During National Day, Grandma Ning finally got to see her long-missed grandson. Although Ning Xiaobei had already had his stitches removed and was no longer wrapped in that alarming white bandage, the string of crab-leg-like scars was still enough to make his grandmother’s heart ache.
“It’s fine, Grandma. I’m not a girl. Besides, it’s not on my face, having it on my arm doesn’t matter.”
Seeing his grandmother gently stroke the raised, flesh-red scar, Ning Xiaobei hurried to reassure her.
“No way!”
Grandma Ning and Fan Xia said in unison.
“In the future, when you go out to work, if people see scars on your arm, they’ll start thinking things. They might think you’re with the Green Gang and Red Gang…”
Grandma Ning shot a glance at the overly excited little dark-skinned boy, then continued, “When I was young, I knew a traditional Chinese doctor who made a kind of scar-removal ointment. I’ll go ask around and see if he’s still making it…”
Wait, Grandma, groups like the Green Gang and Red Gang are long gone. And whether that doctor you knew back then is even still alive is a big question!
Before Ning Xiaobei could stop her, his grandmother had already taken her cane and tap-tap-ed her way back into the room.
“What are you chiming in for?”
Ning Xiaobei touched his scar and shot Fan Xia a look. “I think this is pretty good. It’s very manly.”
Books always say, ‘Scars are a man’s medal.’
His medal was about a foot long, it definitely had some weight to it.
Ning Xiaobei had always felt his appearance was too soft, lacking a bit of intimidation; basically, not masculine enough. This scar balanced things out nicely. Maybe it even gave him a different kind of charm.
“No, no, no…absolutely not. Boss, don’t get any strange ideas.”
Fan Xia hurried to pour cold water on that thought. “You’re not suited for the tough-guy route. If anyone’s going that way, it should be me. How about this: Doesn’t Ding Zheyang’s mom have a lot of connections? She’s been sending girls from Shanghai to Tokyo lately for double eyelid surgery and nose jobs. She definitely knows doctors over there who can do scar removal. Worst case, we’ll just make a trip to Tokyo.”
That arm of his used to look so good, smooth and pale like a jade lotus root. Now it looked like a many centipede had crawled across it. It was seriously out of harmony.
Every time Fan Xia saw that scar, he would think of that day when Ning Xiaobei threw himself forward to act as a human cushion, and guilt would flood his heart again. “Anyway, this won’t do. You can’t leave a scar.”
Hearing that his voice was starting to sound choked up, Ning Xiaobei quickly joked, “What, are you afraid I’ll scare your Tan Ruirui?”
“Boss!”
Fan Xia almost wanted to smack him on the head with his crutch.
“I already said I don’t like her. Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Oh? Then the way you acted that day really looked like jealousy.”
Tilting his head, Ning Xiaobei asked teasingly, “Don’t tell me you weren’t happy after finding out I rejected her?”
“I’m leaving. Call me when it’s time to eat.”
Fan Xia turned and headed straight for his own front door.
Now Grandma Ning and Xiao Mei had also moved into the apartment building, though not with their son. Instead, they rented Wang Yihong’s old room. After returning from recuperation in Huangshan, they brought their furniture over and planned to stay until their allocated relocation housing was ready.
The demolition of Jiande Lane was already set in stone. Once the National Day holiday ended, the demolition team would begin work.
Right now, the alley was in complete chaos. Most families who had long struggled with cramped housing had been hoping for demolition for years. Many had already rented places outside and moved out months ago. Only a few households, determined to become holdouts, were still holding their ground.
For example, Old Master Song’s family.
The relocation team said it was outrageous. His 50-square-meter home somehow housed 28 people, the youngest not even a year old. They refused his demand for ten relocation apartments plus 200,000 yuan in compensation.
So every day, Old Master Song would bring his great-grandson, two lounge chairs, and a large sun umbrella he got from Old Jia, who sold popsicles, and go sit at the entrance of the relocation office.
In his words, he was going to work.
When the relocation office was open, he was on duty. When they closed, he took his great-grandson home.
He didn’t argue or make a fuss. He just sat there smiling at the entrance. Whenever someone went in or out, he would greet them. Anyone who didn’t know better might think he was a security guard hired for the place.
The staff at the relocation office couldn’t bear it any longer and told the family to take Old Master Song home. In this 37-38°C heat, if something really happened, they wouldn’t be able to take responsibility.
But Old Master Song’s children and grandchildren just shrugged helplessly, saying there was nothing they could do about their old man. They suggested the officials go talk to the old man himself and figure out a solution.
What a pitiful sight. Even Grandma Ning, out of years of neighborly affection, had tried to persuade him. If he collapsed, the whole family would fall apart. Getting seven relocation apartments was already a very good result. He shouldn’t even think about extra housing for all the messy grandchildren and even nephews.
