"Mom! I'm back," Li Jing led me into her home as if she were walking a little dog.
Li Jing's mother, though only in her forties, had a considerable amount of white in her hair and deep forehead wrinkles, bearing the look of someone who had weathered many hardships.
"Little Jing... who is this? Is he your classmate?"
"No, Mom," Li Jing said, clutching my arm, "I caught this guy lurking suspiciously by the moat. He looked up to no good, and I suspect he was electric fishing."
"Electric fishing?" Li Jing's mother asked me with a puzzled expression. "Young man, were you electric fishing?"
I hurriedly explained it was all a misunderstanding; I was not involved in any electric fishing.
Li Jing's mother looked at me kindly, shaking her head with a smile, "I don't think you look like someone who would do electric fishing. Little Jing, you've made a mistake this time. You even brought him here; you should apologize to him."
Later, I came to understand why Li Jing was so intent on capturing someone electric fishing.
It was because the Shunde Forestry Bureau had offered a reward. The Yangtze River aquatic ecology was severely damaged, with the Chinese sturgeon and the Yangtze River baiji dolphin on the brink of extinction. A firm resolution had been made to protect the inland water environment, and this initiative had extended to Shunde.
Anyone who caught someone electric fishing could go to the forestry bureau to claim a reward—five hundred yuan for each person caught!
That's why Li Jing clung to me, mistaking me for an electric fisher, hoping to turn me in at the forestry bureau for the reward money...
Because her family was short on funds.
Under her mother's stern insistence, Li Jing apologized to me reluctantly, saying, "Classmate, I'm sorry."
Mother Li was hospitable and, to express her apology, insisted I stay for lunch.
It was nearly two o'clock, and I was quite hungry, so I accepted the offer.
We had white rice for lunch, and Mother Li prepared three dishes: stir-fried chives with eggs, zucchini with green beans, and a cold lotus root salad. The home-cooked dishes were authentic and delicious.
I ate my rice with gusto, scraping the bowl, while Li Jing watched me with a cold eye. Every so often, she would forcefully tap her porcelain bowl with her chopsticks, creating a loud commotion and causing Mother Li to frown repeatedly.
She resented me for eating her family's eggs.
Mother Li scolded her, "Little Jing, how can you be so ill-mannered? What has this young student done to offend you?"
Li Jing bit the tip of her chopsticks and curled her lips in disdain, "He hasn't bothered me, but I just can't stand the sight of this guy."
I was infuriated at the moment.
Though I was born without parents, humble of origin, and my impoverished household was left unmanaged, there was one thing about me: I had a strong sense of self-respect.
At that moment, I put down my bowl and chopsticks and stood up to bid farewell to Mother Li.
"Who cares about eating your eggs," I thought angrily.
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But no sooner had I reached the doorway than I was pushed back by a throng of people.
There were six or seven of them, all young men in their twenties and thirties, carrying paint cans, some even wielding sticks.
"Where's Li Dequan? Li Dequan, get out here!"
"If you don't come out, I'll kill your wife and kids!"
They looked ferocious and menacing. I had never seen such a spectacle and was instantly petrified, as were Li Jing and her mother, their faces ashen.
One of them, carrying a paint can, entered the house and upon seeing the food on the table, he sneered coldly.
"Damn, you still have money for eggs! Got money for eggs but can't pay me back?"
"I'll make you eat!" With that, he lifted the paint can and poured red paint all over the table.
The pungent smell of paint was unbearable, and the dishes were immediately smothered in red.
Mother Li looked on in terror, and Li Jing, head bowed, said nothing.
"Hehe..." the man chuckled. "Like eating eggs, huh? Got no money, right?"
He poked the paint-covered scrambled eggs with chives towards Li Jing with his stick.
"Eat up, since you like eggs so much. If you finish this plate, we'll leave, haha." The others joined in with raucous laughter.
"What are you doing?" I couldn't stand by and watch this bullying!
"Oh-ho," the man looked at me and laughed, "And who might you be?"
I took a deep breath and said, "I'm a classmate of Li Jing. If you dare to make a scene, I'll call the police!"
"Ah? Call the police?"
Laughter erupted all around.
"Paying back what you owe is only right! And you, a little brat, dare to call the cops!"
He swung the stick in his hand violently towards my head.
I instinctively raised my arm to block, but I was too slow, and the stick hit my head squarely.
Sticky and wet, I reached up to touch my head, finding it split open and bleeding from the blow.
My vision spun wildly.
"Stop hitting!"
"I'll eat! I'll eat!" Li Jing, who had been silent, suddenly raised her head, her eyes red as she cried out loudly.
Mother Li was wiping away tears continuously.
Li Jing grabbed the eggs from the plate with her hands and stuffed them into her mouth...
The eggs were covered in paint, the taste acrid and overpowering, and Li Jing retched after just one bite.
"Haha, you're not up to it, huh? Eat it all! I said eat it all! Are you deaf?"
Li Jing grabbed another egg and stuffed it into her mouth.
Five minutes later, the plate of eggs was empty.
"Heh, that was entertaining. Today wasn't a waste after all. We got a good show, and remember to tell Li Dequan, if we come back and the money isn't ready, things won't be this simple."
With those parting words, the group left, cursing and swearing as they went.
My head had been struck, bleeding quite a bit, and lying there on the ground was incredibly uncomfortable.
"How are you feeling?" Li Jing wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth and carefully helped me to my feet.
Mother Li found some gauze and quickly bandaged my head. I lay in their bed for over an hour before I began to feel better.
"My dear student, I'm so sorry... I'm sorry you got hurt," Mother Li said, her face filled with remorse.
"Auntie, who were those people?" I asked, enduring the pain in my head.
"My father's business failed, and he owes them a lot of money," Li Jing explained.
"Business failed? How much does he owe?"
"Ah..." Mother Li couldn't help but shake her head and sighed, "Fifty thousand yuan..."
"Fifty thousand! That much!" I was shocked to hear the amount. Such a sum, even with total frugality, would take years to repay.
"Young student, are you staying at school or going to the hospital? Let us take you back. We're really sorry about this," Mother Li apologized again.
"No, no, I don't need to go to school. I can walk on my own; I'm able to now."
As I left, Li Jing came out to see me off.
"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier," she said, walking beside me with her head down.
"It's okay, it's all in the past," I said generously, waving my hand with a smile.
"You're not from our school, are you? Which school do you attend? I'll come hang out with you sometime," Li Jing suddenly asked.
"Ah? Well, that's..."
I lied, "I'm a junior at No.1 Middle School."
"No.1 Middle School, huh? You must be a good student," Li Jing said with a smile.
I blushed and didn't dare to respond; my grades were consistently among the bottom three, which was the only stable thing about them.
At that time, mobile phones had just become popular, and ordinary students couldn't afford them, so naturally, there were no phone numbers exchanged. However, Li Jing told me to come over when I had time and even asked me to tutor her.
Back at the hostel, King Leader was drinking tea.
He almost spat out his tea when he saw the bandage wrapped around my head.
"Cloud Peak, what happened to you? Did you fall into a pit while scattering soil?" King Leader asked loudly.
Embarrassed, I replied, "I got into a fight and got hit on the head." (To be continued)
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