Children can be a little pretentious at times. When I saw Dongyu, my tears started to flow again, and rather profusely too. This developed into a loud bawling.
The more I cried, Dongyu’s face became increasingly ashen. His hand trembled as it held out a towel to wipe me down.
I thought that at that point, he must have been burning with hatred for the person who bullied me. At least, I had never seen him bear such a terrifying expression. It was gloomy, filled with hatred, and even his hands were abnormally stiff.
“Does it hurt?” he asked, wincing as he cleaned me.
I nodded, feeling aggrieved. I pointed pitifully at a few spots on my body and held his shoulders tightly, groaning and complaining silently.
Then, I felt a squeeze on my shoulder. It was a sign of affection and pity.
“Don’t be afraid.” His voice was slightly hoarse. “I’m here. Don’t cry anymore.”
In that instant, I calmed down.
After showering, he put some ointment on me and instructed me to rest in his bedroom. I was tired from crying, so it didn’t take me long to fall asleep.
I didn’t know how long I had slept for, but in the evening, I was suddenly woken up by a commotion in the living room. Through the window I saw that the skies had already darkened. I ran to the door and opened it a crack. Through it, I could vaguely see the living room. I thought I heard Doudou’s crying, followed by the angry voices of adults arguing with Grandma.
“Your Dongyu has beaten my son to such a state! And you’re saying that it’s alright?”
“A fight between children? How could a child do such a thing? How did my Doudou offend him? Did he have to be this vicious?”
“Auntie, I’m usually polite to you because I respect you as an elder, but over what has happened today, your family has to give me an explanation!”
“I think your Dongyu usually looks…”
From where I was, I could only vaguely make out the outline of Dongyu’s thin back. He just stood there quietly, calm and collected. He didn’t explain or debate. Even when faced with harsh criticism, he wasn’t ruffled.
I was a little frightened. I hid in the room and didn’t dare to go out. I just stared blankly at the scene in the living room. After this argument, Doudou and his family left angrily. Grandma frowned and sighed as she turned around. She rubbed her forehead and asked, “Dongyu, why did you hit Doudou?”
Dongyu didn’t say anything. The old lady was getting anxious and stamped her foot. She urged him again. “Say something!”
He was silent for a long time. Suddenly, he raised his little face stubbornly and coldly.
“He deserved it.”
Bam!
“Don’t say that! Fighting is wrong! Dongyu, be sensible and apologize quickly!”
“He bullied my sister in the first place!” Dongyu said angrily. “He was in the wrong. I didn’t do anything wrong. I won’t apologize!”
Grandma was stunned for a long time, and seemed to be at a loss as she said, “I don’t know whom you took after. You’re so stubborn and unforgiving.”
After this episode, none of the boys in the village dared to bully me again. They must have been extremely afraid of Dongyu.
However, to girls, Dongyu always had an indescribable attractiveness. Hence, there were many girls in the village who admired him. For their own benefit, they tried to get close to me.
When we got more familiar with each other, they’d inevitably come to me during my free time and ask, “Xiachun, is your brother off school?”