But Old Master Song just shook his head and sighed, saying that his children weren’t as capable as Grandma Ning’s. Now, both husband and wife, along with their daughter’s family, were all unemployed. He wanted to make the most of the time he still had, fighting for as many benefits for his kids as possible. Once he drew his last breath, he wouldn’t need to worry about anyone anymore.
Those words were heartbreaking. Even Grandma Ning’s eyes filled with tears.
Back when he first moved to Jiande Lane, Old Master Song was still young and the young master of Song family. The family ran a leather goods shop on a main road, arriving and leaving in big sedan chairs, never worrying about money. Now, at his age, an eighty- or ninety-year-old man had to risk his dignity to fight for the family’s fortune. It was enough to make anyone sigh.
“Madam Ning, you’re lucky,” he said. “Your son is filial and capable, and your grandson is smart and studious.”
After two months under the scorching sun, the old man, once fair-skinned, was now tanned like the demolition crew workers. His hair was completely white, and even previously faint age spots had become prominent.
He waved to Grandma Ning and sighed. “Children and grandchildren have their own luck. If you ask me, you shouldn’t push Jian Guo to get married yet. Look at my children, each of them married. Counting it up, I have a full house of children and grandchildren, but what’s the point? Forget it… just let it be…”
Grandma Ning had no words to respond, letting out a long sigh.
Because Grandma Ning had moved in too, this National Day felt especially lively. Zhao Jingwen had originally planned to reserve a table at a nearby restaurant, but Ning Jianguo insisted on doing it at home. He hadn’t hosted a big feast at home in a long time, and with so many people around, he wanted to show off a bit.
So the Ning household had been busy since early that morning.
Life was good now. The Ning family’s newly bought giant fridge was packed with high-end ingredients: imported beef, East Star grouper, giant prawns nearly a foot long, and leafy greens from Uncle Zhao’s hometown in Nanhui, brought back last night. They are all homegrown, no pesticides, and fertilized naturally with manure. The spread was extravagant.
The three men, Uncle Zhao, Uncle Ning, and Ning Xiaobei, were busy as bees: one cleaning fish, one chopping vegetables, and the other flipping the wok. They were having a blast, showing off the domestic side of Shanghai men to perfection.
Xiao Mei had wanted to help too, but Ning Jianguo politely pulled her out of the kitchen.
He said, “Let the gentlemen handle this meal. The ladies can sit in the living room, watch TV, have some tea, maybe play a little mahjong, and wait for the food.”
“That’s right, Aunt Xiao Mei, go keep Grandma company for mahjong. Don’t worry about us; we’ve got this.”
The Ning family kitchen was really too small. With three grown men crammed in, there wasn’t much room to move, so Ning Xiaobei stood in the hallway, sorting vegetables.
Previously, Xiao Mei had called Old Lady Ning “Grandma” and Ning Jianguo “Brother Jianguo,” while Ning Xiaobei called her “Sister,” making the family titles completely tangled.
Today’s meal had a double purpose: to celebrate National Day and to celebrate Grandma officially taking Xiao Mei as her goddaughter. From now on, Xiao Mei would be her adopted aunt. Naturally, Ning Xiaobei now had to switch what he called her, too. In Shanghai dialect, aunt is often said as niangniang.
Thinking about it, if Yang Guo had called Xiaolongnu “niangniang,” the romance in 《The Return of the Condor Heroes》wouldn’t feel quite right.
Xiao Mei smiled shyly and walked into the living room.
Right now, the game was missing one player. Grandma Ning, Wang Yihong, and the elderly neighbor with the bad ear each took a side, just waiting for Xiao Mei to sit down.
“Fan Xia, get your butt up here now! Everyone’s busy to death, and you’re down there acting like a young master?”
Zhao Jingwen came out with a kitchen knife, circled around, noticed his nephew was missing, and called up downstairs.
“I can’t cook, and I can’t play mahjong. Why would I come upstairs? I’m still a cripple!”
Fan Xia clutched a throw pillow and howled back.
He was still mad and didn’t want to see the boss.
Forget about being jealous; Fan Xia didn’t even dip his soup dumplings in vinegar.
But that day, seeing Xiaobei with Tan Ruirui, he had felt genuinely upset, as if someone had dug a hollow inside him.
Later, when he realized Xiaobei had been rejecting her, he should’ve been relieved, but instead, it felt even stranger.
Relieved about what?
He didn’t even like Tan Ruirui.
Could it be… he liked the boss?
Was he jealous of the boss?
Ridiculous!
These past couple of days, Fan Xia had been miserable over this. And of course, the boss kept joking about it, like salt in the wound.
Fan Xia felt so uncomfortable, he thought he might not be able to eat a good meal.
And yet… he ended up eating half a rice cooker’s worth of Ning family rice.
