Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Zhou Wu was dismissed, and Captain Gu suffered a miserable fate...
There are still seven days until the agreed date.
There was a wedding in Donghe Village at noon today, and half of the villagers went.
The man was the brother of Wang Yang's eldest brother. He spent a huge sum of five yuan and specifically invited Qingmei to be the chef to stew the big bluefish.
"Hurry up, hurry up." Zhao Xiaoxing volunteered to help Qingmei. She stood at the door, threw an apron made of scraps of cloth to Qingmei, and pulled Qingmei to run to the boss's house.
Qingmei ran to the place easily. Zhao Xiaoxing was about ten steps behind her, gasping for breath: "My God, your legs are really good."
Brother Wang Yang also came over to help. He first gave Qingmei a handful of wedding candy, and then gave her two cigarettes according to the rules.
Qingmei smiled and said, "You can keep it for yourself."
Brother Wang Yang whispered behind my ear, "You really have to give it to me. Look at the two large basins of herring. You, the chef, can't kill them all."
Qingmei said, "Then keep the fish roe and fish foam. I'll make fish roe tofu as a side dish for the host."
Brother Wang Yang said, "I knew you could do it. Alright, let's get started!"
Qingmei donned her chef's hat and sleeves in a formal manner. Seeing Zhao Xiaoxing approach, she stuffed some wedding candy into her and instructed, "One bundle of green onions, one pot of garlic, one hour. Can you finish the job?"
Zhao Xiaoxing boasted, "This is just a drop in the bucket."
While they were talking, the wedding procession set off with drums and gongs. Children followed behind, shouting with joy, all anticipating the bride's arrival.
She made the main course for the wedding banquet.
In coastal cities, people eat more fish than meat. Nowadays, with the scarcity of supplies, meat is rarely used as the main dish at weddings or funerals.
The bride was taken to her husband's house at an auspicious time, and everyone happily celebrated and prepared to have a feast.
A dozen or so tables sat, each with a large aluminum basin in the center. The fish broth, stewed with green plums, was milky white and fragrant, with tender fish appearing and disappearing in the boiling broth. A generous sprinkling of chives added an even more delicious olfactory stimulation.
The new mother-in-law scooped a bowl of fish soup for her daughter-in-law. The aroma of fish filled her nose. The hot fish soup warmed the bride's body as she drank it.
The soup is rich and delicious. The fish is cooked just right and melts in your mouth, nourishing your taste buds with its pure and fresh flavor.
"They are all slurping their soup and haven't even drunk any wine, hahaha." Zhao Xiaoxing and Qingmei stood under the kitchen shed, observing the expressions of the people eating.
Qingmei naturally put in the effort to work after receiving the money. Seeing that everyone was satisfied, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and found a small stool to sit down.
Brother Wang Yang shouted from the table at the very edge: "Come here, this table is ours."
No matter if you are carrying boxes and playing suona, or setting off firecrackers and preparing for a big banquet, if you help the boss, the boss will arrange a table for you.
Everyone huddled around a table, eating enthusiastically. The green plum and fish soup went down the fastest, with everyone having two or three bowls.
When the newlyweds came over to toast, the bride learned that the fish soup was made by Qingmei, and she took Qingmei's hand and wanted to learn how to make it from her.
After dinner, another group of aunts and sisters did the cleaning.
Qingmei hadn't expected that the host would not only give her five yuan, but also give her and Zhao Xiaoxing a one-yuan tip each. This was to thank Qingmei for her fish soup, which, although there was no meat on the table, was enough to cover the aroma of the meat, so that the host didn't lose face.
Before leaving, the host prepared a basin of mixed vegetables for me.
The uneaten dishes at the table are mixed together and heated up to make a stew for the next meal.
Qingmei didn't want it, but Zhao Xiaoxing did.
Qingmei didn't want it because she didn't have the habit of eating leftovers. There were only her and her grandmother at home, and she was afraid that she would make her grandmother sick.
Zhao Xiaoxing is different. She is now the first in the family and gets to eat all the delicious food. She has even changed her belt twice recently, so it is not her turn to eat the free lunch.
She took it back and mixed it with bran for Li Xianjin to eat. At that time, Li Xianjin had eaten a lot outside and brought her a bowl of cold leftovers to eat, and she liked it very much.
Qingmei told her that it was easy to get an infectious disease, so she refused to eat it and gave it to Li Xianjin with bran.
Li Xianjin had been starving lately, his mouth drooling with greed. Seeing him was like seeing her former self, quite shabby indeed.
Zhao Xiaoxing took the basket back, and Sun Qiaoxiang was overjoyed. She sat in front of the stove and divided the basket into several servings for her to eat.
Zhao Xiaoxing pursed her lips as she came out of her husband's house and stood by the side of the road, pounding her chest.
No, you have to be ruthless!
She kept praying for a long time until someone greeted her, and then she left.
As if possessed by some mysterious force, she arrived at her mother's home in the east of the village. From a distance, she heard her mother calling out, "Little one, eat! I've picked out all the fat for you! If you play any longer, the food will get cold."
My half-brother was in the yard, wearing a new tiger-head hat made for the New Year, and the soles of his thick cotton shoes were covered in mud.
Her mother chased her youngest son out of the yard and was startled when she saw Zhao Xiaoxing.
Her first reaction was: "You're here? ...Are you hungry? We don't have enough food for you, what should we do..."
Zhao Xiaoxing was different from before. This time, she didn't go into the yard to beg for food. Instead, she stood outside and said, "No more. I'm telling you, I want to divorce Li Xianjin."
Her mother was an honest, rural woman of medium height, with thin hair, some of it gray, pulled into a bun. She pulled her youngest child, momentarily at a loss.
Divorce is too far away for her.
"Divorce..." she stammered, "After the divorce, where will you live?"
The youngest, then five years old, shook off his mother's hand and rushed forward, shouting, "A daughter who's married off is like spilled water! Don't even think about living in my house!"
Zhao Xiaoxing gave the child a sharp kick, and the child rolled three times on the ground. He crawled out and went into the house crying loudly to find his father.
Her mother kept looking back: "He is your brother, why are you hitting him?"
Zhao Xiaoxing saw this and said, "I don't have a brother like that. I just came here to tell you that I have a place to live and I will never live in your house. Even if we get divorced, you don't have to worry."
Her mother grabbed the hem of her clothes and murmured, "There are some sweet potatoes in the cellar. Grab a couple and go."
Zhao Xiaoxing suddenly came to her senses and laughed out loud: "I won't eat it. You can save it for your precious child. I just like to eat bird seed from tree crevices."
She turned and left, leaving her mother standing alone in the yard, watching her back getting farther and farther away.
"What a piece of shit, he'll be nothing when he grows up." Zhao Xiaoxing muttered as he went to Qingmei's house to find Qingmei.
"You're back so soon? You won't be able to stay up at night if you don't take a nap." Qingmei was cutting her grandmother's nails. The old lady laughed so hard that her eyes were blinded. She felt that Qingmei was tickling her hand.
