“Here, here.”
Song Tao was wrapped up tightly and standing outside the family area waiting. He immediately waved to them when he saw them.
It was already dark, with goose-feather snowflakes floating in the sky and a biting cold wind. Bai Linglong's cotton-padded jacket was too old and not warm enough, and she was so cold that she couldn't help shivering.
As soon as the three of them reunited, Bai Linglong asked, "Are you still inside?"
"exist."
Song Tao pointed to the family quarters and whispered, "Let's go to my brother's house to avoid the cold and warm up by the fire."
His brother Li Chong was already waiting at the door. As soon as the three of them arrived, he immediately opened the door and invited them in.
Li Chong's elders were not at home tonight, so he was the only one there. He made them some hot tea and took the initiative to tell Bai Linglong, "Comrade Bai, I heard about your family's situation from Taozi. As for your father's situation, the neighbors in our family compound all know about it, but he has a powerful backer, so no one wants to cause trouble, so no one has stepped forward to report it."
Bai Linglong glanced outside, pretending not to know where Bai Jianren lived, and asked him, "Which room does my bastard father live in?"
Scumbag dad?
The men sitting around him all chuckled when they heard this. Li Chong also smiled and pointed to the third floor opposite: "The room at the back of the third floor has a light on, and there's a figure flickering on the glass."
Bai Linglong nodded slightly, staring outside as she continued to ask, "Brother Li, I heard from Taozi that he was beaten and robbed at the gate of the family quarters today. Did they catch the culprit?"
"No. He was knocked unconscious at the door after being hit in the back of the neck. They say his bicycle and watch were lost, as were his keys and money. He himself wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious. Someone from the steel mill found him unconscious and accompanied him back home. Later, they discovered his house had been robbed as well."
"They reported it to the police right away, and they came to the scene to investigate, but they didn't seem to find any special clues."
"When he came back at five o'clock, the neighbors in the family housing area asked him about the situation. He said that the person had not been caught yet. As for how much was lost, he did not disclose it to the public. Maybe only the Public Security Bureau has registered it."
Bai Linglong was certain the Public Security Bureau couldn't find anything. Even if Bai Jianren suspected her, they wouldn't have any evidence. She said something ambiguous, "He was once attacked by someone in his hometown of Yang County, and had his leg broken. Humph, when the sky is wild, it will rain; when people are wild, they will suffer. I think he got too arrogant in Tancheng, thinking he had someone to protect him, and he forgot who he was. He must have offended someone again and got a warning."
"Well... maybe." Li Chong was not sure either.
Lu Jingchuan's deep eyes were filled with a faint smile. This girl's words were really interesting and made sense. He then asked, "Li Chong, does that woman come here often?"
“I don’t come here often.”
"Years ago, my mother and aunt ran into the two of them early in the morning. It was cold, so they dressed warmly. The woman was bundled up tightly. Bai Jianren lied and said she was his daughter-in-law, a country girl who had never seen the world and was shy. He also said she was sick and came to the city hospital for treatment."
"My mother and aunt believed it at the time, until two days before the Lunar New Year, when the woman came again and stayed the night. As she was leaving at dawn, she fell in the small square in front. My aunt had just returned from an early morning grocery shopping and pulled her back. She saw her face clearly and realized she was... Qin Menglan, whose husband had recently died."
Bai Linglong understood and smiled sarcastically, "Your aunt caught them, and they were afraid of being reported, so that bastard rushed back for the New Year and forced my mom to divorce."
Li Chong smiled awkwardly and did not respond, which meant he agreed with her guess.
They were drinking tea, sitting by the fire and chatting. Bai Jianren on the third floor had no idea that his good daughter was waiting to catch him cheating. At this moment, he was flirting with Qin Menglan in the room, and the two were having a passionate time.
Qin Menglan doesn't come here often. Her husband is gone, and she and her two children still live not far from her husband's home.
Her daughter is fourteen or fifteen years old, and her youngest son is ten years old. They are already sensible. She is now having a secret relationship with Bai Jianren and has not let her children know for the time being. She came out tonight just to make an excuse to work overtime.
There was no internet or TV at night, no entertainment activities, and the house was cold, so everyone went to bed early to warm up the quilt.
Bai Jianren was no exception. After eating the dinner brought by Qin Menglan, the two of them washed up, turned off the lights and went back to their room to sleep.
Bai Linglong had been staring at the opposite side. Seeing that they were impatient to start work as soon as it was seven o'clock, she couldn't help but laugh at them in her heart, and immediately started preparing.
There were three male comrades watching the fun tonight. Bai Linglong couldn't use her little magical tool, so she had to ask for help. She smiled at Lu Jingchuan and said, "Comrade Lu Jingchuan, can you help me?"
"As you wish." Lu Jingchuan was waiting for her arrangements.
Song Tao rarely saw his cousin smile. He usually always had a very serious expression, but now he was willing to cooperate with her, with smiles on his face and brows. He finally understood that his cousin, this old iron tree, had really blossomed.
"That door of Gou Za's house shouldn't be a problem for you, right?" Bai Linglong said with a smile.
In fact, she had the key, but she couldn't reveal it, so she had to ask him for help. She also believed that he could do it easily.
Lu Jingchuan raised the corner of his mouth: "Leave it to me."
After completing the important task, Bai Linglong turned her gaze to the two men beside her and smiled like a little fox: "Brother Li, can you lend me something?"
"what would you like?"
Seeing her smile, Li Chong lit a candle for Bai Jianren in his heart.
"When you were a child, did you often eat fried bamboo shoots with meat, or braised pork with rattan?" Bai Linglong asked him with a smile.
Li Chong looked confused and said he didn't understand.
He didn't understand, and Song Tao didn't react either. However, Lu Jingchuan did, and kindly helped translate: "Linglong means, when your mother beat you, did she use bamboo or rattan?"
Li Chong: “…”
"puff!"
Song Tao burst out laughing, finally realizing what was happening, and answered for him, "Alternate between the two dishes. They're so delicious that I can smell them all over my house."
Li Chong laughed helplessly, giving Song Tao a slap on the wrist, and asked Bai Linglong with a smile: "Why are you asking this?"
"I plan to cook two dishes for my scumbag dad and his lover tonight." Bai Linglong said in a faint tone.
Li Chong understood, laughed helplessly, and stood up to help her find tools.
He quickly found a two-finger-wide bamboo board, which he had pulled out from under the bed, and handed it to her. "Is this okay?"
"Yes, very much so."
This bamboo board was exactly what Bai Linglong wanted, so she asked him for help: "Find me two more sacks to put over my head. The dirtier and smellier the better."
"cough."
Li Chong coughed lightly and turned to look for him. He was also looking forward to the excitement tonight, and was also guessing in his heart: Bai Jianren's good days are probably coming to an end.
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