Chapter 090 The Ninetieth Melon
"Xi Cao, are you going back now?"
The banquet was almost over, and Gu Zhizhan introduced everyone who should be introduced to Gu Xicao, and Gu Xicao wanted to leave.
The old man looked at her, with an expression that seemed to be hesitant to speak, "On the day of the winter solstice, you..."
In Hong Kong, the Winter Solstice is as important as New Year's Day. Since my grandfather came to Hong Kong early, he naturally attaches great importance to this festival.
Gu Xicao looked at Gu Zhizhang and hesitated for a moment, "Xiaoyuan and I agreed to celebrate the festival at our own home that day, so we won't be together."
Gu Zhizhang showed a disappointed look on his face. He nodded and said, "Okay, that child must have smuggled here with you, right? Grandpa will treat you to a meal together someday, just the three of us."
Gu Xicao hummed and was about to leave when Gu Zhizhang stopped her again: "I plan to go back to the mainland in a few days. Are you really not going to go back with me?"
Gu Xicao shook his head and said nothing.
There was a hint of disappointment in Gu Zhizhan's eyes, but he didn't say much. He nodded and asked the driver to take Gu Xicao back.
The winter solstice is a holiday.
After lunch at around two or three in the afternoon, Lin Yuan got up to clean the house. Gu Xicao was lying on the sofa, and seeing him cleaning everywhere while wearing a hat made of newspapers, she couldn't help but smile.
Seeing Lin Yuan standing on a stool to remove dust, she couldn't help but stand up and said, "I'll do the high places. I'm scared just looking at you standing on a stool."
Lin Yuan wore a mask and waved his hand, "Sister, go back to your room and have a rest. You work so hard every day, I can do this little work by myself."
"I don't want to rest either. There are firecrackers outside since early morning." Gu Xicao yawned. This is the downside of living in a downtown area.
It's a holiday and there's an unusually loud noise outside early in the morning.
Starting from four or five o'clock, the upstairs and downstairs became lively, and the sound of firecrackers on the main street was endless.
Lin Yuan was about to speak when the doorbell suddenly rang.
He jumped down from his chair and wiped his hands on his apron before opening the door.
"Uncle Sun?"
Sun Desheng was holding a pot of daffodils in his hands. When he heard the name, his eyebrows raised. Gu Xicao leaned over to take a look. Seeing that it was him, she was stunned for a moment, "Sun Sir, why are you here?"
"Xiao Gu, it sounds like you don't welcome me." Sun Desheng came in holding a daffodil and said, "Isn't today the winter solstice holiday? I passed by the flower market and bought a pot of daffodils to add to your happiness."
Gu Xicao sat up and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but you came at a bad time. We are doing a big cleaning."
Lin Yuan took the daffodils and nodded, "Uncle Sun, we are very busy now and don't have time to greet you."
Sun Desheng smiled and rolled up his sleeves. "Then I should have come at the right time. I have nothing to do anyway, so I'll help you clean up."
"you?"
Gu Xicao raised his eyebrows. Sun Desheng had been injured a while ago and hadn't fully recovered yet. Why was he coming here to help with the cleaning? He was really just joining in the fun.
She was about to decline when the doorbell rang again.
Lin Yuan said hurriedly: "I'll go open the door."
He ran over, opened the door, and was stunned, "Brother Lin, Mr. Lin, why are you here too?"
also?
When Lin Qianshi heard this, he felt something was wrong and asked, "Who is coming to your house?"
When Sun Desheng heard the sound, he came over to take a look.
The three men looked at each other, with surprise on their faces.
After a moment.
Gu Xicao ordered Lin Yuan to boil water for tea, and then unceremoniously arranged for the three men to do the cleaning.
Now that you are here, let’s get to work.
Fortunately, Gu Xicao and Lin Yuan’s house was not big, so the three men finished cleaning it in an hour.
It was almost time for dinner. Sun Desheng glanced at Lin Qian and said with a smile, "It's almost noon, Mr. Lin, aren't you going home for dinner? Today is the winter solstice."
Lin Qianshi smiled, gentle and elegant, "I told my family before I left. My grandfather said that the family can eat at any time, but Miss Gu saved my life, so I have to be considerate. Miss Gu, I have someone book a table at the hotel. No matter how many people go, there will be seats. Why don't we go to the restaurant for lunch."
