LRAB Chapter 236 Thoughts
Chapter 236 Thoughts
In the courtyard, Lou Xiao'e knelt in front of the deaf old lady, tears streaming down her face: "Old lady, I'm afraid I'll never come back after I leave. I... I have a wish..."
The deaf old lady touched her hair and said, "Girl, just say whatever you want to say."
"I want to... I want to give myself to He Yuzhu..." Lou Xiao'e's face turned red like a burning cloud, "Just for this night... I beg you to help me..."
The deaf old lady's hands trembled and she sighed: "What a sin... Why are you doing this..."
"I don't ask for status or a future," Lou Xiao'e kowtowed, "I just want a memory... Please..."
The old lady couldn't resist her pleading and stood up tremblingly: "Forget it... I'll go find a pillar now..."
The deaf old lady, leaning on a cane, trembled and came to the door of Sha Zhu's house. She looked up at the sky, and the raindrops were shining like silver threads under the dim light.
"Pillar?" The old lady knocked on the door gently.
Sha Zhu was cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen. He opened the door when he heard the noise and said, "Old lady, why are you here so late? Come in quickly, don't get wet."
The old lady came into the room and looked around: "Where's Yu Li?"
"She went back to her mother's house," Sha Zhu handed over a dry towel, "her father had a backache, so I went to take care of him for two days."
A complicated look flashed across the old lady's eyes, and then she smiled and said, "It just so happens that today is Xiao'e's birthday, and I want to celebrate her birthday. You cook two dishes and we can have a good time."
Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment: "Xiao'e's birthday? Wasn't it last month..."
"Oh, am I mistaken?" The old lady patted her forehead. "Who cares? I just want to satisfy my craving. Zhuzi, please have pity on me, an old woman."
Sha Zhu smiled helplessly: "Okay, I'll do it right away. You sit down first."
Soon the sound of a spatula was heard from the kitchen. The old lady sat in the main room, looking out the window at the rain, her fingers stroking the end of her walking stick.
After a while, Sha Zhu brought a plate of braised pork and a dish of scrambled eggs, and warmed a pot of wine. Lou Xiao'e came out from the inner room, wearing a plain blue cloth jacket, with her hair simply tied behind her head.
"He Yuzhu..." she called softly, her voice trembling a little.
Sha Zhu looked up and saw that Lou Xiao'e's eyes were red. He couldn't help but ask with concern: "Xiao'e, what's wrong with you?"
The old lady quickly tried to smooth things over: "She misses her mother. Come on, come on, let's eat first."
The three of them sat around the small square table, the atmosphere was a little subtle. The old lady poured a glass of wine for each of them: "We are happy today, drink a little."
Sha Zhu didn't want to drink, but seeing that the old lady was in high spirits, he couldn't refuse. Lou Xiao'e lowered her head, sipped the wine, and her cheeks soon turned red.
After three rounds of drinking, Sha Zhu suddenly felt dizzy. He shook his head: "Strange, it's only a few drinks..."
Before he finished speaking, his vision began to blur, and the last thing he saw was Lou Xiao'e's tearful eyes and the old lady's complicated expression.
"Old lady...this wine..." Sha Zhu didn't finish his words and fell on the table.
Lou Xiao'e's tears finally fell: "Old lady, I..."
"Go ahead," the deaf old lady sighed and stood up tremblingly, "I'll go to the middle yard to look after the children. Remember, it's just for one night."
The old lady walked out of the house with her cane and closed the door gently. The sound of rain gradually increased, covering up the slightest movement in the house.
Lou Xiao'e walked to Sha Zhu and gently stroked his face. The incandescent light cast Lou Xiao'e's shadow on Sha Zhu's body. Her trembling fingers gently stroked Sha Zhu's hot cheek, and her tears silently dripped on his collar.
"Zhu Zi..." She leaned over and whispered softly in his ear, "I'm sorry..."
The rain outside the window was falling harder, hitting the window frame with a crackling sound. Occasionally, a few dogs barked in the distance, but were soon drowned out by the sound of the rain.
Sha Zhu was so drunk that he could only vaguely see a familiar figure. He tried to open his eyes wide, but he couldn't see clearly: "Xiao...Xiao'e?"
Lou Xiao'e bit her lip and slowly unbuttoned her clothes. The sound of rain outside the window covered up the small noises in the house and also covered up her suppressed sobs.
"I...I'm leaving..." She leaned over and whispered in Shazhu's ear, "Just let me...keep a memory in your mind..."
