The Delinquent Wants to Be His Rival School Grass's Guardian - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Brother, Where Did You Go? — “Grandma, I’m Yan Su!…”

At three in the morning, Yan Jun was jolted awake by his phone alarm.

Turning his head in the dark and reflexively reaching out, his consciousness slowly drifted back: Fuck… right, it’s Qin Yize.

Turning on his phone flashlight, he saw the tall boy curled up, facing the wall, sleeping deeply. His broad back was like a curved wall, quietly occupying the middle of the bed. Yan Jun had been squeezed to the very edge; one turn and he’d fall off.

Fuck. Turning off the light, Yan Jun sat on the edge of the bed looking utterly spent: Everything that happened yesterday was actually real.

Yawning, Yan Jun put on a baseball cap and an apron, then brought down the basin. After rinsing it, he placed it on the platform scale in the corner and poured in twenty pounds of flour.

He dissolved yeast powder in ten pounds of warm water with a little sugar, then slowly incorporated it into the flour. After stirring briefly, he separated a fifth of the flour clumps into a smaller basin. Adding another pound of water, he mixed it into a soft, sticky dough, covered it with a damp cloth, and set it aside to ferment.

By now, the dough in the large basin was fully hydrated and ready to be kneaded. Yan Jun knit his brows, his lean, strong arms exerting force as he pressed and rubbed, continuously punching, folding, and rolling the dough until it was smooth and elastic.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he retrieved the fillings he had prepared before his shower last night from the fridge and began wrapping the buns.

There were four types of fillings: scallion and fresh pork, minced meat and glass noodles, mushroom and greens, and leek with egg. Standing at the counter, Yan Jun rolled dough and wrapped buns with fingers that flew like lightning. By the time over two hundred buns were finished, it was 4:30 AM.

He loaded the buns into the steamer baskets to prove. Taking off his apron, he washed his hands, grabbed his keys, and headed out.

“Boss, give me six pounds of pork and four pounds of beef.”

“Oh, Xiao Jun’s here! Six pounds of pork shoulder and four pounds of beef neck, all ground up for you.”

“Thanks, Boss.”

After buying the meat, Yan Jun went to buy dried glass noodles and vegetables. As he pushed his bike along, the vendors all greeted him: “Xiao Jun, can’t you make a few more of those buns and meat pies? We want to buy some but they’re always sold out!”

“…Once I finish high school, you’ll get to eat them,” Yan Jun bluffed skillfully while picking out greens. Leaving the market, he picked up a tray of eggs and rode home on his fully loaded bicycle.

Ever since his grandmother developed dementia and his mother started working as a live-in nanny, the family’s breakfast stall, which had run for years, had been set aside. But Grandma was used to selling things; every day in her dazed state, she would move the steamer baskets onto the stove and stubbornly search for the buns: “Why aren’t they ready? It’s almost daylight, why aren’t they ready?”

Left with no choice, Yan Jun had called his mother. She suggested ordering factory-made buns for her to sell. The taste might be poor, but it would appease Grandma.

Yan Jun had knit his brows, fell silent for a few seconds, and agreed.

…Then he turned around and hauled several bags of flour back from the grain shop.

The family’s buns were mostly sold to neighbors; he couldn’t bring himself to trick them with factory goods. Since his mother rarely came home, he secretly made the buns for Grandma to sell, and she would never know.

And so, every morning, he made over two hundred buns and fifty beef pies. Grandma was happy selling them, and the neighbors were happy eating them.

He had been doing this for over a year.

…

Returning to Jinghe Road, Yan Jun saw his front door half-open from a distance. A figure was standing in the doorway against the light, cautiously peeking out.

Yan Jun’s first reaction was that a thief had broken in.

His second reaction was that Qin Yize had woken up and was looking for him.

He pedaled faster and reached the door. Sure enough, the tall figure saw him and immediately stepped out: “Brother, where did you go?”

Looking at Qin Yize’s panicked and uneasy face, the reprimand in Yan Jun’s throat got stuck; he couldn’t bring himself to scold him.

