Chapter 5 The Landlord's Wife

  Liu Xiaohui looked at Qin Mingliang with some difficulty, because today was Sunday, and they had originally planned to go to Qin Mingliang's house in the afternoon. During their passionate love period, it was rare to have a quiet place to be alone together.

  But if she had to part with Lu Zhong now, Liu Xiaohui really couldn't bear it and felt that there were still many things she wanted to say but hadn't said yet.

  Qin Mingliang said to Lu Zhong with a hint of apology, "Zhongzi, I'm really sorry, but in a while, I'll be heading back to the residential area of No. 1 Middle School with Xiao Hui, my family lives there."

  Lu Zhong's spirits lifted at this, and he laughed: "Alright then, let's go together. I'll also pay a visit to your home."

  Qin Mingliang stared at him with wide eyes, unable to speak for a moment. He thought to himself that this person was ill and must have some mental issues. But since he was such a big man and had already spoken, Qin couldn't just ignore him and not give him any face, so he said "Let's go".

  Liu Xiaohui was also a little surprised, but soon felt that Lu Zhong might be in the same mood as herself. Thinking of the fun she had playing behind Lu Zhong's butt when they were young, Liu Xiaohui's heart softened and she said to Qin Mingliang: "Xiaoliang, Zhongge is like my own brother, let's go together, I still have a lot to say to Zhongge."

  Qin Mingliang reluctantly compromised, with a fire burning in his heart, leading Lu Zheng and Liu Xiaohui to the residential building, cursing the blind and stupid young man, thinking what kind of thing is this?

  Qin Mingliang's home has two rooms and a living room, which is quite spacious. At first glance, it appears to be a family of scholars. In the living room, opposite the window, there is a bookcase over one person tall, filled with all kinds of books.

  Lu Zhong and Liu Xiaohui chatted, but also didn't neglect Qin Mingliang, occasionally chatting with him a few sentences, asking about the welfare policy of teacher housing in Yizhong's family building, whether single teachers were allocated houses, and whether there were female teachers who went to study abroad last year, whose spouses had been living alone for a long time.

  Qin Mingliang was burning with anger in his heart, but he still had to respond vaguely. Especially when he saw Liu Xiaohui and Lu Zheng chatting more and more happily, talking about childhood things over and over again, a strong sense of jealousy surged in Qin Mingliang's chest. He couldn't sit still anymore, saying "I'm going to buy a pack of cigarettes", and quickly walked out the door.

  Liu Xiaohui was completely unaware and continued to ask, "Zhuangzi brother, isn't it difficult for individual businesses now?" Lu Zhuang said that he himself did individual business, and she believed it to be true.

  Lu Zhong put away his smile and said seriously to Liu Xiaohui: "Xiaoliang is a good person, you must treat him well." No one is a saint, everyone has some small flaws. Qin Mingliang may be a bit impatient, but it also shows that he is not deep-minded, and today's performance can be considered elegant.

  Unexpectedly, Lu Zhong solemnly said this sentence, and her boyfriend was recognized. Liu Xiaohui's heart felt sweet and she nodded lightly.

  A few minutes later, Qin Mingliang returned, followed by a middle-aged man wearing glasses. He was elegant and refined, and it could be seen that he must have been a handsome man in the past. Liu Xiaohui saw the middle-aged man and hastily stood up, slightly awkwardly greeting him: "Uncle Zhang."

  Qin Mingliang had a somewhat complacent look on his face and said to Lu Zhong, "This is Principal Zhang of our school, who lives just across the street from my house."

  Liu Xiaohui was a literary youth, while Principal Zhang was the honorary chairman of the county literature association, a well-known poet in the county, and had published his poems in the provincial newspaper many times. Therefore, Liu Xiaohui often wrote some short poems to ask for his advice.

  Qin Mingliang saw Lu Zhong and Liu Xiaohui chatting happily, so he went to the opposite door to invite "Uncle Zhang" over. Anyway, he couldn't be alone with Xiaohui anymore, since he had become a "light bulb", might as well make his childhood friend Xiaohui also become a "light bulb".

