ECG -Chapter 24 The Golden Scales Cannot Be Confined to a Pond

“Brother Zhou,” Lin Hao called out.

“Hm?” Zhou Dongbing turned his head back to look at him.

“After the New Year, you’ll have to find another band again!” Lin Hao said.

“Oh?” Zhou Dongbing was a little surprised. He didn’t understand why Lin Hao said that.

“They’re destined to become famous across the whole country. This place won’t be able to keep them!”

“Heh heh!” Zhou Dongbing laughed, then his expression turned cold. “If I don’t nod my head, no one can leave!”

As soon as those words came out, Lin Hao and Wu Xiaozhou clearly felt the temperature around them drop several degrees.

But Lin Hao only shook his head. “You won’t.”

Zhou Dongbing stared at him without blinking.

Lin Hao met his gaze.

Then, the two of them both smiled.

Wu Xiaozhou was a little confused. He didn’t understand what was happening, so he looked toward Chu Yu.

Chu Yu smiled. “Let’s go. Today Dongbing and I will treat the two of you to a farewell dinner.”

Lin Hao turned around and smiled. “Thank you, Sister!”

When Lin Hao walked out, he gave the band on stage a thumbs-up.

Liu’er flipped his long hair and nodded gratefully at him.

Across diagonally from the bar was a seafood restaurant.

A private room on the third floor.

The three of them sat down, while Chu Yu stayed downstairs to order the food. It took quite a while before she came back up.

After Chu Yu sat down, she opened the dark brown leather bag she carried with her. First, she took out a small stack of money and smiled.

“This is your salary for these last few days.”

Lin Hao happily accepted it, joking as he did, “Thank you, boss!”

After that, Chu Yu took out another thick stack of money from inside.

“Lin Hao, this is your Brother Zhou’s gift for your tuition. It’s 100,000 yuan in total. Keep it!”

After saying that, she stood up and placed the money on the table in front of Lin Hao.

Wu Xiaozhou was stunned at first, then his eyes immediately lit up.

A trace of surprise flashed in Lin Hao’s eyes.

“Brother Zhou, as the saying goes, a reward should only be accepted when there is merit. This gift of yours is too much. Little brother really can’t accept it!”

After saying that, he pushed the thick stack of bills toward Zhou Dongbing.

“Brother, you’ve helped us here for more than two months. I trust my own eyes. A few years from now, this amount of money won’t even be enough to invite you to cut the ribbon at an event, let alone have you sing a song.”

After saying that, Zhou Dongbing pushed the money back.

Lin Hao didn’t say anything else. He didn’t want to owe this man a favor. Zhou Dongbing’s eyes were simply too sharp.

Because the seats were a little far apart, Wu Xiaozhou could only stretch out his foot under the table and kick him hard.

Lin Hao ignored him.

“Lin Hao, this is just your Brother Zhou’s kindness. Besides, you really do need money for school. Keep it,” Chu Yu advised.

Lin Hao’s thoughts raced.

He already knew very clearly what kind of status this man had in Chunhe during this period of time. To be honest, he didn’t want to have too much involvement with someone like him.

Having lived two lives, he understood people who walked along the edge of the river far too well. People like this would very likely become trouble in the future—and possibly very big trouble.

There was no denying that Zhou Dongbing truly possessed a unique charm that ordinary people did not have.

That was how people were. It was difficult to draw a clear line between a good person and a bad person.

“Brother Zhou.” Lin Hao lit a cigarette. “You must know as well that my father is just a roadside bicycle repairman. My family doesn’t even have a computer at home.”

Zhou Dongbing said nothing. Those wise, sharp eyes of his stared at Lin Hao without blinking.

“As the saying goes, a gentleman loves wealth but obtains it in the proper way. During this time, I’ve earned quite a bit of money at Black Knight. So actually, you’ve got it backwards—it’s you who helped me, not the other way around.”

“In just over two months, I earned more than 30,000 yuan. If I spend carefully, that money is enough to cover my living expenses for two years! And I can still sing, and I can still earn money.”

“I hope Brother Zhou can understand. Spending money I earned myself lets me feel at ease.”

After saying that, Lin Hao pushed the money back again.

Wu Xiaozhou’s heart became uneasy.

Lin Hao might not know who Zhou Dongbing was, but he did!

In all of Chunhe that were still active, including some of the most powerful figures in nearby cities, even those people had to respectfully call him “Third Brother” when they saw him.

If Lin Hao angered him, he might not even be able to leave Chunhe City tomorrow.

However, Zhou Dongbing was not as furious as Wu Xiaozhou had imagined. He pondered for a moment, then smiled lightly.

“Alright. If you ever run into trouble in the provincial capital in the future, come find me!”

Lin Hao let out a sigh of relief and quickly smiled.

“Of course!”

After chatting for a few more minutes, the food and drinks were served.

