Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei, the young couple, had disappeared without a trace for the entire afternoon. As lights began turning on in every household, they still hadn't returned. Zhao Guihua held back her anger, swallowing the scolding words she wanted to say.
After all, it was the New Year holiday.
Zhao Guihua kept reminding herself: "It's the New Year," and couldn't help but laugh at herself. She had been repeating this phrase quite often these past few days. What was that saying from TikTok she used to watch?
Whether it's the eight great pardons or the four tolerances, they all included this phrase: "It's the New Year after all."
Zhao Guihua watched as the sky turned completely dark. The Su family's children had finished dinner and were setting off firecrackers outside their door, but Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei were still nowhere to be seen. Old Man Zhuang said to his wife, "Dear, where do you think those two have gone? Should we go look for them?"
Zhao Guihua looked up: "Where would we look? Do you know where they might be? The movie must be over by now, who knows where they've gone off showing themselves around. If you go looking for them, then we'll have to go looking for you too. When will it end?"
Zhao Guihua had a point, so Old Man Zhuang fell silent. He walked towards the door with his hands behind his back.
Zhao Guihua: "Where are you going?"
Old Man Zhuang: "I'm not going out, just going to look around at the front gate."
Zhao Guihua nodded: "Alright then."
Hutou shuffled over to Zhao Guihua's side, whining softly: "Grandma, I'm hungry."
Xiao Yanzi quickly came over too, looking up with her little face saying: "I'm hungry too."
Dinner was so late today, Xiao Yanzi thought as she touched her empty little tummy, looking pitifully at her grandmother.
Zhao Guihua: "Wait a moment, your aunt and uncle brought some walnut cookies, I'll give you each one to tide you over."
The two children were overjoyed to receive a cookie each and began eating them carefully. Walnut cookies were a rare treat in their household, and the two children ended up with crumbs all over their faces, their eyes crinkling with happiness.
Liang Meifen watched her children eating the cookies, secretly feeling pleased: Another win!
But this didn't stop her from stirring up trouble. Liang Meifen said: "Third brother and his wife are so in love, always being lovey-dovey, and now they've gone out together and disappeared, too happy to come home. It's really enviable."
She knew well that no mother-in-law wanted to see her son and daughter-in-law being too affectionate - they were natural enemies. By saying this, she hoped to make Ming Mei's life more difficult.
Liang Meifen was quite pleased with her scheming. As long as her mother-in-law disliked Ming Mei, she would be able to get more "resources" from the family. She continued: "It's no wonder third brother treasures his wife so much, treating her like precious jade that might break, like candy that might melt in his mouth. Sister-in-law is quite beautiful after all. Oh right, Mom, third brother has never taken you and Dad to the movies, has he?"
More instigation.
Zhao Guihua looked up at Liang Meifen and said: "Neither have you."
Was she trying to play mind games with her?
She was a thousand-year-old fox, she wouldn't fall for such tricks.
Zhao Guihua was a worldly-wise old lady, how could she not see through Liang Meifen's intentions?
She chuckled: "When have you ever taken us?"
Liang Meifen: "Uh..."
She was like a squeaky toy that had been squeezed silent, not knowing what to say. Zhao Guihua smiled: "Why so quiet? You don't want to?"
Liang Meifen: "No, of course not, it's just..."
She stammered: "Mom, it's because I don't have money. I'm not as well-off as sister-in-law, I don't earn money, and we have two children, I really want to but can't afford it." Her voice grew increasingly quiet, feeling that her mother-in-law had more to say to her.
Sure enough!
Zhao Guihua gave a cold smile: "Aren't you not working because you gave your job to your brother? Why are you playing the victim here?"
Liang Meifen lowered her head, not daring to speak anymore. Despite her education and high school diploma, she was no match for Zhao Guihua, who had only attended literacy classes. This old lady was a natural at arguing.
She didn't dare to respond, afraid of being shut down again, and became very docile.
