Chapter 3: Sausage Stand Begins
619 Words
His eyes bulged as he made muffled whimpering sounds, struggling weakly but unable to resist.
Since long ago, I’d been stronger than him.
“Where’s the money? The money for buying booze?”
I demanded sharply, loosening my grip so he could catch his breath.
“You little bastard, how dare you treat your old man like this.”
The old man jumped up in fury, raising his hand to slap me.
But intoxicated and unsteady, he stumbled and fell to the ground.
The sticky liquor on his hand and the harsh smell of cheap alcohol made my stomach churn.
Too lazy to waste words on a useless drunk, I stepped forward, grabbed his hair, and poured the remaining liquor down his throat.
The liquid dripped from the corners of his mouth, trailing down his chin onto his shirt, leaving blotchy stains.
Only then did he realize how powerless he was, and his will to survive overcame the alcohol-fueled rage.
His nails left scratches on my arm.
Through his bloodshot eyes, I saw a version of myself — calm yet crazed.
I lowered my head and forced him to meet my gaze, my voice cold and emotionless.
“I’m asking you, where’s the money?”
He stared at me like I was a stranger.
When I tightened my grip, he finally snapped back to reality and instinctively reached into his clothes.
There it was.
I released his hair, tore open his shirt, and found a few red bills.
Only a handful.
Glancing at the broken bottles scattered on the floor, a familiar helplessness welled up inside me.
That was the eighteen-year-old me screaming in despair.
Because the me who came after had long since grown indifferent.
Even after marrying Lou Yue, I refused to let that old man anywhere near us, no matter how shameless he was.
Others didn’t understand, but I knew his true intent — that old bastard just wanted to come for the bride price.
I stood up and looked down at him coughing and clutching his hair.
Without hesitation, I stormed out, letting him curse behind me.
After a brisk run, seeing the increasingly familiar street scenes, my heart gradually calmed.
Especially when I spotted the faint outline of the moon in the sky.
I tilted my head back and stared for a long while.
Unexpectedly, a dark figure suddenly tackled me to the ground.
“Hey! Security guard, what are you doing here instead of guarding the gate?”
The old man didn’t answer; he just held me tightly.
A bad feeling surged in my chest.
I glanced sideways and saw the homeroom teacher, face pale as iron.
Beside him was someone who looked vaguely familiar.
Only when they brought me back to the school office did I remember — it was my grade director.
Ah, it had been too long since I’d seen him.
“Ren Yiqiang, you, you, you simply... oh dear.”
The grade director was flustered, pointing at me speechless.
Hearing this name again after so many years made me feel a little dazed.
The old man had always called me a bastard.
Until the day I registered my household, still drunk and dazed, the staff took pity and gave me this name.
So after confirming my relationship with Lou Yue in the last life, I shamelessly asked her to pick me a new name.
She was smart and well-read, and after a few days, the name she came up with was naturally excellent.
As for “Ren Yiqiang,” I’d long since discarded it.
I sat quietly before them, silently enduring this three-way interrogation.
Watching the grade director’s mouth open and close, I slowly grew sleepy, my eyelids fluttering.
- Writer
