He would only respond when he called him by his name. After a few times, Ji Bai’an had also learned his lesson and no longer argued about the name.
This little tail couldn’t be shaken off. Bai Luochuan took the snacks in one hand and Mi Yang’s hand in the other, then turned and ran out. “Mom, I’m going out to play with Mi Yang. I’ll be back in a bit!”
The little Ji Bai’an beside him, also in a huff, chased after him and shouted, “Mom, I’m going out to play with Mi Yang too. I’ll be back in a bit!”
At his shout, the little tyrant in front immediately became unhappy. He stopped running and waited there, about to roll up his sleeves and teach him a lesson.
Mrs. Bai and Luo Jiangyuan stood at the door, watching the three little kids bicker and walk away. Their two children were bickering, neither one losing out. It was Mi Yang, squeezed in the middle, who was acting as the peacemaker, trying to persuade them in a low voice.
Mrs. Bai couldn’t help but shake her head with a smile. “Those two really, together they’re not as sensible as Yangyang.”
Luo Jiangyuan was also watching. She was also a little helpless. She looked up at Mrs. Bai and asked, “Sis, have you really decided? If you leave here for work, you’ll be separated from your brother-in-law for a long time. And I don’t think it will be easy to transfer Luochuan to another school. Not to mention Luochuan’s own opinion, I’m afraid the old Mr. Bai won’t agree…”
Mrs. Bai sighed. “It’s not set in stone yet. I’m just thinking about it.” She had been letting her son and his little cousin interact these past few days with her own intentions in mind. She was thinking of transferring her son to another school but didn’t want to increase his resistance, so she could only start by adding a little playmate. Her son was young and playful. Perhaps if he met a playmate he liked more, he would be willing to go to a new school?
Mrs. Bai had thought it through well, but it was too difficult to implement. The two little ones had too similar tempers and couldn’t get along. However, both of them got along well with Mi Yang.
Luo Jiangyuan was on her sister’s side. Their mother had passed away early, and the eldest sister had always been like a mother to her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have rushed over with her child just because of a telegram. She thought for a while, not quite understanding. “Sis, I’ve seen that brother-in-law is very good to you these past few days. Why do you want to leave? Let alone the Bai family’s businesses, even what our family will get in the future will not be unfair to you and Luochuan. Why do you have to work so hard on your own?”
Mrs. Bai said, “You, you’re still the same as before, not in a hurry at all.”
Luo Jiangyuan was curious. “In a hurry for what? Luochuan’s studies?”
Mrs. Bai said, “Luochuan’s studies are half of it. The other half is for myself.”
Luo Jiangyuan still didn’t understand. She had never suffered any hardships in her life. After she got married, her husband had taken over the family’s foreign trade business and was very successful. She had become a full-time housewife, and her life was extremely comfortable. When she came, her husband had repeatedly told her to come back early. If it weren’t for the fact that the Ji and Luo families were old family friends, Luo Jiangyuan’s husband probably wouldn’t have let her go. The two of them had always had a very good relationship. In her opinion, a wealthy family and a happy life were enough.
Mrs. Bai stood there, looking into the distance, and shook her head with a smile. “What I see here every day is the same. After a long time, I can’t help but feel anxious when I see the world outside changing. How is it that you, who are used to seeing it outside, are not in a hurry?” This border town was surrounded by mountains, and its location was semi-hidden, perfect for a military base. But after looking at it for a long time, you could only see this small area even when you looked into the distance. She sighed and said slowly, “I’m different from you. I’ve already missed the best years for Luochuan’s sake. Now that I have another chance, I’m not willing to give it up.”
Luo Jiangyuan said as a matter of course, “Of course, Sis is different from me. I’ll support you in whatever you do.”
Mrs. Bai smiled at her. Luo Jiangyuan linked her arm with hers and couldn’t help but blink her eyes and say a few playful words between sisters, “Sis, tell me the truth. Is it really because of Luochuan that you’ve been reluctant to leave these past few years? Does it have nothing to do with brother-in-law at all?”
Mrs. Bai’s face reddened a little, and she said, “Stop being so glib. You’ve been corrupted by little Ji.”