Qin Yize followed him back into the house, leaving the door open, trailing behind him eagerly: “I woke up and didn’t see you, so I came down to look…”

“…Close the door!”

“Oh!”

He shut the door quickly and dashed back to the kitchen. Qin Yize leaned against the doorframe, not daring to wander far, his face full of relief like a German Shepherd that had finally found its guardian.

Yan Jun was busy without a moment’s pause and had no time for him. He poured the ground pork and beef into two separate basins, then crushed ginger and scallions to extract the juice, adding it in batches to the meat to mix until springy.

Qin Yize watched blankly and couldn’t help asking: “Brother, what are you doing?”

“…Seasoning.” Once the meat was seasoned, he covered it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. Yan Jun tied his apron back on and hauled the stainless steel steamer baskets out layer by layer: “Move, don’t get in the way!”

“What are these?” Qin Yize followed behind, asking.

It was now 5:30 AM, and the horizon was beginning to turn pale. He stacked the twelve steamer baskets over two stoves. Yan Jun returned to the kitchen, took out the electric griddle, opened the four pounds of fermented dough he had set aside, and began making beef pies.

The soft, sticky dough rolled in his oil-slicked palms, quickly encasing the heavy meat filling. He pressed them flat and dropped them onto the griddle. Qin Yize watched intently and finally recognized one: “This is a meat pie.”

Yan Jun still ignored him.

Yan Jun lifted his sweat-streaked face and finally gave him a look.

Ten minutes later, fifty pies were done, stacked neatly on the counter. Yan Jun wiped his face with a wet towel, opened the griddle, moved the fried pies into a basket, and then picked up a warm one, holding it out to Qin Yize: “Here.”

The tall boy’s eyes lit up slightly: “For me to eat?”

“Who else?” Yan Jun took one himself and stuffed it into his mouth. He let out a long breath and relaxed, his lean body leaning against the counter like a soldier who had just retreated from a battlefield: “There are buns outside too, I’ll give you one later.”

“Thank you, Brother…” Taking the pie, Qin Yize took a bite with great anticipation, a smile appearing on his face: “It’s delicious! Brother, you’re so amazing.”

Looking at his refined manner of eating, the exhausted Yan Jun didn’t have the energy to think about anything else and simply accelerated his own chewing.

…

At six in the morning, the various shops on Jinghe Road opened their doors, and the street began to buzz with people.

Grandma climbed out of bed in high spirits, washed her face, and rinsed her mouth. She combed her hair, put on her apron, went to the kitchen to bring the heavy basket of beef pies to the counter, and began selling breakfast.

Wu Sijia, the daughter of Uncle Wu next door, walked over yawning, handing over a large bowl: “Grandma, I want two pork buns, two leek and egg buns, and one meat pie.”

“Alright~” Grandma skillfully packed the buns and pie with tongs, reaching out with a pleasant smile: “12 yuan.”

“Here.” Handing over a ten and two, Wu Sijia took the full bowl and couldn’t help but peek inside: “Where’s Brother Xiao Jun? Isn’t he on break?”

“Xiao Jun needs his morning nap.” Grandma carefully placed the bills into the empty iron box. “Come back this afternoon to find him…”

Before she could finish, other neighborhood kids were sent by their parents to buy breakfast. They crowded the counter, waving bills and chirping: “Grandma! I want buns, five pork buns!”

“I want three beef pies!”

“I want two mushroom buns and two glass noodle buns!”

Her movements were precise; she remembered exactly which layer each bun was in. Once packed, it was a fair exchange of cash for goods; she was like a high-precision cash register, never missing a beat: “Xiao Hui, you’re short by 1 yuan.”

The seven-year-old boy named Xiao Hui let out a shout of “Ah!” and immediately turned to search: “My mom gave me exactly 8 yuan, I must have dropped it!”

In the end, he found the 1-yuan bill at his doorstep, hurriedly picked it up and stuffed it into Grandma’s hand, finally redeeming his buns.

…

The lively sounds of selling lasted for half an hour before stopping, and the downstairs returned to peace. Yan Jun lay in the attic, groggily checking his phone: 6:40 AM.