Time seems to have stopped here, and the people sleeping on the warm kang in the house feel warm in their hearts.
Seeing Zhao Xiaoxing standing still, Qingmei crossed her legs, patted the warm kang, and said, "Hurry up and get on the kang. What are you standing there for?"
Zhao Xiaoxing bit her lip and whispered, "If I really get divorced, I—"
Qingmei seemed to interrupt her casually and continued to herself, "The brick factory has recycled red bricks. I plan to buy some and build three small brick houses. I'll make them double-skinned, unlike the one we have now that leaks in from all sides."
Zhao Xiaoxing murmured "Oh" in a low voice.
Qingmei smiled and continued, "One room for my grandma, one for you, and one for me. We'll also build a lower room to store cloth and groceries. Your task is arduous, so help mix the cement. If you don't build the house well, I'll hold you accountable."
"My house?" Zhao Xiaoxing's eyes suddenly lit up. She said, "Not to mention mixing cement, I can even lay bricks. I've even built a pigpen for the collective."
Qingmei waved her hand and said, "Then you can also contribute to the bricklaying. This way we can save even more money."
Zhao Xiaoxing sniffed, kicked off her cotton shoes, climbed onto the kang, and said, "Then what are you doing? I'm doing all the work, and you're just enjoying it for nothing."
"I'm destined to enjoy a good life." Qingmei finished cutting her grandmother's nails and grabbed Zhao Xiaoxing's hand to cut them for her. "Dirty hands. Eating without washing your hands can cause germs, don't you know?"
Zhao Xiaoxing suddenly smiled and said, "You're just like my mother, so nagging."
Qingmei said shamelessly, "My daughter, our family is not rich. After building the house, I will be short of money. Remember to increase income and reduce expenditure, and take out more bird nests, understand?"
Zhao Xiaoxing was so happy that she said, "Except for the magpie's nest, I can dig out everything else."
Qingmei wondered, "Why can you dig out everything except the magpie's nest?"
Zhao Xiaoxing glanced at the calendar on the wall and sighed maturely, "You'll know when the birds come back in spring."
After trimming her nails, Qingmei climbed over to the window and opened it a crack. A gentle north wind blew into her neck. Qingmei stared at Zhao Xiaoxing, her eyes glancing at her feet.
Zhao Xiaoxing covered her feet and said, "What do you want to do?"
Qingmei said, "If you want to be filial, take off your socks."
After a while, grandma said, "Hey, I thought the food in the outer room was rotten."
Zhao Xiaoxing shamelessly said, "These are my new socks. It's definitely not my feet that stink. These are made of Dacron!"
She was reluctant to buy large pieces of Dacron, so she made socks out of scraps of cloth that others didn't want.
Qingmei rushed over and tried to take off her socks: "It's the Dacron ones that stink, you little bitch, take them off for me!"
"If you don't take them off, it must be because your feet stink, and you blame me!"
Qingmei was caught off guard and Zhao Xiaoxing grabbed her feet and sniffed them, saying, "Hey, your feet smell like soap. They smell so good."
She almost pushed Qingmei off the kang. Qingmei held onto the edge of the kang tightly and said, "You unfilial son who doesn't wash your feet!"
Zhao Xiaoxing pulled Qingmei up awkwardly, and sniffed her feet...
Sitting barefoot on the kang, grandma brought Zhao Xiaoxing a pair of new socks and said, "Look at the bottoms of these socks. They're the same as the ones I gave Xiaomei. I've embroidered little figures on them for you both. One pair for you and one for her. Wear them and step on the little figures every day."
Zhao Xiaoxing put on the socks her grandmother had made with meticulous care, then hugged her feet and looked at them, grinning: "It's nice to be remembered. It would be even better if someone stuttered too."
Qingmei said: "There are roasted sweet potatoes in the stove -"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Xiaoxing ran downstairs and started digging the stove with a fire poker.
Qingmei reminded: "Eat less and save it for dinner."
At night, I would go digging graves in the mountains and often get hungry in the middle of the night. I would roast some sweet potatoes and stuff them in my arms. They were warm and edible.
Qingmei waited for a while, but Zhao Xiaoxing didn't come in. She waited for a while longer, but Zhao Xiaoxing still didn't come in.
Qingmei walked over in her slippers and saw Zhao Xiaoxing sitting in front of the stove, secretly wiping away tears.
Seeing Qingmei coming, Zhao Xiaoxing held the sweet potato and said with a dark mouth: "Woo woo woo, I only ate five."
"......" Qingmei turned around, grabbed a few from the basket and threw them into the stove, then stuffed a handful of straw into the pit: "They are worthless things, you can eat a few of them."
Zhao Xiaoxing choked up and said, "Yes, worthless things are not as valuable as me. I can still make money."
As she spoke, she stuffed the seven or eight yuan she had saved recently into Qingmei's pocket and said, "Mom, leave this for us to build a house."
Qingmei looked at her steadily, then smiled and said, "Okay, this will be a great addition to our family."
Zhao Xiaoxing was amused when she heard this: "Then I don't want a kang in my room. I want a bed."
Qingmei said, "Okay."
Zhao Xiaoxing added, "I heard some families have electric lights."
Qingmei pinched the money and said, "We will also take it."
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "The place needs to be bigger."
Qingmei pinched the money and said, "It must be bigger so that you can do the splits in the house."
Zhao Xiaoxing added, "It would be best if we had a sewing machine."
Qingmei returned the money to Zhao Xiaoxing and turned away.
Zhao Xiaoxing stood up and hugged Qingmei's waist to prevent her from leaving: "I just want the bed, nothing else. Is that okay?"
Qingmei stroked her head and said, "My dear daughter, if you are truly filial to your mother, go wash your dog's feet. It's a pity to ruin the new socks that grandma made."
Ten minutes later, Zhao Xiaoxing, with her feet smelling delicious, came into the house with a pout and complained to her grandmother: "Grandma, Xiaomei dislikes me."
Grandma pinched her nose and said, "I don't mind. Here, I'll sleep at the head of the kang, and you sleep at the end. Don't come over here, and be a good child."
Zhao Xiaoxing: “…”
Qingmei rolled around on the kang with joy.
Zhao Xiaoxing was so angry that she laughed.
She looked up at the moon outside the window, her confusion had dissipated, and the bright moonlight was shining on the earth.
*** ***
One o'clock in the morning.
"You two have dug so much?" Zhao Xiaoxing threw the shovel aside, jumped into the pit, picked up the broken stones and threw them out.
Qingmei squatted by the pit and shone a flashlight on her. Seeing her banging on the grave without a care in the world, she hurriedly said, "Keep your voice down. Don't disturb others."
Zhao Wuhe was digging a new grave nearby, half of his face covered as he said, "If there were anyone else here, I'd just lie down in this pit. It's just the right place to lie down in it, without bothering anyone else."
Zhao Xiaoxing heard the chuckles in the pit. Qingmei twisted the flashlight and finally got a clearer view. "Xing'er, stop laughing. It's so scary in the middle of the night."