Fortunately, Zhao Guihua didn't continue her verbal assault. She stood up and said: "I'll go to the door and look too, maybe something held them up." Although her youngest son and daughter-in-law were usually unreliable, she knew them well enough - they weren't completely lacking in judgment.
By all rights, they should have been back by now.
When Zhao Guihua reached the door, she saw Old Man Zhuang chatting with Old Man Bai. Old Man Bai's family lived closest to the main gate, and after dinner, he would bring a small stool to sit at the door and watch the children play. He and Old Man Zhuang had struck up a conversation.
Old Man Zhuang got along well with Old Man Bai - he got along well with everyone in the compound, mainly because he wasn't the type to make a fuss. Besides, their compound had more strong-willed women than men, and naturally, the men didn't dare to act too boldly.
Old Man Zhuang squatted beside Old Man Bai and said: "What are you doing out in this cold?"
Old Man Bai: "Just watching the excitement, nothing else to do at home."
Old Man Zhuang nodded, glanced back at Aunt Su's door, then turned back without saying anything, just watching the entrance of the alley. Old Man Bai curiously asked: "Why aren't you staying warm at home? What brought you out?"
"Waiting for my third son, don't know where that young couple went off to play, they haven't come back yet." Old Man Zhuang said meaningfully: "You know, my youngest is already married, but your son is over thirty, and you as his father aren't worried about it?"
Old Man Bai protested: "How can you say I'm not worried? I'm anxious too, but what can we do if he can't find someone suitable? We're all from the same compound, you uncles should help introduce someone."
Old Man Zhuang: "You know me, who do I know?"
Old Man Bai sighed, also glancing back at the Su family's house, and said quietly: "Actually, there might be someone suitable, but it's complicated."
Just how complicated it was, Old Man Bai didn't say.
He didn't even mention the name of the young widow from the Su family.
"What are you two whispering about?"
Zhao Guihua came out and saw the two of them muttering, strode over with her hands on her hips, and said: "These two little rascals, really giving me a headache."
Old Man Zhuang: "Don't use bad language, don't use bad language."
Zhao Guihua rolled her eyes: "Since when is 'little rascal' a bad word?"
She stretched her neck to look around, nudged the small stool with her foot, and said: "Move aside, why are you blocking the doorway? What are you doing, having northwest wind for dinner instead of actual food?"
Old Man Bai's mouth twitched, thinking this woman really didn't know how to speak properly.
But he wasn't going to stoop to arguing with such a shrew.
Zhao Guihua frowned: "This is really worrying."
Just as she finished speaking, they heard the sound of a bicycle bell. A bicycle came flying into the alley, the bell ringing non-stop, and the children playing in the alley scattered out of the way. Zhuang Zhixi sped forward with Ming Mei holding tight to his waist, afraid of falling off.
Screech... a sudden brake.
Zhuang Zhixi put his foot down to steady the bicycle, turned his head with a handsome smile: "Mom, we're back."
He was about to explain when Ming Mei jumped off the bicycle, linked arms with Zhao Guihua, her big eyes wide with excitement, and exclaimed: "Mom, we just came from the police station!"
"What? Did something happen? Did you two cause trouble?" Old Man Bai was quick to speak, though not hoping for good news.
Ming Mei lifted her head, gave a light snort, and said: "How could we possibly cause trouble? Do we look like troublemakers? We caught a bad guy and helped take him to the police station. The police officer said after the New Year holiday, they'll come to our workplace to commend us."
Ming Mei was quite proud, and how could she not be?
She had done a good deed.
Zhao Guihua: "!!!"
She looked at Ming Mei in surprise, then quickly recovered, patting Ming Mei's shoulder repeatedly: "Well done!"
Ming Mei: "Gentle, gentle."
Zhao Guihua really hadn't expected this to be the reason. She had thought that while these two were unreliable, they wouldn't be so careless as to not hurry home during the New Year holiday. She hadn't expected them to actually have been doing something important - this was something that hadn't happened in her previous life.
