Chapter 436: Where the Sunlight Cannot Reach

The thin man led Liu Guangtian into a narrower alley, at the end of which sat a small courtyard.

He pushed open the courtyard gate, and three low-roofed residential rooms came into view, yet the yard was swept spotlessly clean, without a trace of accumulated snow.

Lifting the door curtain, a wave of warmth rushed toward them, mixed with the mouth-watering aroma of meat.

On the honeycomb coal stove inside the room, a clay pot was bubbling away with Braised Pork, the rich fragrance drilling straight into their noses.

The thin man had Liu Guangtian sit on a stool, then turned to rummage through a drawer for cotton and a small bottle of gentian violet; he gently pulled back his clothes and carefully cleaned the several abrasions on his skin.

"Don't get these wet for the next few days, be careful of infection," the thin man whispered a warning.

"It's nothing, I get hurt often, I'm used to it!" Liu Guangtian grinned, saying it as if he didn't care at all.

The thin man fished a bottle of liquor out from his cotton-padded jacket and said with a smile, "I have to say, you and I are quite fated. If I hadn't gone out to buy liquor, I wouldn't have run into you. Come to think of it, it's all destiny; come, tonight we'll drink from big bowls and eat big chunks of meat!"

Looking at that slightly ugly profile illuminated by the stove fire, Liu Guangtian suddenly felt a warmth in his heart, and tears couldn't help but fall: "Uncle, you're treating me... to liquor... but I've never had any!"

"It's fine, what kind of man doesn't drink! Keep your uncle company for a cup!" The thin man poured a small half-cup of liquor and pushed it in front of him, "Drink some to warm your body."

Liu Guangtian held the warm cup, his tears pattering into the liquor.

In truth, he had drunk liquor before—he had stolen it from his father.

That day, Liu Haizhong discovered two taels of liquor were missing and gave him a solid beating.

"Have a cup, try it, this is one of the few good things in this world!" the thin man coaxed him.

Liu Guangtian gritted his teeth, picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp, immediately grimacing from the burn.

"Fun! Fun!" The thin man clapped his hands in delight and even jumped twice on the ground.

"Your liquor isn't bitter!" Liu Guangtian laughed foolishly.

"Silly kid! How could liquor be bitter! Come, eat some meat to chase it down." The thin man picked up a large piece of meat with a mix of fat and lean and put it into Liu Guangtian's bowl.

Liu Guangtian caught a glimpse of the fact that there was only one set of bowls and chopsticks in the thin man's home, so he simply grabbed the meat with his hand and stuffed it into his mouth.

The meat was soft, tender, and oily; it slid down his throat almost without needing to be chewed. He smacked his lips hard at the lingering fragrance, the more he savored it, the more he felt it satisfied his cravings: "It's... it's really delicious!"

The thin man chuckled and jumped a few more times on the ground: "You kid, you've got a good personality, you suit my taste!"

"Delicious! The meat you make is much better than what my mother makes!" Liu Guangtian blurted out.

"You little brat," the thin man deliberately stiffened his face, feigning anger, "Didn't you just say you had no father or mother? Lying isn't good!"

Liu Guangtian choked, lowered his head, and said in a hoarse voice: "Sorry... they are still alive, but in my heart, I've long considered them dead."

"How do you figure that?" The thin man's smile faded, and he asked in a deep voice.

"You don't know, in our house, whatever my older brother does is right, and whatever I do is wrong. When I was little, whenever I cried, they would find me annoying and throw me outside to scare me. I always felt... I wasn't their biological child. Later, when I got a bit older, they complained about me wetting the bed..."

The thin man let out a "pfft" of laughter: "I have to say, you and I are really a bit alike! When I was thirteen, I still wet the bed too, and I don't know from what day on, it just suddenly stopped."

"Really?" Liu Guangtian's eyes lit up, and he jerked his head up.

"Why would I lie to you? Come, today we won't talk about those miserable things, let's eat meat and drink liquor, and forget all our worries, alright?" The thin man added another large piece of Braised Pork to his bowl.

Liu Guangtian held his bowl and suddenly looked up at the thin man: "Uncle, why are you so good to me?"

"Know what destiny is?" The thin man pointed to the liquor bottle on the table, "If there was still liquor in this bottle, I wouldn't have gone out to buy more; if I hadn't gone out, I wouldn't have run into you. If I hadn't run into you, you might have... really been beaten to a pulp by someone."