Zhao Xiaoxing looked innocent, picked up the shovel and said, "I'm crazy, laughing in the cemetery in the middle of the night."
Zhao Wuhe said from the side: "That's right, how can you be so young and have poor hearing?"
Qingmei rubbed her ears, wondering if thunder had struck so many times near her ears that it had affected her hearing. What should she do? Who would she ask to reimburse her medical expenses?
They dug for a while longer, then Zhao Xiaoxing pushed the dirt back with her feet and said angrily, "That Li guy lied to me, saying his brother was dead and he was the only son in his family for three generations. Count these graves, there are more than one, two, three, four, or five. So, what's the point of having only one son in his family?"
Qingmei turned around suddenly and said, "How can there be five? There are clearly four graves."
Zhao Xiaoxing didn't have a flashlight, so she could only see a shadow.
Hearing this, she stretched out her hand and pointed at them one by one: "Why isn't it five? Isn't this one, two, three, four... five... five, run away!!"
What she thought was the fifth grave was a human head. In the moonlight, she saw the head suddenly move away.
Zhao Xiaoxing fell to her knees and looked back at Qingmei.
Qingmei became furious and snatched the shovel from Zhao Xiaoxing and rushed over!
No matter whether it is a human or a ghost, nothing here is allowed to know that they are digging graves.
After all, she had died once, so she was braver. Zhao Wuhe saw Qingmei rushing over, and she also grabbed the hoe and chased after her.
Zhao Xiaoxing looked around, seeing graves everywhere, and she thought she might as well follow them. So, she grabbed a branch and followed them.
In the darkness of the night, the petite Qingmei was seen holding up a shovel high, the picture frozen, as if she was going to kill the badger in the melon field.
The "猹" huddled in the open space, not daring to move, and cried while holding his head.
Zhao Xiaoxing stood aside and sighed, this girl is so cruel, she is worthy of being my role model!
"Who are you?" Qingmei didn't slap him after all. She stuck the shovel heavily into the ground. She stepped on the shovel with her left foot, held the shovel with one hand and put the other hand on her waist.
Zhao Wuhe, who was flanking her from the opposite side, was surprisingly not out of breath after several days of carrying bicycles. She raised her hoe to the "猹" and threatened, "What are you doing in our village cemetery?"
"I, I'm here to burn paper at the grave." The other person finally spoke, grunting as he pulled out a handful of yellow paper from his pocket and said, "You're not allowed to burn paper at other times... Please let me go. You're all strong women. Don't argue with me when I'm almost buried. It's wrong for me to scare you. I'm sorry."
Qingmei turned on her flashlight and shone it over, only to see a skinny old man huddled on the ground. His body was covered in patches, his cheeks were sunken, and his voice was hoarse, as if he'd lost his voice from crying so much.
"Who are you burning it for?" Zhao Wuhe walked closer, but didn't recognize who the man was.
Zhao Xiaoxing also came over and took a look. She felt that the man looked familiar. However, the marriage relationship in the village was very complicated, so she had no idea who the relative was.
The old man said, "Wang Haihua, in the second grave in the north, is my wife. Before she died, she said she wanted to be buried back in her natal village..."
Qingmei thought about it and realized that house number 02 was indeed called this. In order to crack down on evil spirits and prohibit the burning of yellow paper, many people secretly burned it at night. The old man must be right.
Zhao Wuhe asked him which village he was from and who was in the village, and the other party told him clearly.
"Forget it, go away. Don't tell me you saw us last night." Zhao Wuhe threatened him, "Your village secretary is the father-in-law of my son's second cousin's third nephew. Be careful or I'll pick a fight with you."
"Hey, don't worry, I won't tell you anything even if I die. I'm very tight-lipped."
Qingmei nodded, and Zhao Wuhe put down the hoe and let him go.
Qingmei reached out and secretly touched the pocket filled with "righteousness", which indeed gave her courage. Her legs almost gave out, but after touching her pocket, she stood up straight again.
This night was another unsuccessful one.
After returning home, Qingmei simply washed up and went to sleep.
Perhaps it was because her justice was too awe-inspiring, but she dreamed of him that night.
The rolling thunder struck the ground from the sky, creating thick smoke. Opposite the scorched earth stood Gu Qingzhou with an indifferent expression.
He refused to take a step forward, watching Qingmei being forced into a desperate situation by the thunder.
Qingmei woke up from her dream with a splitting headache.
With half-closed eyes, I could feel the warm breath on my lips.
Zhao Xiaoxing sat on the edge of the kang and fed Qingmei medicine with a spoon. Seeing Qingmei open her eyes uncomfortably, she quickly helped Qingmei up.
"Why are you sick again? Were you scared last night?" Zhao Xiaoxing said, "I was scared when I went to bed last night too. After all, I'm better than you. I got up this morning and divided up the work for you. You can sleep a little longer."
Qingmei looked at the clock and it was already 5:40 in the afternoon.
The pain of being struck by lightning in the dream reminded Qingmei of her past life. She covered her head and sobbed, "I don't want to take medicine."
Zhao Xiaoxing rarely showed Qingmei's childish side. She blew on the spoon and said, "Dear, take the medicine. It works really well. Even a sick man would get better after drinking it."
Qingmei: "...Where did you get this medicine?"
Zhao Xiaoxing said: "The veterinarian who came to support the county gave it to me and asked me to give the cattle to the collective. I withheld some of the money."
"......" Qingmei: "Put it on the table first, I'll drink it later."
Zhao Xiaoxing narrowed her eyes and said, "Really?"
Grandma chimed in: "I'll help you watch her."
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "Okay then. I'll go to Aunt Gu's house to get the gloves. I'll go with her tonight. You just stay home and rest."
Qingmei also felt that she could no longer do it, so she leaned against the wall weakly and said, "Okay, you guys pay attention to your safety, and run away if there is any sign of trouble."
Grandma suddenly said, "Why don't you take me with you?"
Qingmei chuckled and said, "You don't know what we are going to do."
Grandma said, "I am old but not stupid. You are going to the cemetery."
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "Then why are you following? You can't dig it up."
Grandma said seriously, "I recognize many of the old people over there. If you have any questions, I can help you communicate."
"Don't worry, just stay home and accompany Xiaomei." Zhao Xiaoxing jumped up in shock and said, "We don't need to communicate."
Grandma said, “Really?”
Zhao Xiaoxing nodded vigorously: "Really."
Qingmei covered herself in the quilt and laughed like crazy.
That night, Zhao Xiaoxing and Zhao Wuhe went there together.
The next day, Zhao Xiaoxing came to report and found nothing.
On the third day, Qingmei recovered and returned to the mountain full of energy, but found nothing. The three of them became increasingly melancholy.
But when they were taking action, the little old man was always standing by, pretending to burn paper, but actually observing.
Late that night, on the way up the mountain, Zhao Xiaoxing looked like she was constipated.
