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It had already grown dark. Wen Yuan escorted Wen Sheng back home. Wen Sheng's father invited Wen Yuan to stay for dinner and even bought some wine to drink. Wen Sheng merely picked at his food, and Wen Hao was neither at home nor out playing cards. Perhaps he realized that what he had done was a bit excessive; if others found out he had fought with his brother over something that belonged to his sister, it would be quite embarrassing. Even in the gambling circles, he would be looked down upon.
Wen Hao's face was flushed, and he kept apologizing to his brother, hoping he wouldn't tell anyone about the incident. At that moment, Gao Ming and Wang Lijuan happened to arrive. Gao Ming entered the house calling out, "Wen Sheng! Where's Wen Sheng?"
"Wen Xin!" Wen Xin hurried out from the room, shouting back.
"Wen Xin, where's your brother? He didn't go to school today; is something wrong at home?" Gao Ming asked anxiously.
"Yes, last night my eldest brother fought with Er Ge. Er Ge got hurt and is lying in bed!" Wen Xin said sadly. "Gao Ming! Sister Lijuan! Come with me!"
The room was lit, and Wen Sheng lay on the bed, his face pale. Seeing Gao Ming and the others enter, he tried to sit up. Gao Ming rushed over to support him and comforted him, "It's okay; just lie down! What happened?"
Wen Sheng forced a smile and replied, "It's nothing serious; I just had a fight with Wen Hao!" After saying this, he called Wen Xin over and instructed her, "Wen Xin, go get some water for Gao Ming and Wang Lijuan."
Wen Hao stood nearby with his head down, not saying a word. Gao Ming glanced at him with a hint of reproach and asked, "Wen Hao! Why did you fight with Wen Sheng? What was it about? And why did you hurt him?"
Wen Hao lowered his head, feeling embarrassed to answer. "I... I..." He found it too shameful to admit!
Just then, Wen Xin returned with water. Wang Lijuan pulled her aside and asked, "Tell me, why did your brother fight with Er Ge?"
Wen Xin looked at Wang Lijuan, then turned back to glance at Wen Hao before looking at Wen Sheng. When Wen Sheng shook his head at her, she leaned into Wang Lijuan and lied, "I don't know what happened! Er Ge and I came back and talked to my brother. Then I went to sleep, and later I heard that my brother and Er Ge had fought. By the time I got up, Mom and Dad were already awake too; Grandma was up as well. They had already finished fighting by then, and Er Ge was hurt. He went to the hospital this morning."
Wang Lijuan listened carefully but noticed that Wen Xin didn't reveal the reason behind it all. She turned to look at Gao Ming and then fixed her gaze on Wen Hao, asking coldly, "You're the eldest brother; you should know what happened!"
At this moment, Wen Hao raised his head and snapped back irritably, "What do you care? Are you my mother or something?"
Wang Lijuan's face flushed immediately; she stomped her foot in anger. "Gao Ming, let's go! Forget them; who wants to deal with their mess? And I still have to help him buy a motorcycle while enduring Dad's scolding at home!" As she spoke, she felt a bit wronged and shed a few tears.
Wen Xin tugged at her hand, looking aggrieved. "Sister! Sister! I'm sorry!"
Wang Lijuan squatted down and hugged Wen Xin to comfort her. "It's okay, Wen Xin. Be good! Sister and Gao Ming have some things to take care of. We'll come back to see you later!"
She then pulled Gao Ming to leave.
Gao Ming, remaining calm, said to Wang Lijuan, "Don't worry!" He then turned to Wen Hao with disdain. "Wen Hao, for Wen Sheng's sake, I'll call you 'brother.' But honestly, I really want to hit you. If you have a problem with that, come out and face me!"
Wen Hao was indeed a bit irritable. As Gao Ming walked ahead, he was actually considering following him out. Just then, their grandmother scolded Wen Hao, "They came to see Wen Sheng, and you want to fight them? How can you be so inconsiderate!"
