1 Wang Wei

"Look, kid, this is the final warning. Pay me back my money in 15 days or else you will find yourself in some hospital with no kidneys" said Boss Hugo to Wang Wei.

"Fif.. Fifteen days, How can I make 50,000 in 15 days?" said Wang Wei with his beaten up face.

"How would I know, why don't you ask your father? He is the one who took the money, after all. Oh! I'm sorry he is dead right" Boss Hugo laughed with a huge grin on his face.

"Throw this dirt bag away" he said to one of his men and left in his vehicle.

Wang Wei's father took fifty thousand from Boss Hugo, but before his father could return the money, he got killed in an accident. Since his father died, Hugo and his people started pestering the brothers every day. Although Wang Wei worked part-times by skipping the school, he only saved 15,000 yuan.

Wang Wei looked at the departing cars in that narrow street and cursed out loud. But soon he went silent because of the pain caused by the punches of Hugo's men. He slowly got up on his legs and went home limping.

"Bro, what happened?" That's Wang Yong, Wang Wei's brother. He is two years younger than Wang Wei.

"Is it Boss Hugo again?" said Wang Yong while helping his brother to sit on the bed. The Wang brothers lives in an old apartment with their father. Though it is a single bedroom apartment, it is enough for the family of three.

Seeing that his brother is not responding, Wang Yong gave a sigh and started treating the wounds.

"Let's run away from here brother" he said seriously

"It's not like Boss Hugo will search for us all over the country for a mere 50,000 yuan. We can go to some other city and start a new life" said Wang Yong while applying the ointment on Wang Wei's wounds.

"Yong, there is something happening around us we don't know about" Wang Wei said looking at his brother.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Wang Yong confused.

"Tell me one thing. Why do you think Boss Hugo is pestering us so much?"

"Because after dad died, Boss Hugo felt we can't pay his money back. He is scaring us so that we will do whatever we can to return his money" replied Wang Yong.

"He could have sent any of his men to do that, but why is he personally taking action. It's not like he has so much free time to beat me every day" Wang Wei said with his eyes closed and laying back on the bed.

"Yong, what if dad's accident is not an accident?"

"What do you mean by that?" Wang Yong asked confused, but he sensed his brother have something on his mind and he is letting it out.

"Listen. If any person died in an accident, the police will call the family members to identify the body and only after that they will complete the documentation and certify the death" paused Wang Wei to let Wang Yong think.

"But by the time we went to the hospital they already cremated dad's body and gave us the death certificate" said Wang Yong after he thought for a minute

"I have been thinking about this from last two weeks. Why didn't the police contacted us, the immediate family members? Why boss Hugo is personally taking action and first is our father really died in an accident?"

"Brother. I think we really should leave this town. What if it is not an accident and someone killed father and what if that person comes for us too" Wang Yong panicked just from thinking the possibility of their father getting murdered.

"Cool down, Yong. If it is really like that, don't you think we will be dead by now" Wang Wei yelled at his brother and continued to say calmly, "What I meant to say is, did father really dead or is he alive somewhere?"

"How can we possibly know whether he is alive or dead?" said Wang Yong, controlling his surge of emotions.

"Boss Hugo" paused Wang Wei. "I'm sure he knows what might actually happened" said Wang Wei with a stony expression. Shivers ran down his spine when Wang Yong looked at his brother.

"Hugo gave me 15 days to pay him back his money. I'll do something about that. You go to school as usual and think little about it. You understand?" said Wang Wei, looking at his brother.

"Okay brother" Wang Yong said that and slumped to his side of the bed and slept.

Even though Wang Yong said okay, Wang Wei knows that his brother will definitely think much more than him on what they discussed. As his brother Wang Wei should explain this to him eventually, as this involves their father.

Next day Morning.

"Yong, I'm going to uncle Li to clean his house. Don't wait for me and have your dinner on time" Wang Wei said to his brother and left the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Uncle Li is one of his father's close acquaintance in this city. He is an antique collector. Every week Wang Wei cleans and maintains the old artifacts collected by uncle Li and today is also same like every time.

"Wei, come here for a second" called Uncle Li from his study room.

"What's up uncle Li" said Wang Wei and stood beside uncle Li who is reading an old book with a lot of scribbles on it.

"How much do you need to pay back Hugo?" said uncle Li, still looking at the old book.

"How do you know about that?" said Wang Wei, shocked.

"Your face explains everything. Take this three hundred for now and go see a doctor after the work is done" Uncle Li said giving Wang Wei money.

"Thanks Uncle Li"

"Now, How much do you actually owe Hugo?" said Uncle Li. This time looking straight at Wang Wei.

"50,000 yuan"

Uncle Li has a puzzled expression on his face, but he quickly changed it back to normal expression.

"Come and collect that from me next week. Don't ask questions. You and your father helped me a lot these years. Consider it as a gratitude for all the work you guys did for me" Uncle Li said.

"Also, take this book and that box. Your father gave it to me for keeping it safe. But as he is gone these are yours now" he said and handed them over to Wang Wei the book he is reading and that box which closely resembles a music box.

"What are these?" said Wang Wei, taking the items from Uncle Li.

"Even I don't know. Your dad said that these are your mother's. Take them when you completed the work. Now get back to what you are doing" said uncle Li and shooed Wang Wei from his study room.

After cleaning uncle Li's antiques. Wang Wei went back to his house after going to hospital. As it is past 9'o'clock, Wang Yong is sleeping on the bed. Wei took a bath and had some left over soup for dinner.

He placed the two items he received from Uncle Li before and started examining them. He tried to read the book, but all he can see are scribbles and he can't seem to understand them. So he kept the book aside and picked up the "music" box, but he can't open it however he tried.

Getting tired from all the work he had done since morning, Wang Wei kept those things in the desk drawer his father used for work and went to bed.