Qingmei was saying to Zhao Wuhe, "There seems to be something wrong with that old man."
Zhao Wuhe said, "You don't need to tell me. I've asked someone, and there's no such person as him in that village! If I see him tonight, I'm going to catch him and ask him a question."
Zhao Xiaoxing shuddered, a figure flashing through her mind. She stopped on the steps and shouted, "I know!"
Qingmei shuddered at her yelling, patted her and said, "You scared me to death, why did you suddenly yell in the middle of the night?"
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "I've been wondering who he is for several days, and I think he looks familiar!"
Zhao Wuhe said, "Don't keep us in suspense. Tell us who it is! Could he be in cahoots with Zhou Wu?"
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "It has something to do with Zhou Wu."
Qingmei's heart sank, she stopped and said, "What's the relationship?"
Zhao Xiaoxing said: "This is his father-in-law!"
Zhao Wuhe exclaimed: "Then...then he appeared in the cemetery?"
Qingmei thought about it and said, "Maybe he has been secretly observing what we are going to do these days."
He was holding the yellow paper when they first met at the cemetery, so it is very likely that he knew where the daughter killed by King Wu of Zhou was buried.
He burned paper for his daughter.
After Qingmei told them this, they also thought so.
The three of them immediately went up the mountain to the cemetery. This time they didn't dig up the grave, but directly caught the old man.
The skinny old man was very good at hiding. After searching for him for half the night, Qingmei caught him behind a dead locust tree.
Qingmei swallowed her saliva and said, "You should have figured out what we were going to do these days. Why didn't you tell us where your daughter was buried?"
The old man huddled up in the flashlight and said calmly, "I'm just afraid that you're the ones he sent to deal with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his voice and said, "Come and arrest me! I'm the only one left in my family. If you kill me, no one will know about the injustice of my wife and daughter!"
"Wife and daughter?" Zhao Wuhe asked, "Did your wife also die because of Zhou Wu?"
The old man shook his head and said, "Yes, my wife stood in front of my daughter, and he hit her head with the millstone, and white stuff came out..."
Zhao Wuhe took a step back and looked at Qingmei.
Qingmei noticed that he had become unconscious. While Qingmei was observing him, the old man stood up and tried to run, but Qingmei grabbed him, holding him down and saying, "The net of heaven is vast and nothing can escape it. Tell me where you buried it, and we will help you get revenge."
The old man suddenly started singing, humming and humming, and no one knew what he was singing. Halfway through, he shouted, "My bride, she has entered the gate of hell. The gate of hell, the gate of hell—"
He pointed to the waist-high mound behind Qingmei and said, "This is the Gate of Hell."
Qingmei paused for a few seconds, stood up, grabbed the shovel, and looked at Zhao Wuhe and Zhao Xiaoxing.
They also packed their stuff.
Qingmei said, "Dig."
Qingmei swung the shovel and found that the soil that should have been frozen was actually loose.
The three of them dug out three bodies without much effort.
"Wait a minute, I'll go down and see if there is a murder weapon." Qingmei said, and took out a photo wrapped in a handkerchief from her pocket. She squatted beside the corpse, glanced at the photo, and jumped into the pit holding her breath.
Only then did Zhao Wuhe realize that Qingmei was using her son's photo to ward off evil spirits.
This is as it should be. Nothing can suppress evil ways better than the integrity of a soldier.
"No." Qingmei climbed up and gently lifted the body wrapped in the straw mat with her foot. On top was Zhou Wu's ex-wife, the old man's daughter.
There was a huge gash on her neck. Over half a year had passed, and if it weren't for the cold weather in the north, the body would have decayed long ago. Even so, the bones were visible.
The old man suddenly said, "He carries his murder weapon close to his body. It's a special boning knife, and only he has it."
Zhao Xiaoxing jumped up in fright, not realizing the old man was standing behind her.
After going down the mountain, the old man disappeared at some point.
Qingmei walked home and said to them, "We have to make him reveal the murder weapon. We'll hit the victim's wound with one strike."
Zhao Wuhe was overwhelmed by the three corpses tonight. She shook her head and sobered up a bit. She said, "My son will be back tomorrow. I'll discuss this with him. He's always on missions, so he might have a way to deal with this."
Qingmei nodded and said, "That's the only way."
Zhao Xiaoxing held Qingmei's arm tightly and said, "Just one blow to the neck and she's dead."
Qingmei didn't dare tell her that Zhou Wu's ex-wife must have suffered violence in her lifetime and her death was not easy. They only saw the neck and didn't open the straw mat. If they did, they probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"Shall we bury them?" Zhao Xiaoxing said, "I'm afraid they'll crawl out."
Zhao Wuhe said, "I'm afraid of going to that beast's house."
Zhao Xiaoxing hunched her neck all the way to the village before she said, "Can I sleep with you?"
"Okay." Qingmei said to Zhao Wuhe, "Don't go back. Come squeeze in with us, okay?"
Zhao Wuhe was also terrified. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then let's take a bath before getting on the kang, so as not to dirty the old lady."
If it is dirty, it will smell like a dead person, which is unbearable for the elderly.
Qingmei returned home with them, tiptoed down to put down the farm tools, went into the house, boiled some water, and the three of them took turns taking a bath.
The three of them got on the kang and slept together under one quilt.
Grandma asked dazedly, "Are you back?"
Qingmei said "hmm", and grandma said: "Wake up later, I will make breakfast."
Qingmei said "hmm" again, and just closed her eyes when she heard Zhao Xiaoxing snoring next to her.
Qingmei turned over and could see the stars outside through the curtains.
Thinking that she would be able to meet the legendary male protagonist tomorrow, she became unusually nervous.
What was his purpose in coming back?
Blind date?
Qingmei still found it incredible.
She actually got to go on a blind date with the male protagonist.
As I was thinking...I fell asleep.
*** ***
Dawn breaks.
A faint golden hue appeared on the horizon.
A fresh, slightly cool breeze emanated from the window slits.
The returning sparrows stood on the eaves and chirped, while the baby birds stretched their necks to scramble for food.
"Are you awake so early?" Grandma bent over, holding a scoop of water and slowly washing the rice.
Qingmei took the water scoop and said, "Come into the house. They haven't woken up yet. Go under the covers and warm up."
The well water in the yard was freezing cold. Qingmei washed the rice twice and brought it to the stove.
Qingmei went into the room and touched Zhao Wuhe's mattress. After sleeping on it all night, the warm kang had become cold.
After the rice straw at home was burned, she stood on a small stool on the wall and looked towards Mrs. Fang's house.
Mrs. Fang was brushing her teeth in the yard. When she saw her looking over, she waved.
Qingmei said crisply, "Sister-in-law, can you lend me two bundles of straw? I'll go up the mountain and chop firewood to pay you back."
Mrs. Fang spat out the toothpaste, pointed to the back of the house and said, "Go get it, you don't have to return it."
Qingmei smiled sweetly and said, "How can that be possible? We must set a good example for Xiaogang."
