DBTHDCAR Chapter 55

“You didn’t see it. When Ning Xiaobei’s grandma stood over there— do you know what happened next?”

Fan Xia placed one foot on a stool, hand on his hip, the other forming a pointed gesture like a sword, aiming at the fluorescent light on the classroom ceiling.

“Clang—bang—raise!”

He even gave himself a dramatic slap on the board.

“The three jerks were completely frozen. They dropped to their knees right there, kowtowing while bawling and sniffling: ‘Grandma, we’ll never do it again! We’re pigs, we’re dogs, we’re worthless. Please, Old Lady, show mercy and spare us!’”

He squinted and made faces as he mimed it, every expression exaggerated, making the classmates burst into laughter.

“Grandma didn’t even bother with them. With a single wave of her hand, the two police officers stepped forward and hauled those country bumpkins away straight to the station.”

After finishing, he licked his lips, clearly savoring the story, and jumped down from the bench.

“That’s basically it. You guys didn’t see it with your own eyes. Ning Xiaobei’s dad’s moves, and his grandma’s sheer authority… tsk tsk, better than any movie stunt.”

It was the first day back after winter break. After lunch, Fan Xia started bragging in class, drawing half the students over to listen.

“Really? That intense?”

Lin Ziying crossed his arms and asked Chang Leyun beside him.

“I don’t know. I had tutoring that day, my mom told me about it later,” Chang Leyun said, looking disappointed.

“Don’t listen to him exaggerate,” Ning Xiaobei said. “It was just that my grandma took Xiao Mei to the police first thing in the morning. Her brother-in-law only cared about the bride price. He didn’t care that the guy had been married before or that he was half-blind. He wanted to marry his sister there anyway. That ‘One-Eyed’ man lost his sight because he’d get drunk and beat his wife; she accidentally poked him with chopsticks while defending herself.”

Ning Xiaobei picked up a ballpoint pen as he spoke.

“Whoa…”

Lin Ziying instinctively rubbed his eyes, just thinking about it made them hurt.

“And then?”

Chang Leyun asked, tense.

“Then his wife ran away. Never went back to their village, nobody knows where she went.”

Fan Xia finished his little performance, gulped down a few sips of water, and wiped his mouth.

Ding Zheyang, sitting in front, had been quietly listening the whole time and finally spoke up: “Ah, so that means he technically isn’t divorced yet?”

“Yeah, so Sister Xiao Mei never actually got the marriage certificate. It was only when they were about to hold the wedding banquet that she realized something was wrong, so she ran away.”

The class bell rang, and the classmates, still buzzing with excitement, returned to their seats. Sui Jun strode in confidently, holding his textbook, ready to start the lesson.

“Xiaobei, next time take me to Jiande Lane, okay? Grandma’s back living there now, right?”

Ding Zheyang spoke up suddenly.

Ever since last year’s National Day, Ding Zheyang had automatically become part of Ning Xiaobei’s little crew.

After his relationship with his parents improved, Ding Zheyang had gradually become more outgoing, and his grades steadily improved. By the end of last semester, he had climbed back into the top ten in his grade.

This made Mother Ding overjoyed; she kept sending gifts to Ning Xiaobei’s house like a never-ending stream, thanking him for taking good care of her son, Yangyang.

Now, Ding Zheyang not only insisted on sharing lunch with them every day, he also walked the short distance from the bike shed to the school gate with them after class. No matter how much Fan Xia tried to push him away, he had no choice but to grudgingly accept this reality.

“Ah…”

Ning Xiaobei didn’t know how to respond.

“What are you doing? Jiande Lane has nothing to do with you. Don’t even think about brown-nosing Grandma.”

Fan Xia glared at him as if he were a mortal enemy.

This guy had already conquered the tenement building, and now he was trying to expand into Jiande Lane? Preposterous.

“My parents are planning to do the qipao business with your uncle. I heard Grandma’s an expert, so it’s normal to pay a visit, right, Xiaobei?”

