"What are you thinking about, bro?" Cheng Lei's voice pulled Cheng Gang back to reality.
"Nothing."
Cheng Gang snapped out of it, shook his head, peeled an egg, and stuffed it into his mouth in one bite.
"Delicious!"
"By the way, Xiaolei, I looked at your final report card. A 98 in math and a 92 in language, both are pretty good. But how come your foreign language score is only 63?"
Cheng Lei's face instantly turned red. "I... I'm just patriotic."
"That's a solid excuse!" Cheng Gang smiled and nodded, then pushed open the wooden door that was as familiar to him as could be.
The room was indeed warm. The fire in the stove was roaring, and the kettle on it was bubbling and puffing out white steam. The furnishings were simple, but his younger brother had kept everything neat and tidy. The walls were covered with the certificates of merit his brother had won over the years.
Cheng Gang put down his suitcase, took off his coat, and hung it up.
Cheng Lei had already poured a cup of hot water and brought it over. "Bro, take a rest first. I'll go heat up the food. I stewed some ribs. The village slaughtered the New Year pig yesterday, and I bought them with the money you gave me."
"No rush."
Cheng Gang pulled his brother down to sit and started taking things out of his suitcase. "I bought these for you. See if you like them."
A down jacket, a pair of sneakers—both were famous brands Cheng Lei had seen in TV commercials—along with a few study guides and a cell phone.
Cheng Lei said, "Bro, aren't these too expensive? You don't have to buy me such expensive things. I have enough clothes to wear, and a phone too."
"You have to wear new clothes for the New Year. I bought them for you, so just wear them."
Cheng Gang then shoved the phone into his brother's hands. "It'll be inconvenient without a phone when you go to school in the city later on. I've already set up the SIM card and saved my number. Call me anytime if you need anything, but you can't play on your phone during class!"
"Go to school in the city?" Cheng Lei was stunned.
"Yeah."
Cheng Gang looked into his brother's eyes. For the first time in three years, he had the confidence to say what came next.
"After the New Year, you'll come with me to Mingzhu City. I've already found a school. It's a pretty good public middle school, and it's close to where I live—just a five-minute bike ride away. The company is helping to transfer your student records, so don't worry."
Cheng Lei opened his mouth but couldn't speak. His eyes just slowly grew red.
"What are you crying for."
Cheng Gang rubbed his brother's hair. "Your brother finally has the ability to give you a good life. You should be happy."
Right at that moment, his phone dinged with a text message.
Someone was reminding him to check the internal group chat.
As soon as he saw the message in the internal group, he stood up almost instantly.
His brother, Cheng Lei, noticed his unusual reaction. "Bro, what's wrong?"
Cheng Gang turned off his phone and shook his head. "It's nothing. It's just that you might have to spend this New Year alone, Xiaolei. I have to go back to the company and work overtime."
Hearing this, Cheng Lei felt very disappointed, but he also knew it wasn't easy for his brother to find such a good job. Ultimately, he nodded sensibly. "Go ahead, bro. I'll be fine at home by myself."
Seeing his brother's expression, Cheng Gang felt a bit guilty. "Spend New Year's Eve next door at Auntie's house. I'll let them know later. Also, if you miss me, just give me a call."
He had bought quite a few gifts this time around and was planning to give them to the neighbor Auntie as a thank you for helping take care of his brother these past few years.
Cheng Lei nodded. "Yeah, I know, bro. Go do your work, but make sure you remember to eat on time."
Cheng Gang gave him one last word of comfort. "When I get back from working overtime, I'll take you to the city. That way, we two brothers can always be together from now on."
Cheng Lei finally smiled happily. "Okay!"
Cheng Gang picked up his luggage again, turned, and left. Cheng Lei watched him gradually disappear at the edge of the village. The smile on his face slowly faded as he silently said, "Have a safe trip!"
Cheng Gang got in the car. As soon as he unlocked his phone, messages in the core members' internal group chat were flooding the screen.
"Arrived."
"On the way, arriving in half an hour."
"Rushing back from my hometown, save a spot for me."
"........."
After seeing the messages in the group, the slight disappointment in Cheng Gang's heart was instantly thrown to the back of his mind. He decisively replied with three words: "I am returning!"
There was no unnecessary nonsense; those three words expressed his determination.
Cheng Gang was just a small microcosm of the core members of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society. There were many, many other core members just like him.
With the issuance of the mobilization order, the entire Ten Thousand Dragons Society was like a massive machine starting up, with every part automatically returning to its proper place.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Cheng Gang dragged his suitcase out of the Mingzhu City bus station. A core member was already waiting at the entrance in a car.
"Gangzi, over here," someone called out to him.
It was his former supervisor at the Ten Thousand Dragons Supermarket branch, though now the title had changed from supervisor to brother.
"Gangzi, you're right on time. With you, my car is exactly full. We're heading to the headquarters to assemble now."
Cheng Gang nodded and then asked, "Brother Li, did the higher-ups say what they want us to do for this mobilization?"
Supervisor Li replied, "I'm not too sure about the specifics. It should be related to the situation over in Huaicheng. But it doesn't matter. You know the principles of our Ten Thousand Dragons Society: we don't cause trouble, but we don't fear it either; we don't bully others, and we won't be bullied. Anyway, the higher-ups gave the order, so we just get it done!"
Cheng Gang roughly understood. This probably meant they were going to make a move. However, he wasn't afraid; he was even faintly excited.
He finally had a chance to repay The Young Lady and repay the company.
Cheng Gang got out of the car and took a deep breath. The air still carried a faint smell of rust and dust. When he walked into the headquarters square, which was currently under construction, the scene before him made his breath catch slightly.
The massive open space was already packed densely with people.
Everyone was wearing a black suit. Under the gloomy weather, they looked like a silent black forest.
Everyone was smiling and chatting. Even though it was their first time seeing the company put on such a grand display, none of them let it weigh heavily on their minds.
Since the establishment of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society, they had never suffered a loss and had never been defeated. No matter how strong the enemy was, they would always meet only one end when facing them: being brought to justice!
Snowflakes had begun to fall sparsely at some unknown point, landing on everyone's shoulders, yet no one brushed them away.
It was obviously very cold, but it felt as if a silent fire was burning wildly in everyone's hearts within this black sea of people.
Cheng Gang gradually straightened his chest.
He was no longer just Cheng Gang; he was a drop in this black tide, even if insignificant. But when thousands upon thousands of drops gathered together, they formed an ocean.
A black, surging, vast ocean!
Right at that moment, the roar of a car engine came from outside.
Almost everyone quieted down at the same time and looked toward the main gate.
They knew who was coming.
In their hearts, a few words echoed as well.
The Young Lady!
We stand with you!