Mrs. Fang rinsed her mouth, came over with a teacup, raised her chin, and looked in the direction of Chen Qiaoxiang's house. She said, "When you were away yesterday, a lot of people came and emptied her things. I heard they wanted to confiscate the house. Did you know that?"
Qingmei really didn't know about this. These days she had been thinking about how to deal with Zhou Wu and hadn't paid any attention to Chen Qiaoxiang's house.
Mrs. Fang felt unlucky and said with a frown, "Forget it, it's none of our business."
Qingmei smiled and jumped down from the stool, put the stool under the eaves, opened the back door, and went to Mrs. Fang's house to get some straw.
There was a big hole in the straw stack at Fang Dasao's house. Qingmei was holding a bundle of straw and carrying another bundle of straw on her back as she walked towards her home.
As she passed the big pit, she was startled by a sudden muffled thunder in the sky.
Why is it thundering out of nowhere?
She was frightened and accidentally tripped over her slippers, and suddenly fell forward holding the straw!
I'm going to fall into a pit!
She was so scared that she loosened her arms and tried to find a place to support herself. In a flash, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and lifted her whole body up!
She kicked her feet and tried to retreat out of the pit when she heard a clear and warm voice in her ears: "Hold on tight, or you'll fall in."
A pleasant unfamiliar voice sounded behind her. Qingmei had nowhere to hold on to, so she hooked her hands around the waist of the person behind her.
other side:"......"
It's quite solid.
Qingmei was dragged back a few steps. When she reached a safe range, the other party quickly let go of her hand.
She stood one step away, her left hand clutching a few scattered straws, her right hand still clutching the other man's military uniform at his waist...
Qingmei looked at the man who was a head taller than her and said foolishly, "Thank you...thank you."
Gu Qingzhou looked down.
Qingmei didn't respond.
Gu Qingzhou couldn't stand it any longer and said, "Let go."
Only then did Qingmei realize that her hands were still holding his waist.
Qingmei: "...Thank you."
Gu Qingzhou said calmly: "No need to thank me twice."
Qingmei pursed her lips and looked at the military uniform she had pulled out with her beautiful almond eyes.
She reached out to help stretch it, looking up and saying, "It's still quite tight."
Gu Qingzhou pursed his lips and said, "What's urgent?"
Qingmei wanted to slap herself and said hurriedly, "The belt is tight."
Gu Qingzhou suddenly smiled: "Qingmei?"
Qingmei already knew who he was. She could tell by the small mole on his nose. With such a handsome face, there was no one else but Gu Qingzhou.
"It's me." Qingmei scratched her head, but unexpectedly, she pulled out a straw: "..."
Wow, we haven’t even kissed yet and it looks like it’s about to end.
Gu Qingzhou didn't say anything else. He squatted down and helped to gather the straw together. After finishing, he picked up the straw and said to Qingmei, "My mother left a note saying that she would find her here."
Qingmei readily said, "Then come to my house and have a seat. I'm going to make breakfast. Have you eaten yet?"
Gu Qingzhou was not polite: "I came here in a hurry this morning and haven't eaten yet."
Qingmei nodded: "Then let's eat together."
When they entered the room, Zhao Wuhe and Zhao Xiaoxing had already woken up.
Zhao Wuhe was so happy when she saw her son standing at the door: "You little brat, you're back now! Did you see me and say hello? Smile more and don't scare Xiaomei."
Qingmei squatted by the stove, her fingers flying as she quickly braided her pigtails. After she finished, she threw them over her shoulder and said to the people inside, "How about some multi-grain porridge with crab roe in sauce for breakfast?"
"What's the problem?" Zhao Wuhe stood up and yawned. Seeing her youngest son frown, she walked over, patted his shoulder, winked, and said, "How's it going?"
Gu Qingzhou said: "What's going on?"
Zhao Wuhe pointed to a small ventilation window across from the kang and said, "We saw you two hugging—"
Gu Qingzhou explained: "She almost fell."
Zhao Wuhe said happily, "Won't you have it in the future? No matter how bumpy the road of life is, as long as you have someone who understands you, you won't be afraid of stumbling, right?"
Gu Qingzhou: “…” Heresy.
Seeing his expressionless face, Zhao Wuhe reached out and tugged at Gu Qingzhou's face: "Smile."
Gu Qingzhou couldn't help laughing: "Can digging a hole be done faster with a confidant?"
Zhao Wuhe was horrified: "Who told you?"
Gu Qingzhou said, "The militia patrol reported someone acting suspiciously and reported it directly to the task force. In the past two months, there have been two missing persons cases and one murder case in the county. Local authorities suspect a serial offender and have invited the garrison troops to assist in the investigation and arrest."
Zhao Wuhe: "Two disappearances and one murder?!"
Gu Qingzhou asked her to speak more quietly.
Zhao Wuhe said, "If you were to ask who in the surrounding area is most likely to do something like this, I do have a candidate. Let's talk about it in detail after dinner."
Qingmei was stirring the multi-grain porridge in the pot at this moment, and her heart was also in a mess.
Zhao Xiaoxing was still joking: "You didn't let me touch you, but you took the initiative. How about it? Pretty solid, right?"
Qingmei lowered her head and squeezed her hands, the touch feeling as if it was still in her palm.
Zhao Xiaoxing couldn't help but say, "You're still savoring it! You bitch!"
Zhao Wuhe came out of the inner room and just heard: "What a hooligan! Let my son catch him!"
"No." Qingmei said embarrassedly that she grabbed a handful first, but for some reason the claw didn't listen to her at the critical moment, and she even went up to touch it.
She was so upset that she wanted to chop off her hands.
Gu Qingzhou acted as if nothing had happened, his military uniform tucked in neatly. He came out to help put up the table and place the chairs.
Zhao Xiaoxing whispered in Qingmei's ear: "You have a keen eye, so you won't be tired in the future."
Qingmei: "...there's not a single clue about it."
Zhao Xiaoxing chuckled and helped put the dishes and chopsticks on the table.
Gu Qingzhou ate politely but quickly, finishing two bowls of multi-grain porridge while Qingmei had just finished half a bowl. She sat across from him, watching him crunch his crab in sauce, occasionally raising his eyelids to glance across her face. Why did it feel like he was chewing her?
After dinner, everyone sent grandma to Mrs. Fang's house to play with Xiaogang. Several people sat on the kang and started talking about Zhou Wu.
Qingmei then realized that Zhou Wu had already registered with the provincial government, but no evidence of the murder had been found.
"The old man said he used a boning knife to kill people," Qingmei recalled, "and hid it somewhere close to his body."
Gu Qingzhou said: "I guess it should be a weapon that can be hidden."
Zhao Wuhe said, "You said the police were also secretly searching for the bodies. Then tell them later that the bodies have been found. We dug up three last night."
The stench seemed to still linger in her nose. Qingmei frowned and said, "Two of the bodies are his ex-wife and his mother-in-law. The other one was buried in the cemetery a long time ago and has nothing to do with him."
