At this moment, Qin Huai had just finished his training.
Seeing Li Qiuyue bundled up in her coat, shivering, he simply got up and stood behind her, shielding her from the biting wind.
“Sorry… did I wake you?” he asked, slightly puzzled.
Li Qiuyue wanted to nod, but seeing his little gesture, she swallowed it back.
She thought, Let Qin Huai secretly enjoy himself for encountering someone as soft-hearted as me.
A stubborn man like him would never realize that he had just narrowly escaped trouble though that trouble had been handed to him by her.
“I usually get up early for my food stall, so I’m used to waking up at this hour,” Li Qiuyue said, nodding toward the tricycle in the yard.
Qin Huai had noticed the tricycle parked next to the stove yesterday. It was a bit worn but clean.
It was empty except for a sign painted in red: “Wontons, Baozi.”
“You taking the stall out today?” Qin Huai asked, following her back into the house.
“No, I have some things to take care of today,” Li Qiuyue replied quickly, anxious not to reveal her plan to settle scores.
Pointing to the corner, she changed the topic: “The thermos is on the floor, the red basin with little fish is the washbasin, and the pan with lard is on the cabinet. Find them yourself.”
Qin Huai narrowed his eyes, sensing something off, but since he didn’t really know Li Qiuyue, he could only interpret this sudden helpfulness as her delayed “host courtesy.”
Meanwhile, Li Qiuyue exhaled softly, thinking having a ridiculously upright good man nearby wasn’t always a blessing.
After changing the coal, she reheated the leftover millet porridge from last night and went outside to heat the sweet potatoes and steamed buns.
When the porridge inside was hot, she cracked three eggs into three bowls, poured in the steaming millet porridge, and the sticky egg porridge was ready.
By now, Zhaozhao had woken up, rubbing his eyes as he asked, “Mommy, where’s Uncle?”
“He left in the middle of the night yesterday. Didn’t you know?” Li Qiuyue feigned surprise.
Zhaozhao glanced at the three bowls of egg porridge on the table and sighed heavily at Li Qiuyue, as if to say, Really, you’re hopeless.
Li Qiuyue was exasperated, and when she turned, she met Qin Huai’s gaze in the yard. He was holding a broom and raising an eyebrow, making her ears burn instantly.
“Get up and eat!” Li Qiuyue shouted, grabbing at Zhaozhao’s small face, but it only made her seem blusterous.
Qin Huai shook his head.
Even the child seemed smarter than her.
It was hard to tell who was accommodating whom in this mother-and-son harmony.
During the meal, Li Qiuyue distractedly thought of excuses for later.
She checked the basket of eggs bought just two days ago.
The jar of rice and flour was still half full.
The basin with pork… pork was expensive, not worth spending too much to impress Qin Huai.
Qin Huai emphasized “no talking while eating,” but Li Qiuyue kept peeking, scratching her head, and fidgeting more than monkeys on Mount Emei.
Finally, Qin Huai spoke first, giving her an out: “I’m going into town for work. Do you need me to buy anything?”
“Oh!” Right, right, he’s working too!
Li Qiuyue’s eyes lit up. Meeting his suspicious look, she quickly calmed herself.
“No, that’s fine,” she said seriously.
“Then should I call the police at the station?” Qin Huai asked again.
Li Qiuyue blinked at him in confusion.
He furrowed his brows, scrutinizing her. Seeing she truly didn’t understand, he explained: “Yesterday, when Zhaozhao fell in the water, didn’t you say you’d call the police on that man?”
Did Li Qiuyue really think someone who came to extort money would kneel and apologize to Zhaozhao?
She hadn’t expected Qin Huai to still care about that, unsure whether to admire his attentiveness or think him naïve.
Her five-year-old nephew had pushed a three-and-a-half-year-old into the river. He hadn’t drowned could the police really take a five-year-old away for reform?
Or was Qin Huai suggesting the police intervene to make her admit to the incident?
Qin Huai’s intentions were good, but she didn’t want to argue. She just said, “Focus on your own work. Don’t worry about these matters.”
Even with Qin Huai’s patience, her words “not appreciating a good person’s intentions” made him choke on his irritation. Seeing her casual, lively demeanor, he felt for the first time that he was truly a “scholar meeting a soldier” scenario.
Meanwhile, Zhaozhao sat in the middle of the table, alternating bites of sweet potato and porridge.
Food made by Mommy really was delicious.
The three of them eating together felt lively.
Hehe…
Waiting for Qin Huai to leave, Li Qiuyue took five yuan and went to the old bachelor’s house in the east of the village.
She stayed less than ten minutes and returned home.
She waited until around three in the afternoon, when someone knocked on her wooden door, letting Zhaozhao stay at home while she went out again.
This time, she went straight to Li Erni’s house in the west.
Intentionally making an example, she didn’t avoid being seen. If anyone asked, she just said she was going to Li Erni’s to settle a score.
Unlike the earthen house in the east, the farther west she went, the prettier the brick houses were.
Even the street gates got nicer.
Li Erni’s gate wasn’t closed. Pushing it open, Li Qiuyue saw a family of three kneeling neatly on the ground.
Their hands and feet were tied with hemp rope, using the same pig-leg knots meant for the New Year pig slaughter.
Their mouths were stuffed with greasy, unidentifiable rags.
Seeing her, they widened their eyes in panic and raised their hands, babbling for her to save them.
But seeing the cold smile on Li Qiuyue’s face, Li Erni realized something, went pale, and lowered her hands.
Li Erni’s husband, Zhao Huaizhi, also lowered his hands. Only their child, Zhao Guangzong, continued to babble and plead with Auntie for help.
Li Qiuyue said nothing. She grabbed an enamel basin leaning against the wall, filled it with water from the well, and started dousing them.
Basin after basin of icy water, combined with the cold wind, felt like thousands of knives stabbing them.
By the third basin, the rag in Zhao Huaizhi’s mouth was washed out.
He shouted, “Li Qiuyue! You’re insane”
Before he could finish, another basin hit him, forcing him to choke.
Li Qiuyue stopped throwing water, filled another basin, and brought it to Li Erni and Zhao Huaizhi.
She yanked the rag out of Li Erni’s mouth and, without waiting for her to speak, pressed her head into the cold water.
Smiling at the terrified Zhao Guangzong, she said, “Guangzong, since your parents won’t teach you: gossiping behind people’s backs, bullying the weak, and pushing people into the water is wrong.”
Zhao Guangzong shook his head repeatedly, then nodded repeatedly.
He wanted to run, but kneeling on the ground, he couldn’t move.