The Delinquent Wants to Be His Rival School Grass's Guardian - Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Brother is Mine! — “What are you doing picking a fight with a kid!”

After dinner, Yan Jun returned upstairs. He poured out the medicine he had picked up from the hospital that afternoon and studied the doctor’s orders carefully: “Take after meals, three times a day, three pills at a time…”

Qin Yize leaned over, resting his head on Yan Jun’s shoulder: “Brother, what are those bags of dark, murky liquid?”

“Traditional Chinese medicine supplements.” Yan Jun picked one up to check: “Take after meals, twice a day… Here, drink it now. Take the Western medicine along with it.”

“It smells so bad! It’s so bitter!” The fake kid had a meltdown, his ten toes curling and twisting in distress as he curled into a ball on the edge of the bed.

Yan Jun burst into laughter at the sight of him, suddenly feeling quite vindicated: “Hahahahaha! Chinese medicine is supposed to be bitter. Just endure it!”

Seeing this kind of smile for the first time, Qin Yize was dazed for a few seconds. Then, his eyes darted around, and he took two more sips, repeating his act: “Ahhh, it’s so bitter! It’s killing me!”

Sure enough, Yan Jun laughed for a while longer.

With eyes sparkling, the fake kid sidled up to his brother, leaning piteously against his shoulder to bargain: “Brother, this medicine is so bitter, can I not take it?”

“No.” In the blink of an eye, Yan Jun reverted to his usual cold persona, grumbling: “Do you know how much these medicines cost me? …Four hundred and seventy-six yuan! If you dare waste a single drop, there will be no breakfast for you from now on!”

Qin Yize was forced to miserably and sluggishly finish the bag of Chinese medicine.

…

At 8:30 PM, Yan Jun went downstairs as usual to organize all the money in Grandma’s iron box and store it in the small drawer of the wardrobe. Seeing this from the bed, Qin Yize couldn’t help but ask: “Brother, so you take Grandma’s money every day?”

Yan Jun didn’t look back: “Mm.”

“Is it to save up for something, like buying groceries?”

“None of your business. Go play your games!”

After storing the money, Yan Jun went downstairs to wash his hands and started making the fillings for the next morning. While he was frying eggs, Qin Yize poked his head through the doorway, saying longingly: “Brother, I’m hungry.”

Yan Jun’s eyelid twitched: “How are you hungry again so soon? Didn’t you eat a lot of meat for dinner?”

“I was full then, but I’m hungry now.” The fake kid rubbed his stomach piteously. “I’ve been going to sleep on an empty stomach these past few days.”

Oh, so now that he’s familiar with me, he dares to make demands, huh?

Yan Jun gave him a look of disdain and said with a stern face: “Go upstairs and wait! I’ll pan-fry two beef pies for you in a bit.”

“Alright!” Qin Yize immediately beamed with joy. “I knew Brother was the best!”

…The best? Hearing this word made Yan Jun feel strangely uncomfortable: no one had ever described him that way before.

After mixing the filling, he poured some flour, made a batch of dough using the scalded dough method, brushed it with oil, and left it in a basin to rest.

By the time he came out from his shower, the dough was ready. He scooped out some of tomorrow’s beef filling to make four pies, pressed them flat, and put them in the electric griddle. Once cooked, he brought them upstairs on a plate. The fake kid, sensing the arrival, was already sitting by the bed with glowing eyes.

“So delicious!” With two pies each, they were devoured in less than five minutes. Qin Yize shared his thoughts again: “Brother’s cooking is so good, I want to eat this every night!”

Yan Jun: “…The second half of that sentence was your real goal, wasn’t it?”

Qin Yize’s smile was innocent: “No way, every word I say comes from the heart.”

“…Get lost and brush your teeth!” Yan Jun aimed a kick at him, but the guy was agile, dodging away while still grinning: “Brother, I forgot to tell you something.”

Yan Jun’s eyelid twitched, his eyebrows slowly slanting upward: “What?”

“Well, yesterday when I helped Grandma buy mosquito coils, I didn’t give them any money.” Qin Yize looked at him with a pure and innocent expression.

“You didn’t give money?! Why didn’t you give me money?”

“I forgot.” The fake kid pouted innocently. “Anyway, it’s the same if you go and pay.”

…Tsk, this “smiling tiger” playing dumb!

Yan Jun’s hands were itching; he really wanted to give him a punch on the head! But remembering the guy had a head injury, he gritted his teeth and weighed the options for a while. Finally, he just reached out and gave Qin Yize a light, short slap on the cheek.

As a result, the fake kid laughed even more happily.

…

The next afternoon, after the family had finished lunch, Yan Jun was staring at Qin Yize to make sure he took his medicine when the phone sitting nearby suddenly rang.

