Brother Le was efficient and Wei Zhiyuan's household registration was quickly approved and included in Wei Qian's household registration book. Now there was no problem in sending him to elementary school.

In fact, it is not difficult to feed Wei Zhiyuan. All you have to do is feed him enough. Wei Zhiyuan eats everything you give him and is not picky about food. He seizes the time to absorb all the nutrients he can. In just half a year, he has grown half a palm taller, perfectly explaining what it means to "shine with a little sunshine."

Xiaobao could no longer wear his clothes, so Wei Qian had to give him his old clothes.

Wei Zhiyuan still didn't like to talk to people. Except for Wei Qian's siblings and a few brothers who often came to his house, he didn't talk to anyone and was still very wary of others.

Apart from this, Wei Zhiyuan was a perfect kid. He was extremely good at observing people's expressions and as long as Wei Qian frowned slightly, he would immediately receive the signal and know that his elder brother was unhappy. Within three seconds, he would disguise himself as a mural on the wall and pretend not to exist.

He was extremely diligent at home and cleaned the house every day. Since Wei Zhiyuan came, the thermos was always full of hot water, and garbage never stayed in the house overnight. If he saw someone's clothes thrown away somewhere after they had taken them off, he would quietly take them and wash them.

He was alert and fawning, positioning himself as a vassal, or like a guard dog. To strangers, his eyes were simply creepy. His eyeballs were like black beans, and he stared at people straightly. He was a wild dog who was not easy to mess with.

The above were all observed by Comrade Sanpang. Wei Qian didn't take them to heart. He thought, what a bastard, what a bastard. This child is not a trouble anyway. He is not at home most of the time, so it might be good to let him keep Xiaobao company.

...until something like this happened right after.

That day, a group of fools broke into Brother Le's territory and chopped off the head of one of Brother Le's sworn brothers. They and their brothers took their weapons and fought with the other side that day. Unfortunately, the location was on a street near Wei Qian's home.

Just as they were beating each other's heads into pieces, they suddenly heard the sound of a water pipe scraping the ground on the street behind them.

Before Wei Qian had time to look back, he heard Sanpang yelling, "Oh my god!"

When Wei Qian saw it, he was also shocked - he saw that the little brat Wei Zhiyuan was holding a water pipe that was longer than him, dragging it on the ground, and running towards him with his legs stretched out in an extremely funny posture.

Wei Qian happened to see the look in his eyes and he found that Sanpang was right, the little guy's eyes were really like a ferocious wild puppy. Although he was dragging such a long water pipe and couldn't even walk steadily, it was strange enough that one could see from him his determination to kill all the enemies.

To put it more dramatically, he actually has the kind of "murderous intent" described in martial arts novels.

Sanpang: "My goodness, what did you pick up?"

Wei Qian: "Don't mention it. I didn't bring a magnifying glass when I picked it up. I wish I had known."

Sanpang was amazed and shouted to Wei Zhiyuan from a distance: "Alright, baby, we are all done for today. You don't need to show up. Let's go back to the palace!"

Wei Zhiyuan knew Sanpang, and he stood still after hearing this, blinking his big round eyes at him, then looked at Wei Qian, threw down the water pipe, wiped his nose, wiped his snot, and said, "Oh."

As a result, Wei Qian had a dream when he returned home that night. He dreamed that Wei Zhiyuan had turned into a perverted murderer. After killing someone, he didn't even know how to run away. Instead, he sat calmly in a pool of blood and called him "Brother" with an expressionless face.

Wei Qian woke up in a cold sweat on the spot. He sat on the bed and saw the little boy sleeping soundly on the bed with his bare butt. He couldn't help but raise his hand and touch his soft hair.

And Wei Zhiyuan rubbed his palm unconsciously like a little pig.

Wei Qian pinched his little arms and legs again and found that he was soft all over, as soft as Xiaobao. He didn't look like a murderer at all. He was even smacking his lips in his dreams. Who knows what delicious food he was dreaming about.

He sat beside him and observed him for a while, thinking, this kid is so cruel at such a young age, what will he be like in the future?

It doesn’t matter what else, just don’t go out and cause trouble for him.

The future...Alas, "future" is such a vague word.

Wei Qian couldn't sleep, so he got out of bed, walked to the balcony, opened the window a little, and thought about his own illusory "future" in the dead of night, feeling the cold wind in the cold winter.

