Chapter 458: with translation of chapter title

Three days passed quickly; I had been staying in a small inn in Sijiucheng.

I was waiting for news about Zhao Xiaoguo; after everything that had happened,

I had already forgiven Zhao Xiaoguo in my heart.

He is not suited to run a business; I must push him forward. That is my responsibility.

In fact, I was paying him a salary then; I was taking good care of him.

So there wouldn't be so many matters.

Life is like that; there are no "ifs",

I remember my mother used to tell me when I was young: if I had known about the latrine pit earlier, I wouldn't have gotten on the bed.

I will bear half the responsibility for Zhao Xiaoguo.

I think about meeting Zhao Xiaoguo,

After all, we are brothers.

I also don't intend to persuade him to go to Zaocheng; let him live as comfortably as he wishes.

I am just an older brother; I just want to see him, to look at my own blood brother.

I alone went down to the foot of the overpass again.

It turned out those few beggars were still there.

I walked straight up to the person I had given money to,

"Did you find out whether Zhao Xiaoguo has arrived?"

The person looked up at me,

"Hello, sir, I have already found out. There is indeed a beggar in Sijiucheng named Zhao Xiaoguo.

However, he seems unwilling to see you."

"Great. Do you know where he lives?" I asked.

The person hesitated for a moment and said nothing,

I understood, immediately pulled out a hundred yuan from my pocket and handed it to him,

to take me there; I want to see him.

"Alright, sir, I will lead you to the place; whether he can meet you, I can't guarantee," the person said.

"Fine, I just need to know where he lives," I said.

Then the person picked up his begging bowl and walked ahead.

The two of us walked for about half an hour and arrived at a dam.

He went down along the dam.

Below was a river.

On the riverbank there was a culvert.

From the dark culvert rose a cool draft and an indescribable foul smell.

Need not ask, this culvert is the city's sewer, just a bit higher; no water flows out of it.

The person shouted toward the culvert,

"Zhao Xiaoguo, Zhao Jianqiang is here looking for you; if you are willing to see him, come out. If not, never mind."

After the shout, he said to me, "Zhao Xiaoguo lives here. I have already brought you, my task is complete. I'm leaving."

I waved at the person, indicating he could leave.

Because the cool air was coming from the culvert, it wasn't hot at the entrance.

I stuck my head into the culvert and looked; it was very dark, nothing could be seen.

If I wanted to enter the culvert, I would have to climb.

A sudden burst of stench emerged inside, almost making me faint.

I guessed that even before I could climb in, I would already be dizzy inside the culvert.

I decided to shout a couple of lines toward the culvert,

"Zhao Xiaoguo, if you are willing to come out, come out; if not, I will leave."

Anyway, I have done my best.

I shouted, "Zhao Xiaoguo, did you hear me? I am your brother Zhao Jianqiang, having come all the way from Zaocheng to look for you. Forget about the Qi He Kuang matter. I won't hold you accountable. Come out, we can meet once, then I'll leave. I won't urge you to return to Zaocheng."

I came to see you only to fulfill my duty as an older brother.

If you still see me as a brother in your eyes, then come out and meet me,

If not, then never mind; I will wait ten minutes for you,

After ten minutes, I will leave."

After I finished speaking, I left the culvert entrance.

I started smoking under a tree shade beside the dam.

I told Zhao Xiaoguo, wait ten minutes, that is, wait ten minutes. After ten minutes, if he doesn't come out, I will leave.

I smoked and looked at the surrounding environment,

The city should have filth, chaos, and squalor, and it is all evident here.

Countless trash were thrown under the dam, and flies buzzed over them.

In fact the city only shows its good side to people, while countless filth still hides in the corners. Just after finishing a cigarette, when I took out my phone to check the time, a person crawled out of the culvert.

His clothes were very old and tattered, and his beard and hair were long.

His face hadn't been washed for a long time.

I recognized him at a glance; this person was no one else, it was Zhao Xiaoguo.

Zhao Xiaoguo raised his head and looked at me,

He softly called out, "Brother."

I waved at Zhao Xiaoguo,

"Xiaoguo, come over, let's have a chat here."

Zhao Xiaoguo came over,

The smell on him hit my nose straight away,

I quickly took out a cigarette and tossed him one,

"Brother, you really won't take me with you." Zhao Xiaoguo caught the cigarette.

"I said I wouldn't take you, so I won't. If you want to live like this, then live like this. I'm just here to see you. There's nothing else." I took a drag of my cigarette.

"All right, Brother, I want to tell you that the Qi He Kuang matter is my fault. I'm sorry to you, I didn't manage the Qi He Kuang well. I've also implicated you, Brother, I'm guilty. Brother, you can hit me, or scold me a couple of sentences—it's fine." Zhao Xiaoguo said pitifully.

I laughed,

"Xiaoguo, back then I might have slapped you hard. Now we're this age. How many forties does a life have?

Although you're my brother, you don't have to obey me in everything. You have the right to live your own life. Back then, I brought you from the Provincial Capital,

thinking you could live a life of superiority like mine.

This was my wishful thinking. As for the Qi He Kuang matter, I also bear responsibility—I handed everything over to you. But you're simply not that kind of person, nor are you used to that kind of life.

The Qi He Kuang affair is all in the past. Don't worry, I'm not angry with you. As long as you're happy, that's fine. I'm just here to see you.

"We brothers will chat a bit, then I'll leave. I won't urge you to go back. As for Er Ying and Tong Qing, they're in the rehabilitation hospital—you don't need to worry about them. I'll take care of them later. Everything at home is fine."

I didn't tell Zhao Xiaoguo about the Da Heng Group's trouble; what's the point of telling him those things?

It would be useless.

After I finished speaking, Zhao Xiaoguo burst into tears.

He cried like a child,

"Brother, you're the only one who cares about me, but I'm not a thing—I'm so sorry to you."

I patted Zhao Xiaoguo's shoulder and said, "All right, stop crying. At this time, why aren't you out begging? Why are you hiding in the culvert?"

Zhao Xiaoguo wiped his tears with his hand,

"Brother, there are more than ten people in this culvert, all listening to me. We beg at night; we're not allowed on the streets during the day.

Each trade has its own rules.

Those of us who need food at night can't come out during the day; we have to wait until night. It's like working in shifts."

I nodded,

"I didn't expect this place could hide more than ten people. They all listen to you." I asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a small squad leader. Above me there's a head who's in charge of this overpass area. Anything we have to do, we need to report to him. The whole Sijiucheng is divided into more than ten districts. Everyone can only operate in their own district; if they beg outside their district, they'll be beaten to death by others." Zhao Xiaoguo said.

I didn't expect there to be a meal, and there are so many rules. Sigh, this society has nothing easy.

"Hiding here works in summer, but what about winter?" I asked Zhao Xiaoguo.