Wei Qian returned home at five o'clock in the morning and bought breakfast for his family.

His hair was wet with dew and his face looked like a murderer who was about to massacre the whole city.

When Old Lady Song woke up in a foreign land, she saw such a classic devil's face. She was almost frightened to have a heart attack and dared not even breathe.

Wei Qian bought soy milk and fried dough sticks - of course, they were made by someone else. He thought a lot about it and felt very confused and clueless.

Wei Qian thought irritably in his heart that if it was finally proven that Ma Zi had not gone anywhere and was just staying in the hospital with his mother, he would definitely beat that son of a bitch into a bag of pig head meat, cooked through.

But he probably doesn't have this opportunity.

Sanpang couldn't find Mazi in the hospital. The two of them tried every possible way but still couldn't find Mazi. It was not until a few days later that a vague and ambiguous news came out - it was said that Mazi had died.

However, no one can tell exactly how and why he died. There are so many people talking and no one can say for sure.

It seems that someone is very secretive about this matter, and those who know about it have been silenced.

None of the three thousand rumors were useful. The anxiety of not seeing the person alive or dead was like roasting the person on the fire. However, in the hearts of Wei Qian and Sanpang, they always felt that Ma Zi could not have died so silently. They were still looking for him, but they all did not mention Brother Le, especially Wei Qian, who had developed some deep grudge and vigilance towards Brother Le.

Ma Zi's mother asked about Ma Zi more than once, and Wei Qian and San Pang had to improvise and make up all kinds of lies. Sometimes they didn't have a unified story, and if someone let the cat out of the bag, they would have to go to great lengths to cover it up.

Wei Qian is also a human being with limited energy, so he inevitably neglects his family.

For Old Lady Song, this was a godsend. She began her mission of setting fire to the backyard of Wei Qian's house. She tried different ways to get close to Xiaobao every day - this was easy. For children, there is an irreplaceable emotional connection with adult female elders as they grow up. This kind of feeling can be found in their mother, grandmother or grandmother-in-law, but it cannot be replaced by their father or brother, no matter how close they are.

What's more, although Wei Qian loves Xiaobao, he does not dote on her in the way that ordinary people dote on her. He always thinks about her in his heart and rarely mentions her. Sometimes, when he gets impatient or loses his temper, he will even say something mean to the little girl. In Song Xiaobao's short life, she has never experienced the delicate love and comfort of an elder woman, so it is only a matter of time before she turns against him.

Is it better to have a grandma who speaks sweet words and cooks all kinds of delicious food every day, or a brother who always has a stern face and can't tell the difference between whether the rice is half-cooked or not?

Ever since Old Lady Song came, the two children's lives have become almost comfortable and of high quality.

Of course, despite this, Old Lady Song still couldn't bribe Wei Zhiyuan.

Wei Zhiyuan was like an ungrateful little wolf. Although he wanted to act sensible, he couldn't help showing hostility towards Old Lady Song, the "outsider" who suddenly broke into their home.

Old Lady Song originally wanted to make him an ally, but she didn't expect that this guy, despite his young age, was so strong that no matter how she tried to please him, his butt would always firmly sit on the same bench with his stinky hooligan brother.

As time went by, Old Lady Song couldn't help but give up this front. She realized that this kid was a man of few words but many thoughts, and was born in the Year of the Dog, who would eat and leave.

Old Mrs. Song then began to focus on Song Xiaobao.

She would often ask Xiaobao in a joking and teasing tone: "Who do you like best? Grandma or your brother?"

This is to test the progress of her plan of peaceful evolution.

Unlike the silly Song Xiaobao, when she asked this question for the first time, Wei Zhiyuan realized the old woman's sinister intentions, and he immediately took non-violent non-cooperation measures - he no longer ate at the same table with the grandparents and grandchildren, and would rather starve until midnight and wait for his eldest brother to come back, and eat a few bites of leftovers together.

At the beginning, Song Xiaobao would imitate him and wait with him, but within two days, this unsteady little traitor surrendered to the tempting food.

Wei Zhiyuan had expected this day to come. She had been lazy and gluttonous for a long time. In this regard, the enemy was too strong and he was no match for her.

