The sun sets, night falls, and a bright yellow bonfire envelopes the small courtyard.
Four people sat in a circle around the grill and enjoyed barbecue, beer and juice.
"I haven't seen you for more than half a year. I have grown a lot taller and my body has become stronger." Paquet picked up a piece of bloody ribs with both hands, took a bite, and chewed it with a greasy mouth. "The strength is amazing, and the wrestling skills are no good. Fallen. As expected of a descendant of our Glenn family."
"This kid's ability is much more than this." Jacob took a sip of beer, his eyes became sharp in his thick beard, "He regards the Andre Struggle Field shooting range as his own yard, and he goes to shoot for several hours every day. .”
"A normal person would have worn out his wrists long ago. He is still like a normal person. His shooting skills have improved rapidly. He is proficient in pistols, rifles and sniper rifles. According to Andre, just wearing a steel helmet will suffice. On the battlefield."
Dean glanced at the bearded man warily. He looked kind and harmless, but he looked like a spy.
"What's weird?" Paquet raised his thick eyebrows and said with pride, "Our Glenn family are all born warriors. As long as we are related to combat, we are all geniuses."
"Dean inherited his father's weak temperament. He was like a glass bottle, breaking when touched. He would hide in the house and cry at every turn."
Paquet's big, oily hands patted Dean's shoulder and gave him an appreciative look.
"Now you have grown up and finally look like a real man!"
Dean smiled as he chewed the roast, and Paqui's open-mindedness saved him the trouble of explaining.
"You must always persist in shooting and fighting training. This world is full of deep malice towards our ethnic group. Although many white-skinned people do not say it with their mouths, in their hearts they wish that we would all die. Of course, Jacob and Tangya are not here. Its ranks.”
Paquiyu narrowed his eyes, and the bonfire made his tense face look extremely serious, like a patient with deep persecution paranoia.
"The law of the jungle is the law of the jungle. If you don't actively seek progress, you will be eliminated in the future."
Dean nodded with deep sympathy, after all, the original body was eliminated.
"That's enough, Paqui, don't spread such extreme ideas and teach Dean bad." Tang Ya crossed her hands on her chest, "This poor child has been admitted to the hospital twice in half a year, don't learn anything more Fight and kill.”
"Don't worry, my injury has healed a long time ago." He bulged his strong biceps at the three of them. "I am healthier and stronger than 99% of men. You should have seen it just now, Paqui."
"No matter how strong you are, you are just a body of flesh and blood. If you are not careful, you will be shot and turned into a sieve. And you, the savior of Lake Mead, like to be a hero too much." Paquet took a sip of beer and said to Dean in a commanding tone. , "In order to prevent you from having a sudden accident, the Glenn family will be the last of its kind. You must find more girlfriends while you are young and have several children in one life, starting with the black-haired girl who has been looking for you recently. She is the daughter of a policeman. Right, if you are healthy, your offspring will definitely be strong.”
The dark-haired girl, Gretchen?
Dean's eyes were stunned, his mouth opened wide, showing his white teeth, and the remaining half of the beef fell to the ground.
"Where did you hear that?"
Paquet smiled and said nothing. The bearded man raised his left hand with a smile and waved it cautiously.
"Out of concern, I asked an old friend to help pay attention to it. I didn't expect that a yellow-skinned boy like you was quite popular."
Dean smiled and took over an army.
"I'm not twenty yet, so I'm not in a hurry. On the other hand, you are still single in your forties. This seriously violates the Glenn family tradition. You must find an aunt for me before the end of this year. Next winter, I will see at least Two younger siblings.”
"No matter how big or small you are!" Paquet glared with a pair of bull's eyes and clenched his fists loudly. "You dare to urge your uncle to get married, and you deserve a beating?"
"You haven't been beaten enough just now?" Dean showed his big white teeth at him provocatively,
"What Dean said is right," Jacob suddenly changed sides, "He is still young and can play for more than ten years, but you don't have much time to 'do it'."
