Chapter 210 Fresh Vegetables

If you want to exchange other supplies besides vegetables, you'll need to bring some other things with you.

After thinking for a moment, he took three more bags of salt.

The little girl had several sets of thick clothes, and I brought two sets with me, thinking of giving them to the first and second children.

As dusk approaches, feed the livestock well in advance.

Let's also heat up the kang (heated brick bed) at home, so it won't be cold when we come back tomorrow.

After taking care of everything, Mancang and I dressed neatly and waited for Brother Liu and the others to come and pick us up.

My estimated time was just right; less than 10 minutes later, Brother Liu and his group's car stopped outside.

After locking the house and yard gates, I took the four dogs and Tie Dan'er and set off.

Brother Liu was both amused and exasperated when he saw that we had brought a lot of stuff and were also accompanied by four dogs and cats.

"Girl, are you moving?"

Brother Liu took the rabbit cage from my hand and asked jokingly.

I replied with a wry smile, "There's no way around it, I can't leave any of them at home, and I don't feel comfortable leaving them there."

Taozi opened the door of the van, where a middle-aged woman was sitting, leading a little girl.

The mother, dressed in tattered clothes, huddled with her arms protecting her child, sitting shivering at the back.

When the door opened and I tried to go in, she avoided my gaze and lowered her head.

With both the dog and the cat there, the van felt a bit crowded.

I could only put the rabbit cage and other items in the back seat, with Mancang sitting next to the mother and daughter, while I controlled Xiaodi, Xiaogua and Tiedan on the far right.

The third and fourth dogs followed Taozi to another row, since it was a bit difficult for me to manage four dogs by myself.

With great effort, I pulled out four hot water bottles, handed one to Brother Liu and one to Taozi, and Mancang and I each stuffed one into our cotton-padded coats and placed them on our laps.

Brother Liu struggled to turn the car around and started driving towards the Baizhen base.

It's too cold outside; even with the air conditioning on in the car, it's still very cold.

I freed one hand and pulled Mancang's scarf and hat together, afraid that his face would get cold.

Throughout the year, Mancang has been applying skin cream with me. Her face, which used to be covered in chilblains, is now very fair and smooth. We can't let her go back to square one just because of a long trip.

Although it was cold inside the car, it couldn't dampen Brother Liu's enthusiasm.

He spoke to me warmly, saying, "Oh dear, your sister-in-law has missed you so much. She would be so happy to know you came along."

"Haha, then I'm definitely going to eat my sister-in-law's delicious cooking tonight."

There's something I haven't talked about with Brother Liu Taozi during our meeting.

That was about the scam those two women were up to at the Baizhen base.

At the time, I was afraid that Taozi had been deceived, but now that he is safe and sound, it is obviously someone else.

I tentatively asked, "Around this time last year, weren't two female swindlers at the Baizhen base?"

Brother Liu was very surprised, and his voice unconsciously rose a little: "Huh? What female swindler?"

He didn't know?

If Brother Liu didn't know, then this matter probably hasn't spread.

It seems we need to rephrase the question.

"Did anyone die unexpectedly at the White Town base around this time last year?"

Brother Liu slammed his hand on the steering wheel: "Hey, there really is one!"

After saying that, Brother Liu fell silent, keeping me in suspense.

Out of curiosity, I had to ask again: "What's going on, Brother Liu?"

"Arno, you know him, right? The one who used to help you get food in the cafeteria?"

I nodded: "I remember him."

"Around this time last year, Arno died at home. Oh my god, it was terrifying when they found him. His neck had been slashed open, and there was blood all over the walls."

As Brother Liu spoke, he clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Who is the murderer?

"I don't know. This is the scariest part. We have no idea who the murderer is."

I clearly remember those two women saying that everyone at the Baizhen base knew them, so how could Brother Liu not know them?

"Didn't two women come to the base during that period?"

While Brother Liu was still shaking his head in deep thought, Taozi spoke up.

"Two women came, one of whom was quite good-looking. They stayed at Arno's house. Later, Arno died, and the two women disappeared as well."

Brother Liu was quite surprised: "Huh? Two beautiful women came to our base, how come I never heard of it?"

Taozi played with the dog in his hand and continued, "At the time, Arno's intentions caused a lot of panic, so the base commander told everyone who knew to shut up and not to mention those two women anymore. They had only been at the base for a few days, so most people didn't know about them."

Brother Liu exclaimed dramatically, "My God, so Arno was killed by a beautiful woman. Indeed, the most poisonous heart is that of a woman."

Suddenly, as if he had just realized something, he said to Taozi, "Hey, you little rascal, you knew about something this big and you kept it from me."

Taozi and Brother Liu were chatting and arguing, while I mentally reviewed the whole incident. It seemed we were on the same page.

The young man killed by the two women was Arno. The child was fair-skinned and delicate; what a pity.

However, I was still somewhat relieved that it wasn't Taozi.

Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, Taozi suddenly asked me, "Sis, how do you know about those two women? Could it be...?"

I understood Taozi's guess and replied directly: "Yes, they came to see me. I managed to get information out of them that they had killed a young man from the Baizhen base. I thought it was you at the time, but it seems you're lucky to be alive."

Taozi, who had been frowning all day, finally showed a slight smile: "What's wrong? Worried about me?"

I laughed and scolded, "You better be serious, you're still the same as before after a year."

I used to be very reserved, and I would get tense whenever Taozi said anything. But now, maybe it's because I'm getting older, I'm more relaxed when I talk and joke around.

However, Mancang next to him tensed up, staring at Taozi with wariness and hostility in his eyes.

Taozi wasn't one to be trifled with either, and he immediately sensed Mancang's gaze.

Taozi turned around, looked at Mancang in the back seat, and said with a smile, "Why are you glaring at me? I've known my sister for many years, we're best friends, you know. You have no right to be angry."

Mancang pouted, tears welling up in his eyes.

Taozi has such a sharp tongue; he doesn't even spare such a young child.

"Just behave yourself. Why are you saying these things to a kid?"

I gave Taozi a hard slap on the back of the head from the back seat. He chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

Brother Liu also chimed in, scolding Taozi: "Hey, you little rascal, how old are you? Don't tease the kids."

Taozi raised an eyebrow and replied, "I might not be joking!"

Too lazy to pay attention to Taozi's shameless behavior, she turned to comfort Mancang: "It's okay, he's just joking with you."