The Misfortune

Billy Carter and several other boys closed in around him at once. “You fucking dare to hit me?!” Billy roared, throwing a punch at Du An. Du An dodged to the side but didn’t retreat. Instead, he rushed straight at Billy. No form. No technique. Only a reckless ferocity that seemed not to care about his own life, and strength beyond his peers. He fought with fists and feet alike. A boy grabbed him around the waist from the side. Du An drove his elbow hard into the boy’s back. Another tried to kick him; Du An caught the ankle with the back of his hand and yanked hard, sending him crashing to the ground. Billy’s fist grazed Du An’s cheekbone, leaving a burning sting, but Du An seemed not to feel it. He smashed a fist into Billy’s nose, and blood gushed out at once. The scene descended into chaos. The students around them stared, dumbstruck, letting out cries of alarm. Du An was one against many. He took several blows, but his all-or-nothing savagery meant the others couldn’t gain the upper hand. Du An understood something clearly: if he didn’t dare throw a punch when he was being pushed around, they would only come back harder. “Stop! All of you, stop!” Mr. Johnson’s voice rang out. The PE teacher came over and pulled the tangled boys apart as if picking up chicks. Johnson clamped a hand on Du An’s shoulder. Du An was panting heavily. His fierce gaze swept over Billy, clutching his nose, and Mark and the others on the ground. The menace in that look made the onlooking students instinctively avoid his eyes. “Du An! You again!” Mr. Johnson looked at the bruised and bloodied students, then spoke sternly to Du An. “Come with me to the office! The rest of you, break it up!” Du An was taken by Johnson to the PE office. But he didn’t bring anyone else. Because managing school discipline wasn’t his job. He was only a PE teacher. Du An stayed silent. Johnson studied the boy in front of him. “Du An, how many times is this this semester?” Du An didn’t answer. “I know some of them have dirty mouths.” Johnson walked up to Du An. “But violence doesn’t solve problems. It only brings more trouble.” Du An stayed silent. Mr. Johnson sighed. “Setting aside all this trouble… Du An, I’ve been watching you for a long time.” He paused, with a hint of admiration. “Your physical condition is the best I’ve seen in my years at this school—explosive power, endurance, coordination… you’re a natural athlete.” “Especially your endurance. In the long-distance run test during PE last time, you finished an entire lap ahead of the second-place runner.” “Have you ever considered training systematically at something?” Johnson looked at Du An and made a few suggestions. “Track and field? Long-distance running? Or… rugby? With your build and speed, you could definitely place at county level, maybe even go further. Sports are a good way out—they can keep you away from street trouble, and they can also…” He chose his words carefully. “Give you an outlet to release.” Hearing that word, Du An frowned slightly. Release? So it still came down to being his problem? “No.” He refused, grabbing the first excuse he could think of. “I don’t like sports.” Johnson was taken aback, clearly not expecting Du An to refuse so bluntly, even with a hint of hostility. “Du An, I’m serious. You have talent…” “I don’t need it! Thank you for your kindness!” Du An was getting impatient. If he was going to say such nice things, why only to him, and not to the bullies? “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go. I still have class.” Johnson spread his hands. “Not open to discussion?” Du An shook his head. Sometimes teachers played favorites too. To some students, the teachers were practically condoning the bullying. He turned and pulled open the door. Without a thought for what Johnson thought of him, he strode straight out. Johnson’s frown deepened. He was a bit put out with Du An, feeling insulted. “God, if it weren’t for Kenny, I would definitely have the school expel you!” Johnson shook his head. Du An was lucky to have Kenny put in a word for him. In the end, Johnson still felt it was a shame about Du An. He had seen the boy fight; he really did have physical talent. So he still had to find a way to talk Du An into some systematic training. Maybe Du An could make his way through sports. Fighting really was useful most of the time at school. At least it kept some trouble away. After he beat up those few that morning, no one bothered Du An again for the time being. In the afternoon, the bell for the end of second period rang. The corridor was deafening. As soon as Du An stepped out of the classroom, he saw a familiar figure. Marina was standing by the railing in a neatly pressed knit jacket, no smile on her face. She was Grandma Mason’s good friend, the one who often prayed with her. Marina had known hardship too. From what Grandma Mason said, Marina had had breast cancer before, and to treat it, she had undergone a mastectomy. Du An knew Marina was gentle with people. Marina was the one who sorted out a lot of things at school. But this time, the moment he saw her, unease rose in Du An’s heart. Marina was usually all smiles. When Marina saw Du An, she stepped forward quickly. “Du An, come with me. Your grandmother is in the hospital.” Du An froze. “I’ve already asked for leave for you and Ethan. The car is waiting at the school gate. I’ll take you to the hospital.” Du An didn’t ask anything more and nodded. They went together to fetch Ethan, who was equally shocked when he heard. Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the hospital entrance. The hospital lobby was crowded with people coming and going. The smell of disinfectant was strong and sharp. Marina led the two of them straight to the emergency area. The corridor lights were a ghastly white. The door to the resuscitation room was shut tight. Two people stood outside: a uniformed police officer from the local precinct, and a middle-aged bank employee in his bank uniform. “How is she?” Marina asked as she came over. The officer shook his head. Marina then said to Du An, “Grandma Mason collapsed at the bank.” The bank employee spoke up. “I brought the old lady in myself. She came to the counter this morning to check the account Anderson had set up for her. I told her there wasn’t a single penny in it, and that her own account was empty too. After we confirmed it over and over, she collapsed right there. We called an ambulance immediately and reported it to the police.” Du An seemed to already know something, but he still asked, “What happened to her account?” The officer nearby took over. “It’s a typical elder-care financial scam aimed at this community. The man involved, Anderson, has been pushing fake pension funds in several communities across West Derby lately, targeting elderly people living alone.” “Ms. Mason put her entire savings into it—about thirty thousand pounds in total. The balance is now zero.” Du An’s pupils contracted sharply. Thirty thousand pounds. That was the family’s entire savings. Grandma had said it herself: it was everything they had, set aside for his and Ethan’s university and for the family’s life afterward. The officer went on. “Anderson has gone dark—phone off, and the place he rented is empty. Our initial assessment is that he planned this and has run off with the money. We’ve opened a case and will work with the local precinct to trace him and do what we can to recover the funds, but it will take a long time, and we can’t guarantee the outcome.” Du An understood clearly what that meant: an investigation with no end in sight. The officer added, “The resuscitation and the hospital fees paid in advance were fronted by this lady. I think you’ll need to think about the medical costs now.” Marina shook her head. In fact the NHS could have covered the medical costs in full, but the moment she got the news she had insisted on transferring Grandma to a private hospital. If they had actually gone to a free public one, they’d probably have waited until Grandma Mason’s life was in danger before a doctor could be booked. Then she said gently, “Du An, don’t worry about the medical fees right now. Let’s see her first. I’ve already spoken to Kenny; he’ll come over in a bit. Don’t worry, there’ll be a way to sort all of this out.” Ethan stood beside him, dazed and lost. He seemed unable to take in everything that had happened so suddenly. Du An looked at the tightly shut door of the resuscitation room and said nothing. Football had destroyed Grandma’s past. This scam had destroyed the family’s future. The hands hanging at Du An’s sides clenched tight. For the first time, he clearly felt the whole family’s weight pressing down, all at once, on a boy’s slender shoulders.