At night, Xu Guoqing's home.
The kerosene lamp on the table was lit very brightly, driving away most of the darkness in the room. Erhua sat in front of the table with a frown on his face, and there seemed to be a shadow on his forehead.
Xu Guoqing poured Erhua a glass of water and handed him a cigarette. Uncle Xu, Aunt Xu and Xu Guoqing sat on the other three sides of the octagonal table respectively.
"Erhua, when I left this evening, my bicycle was still in our yard. It disappeared after you came. Don't deny it."
Aunt Xu was no longer excited now, and her tone of voice was very calm. The night was still long anyway, and as long as Erhua was here, she could slowly ask him questions without worrying about not getting the answer.
Erhua frowned and said nothing. He took a deep puff of cigarette, closed his mouth and tried to swallow it, but two wisps of smoke came out of his nostrils.
"Erhua." Uncle Xu saw that he was silent, so he poured him some more boiled water and said, "We watched you grow up, and you have such a good relationship with Guoqing. We treat you as our own child. It's okay for children to make mistakes. Just correct them in time. You just need to tell us where the bicycle is, and this matter will be over."
"I didn't steal it."
Xu Guoqing looked at his childhood friend. He didn't really trust Liang Erhua. Although they had grown up together and had done plenty of stealing, he couldn't quite fathom Erhua's personality. They both dropped out of school after two years, never even graduating from elementary school. Later, when Xu Guoqing went to work in the production team, Erhua just hung out and didn't do anything serious. The two gradually drifted apart, and Erhua's reputation in the village wasn't very good.
After a while, the cigarette in his hand went out, and Uncle Xu took out another pack from the drawer and put it on the table.
"Uncle, there's plenty of cigarettes here. Go ahead and smoke, but you have to tell us the truth."
Xu Guoqing opened the cigarette box and took out a cigarette and gave it to Erhua. He took the cigarette and put it in his mouth.
It was late at night and no one in the Liang family was asleep. No one could sleep except Xiaohua and Chunhua.
Qiuhua tossed and turned in bed. Mom and Dad were still making noises outside the door, talking. Qiuhua's heart trembled. She was worried about Erhua, not even sure he hadn't stolen the bicycle. She was even more worried about Dahua. Tomorrow, Director Zhao and his men were coming to see Hengliang. If they knew about this, Dahua's marriage would definitely be ruined.
"Erhua, tell me honestly, have our two families been on good terms over the years? Has Auntie treated you well?"
Aunt Xu was a little anxious. Half a pack of cigarettes was gone, and the room was filled with the pungent smell of cigarettes, making it difficult for her to open her eyes.
"We have had a good relationship over the years, but you do look down on me."
The other three were stunned.
No one spoke, which meant they agreed.
I, Erhua, am a bit rough, but not stupid. You guys look down on me behind my back. Do you want to play the emotional card now?
Sorry, I can't call!
"What are you talking about? We don't look down on you. Besides, you can't steal our bikes just for this!"
"I didn't steal it!"
The conversation came to a deadlock again. Erhua insisted that he did not steal, and the Xu family was helpless.
Xu Guoqing sighed and said, "Erhua, Da Lazi testified for us and said he saw you enter our house."
Erhua spat in his heart: Gossip! I'll come back to settle the score with you!
"I did come into your house to look for you, but I didn't steal your bike. You know that Da Lazi came to our house to steal silk thread last year. She has a grudge against me!"
"No one's coming home anymore, and the bike won't fly off on its own. Who else could it be if not you? You've been messing around since you were little!"
Erhua put out the cigarette on the table and looked at Aunt Xu fiercely. Uncle Xu thought his words were too much and reached out to pat the mistress of the house on the shoulder. Aunt Xu was so angry that she slapped his hand away.
"Erhua, what Auntie said was excessive. She was just worried. Don't take it to heart. Look, our family isn't very wealthy. A bicycle cost a fortune, and now it's gone. Uncle hasn't been able to sleep these past few days. I'm heartbroken."
"Uncle is still kind to you, right? Look, he's taking pity on me and telling us where the bike is, okay?"
"I can't find my bike. I'm so upset. It's all my fault. I didn't keep an eye on it!"
As he spoke, Uncle Xu excitedly raised his hand and slapped himself twice. The "pa pa" sound seemed very abrupt in the light and darkness.
No one else expected Uncle Xu to do this and was unable to stop him in time.
Erhua lowered his head. He'd smoked too many cigarettes, and his throat was dry, as if the scarlet cigarette butts were about to ignite. His head ached, as if thousands of needles were piercing it. Xu Guoqing checked the time. It was already three in the morning, and the room was already filled with smoke.
"Uncle, please..."
"Erhua, Auntie is begging you too." Aunt Xu's eyes welled with tears as she pleaded, "As long as you tell me where the bike is, I promise to pretend nothing happened. Our two families will remain the same as before, and no one in the village will know about this. Even if, even if Daliya comes and asks, I will say it was our own mistake and it has nothing to do with you, Erhua."
"Erhua, just tell us."
Xu Guoqing sighed and scratched his head in annoyance. This was the bicycle his family had just bought, a priceless purchase, and it had been stolen before he had even ridden it a few times. Naturally, he felt anxious and upset. And the suspect was Erhua, his childhood friend.
Erhua still didn't speak.
I don’t know how long it took, but the sky was getting a little brighter. Xu Guoqing looked at the time and it was half past four.
"Erhua, it's not too late now. We can go get the bike back now and pretend nothing happened."
Uncle Xu nodded, indicating that he agreed with what the mistress said.
"If we wait a little longer, it will be dawn. By then, the whole village will know that you, Liang Erhua, are suspected of stealing bicycles. The idlers won't care whether you stole it or not. They just want to watch the fun."
"Besides, tomorrow, oh no, today, Director Zhao and his men will be coming to your house. You don't want them to know about this, do you? Don't let it affect Dahua's marriage then."
Erhua raised his head, his face looking very tired. He picked up the cup on the table and took a sip of water. The water was cold, but it felt good in his throat. Aunt Xu saw that it was already dawn and was getting a little restless. She stood up and looked out the window. There were lights on in the Liang family's house as well.
"Look, your parents haven't slept yet. You're already this old, how can you still make them worry?"
After a long time, Erhua finally spoke.
"Can you really pretend that nothing happened?"
Aunt Xu's eyes sparkled, and she eagerly promised, "We promise! Don't worry!"
“…”
The three of them held their breath and watched Erhua's mouth open and close quietly.
"The bike was on the hill. I dug a hole and buried it."
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