Just in Time Chapter 33
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 33 Be Mischievous
The New Year holiday passed quickly, and school started in the blink of an eye.
Yun Fang walked into the classroom wearing a thick scarf, and his glasses quickly fogged up.
Yi Chenliang had not arrived yet.
“Yun Fang, Old He wants you to go to the office to get the test papers!” someone shouted at him.
The monthly exam results were to be announced today, Yun Fang was not surprised, he put his school bag on the desk and went to the office.
Although he was the head teacher, Old He still liked to stay in the large office where all the teachers were. Yun Fang knocked on the door and went in, there were already quite a few teachers inside, and a few students were helping to distribute test papers.
“The total score is six hundred and two.” Old He looked at his report card, his eyes full of confusion, “You… are you deliberately failing some subjects?”
Yun Fang: “…”
“Physics was done well this time, if not discounted, 95 points, barely back to normal.” Old He took out his test paper and looked at it, “In the future, go to the laboratory building for competition class during evening self-study.”
Yun Fang had a bitter face, and heard Old He continue, “If you don’t want to anger your Chinese teacher, at least raise your Chinese score a bit, it’s not good to be too obvious.”
Yun Fang nodded.
Old He was still chattering about his monthly exam results, the morning reading had passed and he was still not finished, the office was a bit hot, Yun Fang tugged at the scarf he hadn’t had time to take off.
“Yi Chenliang’s father, Yi Chenliang’s recent performance has improved a lot, this monthly exam even scored six hundred points, and now he is only in the first year of high school, if he keeps it up, he has a very high possibility of getting into a first-tier or even a key university…” Old Fang was on the phone not far away.
Yun Fang keenly heard Yi Chenliang’s name and leaned towards Old Fang’s direction.
“No, don’t get excited first, I understand what you said, the family situation is indeed a reality, the country has a poverty subsidy policy, we can help Yi Chenliang apply…” Old Fang frowned, very disapprovingly, “Dropping out is a very serious matter, you should discuss it with Yi Chenliang.”
It was unknown what was said on the other end of the phone, but Old Fang’s face gradually darkened.
After hanging up the phone, Old Fang angrily slapped the table, “What kind of person!”
“What’s wrong?” Old He asked, “Is it Yi Chenliang’s parent from your class?”
“Suddenly called to say they want to withdraw Yi Chenliang from school, crying and shouting.” Old Fang frowned, “Even cursing their own child so harshly, it’s simply unreasonable!”
“Yi Chenliang is a good kid.” Old He said, “He has made great progress in these exams.”
“I really doubt if he is their biological child.” Old Fang grumbled angrily.
When Yun Fang returned to the classroom, Yi Chenliang’s seat was still empty.
Last time when the seats were rearranged, Ji Shumo was moved to the desk in front of them. Seeing Yun Fang come back, he turned his head and asked, “Study god, why hasn’t Brother Yi come?”
Yun Fang dumped the books out of his bag and threw the water cup on the table into it, “When class starts later, can you help me take notes?”
Seeing that his face was not good, Ji Shumo said, “Okay, are you not feeling well?”
“Thank you.” Yun Fang nodded, “I’m going to take a leave to go to the hospital.”
It was easy for Yun Fang to get a leave slip. He bought a few breads and two bottles of water from the small shop at the school gate and took a taxi.
“Where to?” the driver asked,
“Pingshan Town, Xiaowu Village.” Yun Fang reported a place name.
“Where?” The driver was stunned, “I know Pingshan Town, but is there such a village?”
“Yes, just go, I’ll guide you.” Yun Fang said.
“Okay.” The driver stepped on the gas.
Yun Fang left Yi Chenliang’s house two days ago, Yi Chenliang didn’t come to school today, and Yi Mingzhi called Old Fang to withdraw Yi Chenliang from school.
If it were only Yi Mingzhi and Song Lili, they definitely couldn’t take Yi Chenliang away. There must be more than them.
Xiaowu Village was very far from the city, even if one drove, it took more than two hours. Yun Fang asked the driver to stop at the entrance of the village, “Master, how much is it to charter a car for a day?”
