The aroma of meat slowly wafted from Hu Yuan's rented room, and soon the entire hallway was filled with this fragrance.
In another rented room on the same floor, a plump woman in her forties was the first to smell the aroma of meat.
Taking a deep breath of the aroma, she asked her husband beside her, "Whose meat smells like this? You're such a spendthrift!"
"Who cares whose it is? It's not ours anyway. Hurry up and eat!" the man next to me replied impatiently, picking up his bowl and slurping his food.
The aroma of meat naturally wouldn't leave him unmoved. In those days, the temptation of being able to eat meat was immense, but the feeling of only being able to smell it but not taste it was unbearable. So he could only channel his grief and anger into his efforts, diligently eating the simple meal in his bowl.
"There aren't many families in this building who can afford meat to begin with. It's not a holiday or anything, so who would dare to eat meat unless something big is happening?" The fat woman shook her head and replied with a suspicious look.
"Alright, alright, why are you meddling in this? Just eat your food." The man didn't want to get involved with her and replied indifferently.
"That won't do! I have to go out and check. What if this is Hu Yuan's house?" Unlike her husband's indifferent reaction, the fat woman clearly wanted to get to the bottom of things.
Upon hearing the woman mention Hu Yuan's name, the husband finally stopped what he was doing.
He had no interest in Hu Yuan, but the mere mention of Hu Yuan reminded him of Wang Man. The thought of a scoundrel like Hu Yuan having such a beautiful wife as Wang Man filled him with both jealousy and resentment.
The thought of Wang Man's slender figure made the man's heart itch, but looking at his own fierce wife, he could only swallow his saliva in secret, having the desire but not the courage.
"That guy Hu Yuan, he spends all his time eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. He's a penniless wretch, he can barely afford to wear pants. How come his family can afford to eat meat?" the man said with a disdainful sneer.
"That's hard to say. What if this guy wins the bet? I'll have to go check it out! His slutty wife borrowed two dollars from me before, and she still owes me one dollar. She avoids me like the plague lately, so I definitely have to go see her!"
The fat woman was both jealous and looked down on Wang Man. She would never have lent him two yuan if Wang Man hadn't begged her so desperately.
After speaking, the fat woman pushed open the door and walked out.
Carrying two plates of fragrant meat dishes out of the kitchen, Hu Yuan said softly to Wang Man, "Come out and eat."
Then he added, "Don't wake Tuantuan yet, let her sleep a little longer, I've saved some for her..."
Wang Man didn't want to talk to Hu Yuan, but after looking at the sleeping Tuantuan and the two dishes on the living room table, she finally nodded silently.
After setting out the bowls and chopsticks, Hu Yuan sat down, but he noticed that Wang Man across from him didn't make any move at all.
"What's wrong? Let's eat."
Hu Yuan said something, and subconsciously looked up to find that Wang Man's eyes were red and tears were already welling up in her eyes.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Hu Yuan put down the steamed bun in his hand and asked with a puzzled look.
Wang Man opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn't say anything; only tears began to seep out.
Her behavior left Hu Yuan at a loss, unsure of what to say. He could only try to comfort her, saying, "What's wrong? Tell me... What did I do wrong to make you so upset? If there's anything, just tell me, and I'll change, okay?"
Hearing Hu Yuan's words, Wang Man gradually calmed down, wiped away the tears in her eyes, and said, "Then let me ask you, have you really changed or are you just pretending?"
Hearing Wang Man's question, Hu Yuan finally understood a bit; after all, she was worried about his own affairs.
"So that's what you were worried about. Don't worry, I've really fixed it now." Hu Yuan nodded and replied very seriously.
Wang Man wiped away her tears and said, her voice choked with emotion, "I don't know if what you're saying is true or not. But please, I beg you, please don't hang out with your bunch of bad friends anymore, okay? You have hands and feet, find a job, and let's live a quiet life, okay?"
Fearing that Hu Yuan would fly into a rage, Wang Man, with tears streaming down her face, pleaded again, "Hu Yuan, I'm begging you, please listen to me just this once."
Hu Yuan remained silent for a long time after hearing Wang Man's words.
In truth, these words were an unwarranted disaster for Hu Yuan at this moment, but since he had replaced the original Hu Yuan, he had to bear all of this.
"Wang Man, I know that my past actions have caused you and Tuantuan a lot of harm, and I also know that you may not believe what I say now. But I can promise that I will never associate with those kinds of people again. As for other things, I hope you can see my future behavior."
Hu Yuan's response surprised Wang Man, because Hu Yuan would never have spoken to her in this manner in the past.
It was precisely because of this attitude that she inexplicably calmed down from her initial outburst of sorrow.
"Alright, let's eat first, or it'll get cold." As if noticing Wang Man's quietness, Hu Yuan smiled and urged her.
Nodding, Wang Man didn't respond further and slowly picked up the steamed bun to start eating.
Seeing her action, Hu Yuan smiled slightly.
He glanced at Tuantuan, who was fast asleep, and silently said to himself, "Don't worry, I will take good care of you!"
...
After wandering around the hallway for a while, the fat woman finally confirmed that the aroma of meat was indeed coming from Hu Yuan's house.
"Alright! You slut, not only do you not pay back the money, but you're also sneaking around eating meat. Today I'll show you what I'm capable of!"
After muttering to herself, the fat woman went straight up and banged on Hu Yuan's door.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Hu Yuan and Wang Man, who were eating inside, were both startled by the loud banging on the door. Wang Man, in particular, became very nervous.
"No...no, it can't be that group of people coming again, can it?" Wang Man whispered, her face full of fear.
She feared that the people who had come were Li Bing and his gang, returning to seek revenge because of what happened yesterday.
Hu Yuan wasn't as afraid as Wang Man. Although Li Bing's group had a large number of people, Hu Yuan wasn't necessarily afraid of them if they really faced off.
"Don't be nervous, let me ask first."
Giving Wang Man a reassuring look, Hu Yuan asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me! Ma Meili!"
Instead of the voice Wang Man had guessed, a hoarse and rough female voice came from outside the door.
Based on his predecessor's memories, Hu Yuan naturally remembered who Ma Meili was, but he didn't know what this woman was involved in.
In contrast, Wang Man, although no longer afraid, was still extremely nervous.
Everyone in the building knows that Ma Meili is no pushover; she's a troublemaker who throws tantrums and is very difficult to deal with.
But, of all people, I ended up getting involved with her...
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