Seeing his grandmother pulling him back, Wen Hao decided not to go. He knew that Gao Ming practiced martial arts and was taller and heavier than him. If he fought with Wen Sheng, it wouldn’t be certain who would win without any weapons.
Wen Hao apologized to Gao Ming. "I'm sorry! Gao Ming, it's my fault!" He then turned to Wang Lijuan and said, "I'm sorry; I was out of line!"
Wang Lijuan took a moment to calm down before asking Wen Hao, "I just want to ask you one thing: if you had a motorcycle, would you stop causing trouble?"
Wen Hao asked in surprise, "Are you going to help me buy a motorcycle?"
Wang Lijuan corrected him. "Not buy; it's on credit. Your dad will still have to pay it off. If you have the ability, go get it on credit yourself; we won't interfere!"
Of course, Wen Hao couldn't get one on credit, but he really wanted a motorcycle. Watching Gao Ming ride one with Wang Lijuan made him envious. So he vowed earnestly, "If I get a motorcycle, I won't cause trouble anymore. From now on, I'll work hard, listen to Mom and Dad, take care of Wen Sheng and Wen Xin. If I go back on my word, let me crash the motorcycle and die!"
Wang Lijuan turned to Gao Ming. "Alright, let's head back and get this done quickly!" She patted Wen Xin's cheek gently. "Wen Xin, be good; sister has to go back now!"
Gao Ming assured Wen Sheng, "We'll take care of this when we get back—just the two of us. You stay home and take good care of yourself; we'll come back to see you!" Then he took Wen Xin's hand and coaxed her gently. "Brother is going back now; be good at home and don't make Er Ge angry, okay?" When he noticed that Wen Xin no longer had her watch on, he asked, "Wen Xin! Where's the watch I gave you? Are you reluctant to wear it?"
Wen Xin nodded seriously, "Yes, I asked Mom to keep it for me. I'll wear it when I grow up!"
Upon hearing about the watch, Wen Sheng's Grandmother approached, "Last night after they fought, I saw Wen Xin give a watch to Wen Hao!" She turned to Wen Hao, "What did you do with the watch?"
Wen Xin's face turned red as she grabbed Gao Ming's hand, "I'm sorry, Brother Gao Ming, Wen Xin lied!"
Gao Ming looked at Wen Xin and was at a loss for words. He could only manage a bitter smile as he glanced coldly at Wen Hao, "Brother Wen Hao, you really are something. I won't ask about the watch anymore! I just hope you won't hit Wen Xin or Wen Sheng again. And please don't cause any more trouble at home. We'll handle the motorcycle issue as soon as possible; you can rest assured."
He turned back to Wen Sheng's Grandmother and said, "Grandma, please don't scold him anymore. The watch was a gift from me to Wen Xin. If Wen Xin doesn't want to talk about it, let's not pursue it further!"
Wen Sheng's Grandmother expressed her gratitude to Gao Ming, "Child, you are truly a benefactor of our family. Since you said so, Grandma will definitely give you face. Alright, I won't ask anymore!"
Gao Ming felt a bit embarrassed as he supported Wen Sheng's Grandmother, "Grandma, you're being too polite. We are good friends of Wen Sheng. Just treat us like your own children!" With that, Gao Ming was about to pull Wang Lijuan away.
Wen Sheng's Mother came out to see them off and thanked them, "Children, Aunt thanks you!"
Wang Lijuan shyly replied, "Aunt! You should go back now; we'll take care of it as soon as possible."
There were quite a few people standing on the street.
Meanwhile, Wen Sheng's Father remained inside the house without saying a word. It was quite strange.
Wang Lijuan and Gao Ming returned home. Of course, dealing with several thousand dollars was not something two underage kids could guarantee; their credibility was lacking. The two of them insisted that their fathers step in to help. At first, Wang Lijuan's father refused but eventually relented after being unable to withstand his daughter's tears and pleas. Wang Lijuan cried to her father, "We promised! If we can't follow through, how can we face anyone? I might as well not live!" After all, she was his only daughter; he couldn't bear to refuse her.
