Chapter 33: His Wife Loves Him

The night wind on Xihe Beach carries the moisture of the river water. In this dry northwest, it is rare to smell the fishy smell of water.

Lu Xiao relied on his memory to find the abandoned brick kiln factory.

Broken bricks and rubble were scattered around, and weeds were overgrown.

It's much quieter here than in town. Not only are there no people, but even no stray cats or dogs.

Lu Xiao did not rush in. He hid behind a half-collapsed low wall and looked around.

After waiting for a while, I saw a thin figure limping out from the gap deep in the brick kiln, looking around vigilantly, holding a rag bag in his hand.

This should be the "little cripple" that Lao Geng mentioned.

Lu Xiao walked out from the shadows, his steps heavier.

The boy was startled and turned around like a frightened rabbit, almost falling down.

"who?!"

The voice was sharp and feignedly fierce, a teenager's voice.

Lu Xiao walked to a distance where he could see clearly and stopped. The moonlight outlined his tall and straight figure, carrying an invisible sense of oppression.

He didn't waste any words and spoke directly: "Little cripple? Old Brother Geng asked me to come."

Hearing the words "Old Brother Geng", the little cripple's tense body obviously relaxed a little, but he still looked at Lu Xiao suspiciously.

Lu Xiao took out a few food coupons and handed them over: "Buy some mountain goods."

When the little cripple saw the food coupons, his eyes lit up and he quickly grabbed them.

He counted them in the moonlight and forced a mercenary smile on his face.

"Oh, Uncle Geng recommended it! Big brother, what kind of 'mountain products' would you like to see? Wild mushrooms? Pecans? Or... something else rare?"

He took a step closer and lowered his voice, as if he was going to give Lu Xiao whatever he wanted.

"Herbs."

Lu Xiao uttered two words, staring at him. He described the appearance of the herbs that Su Tang had described, and sure enough, he saw the little cripple's face change.

The little cripple's smile froze for a moment, and his eyes flickered: "Brother, this... this thing is not easy to handle, and it's also dangerous! The inspection is strict now..."

"I came to you because I knew it was difficult."

Lu Xiao's voice was flat, but it was certain: "Has anyone done this recently? A new face, or a familiar face with dirty hands?"

The little cripple swallowed his saliva and looked very embarrassed: "Brother, this... this breaks the rules..."

Lu Xiao didn't say anything, but took out a few scattered banknotes from his pocket and stuffed them into his hand.

This money is enough for him to live a stable life.

The little cripple held the money and struggled for a few times on his face, but finally he leaned close to Lu Xiao's ear.

"...the day before yesterday...there was this guy I'd never seen before. He looked pretty tough, not like someone from our town. He went to 'Scar-Eyed Old Black' and bought a small bag of something. He said it was...he said it was the kind of grass that 'would make rats kick their legs if they ate it.'"

"Mysteriously, he gave Old Black a wrinkled industrial voucher! He's quite generous."

"What does that person look like? What's his name?"

After finally finding a clue, Lu Xiao hurriedly asked further questions.

"I don't know what he's called, just a nickname. That guy... here on the left side of his face..."

The little cripple pointed to the upper corner of his mouth.

"There's a fresh scar, like something cut it. He has a slight lisp when he speaks, like... he's missing a front tooth. He's wearing a half-new blue coat, and he walks a bit unsteadily. He doesn't look like a good person."

The little cripple tried hard to recall: "Oh, right, there's a big black mole on the back of his right hand!"

He has a gap in his teeth, a scar at the corner of his mouth, wears a blue jacket, walks unsteadily, and has a black mole on the back of his hand.

Lu Xiao engraved these characteristics firmly in his mind.

"Where is Scar-Eye Old Black?"

The little cripple shrank his neck and said, "Brother, I dare not take you to find him. He's very vicious! He took the things and ran away long ago. Who knows where he's gone? Anyway, I haven't seen him around here recently."

He was afraid that Lu Xiao would ask more questions, so he quickly added: "That's all I know, brother! Really! I don't want the money, you take it..."

As he said this, he was about to stuff the banknotes back. If he had known earlier, he would not have been greedy. The person in front of him did not look like someone he could easily mess with.

Lu Xiao held his hand: "Take it, you haven't seen me today."

"Hey! Hey! I've definitely never seen it!"

The little cripple was as if he had been pardoned. He held the money tightly and limped away into the shadow of the brick kiln, running faster than a rabbit.

Lu Xiao stood there, his eyes as cold as an ice-hardened knife in the darkness.

He didn't stop, turned around and walked back quickly.

Although he didn't catch anyone, the information was enough for him to confront Hu Jianjun.

It’s time for Chang Jia to squeeze something out of Hu Jianjun.

It was only when the sky was getting light that Lu Xiao rushed back to the camp, exhausted.

He hardly slept all night, his eyes were bloodshot, his chin was covered with blue stubble, and he looked cold.

But he didn't even bother to go home and wash his face. He turned around and headed straight for the solitary confinement room.

The guard was an old soldier that Lu Xiao knew. When he saw him, a trace of sympathy showed on his face. He didn't ask any more questions and just lowered his voice.

"Captain Lu, please don't take too long. It's not good if someone sees us."

"I know. Thanks."

Lu Xiao's voice was a little hoarse as he handed over half a pack of cigarettes.

The old soldier waved his hand and confiscated it: "Go ahead."

The light in the solitary confinement cell was dim, with only a small air window high up letting in a little morning light.

There was only a hard bed and a toilet in the small space, and the air was filled with a faint smell of mold and dust.

Su Tang sat on the edge of the hard bed, his back to the door. He was thin and curled up, as if staring at the corner in a daze.

She was still wearing the same old plaid shirt that had been washed to a pale color. Her hair was tied up behind her head in a messy manner, revealing her slender and fragile neck.

Hearing footsteps, Su Tang turned around.

"Lu Xiao?!"

"Why are you here? Where have you been?"

Su Tang had never seen Lu Xiao with an unshaven beard, so she was a little amused and helpless for a moment.

Like a savage fleeing from the mountains.

"I'm fine, don't worry."

"I've been asking around for a few days now, so I'm going to ask Hu Jianjun today."

He briefly explained the itinerary for the next two days. Su Tang reached out her hand and touched his head with concern.

"Thank you for your hard work, for my sake."

Lu Xiao lowered his eyes and grabbed her hand.

The warmth of his palm was like a warm current, instantly wrapping around Su Tang's cold fingers.

"This is what I should do. It's my responsibility as a man."

Lu Xiao suppressed the word "husband" and changed it to "man".

Su Tang seemed to understand the hidden meaning in his words, and his eyes flashed slightly.

Then, she carefully moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest.

There was a heart beating wildly there, and Su Tang felt his head a little swollen.

In this era, her identity would have brought him endless troubles.

But Lu Xiao never said a word. He proved with his actions that she was never a trouble to him.

"Lu Xiao, do you regret it?"

Hearing Su Tang's words, Lu Xiao's eyes widened slightly.

Regret? Regret about what?

"Captain Lu, it's time for you to come out."