Lawless Gangster

Final Extra - Part 2:《Present》

Translate: Sae

∞

Xiao Li used the entire morning to finish most of his work and what he wasn't able to complete, he entrusted to a reliable person. Then he requested some time off with Lao Wang and took the bus back home.

He took one of Qi Xiuyuan's small travel bag, stuffed two sets of clothes to change into later and some simple toiletries. He thought about it then the book that Qi Xiuyuan had only read halfway from under his pillow and put it, afterward, he grabbed his ID, some money, and left.

At first, he wanted to call Qi Xiuyuan but decided to send him a text message when he got on the train: "Go stay at home. I'll be out for a few days."

He sat for half a day plus one night on the train, during which he read part of Qi Xiuyuan's book; it just happened to be the page that Qi Xiuyuan had read up to. It was a science fiction novel that plainly talked about the story of weird galaxies, aliens, time-space transitions, mysterious energy, and so on—bold an imaginative narratives; acting as if it was taking things very seriously when in fact many were just self-evident theories but the huge number of odd foreign names made Xiao Li incessantly go back to the previous pages until he understood who they were. However, Xiao Li insisted on reading it and slowly felt that it was very interesting.

The next morning, he got off the train and boarded a ship, and as the surface of the water was disturbed by a steady drizzle, Xiao Li borrowed a raincoat with a big hood and stood on the deck. The wind blew over and the dark clouds overhead rose like towering mountains, but they were still no match for the vast water.

That night, the ship docked at the shore and he found a small hotel nearby. He checked his phone and saw that not only did Qi Xiuyuan send a reply, but he also did not call either.

Since he returned to his hometown, he felt that it was difficult to sleep. Early the next morning, he woke up extra early, freshened up, changed his clothes, went out and bought a large bouquet of flowers and a pack of cigarettes. Then he took a taxi all the way to the neighboring county of Mingshan.

The mountains in the area are beautiful, some have been developed into scenic spots while others were made into privately run cemeteries.

As noon approached, Xiao Li got out of the taxi outside the cemetery. First, he inquired about a location at the entrance, and then slowly walked inside along the bluestone road of the cemetery.

When the gang was at its peak, the important figures who died for the gang were buried here. After Xiao Li's mother died, the compensations that Li Shiqing made on behalf of the gang included buying a piece of land here for her grave.

Xiao Li walked slowly, took two turns, and occasionally saw one or two familiar names before he finally stopped in front of his mother's tombstone.

The tombstone was surrounded by a bed of green grass which was trimmed neatly by the staff. Xiao Li placed the flowers diagonally in front of the tombstone and whispered, "Mom, I came to see you again." Then he kneeled down and pressed his head to the ground three times.

He lifted his head and looked at the portrait of the dead embedded on the tombstone—his mother's portrait—and slowly said: "Xiao Yang and Susu are doing very well abroad but they also want to come back for a visit. It will be your birthday in two months. Originally, they wanted to come and see you together with me, but they couldn't after all. Don't worry, it's something good: Susu is pregnant." He smiled slightly, "Xiao Yang said that he hopes that it is a boy this time. That way it would be considered a pair of 'son and daughter'. He also said..."

He paused: "He also said that he wants me and... wants me to take a trip there. Since they don't have many friends and also has such a small child, they're afraid of making mistakes so they can't make it for the time being."