The youth we spent together, brothers

  "Study hard in school and don't be lazy." I nodded as I looked at my nagging mother, "Uh-huh, I know."

  It wasn't easy for me either, I entered junior high school at the age of 13 and was admitted to Xingtan Middle School in our small county town with excellent grades.

  That day, the school informed us to bring our bedding to school. I stubbornly carried a suitcase to the dormitory building, found my class, and walked in only to discover that there were already many people inside. Everyone was chatting and laughing, introducing themselves to each other. However, one person stood out - leaning against the wall with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, his head held high, with an expression of utter disdain for the world. This made me somewhat suspicious - could he even see the ground when he walked?

  I stood at the door, staring blankly at him for a moment, but didn't pay attention to him. I walked around him and found a spot against the wall to lay out my bedding. Then I was about to go out for some fresh air because the smell of smoke in the room was very heavy. I don't know how many cigarettes this person had smoked. Originally, I don't smoke, and I'm also very disgusted by this smell. After staying in this dormitory for so long and smelling this smell for so long, I suddenly felt like vomiting. However, just as I passed by him, the man who was always looking up at the ceiling suddenly lifted his leg and put it on one of the beds in the dormitory, blocking my way.

  He looked at me with a faint smile and said "Where are you going?"

  "Let's go out for some fresh air!" I said truthfully. "It's a bit stuffy in the house, so I thought we could go out and get some air."

  "Huh, why didn't I feel that way?"

  "I don't like the smell of this smoke!"

  "Ah." The man looked at me and nodded, his legs still stretched out on the bed blocking my way. "What's your name?"

  "Qiao Weiguo." I looked at him and smiled, "Excuse me, could you please let me out for a bit? If you feel comfortable like this, after I'm gone, you can climb back on, okay?"

  "I'm happy like this, do you care?" The man said and threw the cigarette in his hand directly at me, the lit end scorching a hole in my clothes before falling to the ground. "How old are you this year?"

  "Thirteen." I lowered my head and glanced at the button on my clothes, then reached out to touch it. "What's wrong with you? How can you just throw away a cigarette butt like that?"

  "Do I care? Suit yourself."

  "Mind your own business." I tried to control my emotions and appear more stable, but inside I was furious. I was scared, it was my first time in middle school, and I had heard that there were many delinquent boys here who were very intimidating. If you got into a conflict with someone, they could call up a whole group of people with just one phone call. Looking at the person in front of me, he seemed to be one of them too. "Can I please leave?"

  "What if I say no?"

  "How can you be like this?" I was somewhat impatient, took a deep breath, and looked up at him. "This dormitory isn't yours alone, it's everyone's, how can you do this?"

  "Hey, kid, what do you want to do, hit me? Haha." The man looked at me and laughed twice. "I don't like it when people talk to me like that, in other words, beg me nicely or call me grandpa, I might consider going out."

  "You..." I was at a loss for words, feeling very indignant. I turned my head to look at the other guys in the dormitory, and they were no longer smiling either. They all looked at me, and the dormitory fell silent. "Fine, I won't go out."

  After finishing speaking, he was about to turn around and go back to his own bed, but was pulled back by him. "I don't like the way you spoke to me just now, or that tone of voice. In other words, say it again, I can let you out. And didn't I tell you not to call me that? Call me Master, and I'll let you go."

  "Are you done yet?" I was getting impatient. "What do you want, you wouldn't let me go out, now that I'm going back, you're not letting me either? I'm really confused, is this school your family's or something?"

  "It's not my family." The man looked at me and laughed twice "However, I think you're done?"

  "What's going on?" I was somewhat perplexed "Please speak more clearly!"

  "You don't know, well, now I'll tell you." The man said, and then put down his legs. I thought he was giving way to me, so I didn't stand on ceremony either, and was about to walk out. However, just as I passed by his side, my face suddenly felt hot, and my body involuntarily leaned to the side, directly leaning against the bed on one side, which was very painful.

  I turned around and stared at the person in front of me who was rushing towards me with a smile, stunned for a moment, then reached out to touch my own face "Did you hit me?"

  "What's going on?"

  "You son of a bitch!" I had already lost my patience, staring at the person in front of me, I raised my fist and punched him in the face. However, this guy was very agile and dodged to the side, avoiding my punch. Unfortunately for me, I used too much force and didn't hold back, so I ended up punching the wall instead. A sharp pain followed immediately.

  This man looked at me and smiled, then kicked my stomach with one foot, grabbed my hair with his hand, and punched my face twice. He then swung me to the side with great force, I didn't even have a chance to fight back, and was thrown directly to the ground. This man took two steps forward, and one of his feet landed squarely on my hand, using considerable force, instantly sending a searing pain through me.

  "Not satisfied?" The man looked at me and smiled, then pointed to himself "Wang Tong, Class 1-12, if not satisfied, can go find me, OK."

  "Alright, alright, that's enough." Just then two guys came over and pulled him away. "That's enough, he didn't do anything to you, don't make a scene."

  "You're also looking for trouble, aren't you?" This guy named Wang Tong turned his head to look at these two guys. "This is the first day of school, and I'm warning you, did you hear me? Don't come over here and nonsense with me for no reason, just take care of yourselves."

