Xiao Dazhuang glared at him, his eyes wide: "We've been waiting for this day for so long! That kid Li Chengbin is so arrogant every day, always causing trouble and dragging things out. If he can't pay his debt today, we'll see how we deal with him! But you, you big rat, scared your sister-in-law. If Brother Cheng can't come out tonight, are we still going to collect the debt?"

Luo Shiliu leaned against the wall, looking rather unserious, a mischievous grin on his face: "I just said it offhand. I didn't know Bailu was afraid of mice. In this godforsaken little place like ours, mice are everywhere!"

That's true, but Xiao Dazhuang was still angry: "Then what do you suggest we do now?"

"Just wait and see."

Luo Shiliu plopped down on the ground, leaning against the wall of Xiao Cheng's house, looking like he was used to waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump.

"What if Brother Cheng doesn't come out tonight?" Wang Hao asked anxiously. Chen Chunli knew what he was doing out, and if he didn't have good news when he got back, she would definitely make a scene again.

Luo Shiliu sneered with a gloating expression, "Your Xiaoli has thrown another tantrum?"

They all knew what kind of personality Chen Chunli had.

Even a simple meal with her brothers can turn into a chaotic mess.

Wang Hao was embarrassed, but he had to explain: "She's afraid to sleep alone at night. Pregnant women are all like that. My sister-in-law is the same. She was so scared when she heard a mouse squeaking that she ran into Cheng-ge's arms."

Luo Shiliu just smiled and didn't say anything.

“That’s different!” Xiao Dazhuang retorted righteously, “Your sister-in-law won’t hit Cheng Ge, but Chen Chunli will hit you.”

They had witnessed it with their own eyes. The last time Wang Hao came out of the police station, there were still people coming and going outside, and Chen Chunli grabbed Wang Hao's ear and started cursing at him.

They even physically assaulted Wang Hao, not directly, but it still made Wang Hao lose face on the street.

He was surrounded by passersby who watched him make a fool of himself.

Bai Lu would never do that. Even when she and Cheng Ge didn't get along, she would just walk away with her head down when they met. Now, when Bai Lu sees Cheng Ge, she not only smiles sweetly every time, but she also cooks meals and waits for Cheng Ge, who has been working hard all day, to come home so they can eat together.

They've met several times already, and she's incredibly gentle and virtuous—nothing that shrew Chen Chunli can compare to!

Wang Hao felt his scalp tingle under Xiao Dazhuang's honest, unspoken gaze, and he had no words to express his suffering.

Let's change the subject: "If Brother Cheng doesn't come out, are we still going?"

Luo Shiliu smacked his lips: "If Big Brother isn't going, what are we going to do? Are we looking for death? If we wait a little longer and Brother Cheng doesn't come out, we'll just go home, wash up, and go to sleep."

—

When Xiao Cheng opened his eyes, the night had just ended, and the sky was beginning to lighten. A sliver of morning light shone through the gap in the window, accompanied by the chirping of early birds in the trees in the backyard, and the soft breathing beside him.

He paused for a moment, his gaze shifting slightly, and the girl's sweet sleeping face with slightly flushed cheeks came into view.

The warmth and softness in my arms, the small hand restraining my waist, brought back memories of last night like a tidal wave.

After putting Bailu to sleep, he tried to get up and go out several times, but as soon as he moved, Bailu hugged him tightly, her hands like white jade chains, binding his waist and preventing him from moving. Her eyes were closed, and she kept muttering that she was scared...

After a few times, for some reason, his arm changed position, and he used it as a pillow for her to sleep on.

Even the slightest movement would make her frown and try to wake up, and she would whine restlessly in his arms.

He simply stopped moving and fell asleep.

I thought that having someone in my arms would make me uncomfortable and unable to fall asleep, but I slept soundly through the night until dawn.

Xiao Cheng couldn't even remember how long it had been since he'd had a good night's sleep, braving wind and rain all these years.

There was a soft knock on the door.

Xiao Wei got up early this morning and cooked noodles and porridge for himself. He wanted to ask his older brother and Bai Lu if they wanted to eat. He hesitated outside the door for a long time before finally mustering up the courage to knock.

He didn't really want to wake them up, but if the noodles were overcooked, they would turn into a mushy mess if left out for too long.

"You eat first."

The man seemed to know what the little one outside the door wanted to say, and a low, lazy reply came from inside the door, much softer than usual, as if he had deliberately lowered his voice.

Xiao Wei knew he had disturbed him, so he responded softly, "Okay."

Then he added, "There are noodles in the kitchen."

In a tense and expectant atmosphere, when the man uttered a very low "hmm," Xiao Wei immediately took light, quick steps and ran silently toward the kitchen.

After finishing breakfast and washing the dishes, I happily picked up my little hoe and went to the backyard to stroll through the vegetable garden and feed the old hen.

Bai Lu spent most of last night battling wits with the big boss and didn't wake up until dawn. She was dazed for a moment after opening her eyes before realizing that she hadn't made breakfast for the flowers of the motherland.

He immediately sprang to his feet, threw on a thick cotton coat, and hurriedly ran to the kitchen.

"Xiaowei, there's no time to make breakfast now. You'll be late for school if you eat it all. Why don't you go to the street and buy some sticky rice chicken and soy milk to eat on the way..."

As Bai Lu spoke, she took out some money and stepped into the kitchen, intending to stuff the money into Xiao Wei's hand, but when she looked up, she was completely bewildered.

There are no flowers of the motherland in the kitchen.

Only the tall, long-legged, cold-faced boss, carrying two steaming bowls of noodles, walked out with a leisurely gait.

As we passed each other, I casually remarked, "It's the weekend today."

"So..." Bai Lu paused, then asked very honestly, "Where did Xiao Wei go?"

"backyard."

Xiao Cheng answered patiently, then sat down on the wooden stool and leaned back, his deep gaze fixed on Bai Lu's slightly disheveled hair, as if to say—

Why aren't you washing up yet? The noodles are getting cold!

Bai Lu's eyes twitched slightly. She squeezed toothpaste with lightning speed, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and got herself ready.

Go to the dinner table and dine with the big boss.

I had just finished eating half of my noodles when there was a loud, urgent knocking on the door, as if it were a premonition of something big.

Xiao Cheng got up to open the door.

Just as Bai Lu put down her chopsticks, ten uniformed police officers with stern and cold faces filed in the moment the door opened, striding towards the main house.

“We received a report that your family is illegally possessing contraband.”

The lead police officer, with a cold expression, showed the search warrant to Xiao Cheng, who also had a cold expression.

As they were talking, the other police officers began searching the house. People entered every room in the main house, the kitchen, and the woodshed, and the sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets could be heard one after another.

Xiao Cheng was a regular at the Pingcheng police station, familiar with both the old and new faces. But he had never seen this group of ten before; they were all unfamiliar faces.

Seeing that Xiao Cheng was about to speak, Bai Lu quickly stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and shook her head slightly.

These are all people sent by the city authorities. Obstructing official business can be decided in just a few words.

Xiao Cheng knew what was in the house.

But seeing Bai Lu's calm and composed gaze, the anxiety that had just risen in my heart was inexplicably soothed.

He swallowed back the words he was about to say.