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"Hey, Pasta, do you want to go to the bar together?"
Xu Li, who was organizing his books, glanced at the grinning Little Rascal and shook his head, replying in a somewhat awkward Slavic language, "No, I’m not planning to go to school anymore!"
After saying that, he grabbed his backpack and left the classroom. Back in his shabby dormitory, he packed his things and looked around at the place he had lived in for half a year. He pursed his lips with no sense of nostalgia and left the public school with the newly bought Li Xiang.
Discrimination was rampant here, especially for someone like him—a quiet Hua Xia Man with a small build. Being bullied and extorted had become a norm; even if he fought back, it only provided some amusement for those Little Rascals.
He took a taxi to an old neighborhood where Uncle Andong and Aunt Xie Liao Na were waiting for him outside an aging apartment building. After paying the fare with Li Xiang, he gently embraced the two elders.
"Cheer up, kid! From now on, consider this place your home," Aunt Xie Liao Na said as she tiptoed to kiss him on the forehead several times. Uncle Andong chuckled as he took Li Xiang from him and led him into the apartment building. "Starting tomorrow, you’ll work with me. I’ll teach you how to make authentic Slavic cuisine."
"Okay!"
Xu Li could roughly understand what they meant as he stepped into the slightly cramped apartment. He looked at the tidied-up storage room; although the space was small, Aunt Xie Liao Na kept it very clean.
There was a bed, a semi-new desk, and even a small wardrobe—she had truly maximized the use of space!
"From now on, let’s converse in Slavic language. Don’t worry if you can’t write yet; just focus on speaking first. Otherwise, you might find yourself at a disadvantage!"
At the dining table, Uncle Andong took a swig of vodka and grabbed a sour cucumber to munch on. Xu Li merely nodded while eating as Aunt Xie Liao Na continuously served him dishes: Fried Chicken Leg, Xun Yu, Big Sausage, Vegetable Salad, Fish Roe Sauce over Lava, Cream Soup, and more—it was quite a lavish dinner.
After filling up, he began conversing with the tipsy Uncle Andong. Once Aunt Xie Liao Na finished washing the dishes, she sat across from him with a cup of red tea and cheerfully corrected his pronunciation from time to time.
The next morning, he followed Uncle Andong to a relatively upscale restaurant where the chef—a woman in her thirties—wore a stern expression and didn’t talk much. However, she didn’t make things difficult for Xu Li; she simply assigned him to select vegetables and meat.
Days passed in this fulfilling manner at Uncle Andong’s home; he experienced long-lost familial warmth and felt immensely grateful towards the old couple!
"Alright, I’m coming! What’s wrong with you crying? You still have your dad."
That morning, Old Anton was preparing ingredients when he unexpectedly received a call from his daughter Katyusha. Sighing, he put away his phone, removed his apron and chef's coat, tossed his chef's hat aside into the dining area, and explained to the manager why he needed time off—he was granted a day off.
In May in Siberia, there was still snow piled along the streets despite the cold weather. Some young girls were strutting around in short skirts and high heels on the streets.
He waved down an old taxi: "To Police Headquarters."
The driver stepped on the gas and brought him to the police station's entrance. As Old Anton took his change from the driver, he thought for a moment before not refusing when offered help. He asked for a business card from the driver and kept it before getting out of the car and walking into the police station.
In the lobby stood a woman who looked decent enough but was slightly plump. Upon seeing him arrive, she hurried over to embrace Old Anton while sobbing: "Dad! Lev might end up in jail!"
"Don't cry, don't cry. What happened?"
Old Anton pushed his daughter away gently and wiped her tears. The young woman sniffled, "Lev took two people to collect debts this morning. The other party was a junkie who couldn't pay, so Lev beat him up. I don't know how it happened, but he ended up killing that guy."
"I told that kid this was a bad idea. Look what happened now," Old Anton said, feeling a bit weary as he led his daughter upstairs. They quickly found the police officer in charge of the case, who was busy writing something down.
"The family of Lev Kurishenko," the officer said, "given that he turned himself in and has a good attitude, he might be out in four or five years."
"Is there any way to pull some strings? I can offer money!"
Old Anton's words made the officer pause. He looked up and met Old Anton's gaze for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Oh, isn't this Uncle Andong? It's been over ten years; you've aged quite a bit!"
"Who are you?"
Seeing the hesitation on Old Anton's face, the officer grinned widely. "I'm Ivan, Andrei's eldest son. I used to lift Katyusha's skirt when we were kids, remember? You chased me for miles with a hoe!"
"Suka Blyat! Is that you?"
Old Anton exclaimed in surprise, swearing as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it for Ivan. "We're all on the same side here; can you help us out?"
"Sure, one hundred thousand rubles a year. Given your situation, five million should settle it."
Ivan stood about six foot three with a sturdy build but had a handsome face. He looked at Old Anton and then at his wide-eyed daughter with amusement before raising an eyebrow and teasingly asking, "Katyusha?"
"That's me!"
The young woman rolled her eyes in annoyance. "We don't have that much money; can you lower the amount?"
Ivan shrugged and spread his hands. "Besides what I can do here, there are other departments involved that need their cut since this situation carries risks."
Old Anton knew Ivan was speaking the truth; he had some knowledge about the hotel lobby manager's brother working at the police precinct. He pursed his lips and suggested, "How about we pay part of it now and settle the rest within two years?"
"You think it's that easy?" Ivan replied.
He brushed off the ash from his cigarette and looked over the two women with interest. His light blue eyes flicked back and forth before he told Old Anton to wait with his daughter while he took him into an empty office. He closed the door and pulled out a chair for Old Anton.
"Do you know any young guys?"
"Huh??? What do you mean?"
Seeing Ivan's mischievous expression made Old Anton shift uncomfortably in his seat. "You son of a gun, do you have that kind of hobby?"
"What are you talking about?"
Ivan waved his hand, realizing Old Anton misunderstood him. "I meant my two younger sisters, Anna and Eva. You used to hold them when they were little; remember?"
Old Anton thought for a while and then asked, "Those two that I peed on?"
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