Zhao Guihua laughed and said, "I knew you were a capable girl. Come on, let's go home. You must be hungry. Mom will make you something delicious. Tell me more about how you caught those bad guys."
Ming Mei responded loudly, "Okay!"
Zhuang Zhixi called out from behind, "Don't forget about me! I was there too!"
Though that might be true, no mother could believe that Zhuang Zhixi was responsible for this feat. Even using common sense, it was obvious that Ming Mei must have been the one who caught the criminals. This was a mother's deep understanding of her son.
However, she didn't embarrass her son and simply said, "Yes, I know you were there too. Come on, let's go home and have something warm to eat."
Their family's voices were quite loud. While people inside their homes with closed doors and windows couldn't hear them, the children running around outside certainly could. The three Jinlai brothers exchanged glances, gave each other knowing looks, and gathered behind the toilet. Squatting together, Jinlai whispered, "We're in trouble. This woman is bad news."
Despite being just a child, he spoke like a street punk, though nobody knew where he'd picked up such language.
Yinlai quickly asked, "Are you saying she's lying about catching the bad guys?"
Jinlai shook his head. Being the oldest, he said, "Probably not lying."
Yinlai and Tonglai were confused. If it wasn't a lie, how could she be a bad person? Someone who catches bad guys must be good, right?
The two younger boys looked completely bewildered.
Jinlai looked at his brothers with disappointment and explained patiently, "Think about it. If she can catch bad guys, it means she's really strong."
Yinlai and Tonglai nodded - that was obvious.
Yinlai said, "Of course she's strong. Remember how she kicked that brick in half last time?"
He hadn't forgotten about that.
Jinlai thought his brothers were really hopeless, without an ounce of sense. Among the three brothers, he considered himself the smartest. He snorted and said, "If she's strong and doesn't mess around, then we definitely can't steal from their house anymore."
He continued angrily, "If she can take bad guys to the police station, she'll definitely take us there if we steal anything. So is she really good for us? Anyone who stops us from eating our fill is bad, and she's bad - the worst kind!"
In their minds, anyone who didn't help their family wasn't a good person.
He declared, "Their family is well-off but won't help us, and if we take things ourselves, she might send us to the police station. How can that be good? This woman is definitely not good!"
To Jinlai, this logic was crystal clear.
Yinlai finally understood - it was precisely because this aunt was a "good person" that she wasn't "good" for them.
Only little Tonglai, being the youngest, still didn't understand all this talk about good and bad people. He just knew they couldn't steal from that house anymore. The thought struck him like lightning.
"What are we going to do?" he said dejectedly. "They have such good food."
Jinlai replied, "Who knows? Recently, Grandma Zhao has become fierce too and won't give us anything anymore. Damn, she's not kind at all. Why don't these people get what they deserve?"
He was extremely resentful.
Actually, in the past, the three brothers occasionally managed to snatch things from the Zhuang family. Though not much, they could still steal a potato, a sweet potato, or a handful of peanuts here and there. While Grandma Zhao wasn't happy about it, they would act pitiful, say some nice words, and the matter would be forgotten.
But recently, Grandma Zhao had become absolutely detestable, showing no kindness at all.
And now their house had someone who could fight. Jinlai felt heartbroken.
"Brother, what should we do?"
"What can we do? We'll have to wait and see. Is it our fault that we can't eat enough?"
"No!"
The three children felt completely justified in their reasoning.
Ming Mei had no idea that while she had done a good deed, these three children had labeled her as "not a good person." She was at home excitedly telling everyone about how she caught the criminals.
Old Man Bai had also come to listen to the excitement, though he didn't believe a word of it. He thought this young woman was quite the braggart - claiming she kicked someone into a wall? Why not say she kicked them into the sky? He'd never seen someone who could boast so much.
Still, he was happy to listen to the entertainment.
