Chapter Fifteen: The Phoenix in Distress

  What Lu Zhong did not expect was that when he arrived at the fertilizer plant's residential area, he did not see Ma Cuihong, and Lu Guobin's attitude towards him was even colder, ignoring him altogether.

  It was Old Master Xia who invited Lu Zhong to his house for a drink. It was supposed to be a drinking session, but all they had were a plate of peanuts and half a catty of old white liquor.

  But the old and young are savoring with relish, especially in summer. Already knowing that the case from many years ago has also been cleared up, feeling very comfortable.

  According to Xia Lao Ye Zi, Lu Zhong only knew that Cui Hong Yi and Lu Guo Bin had a fight, and it was because of himself. That day he made an appearance and then disappeared, so Ma Cui Hong thought it was all because of Lu Guo Bin. After so many years, he still didn't have a good face for this poor child; even a child with some self-respect couldn't take it.

  So, Ma Cuihong, who had been oppressed for many years, didn't know what got into her that day and had a huge fight with Lu Guobin. She was so angry that she slapped him in the face. The next day, Ma Cuihong left, saying she was going to Qinglong to join her eldest son and would never return to this house again.

  Old Xia said with a chuckle, "Lu Guobin got what he deserved. I think this time he's in trouble. His eldest son is actually on Ma Cuihong's side."

  Lu Zhong smiled and saw that Xia Lao Ye Zi's knot in his heart had been untied a bit, and he also became more cheerful.

  After taking a sip of wine, Old Man Xia wiped his mouth and continued: "To be honest, our big courtyard may be small, but every family has its own story. Take the neighbors next door for example, they used to be quite well-off, but in the end, they still fell."

  Lu Zhong was stunned for a moment and asked: "Who fell?" Next door, that is Tong Susu's older brother's house.

  Old Xia shook his head and said, "Tong Susu's father is finished. The province and city are currently rectifying the party, aren't they? His father was caught for corruption and bribery. Moreover, when arranging Tong Susu's job, the procedures were not followed properly. That little girl was fired by the municipal government and has been back for several days, but I haven't seen her much either. She must be hiding and crying every day."

  Old Lao Da took a deep breath, shook his head and said: "What's the use of being an official? In the end, it's still just a matter of falling from power. So, I'd rather be content with my simple life as a commoner, enjoying every moment!"

  Although Old Man Xia sighed, Lu Zhong could hear that there was a hint of schadenfreude in his tone. As a high-ranking official in the city, and especially with some connections to boot, it's not surprising that he would say something like "downfall" with such relish. Old Man Xia should feel somewhat psychologically balanced now.

  With a mouthful of peanuts, Xia Tian let out a genuine sigh and said: "But to think about it, Su Su is quite pitiful. Originally, everyone was trying to curry favor with her, but now she's lost her job, her home has been confiscated, and her parents are being held somewhere unknown - she's become a child without a family. And that cousin of hers, who used to treat her so well, like an ancestor, is now afraid of being implicated and speaks coldly to her every day, I really can't bear to watch!"

  Lu Zhong was stunned for a long time, but he didn't expect that in just half a month, so many things would happen.

  Lu Zhong put down his wine cup and said, "Uncle Xia, I'll go take a look." Originally, he had planned to give the money he owed her to Cui Hong's aunt and have her pass it on, but now that something like this had happened at her house, he felt he should go see her out of both sentiment and reason.

  It was summer vacation, and she didn't think there was anything between Lu Zhong and her. Was it worth looking up to? But Lu Zhong had already stood up and walked out.

  Tong Su's brother-in-law Zhou Dawei's house has a layout of two and a half rooms. The outer half room has a stove, serving as both the kitchen and dining room. Inside, there are two bedrooms, one for her brother-in-law and sister-in-law, and another specially cleaned up for her to live in.

  Zhou Dawei was not at home, and his sister-in-law Liu Shuna was busy in the kitchen. When she saw Lu Zhong coming in, she said to take a look at Tong Susu. She coldly faced him without making a sound, it was very clear that Tong Susu had fallen from heaven to earth and was particularly unpleasant to get along with.

  Lu Zhong knocked on the door of Tong Su's bedroom, and after a while, footsteps were heard, the door was opened, revealing Tong Su's slightly thin face, under her neatly trimmed eyebrows and long hair, her eyes were red, pitiful and charming, wearing a blue and white sleepwear, exuding a different kind of charm.

  Obviously didn't expect it to be Lu Zhong, Tong Susu was taken aback for a moment, and then wanted to close the door, but Lu Zhong squeezed in without saying a word.

  The room is elegant and clean, with a faint fragrance. On the wall, there are posters of handsome men and beautiful women from abroad, revealing a fashionable atmosphere.

  Tong Su quietly pushed open the door and sat down in front of her dresser.

  Lu Zhong took out an envelope from his pocket and placed it on Tong Su's bedside.

  Tong Su was still silent, just sitting there quietly.

  Lu Zhong looked at her, his heart slightly unbearable. This kind and gentle little girl had suddenly encountered a shocking change, if she didn't have some strength, she would have been knocked down long ago.

  "Landlady, are you all right?" Lu Zhong saw that there were no other seats, so he sat down at the head of the bed and asked her softly.

  When she heard the title "landlord's wife", Tong Susu's shoulders trembled slightly, and she gently shook her head.

  "Life is for fighting, tears only represent weakness. Does this sentence still work now?" This was what Lu Zhong said to Tong Su when she was a child, but in fact, Lu Zhong had long forgotten it, and it was brought up by Tong Su the last time they met.

  Tong Su bit her lip and remained silent.

  Lu Zhong sighed and really didn't know how to help her.