  "My grass, he."

  "Haha, never mind, let's just forget it. We won't resist." The guy who spoke earlier was stopped by the tall and thin guy standing next to him before he could finish his sentence. "We weren't interested in this so-called big flag anyway, you can just go ahead and resist if you want."

  "This is just about right!" Wang Tong said, lifting his foot off my hand and adjusting his collar. "That's it for today, I'm giving these two people face, otherwise I'd kill you, remember that, Class 12, if you don't agree, come find me anytime."

  "It's all right, just leave it like that." The tall and thin guy looked at Wang Tong with a smile, but didn't say anything else. After waiting for Wang Tong to leave, he walked over to me and pulled me up from the ground "Are you okay?"

  "No!" I looked at these two guys and smiled "Thanks."

  "A single dormitory, not two families talking, some words I just said directly, your hands are good, actions are also very fast, this time you didn't hit him, mainly because you're afraid, from your heart you're afraid, lack of confidence, am I right?"

  "Ah ah, right." I smiled "You're so accurate!"

  "Haha, very easy." The tall and thin guy looked at me and laughed twice. "My name is Liu Xu, that Li Hao doesn't like to talk much."

  "Xiao Ge, Hao Ge." I said sincerely "I hope you will take care of me more in the future."

  "There's nothing to take care of or not!" Xiong Ge patted my shoulder "We're in the same dorm and we're in the same class, helping each other out is what we should do."

  "That's it!" I smiled awkwardly. "I thought I heard that Wang something Tong say he was from Class 12, but we're clearly from Class 4. How did he end up in our dorm and smoking too? Doesn't the school care?"

  "Is he the school tyrant? I'm telling you, his uncle is the principal, that's why he's so arrogant. He came to our class to show off, but actually, he doesn't have any real skills." Haoge patted me on the shoulder and said, "I used to be classmates with him in elementary school, from first grade to fourth grade. But then he got held back a year in sixth grade, so we didn't stay together after that. Even back in elementary school, this guy would often bully me. It seems like he's still friends with two people who are now in seventh grade. Anyway, I think he's just looking for trouble. If Liu Xiang hadn't pulled me back earlier, I would have definitely fought him and avenged my long-held grudge."

  "It's so cruel." I looked at Hao Ge and smiled "Forget it, in short, just one sentence, thank you two brothers today."

  "What's the big deal? We won't be able to help much later anyway. Let's just play together later." Xiong Ge said, and then patted my shoulder "Come on, haven't reported yet, right? Go now, together."

  "Alright." I was originally a self-starter, and as I spoke, I also put my arms around Xiao Ge and Hao Ge's shoulders. "Let's play together in the future, you guys can't bully me."

  "Haha, definitely, whoever dares to bully you, I'll dig up their ancestors' graves! Haha." The three of them chatted and laughed as they headed towards the teaching building, found the so-called registration place, and followed the crowd to complete all the procedures. I originally said that we should go take a look at our classroom first, but Xiang Ge and Hao Ge vetoed it, saying that even if we went now, it would just be listening to the teacher ramble on, and we wouldn't learn anything, so it's better to go back to the dormitory and chat while lying in bed.

  I also had no choice, followed Xuge and Haoge back to the dormitory, lying in bed for two days. The two of them were still smoking and even gave me a cigarette. I don't know why, but I took it and lit it up too. Although I didn't know how to smoke, I went through the motions, taking a drag and then spitting it out.

  Through chatting, I learned that Xiong Ge and Hao Ge had already attended the first year of junior high school in this school. By right, they should be attending the second year now. However, at the end of their first year, it seemed like these two brothers, along with another brother, got into a conflict with someone else and had a small fight. As a result, they were discovered and expelled.

  As for why he wasn't expelled, I was quite puzzled and asked around. Xuguo and Haoguo didn't say much, just that his family background is pretty strong, they know some people in the education sector or maybe even the principal, so he wasn't expelled. Xuguo and Haoguo also didn't want to give up on their studies, but I felt like they were more reluctant to give up on the girl. When we chatted, they kept talking about her with such passion and excitement, which made me slightly look down on them.

  We chatted until noon, laughing and having a great time. "Let's go, don't go to the cafeteria, let's eat outside, I'll treat you."

  "Whatever, whatever." I patted Hao Ge's shoulder somewhat embarrassed. "Anyway, thanks a lot today, I'll treat you to dinner at the restaurant across from school."

  "You little brat, say thank you to us two again, or I'll spank you."

  "Haha."

  "Let's go, I'll pay."

  "My treat!"

  "Don't be modest." Xiong Ge patted me on the head "It's settled then, I'll treat you to a meal."

  "I'll treat." I scratched my head "This way, whoever runs there first will get treated, how's that?"

  "OK." Xue Ge made an OK gesture towards me and pulled Hao Ge to run out, I smiled at the back of Xue Ge and Hao Ge, then followed up, a sprint, then accelerated, perfectly overtaking them under their astonished eyes, and then got farther and farther away, finally pulling them more than 100 meters behind, I slightly despised them in my heart.