The tuition for high school is much more expensive than that for compulsory education, so expensive that Wei Qian had to sell all his belongings and could only barely scrape together enough for one semester. During the six months he was in high school, the savings he got from his damn mother were almost spent. Now, with the weather getting colder day by day, Wei Qian was almost at the end of his rope, but he had no one to vent such pressure because he was the eldest brother.

Wei Qian dreamed of finishing high school. He dreamed of living a respectable life like most people in this city, wearing a suit and tie, working from nine to five.

"Dignity" was his dream that lasted for a long time, even though it seemed so stupid, distant and illusory.

Reality did not allow him to continue fantasizing about such an illusory future. The heavy course load in high school took up all his time, and the teacher would not allow him to leave school alone to work while others were attending evening self-study classes.

Xiaobao is already seven years old and should be old enough to go to school. However, as the eldest brother, he was selfish and only cared about his own tuition and dreams. He missed the primary school registration time intentionally or unintentionally, and she was delayed for a year. How could Wei Qian not dare to delay her again for next year?

Wei Qian walked into the kitchen quietly. There was less than two pounds of stale rice left in the rice jar. There was also a scallion and a few rotten vegetable leaves in the kitchen. He still had ten yuan and fifty cents left in his pocket.

He needs to buy food, daily necessities, and pay water and electricity bills...

He needs so much money to maintain a basic livelihood.

Such a life is like a tattered sack with holes everywhere, making the money that Wei Qian worked so hard to earn flow out easily.

Wei Qian's way of making money was still to do odd jobs every weekend. As there was one more person in the family, the money began to be insufficient.

When Wei Qian left every morning, he would cook a dish, leave two steamed buns for the two children, and then claim to eat them at school.

If he didn't save the lunch money, he wouldn't have enough to spend. But he was at an age where he had a big appetite and couldn't afford to go hungry, so Wei Qian would climb over the wall and sneak out of school during the lunch break to warm up for Brother Le's billiard hall and have a free lunch. After one semester, he felt that he was almost a semi-professional billiard player.

Every day... every day's daily necessities are like a whip. From the moment he opens his eyes, it whips him to run non-stop and to find solutions non-stop.

This made Wei Qian feel uneasy - anyone would feel uneasy under such heavy pressure.

He felt in his pocket and found half a pack of cigarettes, which someone had given him during the fight in the afternoon. He suddenly remembered the way others puffed out smoke, so Wei Qian sat in the kitchen and lit a cigarette.

He learned to smoke his first cigarette without any instruction while coughing. The lack of oxygen in his lungs made him feel dizzy and even a little nauseous.

Wei Qian sat on the floor and leaned against the door to rest for a while.

Otherwise... I won’t go to school.

He thought this blankly.

"I really have no other options." Wei Qian said to himself, "I'm really at the end of my rope. There's nothing I can do."

He was so sad that he was about to cry, as if he was watching the door leading to another world, another life slowly closing in front of him. He tried his best to open it, but it was always out of reach.

At this moment, Wei Qian remembered what Brother Le had said - he could go to him if he had any difficulties.

Wei Qian opened his eyes wide and thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw, with the cigarette still clumsily pinched between two fingers, and his whole body trembled for the bright road that suddenly appeared in front of him.

Wei Qian felt a little dry in the mouth, and he wished he could rush to Brother Le right now.

Yes, Brother Le would definitely lend him money. After he finishes school, or even finishes college, he would come back to repay Brother Le in a different identity.

As long as Brother Le is willing to support him, he no longer has to worry about where he will get his next meal, and no longer has to worry about the little money at home. He can study hard for the next few years, and he guarantees that he will get first-class grades...

The hot cigarette ash fell on Wei Qian's hand, burning him and making him shiver.

He silently lowered his head, stared at the scattered butts of the cheap cigarette for a while, then put out the cigarette butt and threw it into the trash can.

Wei Qian's hot brain cooled down and he found that he couldn't do it.

He always remembered the story of crossing the river, particularly deeply - the experience of listening to the story while leaning in his mother's arms was a unique and luxurious memory for him.

He remembered what the woman had said, "You can't live too comfortably. When you are too full and too full every day, you are about to die.

It won’t be long before you catch a cold.”

Brother Le can help him once, but can he help him forever?

Help in emergencies but not in poverty.

What obligation does Brother Le have to give him money, let him go to school, keep him well fed and clothed, and make him worry-free?

