Secondhand Water

[The radio drama of the same name is currently airing on Manbo] [The simplified Chinese edition of the book goes on presale at 7:00 p.m. on September 10, 2022. Follow Weibo @Yan Mao Yu Jiu for details.] The August midday sun was so scorching it made Jiang Chu’s eyes swim. Leaning against the railing by the station exit, he impatiently turned his phone in his hand and decided to wait five more minutes. Five minutes later, he turned around. A pair of dusty flip-flops stopped in front of him. Following the flip-flops upward, he saw red track pants with two white stripes down each side, a knockoff T-shirt that said “Adada” instead of Adidas, a laborer’s bag cinched into a rope over one shoulder, and a pair of cold, sharp black eyes. Half a blade of grass was tangled in the mess of hair. “Qin Zui?” Jiang Chu couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. What the hell, he looked like a stray dog. Qin Zui’s lips pursed warily. He stared at Jiang Chu and gave a flat “Mm.” “I’m your… older brother.” Jiang Chu stared back at him for a moment, then nodded, at a loss for words. “Let’s go. My dad and your mom are waiting for you at the restaurant.” As he turned away, he noticed a ring of dried sweat on the back of Qin Zui’s black T-shirt. Theme: A young man from a small town with nothing to his name changes his fate through education