Gu Qingzhou really didn't expect that his mother had done such a big thing at home. Those three people were evil and brought disaster to the village, and they had many murder cases on their hands.
"The enemy is very cunning and has experience in counter-detection. The three of them worked together to commit the crime, and their lethality was extremely strong."
Gu Qingzhou finally set his gaze on Qingmei's face and said hesitantly, "Are you really willing to be the bait to lure him out?"
Qingmei hated Zhou Wu so much that she said with a stern face, "I'm going to make sure he gets shot."
Zhao Xiaoxing didn't quite understand what was going on, so she asked, "Just arresting Zhou Wu isn't enough, he has two brothers."
Gu Qingzhou had an impression of Qingmei. She was an extremely beautiful lesbian, and he believed that anyone who had seen her would be unforgettable.
Zhou Wu must have been eager to capture her, eager to capture her. If he had agreed to meet her, he certainly wouldn't be alone, and he would have a foolproof way to abduct her.
"Catch him together." Gu Qingzhou frowned and said, "I'll contact the police to set up a network. I'll meet him with you tomorrow."
Zhao Wuhe said, "Can you go?"
"It works." Gu Qingzhou smiled and said, "I'll just tell him I'm Comrade Qingmei's girlfriend, and he'll definitely turn his attention to me. If he can't get her, he'll kill her to silence her and kidnap her to take her home. He won't go wrong at all."
Qingmei vaguely noticed the wildness in his eyes, and couldn't help but pinching the little hand on her knee again... The male protagonist is worthy of being the male protagonist, so charming.
The thought of this finally put my heart at ease. In the book, he died while performing another mission, so he shouldn't be in any trouble this time.
Qingmei's nervous eyes were keenly caught by Gu Qingzhou.
During the conversation just now, he always felt that something was wrong between his mother and Qingmei, as if they were hiding something.
The most urgent task is to catch all of Zhou Wu's accomplices in one fell swoop. Gu Qingzhou went to contact the police first, and Qingmei followed his instructions and contacted Zhou Wu by phone again.
Zhou Wu knew that Qingmei would definitely call him today. Her father had given her a deadline of tomorrow. If she didn't show up, her mother's belongings would be burned.
Thinking he had Qingmei's lifeline in his grasp, Zhou Wu readily agreed to meet her, but he chose the People's Theatre as the venue.
Qingmei agreed first and planned to discuss it further when Gu Qingzhou came back in the evening.
Gu Qingzhou did not drive a jeep to Qingmei's house at night. When Zhao Wuhe asked him, he said that he was worried that Zhou Wu would be waiting at the village entrance and discover the army's vehicles.
For the rest of the night, Gu Qingzhou patiently explained to her what to do the next day. In the early morning, he brought two people over: "These are Bao Mi and Xiao Jin. They will also protect your safety. If you can't find me, make sure to look for them."
Qingmei had an impression of the name Bao Mi. He was Gu Qingzhou's personal bodyguard. He died in the mission with Gu Qingzhou. He was a young but energetic soldier.
Seeing Qingmei's nervous expression, Gu Qingzhou took out a whistle from his military coat pocket and handed it to Qingmei: "I will be by your side to protect you at all times. If we are separated and encounter danger, you can blow it."
Qingmei took the whistle, held it in her hand, and said, "I understand."
*** ***
Three o'clock in the afternoon on the 26th.
In front of the People's Theater.
"Brother, that little girl wouldn't lie to you, would she? I heard that she separated from her in-laws, and her family wouldn't help her. She probably wouldn't look for help, would she?"
"If nothing else, she's really pretty, much better than the one in our cellar—"
"Don't talk too much out there." Zhou Wu wore a gray cloth jacket with a leather belt around his waist. His felt cap was replaced with a peaked cap, and his roe deer leather boots were still on, looking a bit out of place.
There are no performances at the People's Theatre today, and there are only a few people on duty in the theatre.
They chased them to the duty room and left. The two brothers changed into each other's clothes, stepped on a camphorwood box that was used to store sundries, and hung a hemp rope on a chair at the ticket gate, covered with a poster.
They pretended to be staff members, while Zhou Wu was there to guard the people. The two brothers worked together to carry away the camphorwood box, leaving Zhou Wu behind.
He waited for more than half an hour, and when he thought Qingmei would not come, a man and a woman got off at the bus stop opposite.
The man opposite was wearing the green military uniform popular among city dwellers, a pair of glasses, and a book in his hand. He looked refined and gentle, like a pretty boy who had never experienced rural life.
When crossing the road, he was protecting the girl and watching for cars, and the two of them were almost walking side by side.
"Brother, she really brought helpers!"
Zhou Wu narrowed his eyes and said, "Don't be afraid, let them enter the theater first."
The people in the theater were from the same village as them and knew their character, so they didn't dare to say a word.
Zhou Wu knew the layout of the theater very well: a two-story theater, two small theaters, two public lounges, and a warehouse for sundry props on the second floor.
He has killed people.
In the short time when crossing the road, Gu Qingzhou glanced past Zhou Wu and confirmed this almost instantly.
The murderous look in the eyes cannot be hidden. Seeing a person is like seeing prey in the mountains. The way of looking at a person is not to explore, but to consider how to kill it in the shortest time.
Zhou Wu stared at Gu Qingzhou warily, chuckled and said, "Where are you from, brother?"
"From the provincial capital." Gu Qingzhou shuddered timidly, and said with all his dignity: "I warn you not to bother her in the future."
Seeing him shaking like a sieve, Zhou Wu asked, "Why do I insist on pestering you? What can you do to me?"
Gu Qingzhou took Qingmei's hand, but Qingmei pushed him and said, "Didn't you say you wanted to have a good talk with Zhou Wu? Where's your gut? You just brag to me. Are you still a man?"
Gu Qingzhou stammered, "Who, who is bragging? I will never let you see him alone today. If you leave with him, I, I will-"
"What's wrong with you?" Zhou Wu raised his chin and said viciously, "I've never seen anyone try to be mean to me in my life!"
He reached out to pull Qingmei in, but Gu Qingzhou hugged her tightly and said, "We swore to never separate. If you want to break us up, just kill me first."
Zhou Wu took a step back. The brother guarding the ticket gate sneered and said, "Brother, if you scare him again, he'll pee his pants."
Zhou Wu was more alert than the others. He stood at the door and kept looking around. Just when Qingmei and Gu Qingzhou thought he had discovered their ambush, he suddenly said, "If we really aren't destined to be together, I won't force you. Let's go in and talk. If you can be together in the future, I'll bless you. I won't break up a couple, okay?"
Qingmei gently grabbed Gu Qingzhou's sleeve, and Gu Qingzhou held her hand in return.
Zhou Wu didn't seem to care about the tug-of-war between the two of them, but he couldn't hide the fierceness in his eyes.
Huh?
Qingmei felt someone gently tickle her palm, and she restrained herself from looking at Gu Qingzhou. The warmth of their intertwined fingers made her feel hot, and she immediately understood what Gu Qingzhou meant and said, "Okay, let's go in and talk."