Lin Jianyi crossed his arms and said nothing, but his determination to refuse to leave was obvious.
Gu Xicao looked at them, then looked outside, and shook his head, saying, "Forget about going out. On a day like today, there will definitely be traffic jams. We bought a lot of food yesterday. If you don't mind having a simple meal at our house, you can all stay."
"Yes, my sister bought beef balls, abalone and prawns last night."
When Lin Yuan talked about this, he couldn't help swallowing his saliva.
Sun Desheng and the other two looked at each other.
No one wants to leave.
Because there were so many people, Gu Xicao decided to eat hotpot together. Hotpot is simple. Just put some meat and wash some vegetables, and a meal will be ready.
At this time, it was almost dark outside, and it was probably time for the neighbors to eat, so everyone came over to offer food to each other.
Mrs. Lin came over in person and brought a bowl of fried meatballs. When she saw a room full of men, she was stunned for a moment and pulled Gu Xicao aside, "Little Gu, your house is so lively today, why are there so many people here?"
"Yes," Gu Xicao nodded and took a meatball and stuffed it into her mouth. The meatball had just been fried, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and full of gravy. "Mrs. Lin, why don't you and your niece come over too? It will be more lively when there are more people."
Mrs. Lin smiled and shook her head, "We don't want to be light bulbs, you guys just have fun on your own. If you need anything, come and tell me."
ah?
Light bulb?
Gu Xicao didn't react for a moment. After Mrs. Lin left, she carried the meatballs into the room. Looking at the man in the room, she understood the meaning of Mrs. Lin's words just now.
No, what is this?
These three men are just light bulbs.
"There are also fried meatballs. I love them. My grandma can also make fried meatballs."
Sun Desheng came over, pinched one, put it in his mouth, and said to Gu Xicao, "I'll bring some for you to try when I have a chance. It tastes no worse than this."
Lin Qianshi was setting the table. The young master who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth was particularly good at doing these housework, as if he did these chores a lot every day. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "I'm so sorry. Your grandmother is old, and it's not good to let her do these chores. Times are different now. Men should learn some cooking skills. After all, both husband and wife work now. If men learn to cook, women can also have an easier time."
Lin Yuan nodded in agreement, "Yes, Mr. Lin is right, our teacher taught us the same thing at school, and also said that boys should learn to do housework, and we even have cooking classes."
Two crossroads popped up on Sun Desheng’s forehead.
Although he didn't know what tea was, he could tell that Lin Qianshi was stepping on him.
Sun Desheng gritted his teeth secretly and snorted in his heart.
Young people are very cunning!
Lin Jianyi said nothing, brought out the pot, and called everyone: "It's time to eat."
He naturally pulled out the chair next to him and said to Gu Xicao, "Xiao Gu, come sit over here. It's too smoky over there."
Gu Xicao sat down without thinking much.
Lin Yuan immediately sat down next to his sister. The remaining two seats were opposite each other. Needless to say, they were naturally for Lin Qianshi and Sun Desheng.
Lin Qianshi and Sun Desheng both looked at Lin Jianyi tacitly.
The TV station also has a Winter Solstice Gala today.
The sound of television could be heard from the neighbors' houses, and the hotpot was eaten in a lively atmosphere. Lin Yuan was originally a little unfamiliar with Lin Qianshi, Sun Desheng and others, but as they ate, they became familiar with them and asked about a lot of gossip.
“Bang, bang, bang—”
Outside the window, it was night and someone started setting off fireworks.
Clusters of bright fireworks exploded in the night sky, twinkling with starlight.
Lin Yuan couldn't sit still anymore, so he ran to the balcony to look, and Gu Xicao and others followed him out.
"Bang--"
Another firework exploded, this time with auspicious words of good fortune and wealth.
Lin Yuan was simply amazed and clapped his hands, saying, "The fireworks here are really special. There are even words on them!"
"It's still child's play now. When the Chinese New Year comes, the fireworks will be set off in Victoria Harbour, and it will be even more spectacular."
