Chapter 26

Chapter 27

I had imagined plenty of reasons why Zhang Xin might stop me, including asking why Guo Zhen had come to see me, or even probing into my relationship with Xu Jiajia. What I never expected was for her first words to be, "I know why Guo Zhen came looking for you."

I jumped in surprise, then sprang back like Stephen Chow and struck a Wong Fei-hung pose. "You frightened me, my lady warrior."

My exaggerated pose made Zhang Xin laugh. Only after laughing for a while did she slowly say, "My older brother knows Guo Zhen. I didn't dare say anything earlier."

I really hadn't known she had that connection. No wonder her expression had been a little strange when she saw Guo Zhen. It wasn't that she couldn't remember who he was; she knew perfectly well.

She continued, "Guo Zhen goes to Seventh Middle School. Apparently he knows people outside school. My brother said he's pretty well-known in the West District."

I nodded. "That's right. You know quite a bit."

Zhang Xin said, "I also know Guo Zhen came to borrow money from you."

My heart gave a jolt. "Yes, he came to borrow money."

Zhang Xin smiled at me. "I won't tell Jiajia. It seems Guo Zhen's Third Brother suddenly fell ill and needs surgery at Provincial Medical University. I don't know if I'm meddling, but be careful."

In all the time I had known Zhang Xin, this was the first time she had said so much to me. I felt a little overwhelmed by the attention. "Thank you. I know what to do."

Zhang Xin nodded, gave me another look, then turned back to the building entrance to wait for Xu Jiajia.

I stared after Zhang Xin for a while, then went to the grocery shop by the school gates and called Zhang Xiaotong. "Sis, it's me."

"Oh, Xingwen. Where are you?"

"Outside school. I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Does Liu Mingyao know anyone at Provincial Medical University?"

"I don't know. I'd have to ask him. What's the matter?"

I explained why Guo Zhen wanted to borrow money. After a moment's thought, Zhang Xiaotong said, "How about we get Lu Wei and discuss it with her?"

That sounded fine to me. "Okay. Go over to Lu Wei's first. I'll see what Guo Zhen thinks."

"All right. We'll wait for you in the office."

I took a cab to Guo Zhen's usual pool hall, but he wasn't there. I asked the owner, who already knew me by sight, and apparently Guo Zhen had been going to City Hospital a lot lately. I headed there next.

City Hospital was what people called First People's Hospital. Of course, there were also a Second, Third, and Fourth-oh, the Fourth was a psychiatric hospital... After several expansions, City Hospital had grown to a respectable size by early 1994. The gleaming gold-lettered sign at the entrance and the row of little plaques bearing all kinds of commendations looked quite convincing, making you feel this really was a place that treated the sick and saved lives.

I went in through the main entrance. Nobody paid any attention to a kid like me, and I easily found Guo Zhen in the corridor outside the temporary wards on the third floor.

Guo Zhen looked quite startled to see me there. I hurriedly gestured for him to keep his voice down. "Come here. I want to discuss something with you."

Guo Zhen glanced into the ward, then strode over. "What are you doing here?"

His question was a little urgent. He probably thought I had asked someone why he needed to borrow money.

My first reaction in a situation like this was to explain immediately. "I haven't been asking around. Someone told me. What exactly is wrong with Third Brother? I wanted to see if I could help."

Guo Zhen shook his head. "Heart disease. They say the success rate isn't high."

"Go straight to Beijing 301 General Hospital," I said. So that was what he had. I knew this one. "Let my sister find you a connection. It should be fine."

Guo Zhen shook his head again. "I've already borrowed money from you. Asking you for more help would be too much."

"If we're brothers, don't stand on ceremony," I said, goading him. "Are you afraid you won't be able to repay us later? Forget everything else for now. Saving his life comes first. I hear the Cardiology Department at Provincial Medical University isn't all that good anyway. Better to go straight to Beijing. The success rate is over ninety percent."

"Ninety percent?!" That figure had clearly swayed Guo Zhen. He repeated it excitedly. "Ninety percent? The preliminary examination at the provincial hospital said fifty percent. Those fucking bastards!"

"They weren't doing it on purpose. The equipment and expertise are different." I urged him to calm down. "Could you discuss it with Third Brother's family? Once we've handled the paperwork, we can go straight to Beijing."

Guo Zhen lowered his head. "Third Brother has no family."

I nodded thoughtfully. Back then, Guo Zhen had been vague when he talked about Third Brother. Now I finally knew a little more.

Guo Zhen continued, "Actually, I don't have any family either. Third Brother is my family."