Liu Guangtian lowered his head, his voice muffled: "I get beaten at home, so I want to go out and beat others. I have quite a few enemies; even if someone broke my legs today, I'd accept it."

"Well said! At the end of the day, to be a man you have to have ability, and if you get beaten, you have to accept your fate! What's the use of just complaining? Do you know what I hate most in this life?"

"I don't know!"

The thin man sighed, his tone heavy: "I hate a man who says he's no good all day long! My father, my grandfather, they were people like that, and in the end, they all starved to death!"

Liu Guangtian's eyes grew brighter and brighter; in a daze, he felt as if he had found his guide.

"A wolf travels a thousand miles to eat meat, a dog travels a thousand miles to eat dung! I know you're a kid who's suffered, remember this place from now on. In the future, as long as I'm around, you won't go hungry."

"Are... are you telling the truth?" Liu Guangtian's voice trembled with excitement.

"Your uncle keeps his word." The thin man poured him another small half-cup of liquor.

"Uncle, I still haven't asked what your name is!"

"My name is Wang Baosheng." The thin man grinned.

Municipal Bureau, interrogation room.

Mei Feng clutched a confession, walked out slowly, and handed it to Zhou Hao: "Captain Zhou, this person is indeed a latent spy. At first, he was very tight-lipped, but later, I found the imprint left by a Secret Letter he had written on a page in his notebook, so I deciphered it, and after that... he confessed everything. However, he is only a low-level spy, and his main task was to collect intelligence on our side's mechanical field."

Zhou Hao quickly scanned the confession and patted Mei Feng's shoulder hard: "One day and one night, from catching the person to getting the results, well done! Chen Jian, send Mr. Mei back, and stop by Quanjude to buy a roast duck."

"Thank you, Captain Zhou." Mei Feng nodded slightly.

"Why be so polite," Zhou Hao said in a gentle tone, "Keep performing meritorious service, and the day you leave here won't be far off."

Watching Mei Feng walk away, Zhou Hao clenched his fists tightly, a surge of heat rushing to his heart—what Tian Dan could accomplish, he, Zhou Hao, could also do, and do it even faster!

He took the confession and walked quickly to the door of Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo's office, then knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A booming response came from inside.

Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo looked up, and seeing Zhou Hao's glowing face, couldn't help but ask with a smile: "Xiao Zhou, good news?"

Zhou Hao handed over the confession: "Professor Sun, whom you approved for arrest last night, is indeed a spy. He just confessed that he has repeatedly passed information on our country's mechanical industry development to the Taiwan Secret Service Bureau."

Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo read the materials carefully and placed them on the table: "You did well this time. You must dig deeper along the line of Professor Sun and strive to ferret out his superior."

"I guarantee the mission will be accomplished! However..." Zhou Hao hesitated, "Will Section Chief Tian be unhappy because I came directly to you?"

"Rest assured," Deputy Bureau Chief Zuo waved his hand, "As long as the job is done well, no one can find fault. But be extra careful when using Mei Feng; he is a veteran spy with many tricks up his sleeve, and he might set a trap for you at any time."

"Uncle Zuo, I understand; for now, he is being used within a controllable range." Zhou Hao nodded quickly.

When Liu Guangtian came out of Wang Baosheng's house, he felt relaxed all over, his steps light and airy.

As the night wind blew, the smell of liquor dissipated a bit, but the warmth in his heart could not be suppressed, bubbling out incessantly.

Just as he entered the house, the Second Aunt wrinkled her nose and leaned in: "You little brat, where have you been running wild? You reek of liquor!"

"A classmate was holding a full-month celebration for his child, and he insisted I drink a couple of cups," Liu Guangtian lied smoothly.

"The food at home was finished long ago, hurry up and lie down to sleep; once you're asleep, you won't be hungry!" the Second Aunt said impatiently.

Just as they were speaking, Liu Haizhong returned from the restroom, his eyes wide as he barked, "Where has that little bastard run off to again?"

The Second Aunt hurriedly chimed in, "He said a classmate invited him to a full-month celebration."

"What a load of bullshit! A mere brat, who would invite him to drink? As his mother, you need to keep a tighter leash on him!" Liu Haizhong roared in a gruff voice.

"I know, I know." The Second Aunt replied perfunctorily, then turned around to clear the bowls and chopsticks.