Ding Zheyang rolled his eyes at Fan Xia, then turned to Xiaobei with a bright smile. “How about this Sunday?”

“I’ll ask my dad at home…”

That made sense, so Ning Xiaobei nodded in agreement.

“Ahhh! You little pest! You little pest!”

Fan Xia was so frustrated that smoke seemed to be coming out of his head, stamping the floor with his feet.

From the teacher’s desk, Sui Jun called him twice. Seeing that he was still losing it, he threw a piece of chalk at him. It hit Fan Xia square on the forehead with a pop.

Fan Xia clutched his head and let out a wailing groan.

“Idiot…”

Ding Zheyang turned his head and smirked at Fan Xia’s pitiful, crying-over-your-own-forehead pose.

Xiao Mei was back, and naturally, Grandma had moved back home as well.

But before returning, Grandma had said one thing to Ning Jianguo: if the demolition office comes, you help me negotiate… try to get a first-floor house with a courtyard. I’m old now; my legs aren’t what they used to be, can’t climb stairs anymore.

Grandma had come to terms with things.

Ning Jianguo was genuinely happy, though he was a bit puzzled. Why had his mom suddenly made up her mind? Could it be that Xiao Mei’s situation had finally jolted her?

Only Ning Xiaobei knew that the steadfast belief Grandma had always carried was no longer there.

He had no idea what regrets the real-world Grandma might have felt when she passed away.

He remembered that in that other world, even into late spring the following year, Grandma still hadn’t seen the first gardenia bloom. She sent Ning Jianguo to inquire and only then learned that Old Lady Shui Xiang had passed away.

So Grandma had waited for that unknown gentleman until the very last moment of her life.

After Grandma Ning returned home, Ning Xiaobei was considerate, taking Fan Xia out every day— today to the museum, tomorrow to the bookstore—giving Dad and Uncle Zhao plenty of space to spend time together.

Whether Uncle Zhao was happy or not, Xiaobei didn’t know; but Fan Xia was delighted.

If it weren’t for the short winter break, he would have even dragged Xiaobei to visit his new mom’s house in Chongming.

New Mom Liang Huihui lived in the countryside of Chongming, with vegetable fields in front of the house, fish ponds behind it, and shady green trees all around. The area is full of natural charm and wild beauty.

Fan Xia loved fishing for crayfish in the small rivers nearby, and in spring, riding his bike through the fields, the wind blowing straight at him smelled sweet.

He had invited Ning Xiaobei to visit Chongming Island several times, but the Ning family was always busy, and Xiaobei could never get away.

This time, they made a promise: once they reached the third year of middle school at No. 1 High School, daily cram classes would be mandatory. So this summer vacation, before entering third year, they were determined to have one last, wild, carefree trip to the island.

In May, Zhao Jingwen and the Ding family couple jointly opened the 【Guoyun Qipao Shop.】They rented a small street-side villa on Changle Road.

Zhao Jingwen was smart. Since they were starting a business, he wanted to build a brand, not just blend into the clothing market like a wholesale stall. His aim was high-end qipaos, targeting wealthy Japanese housewives and Shanghai’s rich young ladies alike.

Back then, Changle Road wasn’t a trendy hotspot. One small villa after another hid behind tall French sycamore trees and gray iron fences, and occasionally, a snippet of classical Western music floated out, giving the street an air of mystery.

After renting the villa, Zhao Jingwen specifically invited Grandma Ning over, asking her to advise on how a wealthy Shanghai home in the 1930s and 1940s should be decorated. He didn’t want to spend a fortune and end up with a half-baked, neither-here-nor-there design that would make people laugh.

After what had happened at Jiande Lane, Zhao Jingwen now treated Grandma Ning like a goddess or rather, an empress. If anyone told him that the female lead of 《Shanghai Bund》 wasn’t Feng Chengcheng but Grandma Ning, he would have believed it without hesitation.

