Chapter 103: Sixteen Years Old

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Carefully peeling off the bandages from his body, Qiu Fengyu took a look and saw that his recovery was going quite well. The scars on his face had mostly healed and were barely noticeable.

“Do you think it’s a good idea for me to buy a new house?” Qiu Fengyu dressed and went downstairs. Seeing Tim, he said, “Things have settled down now. Chief Corvin told me that her friend has already taken care of your situation.”

“Does that mean I can live with you now?” Tim asked excitedly.

“Yes, you’re right. But... obviously, are there any houses left to buy near this noodle shop?” Qiu Fengyu scratched his head and said regretfully.

“Why don’t we build a house on the land where April’s house used to be?” Tim suddenly exclaimed. “It’s right next to the noodle shop, very convenient. No matter where we go in the future, this could be our base.”

“That’s true, but... there might be some paperwork issues... alright, I’ll handle that.”

Thinking about building another house, Qiu Fengyu felt Tim was right. Even if he didn’t stay here later, it would still be a fallback place for him.

However, building a house in America was a bit troublesome. Qiu Fengyu didn’t understand the specific procedures at all; as a newcomer who had only been in the States for a few months, this was perfectly normal.

So the matter was settled. Qiu Fengyu told Tim to go downstairs and bring up a dozen beers. The two of them sat on the rooftop, drinking.

After a while, they chatted mainly about hunting. Tim was very interested in it. As they talked, the subject shifted to women. It seemed they had some common ground there.

“What was that girl’s name last time?” Qiu Fengyu asked.

“Mary...” Tim smiled. “Actually, I’m quite popular at school, especially with the girls. Up to now, many have wanted to follow me. You know what that means, right? Lots of people want me to be their leader. But I refused; I like to be a lone wolf.”

“Aha—I didn’t teach you to fight so you could be a gang leader,” Qiu Fengyu said, tapping the back of Tim’s head.

Tim laughed and said, “I know, so I’m still a lone ranger. They all say that about me. But I don’t care.”

“That’s good. But... let’s get back to that girl, Mary, right?” Qiu Fengyu steered the conversation back. “Did you... I mean, did you two become intimate? You know, that kind of thing between a man and a woman...”

“You mean sleeping together?” Tim chuckled. “No need to hide it from me; I know a lot about that stuff, maybe even more than you do.”

“You’re saying you and Mary already... slept together?” Qiu Fengyu looked at him in surprise. “You’re only fifteen.”

“No, I’m sixteen now, and we haven’t done anything—nothing at all. I don’t want trouble!” Tim smiled at Qiu Fengyu. “Today’s my sixteenth birthday. I had planned a lot before, but I never thought I’d be here drinking beer with you on the rooftop!”

Qiu Fengyu was stunned. Then he looked at Tim and smiled. “Sixteen, huh? That’s a fine age. If I’m not mistaken, you’ll graduate high school next year and can join the military. Maybe you could go to college…”

“No. Once I graduate, I’m joining the military right away. You said the Navy SEALs are a great choice. I’ll apply to be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan, anywhere there’s a war—I’ll consider it.”

“To sixteen!” Qiu Fengyu raised his bottle to Tim.

“To war!” Tim smiled, clinking his bottle with Qiu Fengyu’s.

“So... shall we keep talking about women?” Qiu Fengyu looked at Tim. “Whatever path you choose, I support you. Sometimes hatred really isn’t the only way to solve problems.”

“I agree, but hatred is the only thing that keeps me growing. Without it, I don’t know how I’d live,” Tim said with a maturity that made Qiu Fengyu feel a bit strange inside.

“Well, however you decide, just follow your own path.”

“Thanks, boss. You’re the only one I trust,” Tim smiled and clinked his bottle with Qiu Fengyu’s again. “By the way, you slept with that Japanese girl. What about Chief Corvin? Aren’t you going to tell her?”

“I already did. Actually... I really don’t want to get involved with women. Someone like me can only marry and have kids if I completely forget the past, but that seems impossible now. So for women... I just treat it as a fling.”

