Chapter 208: Guo Tuzi's Wife

At the alley's end, Guo Tuzi clearly also noticed Lu Cheng holding a child; he pressed the hand brake on the tricycle's slanted stand, stopped there without a word, and merely squinted his eyes and smiled.

Lu Cheng was left bewildered by his smile, mainly because Guo Tuzi, a rough big man, smiled with a tenderness that was hard to comprehend.

Lu Cheng, holding Qing'er, stepped forward: "That night, thank you for bringing people to help me."

Guo Tuzi shook his head: "No need to be polite; I just don't like owing anyone."

Under Lu Cheng's puzzled gaze, Guo Tuzi explained: "Last time I stole your Handgun, you let me go; I helped you once, and we're even."

So that was it; Lu Cheng had only acted unintentionally then, never expecting Guo Tuzi to keep it in mind.

"Then how did you know we were going to fight?"

"Huh, such arranged fights spread easily in the circles; your name, Lu San'er, is now quite big."

Lu Cheng understood that the "circles" he referred to were the people of the Three Teachings Nine Streams who often mingled, essentially a Little Jianghu where they regularly gathered to drink.

"How should I address you? I can't just call you Guo Tuzi, can I?"

Hearing Lu Cheng's words, Guo Tuzi laughed: "Just call me Old Guo; the house is just a sit‑down, right next to the alley."

Lu Cheng initially wanted to decline politely, but he noticed Guo Tuzi's gaze was constantly on Qing'er.

Guo Tuzi seemed to sense Lu Cheng's confusion and explained: "Oh, I once had a daughter this big."

Lu Cheng was even more puzzled—what does "once had a daughter this big" mean?

With his doubts, he followed Guo Tuzi into another, more dilapidated alley.

Upon entering the courtyard gate and taking a look around, the courtyard was a mess of wooden planks, bags, paper shells, and the like, haphazardly piled together like a small junkyard.

Lu Cheng guessed that Guo Tuzi was probably unmarried; otherwise there would be a woman at home, and the place wouldn't be like this.

But unexpectedly, after Guo Tuzi parked the Three-wheeled Cart inside the courtyard, he immediately rushed toward the inner house and called out for a woman.

"Lanhua, come out quickly; we have guests at home."

As Guo Tuzi shouted, a woman with loose hair ran out of the inner house, her clothes all patched.

Lu Cheng thought this must be Guo Tuzi's wife; just as he was about to speak, the woman named Lanhua walked over first.

Walking, she excitedly muttered: "glutinous rice ball, that's my glutinous rice ball…"

Lu Cheng frowned; what glutinous rice ball? It's not even the fifteenth day of the lunar new year yet.

Lanhua was speaking to Qing'er, shouting glutinous rice ball while reaching out to hug her.

"glutinous rice ball, come here, let mom hold you… I'm mom…"

Qing'er seemed startled, clinging tightly to Lu Cheng's neck without letting go.

Lu Cheng didn't know what the woman intended, but out of caution he turned his body sideways, holding Qing'er to the side.

The woman, seeing Qing'er not come, became even more frantic, almost to the point of crying.

"I'm mom, glutinous rice ball, let mom hold you for a moment; mom missed you so much…"

At this moment Guo Tuzi hurried over, grabbing the woman: "Alright, Lanhua, look closely, this isn't glutinous rice ball."

"Not glutinous rice ball?" the woman examined Qing'er again: "Not glutinous rice ball? Then where is my glutinous rice ball? My glutinous rice ball? Why isn't she coming to her mother…"

The woman's gaze, which had been bright when she first saw Qing'er, now turned cloudy.

Guo Tuzi let her go back inside first, but after a while the woman came out again, still holding a pillow in her arms, standing under the main hall's eave, pressing her head against the pillow, humming softly while gently swaying.

It seemed as if she were trying to lull the "pillow" to sleep.

Lu Cheng asked, puzzled: "Guo Dage, what is this?"

Guo Tuzi let out a heavy sigh: "This is my wife; oh, didn't scare the child, right? It's my fault, I shouldn't have let you bring the child here…"

Guo Tuzi said, rummaging his pocket and pulling out a crumpled Two‑Edge Coin: "Look, there's nothing good to eat at home; it's the New Year, here's some money for the child, consider it as New Year's money—here, child, take it quickly…"

Qing'er was very sensible; without Lu Cheng speaking, Qing'er wouldn't accept anyone's money.

"Guo Dage, no need, no need; I'm just here to see Master, and I'll leave once I'm done."

"Oh, I saw you came out of Xu Erye's place; he's your Master."

"Yes."

"Then we're pretty close; when I'm free, I often go drinking with Xu Erye. Let the child keep this money…"

"Really, no need to be polite, Guo Dage." Lu Cheng, not wanting to linger on the New Year's money, changed the subject: "Sister‑in‑law, this is…"

Guo Tuzi pulled over two stools; after Lu Cheng sat down, Qing'er sat in his arms, fiddling with his fingers.

"His brain's got a problem."

Seeing Lu Cheng didn't understand, Guo Tuzi added: "In other words, he's crazy."

Lu Cheng nodded, guessing in his mind it was related to the one called "glutinous rice ball."

Before he could ask, Guo Tuzi, treating Lu Cheng like a friend, spilled everything out like beans from a bamboo tube.

It turned out that a few years ago, Guo Tuzi's three‑year‑old daughter fell into an ice hole and drowned.

Mother Lanhua had been chatting with someone at the time; when she realized the child was missing, she hurried to look, but by the time she found her, the child was beyond saving.

In just one night, Lanhua went mad.

She often roamed by the river holding a pillow, telling anyone she saw, "Look, my glutinous rice ball is asleep, sleeping so soundly…"

"Sorry, Lu San'er, my wife hasn't left the house for months; during this time, I see her mind is quite damaged, her temper is extremely volatile, but as soon as she sees a child, she can be calm for a while."

Lu Cheng said as if he understood: "It was an accident, so we can't blame the sister‑in‑law."

Guo Tuzi shook his head: "No one blames her; she blames herself for not watching the child properly, couldn't make sense of it, and her brain got shocked."

No wonder Guo Tuzi stared at Qing'er; this rough man must also miss his daughter a lot.

"You and your sister‑in‑law aren't old; why not have her see a doctor? Maybe she could have another child in the future."

Losing a child, the best way to move past the pain is to have another.

Lu Cheng glanced at the courtyard again; compared with other homes' festive New Year atmosphere, Guo Tuzi's house only had a couplet on the main gate, with no other New Year goods prepared.

For Guo Tuzi, without a child, the year is no longer a year.

Guo Tuzi sighed again: "I went to the hospital, they said the stimulation is quite severe, and even treatment can only provide relief."

"Regardless of the final outcome, we have to try."

Seeing Guo Tuzi fall silent, Lu Cheng instantly understood that treating this kind of mental illness is a long‑term process, which means it will cost a lot of money.

Judging from the dilapidated state of Guo Tuzi's home, he probably has little money to pay for his wife's treatment.

"Do you know why I stole your Handgun? I wanted to make more money, which gave me the idea of robbery, just so I could pay for my wife's treatment, even if it means I go to prison, as long as my wife can get better…" Guo Tuzi suddenly couldn't continue.

This time it was Lu Cheng who fell silent.

The underlying hue of the mortal world is always composed of countless silent sufferings.

When leaving, Lu Cheng had Lanhua hug Qing'er, and while Guo Tuzi wasn't looking, he slipped five coins onto the Three-wheeled Cart.