No — Grandma Ning wasn’t just the woman in 《Shanghai Bund》. She was the boss of Shanghai Bund, the ultimate big sister!

Besides guiding the villa’s renovation, Grandma also contributed her own collection of qipaos, enough to fill two large rosewood wardrobes, leaving everyone’s eyes spinning, as if they’d stepped into a qipao museum.

It turned out qipaos weren’t just made of shiny fabrics or satin. There were lace ones, corduroy ones, fragrance silk ones, wool ones, and countless other fabrics with names no one could even recall. Their frog buttons, hidden fasteners, topstitching, piping, and trims all had intricate details. And women used to wear slips or pants under them!

Ding Zheyang’s mother couldn’t stop marveling. “Why hire a designer? Any modern tailor who can recreate these dresses about eighty percent accurately would have a lifetime of work!”

Ning Xiaobei wholeheartedly agreed.

Still, he suggested Zhao Jingwen also check out Hong Kong. After all, fashion evolves. Grandma Ning’s wardrobe reflected only the 1940s, and the styles that followed mainly developed in Hong Kong.

Zhao Jingwen’s villa renovation was nearly complete. Contacts were already made with textile factories in Huzhou and Suzhou, as well as with master tailors who did high-end custom work. They decided to visit Hong Kong over summer vacation together with Ning Jianguo —coincidentally, the school cafeteria was on break too.

In short, the two men in Room 216 were brimming with excitement for the upcoming summer.

………………

“Hey, I heard he’s going to take the entrance exam for the affiliated high school with you guys. Is that true?”

After class, the kids walked to the school gate together. The only one who lived in the south, Ding Zheyang, waved goodbye to everyone and went off alone.

Once Ding Zheyang was out of sight, Lin Ziying leaned over toward Fan Xia, blinking curiously, and asked.

“Don’t tell me, he’s following you guys too?”

“Don’t even mention it, little tag-along,”

Fan Xia rolled his eyes, then scowled and asked.

“How come you’re the traitor this time? Ding Zheyang’s taking the affiliated school exam, and you’re staying behind?”

“Hey, it’s not that I don’t want to go with you guys. It’s just… no matter how much my dad loves education, he can’t invest in two schools in just a few years. The affiliated high school has a lot of rich kids too, and the parent committee chairman over there isn’t easy to be.”

Lin Ziying hesitated.

Fan Xia couldn’t comprehend the problems of someone at his super-rich level and just shook his head helplessly.

News that Ning Xiaobei was planning to take the entrance exam for X University Affiliated High School had spread through the entire grade. It even reached the principal and the grade leader, who rushed over to Ning Jianguo’s house with gifts late at night to talk things through, only to return empty-handed.

In truth, Ning Jianguo himself wasn’t exactly thrilled about Xiaobei wanting to board at school.

Xiaobei had never been away from his side. The thought of his son living out in the suburbs, seeing him only once a week, was almost unbearable.

And now Xiaobei would leave, taking a group of friends along with him.

Fan Xia, Chang Leyun, and even Ding Zheyang had all made it clear: they didn’t want to be separated and they wanted to stick together.

These little fledglings of theirs were slowly spreading their wings, lifting their heads to the endless sky.

When kids grow up and step out into the world, the adults suddenly feel older. A pang of sadness came over them. Even Zhao Jingwen, who was secretly looking forward to some quiet two-person time with Ning Jianguo, felt a little tug at his heart. That little rascal of theirs, it was annoying when he was around, but worrisome when he wasn’t.

“Boss, why does Ding Zheyang always have to follow us around? He’s driving me nuts!”

Back home, Fan Xia grew more irritated the more he thought about it.

The idea of sharing a dorm with that kid day and night made him restless, almost as if he’d entered early menopause — a term he’d learned from Chang Leyun.

Lately, Aunt Wang’s temper had been short. A woman who had always been diligent suddenly became lazy and prone to random bursts of anger. Chang Leyun had read about it in the library and concluded that menopause was probably the cause.

