Chapter 32: An Unexpected Encounter with Liang Lu's Father

With a heart full of trepidation, Bang Geng walked back to the Siheyuan.

"Where have you been? Have you been drinking?" Qin Huairu looked at Bang Geng, whose face was shiny with grease from eating, and her anger flared up instantly.

"Uh, some friends came over. They were drinking, and I just had a taste." Bang Geng was still somewhat afraid of Qin Huairu, so he lowered his head and explained.

"Friends? Where would you get friends? Teacher Ran has already been to our house; there might be a turning point regarding your schooling. You behave yourself, you hear me?" Qin Huairu sighed; she was already a mess herself and had no heart left to discipline him.

Bang Geng agreed with a grunt and ran to the kang to lie down. The family finished their meal quickly, and Qin Huairu boiled a large bucket of water to wash Jia Zhangshi; it wouldn't do to have her smelling so foul all the time, and besides, the New Year was almost here.

After finishing the washing, Qin Huairu opened the doors and windows, and the cold, fresh air rushed in, instantly refreshing the smell in the entire room.

"Hey, whose toilet exploded? Is this any way to let people eat?" Xu Damao walked out from the Back Yard, holding a bowl and grumbling.

Qin Huairu hurried out to meet him and said apologetically, "Sorry, Damao, I was just washing up the old lady."

"Oh, Qin Huairu, you're back. What have you been so busy with lately, acting all mysterious and never staying home?" Xu Damao tilted his head, his face full of suspicion.

Inside the room, Bang Geng heard Xu Damao's voice and felt a jolt of alarm; he snuck over to the window to listen to their conversation.

"No, I'm not busy with anything. Go back and eat; the smell will dissipate soon." Qin Huairu's body gave a sudden shudder, and she lowered her head, her voice dropping low.

"No rush. Your Bang Geng brought some ex-convicts to beat me up today and even robbed me of my money. What do you say we do about that?"

"Ah? Really?"

"Why would I lie to you? It's seven yuan and sixty cents in total; you figure it out. I'm going back to eat."

Qin Huairu stood frozen in place, her heart filled with bitterness. She didn't get angry; she just started to wonder if everything she had done for Bang Geng was truly worth it.

Returning to the room, Qin Huairu wiped away her tears. Jia Geng lay on the kang, pretending to be asleep, and neither of them spoke again.

The night passed quickly. He Yuzhu checked the time, scrambled up, and busily tidied himself up.

"I need to buy some decent clothes; I don't have a single thing I can wear out." After searching carefully for a while, He Yuzhu threw his clothes all over the bed, finally finding an outfit that was barely presentable to change into.

"Beep, beep-beep."

A car horn sounded outside. He Yuzhu didn't have time to tidy up; he tossed the clothes he had changed out of onto the towel rack, grabbed his knives, and ran out the door. He had to go to the Propaganda Department with the Big Leader today.

Not long after He Yuzhu left, Qin Huairu and the others followed suit, heading toward the Rolling Mill, and the Siheyuan fell quiet for a moment.

Half the morning passed. Sheng Ge rubbed his empty stomach and walked in, yawning as if he hadn't woken up yet, followed by his three lackeys.

"Bang Geng, Bang Geng, come out, Bang Geng. We're here."

"Hey, I'm coming." Bang Geng composed himself and walked out with a forced smile.

"We're hungry. Go ask your uncle-in-law for some more money," Sheng Ge said, tossing his head.

"Exactly, that chicken yesterday was so fragrant," Changfeng said, looking back on it with relish.

"He, he went to work and isn't home. I'm sorry, Sheng Ge, I can't provide your meal today." Bang Geng hurriedly blocked the four of them from heading toward the Back Yard. He knew Qin Jingru was home, and if they went there like that, something bad might happen.

"Are you even a brother? Your brothers are starving to death, and you're acting like this and that. What did we say back then? You get out and go back on your word, looking down on us brothers, right, Jia Geng?" Sheng Ge pushed Jia Geng aside in dissatisfaction, and a barrage of taunts poured out of his mouth like a machine gun, leaving Jia Geng red-faced.

"That's right, you, Jia Geng, aren't loyal. You're stingy. Not letting us into the room is one thing, but you won't even spare us some food? And you call yourself a brother, pfft." Changfeng followed right behind, pointing at Bang Geng's nose without showing any weakness.

Bang Geng opened his mouth with a flushed face, his eyes darting around until they lit up. "You wait for me a moment; I'll get you something to eat." Saying this, he walked quickly toward Yushui's room.

Pushing open the door, a smell of cigarette smoke hit him. Bang Geng frowned and waved his hand, then walked inside without closing the door, searching everywhere.

Soon, Goushengzi and the others followed him in and rummaged through the room, finding peanuts, salted duck eggs, melon seeds, cured sausage, white liquor, and other things under the bed.

"Shall we go, Sheng Ge?" Bang Geng looked at the room, which had been turned upside down by the group, and couldn't help but feel a bit afraid.

"Go where? It's so cold outside. Start a fire, roast some sweet potatoes, and eat right here. They've all gone to work anyway and won't be back for a while. We'll leave when they're about to get off work." Sheng Ge patted Jia Geng on the shoulder. Seeing the dilemma on Jia Geng's face, he added comfortingly, "Don't worry, I won't make it hard for you. We're brothers, aren't we? We'll clean up for him when we leave. It's fine, hurry up and start the fire."

Soon, the stove was lit, and the group drank liquor and ate peanuts, feeling quite content.

"Hey, Sheng Ge, look, money!" Changfeng had a low tolerance for alcohol; after two drinks, he was restless and wandering around, poking and prodding until he pulled out the money He Yuzhu had forgotten to put away from his pocket.

"Oh boy, this must be a yuan, right?" Sheng Ge wiped his hands on his clothes and took the money with bright eyes.

"Sheng Ge, you can't touch that money. This room is Shazhu's; he'll report it to the Public Security Station!" Bang Geng said anxiously, but just as he stepped forward, he was pushed back.

Sheng Ge nodded, put the money back, and then started urging them to drink again.

Soon, Bang Geng was drunk by the group and dragged his tongue as he returned to his own home.

Sheng Ge and the others chuckled and took the money back out. After all, they were all Jia Geng's relatives and neighbors; he didn't believe they would really be that ruthless.

Satisfied, the group extinguished the fire, each tucked a few roasted sweet potatoes into their clothes, and Changfeng carried the remaining cured meat, duck eggs, and peanuts. The group walked out of the Siheyuan with a swagger.

But that is another story.

He Yuzhu followed the Big Leader's car all the way to the Propaganda Department.

Seeing the young actors laughing and coming and going, his mood brightened considerably.

"Come on, let's go in. Stay close to me; I'll introduce you," the Big Leader said, pulling He Yuzhu, who had been distracted watching the actors, and whispering a reminder.

"Right."

He Yuzhu quickly collected his thoughts, followed the Big Leader closely, and entered an office.

"Haha, busy?" As soon as they entered, the Big Leader laughed.

He Yuzhu followed behind with a smile on his face as well, but when he looked up and saw the two people in the office clearly, his heart skipped a beat!

Why would Liang Lu's father be here?!