Sha Zhu tried to struggle to get up, but was held back by the alcohol and the soft hands. In a trance, he seemed to hear Lou Xiao'e say something in his ear, but it seemed like a dream.
The rain was getting heavier, washing away every brick in the courtyard. The deaf old lady sat beside her two children's beds, her cloudy eyes looking through the window at the dark night sky.
The next morning, Sha Zhu woke up with a splitting headache and found himself lying on the kang of the deaf old lady, covered with a quilt. The room was empty, with only a bowl of hangover soup on the table and a note underneath.
He struggled to get up and picked up the note, which was written in Lou Xiao'e's beautiful handwriting: "He Yuzhu, I'm leaving. Don't worry."
Sha Zhu stood up suddenly, but stumbled because of his hangover. He stumbled to the front door and bumped into Yu Li who was returning from her mother's house.
"Zhu Zi? What's wrong with you?" Yu Li didn't finish her words when she suddenly noticed her husband's pale face. "Are you feeling unwell or something happened?"
Sha Zhu opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. He crumpled the note in his hand into a ball. The rain soaked the paper and the ink slowly blurred, just like the vague dream last night.
At this time, Lou Xiao'e was already sitting on the southbound train. She looked at the passing scenery outside the window, her hand unconsciously touching her belly, and a gleam of resoluteness and tenderness flashed in her eyes.
"It's good that he's gone..." The deaf old lady sat on the threshold of her house, muttering to herself at the empty yard, "Now that he's gone... it's clean..."
When Lou Xiao'e got on the train, Xu Damao, with a group of people wearing red armbands, kicked open the door of Old Sun's house in the south of the city in a menacing manner.
"Search! Search thoroughly!" Xu Damao stood in the yard with his hands on his hips and shouted, "Don't even leave rat holes unsearched!"
Several young workers rushed into the house like wolves and tigers, rummaging through the boxes and cabinets. Old Sun squatted in the corner, puffing on his pipe, with no emotion visible in his cloudy eyes.
"Report to Team Leader Xu, no!"
“Neither here!”
The fat on Xu Damao's face trembled: "Impossible! Keep searching!"
An hour later, Xu Damao left with a sullen face. The same scene was repeated in the other two servants' homes, but nothing was found.
"Damn it!" Xu Damao stood at the entrance of the alley, sweat oozing from his forehead, "Could it be..."
He suddenly remembered something and ran towards the Lou family villa. His leather shoes splashed mud in the puddles and soaked his trouser legs, but he didn't care.
When Xu Damao breathlessly broke open the door of the Lou family, the scene before him made him feel as if he had fallen into an icy cave - apart from the furniture in the house, there were only water marks on the ground and discarded clothes and documents. It was obvious that the house was empty.
"Where are the people?!" Xu Damao yelled hysterically, rushing into each room, "Lou Bancheng! Come out!"
He kicked open the study door and found several books neatly placed on the desk. There was a note in the top volume, Selected Works of Mao Zedong. Xu Damao picked it up with trembling hands. It read: "Those who do too much evil will eventually perish."
"Fuck!" Xu Damao tore the note into pieces and turned around to run back. He knew he was in big trouble.
In the office of the Revolutionary Committee of the Steel Rolling Mill, Li Huaide was on the phone, his face becoming increasingly grim. Xu Damao stood aside with his neck shrunk, his shirt back soaked with cold sweat.
"Bang!" Li Huaide slammed the phone down, his sinister eyes narrowed into a slit: "Xu Damao, you did a good thing!"
"Director Li, I really don't know what's going on..." Xu Damao's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees, "I swear I didn't leak the news..."
"No news leaked?" Li Huaide sneered, took out an envelope from the drawer and threw it on the table, "Then what is this?"
Xu Damao opened the envelope tremblingly, and inside were several photos - pictures of him secretly going to scout the area near the Lou family villa a few days ago.
"This...this..." Xu Damao's face turned pale, "I just went to investigate..."
"Investigation?" Li Huaide slammed the table and stood up. "Lou Bancheng ran away! If the higher-ups track him down, how can I explain it?!"
Outside the office, several clerks held their breath and listened to the roar inside. Liu Haizhong walked over with his hands behind his back, a gloating smile on his face: "Oh, Team Leader Xu got scolded again?"
Inside the house, Li Huaide had regained his composure, but his eyes were even more terrifying: "Xu Damao, I'll give you three days. Either you bring the people from the Lou family back, or..." He paused meaningfully, "You can go to the cowshed to replace your father-in-law."
Xu Damao was struck by lightning and collapsed on the ground. He knew that Li Huaide was not joking.