  If it's about inquiring about Tong Susu's father through family relationships, that's absolutely impossible. Although the provincial leaders undoubtedly have close ties with the Lu faction, the political arena is as deep as water, and the struggle at the municipal level, especially in a coastal open city like Wushan, has already reached the point where pulling one hair moves the whole body, it's not something that can be solved by just having someone step forward, let alone a case that has already been settled, no one would rashly intervene.

  Lu Zhong would never dare to talk back to his father Zhang, and even if he did, it would only result in a scolding. Besides, Lu Zhong wouldn't even think of doing such a thing.

  Lu Zhong wanted to help her, but only within his power and ability.

  After all, Tong Su is kind and loyal, not only does she not despise the fallen self in her eyes, but also provides financial assistance, which is truly precious. If she can help, she will definitely do so.

  After rebirth, Lu Zhong felt that his previous life was too extreme, so now he is quite grateful for the love of Xiang Huo.

  Outside, sister-in-law Liu Shunai's muttering grew louder and louder, as if scolding her domesticated grass chicken: "You're occupying the nest, why don't you lay eggs? What a waste of raising you!" Then came the sound of the grass chicken being chased.

  Tong Su's face suddenly changed color, and she turned her head to Lü Zhēn and said: "Zhēnzi, wait for me outside for a while, I'll change my clothes."

  Lu Zhong nodded and walked out, but saw in the yard, Liu Shuna chasing chickens and scolding dogs, busy with joy.

  Not long after, Tong Su walked out, wearing a snow-white short-sleeved tight-fitting shirt with a beige knee-length skirt. Her lotus-like pale arms were exposed from the sleeves, and her white high-heeled shoes set off her slender and beautiful legs, revealing her tall, sexy figure.

  "Let's go." Tong Su didn't even greet her sister-in-law Liu Shuna, and walked ahead. Lu Zhong had no choice but to follow.

  In front of the hospital gate, looking at Lu Zhong's slightly old-fashioned bicycle with a water pipe, Tong SuSu smiled lightly and said: "General Commander, is this your ride?" After leaving the gate, her mood improved inexplicably, especially when she saw Lu Zhong awkwardly unlocking the bicycle. It seemed that the bicycle and Lu Zhong were objects from two different worlds, now entangled together, giving people a comical and strange feeling.

  Lu Zhong rode his bicycle, the back seat moved slightly, and a gentle breeze came, it seemed that Tong Su had already sat up, but although Tong Su was slender, she was very light, and didn't feel any weight at all, just like... the back seat had an extra feather floating on it.

  "Where are we going?" Lu Zhong asked helplessly as he pedaled the bicycle. Actually, Xiao Du had bought him a brand new Phoenix bicycle, which was very light, but Xiao Du himself insisted on riding this old water pipe bicycle and refused to switch no matter what. So Lu Zhong decided that every time they went out, he would use Xiao Du's bike to see how long it would take before he would buy himself a new one.

  "Just wander around." Tong SuSu held onto Lu Zhong's shirt with one hand, gently twisting it to prevent herself from falling off the bicycle.

  Lu Zhong reluctantly became a laborer, riding this unusually heavy water pipe truck rumbling around the city of Man County. Tong Susu first suggested going to watch a movie, but it turned out that the cinema had no showings today. Then Tong Susu said to go to Chengguan Square to play outdoor table tennis, only to find when they arrived that the newly appeared outdoor table tennis tables had been cleared away, presumably due to suspected gambling.

  Tong Su's face turned red with rage, especially when she heard Lu Zhong laugh at her "unlucky year", and in anger, she slapped him on the back, saying: "You dare to make me cry again!"

  But being teased by Lu Zhong made one feel more open-minded and relaxed, a completely different feeling from listening to Tai Shu's gossip at home.

  In front of us, melodious music floated over, but it was an open-air dance party in the empty space in front of the Workers' Club.

  Tong Su was attracted by the music, and as soon as he poked his head out from beside Lu Zhong's side, he said: "Let's go dance."

  Lu Zhong smiled and said: "You can?"

  Tong Su said: "Can't even jump and can't watch the excitement?" Her heart was really messy, so she thought of going to a crowded place, forgetting everything that had happened in the past few days.

  A wire stretched out from the Workers' Club, and on a chair next to the empty space, a double-cassette tape recorder was playing music. Although the whole venue seemed simple to Lu Zhong, it was something new, and the tape recorder should have belonged to the union, as well as the dance party being organized by the union.

  Dozens of couples are dancing in the small square, including elderly gentlemen and ladies who are quite old, as well as young men and women in their twenties. However, no single girls can be seen, and it is likely that all the young people are also married couples.

  There were a lot of people around the small square, especially near the dual cassette recorder, with vendors selling watermelon and ice pops, making it as lively as an outdoor movie screening in the countryside.

  Lu Zhong parked the car at the outer edge of the small square, and then he and Tong SuSu walked up to take a look. Incidentally, they bought two "Dà Lóu Snow Cones" and each had one while eating and watching the fun.

  "Zhuangzi, can you dance?" Tong Susu asked suddenly.

  Lu Zhong shook his head, actually he was good at waltz, but now, according to reason, he naturally wouldn't dance.

  Tong Su nodded: "I won't either." Sighing softly: "Really want to go down and jump."

  Lu Zhong could understand her mood, and now Tong SuSu didn't care about the negative impact of a young unmarried girl dancing either. She just wanted to forget everything in the dance music.

  And she was originally the proud daughter of heaven, the focus of everyone's admiration. Now, however, she has fallen to such a state that perhaps only in the dance pool can she find that long-lost feeling.

  Lu Zhēng was just about to speak when a loud whistle suddenly came from beside him, and someone said in a frivolous tone: "Sister, I'll accompany you to dance!"