Chapter 64: Can't Go Back, Start Again

  At fourteen, I envied eighteen-year-olds who had become adults and obtained their ID cards, able to live independently without having to listen to their parents' nagging all the time. Time really passes slowly!

  At eighteen, I envied those who were twenty-four, found the one I liked, got married and had children, owned my own house and private space, and became the master of a family. Time really passes slowly!

  Twenty-four years old, envying thirty-five years old, successful career, temperament and charm have been refined, having a house, a car, and savings, starting to dominate life, time is passing so slowly!

  Time is the fastest fleeting thing in the world. Among 35-year-old men, how many have truly achieved success? How enviable are the carefree and innocent 14-year-olds, the naive and adventurous 18-year-olds, and the fearless and hardworking 24-year-olds who can feed themselves and their families?

  Want to go back, can't go back.

  Zhang Shidong, sitting at the barbecue stall, wanted to hold onto his memories and find the original A Guang. The original A Guang who had accompanied him in waving a kitchen knife on Zhanqian Street, how could he be ordered around by a few migrant workers living at the bottom of society here?

  If you don't go back, then don't go back, we start anew.

  The boss and his wife, along with two old employees from the car wash, came out early to eat barbecue and drink beer at a small table. The two young men also rushed to a nearby internet cafe after work to play games. After a busy day, the chaotic car wash was left alone, Ah Guang limped around, using his left hand to clean up with a habit he had gradually formed, until nightfall. Outside, the boss and three others were already drunk, only then did Ah Guang wipe away the sweat on his forehead, casually washed his face and hands, without changing clothes, took big strides out, greeted the boss and his wife, but they didn't even treat this hard worker with a simple phrase like "Ah Guang you must be tired, sit down and have something to eat".

  One thousand two hundred yuan a month, they thought it was alms for Ah Guang.

  When Ah Guang sat down at Zhang Shidong and Ling Jingyun's table, he immediately caught the attention of the four bosses. Two older employees who had drunk too much didn't have much courage, but the key was that Ah Guang had sat down, they were used to bullying Ah Guang and thought his friends didn't need to be respected either. Carrying a beer bottle, they came over: "Ah Guang, you've got friends here, let's drink together, beautiful girl, I'm Ah Guang's colleague, I'll keep you company."

  "Count me in too, beautiful."

  Zhang Shidong didn't move, staring at Ah Guang. Now, with Ling Yun being bullied beside me, do you still want to hide in your shell? It's okay if Ah Guang is crippled, I can make him regain his healthy body, but if Ah Guang's spirit is crippled, then he can only be an ordinary person.

  "This is my classmate, this is my colleague." Ah Guang pursed his lips and introduced them to each other. Jingyun took a glance at Zhang Shidong, raised his glass, and clinked it with the two of them.

  "Since we're colleagues, shall we eat together?"

  Zhang Shidong's words made Ah Guang suddenly raise his head, a flash of shame and anger in his eyes, wanting to open his mouth, hesitated for a moment and then retreated.

  Seven people sat around a large table, amidst the clinking of glasses and boisterous toasts. Ah Guang became the tool for those men to show off their masculinity. The boss was somewhat better, but his wife, with her thick makeup and jealous heart, was seething with anger. The two older employees started talking about anything and everything, and the boss occasionally chimed in with sarcastic remarks, completely treating Ah Guang as a prop for the evening's entertainment. In contrast to Zhang Shidong and Ling Yun, who were known for their good tempers, more and more biting words flew back and forth.

  A Guang lowered his head and drank beer cup by cup...

  Until...

  "Damn, really unlucky, you said that girl in the video was pretty, who knew she's actually a dinosaur."

  "Ma Ge, look at that, isn't it beautiful?"

  Until then, several young hooligans were stunned by the beauty of Jingyun and started making obscene remarks on purpose to provoke her. Seeing that there was no intense reaction from this side, they became more and more overbearing in their words. The two older employees who had been chatting earlier did not dare to speak up, lowering their heads to eat meat skewers and drink beer. Now these young hooligans were the most difficult to deal with, daring to take action and use violence without restraint.

  "Let's go." Ah Guang raised his head and beckoned the barbecue stall owner to come over and settle the bill.

  "Hey, don't go, little sister, let's play for a while." A drunk walked over and rushed towards Lingyun, Ah Guang deliberately took a step to the right, blocking his way.

