Rebirth in 1986: Unforgettable Regrets

"Sis, how about my Qiangzi stays at your place for a few days? Help me keep an eye on him," Liu Cuixong suggested.

Zhang Qiang, thinking of going to the county, was visibly excited.

"Cuixong, staying for a few days is fine, but as for keeping an eye on him..." Zhang Hualian's gaze fell on Tang Yue.

Tang Yue cleared her throat and said, "Auntie, I tend to scold people. When the time comes, you won't say I'm abusing Zhang Qiang, right?"

Tang Yue had a look of 'let's get the ugly part out of the way first'.

To prove Tang Yue's point, Tang Jun complained, "Zhang Qiang, my sister has very high standards. If you don't meet them, you'll have to run, or you won't get to eat."

Tang Jun had a personal understanding of this.

In that first summer vacation, he was almost tortured to losing half his skin. Later, once he got used to it, it didn't seem so bad.

"I'm going as a guest," Zhang Qiang had just finished saying.

Then Liu Cuixong glared fiercely at him and turned to Tang Yue with a smile: "It's fine, Xiao Yue. There's still about ten days before school starts. You can discipline Xiao Qiang however you want during these days."

"Mom." Zhang Qiang looked reluctantly at Liu Cuixong and said, "I'm not going."

"Xiao Qiang, from now on, just listen to your Sister Xiao Yue," Liu Cuixong earnestly urged. Ever since she opened her clothing store and tasted some success, she became particularly close to Zhang Hualian and Tang Zhengde, and even Tang Yue was very dear to her.

This year the clothing store did well, and with the addition of the newly opened Southern Goods Store, the business was getting better and better. Who knows, in a few years, they might have enough money to build a new house.

"Xiao Qiang, today, you should follow your aunt and Sister Xiao Yue back," Liu Cuixong decided, determined to discipline Zhang Qiang.

The former Tang Jun wasn't much better than Zhang Qiang, but now his grades were much better, and his behavior had improved significantly, especially in this half a year after Liu Cuixong opened her own store. Zhang Qiang had been frequently taking money from home to play games.

Every time it happened, Liu Cuixong was infuriated to the point of metaphorically spitting blood. At this rate, no matter how much money the household made, Zhang Qiang could squander it all away.

With just over ten days until school resumed, staying with Zhang Hualian and the others would at least keep him from disturbing her every day.

*

Zhang Qiang, who loved to play, was extremely reluctant to go back to the village with Zhang Hualian and the others. He wanted to go to the town to play arcade games. Zhang Hualian gently persuaded him for a while, but Zhang Qiang impatiently said, "Auntie, I will go to your house after I have had enough fun."

The noises of the game machines could be heard in the gaming hall, along with the bright colorful lights flashing. Many youths, similar in age to Zhang Qiang and even smaller, were playing the slot machines.

"Mom and Dad, you go ahead, we'll be back in a bit," said Tang Yue as she glanced at Zhang Qiang.

"Xiao Yue, can you guys handle it?" Zhang Hualian was worried. Her own Xiao Yue was extremely well-behaved, and even Tang Jun rarely played on arcade machines.

Zhang Hualian didn't know how to stop the children from playing with the machines.

And Tang Zhengde, being just an uncle, couldn't really give Zhang Qiang a harsh talking-to.

"Mom, don't you trust me?" Tang Yue grinned, showing off a row of neat white teeth, her bright eyes curving like crescent moons.

"I do," Zhang Hualian decisively headed back to the village first with Tang Zhengde.

Tang Zhengde instructed Tang Jun, "Xiao Jun, make sure you accompany your sister back."

"Dad, don't worry, I will definitely protect my sister," Tang Jun reassured, patting his chest.

Tang Jun's eyes were rolling around, looking at the slot machines. He had played them occasionally but never found them especially fun.

Insert the coin, turn it twice, and maybe one yuan is gone.

He didn't find it particularly interesting, but watching Zhang Qiang—the money was fed into the machine a yuan at a time.

"Sister, are we just going to stand here and watch him play?" Tang Jun looked at Tang Yue, then at Zhang Qiang, who had lost five yuan in no time.

"Drag him out." Tang Yue raised her eyebrows and asked, "Can you beat him?"

"Of course." Tang Jun always listened to Tang Yue's words. Hearing her command, immediately, he grabbed Zhang Qiang and started dragging him away.

Zhang Qiang shook him off unhappily, saying, "Stop pulling me."

"We're not playing anymore." Tang Jun spoke and swiftly snatched all the money from Zhang Qiang's pocket.

With no money left, Zhang Qiang naturally chased after Tang Jun.

In the past six months, Tang Jun had been training with Zhu Yuanchao from the factory and had improved a lot in agility, even beyond that of an average adult male.

Zhang Qiang was no match for Tang Jun at all.

Even Tang Yue, who ran regularly, managed to leave Zhang Qiang far behind.

Zhang Qiang was furious inside.

"Zhang Qiang, you're really useless, even my sister outran you, and she's a girl," Tang Jun taunted while running.

Every time Zhang Qiang almost caught up, Tang Jun would speed up and leave him behind again.

Zhang Qiang was gasping for breath as he ran, while Tang Jun seemed to do it effortlessly, not even showing signs of exertion.

Midway on a lawn, Zhang Qiang couldn't run anymore; he sprawled out in the shape of a 'big' character on the grass and said, "Tang Jun, what did you eat to run so fast?"

Zhang Qiang thought he was decent at running in school, but compared to Tang Jun, the gap was too big.

"Zhang Qiang, I train every day. While you're playing on the game machines, I'm training. When you're out having fun with classmates, I'm still training. Not to mention one of you, even two wouldn't be a match for me," Tang Jun said with pride.

Zhang Qiang, being a boy, felt challenged hearing these words.

Ten minutes later, for the nth time, Zhang Qiang was beaten down and cried out in pain.

"How about that, I told you, even two of you are no match for me." Tang Jun looked down at him from above, feeling a sense of superiority. Having been put through the wringer by Zhu Yuanchao for half a year, now it was his turn to bully others.

This gave Tang Jun the feeling of being a salted fish that had turned over and become the master.

"Zhang Qiang, if you spent the time you use on gaming machines on exercising and studying, you wouldn't lose... so miserably." Tang Yue's lips curled slightly as she said, "From now on, I'll look after your New Year's money, until you go home."

"Sister, here." Tang Jun quickly handed over the money he had just snatched to Tang Yue.

"I..." Zhang Qiang reached out to grab it back, but Tang Jun raised his fist threateningly.

Zhang Qiang clenched his teeth and turned his head away, snorting in resentment.

"Let's go home. If we're any later, mom and dad will worry." Tang Yue led the two boys home, and as soon as they got there, they heard Wei Jiajia talking to Tang Mingli about letting her brother stay in Wangjiang County for a few days.

"Jiajia, then we'll go to the county tomorrow. If we see your brother and he's willing, let him stay in the county for a few days," Tang Mingli declared generously, saying, "He's about Xiao Jun's age. Let the two of them play together."