Since learning the term, Fan Xia liked to toss it out occasionally, usually aimed at his hot-headed uncle, Zhao Jingwen.

You can imagine how that turned out.

Actually, Ning Xiaobei had been tempted to say Aunt Wang didn’t seem like she was in menopause. She looked more like she might be pregnant, and her little brother might be arriving early. But that wasn’t something to blurt out carelessly; only time would tell in a few months.

“Fan Xia, why are you always picking on him? I really don’t get it. He’s doing fine now, isn’t he?”

Ning Xiaobei grabbed two apples and headed to the kitchen to wash them. At the same time, he scooped rice from the bag, planning to rinse it and soak it in the rice cooker for later.

Since Ning Jianguo had to wait until the textile school cafeteria finished dinner before coming home to cook, he would return at noon to drop off the groceries in the fridge. Now, after school, Ning Xiaobei did whatever small prep he could: cleaning and chopping vegetables, shelling beans, and soaking the rice. When Jianguo got home, he could just heat the oil and start cooking.

Fan Xia had tried to help in the kitchen before, but after he turned chunks of winter melon into mush and completely burned a whole batch of steamed buns, ruining their steamer in the process, Ning Xiaobei made sure he never stepped foot in the kitchen again.

As for Zhao Jingwen, ever since opening the qipao shop, he had been practically living on Changle Road.

Besides Xiao Su, they had hired a female college student part-time. After dinner every day, Uncle Zhao would rush back to the shop, only returning home after the store closed around 10 o’clock at night.

It was at least ten times busier than when he ran the shop on Xiangyang Road, but, of course, the income was also more than ten times higher. Rumor had it that Uncle Zhao had recently dragged Ning Jianguo along to sign up for driving school, so it looked like he was planning to buy a car.

Last week, Ding Zheyang mysteriously brought a Japanese travel magazine to school and laid it open in front of Ning Xiaobei and the others.

“Look! Shanghai Travel Must-Visit Spot NO.1—Changle Road Villa Qipao Shop. Xiaobei, our qipao shop is featured in a Japanese magazine! We’re famous internationally now!”

Ding Zheyang pointed to a full-color photo in the magazine.

Fan Xia craned his neck to look. The photo showed the back hall of the 【Guoyun Qipao Shop.】 An old-fashioned record player stood in the corner, with a row of freshly made qipaos hanging nearby. Three or four women were lounging on European-style sofas, sipping tea. The most beautiful one, of course, was Wang Yihong. Fan Xia had no idea when the photo had been taken, and Zhao Jingwen hadn’t said a word about it.

Ning Xiaobei knew that Japanese people loved secret shop visits and making all sorts of ranking lists. It seemed the qipao shop had already gained a small reputation, and business would likely grow even more in the future.

That meant his uncle probably wouldn’t go back to peddling fake designer goods, and Ding Zheyang’s parents wouldn’t move back to Japan for work either.

He smiled in relief and said he wanted to put the magazine on the shop’s magazine rack so passing customers could see it.

Seeing Ning Xiaobei smile, Ding Zheyang was so excited he didn’t know what to do, nodding repeatedly.

Fan Xia watched all this and felt like a nail had been hammered into his eye.

The moment Ding Zheyang said our shop, Fan Xia’s chest tightened.

It was clearly a shop opened by his parents and his uncle, so how did it become ours, like he and Ning Xiaobei were co-owners?

Then again, Uncle Ning had invested some money, and Grandma Ning was officially listed as the part-time art director.

Still… why did this four-eyes even understand Japanese?

His English scores were finally catching up to Fan Xia’s level. He hadn’t expected the kid to know some Japanese as well.

Thinking of his parents having spent so many years in Japan, maybe their Japanese was even better than their English. Fan Xia felt a twinge of jealousy and worry creeping in.

“I don’t even know why. I just… can’t stand him.”

