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墨書 Inktalez
Everything was packed into the trunk, and He Hongmei sat contentedly in the passenger seat. "When it comes to heavy lifting, it really is you men who are better at it."
He Hongmei's home was located at the southernmost edge of Baliushu Market. Although it was said to be within the boundaries of Baliushu, it was actually two or three miles away from the town government, standing alone as a solitary residence. There were three main rooms, with two side rooms—one for cooking and the other as a storage space—making a total of five rooms.
The front yard and courtyard were all paved with cement, and a pomegranate tree was planted by the water pipe, while the wall was covered in climbing purple vines. Everything was neatly arranged, but the place felt dark and lifeless.
Qin Chizian drove his car directly into the yard. He Hongmei turned on the lights and directed Qin Chizian to move the items into the small kitchen.
Once everything was taken care of, Qin Chizian said, "Sister He, I'm leaving now."
He Hongmei stopped him and prepared a basin of clean water mixed with hot water, handing him soap and a towel. "Wash your face and rest in the living room for a bit. You haven't eaten either; let me make something for you to eat."
Indeed, with the New Year approaching and it being evening, all the restaurants on the street had closed down, and even the grocery stores had shut their doors early.
Qin Chizian sat down in the living room, listening to the sounds of frying and cooking from the kitchen. Unable to resist, he stood up. "Sister He, it's getting late; just some noodles would be fine. No need to go through too much trouble!"
He Hongmei replied, "You just sit there; if you don't eat, I will."
Before long, four dishes were served: stir-fried celery with meat slices, fried eggs, cold black fungus salad, and cold tofu skin salad. They were indeed hungry; Qin Chizian found everything particularly delicious. After finishing a steamed bun, He Hongmei brought out a bottle of Yanghe liquor. "Have a couple of drinks; it helps with sleep."
As she spoke, she poured two full glasses.
Clinking glasses with Qin Chizian, He Hongmei asked, "At that meeting the other day, why didn't you let them play Traitor Wu's video? It infuriated me!"
Qin Chizian picked up some food. "What good would it do other than deepen his resentment towards you? Manager Bian wouldn't remove him over this matter anyway."
"But what he did was so despicable! It was blatant shirking of responsibility!" He Hongmei added a large piece of meat to his bowl. "I really doubt how he became Executive Deputy County Magistrate with that kind of behavior!"
"That's all in the past now; through this incident, he will probably learn to restrain himself," Qin Chizian said.
"I doubt it; people like him have evil ingrained in their bones. His son even harassed me when he was here those few days—neither of them are good people. Haven't you heard? That university student named Han Hongyu who joined around the same time as you is pregnant—by Wu Jiefeng... His wife caused a scene at the office and ended up slapping Han Hongyu!"
"Han Hongyu's grandfather is a retired armed forces minister from Wenxi County; he reported Wu Jiefeng to the Jiangcheng City Discipline Inspection Commission. They're currently investigating him! But Wu Youshun is doing everything he can to suppress it..."
Qin Chizian was shocked. "Sister He, where did you get this information? You can't just spread rumors!"
"Rumors? A male classmate of mine—my first love—works in a department at Jiangcheng City Discipline Inspection Commission. When he heard I got divorced, he wanted to rekindle our romance and told me about it," He Hongmei explained.
"Your classmate? You should be around the same age; I think that's great!" Qin Chizian agreed.
"Great my foot! He has a wife and kids who are five or six years old! If I were to find someone again, they should be someone serious about life—not someone like that!" He Hongmei said anxiously.
Qin Chizian fell silent; he hadn't expected that Wu Jiefeng's classmate would have such an open mindset.
Unknowingly, they finished an entire bottle of liquor together.
"Sis, I've finished eating and I'm heading out. You should get some rest early too." Qin Chizian said.
"You've been drinking, how are you going to drive?" He Hongmei replied.
"It's fine, no one will check," Qin Chizian assured her.
"Come on, you're a public servant. If they catch you, it would be embarrassing for you, and I might get dragged into it too—people will definitely ask where you were drinking and who you were with," He Hongmei insisted.
"Then I'll leave the car here and walk back," Qin Chizian suggested.
He Hongmei stepped outside to look at the sky. "It's snowing heavily; you'll freeze to death walking back. I have a spare room here; why don't you stay the night?"
Qin Chizian also stepped outside to check the weather. Indeed, the tiny snowflakes had transformed into a flurry, and a thick layer had already accumulated on the ground. A gust of northwesterly wind blew by, sending a chill through him as the alcohol's warmth faded.
But thinking about staying here, alone together, felt inappropriate. "It's fine, Sister He. I can walk back; it won't take me long."
Without giving him a chance to argue, He Hongmei locked the front door. "What are you afraid of? Am I going to eat you? Just wait a moment; I'll tidy up the bed in the other room for you."
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