"Is it Little Shi? It must be Little Shi!"
Huai Shi hadn't reacted before he saw the thin woman standing behind him, her face somewhat sallow. Even in the peak of summer, she wore a plush hat, and not a trace of hair could be seen beneath it.
"...Sister-in-law?"
After not seeing her for a while, Huai Shi could hardly recognize her. He was uncertain if this was Old Yang's wife—arguably the last shred of conscience in Old Yang's household.
Previously, when Huai Shi saw her, she had black hair down to her waist and a rosy complexion—a true beauty. But now, her long hair had all fallen out due to chemotherapy, and her face looked unhealthily pale.
Only her smile remained as warm and friendly as ever.
"Hey, your Brother Yang told me you were working here these days. I didn't believe it, but it turned out to be true..."
Before Huai Shi could say anything, she came over, holding vegetables in one hand and taking Huai Shi's arm with the other. "You haven't eaten yet, right? Come on, it's your Brother Yang's birthday today. Let's go to our place for dinner!"
Half an hour later, across the bubbling hot pot, amid the rising steam, Huai Shi and Old Yang were silently staring at each other.
After a long silence, Old Yang glanced at his wife bustling in the kitchen, then turned back to say in a low voice, "I told you to come, and you actually came..."
"Isn't that right?" Huai Shi slapped his knee. "Didn't you say you were going to treat me to a meal?"
"I was just being polite. Don't take it so seriously..."
"Then what about you stuffing me into that Cowherd's den?"
"That was a misunderstanding."
Old Yang's eyes almost rolled to the ceiling. "Besides, haven't you been enjoying yourself? You even brought a colleague home. It's clear that swift horses are common, but a discerning judge of horses is rare..."
"Enough already!"
Huai Shi got infuriated just thinking about it. If it weren't for this bastard, who'd lost his conscience over a measly brokerage fee, would Huai Shi be in such an unlucky mess now?
"Are we going to eat? I'm hungry," Liu DongLi, who was in the corner of the living room, looked up and asked. This guy was just as unceremonious—if someone offered a meal, he'd tag along without a second thought. Now he was squatting in front of the fish tank, playfully scattering Old Yang's fish food.
Old Yang, that notorious skinflint, looked like his eyes were about to pop out.
"Ah, here we are, here we are! Sorry to keep everyone waiting." The sister-in-law came out of the kitchen with sliced vegetables. She called Liu DongLi to join them and had even prepared dipping sauces. Seeing Old Yang's displeasure, she shot him a stern look. "Little Shi rarely visits. Who are you scowling at? Oh, is this Little Shi's colleague? Such a handsome young man... Come on, let's eat."
Chastened by his wife's glare, Old Yang lost his bluster. He meekly added a piece of meat to the pot, muttering about Huai Shi not paying the brokerage fee this time.
Eating with Old Yang's sour face as an unwilling dinner companion, Huai Shi thoroughly enjoyed his meal. After dinner, Old Yang was dispatched to the kitchen to wash dishes. Huai Shi sat in the living room, casually chatting with the sister-in-law, whose complexion had improved considerably. It appeared Old Yang's unconscionable money-grabbing had borne some fruit after all.
"Every day I live is one day less, so I just take each day as it comes," the sister-in-law said, unconcerned, lighting a cigarette despite Huai Shi's protests. "You see, it's one thing for this illness to torment me, but dragging Old Yang down with me... I can't bear the thought."
"What are you saying?"
Old Yang, eavesdropping from the kitchen, poked his head out and suddenly roared, "Li XuMei, what do you think you're doing? What did the doctor say? Put out that cigarette! Right now! Immediately!"
The sister-in-law glanced back at him. "What did you say?"
"..."
Old Yang's legs seemed to give way for a moment. His voice softened. "Please, put out the cigarette."
"That's more like it."
The sister-in-law shot Huai Shi a triumphant look, tossed her cigarette into the ashtray, and whispered to him, "See? If he ever tries to cheat you out of money, just tell me. I'll sort him out."
"...Alright, alright."
Huai Shi's eyes lit up. It's true what they say: wherever there's a viper, an antidote can be found nearby. For every force, there's a counterforce in this world...
The meal finished and the pot washed, Old Yang, still wearing an apron, finally succeeded in ushering the two freeloaders out the door.
On the way out, he scowled at Liu DongLi, who hadn't been shy about showing off in front of his wife. After nudging Liu DongLi off to hail a cab, Old Yang turned back to Huai Shi, his expression strange.
"What's wrong?"
Huai Shi instinctively stepped back. His first thought: the bastard was so humiliated he was going to get violent.
Old Yang stared at him suspiciously for a long moment, then pulled him closer and whispered, "Kid, you haven't offended anyone lately, have you?"
"Hmm?"
Huai Shi tensed. Then he heard Old Yang say, "Someone was here last night asking about you. They paid a lot of money."
"You didn't tell them, did you?" Huai Shi asked anxiously.
Old Yang rolled his eyes. "Bullshit! If I *didn't* tell them, would I still be human?"
"So that means... Wait a second!" Huai Shi's eyes widened. "What did you say?"
Having just sold him out completely, Old Yang sighed and held up five fingers. "They offered fifty thousand for information on you. Even if I hadn't told them, you think they couldn't find out from your school? Kid, you better think hard. What shady business have you been up to lately?"
"..."
Even though he knew Old Yang's character inside out, Huai Shi still had to fight the urge to punch him.
Then, he saw Old Yang lift his apron and stuff two rolls of something into Huai Shi's pocket.
Huai Shi felt them. He froze.
They were two thick rolls of banknotes.
At least twenty thousand, by the feel of it.
"This time, I really let you down, brother. I'm sorry... I was just desperate for money. If you're too angry, go ahead and hit me." He bowed his head, pleading, "Take this money, go somewhere else for a few days. Don't come back right away. I'll ask around. When things blow over, I'll call you."
Huai Shi hadn't expected this son of a bitch to actually show a flicker of conscience. A storm of emotions churned within him, and he didn't know what to say. After being scammed so many times, he was unexpectedly touched to see some of the money returned.
Although he desperately wanted to hit him, the image of the sister-in-law's pale face made him feel powerless.
Forget it. They'd been brothers in adversity for so many years. If Old Yang didn't scam him, was he supposed to just watch his own wife die?
He asked one last question.
"Who exactly is asking about me?"
"Those guys were cagey, all mysterious." Old Yang grunted, puffing on his cigarette. "They think I'm stupid? Like I wouldn't check their license plate? Seemed like some kind of charitable foundation. Fancy name, though. Sounded like..."
He scratched his head for a long moment, then slapped the back of it, finally remembering.
"—Love Charity!"
Two hours later, Huai Shi sat in an armored vehicle, surrounded by soldiers armed to the teeth, his face a mask of confusion.
What the heck is this?
What's going on?
How am I supposed to deal with this?
The familiar Third Question hammered his mind once more.