"Dean has never asked us for living expenses in the past six months. He has grown up. You should care about yourself." Tang Ya still had a kind look on her face and said, "I am doing it for your own good." She added thoughtfully, "Running out of town. After twenty years, are you still tired of fast food? Settle down and find a partner to spend the rest of your life with."
Dean watched his uncle's big face turn from red to black with great interest, opened a can of juice, and toasted to the two wingmen.
Paquet held his chin with his right fist, breathing heavily through his nose, and stared angrily at the bonfire.
After a long while, I let out a long sigh,
"You think I don't want to? But I'm old, have a bad temper, don't have much money, and am an aborigine. Where can I easily find a wife?"
"Not enough money? It doesn't matter." Jacob patted his chest, "Tang Ya and I have savings and can support you."
"Leave it to yourself and take care of yourself. I'll go on a few more missions, well, it only takes a few..."
"Stop trying so hard," Jacob glanced at his waist, "It's not that easy to be a personal bodyguard these days. You won't hire someone unless your life is in danger. Has your back injury recurred again?"
"By the way, how many guys have died in the past six months?"
Paqui silently threw a few branches into the bonfire, with a trace of delicate sadness on his rough face, "Three."
Dean's head trembled. Why is the bodyguard job so dangerous?
Paquet continued,
"I have no choice. I don't know any other job except being a bodyguard. If I don't do this job, would it be possible to kneel on the street and become a beggar? But I have always been lucky. I know how to protect myself."
Talking about Paquet's job.
The originally warm party atmosphere became depressed and depressing, and a touch of sadness filled the air.
Jacob, Paquet, and Tangya, three middle-aged and elderly people who combined were one hundred and forty years old, were relatively speechless as they looked at the sparks exploding in the bonfire.
"Stop working as a bodyguard. You are old and full of injuries. You should retire and enjoy life." Dean broke the silence, looked into the pair of black eyes that were exactly like his own, and said in an unquestionable tone, "Listen Mine, Paqui, pick a big house in Las Vegas, live in it, retire, and find a wife. Well, I'll pay for it."
"For the past six months, I have been working as a volunteer for the LVPD, and I have also hired some private detectives. Maybe I have good talent, and I have earned a lot of money."
My silly uncle, I will not allow you to set a flag in front of you.
Paqui's face froze, and for a moment, his eyes turned slightly red. Then he waved his hand in front of him and cursed with a smile,
"You brat, the grill is too hot and you're confused. Why are you talking nonsense? Even if you sell yourself, you can't afford a big house."
"Don't dampen your nephew's enthusiasm like this." Jacob looked at Dean with softer eyes, and said with great comfort, "At least he has more conscience than those peers who only know how to eat, drink, have fun and ask for money."
Paquet took a sip of beer and looked at his nephew with a disapproving smile.
"How much have you earned? Is it enough for living expenses this year?"
"It doesn't matter how much you earn, you can also set a small goal first," Tangya and Jacob encouraged him before he could answer, "For example, earn him ten thousand dollars a year."
Dean's eyes swept across the three of them, and for a moment it was as bright as day.
"Actually, I don't earn much, only around 100,000 yuan."
One hundred thousand…
The calm voice accompanied by the howling cold wind passed through the winter night and the courtyard shrouded in bonfires.
The three middle-aged men in the yard were stunned and fell into a petrified state.
…
The stars and moon in the sky tonight are dim, the bonfire in the yard is quietly extinguished, and the barbecue grill is quiet.
That house with a white roof.
In the bright hall, four people were sitting around the sofa.
Tang Ya raised her reading glasses on the bridge of her nose, put down the contract in her hand, and looked at the old man who was looking around with a sullen face.
"Dean didn't lie. Congratulations, Paqui, your family has a great detective."
"One contract earned me $10,000."
Paquet looked at Dean, his dark eyes filled with unfamiliar scrutiny, as if he was getting to know his nephew again.