Zhou Wu led the way and sneered, "You two seem to be in a good relationship. When did you get together?"
Qingmei said: "What's it to you? It has nothing to do with you even if you ask so clearly."
"Okay, you have guts." Zhou Wu kept walking, passed the duty room, and went straight to the theater.
Qingmei heard a soft cry and turned to look at Gu Qingzhou. Gu Qingzhou looked at Zhou Wu's back in front of him, but squeezed her fingertips soothingly from below.
This warm feeling made her tense nerves relax a lot. It was a sense of security that she had never felt before when she was in contact with Zhou Wu.
Walking past the duty room door, Qingmei saw several figures inside.
When Qingmei arrived at the theater and walked down two steps, her pupils constricted and her breathing stopped.
At the same time, Gu Qingzhou saw the camphorwood box on the stage.
His first reaction was to use it to pretend to be someone else.
"Since you've followed me in, I'll be frank too." Zhou Wu walked onto the stage, knocked on the camphorwood box, and said grimly, "I don't know if it can hold you two short-lived lovers."
Suddenly, something flew over Gu Qingzhou's head, so fast that he shouted, "Hide!"
Before Qingmei realized it, he pressed her down on a chair in the stands, and a folding chair fell heavily in front of them.
There is someone on the second floor!
Zhou Wu actually took action here!
Gu Qingzhou quickly said, "Blow the whistle." Then he disappeared from Qingmei's sight in an instant.
Qingmei had the whistle hanging around her neck when she came over. At this moment, she quickly and calmly pulled out the whistle and blew it with all her strength!
Zhou Wu shouted, "Kill the man and capture the woman alive!"
"You're dreaming." Gu Qingzhou was very fast. He jumped up and climbed to the escalator on the second floor with one hand. With the other hand, he grabbed Zhou Laoer's trouser leg and pushed him down from the suspended stands on the second floor.
“Ahhhh!”
Zhou Wu hadn't expected the pretty boy to be so skilled. He realized something was amiss and quickly pulled out a boning knife from his boot, shouting, "Third Brother, take a hostage first!"
There was a sound of footsteps outside, and with a "bang", blood instantly oozed out of Zhou Wu's wrist.
“Ahhh!
The two brothers who were subdued were handcuffed separately, and Zhou Wu rolled on the ground in pain, holding his wrists.
Soon, comrades with guns rushed over to arrest him.
Gu Qingzhou put away his gun, walked to Qingmei's side, and stretched out his hand: "Are you okay?"
Qingmei watched him shoot Zhou Wu without even aiming, and couldn't help but say, "Your shooting skills are really good."
Gu Qingzhou said in surprise: "Aren't you afraid?"
Qingmei said, "I'm not afraid as long as you are here."
How could the omnipotent male protagonist in the book lose to Zhou Wu?
However, this statement could easily be misunderstood. Gu Qingzhou raised an eyebrow, retracted his hand and said, "The excavation should be almost complete by now. You need to go over and cooperate with the identification."
"Okay." Qingmei really didn't expect Zhou Wu to be caught so quickly. She watched him being pressed to the ground, handcuffed behind his back, and his body covered in blood.
"I won't die. It's not an artery." Gu Qingzhou revealed a distant attitude and said half a step away from Qingmei, "Please."
Gu Qingzhou's attitude was completely different from the "pretty boy" just now, and his expression changed very quickly.
Qingmei discovered that he was quite good at pretending. He was shaking like that just now, and now he was the brave and invincible Captain Gu again.
Zhou Wu and his two brothers were taken up the mountain. On the way, Gu Qingzhou asked Qingmei, "Have you found where he's hiding the living people?"
The recent disappearance of two young lesbians was closely linked to Zhou Wu and his group. Zhou Wu got into the car and held his simply bandaged wrist in silence, not saying a word.
The other two people chattered about this and that, without saying a single honest word.
Gu Qingzhou and the public security comrades who cooperated with him in the arrest believed that the two missing female comrades should be rescued in time to avoid their lives disappearing in an unknown place without anyone knowing.
They were considering caves or abandoned underground bomb shelters.
Qingmei sat in the car, looked out the window and whispered, "In the cellar."
Gu Qingzhou sat next to her, turned his head to look at her with a little surprise and said: "Are you sure?"
The cellar was immediately searched, but nothing was found.
And Qingmei was of course sure.
She remembered writing in the book that after the female supporting character Qingmei was beaten to death, the beast Zhou Wu dragged a female comrade out of the cellar and committed violence against her that day.
"The cellar has two levels. The upper level is where the stored vegetables are kept. There's a small door hidden under the vegetable jars, and there's a staircase leading up to the small door." Qingmei gritted her teeth and said, "They haven't been ruined yet. There's still time."
Gu Qingzhou looked at Qingmei deeply and didn't ask any more questions.
There is still time before the end of vacation, so he can slowly explore the little secrets she has hidden.
The cemetery on the north side of the mountain behind Donghe Village.
"Three bodies were dug up, two of which have been confirmed to be Zhou Wu's ex-wife and mother-in-law."
"A second cellar was discovered and two female comrades were sent to the hospital for examination."
"Zhou Lao Er and Zhou Lao San pushed all the blame onto Zhou Wu, saying he forced them to do everything. They also said there was a female comrade who had just been arrested the day before and was being held in a place only Zhou Wu knew about."
Qingmei stood in the open space in the cemetery, facing the dead old locust tree.
She discovered that this was the place where she had fought with Zhou Wu in her previous life. At that time, she was at a disadvantage and was chased and struck by lightning.
Before they knew it, they were standing here again, and Zhou Wu and his two brothers became prisoners.
Gu Qingzhou stood a step away. Zhou Wu refused to reveal the whereabouts of the woman he had hidden, and her life or death was unknown. The police took turns interrogating him at the scene.
"Do you know?" Gu Qingzhou suddenly asked.
Qingmei was stunned for a moment and shook her head: "I don't know."
Gu Qingzhou didn't say anything else, his eyes scanning the land in front of the cemetery inch by inch.
Three hours later, the evening breeze blew past my ears, and I felt a chill on my skin.
The crow stood on the fork of a dead tree, looking at everything with its round eyes.
The public security comrades were unable to get any information from the suspect, so they asked Gu Qingzhou to come over for help.
Qingmei did not follow. She was far away and could only see Zhou Wu sitting under a bare tree. Gu Qingzhou looked down at him. The two of them looked at each other quietly, and neither of them spoke first.
Qingmei stamped her feet. Bao Mi came up from the mountain next to her. He held a large steamed bun in his arms and handed it to Qingmei, saying, "Have some buns. There's also water here."
Qingmei pursed her lips to thank Bao Mi, then took a bite of the big steamed bun, which was still warm.
Bao Mi went to deliver buns to the others. After a while, he came over excitedly and said, "It's revealed. Zhou Wu said the people are hiding on the mountainside and we need to take the public security comrades there. Our work here is almost done. It's time to go back."