Luo Jiangyuan was not shy at all when she mentioned her husband. “So what if I’ve been corrupted? You were the one who helped me choose him in the first place.”
Mrs. Bai poked her forehead and also smiled.
Luo Jiangyuan herself didn’t have much of an opinion and just followed her sister’s lead. But she still had a worry in her heart. She had never worked hard outside and always felt that it was a bit unstable. But although Mrs. Bai’s words still had a hint of hesitation, there was more determination in her eyes. Some things had to be changed sooner or later. Since she had the ability, she was not willing to miss what should have been hers again and again.
The Luo sisters were having a heart-to-heart at home. On the other side, Mi Yang had returned to his own house.
He hadn’t been back to his own house for a while. Mi Yang walked to the door and first took out a thin string from around his neck, pulled on it to get the key that was tied to it, and then began to unlock the door. The main door here had an inner lock, with only a palm-sized iron door hole. You had to reach your hand in to unlock it, which was a bit troublesome.
Ji Bai’an stood to the side, squeezed closer to them, and looked at the flower bed on the side of the road with some disgust. “What’s that, all white?”
Mi Yang glanced at it. “Lime. They come to do pest control every once in a while.”
Ji Bai’an’s body stiffened. “Your house has bugs?”
Before Mi Yang could speak, Bai Luochuan, beside him, first hit his cousin on the head with the bag of snacks in his hand, his face dark. “Your house has bugs!”
Ji Bai’an pouted. “I wasn’t talking about your house. What are you being so fierce for?”
Bai Luochuan said righteously, “You can’t say that about Mi Yang’s house either.”
Mi Yang was just starting to feel a little gratified when he heard the young master Bai snort. “Only I can say that about his house.”
Mi Yang: “…”
You can’t say that either, okay!!
It had rained a few days ago, and the lock was a little rusty. Mi Yang had been trying to open it for a long time. Ji Bai’an rubbed against him. “Are you done yet? Can you be a little faster? It’s so sunny outside.”
Mi Yang said, “Almost. Just a moment.”
Bai Luochuan stuffed the snacks into Ji Bai’an’s arms and went over to take Mi Yang’s key to open the door. The key was still hanging around Mi Yang’s neck, and with that, he was pulled right in front of the young master Bai. Mi Yang tilted his head back with all his might. “Wait a minute. Let me take the key off. It’s choking me…”
Bai Luochuan glanced at him and chuckled. “Why didn’t you take it off just now?”
Mi Yang whispered, “I took it off to open it last time, and I accidentally dropped it inside. I can’t climb over the courtyard wall, so I had to wait for more than an hour for my mom to come home.” He thought for a moment and added, “Now my mom won’t be back for a few days. If I drop it, I won’t be able to get home.”
Bai Luochuan pulled him a little closer, reached into his collar, and took the key off. “Give it to me. I’ll open it for you.”
Before they could open the door, they heard the sound of footsteps nearby. A few seven or eight-year-old boys ran over, shouting, their faces red from the sun, fine beads of sweat on their foreheads, and their clothes covered in dust. When they saw Mi Yang trying to open the door, they all stopped and jeered a couple of times.
Mi Yang pretended not to hear and was still staring at Bai Luochuan opening the lock. “Be careful. Don’t twist it too hard. Be careful not to break it inside.”
Bai Luochuan was about to turn his head to look when Mi Yang asked, “Hey, I think it moved. See if it’s open?”
Ji Bai’an, beside him, said, “Mi Yang, are they talking about you? Do you know them?”
Mi Yang couldn’t avoid it and had to look back. The brats jeered even more. The leader of the group even slapped his own bottom and made a funny face at Mi Yang. “Little bootlicker, oh oh!”
Bai Luochuan had never been one to tolerate things. He stopped trying to open the lock and frowned. “Who are you talking about?”
Mi Yang held his arm, his brow furrowing and then relaxing. “These are the children of my dad’s colleague. Let it go.”
