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墨書 Inktalez
Wen Sheng and Wen Xin returned home, and it was already quite late.
The surroundings were quiet and dark. The house was messy, with tree branches and hay scattered all over the floor. Every day after school, Wen Xin would go to the fields to gather some materials and branches, then wait at the intersection for Wen Sheng to come back.
The lights were off in Grandma's room; it was late, and she had already gone to bed, as had their parents.
Wen Xin felt a bit scared and tightly held onto her brother's shirt, peeking into Wen Hao's room. The light was on inside, and Wen Hao sat on a wooden stool by the bed, which was sturdy and made of hard wood. His face looked grimy, with dirt smudged across his cheeks, as he stared blankly at the light. When he saw Wen Sheng and Wen Xin return, he said nothing, merely gazing vacantly at the illumination. Wen Xin hid behind Wen Sheng, secretly watching Wen Hao with fear in her eyes.
“Brother!” Wen Xin timidly called out to Wen Hao in a trembling voice. Wen Hao rubbed his eyes and looked at Wen Xin, his gaze softening as he regarded both her and Wen Sheng.
“Wen Xin! Don’t be afraid, come here,” Wen Hao called out kindly to her.
Wen Sheng naturally stepped in front of Wen Xin, coldly looking at Wen Hao. “What’s going on? What do you want?”
“Wen Sheng, you don’t need to be tense; I won’t hurt Wen Xin now,” Wen Hao replied wearily, speaking slowly.
He stood up and slowly walked toward Wen Sheng. Wen Xin clung tightly to Wen Sheng’s waist, pressing her face against him while trembling uncontrollably. Wen Sheng stood firm in front of her, eyes fixed on Wen Hao, his body tense.
Wen Hao crouched down to reach for Wen Xin’s hand, but she hurriedly pulled away. His gaze fell sadly on her as he asked softly, “Does it still hurt?”
Wen Xin didn’t respond; her face turned pale. After a moment of hesitation, she extended her hand toward him for him to hold. However, it trembled slightly; despite it being summer, her hand felt cold.
When Wen Hao noticed the watch on Wen Xin’s wrist, an odd look crossed his face. He stared at her with a hint of greed and asked, “Where did you get that?”
Wen Sheng replied flatly, “A friend gave it to her.”
Wen Xin remained silent, looking between Wen Hao and Wen Sheng.
“Can you give it to me?” Wen Hao asked softly as he gazed at Wen Xin.
Wen Xin did not respond, gripping Wen Sheng's shirt tighter. She looked up with a pleading gaze at Wen Sheng, trembling with fear.
"Don't take things from my sister!" Wen Sheng glared at Wen Hao, clearly displeased.
"She’s so clumsy; she’d just lose it if she wore it. It’s better off with me!" Wen Hao smirked wickedly.
"No way! I won’t agree to that. It was a gift from a friend to Wen Xin; how could I give it to you? You really have the nerve to ask for something from her!" Wen Sheng mocked Wen Hao.
"Are you going to give it or not?" Wen Hao stood up, taking two steps back, his eyes narrowing with a fierce glare, a sinister grin plastered on his face.
"No!" Wen Sheng stood protectively in front of Wen Xin, his tone icy. Seeing Wen Hao's demeanor made him tense up, as fights between brothers were common. Sweat began to form in his palms.
Suddenly, Wen Hao turned around, grabbed a stool from beside the bed, and raised it to smash it down on Wen Sheng. Despite Wen Sheng's attempts to block with his arm, the force was too strong, and he stumbled backward. Wen Hao lunged forward…
Wen Xin fell to the ground and began to cry loudly. Their mother, who had been asleep in the other room, rushed out upon hearing the commotion and saw the two children wrestling. She tried to intervene but was shoved aside by Wen Hao.
At that moment, Wen Sheng got back on his feet and stepped back a few paces. He picked up a branch from the ground that was about the thickness of Wen Xin's arm and charged at Wen Hao…
Wen Xin scrambled to her feet, crying desperately as she pulled at Wen Sheng, pleading, "Er Ge, stop fighting! Just give it to him; let him have it!"
Wen Sheng struggled several times against her grip, but Wen Xin held on tightly, tears streaming down her face. He stood there silently, unable to say a word as he looked at her tear-streaked face.
The commotion had woken their grandmother, who rushed out of the house in a panic. She grabbed Wen Hao and scolded him sharply, "You think you're tough at home! Picking fights with your father and bullying your younger siblings..."
Wen Hao was genuinely intimidated by his grandmother; he stood still as she scolded him without moving an inch.
At that moment, Wen Xin slowly approached Wen Hao, her voice trembling. "Big Brother! Please don’t fight with Er Ge anymore! I'll give it to you, okay? It’s my fault!" By now, her face was soaked with tears, her eyes misty and blurred.
"Don't give it to him!" Grandmother shouted, scolding Wen Hao. "How old are you? You should know better than to fight over things with your sister!"
But Wen Hao still took the watch, glancing at it without showing any expression on his face. He tucked it into his clothes and said nothing. Turning around, he walked out the door and disappeared.