And deep down in Wei Zhiyuan's heart, he was not too unhappy about Song Xiaobao's betrayal. Instead, he felt a vague sense of joy.

Wei Zhiyuan knew he shouldn't think like this, but he just couldn't help it.

"Without Song Xiaobao, I will be all his from now on." This thought tempted him all the time, like a seed taking root in his heart, which could not be burned even by fire. When the spring breeze blows, it will sprout again.

At the beginning, Song Xiaobao smiled and said nothing to the childish question of Old Lady Song, or avoided the question. Old Lady Song knew that her answer was actually "I like my brother". Slowly, she began to relax and changed her answer to "I like them all". Old Lady Song was very proud of herself and thought that she was just one step away from success. Finally one day, Song Xiaobao's answer became "I like the one who treats me best the most".

Old Mrs. Song knew that it was time.

Half a year passed, winter arrived, and a thin layer of ice formed on the lotus pond. Wei Qian and his colleagues were finally able to confirm that Ma Zi was dead. This time it was an official news release from the local police, saying that they had recently cracked down on a drug trafficking and smuggling case and arrested three suspects on the spot. During the arrest, the suspects put up a fierce resistance and one of them was shot dead.

The man who was shot dead was Ma Zi.

Before the Mid-Autumn Festival night when the weather was very hot, someone gave Mazi a large sum of money, a pistol, a mobile phone and a kilogram of heroin.

At that time, Ma Zi had a vague feeling that his brain was not very good, but it did not mean that he was really stupid. He and his brothers were not actually involved in gangs, nor were they on the right path. They were just fish and shrimps struggling to survive in the cracks. It was not easy for fish and shrimps to survive, so they all knew the ebb and flow of the tide and the coming of the trade winds. In this circle of gangs eating gangs, the easier it was for the people at the bottom to make money, the more dangerous they would be.

But those people checked his family background and knew that he could not refuse no matter what.

Mazi didn't want to drag down his third brother and Qian'er. It wasn't easy for any of them. They saved money from every penny and gave it to him and his mother. He often couldn't sleep in the middle of the night as he spent that money.

Maybe if he could be a little more shameless, he wouldn't end up in such a desperate situation.

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he ate the most expensive mooncake he had ever eaten in his life in the hospital, then turned around and divided the money into three parts. He returned two to Wei Qian and Sanpang, and wrapped up one and buried it under the locust tree at the door of the small bungalow where he lived, as a pension for his mother.

Then he took the gun and the drugs and followed the instructions on the phone...

Before closing his eyes, he didn't know who he had become a scapegoat for, nor did he know where he died.

He was born in humble circumstances and died in confusion.

That day Wei Qian got drunk in a smelly tavern - even as a thug, he did his job conscientiously, and this was the first time he skipped work.

Although Ma Zi died in a confused manner, Wei Qian knew it clearly in his heart.

The nightclub is Brother Le's business. That man's control desire is almost neurotic. Without his interference, Wei Qian doesn't believe that anyone can sell drugs on his territory. And this matter has caused such a big fuss that the news from the central government to the local governments is extremely tense, occupying the headlines of major newspapers. Brother Le...Le Xiaofeng, however, still keeps himself out of trouble and remains unmoved. Is he invulnerable, or has someone gone to hell for him?

The person who had been worshipped like a shrine in his heart in his youth, suddenly fell down with a bang, killing the life of his foolish brother.

Wei Qian didn't want to go home either. Facing that group of people, young and old, he had to hold back his grievances, which almost reached his limit.

When Sanpang found him, he had already been soaked into a pile of wine lees.

"Third brother..." The boy's eyes were almost out of focus as he stared blankly at the yellowed and blackened corners of the small restaurant. His voice was so weak as if something was stuck in his throat.

Sanpang snatched the bottle from him and said, "It's not enough to lose one, you're going to drink another to death, right?"

As Wei Qian was led by him, he fell limply on the table. He lay on the table with his head tilted to one side and said softly, "Third brother, what should we do if he stutters and can't even explain his grievances?"

As he spoke, tears silently flowed down the inner corners of his eyes, flowed over his straight nose, and slid into his mouth.

Wei Qian lay on the table like a pile of mud, with his elbows raised to cover his face.

