Chapter 43 Changes

Jin Zhihai had always felt that his childhood friend's personality was a bit too... to put it bluntly, too spineless and too much of a pushover.

Yet, the changes in him after just three months of providing medical support in the countryside seemed a bit too drastic, didn't they?

While feeling happy for his good friend, a deep sense of confusion welled up in his heart.

Unlike others, he had known Li Yancheng since they were three years old. Their relationship was closer than that of biological brothers. Their understanding of each other was absolute—the kind where the moment you puckered your backside, the other person already knew what kind of gas you were about to pass.

Coming back from medical support this time, his good friend was like a completely different person. Anyone would find that strange.

Judging from the current situation, the changes over the past three months were quite good, but they had happened a bit too quickly, making it somewhat hard for him to accept.

Still, he didn't say anything out loud. In his own mind, he rationalized that after experiencing so many things in quick succession over the past year or so, some changes in personality were probably normal, even if they were indeed rather significant.

With this thought, Jin Zhihai turned his head to glance toward the doorway, cracked a wide, silent smile, and gave Li Yancheng a thumbs-up.

It meant that the scolding was well-deserved.

Standing nearby, Xing Lihua rolled her eyes at her husband with helpless exasperation and reached out to swat his raised thumb down.

"Alright, stop stirring up trouble."

"How am I stirring up trouble? I just wasn't home yesterday. If I had heard her say things like that, I would have marched right up and given her a solid slap across the face."

"Look at you and your big talk. Don't forget the uniform you're wearing."

Xing Lihua reached out and poked her husband on the forehead, then turned her gaze to Li Yancheng. "Dacheng, you've already given her a piece of your mind, and her family's house has now been borrowed by others. Don't take this matter to heart anymore.

When you run into someone who is drowning and insists on dragging others down into the water with them, we'll just keep our distance from them in the future. There's no need to push things to the absolute limit, though. What do you think?"

"Brother Dacheng, hurry, hurry, hurry... ssss-ha... it's so hot, I feel like the flames are about to lick my hands."

Before Li Yancheng could reply, young Ningning, who had gone to fetch coal, came lifting the curtain with a pair of tongs holding a burning red lump of coal, chattering nonstop.

Seeing this, Li Yancheng hurriedly stepped forward and took the coal tongs from her hands.

"You really are earnest, girl. Wouldn't it have been enough to just grab the top piece? Why did you go and pick the one burning the hottest for me?"

"Hehe, that way your room warms up faster." Ningning gave a naive, simple smile, walked over to the chair by the table, and plopped right down.

Taking advantage of the pause while changing the coal, Li Yancheng thought for a moment.

"Lihua, thank you. I know you're looking out for me. After all, her father holds a good position."

"Psh, don't mention that to me." Xing Lihua waved her hand dismissively with an air of grand indifference.

"You and Zhihai are like real brothers; there's no need to talk about thanks. As for them having a good father, that's not an issue at all."

"Alright, then we won't talk about it." Having changed the coal and placed the kettle back onto the stove, Li Yancheng smiled, nodded, and turned the conversation to another matter.

"Zhihai, last night I happened to get a bit of information that might be useful for the case you're handling. Do you want to hear it?"

"What did you say?"

Jin Zhihai leaped up instantly, his face a mix of shock and excitement.

There was only one case he was currently handling, and the entire twenty-plus-member special investigation team had been working busily for a month without finding a single clue. Now, hearing his brother suddenly mention having information out of the blue, how could he not be excited?

"I can't guarantee whether it's true or false yet, nor whether this information will actually be useful to you. I can only say it's something I inadvertently stumbled upon. The specifics will still require you guys to investigate yourselves."

Li Yancheng walked over to the table, picked up a pack of cigarettes, tossed one to Jin Zhihai, pulled up a chair, and sat down.

Catching the cigarette, Jin Zhihai struck a match and lit Li Yancheng's first. Too impatient to even light his own, he hurriedly asked, "What's the news?"

After asking, he turned his head to look at his wife and sister. "You two better not talk about this outside."

"Humph, as if we're dying to hear it. Let's go, Ningning, let's step outside for a stroll for a while, let the two of them talk, and later your Brother Dacheng can help you with your study problems."

Xing Lihua wasn't particularly interested in her husband's case work; she only hoped that her man would stay safe.

Just two days ago, she had a talk with her sister-in-law about the habit of constantly running over to this side, telling her that she was already a grown young woman and couldn't keep darting over to Li Yancheng's place on a whim—she needed to mind the optics.

In the end, who knows how the sister-in-law and sister discussed it, but ever since that talk, she no longer opposed her sister-in-law coming over here. It was quite peculiar.

Of course, Li Yancheng knew nothing about this conversation, though he usually paid special attention to such boundaries himself, firmly refusing to let young Ningning stay at his place too late.

Actually, Xing Lihua wasn't against her sister-in-law coming over; she simply felt that they should be mindful of perceptions, just in case some idle busybody started gossiping—much like that Fu Xiuli.

After getting off work and returning home yesterday afternoon, upon hearing from her sister-in-law what had happened in the morning, she had been furious.

She never expected that Fu Xiuli, who usually seemed to have a decent relationship with them, could utter such words. Talk about a snake in the grass.

...

After Xing Lihua led a somewhat reluctant Ningning outside, Jin Zhihai pulled his chair closer to Li Yancheng's side, lowered his voice, and asked, "Brother, tell me, what did you find out?"