"I've taken care of you for seven or eight years, but I never knew you could be a detective?"
Tang Ya next to her glanced at the big man angrily.
"You take care of Dean, how do you take care of him? You leave him in school all day long, and you pay for living expenses every month while you are busy with work. You don't see anyone for ten days and a half, especially in the past two years, often several times. I won’t be home for a month.”
"You never care about Dean's hobbies or worries."
Tang Ya reprimanded unceremoniously,
"You don't call it taking care of me, you call it free-range care. You don't know this child at all... don't quibble! Otherwise, you can tell me, what is your nephew's favorite food?"
"Well…"
Paqui suddenly got stuck. His rough face seemed to have been slapped, and it was visibly red and swollen.
"This child has grown up and matured, and found a job that he is good at...you should congratulate him and celebrate him," Tangya taught Paqui like a student, "instead of just questioning and criticizing!"
Dean lowered his eyebrows and served his aunt a glass of hot water.
Paqui's face turned black and red, and he moved his mouth several times, but no sound came out. After a moment, he suppressed a shameful smile and said,
"Well, congratulations, Dean! I shouldn't have doubted you."
"But in my impression, a private detective only earns about 20,000 yuan a year. How can he earn 100,000 yuan?" His eyes shone with a complicated light, and he sighed with unwillingness, "I risked being shot in the head and stayed up late to work. I only earn 30,000 to 40,000 yuan a year, including medical expenses..."
"Don't you understand yet? We are all a group of old antiques who have not kept up with the times, and our backward eyes cannot see through the current development." Jacob hugged Paquet's shoulders and leaned back on the sofa, his eyes between the beard As profound as a philosopher,
"Okay, I have proven my ability to earn money," Dean collected the contract and was confident, "Now Paque, pick a house you like in Las Vegas and I will pay for it."
This time no one doubted his strength. In this era, an ordinary house in the city cost 50,000 to 60,000 dollars.
Paquet opened his mouth and was silent for a long time. His emotions were complicated and difficult to describe. For a moment, they seemed to be blocked and speechless.
"Paqui, you have been taking care of me since Lena and Glenn disappeared." Dean walked around the hall, his voice warm but full of strength, "If it weren't for me being a drag, you would have been there long ago. Get married, have a wife and children.”
The remaining feelings gave Dean a surge of desire. He took over the body of his predecessor and controlled his soul as a superpower.
Then helping the predecessor's family improve their lives is blameless both emotionally and rationally.
What's more, by helping Paqui, he could get the other party to cooperate with him in handling the gold bars and going to the shooting range to purchase powerful weapons.
"In our hometown, there is an old saying, a drop of water should be repaid by a spring."
He looked at the helpless big man,
"You have taken care of me for so many years and raised me. It is my turn to repay you, uncle."
The emotional voice echoed in the living room, quietly melting the ice in my heart.
The big man was startled for a moment, then suddenly turned his head and rubbed the corners of his eyes.
Well, no matter how his personality changes, Dean is still family.
"When did that brat become so sensational? Does he change so much after having a girlfriend?"
"Don't be so harsh!" The bearded man glanced at Paquet and then at Dean, with a flash of envy in his eyes. "With such a good nephew, why do you want to be a bodyguard? Retire and enjoy life!"
"When you buy a house, don't forget to invite your old friends to visit!" Tang Ya smiled sincerely, but her eyes were slightly red.
"The brat has made a lot of money and is willing to help my incompetent uncle. I'm happy to accept it." Paquet looked at Dean and pulled away from the previous tense state, with a relaxed smile on his lips.
"But I've been traveling around for most of my life and haven't spent much time in Las Vegas. Since Lena and Guangming disappeared without a trace, my feelings for Las Vegas have become even weaker. The only thing I miss is this nephew. "
He smiled at Dean
"I've had enough of the rush, hustle and bustle of big cities, the hollowness under the bustle, and the group of racists. If I want to buy a house and settle down, I must choose another place with deeper ties."