For some reason, when Wei Qian thought of those carefree days, he felt both longing and horror-stricken. He seemed to suddenly see his comfortable and weak self, like a pig in a pen.

Is there anything in the world that scares a young man like him more than "weakness"?

Is there anything in the world that could make a young man like him more desperate than “no hope”?

If Wei Qian was not weak, he would have to drop out of school and embark on a hopeless path - leave school, become a gangster, a thug, do odd jobs, become the scum of the bottom of a city, and struggle to survive this life. This is almost a road that can be seen to the bottom at a glance.

Wei Qian didn't know how long he had been standing in the kitchen. He felt his hands were numb from the cold. He sniffed, went back to the small bedroom separated by a curtain in the living room, and lay back on the bed.

Wei Qian's family only had one bedroom and one living room. After Xiaobao was three years old, he felt it was inconvenient for her to sleep with him, so he gave the bedroom to his sister. He pulled a curtain in the living room and put a bed in the corner to create a bedroom.

Wei Zhiyuan has always slept with him.

When Wei Qian lay back on the bed, the little guy next to him moved a little. It was unclear whether he was not asleep or was woken up.

Wei Zhiyuan opened his eyes carefully, took a look at his elder brother's expression, and smelled a choking smell of cigarettes on him. Wei Zhiyuan was not Xiaobao, he had never been spoiled since he was a child, so he didn't dare to be as heartless as her.

Xiao Yuan observed his expression and called out cautiously, "Brother."

Wei Qian was upset and didn't want to pay attention to him.

Xiao Yuan waited for a long time, but didn't get a reply from him. He gently tugged at his clothes and asked, "Brother, is it because you have no money and can't support me?"

Wei Qian thought, you still know that - but he didn't say it out loud, not because he didn't want to hurt the child's feelings, but because he felt that "admitting that he is incompetent and penniless" was very embarrassing, so he shook Wei Zhiyuan's hand away angrily: "What nonsense are you talking about? Are you going to sleep or not? Shut up!"

Wei Zhiyuan didn't say anything for a long time, and Wei Qian thought he was asleep.

Who would have thought that after a while, the little guy would rustle over and crawl into his quilt, touching Wei Qian's cold hands and feet - the house was very cold in winter, and heating was not popular in this forgotten old shantytown at the time. There were children at home, so Wei Qian was worried about lighting the stove, so he used the money he had saved for half a year to buy a second-hand electric heater, but that thing was power-consuming after all, so they usually didn't turn it on if they could.

The temperature of Wei Qian's cold skin made Wei Zhiyuan shudder instinctively, but the next moment, the boy came over tremblingly, hugged Wei Qian's hands with both hands, put them in his arms, and stretched his legs hard, almost burying his head in the quilt, before he could barely reach Wei Qian's feet and gently placed his feet on his brother's cold feet.

In an instant, Xiaoyuan felt the temperature in his body rapidly draining away.

After he finished doing these things, he whispered in a flattering tone, "Don't abandon me, okay? I can work, I can pick up rags, and I can make money."

These few gentle words almost made Wei Qian's heart tremble.

Perhaps because he hadn't responded for a long time, Wei Zhiyuan began to feel anxious.

Wei Qian provided him with a safe and warm home, a home that he had once envied and dared not imagine. He never beat him and didn't even tell him what to do.

Even this winter, his elder brother bought a thick cotton coat for him and Xiaobao respectively.

Wei Zhiyuan felt that this was almost like a dream. He was afraid that when he woke up, he would find himself again as the unwanted homeless child, wandering in the coldest places in the city, making a living by picking up garbage.

"Please." Wei Zhiyuan's voice was trembling, "Don't abandon me."

Two seconds later, he added, "Brother."

Wei Qian felt mixed emotions. It was impossible for him to say that he didn't want to abandon this kid and relieve himself of some of the burden. However, he just rubbed Wei Zhiyuan's head and simply ordered, "Go to sleep."

There is nothing else to say.

But after raising a cat and a dog for half a year, it’s time for you to develop feelings for them, let alone a person.

Not to mention that this little guy revolves around me every day and I try my best to do things just to make me happy and stay.

Wei Qian knew that he was soft-hearted. He thought he shouldn't be soft-hearted, but he had no choice. After all, he was not made of stone.

Forget it, he thought, listening to the faint breathing beside his ear, and thought to himself, this kid is pitiful.