Lin Qianshi patted Lin Yuan's head and looked at Gu Xicao who was also enjoying the fireworks with great interest: "If you are interested, we can all go and watch it together during the New Year."
"Then thank you Mr. Lin first."
Sun Desheng was thick-skinned and climbed up the pole directly.
Lin Qianshi's smile was a little stiff, but he soon smiled and said, "It's nothing. Xiao Gu, you..."
"Catch the thief, catch the thief, there's a thief!"
Just as everyone was enjoying the fireworks, a shout suddenly came from downstairs.
Almost at the same moment, the neighbors upstairs and downstairs were in an uproar.
"Thief, where is the thief?!"
Mrs. Lin next door even poked her head out and looked at the balcony. "Xiao Gu, where did you say there was a thief?"
Gu Xicao pointed downstairs and said, "It's on the third floor!"
"The third floor, isn't that very close to us? Damn! This thief is really desperate to steal here!"
Mrs. Lin slammed the railing, picked up the mop angrily, and rushed downstairs with her niece to catch the thief.
Although everyone moved here not long ago, neighbors take care of each other and everyone hates thieves.
Therefore, even though it was dinner time, many people dropped their bowls and chopsticks and rushed downstairs with knives, sticks, brooms, etc.
Lin Jianyi and his group naturally took the lead, not to mention that they had two policemen with them.
Everyone chased downstairs, only to see a housewife covering her ears at the door of the corridor with blood on her hands.
Mrs. Lin recognized the other woman and hurried over to help her stand up. "Mrs. Wang, what's wrong with you? Where is the thief?"
"He, he ran down, and I found him, and he even stole my earrings!"
Mrs. Wang's neck was covered in blood, and she pointed downstairs and cursed.
Lin Jianyi immediately walked to the railing and looked downstairs. He saw a man wearing a hood running out in a hurry. While running, he looked back upstairs and met Lin Jianyi's sight.
"It's right there!" Lin Jianyi pointed at the man and said to everyone, "Let's go, chase him!"
Sun Desheng followed without saying a word.
Gu Xicao and others also ran downstairs.
But after everyone chased after him and ran out of the door, they looked around but could not see any trace of the man.
"That's weird. Even if that grandson could run, he couldn't run that far!"
Sun Desheng looked around, then looked away and said in amazement.
There is a small road just outside the gate, and there are various small shops on the roadside. Many shops are closed, and only a few still have lights on, obviously preparing to do business with neighbors.
Lin Jianyi frowned.
One of the neighbors who followed couldn't help but say, "Don't bother watching, he must have been run away, that bastard ran really fast!"
But Sun Desheng felt something was wrong.
The thief was obviously not quick, otherwise he would not have run downstairs until Mrs. Wang shouted that there was a thief and they chased him down.
If someone was quick, he would have run away in just a moment.
When he and Lin Jianyi chased after him, they clearly saw that the person had just run away for a short time. He shouldn't have disappeared so quickly.
"Let's go and ask those shops if they have seen anyone."
Sun Desheng made the decision without saying a word.
Gu Xicao gave Lin Jianyi a look.
Lin Jianyi was stunned for a moment, then took a few steps back calmly, allowing Sun Desheng to take people to ask the store.
"Do you know where the thief is?"
Lin Jianyi asked in a low voice.
Gu Xicao nodded and raised her chin towards the building, "Follow me."
Lin Jianyi followed Gu Xicao back without saying a word.
Lin Qianshi originally wanted to go with Sun Desheng and the others to ask the owners of those shops, but when he saw that Gu Xicao had returned empty-handed and saw Lin Jianyi following him back, he changed his mind and followed him back as well.
"Damn bastard, beast!"
Mrs. Wang slapped her thigh at home and cursed.
Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Liang kindly brought some ointment and applied it to her.
Mrs. Liang said, "Mrs. Wang, please stop scolding me. Save your energy. Those good guys are going to catch the thief. When they catch him, give him two slaps in the face."
The young man next to her handed gauze to Mrs. Liang.
After Liang finished bandaging Wang's clothes, she praised her, "Xiao Li, I didn't expect you to be so kind."
Xiao Li smiled shyly, "Mrs. Liang, it's nothing. These gauze are just sitting there in my house for nothing. We are all neighbors, so of course I have to give them out to help others if they need it."
