After finishing her phone call with her third sister, Chen Xihua felt a little irritated.
For so many years, she had tried her best to avoid the Zhou family, just to avoid having any connection with them.
Of course, she wasn't truly afraid of Zhou Qingqing.
There's a speculation that Zhou Qingqing might actually have some kind of problem.
Chen Xihua has always felt that the female and male protagonists in novels are all troublesome, and staying away from them is a wise choice.
For the next few days, Chen Lao Er went out early and returned late, but he wasn't busy at the pastry shop.
On the evening of the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Xihua quietly asked him, "Dad, your efficiency is a bit low."
“Xiao Wu, I can’t just do whatever I want, right? I’ve noticed that Li Dashun goes to two places every day: one is to play cards in town, and the other is to go to the mahjong parlor in the county every few days,” Chen Lao Er said with a chuckle.
"So what do you want to do?" Chen Xihua asked with great interest.
"How can I do that? I had a good friend when I was younger, and he still likes to play mahjong at the mahjong parlor. I asked him to do me a small favor."
After observing for several days, Li Dashun decided to cheat when he was having a bad run of luck.
But the people in the county are playing for a much bigger scale; his little money simply isn't enough.
But he's timid and cowardly, and he never dares to do it. So I asked my friend to deliberately let him win and pretend he didn't see it.
Once that kid can't hold back anymore and sees an opportunity, he'll definitely try to cheat.
"At that time, the people at the mahjong parlor will definitely break his henchmen, so he'll never dare to come to the county again." Old Chen didn't want to say it, but he couldn't help but brag.
After saying that, she realized it wasn't appropriate to say these things in front of her daughter. She worried that Xiao Wu might think she was heartless, so she awkwardly offered an explanation.
“He deserved to be beaten. It would be better if his leg was broken, so he wouldn’t go to the county to have fun and waste money.”
Chen Xihua nodded. She didn't think it was excessive. If Li Dashun really got into trouble, it wouldn't be considered that Chen Lao Er had set a trap for someone.
If someone like Li Dashun really runs out of money, he'll eventually resort to crooked means.
Being crippled is only because others didn't go easy on you.
Are people who open mahjong parlors at this time ordinary people?
Moreover, Li Dashun never earned a single penny; he was supported entirely by his wife, Ye Zhen.
The family's livelihood comes from the small shop they run in the village.
In addition, there was the fact that Old Man Li and Old Woman Li had taken money from their daughters, including the retirement money that Old Man Chen had given to Old Man Li.
"Hmm, that's good. But, Dad, you probably don't like playing these games, do you?" Chen Xihua said meaningfully, as if remembering something.
"No way, Xiao Wu, I don't like those things. I just like riding motorcycles. Hehe, of course, Xiao Wu, I'd like it even better if you bought me a car." Chen Lao Er noticed that Xiao Wu's smile was a bit forced, so he immediately expressed his opinion, trying to please him with a smile.
"Dad, we'll see how you perform. We can talk about it later. It's not impossible." Chen Xihua left his father half-heartedly, without directly refusing him.
To reiterate, even if we buy another car for the family, it's unlikely he'll get to drive it.
The older sisters have all gotten their driver's licenses, and the fourth sister will start learning to drive next semester when she goes to school.
"Then it's settled. Your old man here will definitely be a good family man, a good father, and I'll keep an eye on Xiao Bao and prevent him from going astray." Chen Lao Er knew what Xiao Wu valued most, so he deliberately mentioned Chen Xiao Liu.
Chen Xihua smiled wryly; this person really knew how to take advantage of the situation.
The next day at noon was Grandpa Chen's 70th birthday, but Uncle Chen did not show up because he was lying down.
Chen Jianhua has not returned from Guangdong Province, and Chen Penghua is now more like an outsider, rarely returning to his hometown to visit the elderly.
This meal was mainly organized by Chen Lao Er's youngest son, who contributed both money and effort.
Chen Xihua noticed that Grandpa and Grandma Chen were kind and gentle, always smiling, towards her and her siblings, as well as towards Li Yumei.