  "Get out of here, you stinky car washer!" Not only was the man's arrogance backed by his fierce appearance, but also by the fact that he and Ah Guang were from different worlds. He grabbed Ah Guang's collar, and with a sudden burst of strength, Ah Guang didn't budge, but his clothes were torn open instead. A colorful tattoo of a ferocious tiger covered Ah Guang's right chest, arm, and back, its eyes gleaming menacingly under the streetlights and the glow of the barbecue stall.

  The other person was also startled by the tattoo, and it took a few seconds to react that this stinky brush car is a waste of humanity. He raised his hand and slapped A Guang's back of the head: "Damn, thinking that having a tattoo makes you a social person."

  Aguang ignored the slap and looked at Zhang Shidong: "What's the point of forcing me like this?"

  Zhang Shidong stood up and walked to Ah Guang's side, kicking the hooligan who had slapped him in the stomach. The man flew out, knocking over two tables: "I want you to take back everything that belongs to you."

  "Damn it!"

  Those few young thugs over there charged over with beer bottles, Ah Guang's mouth twitched, you can't imagine a man with a crippled right hand and leg could have such a swift reaction. The beer bottle was more accurate than the opponent, directly hitting the first thug who rushed up in the face, shattering into pieces. The opponent let out a dull hum and squatted down, blood pouring from his nostrils.

  Zhang Shidong stood on Ah Guang's right side, blocking his blind spot on the right. He knocked down two opponents in a row, leaving only one. Ah Guang pressed his left hand against the opponent's face and slammed him onto the table, knocking over the table and landing on the back of his head, which was buzzing with pain.

  "Get out, or I'll kill you."

  Some people are destined to return, no matter in what way. The other party gazed at the fierce and cold murderous aura in Ah Guang's eyes and subconsciously nodded.

  Three large Jinbei vans stopped by the side of the road, and one by one, fierce figures jumped out of the cars, grabbed those thugs like chicks, and lifted them onto the car. Then they looked around: "Did you see anything?"

  All onlookers shook their heads.

  Ah Guang looked at the big men inside the golden cup van, smiled bitterly and helplessly, tidied up his clothes, and covered up the fierce tiger tattoo that he had once sworn to be brave forever.

  The boss and the boss's wife of the car wash, as well as two old employees, were all stunned. They were close enough to see Ah Guang's eyes, and it was hard to imagine that this could be the same Ah Guang who had been ordered around by everyone.

  "I don't need your pity, you've seen it for yourself, I'm just a useless person now, I couldn't even take down a few punk kids." Ah Guang sighed bitterly.

  "Here." Zhang Shidong tossed over a just-lit cigarette, and Ah Guang easily caught it with his left hand and put it to his mouth.

  "Still tough? Your left hand is also well-trained. Leave, this place doesn't belong to you." Zhang Shidong pointed at the car wash owner, who hadn't even opened his mouth yet, but was already squeezing his eyebrows and showing a pleading expression.

  "A'guang shook his head: "Forget it, no matter what you say, this place has given me a meal to eat."

  Zhang Shidong is not scary, what's scary are those three Jinbei bread cars, the state of each professional mixed child makes ordinary people fear from the heart.

  ……………

  Jingyun was sent back home, they exchanged a few pleasantries and made a promise that ordinary old classmates would say: "Let's get together with our classmates after a while, many people have been talking about you."

  "Give me a call if you need something. You know that when there's trouble, asking an old classmate like me is more effective than blindly thrashing about."

  Jingyun smiled and waved goodbye, disappearing into the dark alley.

  A Guang lit a cigarette, from the moment Zhang Shidong forced him to take action, he was again that ambitious A Guang.

  "I thought you would chase after her, but it seems that not only is she keeping a distance, you are also deliberately maintaining just an old classmate relationship."

  Zhang Shidong smiled and said, "You also know how she's been living. Maybe one day when she wants to fall, I'll lend a hand. She's too strong, I'm afraid I won't be able to bear it for her."

  A Guang nodded, gazing out the window at the bustling city under the night sky. The red lanterns and green lights that he once loved so much now seemed like a distant memory. Every time he walked out of the car wash at night, all he could do was watch from afar, his right arm and leg throbbing in pain. Yes, the boss had been right - he was useless, a waste of space.

  "Take me to your place, I know you haven't contacted home for a long time, don't worry, I'll take care of you, heal your hands and feet, whatever grudge, go settle it yourself!"

  "What did you say?!"

  A Guang's cigarette fell onto his leg, and in a hoarse voice he shouted out four words: "I'd rather die than believe it", all of this had only appeared in his dreams.

  "My brother, must come back, even if he is tired of Jianghu, I will let him have a pair of hands that can fight for happiness."

  P.S: Thanks for instance's reward!