Brother Chang'an

Brother Wei questioned him, and the young blond dared not refuse, lowering his head and speaking in a hushed voice, "I... I didn't know just now... I cursed, cursed at Teacher Fang..."

"You little punk!"

Chang Wei didn't let him finish, landing a hard slap on his head, the sound dull and loud. The young blond staggered from the force, startling everyone else. The proprietress, taken aback that things had just calmed down only for violence to erupt again, quickly raised her voice, "No fighting!"

Chang Wei realized this wasn't the place, took a breath, and was about to speak when Fang Chang'an, already smiling apologetically, said, "Sorry, Auntie, it's not a fight, just some harmless fun."

"Yes, yes!" Chang Wei quickly echoed, "Just kidding!"

The proprietress didn't care whether it was a joke or not; seeing they had no intention of fighting, she let it go. The two students who had just walked in looked hesitant, unsure if they should eat here.

Fang Chang'an waved to Chang Wei, then said to the young blond, "Sit down, sit down, eat first."

The crew-cut boy saw the blond apologizing and, not wanting to exaggerate the matter, hurried over with his own bowl. Fang Chang'an motioned for him to sit as well, then smiled at Chang Wei, "Brother Wei, it's just a minor thing, no need to get angry."

Chang Wei replied, "Brother Chang'an, you're good-tempered and broad-minded, but people like this won't learn unless they get taught a lesson... You Fei, were you involved too?"

The crew-cut boy kept his head down and defended himself, "I... I only cursed at Teacher Gao..."

"Isn't Teacher Gao a teacher too?"

Chang Wei spoke sternly. "You should respect your teachers. Haven't I told you? They work hard, teaching us every day, grading assignments, not just for that little bit of salary. You have to learn to be grateful..."

Fang Chang'an interrupted with a chuckle, "Brother Wei, that's enough. To be honest, I get annoyed at teachers running overtime too. We're all the same. Let's drop it for now, we're eating."

"Right, right."

Chang Wei agreed readily, then glanced at the two boys. "Aren't you going to apologize to Brother Chang'an? Say thank you?"

"Brother Chang'an, sorry."

"Sorry, Brother Chang'an."

The two were as obedient as little children, immediately lowering their heads and apologizing sincerely.

Fang Chang'an waved it off, "It's fine, it's over, we're all friends now. Let's eat."

The two repeated, "Thank you, Brother Chang'an."

Fang Chang'an smiled, "It's nothing. Just be careful how you speak from now on. Avoid foul language; it's uncivilized. You should have manners."

"I won't dare again."

"Me neither."

Both quickly promised.

Fang Chang'an waved again. "Eat, eat."

The young blond felt a huge weight lift from his heart, surprised at how easily things had been resolved, even a bit grateful. He quickly said, "Thank you, Brother Chang'an."

The crew-cut boy hurried to echo him, "Thank you, Brother Chang'an."

Fang Chang'an had eaten quickly just now because he was hungry, but now that he'd taken the edge off, he wasn't in a rush. While eating, he asked Chang Wei, "Brother Wei, you mentioned you knew people from No. 1 and No. 3 High School. How’s your relationship with them?"

Chang Wei thought for a moment. "It's not too good with No. 1, but still alright. As for No. 3, I've got brothers I've grown up with... Brother Chang'an, what's up?"

"Contact them on Saturday, and let's have dinner together on Sunday," Fang Chang'an shot him a look, "Uncle Shen will treat."

"Alright!" Chang Wei was delighted and quickly agreed. "How many people?"

Fang Chang'an smiled, "It doesn't matter how many, just don't go over one table. Otherwise, Uncle Shen will think we're fleecing him. The main thing is reliability."

Chang Wei didn't have good grades, but he was indeed more mature in social matters than most peers. Fang Chang'an felt this "reliability" was something Chang Wei could grasp, and the task wasn't difficult, so whichever way he understood would be fine.

Chang Wei nodded, "Don't worry, Brother Chang'an, I'll handle it well."

A group of students watched as Wei, usually so arrogant, now followed orders so readily, feeling deeply shaken. The young blond and crew-cut boy were increasingly thankful that their treatment hadn't been as tragic as those in movies.

Fang Chang'an asked, "Does your family have a phone? Leave me a number so I can contact you if anything comes up."

"We do, we do." Chang Wei turned to look for pen and paper, but Fang Chang'an smiled, "Just recite it..."

Then, a thought struck him, realizing Wang Ke was still there, so he hesitated and said, "Never mind, I wouldn't remember if you recited it. Give it to me later."

"Alright."

Chang Wei had no objection.

Zheng Lili ate quickly, Wang Ke ate more slowly, but she didn't speak, just focused on her food. Fang Chang'an, eating and showing off, had ordered more than her and naturally took longer.

The two girls finished and waited a while before Fang Chang'an finished. He waved goodbye, and amid calls of "Brother Chang'an, take care," he left with Wang Ke and Zheng Lili.

As the three walked away, the smile faded from Chang Wei’s face, and he fell silent, burying his head in his food.

The young blond and crew-cut boy had nearly finished eating; earlier, they hadn't dared move with Fang Chang'an present. Now, seeing Wei clearly in a bad mood, they exchanged glances. The crew-cut boy said, "Brother Wei, we’ll head out first."

