Chapter 6 My Shadow
I became Gu Feng's shadow.
Every day we went to school together and came back together.
He walked in front, and I followed behind, always keeping three steps' distance.
The new environment made me even quieter.
They laughed at me for not having a new pencil case, laughed at my washed-out clothes, and even gave me a nickname: "little burden."
One time, a few naughty boys cornered me against the wall. They snatched the cloth schoolbag Aunt had sewn for me with flower fabric, dumped out all my books and notebooks, and stomped on them while laughing.
I was so anxious that tears streamed down my face, but I didn't dare fight back. I could only squat on the ground, uselessly trying to shield the books in my arms.
"What are you doing!"
A furious roar came.
Gu Feng charged over.
He wasn't much taller than those boys, but he shoved the leader hard, knocking them all staggering.
"Whoever dares touch her again, try it!"
He pulled me behind him. His small frame blocked me completely.
That was the first time I saw him fight.
His face was scratched, his lip split, one button torn off his school uniform, but he won.
He picked up my books one by one, patted the dirt off them, and stuffed them back into my arms.
He didn't look at me. He didn't say anything. He just grabbed my wrist and strode toward home.
His hand was hot and gripped tight, but I stayed silent.
That night, Aunt dabbed red medicine on his swollen cheek while cursing under her breath.
"Getting bold now, Gu Feng? Learned to fight! Wait till I tell your dad—he'll whip you with the belt!"
Gu Feng stuck out his neck and didn't argue back once.
Uncle came home from work, heard what happened, but didn't get angry.
He just smoked half a cigarette in silence, then looked at me and said one sentence:
"From now on after school, let your brother hold your hand when you walk."