You Shulang had just lifted the door curtain of the hotel when his cell phone rang again. He hung up the phone and walked in. He looked around and saw Zhang Chen.
There is a barbecue restaurant next to the school, but there were few customers at noon.
"Brother, here!" Zhang Chen raised his cell phone.
This simple title made You Shulang stunned for a moment. Zhang Chen hadn't called him "brother" for many years.
You Shulang walked over, pulled out a wooden square chair, unbuttoned his windbreaker and sat down.
"Today is the weekend, is the road easy to drive on?" Zhang Chen's enthusiasm was superficial, and he seemed not used to being so cordial with You Shulang.
You Shulang picked up the kettle that looked deliberately old and poured some water into the enamel cup: "I sold my car and came here by bus."
Zhang Chen paused with his chopsticks in his hand, and his face was obviously embarrassed. He knew that You Shulang sold the house to help him pay off his debts, but he didn't know that he also sold the car.
He picked up a piece of chicken and placed it on the plate in front of You Shulang: "Brother, I know you like to eat this, so I ordered it in advance."
Pit roasting is a special food in the north. Food is cooked in an earthen kiln at high temperature without an open flame, but is cooked in a smokeless environment. Therefore, the food is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and retains its original flavor.
When You Shulang was still a teenager, his family could not afford good food due to financial constraints. Occasionally, they would roast some sweet potatoes and potatoes in the heated kang hole to eat. Although they were not delicious, the laughter when they tossed the hot sweet potatoes in their hands also left a pleasant memory of those difficult years.
"Brother, do you remember? There was a heavy snowfall and almost half of the basement on West Street was buried in snow. You took the initiative to help clear the snow and ended up being so tired that you couldn't even lift your arms. To express their gratitude, those people forced a roast chicken on you. You took it home and we roasted it over the fire in the pit. It was so delicious!" After savoring the taste, Zhang Chen sighed, "I can't find that feeling anymore no matter what delicious food I eat now."
You Shulang didn't often drink liquor, but now he opened a bottle of Erguotou. The one-cent wine glass was very shallow, so he accidentally filled the glass.
He drank half a cup of spicy wine, dispelled the chaotic past in his chest, and said in a deep voice: "Xiao Chen, what do you want from me?"
Zhang Chen's smile froze on his face. He tried to adjust it and his expression softened again. He put down his chopsticks and poured himself a glass of wine: "Brother, you know I work for Mr. Fan, right?"
"Um."
"I heard that you had a quarrel with him?"
You Shulang pondered for a moment before looking at the person opposite him: "Xiao Chen, why do you think Fan Xiao gave you such a high-paying job?"
Zhang Chen frowned, looking a little unhappy: "Are you saying that I benefited from your help?"
"I'm not taking advantage of you. Fan Xiao is not a good person. I hope you can quit this job as soon as possible."
Zhang Chen picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth, chewing it with a loud crunch. "I know he is not a good person." He turned his hand over, his palm facing up, revealing a round scar. "Here, this is all thanks to him."
You Shulang was shocked: "What happened?"
Zhang Chen put his hand away, nonchalantly: "Even though he treats me like this, I don't mind working for him. So, brother, can you be more mature? Why are you competing with him? Do you know how rich he is?"
Even though You Shulang was prepared, he still felt a little sad when he heard this. He slowly sat up straight and said, "So, you are here to persuade me to return to Fan Xiao today?"
Zhang Chen shook off the peanut skins that he had picked up with his fingertips, pressed his body against the table, and leaned over to say, "Brother, haven't you had enough of your poor life? Fan Xiao is a sucker in front of us. We brothers can make a fortune by joining forces!"
"You still want to take other people's money?" You Shulang's face darkened. "Haven't you learned a lesson from the last incident?"
"No." Zhang Chen lowered his voice. "The situation is different now. You and Fan Xiao are in that kind of relationship. As long as you coax him and let him hand over the money to me for investment, we can always find a way to get the money..." He clenched his five fingers and grabbed a handful of air in the air.
You Shulang's eyes were filled with hidden anger: "Zhang Chen, you underestimated Fan Xiao, and you also underestimated me."
"Finally, I'll give you a piece of advice. Stay away from Fan Xiao immediately. This person is not as simple as he appears to be. He is not someone you can control, and you can never imagine how bad he is!"
Facing his younger brother who grew up with him, You Shulang's hidden anger slowly turned into earnestness: "Xiao Chen, I hope you can find a job steadily, and don't always think about taking shortcuts and making a lot of money."
His slender fingers rested on the buttons of his windbreaker, and he wanted to end the conversation: "It's Mom's death anniversary in a few days, let's go pay our respects to her together."
Before the button was even put into the buttonhole, Zhang Chen's sharp voice rang in his ears: "You Shulang, it doesn't matter who you sleep with. Is it that precious?"
His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it attracted several faces in the restaurant to look at him at the same time, with piercing gazes.
The fingers that were picking at the buttons suddenly stopped, You Shulang looked at Zhang Chen and said coldly: "Have you read so many books in these years and nothing has been done to you?"
Zhang Chen pursed his lips. He had to ask for help now, so he could only slow down his tone: "What I said is also the truth. You men don't need to get married to each other. It doesn't matter who you are with. Mr. Fan is handsome and rich. What else are you dissatisfied with?"
He stretched out his arm and poured You Shulang a glass of wine: "Brother, even if you two really can't get along, can you bear with it for me? The employment environment is not good now. I finally found a high-paying job. I have to work for at least a full year and get a good resume before I can find another job."
"Besides," Zhang Chen looked around furtively and lowered his voice, "The evidence of my affair is still in his hands. Fan Xiao used this to attack me. Brother, if you don't make peace with him, I'm done!"
He suddenly pulled a stool and sat next to You Shulang, leaning forward, crying, "Brother, for our mom's sake, you can't just ignore me! If that thing gets out, I really won't be able to survive in this circle! Mom won't be able to rest in peace even in her grave!"
You Shulang's body was shaken back and forth, like a dull puppet, with no light in his eyes. The hot food just taken out of the earthen kiln exuded a rich aroma, but it could no longer evoke any pleasant memories for You Shulang.
The boy who once followed him and called him "brother" has now been devoured beyond recognition by hatred and the ugliness in his heart.
The deep and unspeakable grief aggravated the loneliness that followed him everywhere. In the noisy and bustling world, there was no worldly pleasure for You Shulang, not even a little bit.
"Xiao Chen," You Shulang said in a low voice as he picked up the wine glass, "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can still come to me, but I'm sorry, I can't help you with this matter."
He lifted his hands from his sleeves, drank the wine, and stood up to leave.
When I reached the door, I heard a cold voice behind me.
"Brother, you are going to force me to death."
Three days later, You Shulang received a call from 110.
"You Shulang? Your brother tried to commit suicide on the roof of the Municipal Building!"