Chu Yu filled everyone’s glasses with wine. Zhou Dongbing didn’t stand up; instead, he raised his glass and said softly:

“Just based on my little brother’s song ‘Laugh at the Jianghu’, I have to drink a full cup! Come on, bottoms up!”

The three men clinked glasses. When Chu Yu was about to get up to pour more wine, Wu Xiaozhou, who was very perceptive, stood up first.

“Knock knock knock.”

A knock came from the door.

“Come in!” Chu Yu called out.

A fat man wearing a short-sleeved floral shirt and a blue tie walked in. Behind him followed a female server wearing a cheongsam.

“Hahaha!”

The fat man walked in laughing.

“Dongbing, you’re in the wrong here. You came over and didn’t even call me?”

“Boss Li is a busy man. How would I dare disturb you?” A hint of helplessness flashed in Zhou Dongbing’s eyes, but he still stood up.

“Your coming to my little restaurant is already giving me, Old Li, face!”

After saying that, Boss Li picked up the bottle of Moutai from the server’s tray and poured wine for everyone.

After having a drink and exchanging a few polite words, Boss Li placed the bottle on the table and left.

Less than five minutes later, another knock sounded. This time, a tall man with a long face entered.

A buzz cut, tattoos, a big gold chain…

This guy looked as if he was afraid others wouldn’t know he was a gangster.

The man didn’t even sit down. He respectfully offered a toast, then asked for two cartons of Soft Zhonghua cigarettes and tossed them onto the table before leaving.

After that, the four people couldn’t chat at all.

It was like watching a stage performance—one person finished their act, and another immediately came on.

In less than forty minutes, eleven people came in one after another. The Moutai bottles and Soft Zhonghua cigarettes piled up on the table.

Zhou Dongbing had a helpless look on his face. Chu Yu stood up and said:

“Forget it. Every time we come out to eat, we never get any peace. From now on, we might as well just eat at home.”

Zhou Dongbing sighed. Looking at Lin Hao and Wu Xiaozhou, he said:

“Taking a few cartons of cigarettes and some liquor doesn’t count as breaking your rule, right?”

Lin Hao laughed.

“Sis, get me two plastic bags. I’ll take them all!”

Zhou Dongbing laughed and quickly said to Chu Yu:

“Go, go, get a few bigger bags!”

Outside the restaurant.

Watching the two bicycles disappear into the distance, Chu Yu sighed.

“You really guessed it right.”

Zhou Dongbing said quietly:

“A golden scale cannot remain a thing in a pond. Once it encounters wind and clouds, it transforms into a dragon!”

……

On the way home.

Two white plastic bags hung from each of Lin Hao and Wu Xiaozhou’s bicycle handlebars. Between them, they had carried away twelve cartons of Soft Zhonghua cigarettes and eight bottles of Moutai liquor.

“What were you thinking?” Wu Xiaozhou scolded Lin Hao.

“Someone offered you 100,000 yuan and you refused, but you came back with all this tobacco and liquor. Do you even know what’s worth more and what’s worth less?”

“Foolish kid, do you think his money is that easy to spend? You know who he is better than I do!”

“Then why did you take these things?” Wu Xiaozhou was puzzled.

“Money absolutely can’t be accepted. If I don’t take it, he won’t get angry either. But these things… I can’t refuse them, and I have to take them!”

Wu Xiaozhou looked completely confused.

“Why?”

“Why? Hehe!”

Lin Hao smiled.

“Think about it slowly.”

After saying that, he quickly pedaled a few more times.

“Hey! Wait for me! What exactly do you mean?”

Wu Xiaozhou hurriedly chased after him.

The next morning at seven o’clock.

Wu Xiaozhou and his parents carried their bedding rolls, a large suitcase, and the electric bass downstairs.

Lin Qingsheng and Wu Yongheng rode their bicycles. Their sons sat on the back seats, each holding their luggage and suitcases in their arms.

A mother always worries when her child travels far away. Wu Xiaozhou’s mother stood at the entrance of the building, wiping away tears.

Wu Xiaozhou turned his head away and stopped looking back. He stared at his father’s broad back, feeling a deep ache in his heart.

Soon, they arrived at the train station. While waiting in line for ticket inspection, they could see many students carrying luggage and suitcases.

Lin Hao and Wu Xiaozhou squeezed onto the train first to find their seats. Their seats were in the middle of the carriage.

Lin Qingsheng and Wu Yongheng passed all the luggage through the window.

From the speakers on both sides of the carriage came a very old-fashioned announcement:

“Dear passengers, welcome aboard…”

The train departed.

Lin Hao and Wu Xiaozhou watched the two figures that were no longer as upright as before grow increasingly blurry, and both of their moods became heavy.

“Hey!”

At that moment, a clear girl’s voice came from behind them.

“Which school are you two from?”