Reborn in the 1980s: I became a stepmother in the 1980s Ⅱ

Part 273 Revenge for my brother

The two younger boys didn't think much of it, munching on their potatoes as they walked home.

After a while, Zhou Zehan frowned and asked, "Why does Big Bro keep forgetting his stuff lately? Was his memory always this bad?"

Jiang Jiu shook his head, equally puzzled.

Unable to figure it out, they decided to let it go and kept walking.

Once the two disappeared around the corner, Zhou Zedong stood still for a moment, his gaze lingering on the old man's crowded street stall. His eyes flickered briefly, but instead of heading back to school, he turned and walked toward the *tongzilou* (corridor building).

Beneath the *tongzilou*, a group of grimy-looking people were fighting over a patch of ground.

Piles of trash, resembling small hills, were scattered around them.

This waste came from the nearby textile factory, discarded as useless.

Though most of the fabric scraps were damaged, they weren't entirely worthless. People who specialized in recycling would often come to scavenge through the piles.

For these scavengers, a good day's luck might mean earning seven or eight *mao*, enough to afford a decent meal.

The stench of plastic was overwhelming.

Yet, the group seemed unfazed, as if they couldn't smell it at all, their eyes blazing with intensity as they fought fiercely over the scraps.

The previous group wasn't very old, just around thirteen or fourteen years of age.

Before long, they were pinned to the ground and mercilessly beaten by another group.

The sound of fists landing on flesh was chilling enough to make anyone weak in the knees. Yet, Zhou Zedong seemed entirely unaffected, standing there as if he felt nothing.

He watched for a while. When the beaten group could no longer fight back, he suddenly shouted in their direction, "The police are here! The police are coming!"

As expected, the aggressors immediately panicked and bolted, disappearing into the alleyways in seconds.

The boys sprawled on the ground also tried to escape. Struggling to help each other to their feet, they quickly realized there were no police at all.

Standing in front of them was only a boy even younger than they were.

"It's you?" one of the three boys blurted out instinctively, surprised.

Over the past few days, this boy had shown up every day, standing at a distance and watching them intently.

No one knew what the boy was thinking, and when they asked him, he didn't say a word.

But his stare was unsettling, sending a chill down their spines.

The thinner boy in the middle straightened up, wiped the dust off his face, and narrowed his eyes as he studied Zhou Zedong. "Were you the one who helped us just now?"

Zhou Zedong nodded. "Yes."

"Chén Ge? What's that about?"

The two younger boys next to him didn't understand.

The man, referred to as Chén Ge, ignored them and continued to stare at Zhou Zedong. "You want to be my underling? Want to work with me?"

Zhou Zedong looked at him for a moment before slowly responding, "No, I want to be your boss."