Gao Ming faced a similar situation at home. In the end, Gao Ming's brother Gao Liang stepped in and approached Wang Lijuan's father, Wang Zhong. The two went into town to deal with the motorcycle seller, Wang Xian. Both families were quite wealthy; Gao Ming and Wang Lijuan’s families were well-off in town. Gao Ming’s brother and Wang Lijuan’s father were both respected figures in the community. Gao Ming had three brothers who all did business in town. He had over ten cousins on his father's side alone, and he was the eldest among them.
Wang Lijuan's father was one of seven brothers. Among her six uncles, all had sons, totaling over ten boys. Thus, she was the precious little sister in the family.
In the countryside, a big family like this was not to be trifled with! Just a word from them could settle things. Of course, Wen Sheng also had a cousin in town named Song Qinghua, who was quite well-known and respected. However, Wen Sheng's father had never approached him; it was just that Song Qinghua felt awkward to take the initiative. When Gao Ming went to see him, he decided to accompany him.
The three of them discussed the matter of borrowing a cart from Wang Xian. Naturally, Wang Xian couldn't refuse them. However, he had one condition: the money had to be repaid within a year. After some negotiation among the three, they settled on a repayment period of three years. That was how things were decided. They just needed Wen Sheng's father to sign off on it; once he agreed, Wen Hao could borrow the cart from Wang Xian.
Everything went smoothly. The next evening, Gao Ming brought Wang Lijuan to Wen Sheng's home. As Gao Ming entered, he ran into Wen Hao right away. With a smile, Gao Ming said to Wen Hao, "Wen Hao, the cart situation is sorted! As long as your dad signs the paper, you can go ride it."
Wen Hao was also very pleased and went to the village supply store to buy a bottle of wine and some vegetables. Wen Xin helped their mother prepare several dishes. Wen Hao also invited Dong Xueli's father, Xiang Shu, and Guo An's father, Uncle A Jin. At that moment, Wen Sheng's father had not yet returned from work. They set everything up and waited for him to come back so they could finalize the arrangement.
Xiang Shu was the first to lecture Wen Hao: "Wen Hao! Once you have the cart, you mustn't cause any more trouble! Look at how you've been making a mess at home lately! You even beat up Wen Sheng so badly! If you keep this up, I won't stand for it."
"That's right!" Uncle A Jin chimed in, scolding Wen Hao: "Wen Hao, you’ve gone too far. How could you hit Wen Sheng so hard? How could you bring yourself to do that? At critical moments, it's still Wen Sheng who is close to you! He even asked his friends to help you get a cart! You should be ashamed!" Uncle A Jin sighed.
Wen Hao earnestly replied, "Uncle, I was being foolish; I won't do that again!" He was already daydreaming about taking girls out for rides once he had the cart and felt quite pleased with himself.
At that moment, Wen Sheng's grandmother spoke up with a long voice: "Wen Hao! Once you have the cart, work hard! Don’t keep arguing with your dad; your reputation isn’t good right now. Work hard for a few years and then find a wife. I hope I can still be around when you have great-grandchildren!" She pointedly advised Wen Hao.
Xiang Shu supported Wen Sheng's grandmother and laughed: "Don’t worry, Auntie; if he acts up again after getting the cart, I'll give him a good beating!"
Wen Sheng's grandmother felt sorry for Wen Hao: "Xiang Shu, just give him a light smack on his backside. Don’t hit him too hard; he’s just a kid!"
Everyone listened with mixed feelings of laughter and tears; it seemed they all understood why Wen Hao had such audacity and why Wen Sheng's relatives chose not to intervene in this matter while allowing Wen Hao to cause chaos at home.
Wen Xin continued helping her mother cook while Wang Lijuan chatted with Wen Sheng.
Everyone was waiting for Wen Sheng's Father to come in from outside. He worked at the Wood Factory in the village, earning only a few dozen yuan, and it was exhausting. Wen Sheng's Grandmother was reluctant to let him go out to work. As the only child, she couldn't bear to see her son travel far. Wen Sheng's Father also didn't want to work away from home. Thus, this elderly woman watched her son and grandson fight at home.