Not only did Old Man Bai not believe it, but even the other members of the Zhuang family were skeptical. Only Zhao Guihua truly believed it. Her eyes crinkled with joy as she said, "Although it was dangerous, you did the right thing. Catching such bad people is a great service. Now they won't be able to harm others anymore."
She added, "But from now on, you should come home earlier. Don't make your family worry."
Ming Mei nodded, "I understand."
Though Ming Mei was telling her story with great enthusiasm, it didn't stop her from eating. Her chopsticks moved like the wind, and she didn't miss a single bite. During her meal breaks, Zhuang Zhixi kept talking too: "When we encountered the robbers, I wanted to protect my wife, but before I could do anything, my wife ended up protecting me instead. Oh, you don't know how wonderful it feels to be protected like that."
Everyone else: "..."
How could he say that without feeling embarrassed?
Zhuang Zhixi continued, "But I'm not a coward. I did kick one of them down."
Zhao Guihua: "Oh."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Man, I used to think I was good at fighting, but after seeing my wife in action, I realized what I did wasn't real fighting - it was just making a fuss. Real fighting is what my wife does. Seriously, she was so cool!"
He was genuinely excited. He had heard before that his wife could take on seven people at once, but only after seeing it himself did he realize just how amazing that was.
Old Man Bai, seeing his excitement, couldn't help but say, "If your wife is such a good fighter, you better behave yourself. Otherwise, she might turn those fists on you."
Ming Mei paused and frowned at Old Man Bai, wondering why this old man was trying to cause trouble between them.
Zhuang Zhixi smiled slightly and said, "My wife would never raise her hands against me. But I feel relieved now - if anyone tries to mess with me, my wife might stand up for me. Right, dear?"
Ming Mei smiled with curved lips and said, "That's right."
Zhuang Zhixi put his arm around Ming Mei's shoulders, smiling proudly.
Old Man Bai: "..." How uncivilized, such public displays of affection - he couldn't bear to watch.
He clicked his tongue but still stayed to watch the excitement, his eyes occasionally falling on the dinner table. The Zhuang family's food looked good. But then he remembered that his family had meat noodles for dinner too, so he felt better. After all, it was just the New Year.
Zhuang Zhiyuan looked at his brother and sister-in-law and suddenly asked, "Will the police officers visit your workplace after the New Year?"
Zhuang Zhixi nodded, "Yes, that's what the officer said."
Zhuang Zhiyuan slapped the table and said, "This is great news! If they're going to your workplace, they'll at least send a letter of appreciation, if not a banner of honor. This will bring you great face. You two are really lucky."
He understood these matters well. If it was just a simple thank you, they would have come to the house. Making a special trip to the workplace meant they were following official channels. At minimum, there would be a letter of appreciation.
Don't underestimate such letters of appreciation - ones from ordinary citizens were quite different from those from the police station. To be honest, if two people of similar status were both up for promotion, the one with such an honor would have a clear advantage.
Zhuang Zhiyuan understood this well and smiled, saying, "You lucky dog, good fortune is coming your way."
Zhuang Zhixi had realized this too, but given his position, there wasn't much room for promotion, and he might not even qualify for a pay grade increase. So he didn't think too much about it and just said, "I don't really care about these things."
Besides, it was his wife who was really impressive.
He had been like a decorative vase at the scene.
Ming Mei had finished eating by now and was burping and rubbing her stomach, having eaten too quickly and feeling stuffed. Zhuang Zhixi asked, "What's wrong? Not feeling well? Mom, do we have any tea leaves left? Could we make some tea?"
They usually wouldn't dare ask, but during the New Year, it was acceptable.
These days, families who could afford to drink tea leaves were considered quite well-off.
Most families kept a small amount, reserved only for important guests.
Zhao Guihua: "I'll go check."
She opened the storage cabinet and looked inside, shaking her head: "It's gone, the last batch was finished and we didn't buy more."
For families like theirs, getting a ticket each time is very difficult, so naturally, there are times when they can't keep up...
Ming Mei: "We have some at my place, I remember my dad has some, I'll go get it when I go back to my parents' house on the third day of the New Year."