I did know a little about that. When I knew Guo Zhen back then, he had mentioned that his parents were only his adoptive parents, so before that he had been living with Third Brother. As an adult, Guo Zhen had always spoken of Third Brother with deep affection, but he had never said why Third Brother had suddenly left. Now I understood. Without this version of me who had reloaded his save, Third Brother would die of heart disease.

I had always been confident about changing known history, because I had already changed it countless times.

"Do you trust me?" I repeated the question to Guo Zhen. "Do you trust me?"

Guo Zhen thought for a moment, then said, "I do."

"All right," I said. "From now on, I'm your family too. So is my sister."

Guo Zhen looked at me in puzzlement. "What are you after?"

"We're friends," I said, remembering all the times Guo Zhen had helped me through difficult situations several years later. "We're each other's inner circle. Understand?"

Guo Zhen nodded firmly. "I understand."

I took Guo Zhen to Sun Electric Appliance City and spotted Zhang Xiaotong from a distance, standing by the road and looking out for us. She was lightly dressed, wearing only a pale red jacket and a hand-knitted crewneck sweater, constantly rubbing her hands and blowing on them. March was still very cold. Seeing how anxious she looked made my heart ache. I jumped out of the cab and ran over. "Sis, why did you come out? Why not wait inside in weather this cold?"

Seeing me return, Zhang Xiaotong smiled, her face frozen red like a little apple. "It's not that cold. The appliance center changed some of its security guards. I was afraid they wouldn't recognize you and might stop you."

Guo Zhen followed behind me and also looked a little apologetic when he saw her like that. Zhang Xiaotong beckoned to him. "Come on upstairs, Guo Zhen. It's cold out here."

The three of us sat down in Lu Wei's office. Zhang Xiaotong was still rubbing her hands, and I couldn't help tucking them into my sleeves. "You must be frozen. Next time, just tell the guards at the entrance. Don't come down yourself."

Zhang Xiaotong's face was already rosy, so I couldn't tell whether its color changed. She simply pressed her icy little hands against my wrists with evident enjoyment, smiling without a word.

Lu Wei smiled as she poured us hot water. "Look how close you two are. Anyway, Xingwen, you wanted to find someone at Provincial Medical University?"

I secretly tickled Zhang Xiaotong's palm inside my sleeve and answered casually, "Not anymore. You can get someone scheduled at Beijing 301 General Hospital now, right? For heart surgery."

After pouring the water, Lu Wei began flipping through her address book. "Yes. It'll probably cost a bit more."

"Money shouldn't be a problem." I glanced at Guo Zhen, whose expression wasn't looking too good. "I hear a month in the hospital plus surgery costs less than fifty thousand now. With connections, thirty thousand might be enough."

"I do know someone." Lu Wei paused with her hand on the phone, intending to finish before dialing. "A department director. Getting a slot shouldn't be too hard. We might just need to give a little something to the various people involved."

My tickling made Zhang Xiaotong hunch her shoulders and laugh. Still laughing, she asked, "Why Beijing all of a sudden?"

I looked at Guo Zhen. "Can I tell them?"

Guo Zhen nodded. "Go ahead."

I gave them a rough account of Third Brother's condition and briefly explained Guo Zhen's current relationship with him. Zhang Xiaotong stopped laughing, and Lu Wei fell rather quiet too. Women were creatures with maternal instincts; stories like this, about someone seemingly doomed to be alone, unconsciously made them share the person's sorrow. I interrupted their gathering emotions in time. "Hold it. Right now, we need to work out what to do."

Lu Wei said, "It's actually simple. I'll book Third Brother a train ticket to Beijing for tomorrow night and arrange for someone to accompany him. I'll speak to the hospital. It won't take much money to get him scheduled."

I began making decisions on Guo Zhen's behalf. "All right, let's do that. Thank you both for going to all this trouble."

Lu Wei smiled. "Listen to you. Why be so formal with me and your sister?"

I looked at Guo Zhen as I spoke. "I'm thanking you on my brother's behalf, aren't I? Of course, it's only verbal thanks. Look how poor I am. I can't offer anything tangible."

Zhang Xiaotong's hands were gradually warming up. Unable to bear my tickling, she pulled them back. "Lu Wei, don't listen to his nonsense. He's just stingy."

Lu Wei knew better than to take sides when siblings bickered like this, so she began calling an older acquaintance. I listened nearby. She really did have a way with words: she explained everything clearly in just a few sentences, while hinting that there would be benefits if the matter was settled. From her tone, the other person seemed to have agreed readily.

Seeing things going smoothly, I asked Guo Zhen, "Should we... tell Third Brother?"

Guo Zhen nodded. He had been quiet ever since entering Lu Wei's office, probably still feeling like an outsider. I understood the feeling. You really didn't know what to say.

