Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Blind Date

Tutoring the children in the alley who were out of school was a kind gesture. Li Yancheng admired Zhang Weiyu’s heart, but he also broke into a cold sweat for her—that girl was truly bold. If anyone were to report her, she would be in serious trouble.

Tutoring one’s own children at home was one thing, but offering lessons to all the children in the alley? Heh, that was an entirely different matter. One shouldn't assume that neighbors in the same alley would keep their mouths shut; there were plenty of people with nothing better to do. If people could betray their own kin for the sake of "righteousness," reporting an outsider was a triviality.

After some thought, he decided not to say anything in front of the children. He let them continue playing and returned to the back courtyard, planning to speak with Zhang Lianyi—the father of the little girl named Nana—either tonight or tomorrow. Back when the old man passed away the year before last, Zhang Lianyi had been the one bustling about, helping with everything until the funeral was over. He needed to advise him to tell his sister to keep a lower profile; it wasn't worth risking her future for the sake of doing a good deed.

By six o'clock, the four children playing in the front courtyard disbanded and headed home. When Jin Wening returned to the back courtyard and saw Li Yancheng scrubbing laundry at the washbasin, she ran over and asked, "Brother Dacheng, shall I help you with the laundry?"

"Go play somewhere else." Li Yancheng couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

"Hmph, I’m the one who washes all the bedding taken apart at your place."

"I appreciate it, but I’d rather handle my own clothes." There were undergarments in the pile; he couldn't possibly let a young girl wash them, even though he harbored a deep resentment for hand-washing laundry. He wondered when he’d finally be able to buy a washing machine. Although domestic models existed now, they were primarily supplied to state-run hotels, not for private use.

"Ningning, is your brother on duty today?"

"I don't know. My brother has been pulled into some special task force at the Municipal Bureau, so his schedule has been completely irregular for the past month."

"A special task force?" Li Yancheng paused his scrubbing, his face full of surprise. "How did he end up in a task force?"

"Well... I heard my brother and sister-in-law talking about it. He said Uncle Tian, my father’s old comrade-in-arms, pulled him in to give him a chance to gain some experience."

Li Yancheng remembered this Uncle Tian, whose name was Tian Kecong. By the time Jin Zhihai’s father sacrificed his life, this man was already the deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Division at the Municipal Bureau; he didn't know what his current rank was. That Jin Zhihai had been able to successfully succeed his father at the Public Security Bureau and even get sent to the Police Cadre Academy for a year was entirely thanks to this Uncle Tian.

"Sigh, I ordered a table of food from the restaurant down the street, but it looks like your brother is out of luck tonight."

Upon hearing about the delicious food, Jin Wening’s large eyes sparkled, but her expression quickly clouded over, and she sighed like a little adult. "Sigh, Brother Dacheng, you can’t keep spending money like this. You need to save up—you’ll have to get married one day."

"Pfft... where did you learn that?"

"Heh, I’m thirteen already. I’m not a little kid anymore, so of course I know these things."

"Enough of that. Don’t you worry about whether I get married or not. Go, run to the entrance of the east alley and see if the restaurant has finished the meal. If it’s ready, tell them to send it over. I’m starving."

"Oh." Ningning made a face at him, feeling slightly indignant, then turned and skipped off toward the front courtyard. Brother Dacheng was just like her brother; they always treated her like a child.

Watching her disappear past the gate, Li Yancheng shook his head with a smile. It seemed all children were the same: when they were young, they wished to grow up quickly, but once they reached their teens, they desperately wanted adults to treat them like equals. Yet, once they truly grew up and entered society, perhaps they would realize that childhood was the happiest time of their lives—a time when they could be carefree and have nothing to worry about.

"Yo, Brother Dacheng, you're back?"

"Fangchou, Xiuli, you two are off work?" Cai Fangchou and Fu Xiuli, the young couple living in the east wing, were always the first to return because their workplace was closest to home.

"Brother Dacheng," Fu Xiuli greeted him shyly.

"Did you just get back this afternoon?"

"Yeah, there wasn't a soul in the courtyard when I arrived. By the way, don't bother cooking. I’ve ordered a meal from the restaurant; come over and eat with me later."

"That sounds great! A chance to treat ourselves—I won't be polite then."

"Why be polite? Fangchou, go tell the Zhao family in the front yard to come over too."

"You got it."

The four families in this courtyard had always maintained a good relationship, never having any serious conflicts. Whenever someone made something good, they always remembered the others. He had spent over ten yuan on a feast today, so he was happy to invite everyone over; it was a decent way to welcome himself home.

Jin Zhihai was lucky; he happened to get off work at the normal time and didn't miss the meal. The eleven people in the courtyard upheld their usual fine tradition of finishing every last morsel. They wiped their plates clean with steamed buns until not a drop of oil remained, and in the end, everyone left with a full stomach.

"Dacheng, when do you start work?" After the meal, the women handled the cleanup while the men squatted by the doorway for a post-dinner smoke. Of course, the Zhao brothers, Mingjun and Mingming, weren't included—they were too young, and if Old Zhao caught them smoking, he would surely slap them across the face. Cai Fangchou didn't smoke either.

After lighting his cigarette from the flame held by his eldest son, Old Zhao turned to Li Yancheng. "Next Monday. I reported to the institute today and they gave us a four-day break."

"I heard from Zhihai that you finalized your divorce the day you got back?"

"Yes, a colleague reminded me a month ago, so I hurried back to get it done. It’s better to avoid unnecessary complications."

"So, what are your thoughts now? You know the Gui family in the north alley, right?" Seeing Li Yancheng nod, Old Zhao continued, "Old Gui’s wife was asking your aunt about your situation just the other day. You should know, their eldest daughter is already twenty this year."

Li Yancheng was slightly taken aback. "Uncle Zhao, you mean Gui Fangfang?"

"That’s the one."

"Isn't she already engaged?" Li Yancheng asked, looking astonished.

"The man died."

"What? Died?" Li Yancheng turned to look at Zhao Mingliang, the eldest son, who had chimed in.

"Yeah. Gui Fangfang’s fiancé was a fellow apprentice of mine at the district transport company. We were repairing a tire, and somehow, it exploded. A piece of shrapnel—or maybe a rock—was blasted out like a bullet, hitting him right in the left eye and driving straight into his brain. He was dead before they even got him to the hospital. That happened nearly two months ago."

Good grief! Li Yancheng was stunned. What was this? *Final Destination*?