She was a straightforward person, and as soon as she said this, the expressions in the room became varied. Old Man Zhuang and Zhuang Zhiyuan felt embarrassed; Liang Meifen felt silently awkward, because she had never brought anything from her parents' house, basically always taking things from her in-laws' house back to her parents'.
How could she not feel awkward hearing this? People are most afraid of comparisons.
Zhuang Zhixi smiled and pinched Ming Mei's cheek, saying: "I knew my wife treats me well, you're already planning to take your dad's good stuff to support me!"
Ming Mei swatted his hand away: "Can't you just talk without pinching me?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "I'm just happy, I knew my wife cares for me the most."
"Ugh!"
Zhao Guihua couldn't take it anymore and said: "Why don't you two go back to your room to chat?"
Actually, they weren't doing anything, but her youngest son's words were really shameless. Even Zhao Guihua, a feisty old lady, couldn't stand the oily young man, even if he was her son.
Zhao Guihua couldn't stand it, but Old Man Bai was envious.
He was truly envious. His family had two bachelors, and his son was still single. Seeing Ming Mei, he deeply lamented how such a good girl could like a pretty boy. His son was such a good person, if only she could marry into his family, how wonderful that would be.
But Old Man Bai also knew that since she was already married, she naturally wouldn't look at his son.
He sighed and turned to leave sadly.
Old Man Zhuang: "What's wrong with Old Man Bai?"
Zhao Guihua: "He's having a fit, probably thinking about his single son."
Zhao Guihua knew her old neighbor well indeed. She also knew that Bai Fendou hadn't married yet, partly because of Old Man Bai. There was no Wang Xiangxiu back then. At that time, Bai Fendou was a spirited young man, and both father and son were workers with a house, not at all lacking. If he wanted to find a wife, it would have been easy.
But Old Man Bai had unclear thinking. After his wife passed away in middle age, he doted on Aunt Su, wanting to be with her. Aunt Su enjoyed his care but never agreed to marry. Over the years, this situation dragged on.
This matter had to do with Old Man Bai, but not with Bai Fendou.
However, Aunt Su was not an easy woman. She naturally didn't want Bai Fendou to marry. If Bai Fendou married, he would need to prepare a dowry and Old Man Bai would have to support him financially, making his money even tighter and unable to support her. So on the matter of Bai Fendou finding a partner, Aunt Su often fed Old Man Bai negative ideas, saying this girl wasn't good, that girl wasn't good.
In their courtyard, Bai Fendou had dated the most girls, each time the first meeting went well, then Old Man Bai would object, saying this one wasn't virtuous, that one had a heavy family burden. Over time, things fell through. Later on, there was no need to say more, as a Wang Xiangxiu appeared in the courtyard. No matter when Bai Fendou developed feelings, after Wang Xiangxiu's husband passed away, he couldn't let go of her.
Old Man Bai's salary at least half went to Aunt Su; Bai Fendou's salary also mostly went to Wang Xiangxiu.
Although Old Man Bai liked Aunt Su, he still hoped his son would find a virgin to have a child for the Bai family, so he didn't want Bai Fendou to be with Wang Xiangxiu. But he also coveted Wang Xiangxiu's ability to bear sons.
So he was extremely conflicted.
This wasn't just Zhao Guihua's guess, it was something Old Man Bai himself said many years later. Zhao Guihua clicked her tongue, calling him a hypocrite.
"Mom, what are you thinking about?"
Zhao Guihua: "Bai Fendou, that boy, he's done for."
"Ah?"
Everyone didn't know why Zhao Guihua suddenly said this. She didn't say much more, only: "Let's not talk about them. You two, where did you catch those bad guys?"
Zhao Guihua had experienced more than the people at home, she wanted to inquire carefully to avoid future retaliation. Knowing the details, she would feel more at ease.
Zhuang Zhixi could understand his mother.
