Chapter 10

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

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Sule found the shadows of his aunt and his cousins in the crowd. He opened his mouth to call out, but his aunt turned away, hurriedly leading her children out as if avoiding a disaster. A bitter smile crept onto Sule's lips. It was no wonder; given his current situation, he had become a rat everyone wanted to beat, why should he cause trouble for others?

The residents of the neighborhood glared at this little thug, wishing they could rush forward and beat him up, but the security captain knew the gravity of the situation and had two guards protect Sule, escorting him back to the office. He explained to the crowd, "Everyone go back, we'll handle this. We will deal with it properly."

Sule was brought to the office, and a guard carrying his bag of fruit and backpack followed.

The security captain sat down at the desk opposite Sule and slapped the table. "What's going on?"

Sule replied, "Nothing much. I was trying to save someone. The elevator stopped, and she suddenly fainted. I was worried she might be in trouble, so I wanted to give her CPR. I've learned first aid before, but I didn't get the chance because the elevator door opened." Sule felt a bit frustrated; he hadn't even touched the girl, yet he was being blamed unjustly.

The security captain asked, "You're not from our neighborhood. What are you doing here?"

A guard said, "I recognize this kid. He came in with some stuff and wrote on the register that he was going to Building 9, Unit 1501, to visit Su Jianjun."

The security captain looked at him and asked, "What's your name? What's your relationship with Su Jianjun?"

Sule replied, "I'm Sule. You can call them to verify."

The security captain nodded, picked up the phone, and called Su Jianjun's home. Soon, he hung up. "They don't know you! Kid, you better tell the truth. What are you doing in our neighborhood? What did you do to that girl?"

Sule was about to explain when a police car from the local police station arrived, having been called by the security. Sule hadn't even seen his uncle when he was taken to the Happiness Police Station.

The on-duty police officer immediately interrogated Sule, but compared to the security guards, he was much more professional.

"Name?"

"Sule!"

"Gender!"

"Can't you see for yourself?" Sule had been holding in his frustration and was now getting impatient.

The on-duty police officer looked up at him and grinned. "Oh, kid, you're pretty tough. ID card!"

"Lost it! Stolen on the train!"

The on-duty police officer said, "Homeless, vagrant!"

Sule replied, "I live at 38 Chunfeng Street, Pengshan District, Huinan City. My name is Sule. You can call the local police station to check. I have a household registration, even if I lost my ID card."

"What were you doing in the Power Community tonight?"

"Visiting relatives!"

"Who?"

"Building 9, Unit 1501!"

"Lying! We've already verified, they don't know you."

Sule said, "If they don't know me, so be it. Can't I just go for a walk? Who says I can't enter the Power Community? It's part of the Republic, why can't I go there? Do you think it's a French concession?"

The on-duty police officer said, "You're pretty tough, kid. Young and already acting like a thug."

"Officer, who runs into an elevator to act like a thug? I was trying to help!"

"Sure, sure, acting like a hero. You don't look like a good person, and why weren't you wearing clothes?"

Sule was at a loss. His T-shirt had been torn off. He shouted, "I didn't do anything. If you don't believe me, wait for the girl to wake up and ask her."

The on-duty police officer said, "Go to the holding cell and cool off. Reflect on your actions. When you realize your mistake, come find me."

So, Sule spent his first night in Nanwu in the holding cell. Despite his innate optimism, he leaned against the wall, feeling that it wasn't too bad, at least he saved on accommodation. However, he hadn't eaten dinner, and after eating a banana, his stomach couldn't take it anymore. He forced himself not to think about it and silently counted sheep, but he still couldn't fall asleep until dawn, when he finally dozed off.

In his dream, he smelled a tempting aroma. His mother had returned and made him a bowl of delicious mixed noodles. Sule was so hungry that his mouth was watering. Just as he was about to enjoy the noodles, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

This tap woke Sule from his dream. He opened his eyes groggily, swallowed, and saw a different police officer. The officer said, "Sule, someone has come to pick you up."

The person who came to pick up Sule was his uncle, Su Jianjun. Su Jianjun had returned home very late last night and heard about the incident in the neighborhood. When he asked his wife, she scolded him fiercely and threatened to divorce him if he recognized this thug nephew.

Su Jianjun endured a night of silence at home and the next day used the pretext of going to work to go to the Happiness Police Station. Su Jianjun was familiar with several officers at the station. After explaining the situation, the police asked him to communicate with the victim's family. The girl who fainted, Tang Shi, was the daughter of the Power Bureau Director and Party Secretary, Tang Cheng'en. She had already woken up and couldn't remember what happened after she fainted, but she said Sule was polite and didn't seem like a bad person.

