Fists can't cross Tianjin

Chapter 26 Farewell

The wind and snow had not yet stopped, and the night was deep.

The door to the courtyard was ajar, creaking in the cold wind.

The courtyard was quiet; most people had already gone to bed. Only a few houses had dim lights shining from their windows, and the faint sounds of coughing and children crying could be heard.

Chen Zhuo walked through the front yard with practiced ease, bypassed the old locust tree in the middle yard that had lost its leaves, and arrived at his own back room in the back yard.

The door lock had been smashed and was hanging crookedly on the door frame.

By the moonlight, he could see the scene inside the house.

a mess.

The already meager belongings were ransacked. The creaky wooden bed was overturned on the ground, the bed board broken in two; the corner table used for eating was missing a leg and leaned against the corner of the wall; the floor was littered with broken bowls and plates and trampled bedding rolls.

Even the tricycle rented from that car dealership is gone.

Chen Zhuo then understood that it was either Hua Mao's people who made the move, or it was the work of Lai Ye's employees at the car dealership.

He stepped over the debris on the ground and walked to the corner where the wooden bed had originally been placed.

The bed had been overturned and placed to the side, revealing a dusty floor.

He rummaged through the trash on the ground, then groped around in the cracks between the bricks for a while.

I breathed a sigh of relief after touching the book "Xingyi Pu".

Beneath the book, there was a gleaming gold coin.

"It's still there."

Chen Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief and put the things into his inner pocket.

I guess the guys at the car dealership knew I was a poor wretch and didn't have anything valuable at home, so they didn't search me.

However, unless I find a truly stable place in the future, I will still have to carry these two things with me.

Chen Zhuo had no reason to miss his messy home. He turned and walked out of the room, preparing to leave the place where he had lived for three or four years.

However, just as he stepped out of the moon gate in the backyard, a beam of flashlight suddenly shone on his face.

"Who?!"

An old but wary voice rang out.

Chen Zhuo subconsciously narrowed his eyes, his muscles tensing instantly—a primal reaction to danger.

But then he relaxed.

"Uncle Wang, it's me."

Chen Zhuo shielded his eyes from the glaring light and said in a low voice.

The flashlight beam flickered and then moved away.

Grandpa Wang, wearing a thick cotton-padded coat and an old military overcoat, stood in the passageway of the middle courtyard, holding a fire poker in his hand. From the house next door, a thin figure peeked out; it was Lin Xiaoman with two braids.

"Brother Chen?!"

Lin Xiaoman exclaimed in surprise and ran out from behind Grandpa Wang. By the moonlight, she recognized Chen Zhuo, and her eyes instantly reddened. "You...you're finally back! Those people...they towed your car away and smashed up your house..."

The little girl's voice was trembling with tears; she was clearly terrified by the menacing appearance of the group that afternoon.

Grandpa Wang sighed, put down the fire poker, and walked over to pat Chen Zhuo on the shoulder.

"Xiao Chen, who have you messed with? Those people don't look like good guys. If you owe money and need help, see if they can lend you some..."

Seeing the concerned looks in the eyes of the old man and the young boy, the hard ice in Chen Zhuo's heart seemed to crack a little.

In this cold and cruel world, this little bit of neighborly kindness is like a pot of charcoal fire on a winter night; though weak, it warms the heart.

But he couldn't accept it.

His current situation is like a whirlpool. Anyone who gets close to him will be sucked in and crushed to pieces.

The tabby cat, the person behind the tabby cat, Batel who is about to return... the bloodshed and violence behind these names are something that ordinary people like Grandpa Wang and Lin Xiaoman can never bear.

"It's alright, sir."

Chen Zhu grinned, a slightly stiff smile, but tried to appear relaxed. "It's all a misunderstanding. I've already resolved the car dealership issue; I just came back to pick up some things."

"Resolved?"

Grandpa Wang looked at him suspiciously, "Is it really resolved? What about the car...?"

