Rebirth: My dad is too obedient

Chapter 588 The Sun and Moon Over the Sea
In May 2006, in a small county town in northern China.

Deep in the alley, there is a "Stir-fried Noodles Restaurant".

As darkness fell, Xie Cangming looked around the street and then stepped into the noodle shop.

His gaze swept across the room unconsciously, taking in the few diners sitting inside.

As usual, Xie Cangming sat down at the small square table by the door without saying a word.

A young couple at the next table turned their heads and glanced at it, instantly feeling a little apprehensive.

The reason was that the tall, middle-aged man who had just entered had a dark complexion and looked unfriendly, with a scar on the corner of his right eye, making him look like "not a good person."

The proprietress, Liu Guiqin, noticed Xie Cangming at the door. She seemed to recognize him and simply nodded and smiled at him.

Before long, Liu Guiqin brought out a large bowl of steaming hot noodles and placed it on the table in front of Xie Cangming.

Xie Cangming looked down and saw a round fried egg on top of the noodles.

He frowned and said in a deep voice:
"No eggs needed."

Liu Guiqin wiped her hands on her apron:
"I won't charge you, I'll treat you to a meal."

……

Liu Guiqin is a woman with a tragic fate; her husband died on the construction site three years ago.

My family is from a poor mountain village, and if I go back there, I'll be looked down upon.

So he decided to stay here alone and make a living from this noodle shop.

The man with the scar on his eye, "Brother Xie," lived on the next street and would come over for a bowl of noodles every night.

Brother Xie takes on odd jobs in the nearby neighborhood. He was the one who came to fix the leaking water pipe at the noodle shop.

At first, Liu Guiqin was a little afraid of him.

He was tall and burly, with a somewhat fierce-looking face.

However, a few nights ago, a few drunk and unruly men appeared in the shop, but it was this "Brother Xie" who chased them away.

Having been without support for so long, the proprietress even began to harbor some strange and inexplicable thoughts.

For example, the pretty fried egg in the bowl today...

Xie Cangming whispered "thank you," but didn't look up.

He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily.

Liu Guiqin stood for a moment, smiled somewhat helplessly, and turned back to the counter.

Feeling a strange mix of shame, annoyance, and disappointment, she picked up the remote control from the table and turned on the store's television.

After randomly switching channels a few times without finding anything interesting, I casually tossed the remote control onto the table again.

This is a TV station from the neighboring province, broadcasting a boring news program, which became background noise floating in the small shop.

Xie Cangming ate his noodles in silence, as if he was in a hurry to get out.

He finished most of the bowl of noodles in just a few bites.

His right hand, which was holding chopsticks, suddenly paused, then he raised his face and looked at the television screen:
"At the recently concluded National Youth Track and Field Championships, Xie Bingran, a young athlete from Tiancheng, our province, won the women's 100-meter hurdles championship with a time of 13.28 seconds."

This not only broke the record of the National Youth Games, but also the National Junior Record…

"In this competition in Shanghai, 17-year-old Xie Bingran defeated Bai Miao and Dong Jiajia from the Shanghai Track and Field Team to become the strongest athlete under 18 in the women's hurdles event."

……

Xie Cangming was stunned for a long time. Even the young couple at the next table noticed something was amiss and were quietly discussing "leaving quickly."

He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before picking up his chopsticks again and finishing the remaining half bowl of noodles in two bites.

"Boss lady, give me a bottle of beer."

Xie Cangming said in a deep voice.

Liu Guiqin was sitting on the counter, bored, when she heard the sound of "Brother Xie" and quickly got up with a smile.

She responded and opened the freezer behind her, taking out a bottle of refreshingly cold "Golden Star Beer".

Before turning around to serve the wine, she couldn't help but smile secretly with delight.

……

……

2006 October.

Thien Thanh, Nanhe Village, Wen Province.

Before dawn, the faint sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking could be heard from the village.

Xie Cangming appeared in the cemetery not far from the river, carrying a heavy, worn-out canvas bag.

He searched through the graves for a long time in the morning light, finally standing silently with his head bowed.

He then took off the bundle he was wearing, knelt down silently, and buried his face in the damp soil covered with morning dew.

……

Tiancheng No.1 Middle School, at the school gate.

Xie Cangming stood across the street, looked up at the school gate, and stared intently at it.

Warmest congratulations to Xie Bingran of our school for winning the gold medal in the women's 100-meter hurdles at the National Youth Games and breaking the National Youth Games record!

Warmest congratulations to Xie Bingran of our school for winning the National Middle School Track and Field Championships and breaking the national junior record in the girls' 100-meter hurdles!

Xie Cangming found a flower bed to sit down and rest, but his eyes were still glued to the two banners on the school gate...

A black Honda Accord sedan slowly drove into the parking lot next door.

Out of some kind of instinctive alertness, Xie Cangming shifted his body and hid behind the bushes and flower bed.