When Wen Sheng's Father returned, Xiang Shu and Uncle A Jin hurried out to greet him with smiles. "Brother! You're back! We were just waiting for you! Gao Ming is a good kid; he knows how to handle things. Come, let's sit down and take our time." They pulled Wen Sheng's Father into the house and had him sit in the main seat because he was the head of the family.
With Wen Sheng's Father back, it was time to start the meal.
Of course, the girls didn't drink. Wang Lijuan, Wen Xin, Wen Sheng, and Wen Sheng's Mother all ate together. Wen Sheng's Grandmother felt she was getting old and served herself some dishes before heading back to her room to eat.
Wen Hao stood up first to pour wine for his father, then for Xiang Shu and Uncle A Jin, and finally for Gao Ming. He raised his glass solemnly and said, "I want to apologize to my dad; please forgive me. Xiang Shu, Uncle Jin, you two keep an eye on me! If I mess with my dad again, just beat me up; I won't say a word!"
Xiang Shu sighed, "It's good that you understand so early! It's not too late; work hard, and I'll find you a wife." Wen Hao felt a bit shy at that.
Everyone was very happy. Once they had enough to drink, they began discussing motorcycles. Gao Ming stood up and said, "It's all set; we just need you to sign the papers. The repayment period is set within three years; if necessary, we can extend it further. With my brother and Wang Lijuan's dad backing us up, there won't be any issues."
Wen Sheng's Father fell silent.
At that moment, Wen Sheng and the others had finished eating. Wen Sheng watched as Wang Lijuan played with Wen Xin while Wen Sheng's Mother chatted with Wen Sheng's Grandmother.
After a moment of silence, Wen Sheng's Father asked Gao Ming, "How much does the motorcycle cost?"
Gao Ming thought for a moment and replied, "Between three thousand and five thousand yuan, depending on what Wen Hao wants."
Wen Sheng's Father pondered for a while before shaking his head. "Gao Ming! I can't sign this." He looked troubled.
Wen Hao’s previously joyful expression changed immediately as he asked in confusion, "What?"
Wen Sheng's Father repeated, "I won't sign! I won't sign!"
The atmosphere became awkward, and Gao Ming also looked uncomfortable. Xiang Shu and A Jin's expressions changed as well. Wen Hao's face turned red with anger, the veins on his forehead bulging as his tightly clenched fists began to tremble.
"I'll fight you!" Wen Hao shouted loudly. He then grabbed a chair and raised it, ready to smash it over his father's head. Despite the commotion, Gao Ming kept his eyes fixed on him. Sitting closest to Wen Hao, Gao Ming was of a similar age, making them peers. Unlike the previous time when he easily smashed Wen Sheng, this time Gao Ming quickly seized Wen Hao's arm that held the chair and forcefully brought him down to the ground.
A Jin Uncle and Xiang Shu rushed over to restrain Wen Hao, angrily exclaiming, "Wen Hao, are you crazy?" Seeing A Jin Uncle and Xiang Shu holding him down, Gao Ming snatched the chair from Wen Hao's hands and stepped aside. As a guest, it wasn't appropriate for him to fight with Wen Hao here.
Wen Sheng's Grandmother had heard the commotion and hurried out. Upon seeing A Jin Uncle and Xiang Shu pinning Wen Hao to the ground, she rushed over to pull them away, shouting, "You can't hit my child!" While scolding him, she added, "I’ll let you hit your father..."
In truth, her slaps didn't hurt at all; they were barely a nuisance. Otherwise, Wen Hao wouldn't be so reckless and increasingly out of line.
Noticing how awkward the situation had become, Xiang Shu apologetically said to Gao Ming, "Gao Ming, you guys should head back for now! We'll discuss this further!"
Wen Sheng's Mother looked troubled. Wen Sheng showed no expression, coldly observing the scene. Wang Lijuan tightly held onto Wen Xin, who was trembling in fear.
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