windy city rainy season

The security of the Black District in Chicago's South Side and the Mexican settlements in the west are notoriously poor. Even if you drive by during the day, you will feel desolate and desolate from the city. You can even see the traces of bullets on some buildings.

Tao Yu and the others were unfortunately involved in a gang fight for no reason the night before, and the two students who were with Chang Ling failed to escape in time, and became innocent victims in the news reports. Tao Yu saved his life, and Brother Chang It was miraculously unscathed.

Chang's parents received a call from their eldest son and flew to Chicago that night, accompanied by a lawyer.After getting off the plane, Chang's father and the lawyer went directly to the police station, while his mother accompanied Chang Zheng until the operation was over. It was not until Tao Yu was pushed into the intensive care unit that he found a hotel near the hospital to rest.

In the first two days after the operation, Tao Yu was lethargic for half of the time.The bullet fractured one of his ribs and damaged multiple organs in his abdomen. He could not eat for a week or two and could only rely on infusions to maintain the energy and nutrition his body needed.What is even more embarrassing is that in order to prevent intra-abdominal infection, the doctor made a fistula for him, and he hung a catheter and excretion bag by his side from morning to night. Every time the nurse came to change the bag, he wished he had never woken up. come over.

During this period, Chang Ling came a few times. Tao Yu was either sleeping or pretending to be asleep—he couldn't face that kid calmly and without any grievances. If it wasn't for looking for him, he wouldn't have gone to such a dangerous place at all, but He was the one who saved the life in the end.Thinking of Chang's father who helped him fight for compensation, and Chang's mother who took care of him in the hospital, Tao Yu couldn't face their young son calmly.

This day, Chang's mother saw that Tao Yu still refused to "wake up", so she had to dismiss Chang Yao again, sat back on the bedside, and sighed secretly.

Tao Yu felt a warm hand caressing his forehead, Chang Zheng also likes to do this action, perhaps influenced by his mother, a man's hands are not as soft as a woman's, and Chang's mother's comfort reminded him of his own mother. Sour emotions welled up.

"Don't blame me." He closed his eyes and whispered, "I just don't know what to say to him..."

Chang's mother gently brushed the hair on his forehead and said, "It's because we didn't educate him well. Chang Zheng told about his behavior during this time in Chicago. Our parents' dereliction of duty caused you to be tolerant and take care of him. He was seriously injured, we are sorry for you."

Tao Yu didn't answer, and after a while, he whispered: "Don't say that, after all, he saved me..."

Chang's mother smoothed his brows and said, "Without you, Chang Yao would be like those two students. Don't feel uneasy. His father and I did this not to ask you to forgive Chang Ling, but to thank you for saving him. He is also making up for our failure to fulfill our responsibilities as parents. Always wandering around and doing things will almost kill you, and he needs to atone for his sins."

Tao Yu knew that what Chang’s mother said about sin was not the same as sin in the legal sense. In the hearts of believers, sin is any misuse of free will that causes harm to others, betrays God, and love for oneself replaces Love for God—even though legally it may not be a crime.

He didn't take the words of atonement very seriously. Chang Xuan was still a student. The so-called atonement was nothing more than going to church regularly, confessing to the priest, and doing volunteer work in the community at most.

Chang Yao did not come for the next few days, so Tao Yu no longer had to pretend to be asleep.His recovery speed is not fast, I don't know if he was injured by a part-time job before.When he was finally able to eat liquid food and walk slowly on his own, one morning, a soldier in camouflage came into his ward.

Tao Yu was bowing his back and moving on the floor with his hands on the bed rails. Seeing the person who came in take off his hat, revealing his scalp so short, he smiled unnaturally at him with his teeth bared.

Tao Yu stared at the other party dumbfounded, and said in surprise: "Chang Ling?!"

"I came to say goodbye to you." Chang Ling rubbed the hat in his hand a little awkwardly and said, "...I still haven't had a chance to apologize, which caused you to almost lose your life. I'm so sorry."

Tao Yu didn't answer, he hadn't recovered from the shock, he slowly moved to the side of the bed and sat on it, pointed to the sofa and said, "Sit down."

Chang Ling pushed the thin blanket on the sofa aside, sat down and asked casually, "My brother still sleeps here?"

"Well, I'll be discharged from the hospital in two days." Tao Yu looked at the "USNavy" on the other's chest and said, "Are you cosplaying or for real?"

Chang Ling said: "I have already passed the exam and signed a contract to join the Navy. The two-month Boot Camp will start tomorrow, and the training location will be in Chicago, but there should be no chance to come out. I don't know where I will be assigned after the training."

Tao Yu asked: "You don't go to school anymore? Don't you graduate in half a year?"

"I took a leave of absence, and I went back to Ithaca with my dad to go through the formalities a few days ago. I will keep my student status, and I won't be a soldier in the future. Maybe I will go back to school to complete the remaining credits."

"You are..." The other party came so suddenly this time, and the appearance was so shocking that Tao Yu couldn't keep up with it for a while, "...Why do you think of being a soldier?"

Chang Ling smiled wryly and said, "My parents think there are only two places that can restrain me, the army and the prison. I also want to change the environment, maybe I can find my place."

Tao Yu originally had resentment towards this boy, but now it has been diluted a lot. The other party is just a big boy. Thinking about it, he is not much better than him at this age, but the domestic environment has no chance to go out of the circle.

He recalled the night when the two of them experienced life and death. Facing the younger brother Chang who seemed to have changed, he was finally able to say calmly, "I still have to thank you for saving me that day."

Chang Ling unrolled and rolled up the hat in his hand, rolled it up and unrolled it, and said half a minute later: "I was very scared at the time, thinking that you were going to die, and I just wanted to leave quickly. But when I ran into the car, I wanted to be alone again." If people go back, my brother will definitely beat me to death! At that time, the sound of gunfire was so chaotic, I didn’t dare to get out of the car, so I drove up to the isolation zone and dragged you in…”

After Tao Yu listened silently, he thought in his heart that something was wrong. If Chang Yao really ran on his back at that time, maybe the two of them would be beaten into a sieve if they couldn't get in the car. It would be wiser to drive back to save him. .

"...I'm a coward." Chang Xuan lowered his head and said, "Maybe going to the army to exercise is a good choice."

Tao Yu thought, in that situation, you can't really demand anything from the other party. It is human instinct to stay away from danger.

"I may not be better than you in another position. You saved my life. This is the best result, isn't it?"

Chang Ling didn't answer, he squeezed the sofa cushion unconsciously, got up suddenly and walked to the hospital bed, and said to him a little nervously, "Can I give you a hug?"

Tao Yu opened his arms, Chang Huan carefully avoided his wound, and hugged him.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Tao Yu...brother!"

Tao Yu saw Chang Zheng passing by the door holding the medical records, came over and leaned against the door frame, looking at them with a smile.

Patting Chang Yao on the back, Tao Yu thought, this is the best result.