Fan Xia took the apple, crunching it down with a crack-crack, stubbornly refusing to admit it was because he felt inferior to him.

Ning Xiaobei had nothing to say. After finishing his apple, he ducked back into the kitchen and started chopping vegetables again, the tap-tap-tap of the knife echoing.

From the fourth floor floated the sweet sound of a violin; it was Chang Leyun practicing.

For her grade exams, she had to practice every day. After school, she would finish her homework first, then play the violin. Half an hour before dinner, a short break after eating, and then back to practice again — nothing ended before nine o’clock.

So at this hour, the whole tenement building was filled with music.

Usually, the first half of her practice was Kabalevsky’s Violin Concerto in C Major, and the second half was Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor.

Chang Leyun had been playing those two pieces for a solid six months, and even Fan Xia, a total layman when it came to classical music, had learned to recognize them.

Sometimes, if she hit a wrong note by accident, Fan Xia, mid-bite, would suddenly look up and burst out laughing, jumping so suddenly that everyone else got startled.

Ning Xiaobei was chopping vegetables in time with the music when he suddenly stepped out of the kitchen.

“Fan Xia!”

His eyes were shining brighter than the blade in his hand.

“Boss, slow down. Say what you want, but put the knife down first.”

Fan Xia took a step back, startled.

“Come here.”

Ning Xiaobei mysteriously pulled Fan Xia closer into the kitchen, stood on tiptoe, and pointed toward the tall trees planted along the row houses below.

“What? What is it?”

Fan Xia squinted in the direction he was pointing but saw nothing. Instead, Ning Xiaobei’s right hand held the vegetable knife pressed against his shoulder, the cold gleam sending shivers down his spine.

“Look closely… there’s someone over there.”

The window above the kitchen looked out onto the neighborhood’s greenery, a seldom-used strip of land. In the real world years later, it would be transformed into a fitness area with a Fengchao Smart Locker¹ machine, but here, not even a bench had been placed.

Fan Xia’s eyes widened as he scrutinized the shadows under the trees, and finally, he could make out a human figure.

A teenage-looking boy leaned against a bicycle, staring upward. He stood perfectly still, and if not for a gust of wind shifting the leaves, Fan Xia would never have seen him.

“Ding Zheyang? That brat didn’t go home? He actually followed us here!”

Fan Xia bristled like an angry cat whose tail had been stepped on. He turned, ready to rush downstairs and grab the kid to see what he was up to.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

Ning Xiaobei quickly pulled him back.

“I’ve seen him several times already. As long as it doesn’t rain, he comes every single day.”

Ning Xiaobei smiled, a lively gleam dancing in his slightly upturned eyes.

“So twisted? Boss, should we call the police?”

“Are you stupid or what?”

Ning Xiaobei tapped his elbow with the back of the knife. Fan Xia yelped in pain and hurriedly begged for mercy.

“Wait until the piece finishes, then he’ll leave. You don’t need to chase him off.”

Ning Xiaobei thought for a moment and added, “When the second half ends.”

“That’s after nine, then?”

Fan Xia looked up at the ceiling upstairs and suddenly had a lightbulb moment.

“Ah! Chang Leyun, Lele!”

“Whoa, well done figuring that out, smarty pants.”

Ning Xiaobei shook his head and went back to the cutting board.

The rhythmic chop, chop, chop of the knife blended surprisingly well with the violin concerto.

“Ah… I see now… oh man, I knew it…”

Fan Xia flailed his arms aimlessly like a gorilla in Xijiao Park, scratched his head, then slapped his own palm, muttering to himself, “Damn… he’s trying to start a relationship early.”

That’s against school rules and the Code of Conduct for Middle School Students! Ugh!

“Idiot. That’s called a secret crush.”

Ning Xiaobei stuffed a piece of sliced lotus root into his mouth, washed his hands, and went back to the living room to do homework while waiting for Ning Jianguo to come home.