"Head out? Where to?" Chang Wei stuffed a piece of sausage in his mouth, stared at them with his chopsticks, lifted one foot instinctively, then put it down. "Wait till I finish eating, then I'll deal with you."

The two thought they'd survived the ordeal in peace, but now realized he intended to settle accounts. Both grew nervous and pleaded, "Brother Wei, we already apologized, and Brother Chang'an said it was fine..."

"When did you hear Brother Chang'an say it was fine?" Chang Wei glared at them. "He said it was a minor thing, got it? Minor, not nothing!"

The pair paused, lowered their heads, and dared not speak.

"What kind of faces are you making? Afraid I'll beat you? Am I that kind of person?" Chang Wei, seeing how meek they were, couldn't help but curse again. "Brother Chang'an just told you to be civilized, have manners. Swearing is uncivilized—do you think fighting is any better?"

Liu Cheng, confused from the beginning, finally caught up and quietly asked, "Brother Wei, so what do we do? Just let it go?"

"Let it go, my ass."

Chang Wei hugged his bowl, gulped down a mouthful of soup, set it down, and declared, "Go to the track and get punished with running. I'll watch you run."

Whether in school or at work, Mondays and Tuesdays are often spent lingering in the weekend's relaxation, Wednesdays start the anticipation for the next weekend, and after Thursday, it's basically time to dream and prepare for the days off.

Friday morning, the entire classroom was brimming with familiar anticipation and urgency, fluttering through the air. After morning exercises, when Fang Chang'an went to pick up buns, he learned from Shen Chengyan that last night Fang Luguo had called to finalize the matter of Xu Jingniang’s nephew coming to work.

"Your uncle was too embarrassed to ask about the salary, and I forgot to mention it. I’ve thought about it—can’t be higher than Zhang and his wife, that wouldn’t be right. So I wanted to ask you."

Today, Zhang Fei delivered the buns by tricycle, Shen Chengyan drove a BMW for promotion. Zhang Fei was a practical man; he cycled slowly and went back after delivery, while Shen Chengyan leaned on his car to chat with Fang Chang'an.

Fang Chang'an laughed, "I haven't even met the kid. Besides, Uncle Shen is paying for business, public is public, private is private. Pay what’s appropriate."

Shen Chengyan laughed, "Then I'll say it: first month is probation, so it'll be a bit less, but since it's early mornings every day, it can't be too low. I’m thinking five hundred or five hundred fifty for the first month, after regularization add fifty or a hundred, so formal salary is six hundred."

Fang Chang'an said, "Then make it five hundred—saving fifty is fifty."

Shen Chengyan slapped him on the head and scolded with a smile, "You little rascal, playing tricks on me! Do you think Uncle cares about a bit of money?"

Fang Chang'an pursed his lips, "By the way, other schools can start next week, right? I had Chang Wei find reliable classmates from No. 1 and No. 3, told them you’d treat them to dinner on Sunday. Are you free, Uncle Shen?"

Shen Chengyan laughed, "What if I said I'm not?"

Fang Chang'an reached out his hand, "Then I'll treat on your behalf."

Shen Chengyan couldn't help but laugh, finding this way of communicating—straddling both the adult and child worlds yet almost like peers—funny and interesting, and also feeling a touch of amazement. He patted Fang Chang'an's head and sighed, "I really wonder what you'll be like when you grow up."

Fang Chang'an laughed, "More and more handsome."

Shen Chengyan couldn't help but laugh again, saying, "When I was in college, I heard that in ancient times there was a twelve-year-old who became a prime minister. I thought it was a myth, but child prodigies always exist. That... those two... um..."

He pondered, but couldn't recall the names. Fang Chang'an offered no help, just watched as Shen Chengyan tried to remember.

Shen Chengyan muttered for over ten seconds, still unable to recall, so he slapped Fang Chang'an's head again, "Forget it, can't remember—just study hard. Don't think just because your dad's going out to work that no one's around to straighten you out. If you don't get good grades, I won't let you off!"

No one came to pick him up that day. After the third afternoon class, Fang Chang'an returned to his dormitory, got his bike, and waited by the canteen for Fang Dianqiu, then together waited for Fang Ying.

Students passed by from time to time—some still looked quite young, others already seemed mature. Some were shy, some pretended to be calm, but all greeted him with tacit understanding.

"Brother Chang'an, heading out?"

"Brother Chang'an, not gone yet?"

"Brother Chang'an!"

"Brother Chang'an, why aren't you leaving?"

"Brother Chang'an."

"Goodbye, Brother Chang'an."

...

When the first person greeted him, Fang Dianqiu turned to Fang Chang'an and teased with a smile, "Brother Chang'an? Not class monitor anymore?"

When the second person greeted him, Fang Dianqiu’s eyes widened in surprise, then teased, "When did you become Brother Chang'an?"

When the third person greeted him, Fang Dianqiu’s eyes grew wider still, but he said nothing.

When the fourth person greeted him, Fang Dianqiu sized him up, beginning to wonder if this Fang Chang'an was the same uncle he'd chased and beaten since childhood...

When Fang Ying arrived, Fang Dianqiu turned and shouted to Fang Chang'an, who was saying goodbye to Wang Ke, "Brother Chang'an, let's go!"