“Burp…”
Fan Xia let out a satisfied belch, set down his bowl, and looked around embarrassed.
“Wow… truly a case of half-grown kid eats dad out of house and home.”
Grandma Ning, still a little flustered, said to Xiaomei, “Back when Xiaobei was just hitting puberty, he could really eat. But he still can’t compare to little dark kid… Xiao Zhao, raising this nephew of yours must be exhausting. If you were still working at the factory, he could eat up half a month’s wages all by himself.”
“Grandma, enough talking. Let’s toast,” Zhao Jingwen said, his expression hard to read as he raised his glass, and everyone clinked cups with each other.
At the sound of the cling-clang, Azi, who was lying by the edge of the sofa, opened one eye, peeked over, yawned, and then went back to dozing.
Since moving in, Azi had gotten a new boyfriend, and she went out on dates in the middle of the night. By day, she was like this, lazy and relaxed.
Ning Xiaobei thought decisively that when the weather cooled down, it would be time to arrange a neutering operation. Mother cats having too many litters is bad for their health and carries a risk of pyometra (uterine infection).
“Come on, let’s toast too,” Ning Xiaobei said, smiling as he picked up his cup filled with coconut milk and turned to Fan Xia.
“Don’t be mad. Drink some coconut milk, it’s good for whitening,” he teased.
He knew he’d been constantly teasing him lately, riling up this Black Cat Detective, and now he was taking the first step to make peace, giving him a way to save face.
“Nonsense! Coconut milk doesn’t whiten anything,” Fan Xia said, but he still took the cup, poured in the coconut milk, and clinked glasses with Ning Xiaobei, signaling that all was forgiven.
Fan Xia was the kind of person with a big heart. After one cup of coconut milk, and a bit of teasing from Xiaobei, all his worries melted away. He picked up his chopsticks and dove back into the meal.
“This year we’re celebrating National Day here with this meal. Next year, it’d be great if we could celebrate in the new house. Right, Grandma?”
Wang Yihong and Xiao Zhao from Nan Hui stood up and toasted Grandma Ning, who nodded happily, smiling all the while.
“I heard the house is already built, but you have to wait a year for it to settle naturally. Then add the time for renovations and proper ventilation for another three months, it’ll be at least the end of next year. Definitely won’t make it for National Day,” Zhao Jingwen explained.
Although the old Ning house only had three registered residents, it was spacious: the main hall on the first floor, bedrooms on the second, plus the attic totaled about eighty square meters. For modern Shanghai, that counted as a large apartment. Even without counting the residents, according to the counting bricks method used in relocation schemes, it would still qualify for a pretty good new house.
When Ning Jianguo went to the relocation office to negotiate, his demands were clear. First, the new house couldn’t be smaller than the current one. Second, it couldn’t be too far from the city center, because his mother’s health was poor, and she needed to visit the labor-insurance-affiliated textile hospital from time to time. So places far out like Baoshan or Minhang were completely out of the question. Finally, he requested a ground-floor storefront so he could eventually open a small shop.
The last condition, however, came from Ning Xiaobei. Future street-facing commercial property prices could rise dramatically, so it was better to plan ahead. Whether they opened a shop themselves or rented it out for income, it would be advantageous. Ning Jianguo thought his son’s suggestion was excellent and included it in the negotiations.
Speaking of relocation, it was also a painful memory for Ning Xiaobei.
When they first learned the old house would be demolished, Grandma Ning fell seriously ill. Before the relocation team even started formal negotiations, she passed away. Ning Jianguo, being an honest man, didn’t understand the nuances of the relocation process. On top of that, he was busy handling the funeral and couldn’t devote himself fully to the matter, leaving the officials to dictate terms.
They told him that there were only two names on the household registration, and that the house was old and in disrepair. Compensation would be roughly based on the recorded property area on the certificate.
The house, about 60 square meters, he ended up receiving was far in the suburbs and the subway wouldn’t even open until around 2010. The relocation officers even tried to persuade his family to be noble and generous, suggesting they take the top-floor unit and leave the ground and second floors for families with elderly members. Remarkably, Ning Jianguo agreed.
Years later, after Ning Xiaobei had worked for almost ten years, the family decided to buy the current apartment. They sold the old relocation house to cover the down payment, fetching just over two million yuan. By comparison, it wasn’t even as valuable as this tenement building.
Thinking about all this made Ning Xiaobei furious.
At the time, in the real world, he was just a child, who was clueless and powerless. Now, things were different. He was determined to fight for the best conditions for his father and grandmother.
A few days ago, Ning Jianguo went back to the relocation office. The officials, probably knowing his character, kept dodging him with all sorts of evasive talk, refusing to give a clear answer. Then Uncle Zhao stepped in. He didn’t say a word, he just pulled out a notebook and placed it on the table. “Here, everyone lay everything out on the table,” he said.
