Chen Li looked at Gu Xin with encouraging eyes, then at Zhong Shi lying on the counter chair, and said, "I have seen Butcher Liu leave Zhong Shi's place early in the morning three times, and I have also heard noises inside."
As soon as she said that, many people in the inn stared at her with gossipy eyes, whether they knew Butcher Liu and Madam Zhong or not.
Gu Xin looked at Chen Li Shi and urged her to continue.
"The first time was one night when I heard a commotion next door. My husband wasn't home, and the kids were fast asleep. I thought something had happened to them. Qiangzi had gone out that day, and I was worried that Zhong would run into bad people if she was home alone. When I went into the yard, I heard Qiangzi yelling at Zhong. I felt relieved but also suspicious, so I quietly built a ladder and climbed over the wall. I saw Liu the butcher putting on his clothes and running out, and Zhong was pulling Qiangzi along. Qiangzi must have wanted to beat up Liu the butcher." After saying this, Chen Li's story flowed much more smoothly.
"Then I started to guess in that direction. However, Qiangzi stayed home for the next few days and didn't go out. I didn't tell anyone either, thinking that after this incident, Butcher Liu wouldn't dare to come. I didn't even tell my husband, after all, Butcher Liu's wife is known far and wide for being fierce and shrewish, and I didn't want to get myself into trouble," Chen Lishi added.
"No wonder, no wonder Qiangzi didn't come to the store to deliver fish and shrimp during that time! Our boss had to order from someone else." The waiter muttered after hearing the gossip.
Du Sanniang glanced at him, and he quickly shut his mouth and stood obediently to the side.
Interrupted, Chen Lishi didn't continue. Everyone was waiting to hear the story, and if Gu Xin hadn't been there, they would have urged Chen Lishi to start.
"What about the second and third times?" Gu Xin asked at the opportune moment.
"The second time was about a month after that. Qiangzi was away for five days, and I saw Butcher Liu come over three nights in a row. I initially thought Butcher Liu was scared by Qiangzi, since Qiangzi looked really fierce that day. But Butcher Liu still came. My husband is a heavy sleeper, and my child is also sound asleep, so I took the ladder again and this time got closer to the wall on Zhong's side of the courtyard to hear more clearly. Zhong kept crying, and Butcher Liu was trying to comfort her, and then they..." Chen Li stopped talking; everyone present was no longer a child and knew what had happened.
"For three nights in a row, Butcher Liu came over. They chatted, and I felt they were just like any ordinary couple in their bedroom. On the third night, my husband got up in the middle of the night and found I wasn't there. He went out to look for me and found me on the wall, so he found out about it. But he told me not to tell anyone and not to meddle. So I kept quiet. I asked my husband if Butcher Liu really wanted to live with Zhong. His wife has given him three children, and she's pregnant with another one. My husband said I was stupid, how could I think Butcher Liu really wanted to live with Zhong? Even a little kid like Qiangzi could see that Butcher Liu wasn't serious, and you, as a mother, couldn't see it? He even said we women are stupid, that we can't even understand these things." Chen Li was still a little indignant as she said this.
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