The next day, while everyone was eating, the woman lied to Zhao Di, saying that she had an upset stomach and went to the toilet without getting any food.
The toilet was empty; there was no one there.
The smell inside was unpleasant, so the woman walked around for a moment and then came out. She looked around; at this mealtime, everyone was eating in the cafeteria, and there was no one outside.
There was a sound coming from ahead, like something had fallen. The woman walked over suspiciously. This was the back of the dormitory. Through the glass, she couldn't see a soul inside.
The midday sun cast the dormitory's shadows on the ground. A withered branch nearby swayed slightly, perhaps blown by the wind. A half-buried red brick lay discarded beside it.
The woman's face turned ugly; she had been tricked by the child. She muttered curses under her breath.
There was a noise at the window, and the woman was losing her patience. She swung her arm and walked over, casually glancing inside. Suddenly, the window opened, and she hurriedly dodged, only to be met with a packet of red powder being thrown at her.
That was chili powder that Xu Keke found in Ding Tou's house. Chili powder from that era was very pure, with salt added.
It was splattered on the woman's face, stinging her eyes so badly she couldn't open them, and some of it also went down her throat. The more she tried to wipe it with her hands, the more it got into her eyes.
She coughed violently, trying to shake off the chili powder. Her head was hooked by a foot and pulled over. A brick smashed into her forehead. Blood dripped down her forehead.
The woman swayed, and another blow struck her. She leaned back, her legs retracting, and she fell to the ground. Though dizzy, she wasn't dead yet. She groped for her way to the ground, trying to get up.
Xu Keke jumped down from the window and wrapped the thin wire in her hand around the woman's neck.
A pair of gray cloth shoes appeared beside them, with the toes showing.
Xu Keke knew who it was; she had seen him when she jumped down from the window. He had followed this woman and had been hiding behind her.
Xu Keke hadn't figured out how to handle this. This was the second time the little guy had noticed what she was doing.
Yun Sheng squatted down and stretched out his small hand, which was covered with scars. Most of them were marks left from burns, very similar to the original owner's hand.
He grabbed the other end of the wire with his hand. Seeing that Xu Keke didn't move, he looked up at her in surprise.
Xu Keke suspected that he might think this was the same as when the two of them worked together normally, requiring them to cooperate on tasks.
Having understood his meaning, Xu Keke paused for a moment and then grasped the other hand.
The two men each held one side of the wire, using their feet to push the woman backward. The wire dug into her skin.
The woman tilted her head to one side, imitating Xu Keke, and Yun Sheng also let go of her hand, staring at her blankly.
Xu Keke ignored him and moved the dead branches next to her to disguise the scene.
Then she walked ahead, and Yun Sheng followed behind her. Neither of them spoke a word the entire time.
When Su Ying saw the two of them return, she pushed the lunchbox towards them. Xu Keke noticed that Yun Sheng's mother, the woman named Hui Fang, wasn't there today.
Based on her memories of her past life and her observations over the past few days, Xu Keke guessed where Huifang had gone. Therefore, Yunsheng might not have initially found her by following a woman, but rather by chance.
Here, no one cares about children their age. Even the foremen don't care, because they didn't cost much to buy them, and they can't do heavy work, so whether they live or die is no big deal to the foremen.
After finishing her meal, Xu Keke returned to the foremen's quarters. She saw Huifang walking out, her clothes buttoned up. Huifang was voluptuous, and although her skin was sallow, it couldn't hide her beautiful features. In this era, being beautiful was almost a sin for a woman.
Upon seeing Xu Keke, she took out a paper package from her pocket, inside which were four or five yellow crystalline candies. She picked one up and handed it to Xu Keke.
Because she lived in the same house as her, the original owner had eaten it before.
Xu Keke took it but didn't eat it. She held the candy in her palm, the warmth smoothing out its sharp edges little by little, until the sticky feeling dissipated as Huifang's figure disappeared.
The woman disappeared, and the foremen were furious that afternoon. Many people were asked, but no one had seen her. They assumed she had run away, and to warn the others, none of the female workers received any food that evening.
Before it was completely dark, Chen Hui came to find Ding Tou. He wanted Ding Tou to go home and recover from his injuries, saying, "If you keep dragging this on, you might as well go back and get properly treated before coming back. Your family takes good care of you, unlike here where there's nothing."
Ding was tempted. He hadn't wanted to leave because he was afraid someone else would take his job. No one dared to let him go while he was here. But when Chen Hui told him he would temporarily manage the job for him and return it when he returned, he felt reassured.
Chen Hui also said that because there was one less female worker, he wanted to send Xu Keke back to work.
Ding Tou, lying weakly in bed, agreed, telling her to go back first thing tomorrow morning. This meant she should stay one more night.
His intentions were obvious. Chen Hui, having achieved his goal, uttered two words to him, "You!"
Ding Tou understood and grinned lewdly. Xu Keke also understood and silently lowered her eyes. She obediently got up and poured Chen Hui a glass of water.
Chen Hui took a sip and frowned, unsure whether it was the water's taste or the strong odor in the room that was causing his perception. He took another sip, still unable to describe the taste, and then put the water down.
Xu Keke took the initiative to get the pills and handed them to Ding Tou. They were for pain relief, and Xu Keke had seen them before taking them. They contained sleeping pills.
After watching Ding Tou finish taking her medicine, Xu Keke opened the teapot lid to check; there wasn't much water left. Without saying a word to anyone, she picked up the teapot and went outside. Chen Hui was just about to leave when he gave Ding Tou a few more instructions, so neither of them paid any attention to her.
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