Chapter 177
Wang Jiazhi seldom goes out and doesn't socialize much with her neighbors. They just nod and greet each other when they meet.
She didn't know what they thought of her, but they definitely thought it was unusual for a single woman to stay so secluded. But she couldn't show up too much, because who knew if anyone was looking for her.
However, she seemed to avoid socializing, so the other neighbors knew better and didn't bother her.
Only the woman living alone on the second floor came over once or twice to ask her if she needed any help. When they met at the stairs on other days, they never talked much.
After living here for a month, she finally got a rough idea of what these families did.
On the first floor, a couple in their forties lived. The man carried fresh fruit every morning to sell. Once, she saw a boy of eighteen or nineteen at home. The woman on the second floor said he was their son, who worked as a clerk in a coffin shop, tending the shop at night and only coming home once every two weeks or a month. Another family sold osmanthus and lotus seed cakes. They got up before dawn every day to steam the cakes, and the whole building was filled with a sweet, cloying aroma.
The woman on the second floor had lost her husband many years ago, and her son was working in Shanghai. The other family was a couple in their thirties. The man sold used books at a stall, and the woman had some tailoring skills, though not as good as a tailor. She usually took on simple jobs for much less money than a tailor.
Wang Jiazhi's house was basically decorated, the basic necessities for daily life were purchased, and she could even cook in the kitchen.
She spent most of her time tormented by random thoughts, and the little time she had left was spent cooking, eating, and sleeping. She couldn't read or write, and the only way to reduce her thoughts was to do some housework.
One night, she sat at the head of the bed with her arms folded, thinking about what was happening there after she left.
Of course, Old Wu and the others hated her to death. Seeing Old Wu's initial joy, he admitted that getting to this point wasn't easy. He certainly wanted to avenge his family, and not just revenge; killing him would be an incredible feat.
Wasn't it rumored that the cook who killed *** was not only given tens of thousands of yuan, but also an official position? Even a killer could do this, and the leader behind him still didn't know what benefits he would get.
It's not easy, and it's not easy for her. They just keep sending women to him, and when one dies, they send him another, and when the other dies, they send him another.
But they had no reason to kill her. She didn't know their secrets, not even their hiding places. Those meeting places weren't fixed anyway, so if they weren't needed, forget it. Unless they hated her to death and just wanted her dead to vent their anger.
Thinking of this, she felt a chill on her back. It was like falling into an ice cave in the warm spring.
Those guys, of course, there's nothing they can't do.
There was no real need for Lao Yi to find her. Unless he was just venting his anger, resenting her for betraying him. If he had feelings for her, they were deep. If not, he might even be grateful that she had let him go.
Thinking of this, she was actually angry that he might not have looked for her at all.
Thinking of this, she felt that she was hateful again.
How could he not be sincere to her? He was such a frightened person, but he was willing to live with her and was not on guard against her at all. If she wanted to kill him, she could do it in a minute.
It was unfair to him to always lie to himself that he didn't like her at all.
She was lost in thought when a knock on the door called her to come out of her thoughts temporarily.
"Who is it?"
"It's me."
It was the woman on the second floor. She put the work beside her under the quilt, put on her slippers and went to open the door.
The woman came in and sat down on the empty chair. She said mysteriously, "I have something to tell you. You might need it."
Wang Jiazhi asked what happened.
The woman on the second floor laughed and said, "I wonder if you're buying something on the black market."
Wang Jiazhi smiled and said, "Yes."
"That's right, eggs, bacon and other things are very expensive, and they may not even be available."
Wang Jiazhi grew nervous. Was she too conspicuous? It was true. The other families lived in extreme poverty, yet she was the only one who secretly went to the black market to buy chicken, duck, fish, and meat. She was being cautious, but there were always so many people watching her. As a single woman, there were always people watching her every move. And since the black market vendors were locals, the neighbors would definitely want to know.
"I know a little sister..." The woman then went on to explain her sister's background and their friendship before adding, "She can get some eggs, fish, and other things. They're better than what you'd find on the black market, and while they're a bit more expensive, they're not much more expensive. You get what you pay for. It's not like you have to run back and forth, only to end up getting ripped off and wasting money."
