Courtyard House: Railway Police at the Start

Chapter 31: The Answer

Sure enough, it was pretty much the same answer I had in mind.

However, Tang Zhenghong never expected that the other one would be Liu Guangqi. He had always thought it would be Jia Dongxu or Yi Zhonghai.

"It's no wonder they're like this. Most people would run away from people like that. By the way, Uncle Liu, what did you take the deaf old lady to get that day? I haven't seen any reimbursement afterward. Did Grandpa pocket all his hard-earned money?"

Now Liu Yizhen was certain of his guess: "It seems they were hauling coal briquettes in Coal Shop Alley. They must have taken the wrong route and gone around in circles. They must have paid in advance. Otherwise, given Liu Haizhong's personality, would he really let his eldest son go through all that trouble?"

Tang Zhenghong recalled the dead-end alley where his grandfather had the accident, and he was basically certain that the old deaf man had a purpose in doing this job. When he was a child, he often followed his grandfather to do jobs, and he went to Paoju Hutong quite often. How could his grandfather have gone the wrong way?

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the ticking of the grandfather clock remaining.

Aunt Liu sensed something was wrong and gestured to the old man to change the subject.

Liu Yizhen shook his head slightly and sighed.

Tang Zhenghong stood up and solemnly thanked Liu Yizhen: "Uncle, thank you. It's getting late, so I'll head back now."

Aunt Liu got up to see Tang Zhenghong off, saying, "Zhenghong, some things we've only heard about are not true. Look forward to the future, there's still a long way to go."

Tang Zhenghong wiped his eyes, nodded apologetically to Aunt Liu, and then prepared to go home.

Liu Yizhen followed, and once in the courtyard, he pulled Tang Zhenghong aside and whispered, "Listen to your uncle's advice, don't make a foolish mistake. She's just an old woman waiting to die, it's not worth you doing something so reckless. I remember some of the old man's old friends went to the neighborhood office and left their addresses; they're all capable people who drive military vehicles, why don't you go find them?"

"Uncle, I wouldn't be that foolish. Thank you so much for today..."

"I treat you like my own child, so I'll let it go and vent my anger. Leave the rest to those other people."

"Yes, Uncle, get some rest."

Back inside, Liu Yizhen was scolded by his wife: "You old fool, why did you tell the child this? You're the only smart one, what if... you're going to drive me crazy."

Some people didn't let Tang Zhenghong know about the day he worked, fearing his retaliation, while others worried that he might not be able to process what happened and might do something wrong.

Looking at the whole incident, the actions of the deaf man and Liu Guangqi are despicable but understandable. However, most people would not be able to get over this hurdle if they were in that situation.

"If I don't say anything, will Zheng Hong not be able to find out? He doesn't seem like an impulsive person. Although I'm called a 'needle-wielding doctor,' I'm still a decent practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine. If I don't get my revenge, I'll have a knot in my heart, and that will only cause big trouble in the long run."

"You think you're so capable? You've driven Boyuan to the point where they'd rather live at school. You think you're so competent? Even their own kids are avoiding you."

"I did push Boyuan a bit too hard, but I kept things under control and didn't let him break down too much. He's going to be a cadre in the future, someone who will bring honor to our Liu family. How can he possibly handle this much?"

Aunt Liu said helplessly, "You look exactly like Liu Haizhong from the next courtyard now."

"Hmph, he thinks he can compare to me? Just wait and see. If he raises his kids like that, I'll be blind if he has anyone to take care of him when he gets old."

Back in the courtyard, Tang Zhenghong bumped into the deaf old lady coming out of the toilet at the door and greeted her as usual.

An older woman, supporting a deaf old lady, praised Tang Zhenghong's retreating figure, saying, "Time really flies. That little kid has grown into a young man, and now he's a policeman. It's just a pity that old man Tang didn't get to enjoy his good fortune."

After praising Tang Zhenghong, the older woman took the opportunity of reminding the deaf old lady to watch her step to carefully observe the other woman's expression.

The deaf old woman squinted, looking puzzled. "What did you say? I can't hear you."

"I told you to slow down."

"Eating meat? Eating meat is good, the meat that Zhu Zi makes is delicious."

The older woman looked distressed but replied helplessly, "Okay, I'll talk to Lao Yi and make it for you tomorrow."

However, she didn't notice the sly smile on the deaf old woman's face and the cunning in her eyes.

Hongxingzhuang.

Tang Hongxin was frolicking in the yard, wearing a skirt. It was a bit chilly in the village at night, and although her arms and legs were a little cold, she didn't care at all.

"Go back inside and change quickly. If you catch a cold, you'll have to spend money on injections. Honestly, my second son is such a waste of money buying her clothes and shoes."

Tang Weijun put on new cloth shoes and didn't want to take them off, even though they were a bit too big for him.

He was a little envious of his younger sister, who got new clothes every time she went to the city with her second brother: "Mom, I want to go to the city with my second brother next time too."

The old man took a puff of his pipe and glared at Tang Weijun: "Do you think I don't know what you're up to? Your second brother is already having a hard time in the city all by himself, don't go and cause him trouble. Eldest son, Zheng Hong brought some cloth for you and the eldest son to make some clothes. When you got married, we didn't have any cloth at home, we didn't even have any new clothes made."

"Dad, you and Mom haven't had any clothes made in all these years. Let's make some for you two first, since Aiguo and I can still wear the clothes we have."

The elderly couple were pleased with their daughter-in-law's filial piety: "Your eldest son's family doesn't need our concern. Your second son brought back a lot of old clothes; they can be altered and worn. You two should make a set and take some time to visit your parents' home."

"Listen to your mother, bring along everything the second brother brought this time."

The eldest sister-in-law glanced at her husband, thinking it was time for her to make a grand return to her parents' home. Touching her belly, she obediently nodded and agreed, "I'll listen to Father and Mother."

"Heart, is the city really that fun?"

Tang Weijun's plan to go to the city with his second brother was rejected by his father, so he could only ask his sister for information. That way, he would have material to dream about at night. If they won't let me go, I can go in my dreams, right?

"It was so much fun! There were so many people and lots of delicious food. I also made some good friends. Da Mao and Er Mao call me 'Auntie'."

Speaking of this, Tang Hongxin recalled the taste of roast duck, licking her lips: "My second brother even took me to eat roast duck, it was so delicious."

Tang Weijun swallowed hard. "I don't believe it. Are buns with fried pork crackling filling really that good? What do they taste like?"

"Yes...anyway, it was delicious. I ate until I was stuffed. My second brother said he'd take me there again next time."

Tang Hongxin couldn't quite describe the taste of the roast duck, and she was a little impatient, proudly showing off to her third brother with her small body upright.

"I don't believe it, unless you take me with you next time."

Tang Hongxin fell for it as expected and hurriedly said, "Hmph, I'll have my second brother take you to eat it, and you'll know how delicious it is. I've never eaten anything so delicious in my life."

The little girl's words amused everyone in the family.