"Quick, quick, it's on fire!" came a jumble of shouts from the alley entrance.
"Grandma, let's go out first." Suti made a quick decision and pulled her grandmother to head back.
Regardless of what happened before, they were holding children, and pushing and shoving was the easiest way for things to get out of hand.
Some things are too much to bear; nothing is more important than people.
“Okay.” Grandma Guo immediately followed Su Ti back, glancing up at the source of the smoke, which seemed to be in their alley.
I wonder which building caught fire. I should have gone to the transportation department with Baichuan earlier.
The two walked quickly and soon retreated to the main road, where a large crowd had already gathered.
"Grandma, let's wait here until Baichuan comes back." Suti held the child, not daring to go anywhere.
There are many people here, so it should be safe for now.
She looked up at the area where smoke was billowing; compared to the thick smoke that had been billowing earlier, it had dissipated considerably.
I guess the fire over there has been put out by now?
"What happened? How did it suddenly catch fire?" There were many people standing on the street, all of whom lived nearby.
"I don't know, it just suddenly caught fire. It's not mealtime. It's one thing if your own house is on fire, but don't let it affect other people's houses."
Several people gathered there discussing, and Suti was certain that the fire was in the alley where their house was located.
She thought about it and realized that no one was home. Unless someone deliberately set fire to her house, it couldn't be her house.
She stood there with her grandmother, holding the child, for more than half an hour, even after the fire had been extinguished.
Many people went over to watch the excitement, but Suti still planned to wait for Baichuan to return before making a decision.
She didn't know what had happened; safety was the priority.
Li Baichuan returned quickly; after returning the car, he rode back on a bicycle that was kept at the transport team's premises.
Halfway there, he heard someone mention that there was a fire somewhere, and for some reason, he suddenly felt very panicked.
He rushed back, wanting to rush home without a care in the world, but it was Su Ti, who had sharp eyes, who spotted him first.
"Honey, are you alright?" Upon hearing his wife's voice, Li Baichuan released the car and instantly ran to Su Ti's side.
He was terrified. With so many people gathered here, something must have happened to them. His hunch was right.
"I'm fine. I didn't go in after I sensed something was wrong. I'll wait for you here." Suti let him take the little one from his grandmother's arms.
They're too heavy now, and it's hard for Grandma to carry them.
Li Baichuan was still holding a package in her hand, but it was just for show; the heavier things had long been put into her space.
"Let's go back and check first." Li Baichuan took the child from his grandmother's arms. Only after seeing that his wife and the others were alright did he go to check the place where the smoke was coming from.
There was practically no smoke left there, so the fire was probably out. Only then did he and his men dare to head back.
"The Du family's house is on fire." When they arrived in the alley, Grandma Guo immediately recognized the house with the largest group of people gathered there.
Even though she doesn't particularly enjoy interacting with people around her, Grandma Guo still knows which families live in the neighborhood after all this time.
"Let's go home first." Li Baichuan had no interest in watching the commotion; he needed to make sure his wife and the others were settled first.
When Suti heard her grandmother mention the Du family, she roughly knew who they were. She remembered there was a woman holding a child.
It seems like we've only been married for less than two years. Every time I see her, she's holding a child, and the child is always very clean and tidy.
The last time she cooked at their house, she kindly came over to ask if anyone was on fire, as if she was worried that someone's house was on fire. Suti always felt something was off.
"Wife, you and Grandma stay at home for now, I'm going out to check on things." Li Baichuan put the child on the crib.
He took the one from his wife's hand, put it down, and made arrangements before leaving.
Regardless, they're still living here and need to know what's going on over there.
"Okay, be careful and don't go any closer." Suti wasn't one to watch the drama unfold, but living so close by, she had to find out what was going on.
If it's an accident, that's fine, but if it's intentional, then they need to be careful.
"Grandma, you go and rest first. I'll go pack my things." Suti carried Baichuan's package and looked at the two little ones, who seemed to be in good spirits and had probably slept well in the car.
"I'm not tired," said Grandma Guo, before heading to the kitchen to check on things, worried that a thief might have broken into the house.
She rested while lying down the whole way, and apart from the bumpy ride, it didn't tire her out much.
Seeing her grandmother like this, Suti didn't try to persuade her further, and followed her into the room to check the things carefully.
Seeing that everything was still there before I left, it doesn't seem like any bad people were causing trouble.
Suti looked at the space and put all the things inside; she didn't feel comfortable leaving them outside.
She had just finished packing when Li Baichuan returned.
"Honey, it's alright. They said the family forgot to turn off the stove while cooking, and the baby was crying because he wasn't feeling well. By the time they realized what was happening, it was already on fire."
"A lot of things were burned in the house, but fortunately no one was hurt. The families we are close to are helping to clean up, so it should still be habitable."
Li Baichuan thought of the room from earlier. Even if it was habitable, it would have been quite a mess. It was pitch black and there was nothing left.
Most people would find this unacceptable, but the Du family is remarkably composed. They didn't cry or make a fuss; the whole family worked together to pack their things.
The group comforted each other, and Li Baichuan thought that the family was actually quite nice.
"Did you forget to turn on the fire?" Suti hesitated for a moment. Most people here cook with stoves, and even boilers that use firewood are rare.
Even if the child was crying, if they saw that there were still people in the house when the fire started, they would definitely have put it out quickly. How did it end up burning the main house?
Even if you didn't notice it at first, would your nose have become desensitized to such a strong smell of smoke? Or would your eyesight have deteriorated?
Suti felt they were lying, but it was none of her business, and she couldn't be bothered with it.
"Yes, honey, that family is really nice. They didn't complain at all and cleaned up together. Their house was all burned down and was empty, but they had a really good attitude."
Li Baichuan thought the Du family was quite nice. Living here, with kind neighbors, they felt comfortable.
"Really?" It's not that Suti is overcomplicating people, but it's rare to find someone so calm after their house has been burned down.
It's one thing if it's just one person, but for an entire family to be like this, either the whole family is mentally unstable, or they're hiding something.
"It's none of our business. We can just close our doors and live our own lives." Suti didn't want to find out what they were hiding.
There are millions of people in the world, and everyone has their own life. Whether a life is difficult or happy is predetermined. She doesn't have that much curiosity.
"Wife, that's what I think too. We should talk to Grandma about it. We should just live our own lives." Li Baichuan knew that the surrounding area was too chaotic with so many people living there.
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