The driver gestured with two fingers, “Two hundred yuan.”
Yun Fang stuffed him three hundred yuan, “Please wait here, I’m going to pick someone up.”
The driver took the money, “You gave too much, young man.”
“It might take a while.” Yun Fang opened the door and got out of the car, turned a corner and entered the village.
Now the weather was cold, most people were hiding in the house, the street was empty and there were not many people, Yun Fang vaguely remembered the alley of that year, after a long time, he finally found the courtyard in his memory.
Yi’s homestead was very large, with two courtyards front and back. Before Yi Chenze was born, the Yi family was doing pretty well.
The backyard was a mud wall, not too high, Yun Fang carried his school bag and jumped into the backyard in two steps.
The backyard was an old earth house from a long time ago, no one lived in it at all, it was used by Yi Mingzhi to store farm tools and firewood. Yi Mingzhi’s family of three all lived in the cement house in the front yard, the chimney on the roof was still smoking, the door to the backyard was blocked by a curtain, but one could still faintly hear the crying of a child.
Yun Fang walked to the back door, gently lifted a corner of the curtain, and the voices of Yi Mingzhi and Song Lili came through the door and window.
“…I’ll let them wait a few days, if they send him to the designated place now, he will run away.” Yi Mingzhi’s voice.
“Send him to the mine, he doesn’t know anyone there, where can he run!” Song Lili said while coaxing Yi Chenze, “I say starve him a few more meals! Beat him until he submits!”
“Third Brother and the others are not light-handed, what if they beat him to a cripple?” Yi Mingzhi disagreed, “If he’s crippled, the mine won’t want him.”
“Ungrateful wretch! I get angry just thinking about it!” Song Lili gritted her teeth, “Dare to run for so long, has no human heart at all, raised in vain!”
“I’ll go to the back and give him some water.” Yi Mingzhi said, “Starving for two days should be enough.”
“No, he was given water last night.” Song Lili stopped him, “Starve him for another day, I just don’t believe it, see how long he can hold out! I have to make him kneel down and beg me!”
“Alright, lower your voice, or you’ll wake up Chenchen again…”
From the conversation between the two, Yun Fang knew that Yi Chenliang should be locked in the mud room at the back. He walked over and saw that there was indeed a big lock on the outside, even the windows were sealed tightly, and he couldn’t see the situation inside at all.
Yun Fang caught a glimpse of the thin iron wire used by Yi Mingzhi to tie garlic on the window sill, pulled two from it, operated on the keyhole, and threw the heavy big lock to the ground.
Inside the earth house, there were firewood and a pile of garlic scattered around. Presumably for fear of Yi Chenliang’s resistance, the farm tools and other things were taken away.
Yun Fang closed the door behind him and saw Yi Chenliang curled up in the corner.
Yi Chenliang had no reaction to the sound of the door opening. He closed his eyes tightly. His left eye and forehead were covered with a large patch of brown blood. His right eye was swollen with a circle of purple and black, his lips were pale and chapped, the corner of his mouth was cracked, the blood that flowed out had dried up, his right arm was hanging weakly at his side, his clothes were covered with dust, the knees of his jeans were obviously worn out, and a circle of dark brown was stained with blood.
He just curled up in the corner lifelessly, almost indistinguishable from a dead person if it weren’t for the slight rise and fall of his chest.
But just two days ago, he was still full of life, fighting and watching fireworks with Yun Fang, still awkwardly making a fuss with him, and was held in his arms for a night.
Yun Fang knew that Yi Chenliang would be beaten badly. He thought he had seen countless bloody scenes and could remain calm in front of Yi Chenliang, but the moment he really saw it, he wanted to rush out and twist Yi Mingzhi and Song Lili’s necks.
Yi Chenliang moved slightly, Yun Fang quickly walked over, took off his down jacket and wrapped him up, carefully avoiding his right arm, and gently called him, “Yi Chenliang?”
