Chapter 75: Your Father Is Truly Remarkable! Incredibly Remarkable!
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The summer of 2004 was unbearably hot. The chorus of cicadas wove through each lush, dewy leaf, sometimes loud, sometimes faint, as if their calls were filtered through layers of greenery.
It was noon, just after school.
At the entrance of No. 65 Middle School, a boy of about ten with a buzz cut swaggered out, hands shoved in his pockets, his steps full of careless bravado. Beside him was another boy with a mushroom-shaped haircut.
The buzz-cut boy wore a look of irritation. “Damn it, why am I the only one who gets punished every time there’s a fight? Does our homeroom teacher have shit for brains?”
The mushroom-haired boy licked an ice pop and replied offhandedly, “You brought it on yourself. Liu Qiang was making fun of Fatty, not you. But you just had to jump in—didn’t even think before you kicked him. No one could stop you.”
“Fatty’s my deskmate. Who does he think he is, mocking people for being chubby? Just because someone’s fat, they deserve to be laughed at? I can’t stand that crap!”
The buzz-cut boy shouted, hands still in his pockets, bold and unafraid of anything.
As they talked, the two heard a commotion near the school gate.
“Hey, you idiot in the overalls, I’m over here!”
“Here! Over here!”
“I’m right here!”
“Hey! Hey, dummy! I’m right here!”
The two boys turned to look.
They saw a group of male students surrounding a man in blue overalls, teasing him by tapping his back and darting away laughing before he could turn around.
It was disgusting.
Five or six boys took turns at this, with no intention of stopping.
Seeing the man in the overalls standing helpless in the center, the mushroom-haired boy shook his head and sighed. “Lu Yuanqiu, that big fool you helped last time is getting bullied again—hey? Yuanqiu?”
As he turned, he realized the buzz-cut boy was no longer beside him.
“Damn you all! What’s wrong with your brains? If you’re so bored, go home and help your dad catch his mistress!” the buzz-cut boy cursed, charging into the crowd and kicking two of the bullies down.
The boys tormenting the man immediately turned on him, but just then, one of them suddenly pointed toward the school entrance and shouted, “Run! The crazy girl’s coming again!”
The buzz-cut boy glanced back and saw a girl with long, messy hair charging over, wielding a broom.
She didn’t say a word, just swung the broom wildly like a maniac. The bullies, startled, stumbled back and exchanged looks before taking off. Even as they ran, they shouted taunts over their shoulders: “Idiot! Crazy girl! Baldy! You three are perfect for each other!”
The buzz-cut boy was furious and chased after them. “Damn you! This is called a buzz cut, you idiots!”
But the group ran too fast; he couldn’t catch up. He stopped and looked back, only to see the wild-haired girl standing where she was, silently watching the man in overalls.
She looked thin, her clothes dirty, her head bowed—a hint of sadness in her slumped silhouette.
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Years later, when he thought back, he suspected the girl might have been crying then.
But the man in overalls was delighted. Gone was his earlier confusion; he now stood before the girl, gesturing animatedly.
“Ha ha ha... ha ha ha…”
There was only the fool’s laughter, the girl’s bowed back, and the stunned boy.
Lu Yuanqiu, twelve years old, was naive and impulsive, slow to understand such things. All he knew was that the way the girl had swung her broom was the coolest thing he’d ever seen—like the God of War, Lu Bu, charging into battle with his halberd to mete out justice.
...
In the hospital room.
Lu Yuanqiu’s chest tightened.
He lowered his head, a surge of muddled emotions welling up inside. His nose stung as he looked up again, gazing intently at the school-uniformed girl standing at the door.
Scenes from his memory pressed into his heart like a dull knife.
...
“It’s already the twenty-first century—how can there still be families so poor they can’t even afford bread?”
...“Your dad’s got to be missing more than a few screws!”
...
“The saddest is his daughter—such a young girl, taking care of her father so well after all that’s happened. How rare is that?”
...
“Give it to my dad to eat.”
...
“Auntie, my mom’s in heaven now. She can’t come anymore…”
...
“To me, my dad is the best person in the world.”
...
This world truly is full of irony.
Sitting on the hospital bed, Lu Yuanqiu wore a bitter smile as tears fell. His voice trembled as he began, “Bai Qingxia…”
But after uttering her name, the rest caught in his throat, unspeakable.
Su Xiaoya, dressed in a pediatrician’s white coat, wiped away tears. Lu Tian’s eyes were red as well; he sniffed hard, trying to hold back his own.
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Before Bai Qingxia arrived, Lu Yuanqiu had already explained the story of the man in overalls to everyone in the hospital room.
Three uncles and his parents listened, all deeply shocked. The eldest and second uncle hadn’t known about Bai Songzhe’s family before and were just as moved.
They pitied Bai Songzhe, but even more, they pitied the girl in the story.
But when the girl who appeared at the door turned out to be Bai Qingxia—the very same girl the couple knew so well—Su Xiaoya and Lu Tian could no longer hold back.
Truly, fate works in mysterious ways.
Third Uncle Lu Yuan glanced curiously at the family of three, not understanding why their emotions had suddenly become so intense.
As the Lu family’s representative, he walked over with a solemn expression. “Young lady, is Mr. Bai your father?”
Bai Qingxia pulled her gaze back, looking at the square-faced middle-aged man before her. She wiped her tears and nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, he’s my dad…”
Lu Yuan smiled, reaching out to grasp her hands earnestly. “You must have been so worried! Your father saved my nephew outside No. 65 Middle School, carried him all the way to the hospital. We’re so grateful to him. That’s why we asked the police to find his family—which turned out to be you!”
Bai Qingxia listened in a daze, her slender arms being shaken up and down in gratitude by Lu Yuan.
A moment later, she recovered and caught the key point. She immediately looked at Lu Yuanqiu’s bandaged head, her brow furrowing. “He…”
Lu Yuan smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, child, my nephew’s head is fine. Wait—your uniform… You two go to the same school?”
“Xia Xia! Xia Xia!”
Through the crowd, Bai Songzhe spotted his daughter and stood up excitedly, calling her name.
Bai Qingxia rushed over, clutching her father’s arm with both hands. Like soothing a child, she gently stroked his cheek, a relieved smile on her face.
She spoke softly, “Xia Xia is here.”
Then she turned, glancing awkwardly around the hospital room.
Though she’d pieced together most of what had happened, she still couldn’t quite process it all.
“Bai Qingxia, Uncle Bai is amazing—really amazing. If not for him, I’d probably be done for today,” the boy on the hospital bed said with a laugh.
Bai Qingxia pursed her lips, staring blankly at the boy, when Lu Tian added, “That’s right, Xiaoxia, your dad is such a good man! Truly wonderful! If it weren’t for him, Lu Yuanqiu might still be lying in the street!”
Hearing this, the girl smiled shyly. Then Su Xiaoya, voice choked with emotion, said, “Xia Xia, we’re all so grateful to you… and your father… He really is incredible!”
(End of this chapter)