"I don't want the car anymore; I'll use it to pay off the debt."

Chen Zhuo lied, "Perfect timing, I also want to change my way of life. Pedaling a tricycle is too tiring and doesn't lead to any future."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaoman stopped crying and looked up at Chen Zhuo: "Then... what will you do in the future, Brother Chen?"

"I……"

Chen Zhuo paused for a moment, his gaze passing through the eaves of the courtyard and looking at the dark night sky in the distance. "I received a letter from my hometown asking me to go back. There are some things to take care of at home, so I might have to stay there for a while."

That's a lame lie.

Everyone in the tenement knew that Chen Zhuo was an orphan; where did this "old home" come from?

But Old Wang, being a shrewd old man, seemed to understand something when he looked at Chen Zhuo's eyes, which shone somewhat frighteningly in the night. He didn't expose him, but simply gave Chen Zhuo a deep look and nodded.

"Okay, it's good to go back. It's chaotic outside, it's safer back home."

Grandpa Wang pulled a crumpled roll of money and grain coupons from his pocket and stuffed it into Chen Zhuo's hand, saying, "A poor family needs to be frugal on the road. Take this money and buy a pancake on the way."

"Sir, I can't..."

"Take it!"

Grandpa Wang glared at him. "Not enough? Take it!"

Chen Zhuo's hand trembled slightly.

The rolled-up money still carried the old man's body heat, burning his palms.

He didn't refuse again and silently accepted it.

At this moment, Lin Xiaoman seemed to remember something, turned around and ran back into the house. A little while later, she came running out holding a pair of brand-new black cloth shoes.

"Brother Chen, here you go."

The little girl lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, whether from the cold or embarrassment, it was hard to tell. "These are the thousand-layer soles I just finished sewing... Your shoes are showing your toes. You're going on a long trip, you need to wear a sturdy pair of shoes."

Chen Zhuo looked down at his worn-out shoes, the soles of which were worn through and his toes were frozen purple, and then at the pair of finely stitched, multi-layered soles in Lin Xiaoman's hand.

At that moment, his nose felt a little sore.

"Thanks."

Chen Zhuo took the shoes, his voice a little hoarse.

In front of the two of them, he took off his worn-out shoes and put on his new pair of multi-layered soles.

Not too big, not too small, just the right size.

Warm and comforting.

"Alright, it's getting late, let's hurry up and catch our train."

Grandpa Wang waved his hand.

"Brother Chen... will you come back?"

Lin Xiaoman stood in the cold wind, looking at him expectantly.

Chen Zhuo fell silent.

return?

Will he be able to come back?

Even if he returns, how will he face these two kind people? Will he be a martial arts apprentice with blood on his hands, or a fugitive on the run?

"Maybe."

Chen Zhuo gave an ambiguous answer.

He took one last deep look at the old man and the young boy, and at the dilapidated yet warm-hearted courtyard.

Then, he turned around.

"Grandpa, Xiaoman, take care."

After saying this, he walked into the dark alley without looking back.

The wind and snow were even stronger.

Chen Zhuo's figure was quickly swallowed up by the wind and snow, leaving only a line of deep and shallow footprints extending into the unknown distance.

Grandpa Wang stood at the door, staring at the footprints, and remained motionless for a long time.

"Uncle Wang, Brother Chen, he..." Lin Xiaoman said with some concern.

"Don't ask anymore."

Grandpa Wang sighed, "Everyone has their own destiny. Your Brother Chen has his own destiny..."

……

After leaving the courtyard, Chen Zhuo did not actually go to the train station.

He walked through several alleys, and after making sure there were no tails behind him, he turned and headed towards the most chaotic and remote part of the HQ district—the Xiguan Street shantytown.

It was a gathering place for migrants, beggars, fugitives, and lowly laborers.

It was dirty, chaotic, and filthy, a melting pot of all sorts of people.

But for Chen Zhuo now, that place is the best hiding place, and also the best... beast den.