It was a call from Coach Zhang, the PE teacher. Yan Jun felt a sense of freedom upon seeing the caller ID. He picked up, and as expected, it was about summer training: “Come to school at 4:00 PM for training. Don’t stand me up!”

Yan Jun looked at the blazing sun outside and couldn’t help complaining: “Zheng-ge, it’s so hot, why don’t you just set the time for the evening…”

“The school would have to turn the lights on for you in the evening! You gonna pay the electric bill? Stop grumbling and get here on time! What’s wrong with a little sun?”

Irritatingly hanging up the phone, Yan Jun saw that Qin Yize had just finished his medicine and was leaning in curiously: “Brother, are you going out?”

“I have training at school. Stay home and be good.”

“Oh,” the fake kid, having adapted to Yan Jun’s faux-fierce persona, nodded calmly, “I’ll stay home and keep Grandma company.”

Thinking that the neighbors all knew him now and that Jinghe Road was just one straight street, he shouldn’t get lost. Yan Jun glared at him, then tucked away his threatening expression and shoved a carton of milk toward him.

After a nap, at 3:30 PM, Yan Jun changed into his athletic gear, preparing to head to school.

Qin Yize heard the movement and climbed up dazed, just in time to see him put on a pair of short, black, quick-dry athletic shorts.

In his hazy state, he saw two long, lean, and sturdy legs moving by the bed, eye-catchingly pale. Then, Yan Jun picked up a pair of basketball shorts to layer over them. As he bent over, the quick-dry shorts rode up, revealing the tight, full curve of his upper thigh. Qin Yize stared blankly, then suddenly said: “Brother, your pants are so short.”

Yan Jun spun around like a startled deer, glaring fiercely at him: “Did I ask you?!” He forcefully pulled the basketball shorts up.

He left with his backpack, and the sound of a bicycle bell soon rang downstairs. Qin Yize immediately climbed off the bed and leaned against the windowsill. He saw Yan Jun’s lean back slightly arched as he disappeared like the wind at the end of the street.

…Brother is gone.

He couldn’t help but pout in disappointment. Qin Yize sat back on the edge of the bed, looking at the quiet attic, suddenly feeling a bit anxious.

He rushed downstairs, pulled a chair over to sit next to Grandma, and pulled the sunshade halfway up to watch the people coming and going on the street. Grandma was listening to opera; hearing him, she opened her eyes: “Xiao Shu, why did you come down?”

“I’m helping Grandma sell things.” The fake kid was very clever; one sentence made Grandma beam with joy: “Oh, good, good! You help me sell, but don’t collect less money!”

“I won’t.” Qin Yize smiled with curved eyes, looking like a handsome “lucky cat” figurine.

…

That afternoon, with him presiding over the counter, business for the snack stand was significantly better than usual.

Whether it was aunties, older ladies, or grandmothers in their sixties and seventies, anyone passing the shop couldn’t help but steal a few glances at him. Someone even walked into a utility pole because of it.

This person was not stingy with his smiles either; whenever he locked eyes with someone, he would greet them with a smile: “Auntie, buying something?”

“Oh! I… I’ll buy it.” Being coaxed into a daze, they would walk over, scan the counter absentmindedly, and point randomly: “I’ll take this pack of Wang仔 milk candy!”

Qin Yize would then pick it up and ask Grandma: “Grandma, how much is this pack of candy?”

Grandma opened one eye into a slit: “Six yuan.”

He would then report the amount with a smile: “Six yuan!”

The setting sun shone on his handsome face, making him look like an actor in a movie. Pedestrians, one by one, walked over dazed by his charm and left dazed holding one or two items. By the time Grandma woke up after five o’clock, half the items in the counter had been cleared out.

“You sold this much!” Grandma was thrilled. She actually did something unprecedented, taking a one-yuan bill from the iron box and pulling out a lollipop to shove into his hand. “Here, Grandma’s reward! …Oh, our Xiao Shu is so capable, helping Grandma sell so much stuff!”

Qin Yize was quite proud. He tore off the wrapper and asked with the lollipop in his mouth: “Grandma, what can one yuan buy?”

“One yuan… you can buy a ham sausage, you can buy a lighter…”

Just then, Qin Yize noticed a group of kids walking across the street. One of them was holding a green popsicle that wobbled softly: “Can I buy that?”

Grandma opened her eyes to barely glance over: “Not that one. They sell for three yuan in the supermarket, which is very expensive.”

Qin Yize looked at her, then at the popsicle, and couldn’t help but swallow his saliva: “Why doesn’t our shop sell popsicles?”

“That would require buying a freezer! It costs money and wastes electricity.”

Fine! His eyes rolled around Then I’ll go buy it myself~

Glancing at Grandma, who had closed her eyes again, the fake kid thought: I’ll take another two yuan, ask them where the supermarket is, and find it myself! I’ll finish the popsicle before Brother gets back, throw the wrapper in the trash across the street… No one will ever know!