Yi Chenliang moved, opened his eyes, his muscles tensed for a moment, and he was about to struggle subconsciously.
Yun Fang quickly held him, “It’s me!”
Hearing the familiar voice, Yi Chenliang’s hollow gaze finally focused, he looked at him steadily, his chapped lips moved, his throat was so hoarse that he couldn’t make a sound, “…Yun Fang?”
For a moment, he thought he was dreaming.
“Drink some water.” Yun Fang took out water from his bag and carefully brought it to his mouth.
Yi Chenliang was really thirsty, gulping down, the water flowed down the corner of his mouth to his neck and he didn’t care, he held the mineral water bottle tightly and didn’t let go.
“Drink slowly.” Yun Fang used his sleeve to wipe the water off his neck, “Be good, drink slowly.”
Yi Chenliang drank half a bottle of water before he came to his senses, closed his eyes weakly, leaving only the heavy sound of breathing.
Yun Fang reached out and touched his forehead, it was burning hot.
He had a fever.
“Yi Chenliang, you can’t sleep.” Yun Fang reached out and patted his face, seeing him open his eyes again, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Yi Chenliang tugged at the corner of his mouth, a hint of laughter in his eyes, “Damn… it’s not a dream?”
“It’s not a dream.” Yun Fang hugged him tightly, “I’m here to take you away.”
Yi Chenliang raised his hand to hug him, Yun Fang was about to help him up, but unexpectedly he was held by the neck, the dry and hot touch spread to the nerve endings through his lips, Yun Fang was shocked for a moment and forgot to move.
Yi Chenliang laughed lowly, hoarsely said, “These two days, every time I thought I was about to die, I thought of you.”
“…F*ck.” Yun Fang glared at him for two seconds and blurted out a curse.
Yi Chenliang laughed with a muffled voice, “I’ve thought about that too.”
Yun Fang’s face turned green, he supported Yi Chenliang’s arm to help him up, “Can you still walk?”
Yi Chenliang answered his question with action.
The mud wall was not high, with Yun Fang’s help, Yi Chenliang could barely climb over, Yun Fang followed closely and jumped down, only to see Yi Chenliang had already fallen to the ground.
What a great kowtow.
Yun Fang pulled him up and carried him on his back, heading towards the entrance of the village.
Yi Chenliang laid on his back, one arm around his neck, and said in a daze, “You’re quite strong.”
Yun Fang hoisted him up, “Not like you, burning like this and still have time to be a hooligan.”
Yi Chenliang buried his head in his neck, making Yun Fang a little irritable.
When they reached the entrance of the village, the taxi driver was still waiting there, seeing Yun Fang coming, he even honked the horn.
Yun Fang stuffed Yi Chenliang into the back seat, sat in himself and closed the door, the driver was startled, “What happened to him?”
Yun Fang didn’t speak, wrapped Yi Chenliang’s down jacket around him, “Master, turn up the air conditioning a bit.”
“Ah, okay.” The driver started the car, “Which hospital?”
“City Central Hospital.” Yun Fang reached out his arm around his shoulder and held him in his arms, his palm carefully supporting his head, “Please drive steadily, he has a head injury.”
The driver nodded quickly.
“Yi Chenliang, sleep later.” Yun Fang lowered his head and called him.
Yi Chenliang frowned, “My head hurts.”
“If it’s cracked open, it’s bad if it doesn’t hurt.” Yun Fang’s voice was relaxed, but his face was dark. The driver took a glance in the rearview mirror and quickly looked away.
“Damn…seven or eight people beat me…” Yi Chenliang was still very angry when he talked about it, “Almost didn’t beat me to death.”
Seven or eight strong laborers who work in the fields every day, beating a high school student, they really have the face.
Yun Fang held him down to prevent him from moving, “Do you know who beat you?”
“You wouldn’t know even if I told you.” Yi Chenliang probably felt a bit embarrassed and muttered a little.
“It’s okay, tell me.” Yun Fang’s tone was gentle, but his face was expressionless.