"Chunhua, bring your younger siblings over and sit down a bit."
"You siblings should eat more; children need to eat more to grow."
The eldest and fourth sisters were a little unaccustomed to it, as was Chen Baohua.
Chen Xihua suddenly felt like mocking him and let out a laugh.
However, Chen Lao Er seemed quite happy and cheerful.
Well, isn't it normal for Grandpa and Grandma Chen to act this way?
——
At 6 p.m. on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Chunhua prepared to drive to Jiangshi Railway Station to pick up his third sister, Chen Meihua.
Because it was nighttime, and although it was only a two-hour drive, Chen Xihua was a little worried, so she went along.
Originally, the third sister, Chen Meihua, wanted to take a long-distance bus directly back to Gaoyang County.
With the Spring Festival travel rush approaching, she would have her assistant book train tickets half a month in advance.
However, the filming location was near the train station, and when her assistant heard that she was helping to book tickets in advance, she instinctively assumed that it meant buying train tickets.
When Chen Meihua tried to change her bus ticket at noon today, she could no longer buy one.
When she went to pick up the person, Chen Xihua's vague premonition was confirmed.
Around 9 p.m., they picked up their third sister and headed back to Gaoyang County. On the way back, the three sisters encountered trouble.
History always seems so familiar.
Back then, Chen Xihua and her second sister encountered a group of people who stopped a jeep at a bend in the road.
At this moment, a van stopped in the middle of the road, but this time, it was four or five men with knives and sticks blocking the way, not forty or fifty people.
The three Chen sisters' car was parked fifty meters away. With the eldest sister's driving skills, it would be too late for her to turn around.
Moreover, it was nighttime, visibility was low, and the county road was only two lanes wide.
The men who had been blocking the road had already come up, and the leader shouted, "Get out of the car, leave your money, and we won't hurt you."
"Xiao Wu, should I just drive straight into it?" Although Chen Chunhua was nervous, she quickly calmed down and reacted.
"Sure, speed up. Hit as many as you can, injuries don't matter." Chen Xihua's voice was a little cold. These people didn't deserve to die.
"Sister, don't stop the car, and we can't get out!" Chen Meihua, sitting in the back, said in a panicked voice.
"Did you hear me? Stop the car and get out, or don't blame us for being impolite." The men outside noticed that no one had gotten out of the car they had stopped, and they shouted in dissatisfaction.
Suddenly, a jeep horn sounded from behind Chen Xihua and her companions' car.
A dozen seconds later, a Jeep quickly pulled up to the left of their Santana and stopped.
The driver's side door of the jeep was pushed open, and a tall man stepped out.
He walked around to the front of the two cars, facing the men.
The men blocking the road also noticed that the person getting out of the car behind seemed to be someone special.
They wanted to retreat, yet they also wanted to confront each other, since the other side was only one person, so the two sides were locked in a standoff.
Although Chen Xihua in the car only saw the person's back, she could still tell who it was.
It's Captain Zheng from back then!
She recognized him; although she didn't know his name, those people called him Captain Zheng back then.
Chen Xihua's lips twitched. What kind of fate was this? Was she being repaid for a favor?
"Comrade Zheng?" Just as she was about to start the car, she stepped on the gas and crashed into him. She exclaimed with a hint of surprise, almost unable to stop herself.
Fortunately, she had just taken a few deep breaths in her mind, which slowed her down a bit.
"Big sister, who is this?" Chen Meihua asked curiously.
"Big sister, you know her?" Chen Xihua was also a little surprised that her older sister knew her.
"Our police officers from Gaoyang County," Chen Chunhua said with a sigh of relief, while also offering a brief explanation.
She had met him once, four or five years ago.
It was just before the Spring Festival, and she was taking extra classes for her senior year of high school. She took a bus from Jiang City back to the county.
She was waiting for a bus at the bus stop opposite the old grain and oil factory in the eastern part of the county.
It was around six or seven in the evening. There weren't many pedestrians on the street, but a few thugs passed by, whistling and trying to strike up a conversation with me.
They were scolded and driven away by Comrade Zheng, who was on patrol nearby.
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