“Stop staring, there’s plenty to wait for.”

Seeing Fan Xia still completely absorbed, leaning out the window for a better look, Ning Xiaobei rolled his eyes and pulled him back.

After dinner, Fan Xia and Ning Xiaobei went back into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

By now, the neighborhood streetlights were on, casting a clearer glow on the boy beneath the lilac tree.

In the mix of deep green and purple-tinged light, the boy by the bicycle looked almost mesmerized, staring up at a particular window upstairs.

Tiny purple petals fell onto his shoulders, and the boy didn’t notice at all, letting the fragrant handful of petals envelop him completely.

“Young love is always poetic”

Ning Xiaobei sighed.

“Ugh, gross”

Fan Xia wrinkled his nose and went downstairs to take out the trash.

It was just past nine. As the last notes of the concerto faded, the apartment building grew silent.

Fan Xia, sitting at his desk reading, jumped up and rushed into the kitchen. He opened the window and peered down.

The sculpted figure finally moved, kicking away the bicycle stand and pushing the bike toward the gate, looking a little lonely.

“Tch…”

He snorted in disdain, whistled, and returned to his tiny room, taking out the stamp album he’d snatched from Ning Xiaobei and flipping through it page by page.

Since it was a secret crush, let him keep it secret. Neither he nor Xiaobei would tell anyone on the fourth floor.

Fan Xia chuckled to himself, inexplicably feeling better.

………………

Summer arrived quickly. Ning Xiaobei spent more than a month on Chongming Island with Fan Xia. Every day they chased birds, fished, caught cicadas and crickets, returning sun-darkened. The first day back in the city, Ning Xiaobei startled Grandma Ning, who thought she saw two Fan Xias.

Zhao Jingwen also took Ning Jianguo, flying for the first time, on a trip to Hong Kong — a summer almost like a honeymoon, something that had never happened in the real world.

How many new qipao designs they learned, nobody knew, but they did get a lot of suits tailored. Compared with Shanghai styles, Hong Kong suits were really trendy at that time. From Ning Xiaobei’s perspective, each matching set was a couple outfit.

Unfortunately, his dad spent all day in the school cafeteria kitchen, with few chances to wear them. Zhao Jingwen, on the other hand, carried his big mobile phone everywhere, dressed in new suits, turning heads wherever he went. Rumor had it that many of the female customers in the shop were drawn in by him.

Aunt Wang was confirmed to be expecting her second child, and the Zhao family celebrated.

Grandma Zhao came up from the countryside in Nanhui, bringing dried fruits, yams, sweet corn, and small clothes made from homespun cloth for the baby. She even brought a dozen traditional cloth diapers, which left Wang Yihong both amused and exasperated. But since disposable diapers were standard now, she couldn’t just say it, so she accepted them all to avoid hurting the elder’s feelings.

At first, Aunt Wang worried that a teenage girl would be sensitive and fragile, and feared that her daughter wouldn’t be able to accept having a little brother so soon.

Unexpectedly, Chang Leyun accepted it very calmly. She said she had always envied Fan Xia for having a younger sister, and now this was fine too, more like a real family.

Pregnant people tend to tear up easily, and sure enough, Wang Yihong ended up crying. Zhao Jingwen, who worked at the Cultural Center and was a bit of a sentimental intellectual, also got caught up and shed tears. In the end, the three of them hugged and cried in a tangle.

The next day, when Fan Xia heard about it, his eyes nearly rolled right to the back of his head.

Then came the busy final year of middle school.

A year later, in early summer, a mailman riding a green bicycle arrived under the tenement building. He pulled out three identical bright red envelopes and shouted up to the windows:

“Students of Rooms 216, 316, and 420, come down to collect your admission letters!”

………………

Author’s Note:

Oh my, by my count, I’ve written over thirty chapters about middle school life. Hurry up and grow up, kids. Your dad wants to resurrect already!

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『dapotaturs note: Next – High School Arc ♥』

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