Wang Jiazhi breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that he wanted to sell something.
She had just gone to the black market yesterday, hoping to buy a chicken, but the vendor treated her with condescending disdain. If it were just like everyone else, it would be fine. But this woman, clearly a bit surly and unyielding, was fawning over her just to buy a few eggs. She bargained for a long time, but he didn't get annoyed, still patiently coaxing her along. In the end, not only did he get a lower price, he even gave her some chicken livers.
She waited for a long time, and when it was her turn to buy a chicken, he seemed to think she was easy to bully, so he deliberately asked for a very high price and looked down on her with a fierce look.
Of course she turned and left.
The next day, the woman on the second floor brought a large rooster. It looked really good, but it was worth the price.
Wang Jiazhi was a little hesitant. She had never killed a chicken or cleaned it before, and she was wondering where to start. Unexpectedly, the woman said, "Let me help you clean it."
Without waiting for her to speak, she went downstairs, carrying the chicken by its wings. When Wang Jiazhi arrived at her door, she heard the chicken scream, and by the time she entered the kitchen, she had already twisted the chicken's neck to drain the blood.
Seeing her slaughtering the chicken with such swiftness and ferocity, Wang Jiazhi was inexplicably reminded of Lao Yi. Was he also as ferocious as this old lady when he "met" those people?
"You are so clean, how can you do such rough work? Let me help you clean up." She said while bleeding.
"How can I feel embarrassed about this?" Wang Jiazhi quickly said that it was not necessary.
The aunt on the second floor is very enthusiastic. She also helps the other three families with their affairs. Of course, those three families may not necessarily want her help.
Wang Jiazhi just smiled and politely declined her enthusiasm, but she tirelessly tried to get her to accept her enthusiasm.
At this time, a couple selling fruit on the second floor started arguing. It sounded like the man had given a widow some crispy pears, and he had picked out the best ones. When the wife heard about it, she was definitely not going to let it go.
Wang Jiazhi sighed inwardly, "As expected, rich and poor are the same. A cat will always love fish."
When the aunt heard that the couple was fighting, she hurried downstairs with a chicken to stop them, and the chicken blood was all over the stairs.
Wang Jiazhi looked at the bloodstains on the stairs and thought that if someone didn't know, they would think someone had committed a murder.
She was thinking of taking the chicken back after the aunt had finished mediating the fight, but she didn't expect that when she came back half an hour later, the chicken she was holding was already plucked and gutted.
She was stunned, wondering how she could try to stop a fight while someone was plucking someone's hair and cutting open their stomach.
While Wang Jiazhi was still standing at the door in shock, she quickly returned to the kitchen and started chopping with a knife.
Wang Jiazhi thought to herself, "I want to stew it whole."
In the evening, Wang Jiazhi drank chicken soup and thought that she should send something to the aunt on the second floor tomorrow. After all, she helped, even though it was compulsory.
This aunt is so lonely. She has no job and relies on her son to send her money every month. This makes her even more bored.
But then she thought again, she had always wanted to make friends with her, and the other families all had husbands, but she was alone. It would be bad if she felt that the two of them had the same fate and had to be more enthusiastic.
After much deliberation, she decided to give it to him. Even though she was the middleman, the black market girl would inevitably give her some benefits. Perhaps she was just trying to get more patronage, which was why she was so enthusiastic. If she gave him something, she would be treating him like a fool.
Never mind, Wang Jiazhi thought to herself, why am I so boring? For trivial matters like these, I can just give her some small gifts tomorrow, and she can treat herself however she wants.
Instead of thinking about these boring things, I might as well continue to daydream about them. I feel like a fool.
She thought about how she'd made chicken soup for him before. Mrs. Yi said he had a picky palate, but she didn't think so. After all, he always said her cooking was delicious.
Actually, he is not picky, he just really can't eat anything, so it doesn't matter what he eats. Is it possible to be that thin?
"What is he doing now?" she wondered.
From then on, Wang Jiazhi would ask the aunt on the second floor to deliver things to her from the black market, which saved her the trouble of running around.
The aunt also seemed very happy and enthusiastic.
Fortunately, this aunt still had a sense of boundaries and did not deliberately try to make friends with her as she had worried.
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