"Lu Wei, do you have anything else to do today?"

"No."

"Then come with us."

Three of us went to City Hospital in one car, and I finally met the legendary Third Brother in his ward.

Guo Zhen had described Third Brother's appearance and personality to me more than once, so I already had a rough picture before meeting him. Afterward, I felt Guo Zhen's ability to describe people was truly dreadful. His account made Third Brother sound like an old thug with a brutish face and cold eyes, yet the man I met was a fair-skinned young man with rather delicate features.

Third Brother was awake. He managed a faint smile when he saw us. "Friends of Guo's?"

Lu Wei was the oldest among us. She nodded. "We wanted to ask your opinion."

"On what?"

Guo Zhen finally spoke after his long silence. "Third Brother, we want to take you to Beijing for treatment."

"What?" Third Brother clearly hadn't expected that.

"To Beijing. The surgery has a ninety percent success rate there," Lu Wei said. "At Provincial Medical University, it's only fifty percent."

Third Brother shook his head. "I don't have enough money."

I said to him, "Third Brother, I'm Guo Zhen's friend. I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Seeing a little kid like me, Third Brother smiled. "Go ahead."

"Does Guo Zhen count as your family?"

"Yes."

"If something happens to you, will Guo Zhen be upset?"

"I suppose so."

"If something happens to you, how will Guo Zhen manage afterward?"

"..."

"If something happens to you, will Guo Zhen blame himself?"

"..."

"I don't know you, but I'm Guo Zhen's friend. I don't want any of that to happen. Wouldn't you agree?"

"..."

"That's all I have to say," I said.

Everyone smiled at Third Brother. He raised his hands. "Guo's made some good friends. I surrender."

Guo Zhen shot me a delighted look filled with endless gratitude. I shook my head gently, telling him not to worry about it.

And that settled the trip to Beijing for treatment. Lu Wei specifically arranged for someone to accompany him. With her handling things, I felt reassured. Before leaving, I happened to ask her a pointless question. "It's April now, right?"

"That's right."

I thought for a moment, then instructed her, "Find two people who are fluent in English and have them go... look around Stanford University in America. See if anyone's interested in developing something on the internet, and get in touch with them."

Lu Wei looked a little baffled, but nodded and went to do it anyway.

Two days later, Third Brother was picked up from the hospital, and the weight hanging over Guo Zhen's heart finally lifted. Once his mood improved, he displayed boundless energy. The computer I had promised him had arrived too. He played until midnight every day, then still went out with us during the day and fooled around endlessly. In 1994, the streets were full of jeans, whistles, and guitar folk songs. We wandered the streets without end. Shao Ke and Wang Yi hadn't started selling cut-out tapes yet, and there was no chance of running into the likes of Li Kun and Zhang Chen. Following Guo Zhen around, we got to know the little groups of thugs and hoodlums in the city's corners. After a while, one question began to puzzle me.

"Why does it feel like none of these people have any money?"

In my memory, people willing to take risks in the early nineties had all been pretty rich. Back then, it was especially common to carry large amounts of cash on business trips. There were often people who stayed awake for days and nights on southbound trains, waiting for a chance to "lift a bag." Others went abroad to barter with foreigners, or smuggled cigarettes... Yet everywhere we went, the hoodlums were all show, neatly dressed but smoking cheap cigarettes like Daqianmen. Some even picked up dried leaves and rolled them up to smoke... It was a pitiful sight. I felt that if you wanted to teach young people ten years later not to join gangs and go bad, all you would need was a documentary showing how these hoodlums lived now.

Of course, I also thought of Third Brother. He was a recognizable name in North Gate, yet even he needed Guo Zhen to scrape together a few tens of thousands for medical treatment. Fame clearly didn't mean money.

Guo Zhen's answer was, "Who'd be a hoodlum if they had money...?"

I countered, "So does being a hoodlum make you money?"

Guo Zhen was at a loss. "I guess it just feels freer. There's not much else to it."

"Freer?" I laughed. "Aren't you really just hanging around one fixed spot? Leave your own turf and you're liable to get beaten up."

"It's actually pretty hard to become a CEO this way," I muttered.

Guo Zhen blinked. "What's a CEO?"

I explained, "The Chief Executive Officer. The person who runs a big company. Take the Ming dynasty: the emperor was the investor, and Wei Zhongxian and his gang of eunuchs were the CEOs."

Guo Zhen laughed. "So that's what it means."

I laughed too. "Exactly. If you're going to make your way in the world, you should at least become a CEO."

"Then I'll become a CEO too. Haha..."

Our laughter carried on until many years later, when Guo Zhen really did become a CEO-and no ordinary CEO, either.

But that happened many years later.