Mother and Grandmother rushed over to Wen Sheng, who was still bleeding from his arm. Mother held Wen Sheng tightly and began to cry. Wen Xin nestled beside her. It was only after Wen Hao had walked far away and the house fell silent that Wen Sheng's Father emerged from inside.
He approached Wen Sheng and examined his arm, which had a large gash bleeding profusely. Wen Xin had already brought out some cloth and scissors from the house to bandage Wen Sheng. Despite Mother pressing tightly on the wound, blood continued to seep through her fingers.
Soon, the bandaging was done! Initially, due to overwhelming tension, Wen Sheng hadn’t felt much pain. Now, however, he was acutely aware of the throbbing in his arm; it was hard for him to lift it. His body felt sore, and his vision blurred slightly. Perhaps what hurt him more was his heart.
Mother hugged Wen Sheng tightly, distressed. "We need to see a doctor quickly! You need some medicine!"
Wen Sheng didn’t respond; he simply nodded.
Wen Sheng's Father came over to check on Wen Sheng's arm, indifferent. "Everyone's asleep now; it's fine. We can go see the doctor tomorrow."
Mother, a bit anxious, replied, "But the child..."
Wen Sheng's Father interrupted impatiently, "If he's fine, he's fine! We'll go tomorrow!"
At that moment, Grandmother angrily chastised Wen Sheng's Father. "You don't even care about getting the child treated! Look at how badly he's hurt; don't you feel sorry for him? Who will take care of you in the future?"
Wen Sheng's Father shouted back at Grandmother, "You're being ridiculous! Why are you meddling in this?"
Grandmother trembled with anger. "Ridiculous? Let him hit you instead! From now on, I won't ask about anything..."
Wen Sheng's Father turned around and went back into the house.
Wen Sheng's Grandmother scolded for a while and then grew tired. She came over to check on Wen Sheng's wounds, her heart aching. "How could Wen Hao hate so much? This is his own brother! He wouldn't dare act like this with outsiders! I'm going to find him; this matter cannot be left unresolved!" With that, she leaned on her cane and stormed out.
Seeing Wen Sheng's Father angry, Wen Sheng's Mother fell silent. Wen Xin didn't dare speak either; she could only look at her father with confusion. Could it be that Brother Wen Sheng was also picked up like me? As she thought this, tears streamed down her face.
Wen Sheng returned to his room, where his mother and Wen Xin helped him lie down. His mother offered many comforting words and didn't leave until late at night.
Wen Xin covered her brother with a blanket and sat in front of his bed, staring blankly at him. Wen Sheng closed his eyes to rest for a moment; his arm felt immobile, and even the slightest movement caused pain. He still endured it, not wanting his sister to notice.
Wen Xin gently leaned over to whisper in Wen Sheng's ear, "Brother! Does it hurt a lot? Why don't you just cry it out? Crying makes it hurt less! Sometimes when Dad hits me, I cry too."
Wen Sheng looked at Wen Xin and stroked her hair with his other hand. Wen Xin leaned against her brother's chest, looking up at him obediently. Tears streamed down Wen Sheng's closed eyes.
Wen Sheng's Grandmother searched high and low but couldn't find Wen Hao. Exhausted, she sat down to catch her breath, muttering, "This matter cannot be left unresolved; I will avenge you! When he comes back, I’ll make sure to teach that wolf cub a lesson!"
Wen Sheng glanced at his elderly grandmother; at her age, she couldn't even get a good night's sleep. Thinking about it made his heart ache.
"Wen Granny," he comforted her, "I'm fine; you should go to sleep first! Wen Xin and I will talk."
His grandmother instructed him, "Tomorrow morning, I'll have your Uncle come take a look at you! You should sleep early too!" Then she turned to comfort Wen Xin, saying, "Don't cry; when he comes back, Grandma will deal with him!"
Wen Xin helped her grandmother into the house and assisted her in lying down. Then she returned to their room where she and Wen Sheng slept. A wooden partition separated them; Wen Xin slept in the inner room while Wen Sheng slept outside. Wen Xin moved closer to her brother's bed and comforted him.
At some point, Wen Sheng fell asleep deeply. Wen Xin also climbed onto her brother’s body and drifted off.
As dawn broke, the east began to lighten; the sun had not yet risen.
Wen Hao approached from the front and pushed open the door to Wen Sheng's room. Wen Sheng was sleeping soundly and did not wake up. However, Wen Xin was startled awake by his arrival. Seeing that Wen Hao had returned, she hurriedly shook Wen Sheng awake while calling out repeatedly, "Brother!" She stretched out both arms in front of him as if pleading with Wen Hao, "Big Brother, please don’t hit Er Ge again! I'm begging you!"
Wen Hao looked at Wen Sheng, who was lying on the bed. At that moment, Wen Sheng had already woken up and used his other hand to pull Wen Xin closer. Wen Hao's expression was unreadable; it was hard to tell whether he was sad or happy. He stood there for a moment, deep in thought, before turning around and leaving.
Once Wen Hao walked away, Wen Xin slowly relaxed and regained her composure, snuggling up to Wen Sheng.