He said: "Don't worry, I inquired carefully at the police station. These guys are vagrants from out of town, they had serious assault cases back home. This time coming to our city, they committed several robberies. For this, they'll probably get at least ten years. And usually, people like them will be sent to the northern wilderness."
Even without asking, Zhuang Zhixi guessed these guys weren't locals.
The reason? Locals, even if stupid, generally wouldn't do this on New Year's Day. Committing crimes at home on New Year's Day is too inauspicious. Besides, everyone knows that committing crimes during the traditional New Year festival will be more severely punished than usual, so anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't choose this timing.
Only those desperate would do such a thing.
Hearing this, Zhao Guihua felt relieved. She nodded and said: "That's good."
But then she thought, there's no need to worry about retaliation. Nowadays, people need an introduction letter wherever they go. Each compound has an administrator, each street has a red armband, even a strange mosquito can be squashed, let alone a live person.
These guys could hide for nearly a month because they kept moving, and also because it's New Year, everyone is busy celebrating, so vigilance is a bit lower.
Zhao Guihua: "It's right to uphold justice, but you also need to pay attention to safety when doing things, understand?"
Ming Mei heard the concern in her words and nodded: "I know."
Zhao Guihua smiled: "I know you're capable, but sometimes even skilled swimmers drown. Don't rush to charge forward every time you encounter such things. Of course, like this time, when someone bullies you, you should fight back."
Ming Mei's smile grew wider: "I know."
Zhao Guihua: "You girl..."
The Zhuang family was harmonious, while Old Man Bai felt quite bitter as he walked home. When he entered the house, he saw Bai Fendou drinking alone and snorted, saying: "You just know how to drink."
Bai Fendou: "Hey, old man, why are you picking a fight after going out for a walk? What's wrong with me drinking? It's New Year, can't I enjoy myself? Look, I don't even have any side dishes."
Old Man Bai frowned: "No side dishes, is that my fault? Your salary isn't low, I don't ask you for living expenses, can't you save some money? I told you not to spend all your money on that widow, are you not going to live your life?"
"And what about your money? Isn't it also spent on the old widow?" Bai Fendou was a chatterbox, not holding back even with his own father.
Old Man Bai picked up a broom to hit him: "I'll let you talk back, I'll let you talk back. You useless brat, other people can get married, look at you, still a bachelor, always tangled with widows. Are you trying to kill me? Don't you want to carry on the family line?"
Bai Fendou muttered: "Sister-in-law can still give birth, she can still bear sons."
He envied having three boys.
If it were in front of outsiders, Bai Fendou would always put on a show, not admitting his thoughts. But with his own father, there was no need to hide anything. Father and son, who didn't know each other?
"She can give birth, but will she marry you now? Look at others, Zhuang Zhixi is only twenty-one, already married, and you're thirty-one, still a bachelor. Aren't you ashamed? Find a wife quickly, widows won't do." Old Man Bai was a hypocrite, allowing himself to be with a widow but not wanting his son to do the same.
"Hey, dad, you're like this yourself, why are you controlling me?"
Old Man Bai argued: "I've already left a descendant for the Bai family, that's why I'm with the widow, but you haven't! Are we going to end with you?"
Bai Fendou: "What are you talking about?"
"What do you mean, what am I talking about? Plain truth!"
"No way! I only want Sister Xiangxiu."
"I'll let you have her, I'll let you..." Old Man Bai waved a broom, and Bai Fendou yelped and dodged, running out of the courtyard. He saw Jinlai and the other two boys, who clapped their hands: "Big dumbass, got beaten up! Got beaten up, got beaten up!"
Bai Fendou was both amused and annoyed: "You little rascals, what are you talking about? You ungrateful brats."
He didn't want to argue with his old man, so he rubbed his hands and decided to go to the toilet. Bai Fendou thought, there are plenty of women out there, but when it comes to the best, there's no one but Sister Xiangxiu. It's just a shame he couldn't openly declare his love for her in the courtyard. He still had to pretend to be looking for a wife.