Having planned everything, Qin Yize stared at the money in the iron box and quietly reached out his hand. However, just as his fingers were about to touch the bills, Grandma, like a cat hearing a mouse, snapped her eyes open, and her large cattail fan came crashing down from above.

“Where did this little brat come from, daring to steal my money! So bold, do you want to die? See if I don’t hit you, I’ll beat you to death!”

“Ow! Ow! Grandma, it’s me, I’m Xiao Shu!”

Qin Yize was hit so hard he jumped. The lollipop flew away as he clutched his head and fled frantically. Seeing this, the kids across the street couldn’t help but burst into laughter: “Hahahahahaha, you must have tried to take Grandma’s money! No one can steal Grandma’s money; even Xiao Jun-ge has to wait until night to take it!”

Being laughed at by these little brats, the amnesiac “fake kid” actually felt ashamed, hiding in the attic while pouting in a sulky mood.

After a while, he saw one of the kids couldn’t get into his house and actually turned to walk over here! He even greeted Grandma familiarly: “Grandma, my mom forgot to leave the door unlocked for me, I’m coming to sit with you for a while!”

“Xiao Hui, your door is locked again?” Grandma seemed to have regained her senses, her voice smiling.

Qin Yize walked downstairs suspiciously, only to see the kid sitting in his chair, munching on something red and fragrant.

The fake kid immediately knit his brows, walking over unhappily: “Hey, you’re sitting in my chair.”

Xiao Hui turned to look at him, lifting his little chin with a huff: “What do you mean ‘your chair’? Before you came, I always sat in this chair!”

“Just because you sat in it, it’s yours?” Qin Yize was very logical. “I am Brother’s brother. This chair is from his house, so it’s also mine.”

That seems to make sense? Xiao Hui thought gloomily for a moment, then jumped down unwillingly and picked up a small stool in the corner to sit on.

Having reclaimed his seat and asserted his dominance, the fake kid was quite proud, sitting in the chair and looking at him sideways. Xiao Hui puffed out his cheeks defiantly, questioning: “You say you’re Xiao Jun-ge’s brother, but how come I’ve never seen you?”

“How old are you?” Qin Yize was dismissive. “You’re so tiny, maybe I came back before you were even born?”

“I’m not tiny!” The little guy seemed to be poked in a sore spot, immediately standing up and clenching two small fists: “I’m almost seven! I’m starting primary school in September!”

“So what?” Qin Yize laughed mockingly. “You’re only half my height.”

“I’ll grow tall very soon!”

The two were bickering when Yan Jun returned from training, hearing the commotion from afar. He parked his bike at the door and saw Qin Yize leaning back in the chair with his arms crossed and a contemptuous expression the very image of a bad older brother bullying a child: “Xiao Shu, why are you bullying Xiao Hui?”

Before Qin Yize could speak, Xiao Hui rushed out with red eyes to complain: “Xiao Jun-ge! He… he mocked me for being short!”

“You really are short.” Qin Yize added fuel to the fire.

“I’m not short, I’m not short!” Hit by a double blow, Xiao Hui’s tears finally broke through, and he began to cry loudly in anger. Qin Yize’s eyes instantly crinkled with joy as he leaned happily on the counter to greet Yan Jun: “Brother, you’re back!”

“Mm.” Unloading his backpack with a headache, Yan Jun was exhausted, yet he still had to judge the dispute between these two children… Looking at the miserable Xiao Hui, he sighed in exhaustion and compromised: “Alright, alright, don’t cry. I’ll get a beef pie for you to eat!”

Xiao Hui stopped sobbing: “Really?”

“Really, really…” Yan Jun dragged his legs toward the kitchen. Now, the one who was unhappy was Qin Yize: that was the beef pie Brother had specially saved this morning, saying it was for his midnight snack! How could he use it to coax someone else?!

There were two pies left in total. Yan Jun took one out and was about to hand it to Xiao Hui. Looking up and noticing the kid’s fingernails were black and dirty, he pulled the pie back and said with a stern face: “Your nails are so long and dirty, why haven’t you cut them?”

Xiao Hui awkwardly pulled his hand back, looked around, and saw a pair of nail clippers next to the radio. He took them and tried to cut his nails.

He was clumsy, couldn’t even align the blades. Yan Jun knit his brows, set the pie aside, took the clippers, and knelt down to pull the kid toward him: “…Don’t move, open your hand.”

The “click, click” sound gradually rose, echoing in the small shop. Qin Yize watched as his brother, dripping with sweat, knelt on one knee to clip another child’s nails, and afterwards led him to wash his hands and let him go home with his beef pie… The fake kid puffed out his cheeks in indignation, turned around, and ran up to the attic.