"Teacher Shen, it really was her who seduced me..."
“I don’t care who seduced whom,” Xu Mingli sneered, “the fact is that you had evil intentions. I’m a man, and I can’t wear this green hat.”
Erlaizi immediately wilted. He was illiterate and had always been afraid of scholars, let alone a teacher from the city.
These days, hooliganism can be fatal. If it really gets to the police station, you'll definitely suffer a lot.
He swallowed hard, his voice trembling, "Then... then what do you want?"
Xu Mingli then let go of his hand, even pretending to pat the wrinkled collar of his cotton-padded coat, and said in a nonchalant tone, "It's not difficult. As long as you listen to me from now on, and do whatever I tell you to do, I'll pretend this never happened."
Er Laizi's mind went blank for a moment before he realized what had happened and almost jumped up in anger, shouting, "You tricked me!"
He was always out gambling, and his cronies would use any trick to cheat him out of money. He never expected that he would be tricked by a scholar!
Xu Mingli smiled faintly, "So what if I'm playing you? If you dare to go out and make a scene, I'll call the police right now. We'll see who's in trouble then."
Erlaizi instantly lost his temper.
Yes, even if you have a mouth full of words, no one will believe the words of a scoundrel.
This is like mud falling into your crotch; even if it's not poop, it becomes poop!
He spat angrily, "Damn it, you scholars are all heartless! Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
“It’s not difficult, but you must keep your mouth shut.” Xu Mingli said, then suddenly reached into Er Laizi’s pocket and pulled out a bunch of keys tied with a red string.
Rural people are afraid of losing their keys while working, so they are used to hanging them around their necks.
He tossed it to Feng Qiushi, saying, "If he dares to expose this, take this key to the police station and say that you tore it off his neck when he was plotting something. With this as evidence, nothing he says will matter."
Erlaizi was seething with rage, but he could only suppress his anger.
Being naturally small and thin, she was no match for Xu Mingli and had no choice but to accept defeat.
Feng Qiushi quickly put the key in his pocket, grabbed his cotton-padded coat and put it on to cover up his exposed skin.
"Qiushi, go pour Erlaizi a cup of hot water." Xu Mingli's tone softened. "He's been sitting for so long, he must be thirsty."
"Hmm." Feng Qiushi responded, got out of bed, and turned to go to the outer room.
Erlaizi held the warm bowl, but felt even more apprehensive.
This Teacher Shen is a ruthless character; she's really good at using the tactic of slapping someone and then giving them a sweet treat.
The water looked clear, but he dared not touch it at all.
"Teacher Shen, just tell me what you want me to do. Stop beating around the bush and trying to scare me."
Xu Mingli leaned close to his ear and whispered the plan to him.
Er Laizi's face changed drastically upon hearing this, and he jumped up abruptly. "You're trying to get me into trouble! No way! I won't do it! He's an official. If I go looking for trouble with him, wouldn't I be courting death?"
"Who told you to confront them head-on?" Xu Mingli frowned. "Do as I say. As long as you stick to what I said, even if something goes wrong, you can claim you didn't know anything. If they really investigate, your father will be there to protect you. He's old; what can the military do to him?"
Erlaizi shook his head again, his voice trembling, "I...I dare not, my legs go weak when I see someone in a military uniform."
"You're not going to do it, huh?" Xu Mingli turned around and shouted, "Qiu Shi, go out and call for help! Tell them he was up to no good and I caught him red-handed!"
"No, no, no!" Erlaizi quickly grabbed his arm, his face contorted in a grimace. "I'll do it! I'll do it, okay? Just tell me again, how exactly do I do it..."
——
On the last day of February, Jiang Linchuan drove to the city to buy everything he needed for the engagement.
Xu Xinghe has lost her family, and there is no one to take care of these things for her.
As for his own family...
He has been cold and aloof since childhood, and there always seems to be a distance between him and his family. Although he can feel the love from his relatives, he always feels that concern is a burden.
Jiang Linchuan paused at the post office entrance for a moment, but ultimately decided to leave.
I'll send the marriage certificate and photos back to Xinghe tomorrow after we get our marriage certificate.
They can come to the wedding if they want, and we won't force them if they don't.
The people around him are the most important people in his heart now.
The car headed towards the military headquarters.
Halfway there, a figure suddenly darted out from the roadside.
Jiang Linchuan slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching against the ground before he finally came to a stop.
An old man, hunched over, was holding a slaughtered chicken and looking at him with a broad smile. "Commander Jiang!"
“It’s you.” Jiang Linchuan recognized him; he was from Hongqi Village.
During the last disaster relief effort, the old man even helped move things.
"You still remember me!" The old man was even happier. He quickly went to the car window and stuffed the chicken into the car without saying a word. "This is for you! Thank you for helping me fix my house last time. Otherwise, my old bones definitely wouldn't have made it through this winter!"
Jiang Linchuan got out of the car and reached out to stop him, "No need for thanks, it's all what I should do."
"That won't do either. You have to accept it. This is an old hen. My family has raised it for several years. It makes a wonderful soup. I heard that Commander Jiang is getting married, so I specially killed it."
"I appreciate your kindness," Jiang Linchuan said, but still declined.
The old man ignored all that and knelt down on the ground with a thud. "Commander Jiang, this is my heartfelt gift. If you don't accept it, I'll kowtow to you!"
Jiang Linchuan quickly helped the person up, saying, "You don't need to do this."
"Then please accept it. If you don't, my conscience won't allow it!"
Seeing that the old man was about to kneel down, and then looking at the dead chicken, Jiang Linchuan finally nodded in agreement, "Then thank you for your kindness, sir."
"Ah! That's right!" The old man put the chicken on the passenger seat, turned around and left. "You go about your business, I'm going back!"
The old man came quickly and left quickly, like a gust of wind.
Jiang Linchuan had no doubts. That's how ordinary people often do things; they drop off their things and run away as soon as possible, afraid that he might change his mind.
Last year, a mudslide occurred on the mountain. After they finished the disaster relief work, a group of people threw things into their car, and in the end, they had no choice but to accept them.
He moved the chicken to his feet, started the car, and continued driving towards the military headquarters.
On the other side, the old man slipped into an alleyway by the roadside and looked at Erlaizi, who was waiting there. "Son, the chicken has been delivered. Did that blind fortune teller really not lie to us?"
"Of course it's true!" Erlaizi waved his hand impatiently. "Once I repay this favor and get rid of this burden, which will stop hindering our family's fortune, I can finally get married. You should go back now!"
The old man grinned, his face crinkling with wrinkles. "It's good that I can get married, it's good that I can get married..."
He only has one son, and he's willing to do anything as long as his son can get married and have a grandson to carry on the family line.
Erlaizi pulled out a cigarette, squatted down, and started puffing away. "Damn it, they even gave us a free chicken. We have to make Shen'an pay for it!"
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