Leaving Las Vegas?
Dean bared his teeth. He didn't expect that he had guessed his uncle's thoughts wrong from the beginning.
"You want to go back to your hometown?" Jacob's eyes suddenly lit up,
Paqui nodded, rubbed the dreamcatcher tattoo on his neck, and smiled to himself,
"When we were teenagers, Lena and I left home without hesitation, determined never to go back, but we couldn't help but sneak back many times. It was always there, but it changed a lot."
"More than twenty years have passed, and lately, I miss the place where I was born and raised more and more."
"I even dreamed about the high school basketball gym where I had a few fights."
He closed his eyes longingly, a smile appeared on his lips,
"That's where I belong. I want to go back and see my old classmates and the buildings I remember, and then buy a quiet house in the suburbs, surrounded by natural lawns. You can walk your dog at any time, and it's very close to the forest. The air is fresh, you can go hunting with your gun, and the creek flows by, so you can catch a fish when you feel like it.”
"Dean, my good nephew, are you willing to help me?"
Paquet was nervous and looking forward to it, but saw the other party nodding heavily.
"Returning to your hometown to settle down and return to your roots is a very traditional approach. I understand and support you 100%."
Dean paused, stared at him solemnly and said,
"When you go back, you don't have to save money for me. Choose a better house that is strong and spacious enough to accommodate your future wife, children, your brothers and friends, and me."
"After you select it, I will check it myself. If it doesn't pass the standard, don't blame me for building one for you."
Paquet breathed a sigh of relief, and Jacob and Tangya were also happy for him, hugging his muscular arms on the left and right.
"Keep the house clean, and we'll join in the fun when the time comes."
"We're always waiting for you," Paquet had already begun to imagine a bright future, smiling from ear to ear. "I will prepare a complete set of barbecue equipment for you in advance."
"Hey, my dear uncle, should you tell me something first?" Dean put his hands on his hips, "I have only known that you and Lena are from Indiana since I was a child, but I don't know where exactly it is. .”
"Don't blame your mother, she just didn't have time to tell you the answer...it's not too late to tell you now." Paquie's eyes flashed with melancholy, "Well, our hometown is a beautiful town in Indiana, Hawkins."
“There are four distinct seasons throughout the year, unlike Las Vegas, which is full of dry desert and peeling sun.”
Hawkins, Indiana?
Dean's temples twitched. He had no memory of this place.
In fact, his knowledge of most American cities was extremely limited.
"There is a middle school, a hospital, and a wide range of shops in the town. The transportation is very convenient and the consumption is not high." Paquet was full of praise for the place. "In addition, the people are simple and honest."
"You described Hawkins so well, then why did you and Lena leave in the first place?" Dean was puzzled.
Pa Kui's face darkened.
"Your grandmother had just passed away at that time. We were so sad that we sold the house to the government. Later, a Department of Energy was built near the house."
"Your mother and I came to Las Vegas to hunt for gold with the money from selling our house."
"Who hasn't been rebellious and impulsive when they were young?"
He sighed, looked at Dean and recalled,
"Your parents love to travel, and they continued this habit after they gave birth to you. Every year they drive by Hawkins and stay for a few days, and then continue traveling east or west for a week or two. I help take care of you."
"Eight years ago, the summer vacation when you were ten years old, they were driving to the east coast and never came back."
"Where exactly did he disappear?" Dean's expression changed and he sat up straight, "Hawkins, Indiana? Or somewhere else?"
…
In the dark of night, if someone quietly approaches this two-story building and peeks in through the window in the courtyard.
Then, with the bright light, you can see a burly man with yellow skin telling stories about the past in a passionate voice, shaking his ponytail with excitement from time to time, or covering his face with sighs.
A young man, a bearded man, and a thin middle-aged woman listened intently.
Until the dead of night.
(End of chapter)
