Xiao Qing nodded at them repeatedly. Teng Yi pushed through the swaying elderly folks and fist-bumped Xiao Qing before embracing him. Han Zuo, following behind Teng Yi, picked up Xiao Qing’s son, intending to play with him, but the child was shy and burst into tears at the sight of strangers.
“Hey, hey, hey!” Han Zuo panicked.
“Dou Bao, don’t cry.” Xiao Qing pinched his son’s cheek. “These are both your uncles.”
Hearing this, Dou Bao gave Teng Yi and Han Zuo a confused look but still tried to escape back into Xiao Qing’s arms.
Xiao Qing took his son and lifted him onto his shoulders.
“What brings you here?”
“Want to discuss something with you,” Teng Yi said.
“Sure, let’s go sit at my place, it’s just up ahead.”
Before Teng Yi could mention they’d already been to his house, Dou Bao, sitting on Xiao Qing’s shoulders, pointed forward.
“My home is behind that big tree.”
Dou Bao’s childish voice made all three men laugh.
“Aren’t you afraid of strangers coming to your house?” Teng Yi teased.
“Daddy said you’re all my uncles!”
“Oh, how clever you are. Will you let uncle hold you?”
Dou Bao thought for a moment, then gave Teng Yi a face and jumped into his arms.
Teng Yi caught him and, copying Xiao Qing, lifted the child above his head.
“You’ve got potential as a dad,” Xiao Qing praised.
Teng Yi smiled without speaking. Amid the lively scene, he suddenly thought quietly of Ruan Yu. If he could have a child with her, he wondered how preciously they would cherish it.
Xiao Qing’s home was on the third floor.
As soon as they entered, the first thing Teng Yi and Han Zuo saw was a full row of awards and certificates in the living room, all related to street dance.
“You’re quite the show-off,” Han Zuo walked to the awards and examined them carefully.
Xiao Qing smiled sheepishly beside him.
Xiao Qing’s wife Luo Ya found it strange: “Honey, why aren’t you bragging about your awards today? Don’t you usually go on about them for three minutes to everyone?”
About how they were his youth, his poetry, and distant dreams.
“Brag about what? I wouldn’t dare.” Xiao Qing pointed at Teng Yi. “The real master is standing right there. My achievements are nothing compared to his.”
Luo Ya laughed heartily.
“Alright, alright, stop undermining me, dear wife. Go make some tea for our guests,” Xiao Qing said.
“Yes, sir!”
After Luo Ya left with the child, the three men sat down in the living room.
When Teng Yi and Han Zuo explained their purpose, Xiao Qing’s blood instantly began to boil.
“We can join the show? That’s fantastic! You don’t know how stifled I’ve been.”
“Looks like you’re doing pretty well in the park,” Han Zuo teased.
Xiao Qing laughed heartily: “Speaking of doing well, I’m not bragging, but I am doing great with the uncles and aunties. Just now, those few in the front row who were learning street dance from me – they even won an excellence award at a competition the year before last.”
“While others teach the flowers of the motherland, you’re teaching the grandparents of those flowers – you’re quite high-ranking as a teacher.”
“This is what we call killing two birds with one stone.”
“You’re amazing!”
Teng Yi listened to their conversation with a smile.
Six years had passed, and Xiao Qing’s son was already dancing, but Xiao Qing was still the same Xiao Qing – how wonderful.
–_–
After Xiao Qing returned to Xiyou, they quickly got in touch with Cai Hong.
Cai Hong had left Liao City. After leaving Xiyou six years ago, he became a free-spirited street dancer, but deeply influenced by Teng Yi, he always maintained a serious attitude toward street dance. During these six years, Cai Hong participated in many competitions. Although most domestic street dance competitions were semi-underground with low social recognition, this didn’t stop Cai Hong from becoming increasingly famous in the street dance circle.
The current Cai Hong was worlds apart from that wild and unrestrained punk of the past, but no matter how formidable he became, one call from Teng Yi would make him willing to drop everything and fly back to Liao City.
For Cai Hong, once a boss, always a boss – this was his code of loyalty.
After Cai Hong’s return, next was Lin Shan.
Lin Shan was contacted through Chen Manbai by Ruan Yu.
These years, Chen Manbai and Lin Shan had stayed together, but besides dating, they hadn’t progressed further because Chen Manbai’s mother strongly disapproved of Lin Shan. She felt a poor street dancer had no future and was completely unworthy of her daughter.
Under this pressure, Lin Shan proposed breaking up several times, but Chen Manbai adamantly refused.
She told Lin Shan more than once: “I allow you to love street dance more than me. You don’t need to give up your dreams for me. If you want to dance, then work hard at it. If worst comes to worst, I’ll support you.”
This love moved Lin Shan and made him even more eager to make something of himself, to show those who thought “what good is being good at street dance” exactly what good it could be!
For Lin Shan, “Street Dance Maniac” was an opportunity to earn respect, so even though he still felt guilty about the Teng brothers, he didn’t refuse Teng Yi’s invitation.
He told Teng Yi: “Yi, as long as you still trust me, I’ll help you win back everything we lost, bit by bit.”
…
Xiyou regained its former liveliness.
Every day during practice, Cai Hong and Xiao Qing would chatter endlessly.
Han Zuo’s heart, unsettled for six years, finally found peace after Teng Yi and everyone’s collective return. Though he never felt particularly burdened being alone, having everyone together definitely brought more security.
Everything seemed settled, but Teng Yi still had one person on his mind: Zhou Xihe.
He hadn’t forgotten what Zhou Xihe had told him that day. He knew Zhou Xihe was sincerely repentant and genuinely wanted to return to Xiyou to dance with his brothers.
Teng Yi arranged a time to gather everyone to discuss this matter, but unexpectedly, the old grudges had long since faded from everyone’s minds.
Perhaps true maturity is just that – being able to understand others’ decisions, forgive others’ mistakes, be tolerant of the past, and accept each other’s new beginnings.
The night Teng Yi brought everyone to find Zhou Xihe, heavy rain poured in Liao City.
When Zhou Xihe finished his backup dancing work and came out of the venue, he looked up to see his former brothers standing shoulder to shoulder in the rain under umbrellas, waiting for him. His eyes instantly welled up with tears, and then he cried like a fool.
“Wow!”
Someone first threw away their umbrella and started dancing in the rain, then one by one, they all rushed into the rain and began dancing.
There was no music, no applause, only the astonished gazes of passersby, but they didn’t care.
Having dreams and brothers – what happiness this was.
These old boys – may they stay forever young, forever moved to tears.