  As expected, as soon as Principal Zhang arrived, Liu Xiaohui's topic turned to poetry, and Lu Zhong couldn't get a word in edgewise at this time. For most of the time, he could only drink tea and stare blankly like Qin Mingliang. When he caught a glimpse of Qin Mingliang's somewhat smug expression, Lu Zhong couldn't help but burst out laughing, thinking that this young man was really amusing.

  Principal Zhang was very talkative, and when he got excited, he started reciting: "He looked at her, she smiled back at him, and life suddenly came alive!" He recited with great feeling, making people unconsciously enter the poetic atmosphere. After Principal Zhang finished reciting, he pointed to Liu Xiaohui: "You see, the most touching sentences are often the simplest ones. Too many flowery words lose this feeling." Liu Xiaohui listened and nodded repeatedly.

  But when Principal Zhang recited the poem, Lu Zhong was struck as if by lightning, and he looked at Principal Zhang in incredulity.

  In the home of the third victim, among her belongings was a piece of white paper with the poem that Principal Zhang is now reciting. But this isn't the internet age, and not every young person knows Browning, especially in a small county town like this. Moreover, the short poem that Principal Zhang is reciting isn't even the main body of a long poem, but rather a small preface.

  Then, one by one, doubts surged into Lu Zheng's mind. He suddenly remembered that except for the third victim who was a literature enthusiast and art lover, enjoyed painting and writing; the families of the first and second victims also mentioned that they liked to watch, but no one took these things as clues, nor did they link them together organically.

  ……

  Lu Zhong left Qin Mingliang's house, roughly knowing the living situation of Principal Zhang, a widower with children abroad. Lu Zhong didn't ask much to avoid stirring up trouble. Now, apart from Wang Shifu, who burned the boiler at the ice cream factory, there was another suspect.

  Although they are all eight characters without a single stroke, there is now some clue, which is better than being completely in the dark.

  When Lu Zhong said goodbye, Qin Mingliang was very pleased, apparently thinking that Lu Zhong was because no one paid attention to him, feeling bored, and had to retreat with his tail between his legs. However, Liu Xiaohui repeatedly asked Lu Zhong to leave his address when he left, saying that they would gather together when the "busy" people had time, which made Qin Mingliang a bit unhappy.

  Lu Zhong went directly to the city police station and found Hou Jianjun, asking him to help investigate Zhang principal's background.

  Hou Jianjun looked at Lu Zhong incredulously for a long time, but still reluctantly agreed.

  Two days later, when Li Weijun was quickly sent to the procuratorate by the task force and entered the review and prosecution stage, Wang Shifu and Zhang Jiaozhang's materials were secretly delivered to Lu Zhong's desk.

  Wang's information is very detailed, but Zhang's is very brief, all are things that neighbors know, no wonder, because after the recovery of the college entrance examination, Yizhong has maintained the highest enrollment rate in the city, and Guangning is now a hot spot for education, with the first high school being a provincial key middle school, and the principal is a high-ranking deputy county official. Although Hou Jianjun promised to investigate him thoroughly, he couldn't possibly conduct a secret investigation on him, at most, he would just ask around about situations that everyone knows.

  Master Wang and Principal Zhang were both widowers, but the difference was that Master Wang's partner had passed away due to illness, while Principal Zhang's loved one had taken her own life after being persecuted during a tumultuous period. Because she left no suicide note, Principal Zhang, who was also frequently persecuted, became embroiled in the incident and was slandered by the Revolutionary Committee as having murdered his wife. Just as he was about to be put on public trial, the winds suddenly changed, and the capital city's flags were replaced with those of the new regime, allowing Principal Zhang to narrowly escape disaster.

  Looking at the information of the two people, Lu Zhong found it difficult to judge for a while whether these two were the murderers or who was more like the murderer.

  Then, Lu Zhong's gaze suddenly fell on the section where Principal Zhang was wrongly accused of killing his wife during the late period of turmoil, and he gradually became lost in thought.