The notebook didn’t contain anything mysterious; it just listed the compensation plans that had already been agreed upon for every household in Jiande Lane.
Uncle Zhao said, “We’re not asking for much, and we don’t want to be holdouts. Just follow the government’s rules, and we’ll go along.
“If that’s not enough, then we’ll start analyzing from the first case in this notebook.
“Why did the Li family, also only three people, get two apartments, when their house was less than half the size of ours? Why can the Sun family’s side-branch daughter-in-law count as a household? Isn’t that just nonsense?
“Bring out the compensation officer and explain this to us. If the explanation makes sense, we’ll move to a basement in Kunshan if we have to.”
In the end, not only was the attic’s half-area confirmed, but because Ning Xiaobei was an only child, regulations allowed him to count as one and a half persons for household registration purposes.
Add everything up, and this time the family got two apartments: one on the first floor with a storefront, and one on the third floor. The only downside was that the third-floor apartment was all the way out in Jiading. Living there was hardly feasible, so it would have to be rented out.
Ning Xiaobei was fairly satisfied with the result. After all, sugarcane can’t be sweet at both ends.
“I’d say, the storefront isn’t that great anyway. It’s so far out in Pudong.”
The only person still unhappy was Grandma Ning.
These past few days, she kept telling anyone who would listen that she had come to Shanghai with her parents before she could even speak. She had lived her whole life as a Shanghainese, and now, old as she was, they were sending her back to the countryside.
“Grandma, how is Pudong the countryside? Pudong’s been under major development these past years. Look at all the skyscrapers in Lujiazui!”
Ning Xiaobei half-laughed, half-crying. “Grandma, the new apartment’s just past the tunnel. You’re already there.”
He had looked at the relocation apartment’s location. Twenty years from now, it would easily be a prime spot worth at least 100,000 yuan per square meter. Ten years later, with the Shanghai World Expo, the new home would be near the Expo Park — a true “golden location.”
“Don’t you know that saying, ‘Better a bed in Puxi than a house in Pudong’? You think I don’t know the market? Except for Lujiazui, Pudong’s still farmland. The underground pipelines were only just laid these past few years.”
The old lady clicked her tongue and shook her head. “A few days ago, your father went to check the construction site over there. He came back sunburned dark. I’d say he’s about on par with Fan Xia.”
Fan Xia lowered his head and looked at his own arm, then glanced at Ning Jianguo rolling up his sleeves. He couldn’t understand how Grandma Ning could make such a judgment, they were at least five Zhao Jingwens apart.
Ning Xiaobei finally realized that Grandma Ning shared the same problem as Gu Li in 《Tiny Times》— she simply couldn’t leave the Inner Ring!
Everyone was laughing and chatting; Wang Yihong was holding the youngest child, teasing Grandma Ning, when suddenly the phone rang.
“I’ll get it in the inner room.”
Ning Jianguo took off his apron, wiped his hands, gestured for everyone to continue eating and talking, and then went into the master bedroom.
Ning Xiaobei dipped his chopsticks in the orange juice and dripped a little onto Chang Leyun’s younger brother’s tongue. The little brat tasted the sweetness and grabbed his hand tightly. Everyone laughed heartily.
Zhao Jingwen and Xiao Zhao from Nanhui had clinked glasses several times but still hadn’t seen Ning Jianguo come out, so when nobody was paying attention, they went into the bedroom.
“What’s wrong?”
To his surprise, Ning Jianguo wasn’t on the phone. He was sitting dumbly at the edge of the bed, hands clasped over his knees, as if someone had struck a pressure point. His eyes were staring straight ahead, and his body was frozen.
Zhao Jingwen sensed immediately that something was off. He turned and locked the door, then sat down beside him.
“Jianguo, what happened? Is there a problem at the school cafeteria?”
Ning Jianguo lifted his head, staring blankly at him, mouth opening and closing, unable to say a word.
“Whatever it is, we can talk it out together. I’ll help you. Xiaobei’s a sensible kid too. Don’t bottle it up, just tell me.”
In over twenty years of knowing him, Zhao Jingwen had never seen Ning Jianguo look so lost and shattered.
“It… it was her calling…”
Ning Jianguo unconsciously grabbed Zhao Jingwen’s finger and took a deep, shuddering breath.
“She went to Jiande Lane to look for me, but no one was there anymore. Then she went to the neighborhood committee, and they gave her our phone number. She… she called…”
By the time Ning Jianguo finished, he could barely catch his breath.
“What do you mean ‘she’? Who is ‘she’? A debt collector? No matter who it is, I’ll help you. I, Zhao Jingwen, even if I go bankrupt, even if I lose everything, I will help you.”
He held Ning Jianguo’s hand firmly, looking him straight in the eyes.
“It’s… Xiaobei’s mother.”
………………
Author’s Note:
The next few chapters are the main event!
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