……

Three young men got out of the Accord.

Xie Cangming looked up, but his body couldn't help but tremble...

Li Rui, Xu Chen, and Xie Bingran got out of the car.

Today, Xie Bingran went back to No. 1 High School to complete her high school graduation procedures and also needed to go back to her dormitory to pack her things and check out. Xu Chen naturally came along.

……

Xie Cangming crouched down, but couldn't help peeking.

He saw Xie Bingran light a cigarette for the boy who was driving, and then follow another tall, fair-skinned boy into the school gate.

……

It was around 4 PM.

Xie Cangming stood behind a big tree and watched as the fair-skinned boy accompanied Xie Bingran, carrying a snakeskin bag, into the post office.

He saw from afar that the boy seemed to be very nice to her, helping her pack her things and trying to make her laugh.

Xie Cangming narrowed his eyes.

His complexion was neither particularly bad nor good.

……

Late at night, Jinfeng Business Building.

Xie Cangming stood across the street, looking up at the building.

On the 8th floor, the light in an office was on.

Just now, Xie Bingran went upstairs with that boy.

Previously, the boy had taken Xie Bingran to a hotel, but for some reason, he brought her here again in the middle of the night.

Xie Cangming frowned, and a distinct gloom appeared on his face.

He stayed downstairs alone for ten or twenty minutes, and when he saw the office lights on the 8th floor go out, he put his hands in his pockets, lowered his head, and walked towards the Jinfeng Building...

The lights were dim on the 8th floor.

Xie Cangming stood outside the office of "Dongchen Shares" for a long time, looking inside and listening carefully to the sounds coming from inside.

Inside the office, lights shone from the two rooms at the east and west ends, and there was some activity in each room.

That means the two of them stayed in different places...

The light in the room at the east end flickered as the door was pushed open and a figure stepped out. Xie Cangming quickly ducked behind a pillar beside the door.

Very light footsteps approached...

Xie Bingran wandered around the office for a while, then came to the front door and made sure it was locked from the inside.

Just a step away, behind the glass door and the pillar, Xie Cangming remained silent.

……

……

In Tiancheng, in the streets and alleys of the old city, at a barbecue restaurant.

It was late at night, and there was only one table of customers in the shop.

Six or seven men, shirtless, were drinking and making a ruckus.

Xie Cangming pushed open the door and entered.

The six or seven men stopped their noise, put down their glasses, stood up, and called out, "Brother Cang."

Xie Cangming didn't say a word, but pulled up a stool and sat down.

"Brother Cang, we've found out everything..."

Someone was arranged to hand Xu Zhiquan a knife, but the job fell through.

This Xu fellow is quite shrewd; he carries three knife-wielding men with him.

Xie Cangming: "Who are the workers?"

"It's a mute hook, found from out of town, and the person has already been arrested."

But without a good word to speak, there's probably no way to tie the knot...

"Now they're planning to mess with that kid again! He's that high school student that Brother Cang asked us to find out about, his real name is Xu Chen."

Xie Cangming frowned:
"What sign is it hanging up? Has anyone answered it?"

"A sign that says 'Please invite the Arhats'."

"The 'monkey' and 'black knife' from the east took the sign." ...

One evening, in the old factory area of ​​the town.

Xu Chen, having finished his college entrance exams, had some free time and was currently in the factory area visiting his third uncle, Zhang Yongqing, to pass the time.

On a small road next to the old factory area, a minivan slowly pulled up to the side of the road.

The person in the driver's seat was "Pockmarked Monkey," whose face was a thin monkey face covered with pockmarks.

In the passenger seat sat "Black Knife," a burly, dark-skinned man.

The monkey turned around and glanced at the back row, then said:

"Has the rope been checked? It needs to be sturdy!"

"Don't worry! I could tie up a whole cow without any problem..."

"Why did you bring a bladed weapon? This kid can't be hurt; if he is, we'll have to whip his head off."

"I'm afraid that if something happens..."

Then we'll just take sticks!

……

Suddenly, with a loud "bang," the rear door was violently yanked open.

A dark figure got into the car.

Ma Houzi and Hei Dao were immediately startled.

Upon seeing the face of the person behind him and the scar on his right eye, the monkey immediately forced an ugly smile:

"Brother Cang...when did you get back?"

I heard you've been released, but you haven't contacted the brothers yet..."

Xie Cangming remained silent, picked up the thick hemp rope on the back seat and tugged at it, then picked up the half-arm-length knife and touched it.

Ma Houzi and Hei Dao exchanged glances, both clearly somewhat apprehensive.

Xie Cangming raised his two arms and placed them on the shoulders of Ma Houzi and Hei Dao respectively:
"The child inside is on my waistband, I can't touch him."

The monkey was stunned.

He frowned and thought for a moment, but then put on a smile:
"So he's one of Brother Cang's men. Well then, we'll leave him alone and won't touch him again!"