  ……

  The sun in May is already very poisonous, it has just rained, the asphalt road is emitting hot air, and the small town seems to be in a steamer, this year's weather is somewhat unusually hot.

  Lu Zhong stood in front of the fertilizer plant's residential area No. 3, brushing off some dirt from his body. He had just had a streak of bad luck, dodging a kid riding a bicycle in the neighborhood and getting splattered with mud on the wall. His originally clean white shirt and black pants were now stained with a big patch.

  Turning his head to look at the gate of the family courtyard, Lu Zhong's mood was very complicated. His foster parents lived here, and thinking of Lu Guobin's cruelty towards him and Cui Hong's kindness, Lu Zhong didn't know what he felt in his heart.

  Originally, I was going to come see them after the case was over, but now it seems that plan has changed.

  In the past two days, Lu Zhong visited members of the "special case group" that handled Principal Zhang's case back then. At that time, the public security organs were smashed and the "special case group" was composed of active rebel faction members organized by the public security organs. Now these people are basically all labeled as "three kinds of people", even those who weren't sentenced to prison have been marginalized, and no one is willing to mention what happened back then.

  Lu Zhong reviewed the materials of these people and found that the leader of the "special case group" at that time had been transferred to a foreign post, the deputy leader was Xia Tianhang, who was a member of the county bureau party general branch committee at that time, but has now been expelled from the public security system, but he should still be in Guangning.

  After Hou Jianjun's investigation, it was discovered that Xia Tianxing's son, who works at the same fertilizer plant, lives with him in the third courtyard of the factory's residential area. Coincidentally, Lu Zhong's foster parents also live in the third courtyard.

  Lu Zhong decided to approach Xia Tianhang under the pretext of visiting relatives, and inquired about the situation of the case that year. Lu Zhong didn't necessarily suspect that Principal Zhang was the murderer, but the information provided by Hou Jianjun about Principal Zhang was limited. By asking from another angle, he should be able to get a better understanding of Principal Zhang's other side. In those crazy years, people's hidden nature was more easily exposed. From the mouths of the special case team members at that time, he should have been able to understand the unknown side of Principal Zhang today.

  The gate of the family courtyard was wide open. In No. 3 Courtyard, there were actually three households living there. Apart from the Lus and the Xias, there was also a family with the surname Zhou.

  Lu Zhong stepped into the courtyard, which was very spacious. As soon as he entered, his eyes fell upon a pagoda tree. It was the season when the pagoda trees were in bloom, and strings of white flowers that resembled bean pods hung from the green branches. The air was filled with a faint sweetness everywhere.

  Under the pagoda tree, a woman in her fifties with a slightly rich demeanor was washing dishes by the faucet. Hearing footsteps, she raised her head, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly stood up, her mouth twitching, staring at Lu Zhen with an unbelievable expression.

  Lu Zhong took two steps forward, his voice slightly trembling: "Cui Hong Aunt..." Originally, he thought he wouldn't get emotional, but when facing this moment, Lu Zhong's throat felt bitter and he almost shed tears.

  Ma Cuihong suddenly let out a loud cry, rushed over to hug Lu Zhong, and burst into tears, wailing loudly. Her words were incoherent as she mumbled something, with snot and tears streaming down her face, crying so hard that Lu Zhong's shoulder was soaked.

  Lu Zhong gently patted her back, Cui Hong's aunt remained unchanged, still with the demeanor of a rural woman, but she was truly sincere and not pretending.

  "Zhuangzi, tell me, where have you been all these years?"... Ma Cuihong finished crying, but she grasped Lu Zhuang and refused to let go of him. She was afraid that this child would silently leave her again. Although Lu Zhuang wasn't her biological son, she had always treated him like one. However, in the household, she held a low position and couldn't speak up, just like Lu Zhuang, being bullied everywhere.

  So the whole afternoon, the mother and daughter were in the house chatting, telling each other about their past experiences, just like they had returned to ten years ago when Lu Zhong was a child, and the affection between them overflowed in their hearts.