He couldn't even figure out if he really wanted to get married or if he just wanted Sister Xiangxiu to get jealous.
As he came out of the toilet, he bumped into Zhuang Zhixi. Seeing Zhuang Zhixi, Bai Fendou felt a bit displeased. Just now, his dad had been mentioning Zhuang Zhixi and another guy named Ershiyi, which really got under his skin.
He was feeling quite unhappy.
Zhuang Zhixi could get married, but why did he have to interfere with his life?
Bai Fendou thought that if it weren't for the Zhuang family showing off, his dad wouldn't have been so upset and taken it out on him. He quickly hid behind the toilet, planning to give Zhuang Zhixi a good shove when he walked by, just to have a laugh.
He crouched quietly, and Zhuang Zhixi didn't see him at all. Not only that, but Zhuang Zhixi also stopped in his tracks.
Because someone called him.
Zhuang Zhixi stopped and looked at Zhou Qun, who was catching up, with a smile: "Zhou Ge, are you also going to the latrine?"
Going to the latrine was as normal a greeting as asking if someone had eaten.
It was late at night, and it was cold. Why else would someone be out in the cold if not to use the latrine? It was a pointless question.
Zhou Qun: "Yeah, let's go together."
In the younger generation of the courtyard, Zhou Qun was now the oldest. Bai Fendou was the same age but a few months younger; the Su family boy, who was a year younger, had already passed away. Yang Lixin, the Zhuang brothers, and a few other young men were all younger than him.
As the leader and outstanding figure of the younger generation, Zhou Qun always maintained a certain composure. This wasn't surprising, as he had the highest salary. Even some of the older generation, like Chef Li and Old Man Zhuang, didn't earn as much as he did.
Zhou Qun always felt he had the right to be proud.
Being willing to walk with Zhuang Zhixi was already giving him face.
Zhou Qun slightly raised his proud chin and said, "Zhuang Zhixi, how's it going in the clinic?"
Zhuang Zhixi: "???"
He smiled and said, "It's going well."
Although he didn't know what Zhou Qun was up to, Zhuang Zhixi responded politely with a smile, saying, "How about your electrical engineering team, Zhou Ge? Are you busy?" Since it was just small talk, he decided to go with the flow.
Zhou Qun: "Our electrical engineering team is naturally busy. We are responsible for the safety of the factory's electrical circuits, which is of utmost importance. This is very different from your clinic."
Zhuang Zhixi raised an eyebrow and smiled: "You can't say that. The clinic is also very important; if the workers are not in good health, how can they work hard and contribute to society? Everyone is a small screw in the factory, playing their role. Even if I'm just collecting fees at the clinic, isn't that important too? If the money is collected incorrectly, wouldn't that cause a loss to the factory? So, everyone is important."
Zhuang Zhixi thought, trying to bullshit with me about principles? I've learned a thing or two from my older brother!
Sure enough, Zhou Qun couldn't find a response to that.
He had wanted to elevate himself by belittling others, but that didn't work out.
Soon, Zhou Qun said, "You're right. By the way, I vaguely heard that your wife got into a fight. As a man, you should keep an eye on your wife. In a family, the man handles external affairs and the woman handles internal matters. Being gentle and virtuous is a traditional virtue of women. What kind of woman starts a fight outside?"
He hadn't heard clearly inside the house, only a few scattered words.
But that didn't stop him from imagining.
He immediately thought that Ming Mei must have been arrogant and got into a fight, which was why she came home late. That must be it. Such a girl from a good family in Beijing was too wild to be a good wife.
However, Zhuang Zhixi's family could only find a girl like that.
He said, "I think..."
Zhuang Zhixi: "Don't just think, Zhou Ge. You can't slander my wife like that. Besides, what do you mean by 'the man handles external affairs and the woman handles internal matters'? The leader also said that women can hold up half the sky. You can't just confine them to the home. Your awareness isn't high enough."
Zhou Qun's face changed, looking a bit unhappy.