After a meal's time, Wen Hao returned, followed by another person. This person was short and plump, carrying a medical kit slung over his shoulder. His name was Wen Yuan, the village doctor and also Wen Sheng's older cousin, living at the southern edge of the village, while Wen Sheng's home was at the northernmost part.
As the two entered, Wen Hao hurriedly exclaimed, “Brother! Please take a look at my brother; I hit him yesterday!”
Wen Yuan shot a disapproving glance at Wen Hao and asked, “Why did you hit him?”
Wen Hao lowered his head, unable to respond.
Wen Yuan pulled back the blanket covering Wen Sheng and examined his swollen arm. He pinched it gently and asked, “Does this hurt a lot?”
Wen Sheng nodded.
Wen Yuan carefully checked again and turned back to Wen Hao with a hint of anger. “The wound isn’t serious!”
Wen Hao let out a long sigh of relief.
Then Wen Yuan smirked sarcastically and said, “You really know how to handle things! The bone might be broken!”
Now frightened, Wen Hao broke into a sweat. “What should we do?” he panicked. It seemed like things were getting out of hand.
Wen Yuan continued, “Where’s your dad? Bring some money; I’ll drive him to the hospital in town. We need to get an X-ray and see what’s going on. What kind of trouble are you causing?” With that, he stormed off.
Wen Hao rushed out of Wen Sheng’s room and banged on his parents' door, shouting, “You need to get up! Wen Sheng’s arm is broken!”
Mother hurriedly opened the door and rushed into Wen Sheng's room, grabbing his hand and asking, "Have you called the doctor?"
At that moment, Wen Sheng's face appeared a bit pale, and his eyes were slightly sunken. He nodded and spoke in a low voice, "He called and has already been here."
"What happened?" Wen Sheng's Mother asked anxiously.
"Wen Yuan thinks my bones might be broken! He drove home to take me to the hospital for a check-up!" Wen Sheng replied weakly.
Just then, Wen Sheng's Grandmother came out, scolding Wen Hao. "You hit your brother and sister; you should be ashamed! Why don’t you hit me instead?" She shouted towards Wen Sheng's Father's room, "Why aren't you coming out? The child is about to die!"
Wen Sheng's Father took a long time to emerge. Upon seeing Wen Hao, he didn't dare to speak.
He entered Wen Sheng's room and looked at him. "Wen Sheng, are you okay?" Wen Sheng felt a surge of anger and remained silent, avoiding eye contact. Guess for yourself! Wen Sheng thought but didn’t voice it. Am I also just picked up by the wind? His heart was in turmoil, and a faint, bitter smile appeared on his face.
At that moment, Wen Yuan had not yet arrived. Wen Hao was still close by. Wen Sheng turned his face to look at Wen Hao and coldly asked, "Where's Wen Xin's bracelet?"
Wen Hao lowered his head and took a long time before replying, "I lost it while playing cards last night; I lost thirty dollars." He looked somewhat guilty.
Wen Sheng chose not to engage with him further and turned away. Beside him, Wen Xin leaned against Wen Sheng without saying a word.
Wen Yuan came in from outside and bumped into Wen Sheng's Father, who was anxious. "Uncle, Wen Sheng might have broken bones! I’m taking him to the hospital for an examination; bring some money!"
But Wen Sheng's Father seemed more concerned about money than anything else. "Child, just treat him at home! We don’t have much money here; go borrow some from others; I can’t say anything!"
Wen Yuan was puzzled. "Uncle, this isn’t just a cold; I need to give him an injection. It’s a bone issue; I don’t have the equipment! How about you borrow some money from your friends?"
Wen Hao impulsively shouted from the side, "I’ll go borrow some!"
Wen Yuan shot him a cold glare and said, "You! You won't be able to borrow a single cent. Let's go to the hospital first; I'll cover the expenses for now!"
Wen Sheng's Grandmother scolded Wen Sheng's Father, "The child is seriously injured, and you won't lend him money for treatment! How could you borrow money from others when playing mahjong before, but now you can't even open your mouth? Do you even care about your child?"
Wen Sheng's Father ignored her. He felt some gratitude for Wen Yuan's words. However, Wen Yuan looked at Wen Sheng's Father and said, "Uncle! Is this how you treat your child?" He shook his head, went inside, and helped Wen Hao lift Wen Sheng into the car. Wen Xin and their mother also got into the vehicle.
Wen Sheng's Father stood there, lost in thought. Wen Yuan called out to him with a hint of frustration, "Uncle! You should come along too!"
Wen Sheng's Father finally got into the car, constantly asking Wen Yuan how much money would be needed along the way.
Upon arriving at the hospital, they took X-rays and confirmed that there was a fracture. The bone was set and wrapped in plaster. Wen Sheng did not stay overnight and returned home that evening.
Due to this incident, Wen Hao temporarily stayed at home. The household finally restored some semblance of peace and resembled a family again.
This matter passed, but it left a deep scar in the hearts of Wen Sheng and Wen Xin.
That evening, just after dinner, Wang Lijuan, Gao Ming, Lan Lan, and several of Wen Sheng's classmates arrived.
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