Not only was Bai Luochuan not happy, but even Ji Bai’an, beside him, couldn’t swallow this insult. He had come with Mi Yang, so they were in the same boat. What was the difference between those little brats cursing Mi Yang and cursing him?!
Mi Yang was also very helpless. These few children were new to the compound. The father of the child who was leading the jeering was Mi Zehai’s superior. The three around him were his cousins. His family had only just been approved for military dependent status this year and had brought his wife and children over. It was just that others usually only brought one child, but he had brought his nephews as well. These few children had just come from the countryside and were very wild. The children in the compound were not willing to play with them. Since there were many of them, they played by themselves.
In the military, Mi Zehai was a deputy regimental commander, and the child’s father was a regimental commander. Being one rank higher, the regimental commander should have been ahead in things like housing allocation. But Mi Zehai had graduated from military academy and had received a commendation, and with Bai Jingrong’s strong recommendation, he was ahead of him in everything. This year, the regimental commander had finally been allocated a building here. After moving in, he found that he was neighbors with Mi Zehai’s family. The two of them didn’t get along well at work, and after coming here, they would always put on a sour face. Especially recently, Mi Zehai was about to be promoted another rank, while the regimental commander had been in his position for five years without any movement. It was inevitable that he would be targeted. Especially the regimental commander’s wife, who was from the countryside, had a loud voice and was not ashamed of arguing. Cheng Qing would usually avoid her, and Mi Yang would also avoid her children.
The few children were shouting nonsense, and soon their gazes fell on the snacks in their hands, especially the pile that little Ji Bai’an was holding. A dark and fat boy in the back even drooled.
Ji Bai’an narrowed his eyes and held the snacks in his arms a little tighter. He would rather throw them in a ditch than give them to the other party.
The leader of the group walked over and, with his chin tilted up, said to Mi Yang, “Are you going to suck up to someone again?”
Mi Yang pretended not to hear. Bai Luochuan held his chin and turned him to face the child, teaching him to curse, “You tell him to ‘get lost’!”
Mi Yang was a slow worker when it came to book restoration, and he had gotten used to being slow. He didn’t get very angry even when he met colleagues and friends he disliked in his previous life. At most, he would just avoid them. He had never cursed at anyone like this, especially since the other party was a real child. He hesitated for a moment, then heard another “bootlicker” from the other side, followed by a roar of laughter.
Mi Yang was also angry in his heart, but Cheng Qing had repeatedly told him, so he could only say helplessly, “Stop it, you guys.”
The leader of the group opposite him pouted. “Who’s stopping? Everyone knows about it. Your family can do it, but you won’t let us talk about it?” His eyes were also staring at the unfamiliar snacks in their arms. As he tried to control himself from drooling, he continued to ridicule, “That’s how your dad got up, right! Sucking up to the leaders all day. You’re also a little bootlicker…”
Mi Yang was angry, and his voice was a little louder. “Don’t talk nonsense! That’s not true!”
Seeing that he was angry, the other party was even more proud and shouted at the top of his lungs, “What’s so great about your dad’s promotion this time? Isn’t it because he took a bullet for a leader and almost died!”
Mi Yang was trembling with anger. This time, he didn’t need Bai Luochuan to teach him. He took a few steps forward and gave the child a shove. “What nonsense are you talking about! Your dad is the one who almost died!” What kind of brat is this, with such a poisonous mouth!
The child was pushed off balance and was about to push Mi Yang back, his mouth full of dirty words. What did a child know? The reason he said this was because he had heard the adults at home talk about it a lot and was just repeating it. The more Mi Yang heard, the angrier he got. He went up and punched him. The child had never seen Mi Yang fight before and had thought he was a pushover. He didn’t expect to get a black eye. He wailed and shouted, “Get him!”
There were four of them on his side, and Mi Yang’s side was not small either. Bai Luochuan rolled up his sleeves and came up. The little Ji Bai’an beside him was quick-witted. Fearing that these brats would take advantage of his family, he threw all the snacks over the courtyard wall into Mi Yang’s yard and, rolling up his sleeves, let out a roar and pounced—he and his cousin would fight among themselves at home and not hold a grudge, but when they met an external enemy, they had to be united!