  Lu Zhong didn't say much about his own affairs, only mentioning that he had returned to Guangning for half a year and was doing some small business. This made Ma Cuihong sigh again, feeling that this child's fate was bitter and that she had wronged her sworn sister Jinlan in the past.

  "Ma Cuihong, why didn't you go to work this afternoon!"

  The mother and daughter, who were immersed in warmth, only then noticed that Lu Guobin had returned.

  Lu Zhong noticed that Lu Guobin was more spirited than a few years ago, with a ruddy complexion, and must have had a smooth career. These years, his mentality has been very good, on the contrary, Aunt Cuihong seems to be older than him.

  Lu Guobin also saw Lu Zhong and quickly recognized him, but he didn't even acknowledge Lu Zhong. Instead, he scolded Ma Cuihong harshly: "Tell me, is it easy to get this job? It's just going to coax children, how relaxing can it be? You must not give me face, you want me to lose face?"

  Lu Guobin found a job for Ma Cuihong in the factory kindergarten, and as his career progressed, he became more and more domineering at home, summoning her with a beckon and dismissing her with a wave.

  Ma Cuihong also knew she was in the wrong and was too excited to see this child who had been separated from her for many years, forgetting to ask for leave, so she didn't blame her husband for getting angry.

  Lu Zhong felt that Lu Guobin was being unreasonable, but after all, this was a family matter and a way of life that the two had grown accustomed to over many years. Even if he were their own son, it wouldn't be right for him to interfere, let alone an outsider like himself.

  Lu Guobin took another look at Lu Zhong's blue labor uniform and snorted, it was obvious that it was his work clothes.

  Ma Cuihong saw that Lu Zhong's clothes were stained with mud, so she went to find old Lu's clothes for Lu Zhong to change into. She was afraid that old Lu would be furious when he got home, so she only dared to give Lu Zhong a set of work overalls to change into. However, it has to be said that Lu Guobin didn't have many decent clothes either, being an old-fashioned man who didn't pay much attention to his attire.

  Seeing Lu Guobin's unpleasant expression, Ma Cuihong pulled him to the outer room and said: "The child is back, let's cook a good meal tonight? I'll go buy some meat?"

  Lu Guobin furrowed his brow and said, "Just eat whatever there is."

  Ma Cuihong couldn't resist Lu Guobin, but she also pitied Lu Zheng. After thinking for a moment, she simply went to make some egg pancakes with extra eggs, since Old Lu wouldn't know how many eggs were left at home anyway.

  Outside the hospital, the sound of bicycle bells and people greeting each other can be heard from time to time, it's already time to get off work.

  Lu Guobin and Ma Cuihong's fourth daughter, Lu Xiaoping, returned to see Lu Zhong being equally cold. The Lu siblings had always looked down on Lu Zhong.

  The Lu family has six siblings, four girls and two boys. Except for the second youngest son who is studying at a university in another city, all the other brothers and sisters have also found work one after another. Of course, some have formal jobs while others are temporary workers, such as the eldest son who works formally in Qinglong County, and the fourth daughter Lu Xiaoping, who has not yet transferred to commodity grain and is working temporarily at a flour factory in Chengguan.

  When setting the table, Lu Zhong suggested that it was too hot in the house and went to the courtyard to eat. He hoped to strike up a conversation with the Xia family next door, and best of all, with Old Master Xia Tianhang himself.

  Lu Guobin didn't object, saying: "Let the old Xia family and the Zhou family's young couple eat together too." Now in the factory area and various units' residential areas, most families are like one big family, whoever has good food invites their neighbors to join in.

  The courtyard soon became lively, the Zhou family was a young couple, both working at the fertilizer plant, and they had a four or five year old child, running back and forth in the yard, adding to the fun.

  Lu Zhong finally met Xia Tianhang. Actually, Old Xia was not very old, probably just in his fifties, but his hair was snowy white and he was taciturn, forming a stark contrast with Lu Guobin's boisterousness.