He had been willing to chat and argue with Zhuang Zhixi, already giving him face. But now he wasn't willing to listen and even dared to retort? Zhou Qun frowned slightly and said, "You can't say it like that."
Zhuang Zhixi smiled faintly: "I think it's quite right."
They finally reached the entrance of the latrine. If it had been Zhuang Zhixi alone, he would have been there ages ago. Walking with Zhou Qun, however, was much slower. Zhou Qun walked with a leisurely pace, as if he were some important figure.
Naturally, it was slower.
Zhuang Zhixi wasn't the only one who found it slow; Bai Fendou, hiding near the latrine entrance, was even more impatient.
Bai Fendou wasn't deaf, so he naturally heard their voices, but he didn't think much of it. He was just playing a joke, what could go wrong? Whether Zhou Qun was there or not didn't matter to him.
Lucky for Zhou Qun, he got to see the fun too.
Bai Fendou crouched by the side of the latrine, eager to act. As soon as the two men approached, he suddenly popped out from behind and gave a solid kick to the backside: "Off you go!"
Zhou Qun was about to say something more to Zhuang Zhixi when he suddenly saw someone jump out. He moved to the side, but Bai Fendou's kick landed squarely on his backside. Zhou Qun stumbled a few steps and fell flat on the ground of the public toilet!
Solidly.
"Oh shit!"
"My god!"
I curse your uncle!
The three of them exclaimed in different voices. Zhuang Zhixi quickly moved to the side and shouted, "Fendou Ge, why did you attack Zhou Ge?"
Bai Fendou hadn't expected to kick Zhou Qun; he had meant to kick Zhuang Zhixi, who was ten years younger than him, just for fun. Kicking Zhou Qun was another matter. Bai Fendou shouted back, "Zhou Qun, what's wrong with you, sticking your foot out?"
Zhou Qun, who was in pain from the fall, was furious!
Upon hearing Bai Fendou's brazen words, he became even angrier, his head throbbing. He cursed loudly, "You heartless, wicked bastard, I knew you were jealous of my good job and marriage, but I never thought you'd be so jealous as to resort to violence. You scoundrel."
People with too many thoughts tend to overthink. Zhou Qun immediately thought of the compensation incident two days ago and continued to question, "Is it because I made you pay five yuan the other day that you bear a grudge and seek revenge? You despicable villain."
"I didn't!"
Bai Fendou shouted, "You can't frame me. I just wanted to play with Zhuang Zhixi, didn't expect you to stick your foot out."
Zhuang Zhixi, hearing this, raised an eyebrow slightly, narrowing his eyes at Bai Fendou. But soon, he returned to his usual innocent expression and said, "Fendou Ge, playing with me is fine, but why did you kick Zhou Ge? We don't even look alike. It's amazing how you could kick the wrong person."
Zhuang Zhixi's words made Zhou Qun even angrier: "You scoundrel, you did it on purpose. We don't look alike at all!"
Zhuang Zhixi was half a head taller than Zhou Qun, and being a bit slimmer, he stood out. Zhou Qun, on the other hand, benefited from a household where two women catered to his every need, ensuring he was well-fed and well-nurtured, making him noticeably more robust than Zhuang Zhixi.
Mistaking one for the other was a clear sign of poor eyesight.
Zhou Qun was having none of it and shouted, "This matter today is not over! You scoundrel, you're a real scoundrel!"
Zhuang Zhixi glanced from one to the other, struggling to suppress a laugh as he said, "Brother Bai Fendou, you better help him up. This is the bathroom, after all!"
He continued to mumble to himself, "Thank goodness Zhou Qun didn't fall into the bathroom; otherwise, he'd be like Aunt Su. But it's quite a coincidence that both Aunt Su and Zhou Qun ended up in the bathroom. Isn't that some kind of fate?"
"Fate, my foot!"
"Shut up!"
Zhuang Zhixi gave an innocent smile, "See, I was just telling the truth."