The man with the black knife on the other side looked at the monkey with wide eyes, clearly a little anxious.

Ma Houzi frowned, ignored Hei Dao, and turned to give Xie Cangming behind him a smile.

Xie Cangming spoke again:

"How much weight are they taking for this job?"

The monkey didn't dare to speak, but smiled and held up two fingers.

Xie Cangming remained silent, withdrew his right hand, took out an envelope from his pocket, and tossed it into the monkey's arms:
"Twenty thousand exactly, count it."

Ma Houzi squeezed the thick envelope and exchanged a glance with Hei Dao opposite him.

"Brother Cang, since you've spoken, we dare not accept these two ounces of honey..."

Xie Cangming:
"Keep the honey safe, and please spread a message outside for me..."

"I, Xie Cangming, have been watching over this father and son of the Xu family."

Monkey: "Understood, understood!"

Xie Cangming frowned again:

Who threaded the needle?

The monkey looked troubled.
"Brother Cang...you know the rules, I dare not say."

Xie Cangming said nothing more, patted the two men on the shoulder, opened the car door, got out, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

……

……

In July 2006, a small southern town was shrouded in continuous rain.

An internet cafe located within an electronics factory area.

Xie Cangming walked into the internet cafe dressed in a "security guard uniform," followed by two young men.

The young man helped turn on three machines and then led Xie Cangming to a place to sit.

"Brother Cang, do you want to play games or..."

Xie Cangming: "I want to watch the news and sports events."

Teach me how to see it...

Also, teach me how to type.

The blond young man nicknamed "Liu Zi" helped Xie Cangming turn on the computer and began teaching him how to use it.

After being taught for a short while, Xie Cangming quickly got the hang of it and learned quite fast.

But "Liu Zi" still had doubts.

He thought "Brother Cang" was going to watch football or basketball, but it turned out he was going to watch some kind of hurdles competition, and it was the women's competition.

It's really hard to understand.

Besides watching videos and news, he also browsed various competition-related discussions on portal websites and Tianya Community.

"Liu Zi" watched for a while, but got really bored, so he turned to play games.

……

After an unknown amount of time, Xie Cangming patted "Liu Zi" on the shoulder again:

"How do I reply to someone?"

"Liu Zi" turned his head and glanced at it:

"You need to register an account, and then just type a reply in the post."

How do I register?

"Brother Cang, please wait a moment..."

"Liu Zi" picked up the mouse and fiddled with it for a while:
"Alright, Brother Cang, you can just enter a username."

"Username?"

"You can just pick any name you like. For example, my online name is 'Overbearing Big Shot'..."

"good."……

Xie Cangming didn't think much about it and just typed out the character "Cang".

The input interface has an automatic word suggestion function, and the character "海" (sea) appeared next.

"sea……"

Xie Cangming frowned and thought for a moment, then casually typed in the characters "sun" and "moon".

"The sun and moon over the vast sea".

……

After a long pause, Xie Cangming pointed at the screen again and said:

"Liu Zi, can you check this for me again? This 'National Games' is in Guangzhou, right?"

"Yes! It's from the end of July to the beginning of August, in Guangzhou, about an hour and a half by car from here."

"Then could you check again to see if I can get a ticket...?"

"what?!"

……

……

Late July, Guangzhou was sweltering.

The 10th National Games are still underway, and the entire city is still enveloped in the atmosphere of the event.

Xu Chen, Xu Zhiquan, and a large group of others were in Guangzhou, naturally there to see Xie Bingran participate in the National Games.

Of course, Old Xu also had some other things to do...

In the streets and alleys near Dongshankou in Yuexiu District, there is a small shop with a sign that reads "Northern Dumplings".

Xu Zhiquan stood across the street from the shop and smoked two cigarettes without saying a word.

The owner of this "Northern Dumplings" shop is his third younger brother, Xu Zhihai, and his sister-in-law, Dong Huizhi.

After his factory in Tiancheng failed, the third brother, Xu Zhihai, took his wife and children south and opened a dumpling restaurant here...

"Welcome! Please make yourself at home!"

When Dong Huizhi saw guests come in, she started tidying up the table and spoke.

When she turned around with a beaming smile and saw who it was, she froze in place:
"Second brother..."

Xu Zhiquan smiled gently:

"Sister-in-law, I've come to see you."

Dong Huizhi paused for a moment, then quickly put down what she was doing:
"Second Brother, please sit down. Let me pour you some tea!"

Xu Zhiquan sat down at an empty table:

"Sister-in-law, give me a bowl of three-delicacy dumplings!"
I still crave your three-delicacy dumplings...

Dong Huizhi: "Okay... Second Brother, please wait a moment."

……

Just then, another tall, dark-skinned man walked in and sat down at the empty table next to him.

He had a noticeable scar on the corner of his right eye; it was Xie Cangming.

"Boss, I'll have some dumplings too."

……

……

(End of this chapter)