  Xia Tianxing's son is not at home, and his daughter-in-law Zhang Guohua is the accountant of a fertilizer factory. She seems to be a person with some status in the factory, and she also appears to be a strong character. Moreover, she is not very polite to Old Xia. It is said that this is because Zhang Guohua originally married into the Xia family hoping to benefit from Old Xia's influence, but soon after their wedding, Old Xia was labeled as one of the "three kinds of people" and was marginalized. Therefore, she has some resentment towards her father-in-law.

  Zhou Dawei and Liu Shuna, a young couple, were both workers in the factory. They also showed great respect for Lu Guobin, an old comrade-in-arms.

  He moved two low stools together and Old Xia carried a small bench to sit far away from Lu Guobin's main seat, so Lu Zhong sat down beside him.

  Zhou's family didn't know the relationship between Lu Zhen and the Lu family, only heard Ma Cuihong say that he was a nephew who had been separated for many years. Zhou Dawei even took out a bottle of "Fenjiu" from home, saying it was sent by his cousin, in this era of drinking Baijiu, it was absolutely high-end goods. Even Lu Zhen couldn't help but think that this bottle of Fenjiu should be more authentic than the Moutai sold for thousands in later generations.

  Lu Zhong sat in a corner, Zhou Dawei was still smiling and beckoning him: "Zhongzi, you're the protagonist today, come over and sit with Uncle Lu."

  Lu Xiaoping curled her lip and said, "What kind of protagonist is he?" She was the youngest in the family, with a delicate appearance, and was the most spoiled at home. Lu Guobin had pampered her to no end.

  Ma Cuihong frowned and said, "This kid!" But Lu Guobin nodded and said, "Let him sit there!" All these years, he still looked down on Lu Zhong. He remembered when Lu Zhong was in his teens and got beaten up, the quiet gaze he gave him made him feel uneasy.

  Zhou Dawei was stunned for a moment, and then he didn't make another sound. He hadn't expected that the relationships within this family were so complicated.

  Lu Zhong didn't mind anything, when the people at the table were eating and drinking noisily. Lu Zhong raised his glass to clink with Xia Tianxing's, Xia Tianxing was taken aback, then also clinked glasses with Lu Zhong, silently drinking wine.

  Lu Zhong didn't speak, only occasionally clinking glasses with Xia Tianhang, quietly drinking his wine. Xia Tianhang, on the other hand, became curious about Lu Zhong and looked at him with a hint of sympathy, softly sighing to himself, perhaps thinking of his past and present self.

  Lu Xiaoping chattered on about the factory, apparently complaining that she was tired and didn't want to work anymore. Lu Guobin found himself in a difficult position, as he knew that his deputy director of the workshop had limited abilities, but had been working for a long time, held an important post, earned more than administrative units, and enjoyed better living conditions. However, if it came to solving the problem of his younger daughter's long-term substitute work, it wouldn't be easy to resolve.

  Just talking, Lu Xiaoping suddenly screamed: "Susu sister!" Quickly got up and ran to the door, scaring Lu Zhong.

  Lu Zhong turned his head to look, but saw that the beautiful girl who walked into the courtyard was wearing a black uniform suit skirt, with her black hair tied back and adorned with a beautiful hair clip. Her skin was as white and delicate as condensed milk, and she looked refined, just like she had been photoshopped, stunningly beautiful.

  Lu Xiaoping warmly accompanied the beautiful girl walking this way, it can be seen that Lu Xiaoping's smile had a few parts of fawning, and even without disguise, this kind of expression was rarely seen on this sharp-tongued and petty girl.

  The delicate girl with the surname Su smiled reservedly and politely greeted the people at the dinner table: "Third Uncle, Third Aunt" referred to Lu Guobin and Ma Cuihong, while "Uncle, Auntie, Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law" referred to Xia Tianhang, Xia Tianhang's daughter-in-law Zhang Guohua, Zhou Dawei and Liu Shuna.

  It was clear that this beautiful woman, whether in her attire or behavior, showed that she lived in a different world from the people of this large courtyard. At this time, everyone at the dinner table had already stood up, as if welcoming a princess, and even Lu Guobin's face was full of smiles.