Qingmei felt reassured knowing that the matter would be taken over by comrades from the provincial department.
The public security comrades followed Zhou Wu down to look for someone. Gu Qingzhou came over and saw Qingmei had eaten half of her bun. He said, "Finish eating before going down."
Qingmei only now felt very hungry. She took a big bite of the bun, and her mouth was full of food.
"Captain, would you like one too?" Bao Mi handed it to Gu Qingzhou and said, "The fellow made it at home and insisted on giving it to us, saying that he was grateful for us getting rid of this pest."
Gu Qingzhou took the bun. He didn't want to eat it at first, but when he saw Qingmei eating it with great relish, he took one for some unknown reason.
Before he could take a bite, he heard gunshots in the distance, followed by a loudspeaker shouting, "Zhou Wu ran away!!"
Qingmei almost choked to death on a bite of bun, how could the person run away!
Gu Qingzhou stuffed the bun into Qingmei's hand and said to Xiaojin who came running over, "Detain the person who took Zhou Wu away! Everyone, split up and search the mountain!"
He then told Bao Mi, "Send Comrade Qingmei down the mountain. You are allowed to use firearms if necessary."
"Yes!" Bao Mi stood at attention and saluted.
Qingmei held the big vegetable bun tightly and watched Gu Qingzhou disappear from her sight.
*** ***
"Water? Is there water?" Zhou Wu stumbled and fell from the cliff. He was surprised to find a small house made of yellow mud mixed with straw in the valley.
Someone lives here!
What does this mean?
There is food and drink, and hostages!
He sat down on the ground and watched the door of the cabin slowly open.
A skinny old man hunched over came out. Seeing that he had no killing power at all, Zhou Wu shouted fiercely, "Water! Give me some water right now! If you're even a second late, I'll kill you!"
"Okay... okay... right away." The old man trembled as he entered the room and pulled out a medicine bottle from under the bed. A strange smile curved his lips, and his hands trembled with excitement.
It was delivered to my door, it was delivered to my door...
He poured the liquid in the medicine bottle into a ladle, added boiled water, and with trembling hands, he carried it out and handed it to Zhou Wu's mouth.
Zhou Wu drank two big gulps in a hurry, then suddenly spat on the ground, cursing, "What a taste!" As soon as he finished speaking, he vomited blood all over the ground with a "wow" sound.
His whole body was twitching in pain on the ground, and his limping leg was shaking wildly and uncontrollably.
He huddled up in a ball, not caring about his injured wrist, struggling to grab the old man's trouser leg, his face bruised as he said, "What...what...is..."
The cowardice on the old man's face disappeared. He jumped up, clapped his hands, and started singing and dancing around Zhou Wu.
Zhou Wu felt as if his internal organs were being burned by flames. He seemed to be in a sea of fire and swords. He tore his collar hard, trying to breathe deeply.
As the old man was jumping, a bottle of medicine rolled out of his pocket, which he poured for Zhou Wu.
Zhou Wu grabbed the medicine bottle with his remaining strength. In extreme pain, he saw three words marked on the bottle - paraquat.
“Ahhhhhhhhh—”
Screams echoed throughout the mountains and the birds flapped their wings and flew away.
Gu Qingzhou paused, tilted his head, and quickly walked towards the direction of the sound.
*** ***
"How did they get away?" Zhao Wuhe paced back and forth in the main room, hoe in hand. She turned to Zhao Xiaoxing and said, "Have you checked the doors and windows?"
Zhao Xiaoxing clutched the kitchen knife and said nervously, "It's all turned off! Xiaomei, how are you doing over there?"
Qingmei clutched the shovel and sat on a stool facing the door. "It's okay! We'll take turns keeping watch. You guys go to sleep first."
Zhao Wuhe said, "I can't sleep."
Zhao Xiaoxing also muttered, "I'm scared too."
Qingmei swallowed and said, "Zhou Wu's brothers have all been captured. He has a wound on his hand, so he can't get far. Perhaps he won't come here to retaliate."
Zhao Wuhe said, "Who knows what those murderers are thinking? They might want to take you with them before they die."
These words made Zhao Xiaoxing shudder: "Okay, good sisters, we will advance and retreat together. I will protect you!"
Grandma called out from inside the house, "I'm watching too."
It would have been fine if grandma didn't say anything, but as soon as she spoke, Qingmei exclaimed, "Oh!" and remembered that one bundle of straw had been burned, and there was still one bundle left behind the house that had not been brought in.
Just after the Chinese New Year, when the weather is still cold, the old lady can't sleep on a cold kang.
She stood up, grabbed the shovel, and said, "I'm going to get some straw from the back of the house. Xing'er, come and watch the door."
"Okay." Zhao Xiaoxing agreed immediately.
Zhao Wuhe said, "Shall I accompany you?"
"It's right at the door," Qingmei said, leaning over the back door to listen. She heard nothing, so she made a hushing gesture and quietly opened the door.
The straw was right next to the door. She stood inside the door, bent over, and reached out to scoop it up. She scooped it up and felt something warm...
What the hell!
She pinched it subconsciously and slowly looked up. There was a person standing in the backlight, and her hand was pinching that person's thigh.
Qingmei jumped up with a yell and swung the shovel to hit him!
Gu Qingzhou was about to knock on the door when it opened. Before he could say anything, a little hooligan touched his thigh and then hit him on the head with a shovel?!
He raised his arm to block, but the opponent was much stronger than he expected. He had no choice but to press "Little Potato" against the wall with his backhand: "Don't move!"
Qingmei was about to struggle, but when she heard Gu Qingzhou's clear voice, she stopped moving immediately.
What should I do? I almost mistook the male lead for a civet cat...
Seeing her calm down, Gu Qingzhou tried to loosen up a little. Qingmei still obediently pressed against the cold wall and did not continue to rage.
Seeing this, Gu Qingzhou loosened his grip, secretly shook his sore arms behind her back, took a step back and said, "Don't worry, Zhou Wu has been found."
He said "was found" instead of "was caught", which clearly meant that Zhou Wu no longer had the strength to resist. He could probably only linger in extreme pain on the hospital bed with tubes inserted all over his body.
Qingmei breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the news.
She scratched her head and said, "Is this what you came here to tell me?"
Gu Qingzhou lowered his head to look at her, and said with a faint look in his eyes: "Not entirely."
Qingmei raised her head: "Is there anything else?"
Gu Qingzhou reminded her: "I didn't come back to catch Zhou Wu in the first place."
"Oh." Qingmei said before she could react: "Then what are you doing back?"
Gu Qingzhou said with a wry smile: "I told you to wait for me."
Qingmei asked stupidly, "Why should I wait for you?"
Gu Qingzhou smiled, revealing his white teeth, and blurted out word by word: "Because I want to go on a blind date with you."
Qingmei: “…” You can even see his back teeth.
He is being sarcastic, he must be being sarcastic!
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