“Yi Mingzhi’s cousins…” Yi Chenliang was probably really delirious, he didn’t care how outrageous Yun Fang’s request was, he actually named seven people.
Yun Fang didn’t say anything after listening, he took out some water from his bag and handed it to his mouth, “Drink some more water.”
Yi Chenliang only took two sips this time and didn’t drink anymore, he was so cold that his whole body was shaking a bit, Yun Fang held him, “It’s okay, we’ll be at the hospital soon.”
Yun Fang put the injury assessment report, recording, and photos in his hand on the table.
Across the table was a young man in his early twenties, holding a bowl of instant noodles and looking at him in shock, “Who are you, kid?”
Yun Fang knocked on the table, “You just say whether you will take this case or not.”
“Mainly my law firm hasn’t opened yet…” The young man hesitated, “I just passed the exam.”
“It’s okay, I believe in you.” Yun Fang pushed the stuff towards him, “If you can’t win with such complete evidence, you might as well quit.”
The young man was choked by him, angrily slapped the instant noodle bowl on the table, “You dare to question my professional level!?”
Yun Fang jerked his chin at him, “You look at the information first.”
“Hiss.” The young man across the table flipped through the information, “Adoption and then abandonment, domestic violence against minors…it can be fought, but you also know, in this kind of thing, children can’t take the upper hand, at most they will be educated, and then it will be as it was.”
“That’s why I came to find you.” Yun Fang stared at him, “I want to revoke his guardianship.”
The young man–Huang Chu, a down-and-out little lawyer who had achieved nothing in four years after graduation and was living in a corner of a rental house, looked at him with a suspicious look on his face, “Are you really planning to find me?”
Yun Fang nodded.
When he accidentally killed Wang Youwei, he used a legal aid lawyer. This unlucky guy Huang Chu was sent to defend him. Although it was voluntary aid, he was very responsible and helped a lot. After he was released from prison, he never heard from Huang Chu again until he saw him on TV more than a decade later.
At that time, Huang Chu was already a well-known senior lawyer, except for less hair, basically no change.
Huang Chu looked at the evidence carefully for a long time, pushed the instant noodle bowl to the side, “Okay, then I’ll try, the kid is quite pitiful.”
“There’s one more thing…”
****
Yi Chenliang had two cuts on his head, stitched seventeen stitches, his right arm was dislocated, two ribs were broken, both knees were almost worn out with no good skin, not to mention other large and small wounds on his body.
After being given a fever-reducing injection and hanging a drip, he finally fell asleep completely, lying on the hospital bed with a pale face, almost no blood color could be seen.
Yun Fang sat by the bed and looked at him, his eyes were heavy.
His impression of Yi Mingzhi and Song Lili was pitifully little, he had never seen them again after he came out of the juvenile detention center, in his impression they were two mean and stupid people, even a bit cowardly, but he didn’t expect that they would dare to have someone beat Yi Chenliang like this.
Yi Chenliang didn’t kill anyone to go to the juvenile detention center, to them it was just money, Yi Chenze was waiting for treatment, as long as Yi Chenliang was still their son in name, they would not let Yi Chenliang go, no matter what means, they would always suck him dry.
He was the one who was negligent.
From the moment he blocked the knife that Yi Chenliang stabbed at Wang Youwei, everything had already deviated from the established trajectory, but he was slow to realize this.
Yun Fang reached out and touched Yi Chenliang’s forehead, the emotions in his eyes were unclear.
“I’m sorry.”
Yi Chenliang subconsciously rubbed against his palm.
Yun Fang belatedly remembered the burning kiss in the earthen house, and the further back ambiguous situation in the Xinnan Alley, and he immediately withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted.
[These two days, every time I felt like I was about to die, I was thinking of you…]
Yi Chenliang’s hoarse voice echoed in his mind at the right time.
Yun Fang furrowed his brows, a hint of anger emerging in his eyes. He suddenly stood up and scolded the patient who was sleeping soundly on the bed, “Stop messing around!”
A blush spread from the tips of his ears to his neck, particularly noticeable against his fair skin.