  The delicate girl's gaze shifted to Lu Zhong's face, and she was slightly stunned. Ma Cuihong smiled beside her: "Su Su, don't you recognize him? Zhongzi, do you still remember?" And then said to Lu Zhong: "Su Su used to be persecuted by her grandfather in our village, at that time she was called Ma Suzhen, now she's made a name for herself and is a big star on the city TV station..."

  Lu Zhong was taken aback, "Landlord's wife?" When he met Liu Xiaohui, she briefly told him about her recent situation. Now called Tong Susu, she had long gone to the city, where her father was a high-ranking official. She was also very famous at the city TV station. When the county TV station was established, the county magistrate personally came to invite her to train the announcers and hosts. To say that back then, she was already different from the village children, with an elegant air about her, and without the rustic accent of Nanjing, so the children called her "landlord's wife", and almost got herself criticized by her own "red guards".

  "The landlady" three words immediately changed Lu Guobin's face, and Lu Xiaoping scolded: "What are you talking nonsense?"

  Lu Zhong smiled and didn't say a word.

  Tong Su looked very well-behaved, but just smiled and said: "Remember, Zhuangzi, you used to like fighting back then." As she spoke, she picked up the plastic bag in her hand and said: "You're having dinner, perfect timing, Zhao Si roasted chicken!" Zhao Si roasted chicken is an old brand in Guangning, a few years ago, Zhao Si's descendants revived this golden signboard, set up a small storefront selling roasted chicken, famous for not serving dead chickens, with a great reputation.

  Ma Cuihua and Zhang Guohua, Liu Shuna quickly took over, went to the kitchen to cut and burn chicken, Lu Xiaoping asked Tong Susu: "Susu sister, have you eaten? Eat some more?"

  Tong Su said: "I've eaten." Unaware of what she was thinking, she said again: "It's so hot, I'll sit for a while."

  Lu Xiaoping immediately and happily arranged a seat for Tong Susu, squeezing Lu Zhong and Xia Tianxing further into the corner. Xia Tianxing almost had no place to put his rice bowl.

  Tong Su Su apologized and said to Xia Tian Xing Dao: "Uncle, let's switch places, I've already eaten, it's just sitting."

  Lu Zhong was stunned, what's going on? Didn't all his thoughts for half a day go down the drain? He quickly said: "Let me and Uncle Xia swap." Without saying another word, he got up and gave up his seat to Xia Tianxing.

  Lu Xiaoping pouted: "Really has self-awareness."

  Lu Zhong didn't know if he was mistaken, but he felt that Tong Su had glared at him.

  As soon as the roast chicken was served, everyone started chatting again. From their conversation, Lu Zhong learned that Zhou Dawei and his wife were Tong Susu's relatives, so she temporarily lived with them. However, tomorrow she would return to the city, and in the future, if there was time on Sundays, she would come to the county station to share her experience, not as an official business, but as a contribution to her hometown.

  Just as Lu Guobin was winding down his loud voice and starting to discuss TV shows that Tong Suxiu was interested in, Ma Cuihong suddenly said: "Old Lu, look, can you find a job for this kid Zhenzi?" As a couple of many years, Ma Cuihong knew her husband's temper. If it were private, he would definitely refuse outright. Now, with so many people present, her husband was saving face and might just agree.

  Lu Guobin glared at Ma Cuihong, humming a noncommittal response. Ma Cuihong immediately turned to Lu Zhong with excitement and said, "Aren't you going to thank your aunt?" She inquired about Lu Zhong's recent situation, but he was evasive, so she assumed the child had been through hardships and thought of finding him a stable job.

  If it were the old Lu Zhong, he would rather die than yield to Lu Guobin, but now, thinking back to the past, it's like a fleeting cloud, being able to live for so many years is already a blessing, life passes quickly, and how many people can you really connect with?

  Lu Zhong smiled and raised his wine glass, shouting loudly at Lu Guobin: "Uncle."

  Lu Guobin nodded and raised his wine glass to clink with Lu Zhong, thinking that this kid had finally grown up and was a bit stronger than before.