“I guess I’ll probably be the same later. At school, I publicly humiliated that girl, so now no girl dares to date me. In their eyes, I’m arrogant, maybe even a little strange. Haha, I like it that way. No one hovering around me—I just want to do my own thing.”

“To those poor girls!” Qiu Fengyu raised his bottle.

The two shamelessly clinked their bottles together and took big swigs.

“Didn’t Chief Corvin hit you?” Tim wiped his mouth after drinking and smiled at Qiu Fengyu. “I think she likes you. If you said that to her, I guarantee she’d hit you!”

“No... even if she did, it wouldn’t matter.”

“And the Japanese girl didn’t cause you any trouble?”

“Do you know what I admire most about Japanese girls?” Qiu Fengyu suddenly grinned at Tim.

Tim looked at Qiu Fengyu carefully and tentatively asked, “What?”

“Damn, no, it’s that after we slept together, she acted like nothing happened. I thought only I could do that. But... that was her first time.”

“What? Damn, how is that possible... Okay, I believe you’re not lying, but... boss, don’t you think that’s strange? That’s not how a woman reacts after losing her virginity,” Tim said, looking at Qiu Fengyu. “Is she preparing something for the crucial moment—like a general in chess?”

“No way,” Qiu Fengyu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. Nozomi Yonekura was not that kind of woman. That much he was sure of.

“I was almost fooled by you. Haha... this is so interesting—I’ve been talking about women with you for so long, and you’re only sixteen.” Qiu Fengyu laughed loudly, raising his bottle again. “Here’s to seventeen.”

They clinked bottles. Tim said, “Seventeen’s still a year away.”

“I said here’s to seventeen, so it is,” Qiu Fengyu said stubbornly.

“Alright, whatever you say, boss,” Tim quickly gave in and took several big swigs, then tossed the bottle on the rooftop, making it clink.

“Dad, Mom, I will avenge you—” Suddenly Tim stood up and shouted loudly into the night sky. After a few cries, tears welled up.

Qiu Fengyu listened silently. After a while, when Tim calmed down, he scolded, “Done yelling? Get out of here, don’t piss me off while I’m here.”

Tim laughed, wiped his tears, cleaned up the bottles, and carried them downstairs. Then he quietly slipped away to Britt’s house.

Qiu Fengyu sat dazed on the rooftop. With Tim gone, the days felt a bit like a dream. After some thought, he found it uninteresting, so he went downstairs, took a shower, and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, while out running, he met Tim and said, “After the run, come with me to the noodle shop. I have something to give you!”

Tim smiled, knowing Qiu Fengyu would definitely give him something, and didn’t refuse. Chief Corvin, who had joined them along the way, looked at Qiu Fengyu and then Tim with some curiosity.

“What’s going on?” Chief Corvin asked.

Tim grinned and said, “The boss said your figure is really hot.” Then he sped up, ran ahead of them, and disappeared around a corner.

“Did you really say that?” Chief Corvin looked at Qiu Fengyu with a playful smile. “How does it compare to Nozomi Yonekura’s figure?”

Qiu Fengyu hadn’t expected the usually serious Chief Corvin to ask such a question, so he nodded seriously, “Yes, I think your figure is really good.”

“You’re being perfunctory!” Chief Corvin said but still looked happy.

“By the way, I want to build a new house here—on the land next to me where April’s house was bombed. What should I do?”

“I don’t know, but I’m sure you need April’s authorization before you start,” Chief Corvin explained, then smiled. “You’ve decided to settle here?”

“Yes, I have. No matter what happens in the future, I need a place that can finally accommodate me. I think this is a good place, so I’ve decided to have a house here—a house of my own. That’s all.”

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, I want to do it myself,” Qiu Fengyu smiled. “But I might ask you to help me find a lawyer. I need to understand some of the legal procedures.”

“Of course, no problem,” Chief Corvin happily agreed. She looked genuinely pleased, as if hearing good news. A smile appeared on her face.

Chief Corvin’s thoughts were simple: if Qiu Fengyu could settle here, that would be best. After all, Qiu Fengyu was one of her closest friends. Besides colleagues, Chief Corvin rarely had friends worth keeping in town.

“Thank you, Chief!” Qiu Fengyu saluted her with a crisp American military salute.

(To be continued.)