As he was speaking, he heard footsteps coming from outside. Turning back, he saw Gu Xicao returning with his men.
"Xiao Gu, you guys are back, have you caught the person?"
Mrs. Wang asked hurriedly.
Gu Xicao walked in and shook his head. "No, that person ran too fast. I don't know where he went. Mr. Sun and the others are now asking the shop owners if they saw him."
"Oh, this damn bastard, if he runs away, how can we sleep peacefully at night if we live here?"
Mrs. Wang was so angry that she beat her chest and stamped her feet.
Mrs. Liang and others couldn't help but worry.
Public housing is not like where rich people live. There are security guards and police patrolling 24 hours a day. If there are thieves here, everyone will be scared.
Mrs. Lin was so angry that she cursed, "That thief is such a loser, God bless him to have a son without having an affair, we all have so little money, it's barely enough to support our families, and yet he still steals!"
Mrs. Liang hurriedly said, "Xiao Gu, aren't you always very accurate in fortune-telling? Can you tell me who the thief is and where he is hiding?"
Gu Xicao said: "There's no need to calculate it, the person is right here."
She had barely finished speaking.
Lin Jianyi pounced towards Xiao Li like a tiger descending from a mountain and pinned him to the ground.
There was a loud bang.
When Sun Desheng and others heard it in the corridor, they felt nervous and quickly quickened their pace and ran over.
When they arrived at Mrs. Wang's house, they saw Lin Jianyi holding Xiao Li under him, and Xiao Li was struggling constantly.
"Let me go, let me go!"
Xiao Li was like a fish on the chopping board, his legs flapping constantly.
"Be honest. If you want to suffer, just keep on trying!" Lin Jianyi held Xiao Li's hands with one hand and placed his right elbow across Xiao Li's head.
Xiao Li's face flushed red, sweat dripped down his cheeks, and he couldn't help blinking his eyes, "Help! He wants to kill someone!"
Mrs. Wang and the others were all stunned by the scene before them.
Mrs. Wang hurriedly asked, "Xiao Gu, what happened to your friend? Why did you arrest Xiao Li? Let him go quickly."
"Mrs. Wang, please don't rush to speak. What did Xiao Gu mean by that? Could it be that Xiao Li is the thief tonight?"
Mrs. Lin obviously reacted faster than Mrs. Wang and immediately realized something was wrong.
Gu Xicao nodded, "Yes, he is the thief who broke into the house tonight and scratched Mrs. Wang."
"What, Xiao Li is a thief?"
Mrs. Wang's eyes widened. She covered half of her face and looked at Xiao Li flopping on the ground. She shook her head and said, "Impossible, how could it be Xiao Li? Didn't the thief run away?"
"He ran out, but no one said he couldn't run back."
Gu Xicao used her eyes to signal Lin Jianyi to hold him down, then she grabbed Xiao Li's right hand and asked, "Look what's between his fingers?"
Everyone looked closely.
There were obvious bright red blood stains between Xiao Li's right fingernails.
The gaps between the nails are difficult for most people to notice, but they are also difficult to clean. If they are not cleaned carefully, dirt will remain in the gaps between the nails.
Xiao Li's pupils contracted and he quickly tried to pull his hand back.
"I just accidentally got some blood on Mrs. Wang. Is that okay?"
"Your explanation is even less comprehensible."
Gu Xicao said, "If you got it accidentally, then why is it only in the cracks of your fingernails, but not on your fingertips or palms? Look at the hands of Madam Lin and Madam Liang."
Mrs. Lin and Mrs. Liang both extended their hands.
Everyone saw the problem after just one look.
The palms of both housewives were stained with blood, although scattered, but everywhere. The only situation like Xiao Li's was that there was blood in the nail crevices and not elsewhere!
"It's really Xiao Li!"
Mrs. Wang covered her ears and swayed her body. "Where did you hide the things you stole from my house?"
Xiao Li said nothing and kept his mouth shut.
Gu Xicao gave Lin Jianyi a look and pointed at his feet.
Without saying a word, Lin Jianyi took off both boots from Xiao Li's feet, ignoring Xiao Li's resistance, and then threw him to the ground.
