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Du Jiu understood why Su Pingnan had him lead the team. Su Pingnan carried a kind of hegemonic aura. Du Jiu taking this up would serve as his token of allegiance.
Su Pingnan looked at Du Jiu’s reaction and smiled, “Don’t overthink it. Have you read Water Margin?”
Du Jiu nodded.
Su Pingnan said, “I have a very strong-willed sister. She says I’m acting like Chao Gai.”
Su Wenwen nodded and interjected, “That must have been Dingbei — only she would say something like that.”
Su Pingnan turned back and asked, “Guess how I answered?”
Su Wenwen thought seriously for a moment and said, “I guess you said yes.”
Su Pingnan chuckled, shook his head, and said, “I said it was a bandit leader back then — nothing admirable about that.”
He reached out and patted Du Jiu on the shoulder, speaking earnestly, “I only want to be Su Pingnan, I don’t need a token of allegiance. I want you to go only because you suit the role. If you don’t do anything, the men under you won’t respect you. If they don’t respect you, how can I prop you up?”
Du Jiu was silent, then after a long while said, “Brother Red Robe, I do things not to be fawned over. I just want to tell them that only I deserve to be your driver.”
Su Pingnan smiled. “Being a driver is easy. Being a good one is hard.”
Du Jiu said, “I’m not good with words, but I’m not stupid. I can learn. I can only promise to stay alive — then you certainly won’t die.”
“All right.”
Su Pingnan ended the topic, “After the fifteenth is over, you go. Do the job cleanly.”
Afterward, Su Pingnan never changed drivers again. Du Jiu drove for him for life.
When Su Pingnan’s black SUV pulled in, some eager young men had already lit firecrackers, the crackling noise lively and loud.
Su Pingnan, getting out of the car, was taken aback and glared at Su Zhendong, saying, “Is this your idea? Am I making a bride’s homecoming?”
Having grown up in the Su household and effectively part of the family, Su Wenwen watched the eldest become flustered under Su Pingnan’s glare and said, “Probably not. Those guys are from Jinxiu — they’re just happy to see you.”
Su Anxi saw her second brother and immediately ran up cheerfully, linking arms with Su Pingnan and studying him for a long moment. “Second Brother, you’ve lost weight.”
Su Pingnan, usually busy and surrounded by almost exclusively tough men, had never really heard someone express concern like that. His heart warmed at the remark and he said, “I’ll pay attention and try to eat more.”
Su Dingbei watched Su Pingnan and Su Anxi behaving so closely from across the yard, curled her lip, and muttered, “This silly Su Anxi.”
He formally introduced Du Jiu and his sister to the family. The simple-hearted nature of his parents quickly put Du Ruoyun at ease, and soon everyone was laughing and talking. Du Jiu looked at the honest Su Zhendong and then at Su Pingnan, and couldn’t help but blurt out, “How does a family like this raise someone like you?”
Su Pingnan smiled, “You haven’t met my grandfather.”
Su Zhendong initially felt uneasy looking at the nearly two-meter tall, bear-like Du Jiu. No one knew his younger brother’s character better. Someone who got along so well with him and could be brought home without issues had to be a ruthless type — a blunt instrument to the core.
Once they got to know him, they found Du Jiu was taciturn but methodical in everything he did and willing to work extremely hard. Su Zhendong gradually mustered the courage to ask Du Jiu for help, and the two became close.
By dinnertime, the red lanterns of each household were lit. Children’s laughter and occasional firecrackers gave the air a New Year feel.
Su Wenwen and Du Jiu, along with some young people, began going door to door distributing fireworks. Su Anxi conversed quietly with Du Ruoyun, while Su Dingbei went to look for Su Pingnan.
“Here.”
Su Dingbei handed a thin sheet of paper to Su Pingnan.
“What’s this?” Su Pingnan asked.
“A report card.”
Su Dingbei’s face was full of pride; she had climbed from over four hundredth in the grade to seventeenth in one semester — she had reason to be proud.
Su Pingnan looked at Su Dingbei and nodded, “Impressive. In the future I’ll have a lot of money — so much you wouldn’t dare imagine it.”
Su Pingnan said the boastful words shamelessly, and Su Dingbei, looking perfectly self-assured, asked, “You already told me about the power of money last time — what do you mean by that?”
“Hold back your fierceness and become the best person you can be.”
“I will. In the future I’ll be your best aide. I didn’t have enough time this semester — next semester I’ll be first.”
Su Dingbei’s delicate face shone with defiance.
“You’re not showing me this for nothing — what reward do you want?” Su Pingnan smiled and looked at his sister with indulgent affection.
“I want to go to Wucheng.”
Su Pingnan thought for a moment and said, “Given our personalities, we’ll end up roaming everywhere, but when people say ‘my home is everywhere,’ there’s actually just one home — this place.”
Su Pingnan pointed to the somewhat modest courtyard and continued, “So come back more often.”
“Mm.” Su Dingbei nodded.
“Still smoking?” Su Pingnan suddenly asked.
“Wha-?!”
Su Dingbei was caught off guard. She didn’t know how her second brother could have discovered her secret.
Later in his previous life, Su Pingnan would find out that his rebellious sister had started smoking early. He had suddenly recalled that just now, so he thought he’d ask.
“Yes.”
Under Su Dingbei’s defiant expression there was hidden unease.
Su Pingnan originally intended to scold her a bit, but a later memory of Su Dingbei being shot to death — with a still-lit cigarette in her mouth — flashed in his mind.
He sighed, stood up, went to the car trunk, took out a pack of women’s Su-brand cigarettes and tossed them to Su Dingbei.
Su Dingbei froze and stared straight at Su Pingnan.
“Girls must be refined, and smoking is no exception. From now on, smoke these.”
Su Dingbei looked at the exquisitely made women’s cigarettes in her hand and stayed silent for a long time.
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