Then he swallowed his tears and laughed hoarsely.

We are brothers in this life. If there is no afterlife, I will miss you again.

That day was Laba, and it snowed. The whole street was covered with mud and ice after the snow melted.

Wei Qian pushed the door open and walked into the house, reeking of alcohol. Wei Zhiyuan was doing his homework at a small table in the corner, and Old Lady Song was teaching Xiaobao how to make Laba garlic. The old and the young were originally chatting and laughing, but the moment he entered the room, they miraculously fell silent.

Wei Qian was not a sensitive person, but the atmosphere changed so obviously that for a moment he felt like a criminal who had broken into someone else's house. An indescribable feeling rushed up with the smell of alcohol, making him feel nauseous.

Fortunately, Wei Zhiyuan raised his head at this time and called him as usual: "Brother."

Wei Qian's face must have been extremely ugly. Wei Zhiyuan glanced at him, immediately jumped off the chair, and ran to his side: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"

Wei Qian waved his hands silently, turned around and walked into the toilet, vomiting bitterly.

He felt that his sudden ups and downs of emotions came out of nowhere, and he tried to convince himself that the unspeakable embarrassment he felt when he pushed the door open was an exaggeration.

He was already worried enough, and Wei Qian didn't want to create trouble. He tried desperately to comfort himself by saying that he was overthinking it, but it didn't work, he just felt uncomfortable.

Wei Zhiyuan immediately poured the water and handed it to him. He put his arms around his waist like a little adult and patted his back. Wei Qian almost spit out all the sour water before he barely straightened up and took the cup of water to rinse his mouth.

He had a splitting headache and was heartbroken, but when he faced Wei Zhiyuan, he just asked casually, "Have you finished your homework?"

Wei Zhiyuan nodded and reached out to support him, but Wei Qian staggered and refused.

Beneath Wei Qian's pale and calm face, his turbulent heart had turned his insides into a volcano that could erupt at any time.

But when he heard what Old Lady Song was saying to his sister, this dangerous balance was finally broken.

He heard the asshole old woman say to Song Xiaobao in a roundabout way: "Our Lili, you must study hard in the future, go to college, and become a scientist. Don't learn bad things from bad people. Do you hear me?"

She said that was not enough and had to look back meaningfully at Wei Qian who was standing there gloomily, as if she was not afraid of being heard by him at all. After such a long period of investigation and visits, the old lady had already seen that the kid surnamed Wei now claimed to be a "man in the underworld" and was very concerned about his face. He would definitely not do anything to a little old lady like her. At most, he would dare to pretend to be fierce and scare her.

Even Wei Zhiyuan heard the hidden meaning in her words. He looked up at his younger sister, then at his older brother, and finally stared at Old Lady Song with hatred.

Old Lady Song continued to insist, "If you don't study hard, you will become the scum of society, understand? Those idle people are not good people. Grandma told you, what are they called?"

Song Xiaobao, the little idiot, said heartlessly, "You rascal!"

The old lady stretched out her hand and scratched her face with a serious expression: "That's right, you rascal. We are girls and can't always be with rascals. Otherwise, no one will dare to marry you in the future. Your reputation will be ruined."

Wei Zhiyuan's face darkened as he spoke word by word: "My elder brother is not a gangster!"

Song Xiaobao was stunned. He looked at him, his elder brother, and then his grandmother in confusion. Only then did he realize that this was a serious family change.

Wei Zhiyuan was anxious, threw the cup aside, walked up, pointed at the old lady's nose and said: "My eldest brother is not a gangster!"

"Okay, shut up and do your homework." Wei Qian suppressed him with a slap, picked up Wei Zhiyuan and Song Xiaobao one by one, and threw them into the bedroom.

Wei Qian was somewhat careless in his life. Sometimes, the actions of his family members made him feel uncomfortable, but he would just turn around and ignore them. However, Old Lady Song had already said this to such an extent, how could he not understand what she was thinking?

Wei Qian sat down in front of Old Lady Song with a big horse and a golden knife, looked at her unkindly, and said bluntly: "Old thing, what do you want?"

Old Mrs. Song finally straightened her back, and her whole body was like a mortar ready to fire.

Then she declared war on Wei Qian: "I want to take Lili away."