Chapter 15
Early that morning, Xiaoming took a bus across the city to a police station that was quite far away to pick up the person. The company's MC had been arrested the night before while having sex with clients.
The boss, feeling ashamed, dumped this lousy job on her, saying she was tight-lipped and he didn't trust anyone else to do it.
She was embarrassed too, but the boss didn't care: "You don't need to avoid suspicion, and you'll handle things properly. Go ahead." She could only blame herself for having built up such a successful public image.
With a sour face, Xiao Ming paid the fine, signed the papers, and completed the formalities before calling a car to take his customer to the airport to catch a flight.
Watching the client leave, Xiao Ming turned to Xiao Zheng and said coldly, "Brother Zheng, just shut up for a bit. Last time you were beaten up like that by a young woman's husband downstairs at the company, I was the one who took you to the hospital. Your wounds haven't even healed yet, and here you are again. If there's a next time, I'll just push it all to Sister Ying and let her make you famous."
Having eaten government food for two days, he showed no signs of dejection. He grinned and said to Xiaoming, "I just need someone to keep an eye on me. If someone were in charge, I'd feel at ease, and things would calm down in no time. It's just that you always complain about me, Xiaoming. If you were willing to take care of me, none of this nonsense would bother me."
Xiao Ming knew his nature; he just wanted to win him over first. He pressed his nerve: "Pay off my loan, give me the dowry and a house. Aren't you afraid my son will gamble away all my gold coins? What do I have to refuse?"
Xiao Zheng's expression changed upon hearing this: "Haha, I was just joking. I still need to get the company car to go back. You can take a taxi home yourself."
Watching Xiao Zheng flee in disarray, Xiao Ming sneered, "You bastard!"
On his way back to the company, Xiaoming was hunched over with his knees, feeling drowsy. A mournful melody drifted in through the slightly ajar window, and Xiaoming immediately stood up and looked out.
At the entrance of what appeared to be an industrial park, several people wearing white hats and white clothes were kneeling. Among them, a woman was holding a portrait of a young woman who had died, burning paper money. A black and white banner read, "Heartless factory, give me back my daughter's life." Funeral music was blaring loudly from a high-powered loudspeaker.
The driver was also watching the commotion, driving very slowly. Once she was out of sight, he told her the whole story: "The woman who died had congenital heart disease. The factory kept it from her and treated her like a normal employee. But you know, when the factory has a lot of orders, it's not uncommon for people to work through the night. That's how she died from overwork. The factory had full insurance coverage, filed a claim, and even gave extra humanitarian compensation. But her family wasn't satisfied and kept making a scene, wanting more money."
"Then call the police."
"We reported it, and they left when the police came, but came back again after the police left. They even lit candles and burned paper money in the middle of the night, and people passing by were suffocating from the heat."
"So we're just going to let them make a scene like this?"
"That's definitely not the case. The government won't ignore it. Things that affect the city's appearance and disrupt social order should be cleared out in the next few days."
Perhaps stimulated by the black-and-white images during the day, Xiaoming dreamt that night of her father's hometown, which was also her hometown.
Her hometown is an ancient village where many buildings from previous dynasties are still well preserved. The roads are paved with bluestone, the bricks are blue and the tiles are black. Inside the ancestral hall, the stone pillars with worn patterns support dark brown wooden pillars, and white spider webs hang in the dim corners, giving off a musty smell that is unique to old houses.
When I was a child, the new ancestral hall had not yet been built. Whenever there was a funeral, the whole family would go back to our hometown and have a feast at the old ancestral hall.
Funerals are always held at dinner, so in Xiaoming's memory, he could only see the things around the courtyard inside the ancestral hall; further inside, it was all dark.
She was standing by the courtyard, watching a group of men and women surrounding a rough wooden box, wrapping straw rope around it. The straw rope was frayed at the edges, clearly indicating that it had been used many times. After the straw rope was wrapped, a wooden stick was passed through it to lift the coffin.
Some expressed regret, while others lamented their ill fate.
A young man with red eyes questioned a middle-aged couple: "You took so much money, and all you used to wrap her was a few planks of wood? You couldn't even afford a coffin?"
"She was young and unlucky. What does a girl who dies young need a coffin for? Just make her a wooden box. When other families have children who die, they just wrap them in a blanket and bury them."
"I'll buy it, okay? I'll pay for it!"
"What do you mean you're buying it? Who do you think you are? What does this have to do with you? Get out of the way! Don't miss the auspicious time!"
The young man was pulled away and pinned down by several people. He stared wide-eyed as the wooden box containing the girl was carried away. He screamed and struggled, but the burly man pinning him down wouldn't let him cause any more trouble. He took out a rope and pulled the man to a chair and tied him up.
"Stop making a scene. Her family never liked you in the first place. Now that she's dead, why are you making such a fuss? If you're upset, take a bus out later, work and save some money to find a wife."
The young man wept uncontrollably: "To help her brother find a wife, they forced her to go out and work, driving her to her death. I want to see if her family can afford this money to buy her life!"
The scene shifts, and Xiaoming arrives at the back mountain.
When she was a child, she would come here every year during the Qingming Festival to worship her ancestors. In Xiaoming's mind, this place was undoubtedly gloomy and terrifying.
An unidentified bird was making a loud "cawing" sound. There was a new grave under a boulder on the mountainside. The wreath on it had faded from the wind and rain, and a few paper flowers drooped down, fluttering in the wind.
The hillside was covered with strangely shaped rocks. Xiaoming was curious about the scenery behind the giant rock, so he stepped on the rocks and leaped over them, floating behind the giant rock.
Beyond the boulder lies a black river, with a meadow on its bank. Beneath the boulder stands a dark, thatched hut with long eaves that almost touch the ground.
