Chapter 128: The Xiao Family Comes Calling (Request Subscription!)

Li Heng had no idea what had happened at the village secretary’s house; as soon as he woke up, he took Li Ran and Dum-Dum to town.

When they passed Qian Yuejin’s wonton shop, Zhang Zhiyong couldn’t move his feet: “Damn it! I wasn’t even hungry, but now the smell’s got me starving—I’m not going anywhere else, I’m getting a bowl of wontons first.”

Li Heng kicked him: “If you want wontons, eat wontons—don’t stare at the shop owner’s wife.”

Zhang Zhiyong smirked and walked inside.

Li Ran, seeing he didn’t follow, asked: “Aren’t you eating?”

Li Heng said: “You two eat first—I’ve got something to take care of.”

Watching him leave without looking back, Li Ran stepped into the shop and asked: “What’s he got to do? More important than breakfast?”

Zhang Zhiyong didn’t answer. Instead, he jerked his chin toward the owner’s fat ass and muttered: “That’s my old man’s mistress.”

Li Ran’s mouth dropped open. She sized up the woman, then asked: “You’re sure? When did she start sleeping with your dad?”

Zhang Zhiyong’s breath grew heavy: “Yesterday I found them hidden under her pillow—letters they’d been exchanging for years. Total bastards.”

Li Ran’s interest spiked: “Does she have a husband?”

“Shit! Just as I mention him, here he comes—that dumbass is him.” Zhang Zhiyong stared at the middle-aged man carrying in a basket of pork ribs, his eyes brimming with contempt, as if mocking the man for being too clueless to notice his wife’s affair.

Li Ran turned to look. “So skinny, so sickly—no wonder he can’t keep her.”

Zhang Zhiyong didn’t get it: “What’s that got to do with anything?”

Li Ran didn’t answer.

She thought of her father, and of Sun Aimin, the man who’d been dumped for failing to satisfy her desires.

At that thought, a terrifying idea suddenly surfaced in Li Ran’s mind: Could she herself become a woman who strays easily?

On the other side.

The post office wasn’t open yet, so after pausing at the intersection, Li Heng headed straight for the town government compound.

This time, he wouldn’t call the Xiao family and hope for luck.

He was going to show up in person—his excuse was already ready: Yang Ying.

After a few minutes, he reached the gate of the town government compound. He looked inside for a moment, then crossed the road to the opposite grocery store.

“You’re here.” The store owner remembered him from their previous conversation.

“Yeah.”

Li Heng smiled and rummaged through his pockets, buying five watermelon bubble gums. “How much?”

“Five fen each—twenty-five fen total.” The owner glanced and gave the price without hesitation.

Li Heng patted his pockets—no loose change. He grabbed five more, then asked: “Boss, got paper and pen? I need to write down a phone number.”

The owner readily handed him an old notebook and a pen.

While the owner was restocking shelves, Li Heng quickly scribbled a few words, tore off the page, and left.

“Stop! Who are you looking for?” The guard at the reception desk barked as Li Heng approached.

“Uncle, I’m here to see the Xiao family—I’m the rice delivery guy.”

Hearing he was there for the secretary’s house, the guard scrutinized him, then vaguely recalled: this kid had delivered rice to the secretary’s home several times.

He signed him in and let him pass, but still uneasy, his eyes followed Li Heng all the way to the second floor.

“Knock knock knock!”

“Knock knock knock!”

After no response to the first knock, the second knock was answered by a voice: “Who is it?”

Wei Shiman opened the door.

Li Heng wanted to die. Why was his luck so bad? Why didn’t Xiao Han open the door?

Seeing Li Heng outside, Wei Shiman was also startled. She thought: Could he be secretly in love with my daughter and come here to court her?

But her daughter clearly disliked him.

Still, given Li Heng’s current social status and fame, Wei Shiman’s attitude had improved considerably from before: “Li Heng, come in and sit a while.”

She opened the door fully and stepped aside, her gaze fixed on his face, quietly observing the boy who had taken the Chinese literary world by storm.

Reading people’s intentions was a basic skill for surviving the system. Li Heng knew her offer was polite, not sincere. He didn’t walk in, but said:

“Auntie, is Yang Ying here? I need to see her.”

Hearing he was looking for Yang Ying, Wei Shiman sighed in relief. Though he was famous and rich, his daughter hated him—and naturally, so did she.

She said: “She’s here. Yingwen hasn’t gotten up yet—I’ll go call her.”

With that, Wei Shiman turned and walked into the bedroom on the right.

“Yingwen, your classmate Li Heng is here to see you.”

“Huh? Okay, thanks, Auntie.”

She quickly dressed and got up. Two minutes later, Yang Ying appeared at the door. She asked immediately: “Why are you here so early?”

Seeing Wei Shiman watching curiously, Li Heng walked ten meters down the hallway, then spoke to Yang Ying, who followed him:

“Old rag, congratulations! You got into Tsinghua University.”

“Yeah.”

Yang Ying sighed, then asked with a complicated expression: “You missed by one point—was that intentional?”

Li Heng shook his head. “No. I left it to fate.”

The words were vague, but Yang Ying understood them perfectly: “Did you give up Song Yu?”

Li Heng didn’t answer. Instead, he asked: “Summer vacation’s still long—what are your plans? Staying here forever?”

Yang Ying said: “I hate that house. I don’t want to go back.”

Yang Fu had always been excessive. Li Heng understood. “I’m planning to travel. Come with me?”

Yang Ying asked: “Bring Xiao Han?”

Li Heng thought for a moment, then shook his head: “It’s not safe out there now. And the places I’m going are remote. She’s too beautiful—I won’t take her.”

In the new century, he wouldn’t have hesitated.

But in this era? Ha! Even if he believed himself strong, even if he thought his martial prowess was unmatched, he couldn’t guarantee absolute safety wandering through mountains and wilderness.

Yang Ying asked: “Who else?”

Li Heng replied: “Dum-Dum, and maybe a new friend—Li Ran.”

“Where to?”

“From the Three Gorges, Dongting Lake, Lushan—all the way southeast.”

“Dongting Lake—you’re going to see Song Yu, aren’t you?”

Li Heng didn’t answer, but his silence confirmed it. If he went to Dongting Lake, he’d have to find Song Yu—that was another reason he didn’t want to bring Xiao Han.

Yang Ying hesitated. “Let me think about it.”

“Fine.”

Li Heng said, glanced toward the door, and slipped the note into Yang Ying’s hand: “Give this to Xiao Han. I’ll wait outside.”

After giving the order, Li Heng turned and went downstairs.

He realized if he didn’t leave now, the guard at reception would come up to check on him.

“You’re such a jerk! You came to see me? No—you just wanted me to be your messenger.” Yang Ying wasn’t stupid—she saw right through his scheme.

ps: This chapter’s a bit thin. I planned to write 5,000 words before posting, but halfway through I got a stomachache and stopped. I was too embarrassed to even publish it, but I promised I would. Sorry, everyone.

(End of chapter)