Sold out early again today.

Qin Yize was lying beside him, already asleep. This time he wasn’t facing away from Yan Jun; instead, he was on his side, his head resting near Yan Jun’s shoulder, huddled close cautiously.

Yan Jun gave him a weary glance, thinking: This guy, he’s actually quite obedient now that he’s turned stupid… If I hide him upstairs, others shouldn’t find out.

…Right?

His eyes glazed over for a few seconds, but eventually, he couldn’t resist the drowsiness and drifted into sleep.

…

When he woke up again, it was 11:00 AM.

Having slept his fill, he was no longer groggy. Yan Jun threw off the blanket and got up, preparing to take Qin Yize to the hospital for a head check.

But turning around, the guy was still asleep. His tall frame was slightly curled, his fingers still clutching the hem of Yan Jun’s shirt, looking entirely like a child.

…Tsk. If I take him to the hospital like this without an adult accompanying us, people will definitely get suspicious, right?

After considering it, he decided to go scout the way first.

He got up and changed into outdoor clothes. Just as he was about to head down, he remembered how Qin Yize had searched for him downstairs earlier that morning. He let out a soft “Tsk” and had to wake the sleeping boy: “Hey, hey! Wake up.”

Qin Yize opened his eyes blankly and sat up to look at him: “Brother?”

“I need to go out.” Feeling uncomfortable under that dependent gaze, Yan Jun looked away and scratched the back of his neck: “Be good and stay at home, don’t go downstairs. I’ll be back in half an hour.”

“How long is half an hour?” Qin Yize asked, wanting to know the details.

Did he even forget that?! Yan Jun had a headache: “…Just wait for me at home, I’ll come back!”

“Oh…” Watching him with wide eyes, Qin Yize stopped talking and just sat obediently on the bed, watching him head downstairs.

The sight was so pitiful Yan Jun didn’t dare look back and hurried away.

The city’s maternal and child hospital wasn’t far from Jinghe Road, only four kilometers, a fifteen-minute bike ride. Yan Jun parked his bike, walked nervously into the hospital lobby, looked around for a bit, and finally summoned the courage to walk to the information desk: “Doctor, um… someone hit their head, what kind of check-up do they need?”

“They need a CT scan or an MRI.” The nurse glanced at him. “Is it for you?”

“No, no, no,” Yan Jun waved his hands hurriedly. “It’s… my younger brother.”

“Where is he?”

“…He’s at home.”

“Then have a parent bring him over for the exam.”

“Does it have to be a parent?” Yan Jun blinked nervously, his hands clenched into fists under the counter: “Can I bring him?”

The nurse finally looked up seriously, sizing him up: “Are you an adult? Show me your ID card.”

Yan Jun instantly lost his nerve and instinctively stepped back two paces, cold sweat breaking out on his back: “I, I forgot my ID… I’ll go back and get it.”

He turned and fled.

Fuck…! Why does an adult have to be there? Do I really look that much like a minor?

Pinching his own lean face, Yan Jun pedaled back gritting his teeth: What do I do now? How can I take Qin Yize for a check-up?

Should I get a fake ID for an adult? Or… go to the labor market and hire a worker to pretend to be a parent?

…That’s even more money!

Feeling frustrated and conflicted, Yan Jun rushed back to Jinghe Road in a rage. From a distance, he saw Grandma standing inside the counter, straining her neck to talk to a tall boy.

Thinking it was a customer, Yan Jun pedaled faster, intending to help Grandma. But looking closer, the person was wearing his basketball uniform, with “Yan Jun #11” written on the back!

Fuck. He felt like he’d been struck by lightning: Qin Yize had gone downstairs!

Rushing to the door like a bolt of lightning and braking hard to hop off his bike, Yan Jun just happened to hear Qin Yize explaining patiently: “…Grandma, I’m Yan Su, Brother’s cousin. Don’t you remember?”

Grandma stood with her hands behind her back, a look of complete confusion: “Huh? Yan Su, who is Yan Su?”