Chapter 18: Tooth for Tooth
In the slum, everyone takes turns to wash with water in the morning.
There was a smell of toothpaste and soap everywhere.
"Limei, someone is looking for you outside." Zhao Hongye's eyes were clearly curious, and she asked curiously, "Are you dating someone?"
Tang Limei quickly shook her head: "No, no, where would I get a partner? Sister Hongye, you are such a joke."
Zhao Hongye smiled meaningfully and said nothing more.
Tang Limei was puzzled and walked out of the compound, where she saw a bald man standing.
"Are you looking for me?" When she got closer, she realized it was the person who asked her for directions the night before.
This man is tall and has a shiny bald head, making him unforgettable.
"Yes." The bald man took out a wooden comb and handed it over: "Thank you for showing me the way yesterday."
There was a cute little mouse carved on the wooden comb, which was so beautiful that Tang Limei was immediately attracted to it.
She was born in the Year of the Rat. Although she was still afraid of wild mice, she had always liked the cartoon mice in picture books.
"You're welcome." Tang Limei hesitated, "I can't accept your things."
"If you don't accept it, I can't use it even if I take it back."
A bald head doesn’t need a comb!
Tang Limei burst out laughing, "That's right, thank you then!"
The bald man stretched out his hand and said, "Nice to meet you."
Tang Limei shyly shook hands with the bald man.
The bald man gave the gift and left.
Tang Limei stood at the gate of the yard, staring at the little mouse on the wooden comb, looking left and right. The more she looked, the more she liked it, and she couldn't help but smile.
"Oh my! Look at that smile, the mouth is about to fly up to the sky!"
Zhao Hongye could be considered the number one gossip woman in the compound.
"You said you're single, I think that's pretty close to the truth."
"Really not." Tang Limei strongly denied it.
"The boy is very tall, and his hair is nice." Zhao Hongye said, "But when you find a girlfriend in the future, you should persuade him to grow his hair, otherwise he will look bad."
Tang Limei didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "What?"
Zhao Hongye looked like someone who understood: "We already have a token of love, but you still don't admit it."
"This is a thank you gift. I helped him find the way yesterday." Tang Limei didn't want to explain any more and turned back to the house.
After breakfast, Tang Limei went to visit the Xinhua Bookstore.
She didn't want to go home to review her lessons, so she dawdled all the way home, and in the blink of an eye it was noon.
Zhao Hongye is a big mouth, and within the morning, the news that Tang Limei has a boyfriend spread.
"The bald guy you're talking about is the one who came to the gate of your courtyard this morning, right?"
Brother Zou from the grain store next door happened to hear the gossip and interrupted.
Zhao Hongye nodded: "Yes! It's him!"
Brother Zou: "Is he Li Mei's boyfriend?"
Zhao Hongye: "It's definitely not wrong. The young man gave Li Mei a comb. If he didn't have a girlfriend, why would he give her such a thing?"
"Oh, that guy is not a good guy." Brother Zou said, "I recognize him. He is a gangster from around here."
"No way?" Zhao Hongye was surprised: "Could you be mistaken?"
Brother Zou: "No, I heard a few brothers talking about him before, I didn't listen carefully at the time, but he is definitely not a good person."
"Please help me find out more!" Zhao Hongye said, "This is the lifelong event of a girl in our courtyard. People politely call me sister-in-law, so I have to help worry about it!"
"Okay, I'll go ask."
When Brother Zou came in the evening, he brought new news.
He was sneaky and insisted on dragging Zhao Hongye out to talk.
The two of them whispered for a long time at the intersection, and when they came back, Zhao Hongye's expression was very colorful.
This girl Tang Limei is really amazing. She is very good at confusing right and wrong and gossiping about other people.
"Sister Hongye, you're back." Tang Limei came out to wash the towels and casually greeted Zhao Hongye.
Zhao Hongye chuckled and asked, "Limei, are you using your sister-in-law as a gun?"
Tang Limei was stunned: "Ah?"
"You were the one who spread the rumor about Xueli, right? You told your grandmother first, then told her outside, and finally told me to talk about it in our courtyard."
Zhao Hongye was very angry. "Are you still saying outside that I'm a big mouth?"
Tang Limei: "That's not true. Sister Hongye, you are so nice to me, how could I possibly say anything bad about you! Who is gossiping about you? Is it Xueli? She is a liar, you can't believe her words."
Zhao Hongye sneered twice, curled his lips, said "How terrible" and left.
Tang Limei: “…”
She went to the bookstore in the morning and played in the park with her former classmates in the afternoon. She was away from home all day. How did it turn out like this?
Tang Jinhong is not at home because he is on a business trip.
Old Mrs. Tang believed Tang Limei's words more and also felt that it was Xue Li who was behind it.
Jia Zhenzhen told her daughter to be careful with her words and actions, to go out less often, and not to talk to people she didn't know.
The night passed peacefully.
With the trust of her grandmother and mother, Tang Limei didn't take the rumors seriously.
Could her popularity be worse than Tang Xueli's?
Anyone who looks at her will see her as a sweet and obedient girl, a good child who is beyond reproach.
It’s not that easy for Tang Xueli to deal with her!
"Sister, I advise you to save your energy." Tang Limei stopped Tang Xueli with a provocative look on her face.
Tang Xueli raised her eyebrows lazily: "Oh..."
Tang Limei put her hands on her waist and said, "Don't think that people will believe what you say."
Tang Xueli ignored her and stared at the other person's forehead, saying lightly: "Don't get angry, it's easy to get angry and it will leave scars."
"You..." Tang Limei was hit in a sore spot and was speechless for a moment.
Tang Xueli didn't even bother to look at her and turned away.
Tang Limei didn't listen to her mother. She thought that her father had not returned from his business trip yet, so it was a good opportunity for her to go out and have some fun.
The bald man asked her to go to the movies. She hesitated for a long time but finally agreed.
There were free movies to watch, and she couldn't resist the temptation.
Moreover, the bald man was super nice, very considerate to her and funny.
I would buy her a lot of delicious snacks, including red bean ice cream, orange soda and White Rabbit milk candy.
"Da Jun." Ever since she knew the bald man's real name was Fang Tiejun, Tang Limei started calling him Da Jun.
She felt that calling him that was very intimate and made it seem like they knew each other very well.
"What do you do for a living?"
To be able to buy things for her so generously, his salary must be quite high.
Fang Tiejun said: "I am a truck driver."
"Wow, that's amazing!" Tang Limei said with admiration.
Fang Tiejun deliberately took Tang Limei to the small path behind the cinema where there were fewer people.
The atmosphere between the two was indescribably ambiguous.
Fang Tiejun told some interesting stories about driving a truck, which made Tang Limei laugh out loud.
"Stop!" Someone suddenly came up from behind.
Tang Limei turned her head and before she could see what the man looked like, she was slapped in the face before the smile on her face faded.
As she recognized the voice, she also saw the face.
Tang Limei was so panicked that she called out in a trembling voice, "Dad..."
Why did her father come back early from his business trip?
Aren’t you going to be home tomorrow?
"Don't call me dad! I can't afford to lose this person!"
After he finished speaking, Tang Jinhong slapped his daughter in the face again.
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