Su Jianjun went to Tang Cheng'en's home, apologized profusely, and Tang Cheng'en was very magnanimous. From his daughter's description, he felt this might have been a misunderstanding and called the police station to say he wouldn't pursue the matter.

Su Jianjun left Tang Cheng'en's home with gratitude and then went to the police station to pick up his nephew.

Sule left the police station bare-chested, as his spare clothes had been stolen.

Su Jianjun looked at his nephew, who he almost didn't recognize if he hadn't known. Sule had grown taller, standing at 1.76 meters, with a slightly lean but defined upper body. His skin was slightly dark, making him look very healthy.

Sule smiled at his uncle. "Uncle!"

Su Jianjun wanted to give him a slap. "Smiling! You still have the nerve to smile after doing such a disgraceful thing."

Sule said, "Who did the disgraceful thing? I didn't do anything; they misunderstood me."

Su Jianjun pulled him out of the police station and walked to a quiet place. "If you didn't do it, did I? So many people saw it, and they all said it was you. Why didn't they say it was someone else?"

Sule asked, "What did the girl say?" He cared about the girl's opinion.

Su Jianjun said, "Do you know who the girl is? She's the daughter of our bureau director. If it weren't for his magnanimity, you'd be in jail."

Sule said, "It's not his magnanimity; it's my innocence!"

"Your innocence? You've been a troublemaker since you were little, climbing roofs, stealing chickens, and peeping at women. What haven't you done?" Su Jianjun rarely saw his nephew, but he had heard about his mischievous behavior from his sister.

Sule looked at his uncle with some resentment. He was just this image in his uncle's eyes.

Su Jianjun asked, "Why did you come to Nanwu?"

Sule said, "To find my mom."

"Did she come to Nanwu?" Su Jianjun's expression became tense. He remembered the war between his sister and his wife when his sister came to Nanwu a few years ago. The battle had been fierce, from the dining room to the living room, from inside to outside, and 80% of the household items were destroyed. His wife, Liu Cuiyan, known for her toughness, had been slapped twelve times by his sister, and a half basket of hair had been pulled out. His sister had only a few scratches on her arm. He remembered his sister pointing at his wife and saying, "If I see you bully my brother again, I'll dig up your family's graves!"

After that war, his wife had been quiet for half a year. Since then, his sister never visited, and Su Jianjun had gone to Huinan several times on business. Each time, his sister treated him well, but she never interfered in his family affairs, probably disappointed by his weakness.

Sule shook his head. "My mom left to avoid debt and went missing. I thought she might come here."

"She didn't come. I've told her many times not to gamble, but she wouldn't listen!" Su Jianjun sighed in relief.

Sule looked at the traffic ahead and said nothing. His mom clearly wasn't in Nanwu. He had come here for nothing. If he had known, he would have stayed in Huinan. Thinking about the thousand yuan he lost on the train, Sule felt a bit pained.

Su Jianjun asked, "When are you going back?" His expression was awkward. As an uncle, he shouldn't ask this, but thinking of the "tiger" at home, he trembled. He wouldn't dare bring Sule home, and his wife had already labeled Sule as a thug. She had threatened to divorce him if he recognized this thug nephew.

Sule, a clever kid, knew his arrival had made his uncle uncomfortable. He didn't intend to trouble his uncle, though he was a bit annoyed by his uncle's tone. But his uncle had come early to rescue him from the police station, showing some family affection. Sule smiled and said, "Since my mom isn't here, I'll go back and look for her."

"Leaving so soon?" Su Jianjun clearly felt relieved.

Sule said, "Maybe she's hiding somewhere in Huinan. I need to find her quickly."

Su Jianjun said, "She's a grown woman. Although she's a bit crazy, she knows what she's doing. You don't need to worry too much."

Sule smiled and said, "That's true. Human traffickers wouldn't take her; she's too old and not worth much. Uncle, thanks for getting me out of the police station. I've caused you trouble. I'll be going now." He waved his backpack and turned to walk away.

Su Jianjun watched his nephew's rebellious back and felt a mix of emotions. He wanted to call him back several times but didn't move. Finally, he shouted, "Sule, do you have any money?"

Sule didn't turn back, raised his right hand, and waved it twice. He wouldn't ask his uncle for a penny. He had hands and feet and didn't need to rely on anyone. He silently told himself that from today, he was an adult and didn't need to rely on anyone.

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