Crash——
Gold rings, gold earrings, and gold necklaces fell to the ground with a crackling sound.
Even the earring with a piece of flesh fell off.
Caught the criminal red-handed.
Xiao Li's face was pale, as if he was dead.
"He really did it?!"
Mrs. Wang hurriedly picked up the things on the ground and said, "These are all my jewelry!"
"You bastard! Even rabbits don't eat grass near their burrows, and you're stealing from your neighbor!"
Mrs. Lin and others were furious and pointed at Xiao Li and cursed him.
Xiao Li couldn't help but say, "She deserves it. She always shows off her wealth and gold jewelry. If I don't steal from her, who else should I steal from?"
Mrs. Wang was almost fainted from anger.
“You, you…”
"You are so heartless!" Mrs. Liang was so angry that she slapped Xiao Li on the head. "Why don't you think about the fact that you owed someone money and couldn't pay it back, and the debt collectors came to your home. If it wasn't for Mrs. Wang helping you pay a sum of money, one of your hands would have been broken long ago."
"That's right. The Governor of Hong Kong is not richer than Mrs. Wang. Why don't you go and steal from the Governor? Your family fortune will cost you a lifetime of poverty!" Mrs. Lin also pointed at Xiao Li and cursed.
The neighbors were arguing with each other, and although they didn't get physical, they scolded Xiao Li so much that he couldn't even raise his head.
When the police came to take the man away, they saw that he was covered in dirt and asked in confusion: "Did you lynch him?"
"No, it is a moral accusation from the masses."
Gu Xicao said seriously.
Lin Qianshi was watching from the side, and couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips.
Such a thing happened that the bottom of the pot was cold when we returned. Sun Desheng and others helped to pack up and then said goodbye.
Lin Qianshi walked the slowest. Before leaving, he said to Gu Xicao, "Now I suddenly understand why you want to live here. This place is really different from where we are."
Even foreign-style houses and villas cannot stop thieves. But the difference is that if a thief breaks into a house, these rich people will not come out to help when they hear someone shouting "Stop thief". Everyone thinks that their life is precious and is unwilling to take risks.
Not to mention what happened just now, where everyone cursed the thief so harshly that the thief could not even raise his head.
"There's a saying that goes, righteous people are usually butchers, while unfaithful people are usually scholars." Gu Xicao smiled and said, "The scholars here are the same if they are replaced by rich people."
“But I guess I’m different.”
Lin Qianshi looked at Gu Xicao with a serious look in his eyes, "I will remember your kindness in saving my life for the rest of my life."
Gu Xicao smiled and said, "Mr. Lin, it's getting late. Your bodyguards can't wait any longer. Go back quickly."
Lin Qianshi showed a little disappointment on his face, but he was very polite. He said good night to Gu Xicao before leaving.
After Gu Xicao closed the door, she heard Lin Yuan's surprised voice, "Sister, there is a gift here, I wonder who left it."
Lin Yuan walked over holding a long black satin box.
Gu Xicao took it, opened it and looked at it. She was stunned. Inside the gift box was a slender white watch inlaid with diamonds. The watch was exquisitely made.
“So pretty.”
Lin Yuan couldn't help but exclaimed, "This watch was given to you by Mr. Lin, right?"
"How do you know?" Gu Xicao tapped Lin Yuan's head.
Lin Yuan covered his head and said with a smile: "I'm not blind. Lin Sheng is wearing a similar watch on his wrist, but it's black. It looks like a couple's watch with this one. Sister, does Lin Sheng mean that he wants to pursue you?"
Gu Xicao frowned, closed the watch, and said nonchalantly, "Don't ask so many questions, kid. Go to bed quickly. You have to go to school tomorrow."
"How is it?"
Grandpa Lin was waiting for his grandson to come back home. Seeing that it was so late and he hadn't returned yet, he thought there must be good news. Unexpectedly, the eldest grandson came back after all.
Lin Qianshi tugged at his tie and said, "Grandpa, your grandson is currently on the list of suitors."
"So useless?" Old Master Lin shook his head in disdain: "I think it's hopeless to expect you to catch up with Xiao Gu."
Lin Qianshi smiled, at least the gift was given.
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