The thatched hut has a window shaped like the Chinese character "田" (field) embedded in its wall, but no door.
Xiao Ming walked to the shore, squatted down, and looked at his reflection. White clothes, long black hair, the shadow was distorted and blurry.
Every now and then a white paper boat would float by on the river. Xiaoming looked up and started counting them. He didn't know how many he counted, but then everything went dark.
A few days later, Xiaoming saw the follow-up news about the girl who died suddenly on the local news. Her parents made a fuss but didn't get any advantage, and finally gave up and went back to their hometown.
Although Xiaoming replies to her messages promptly and normally, Jiang Lan still feels that Xiaoming has been a bit distant from her lately.
After going through the chat history and reviewing the content of their conversation, Jiang Lan felt that she probably hadn't stepped on any landmines, probably due to the influence of a girl's monthly menstrual cycle.
Liu Zhen sent him the location of the dinner party, a well-regarded street food stall. He wanted to ask Xiaoming's opinion, and if there were no problems, they would make the date.
【Ming’er, I have a friend’s dinner party tonight, and they’re all bringing their families. Are you free to come over and sit for a bit?】 Jiang Lan knew that Xiao Ming didn’t like crowded places and didn’t like interacting with people, so he just asked her if she could come over and sit for a bit, so that Liu Zhen and the others could get to know her.
[OK.JPG] Seeing Xiaoming's reply, Jiang Lan breathed a sigh of relief and sent her location.
Guo Haitao sat on a plastic chair, cracking sunflower seeds, and nudged Liu Zhen next to him with his knee: "Boss, why did you choose this place? You could have at least found a more prestigious place to bleed President Lan dry."
Liu Zhen shoved him back: "We're all family, a bunch of small-town exam-takers, what's with all the prestige? The food at the street stalls is good, the atmosphere is relaxed, I wouldn't bring just anyone here."
A short while later, Xiaoming arrived on his bike.
Jiang Lan quickly greeted them and introduced them to everyone.
Those who came to the dinner party all brought their partners, and the men and women gathered together, toasting and making a lively scene.
Xiao Ming scooped up a bowl of seafood porridge and a few skewers of barbecue on a plate, eating while watching them drink and play drinking games.
When someone offers a toast, he takes a sip of his beverage, but doesn't touch the full glass of beer beside him.
He watched them drink and boast with a smile, occasionally leaning in to exchange a few words with Jiang Lan.
Guo Haitao, probably quite drunk, walked up to her with a bottle of beer and slurred, "Sister-in-law, you have such good taste! You found our Brother Lan. Brother Lan is definitely a high-quality man. You have no idea how many beautiful women chased after him, but you managed to win him over."
He gave her a thumbs-up and said, "You're the one!"
Their partner chimed in, "You'd better keep a close eye on people from now on. Girls these days are so bold. If they like someone, they'll go for it, regardless of whether the guy has a boyfriend or wife."
Jiang Lan interrupted them immediately when she heard them go a bit too far: "Have you had too much to drink? What nonsense are you talking about! I chased after Xiaoming for a long time before I finally got him. Don't make him run away. Besides, do I, a grown man, need someone to watch over me? I'll just stay by Xiaoming's side, and no one can touch him!"
Xiao Ming kept smiling as she watched them talk. After Jiang Lan finished speaking, she continued, "Thanks for the reminder! Brother Lan is truly outstanding; I've struck gold with him. I'll definitely keep a close eye on him from now on. I'm going to ride my bike later, and I'm afraid of falling if I drink alcohol, so I'll just have a soft drink instead. Come on, everyone!"
He stood up, raised his drink cup, clinked it with someone else's, and took a big gulp of his drink.
Guo Haitao laughed twice, downed two mouthfuls of beer, and sat back down in his seat.
Since Jiang Lan was hosting, Xiao Ming stayed until the very end, not getting home until almost midnight.
Lying in bed, Xiaoming thought about the dinner party today and suddenly felt a bit bored. He turned on the light again and took out a book of quotes to read.
After tossing and turning for half an hour, I felt calmer and then turned off the light and went to sleep.
Jiang Lan hadn't seen Xiao Ming for over half a month. Every time she tried to meet her, Xiao Ming would say that it was nearing the end of the year and she was busy and had to work overtime.
Just like before, the rejections were perfunctory and undisguised.
He simply couldn't wait any longer, so he drove over to intercept Xiaoming as soon as he got off work that day. As he entered the residential area, the security guard greeted him: "Hey handsome, haven't seen you here to see your girlfriend in ages! Where have you been making your fortune lately?"
Jiang Lan handed him a pack of cigarettes and replied with a smile, "I went out of town a few days ago and just got back."
The security guard took the cigarette and smiled even more enthusiastically: "Oh, I see. Your girlfriend is doing well, going to work and leaving get off work on time every day."
Jiang Lan stood downstairs and waited for a while before lighting a cigarette to suppress her frustration.
He could roughly guess why she had been distant lately. He wanted to tell her that he didn't need her to change herself or force herself to do anything to adapt to him or integrate into his life. He didn't need anything; he didn't need her to cater to others or behave appropriately. He just wanted her to be with him, even if her feelings for him weren't as deep as his. The one who lacked security between them was him.
Xiao Ming saw Jiang Lan standing downstairs from afar. He parked his car and walked up to her, saying, "Have you been waiting for a while? Let's go to the noodle shop across the street to talk." He then glanced at the cigarette butt between Jiang Lan's fingers.
Jiang Lan gave a wry smile: "I don't usually smoke, but I've been feeling down lately, so I've only smoked a couple of cigarettes occasionally."
She reached out and pulled Xiaoming, saying, "Can we go up and talk?"
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