“Bang!”
A carved porcelain plate accidentally slipped from her hand and broke into pieces. The white fragments scattered all over the ground, reflecting the light from the ceiling, blinding people. Jiang Zhilan squatted on the ground for a moment, and suddenly tears flowed from her eyes. Her left hand loosened, and the dozen plates in her arms all fell to the ground, crackling, like a sad and beautiful elegy, cruelly dividing the world and people's hearts into crying notes, bloody, and worse than death.
Jiang Zhilan covered her face with her hands and buried her head deep in her knees. She suppressed her sobs and cried intermittently: "I just want to have a meal... Why is it so difficult... Why is it so difficult?"
Wen Liang had lived two lives as a human being, and his mind had long been as solid as a rock. However, all his hypocritical masks were almost shattered by this heart-wrenching cry.
It is not difficult to have a meal to eat, but it is difficult to have a clean meal to eat! All the pain and sorrow of the little people come from this!
He walked forward, put one hand on Jiang Zhilan's shoulder, and said softly: "Sister-in-law, believe me, nothing will happen..."
Before she could finish her words, Jiang Zhilan suddenly turned around, hugged Wen Liang's waist tightly with both hands, and pressed her face tightly against his chest. The sobs that she had just suppressed suddenly released, her shoulders kept twitching, and she burst into desperate tears.
Despair, helplessness, struggle, holding this cold hand, the humble person is isolated and helpless!
Wen Liang's body stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed. He sighed slightly, his deep eyes revealing a hint of pity. He bent his arms and wrapped them around her shoulders, patting her gently behind her back with one hand, resting his chin on her hair, and remained silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Liang's legs were about to lose feeling, and the front of his clothes was wet. Jiang Zhilan finally stopped crying, raised her head from Wen Liang's arms, and her tearful eyes made people tremble. She gently touched Wen Liang's face and whispered, "You are a good person, thank you!"
She was over 30, but still beautiful, charming, and a widow. Over the years, countless people had tried to get close to her. Just now, she lost control and threw herself into the arms of this man whom she had known for less than ten minutes. With her experience and sensitivity, she naturally felt the man's kindness and openness.
Although he is a small gangster, he is more like a gentleman than any other man I have ever met.
Wen Liang let go of her hand. Jiang Zhilan stood up, straightened her clothes, gathered her messy hair behind her ears, tied it up again with a rubber band, brought two stools and placed them next to the coal fire. She smiled and said, "If you don't plan to leave quickly, then sit with me for a while."
Wen Liang didn't know what she was going to do, but seeing her calm look, she must have made some decision. Feeling a little uneasy, he had to obediently walk over and sit down. Jiang Zhilan's face reflected the faint firelight, looking quite charming. She stretched out her hand to warm the fire and asked, "I've been here for more than ten years, why have I never seen you before?"
Wen Liang said softly, "I live in the north. I came here to visit a friend today. I didn't expect to run into those two guys. Sister-in-law, I didn't finish what I said just now. Don't worry, I promise that Niu Guifang and the others won't dare to harass you again. Is there a phone nearby? I'll ask my friends for help. I think I can suppress the matter..."
Wen Liang has a slender figure and sophisticated speech, which can easily make people mistake him for being in his twenties. In addition to his performance just now, Jiang Zhilan has long believed that he is a gangster, so how could she believe him? There are countless gangsters in Qingzhou, and they are all small people at the bottom of society. They look very cool with their breasts exposed, but if they really offend an official like Niu Guifang, what can they do to make up for it
Wen Liang knew from her expression that his words had no effect, so he stood up without hesitation and said, "We have to give it a try first to see if it works! We have Niu Guifang's confession in our hands. There are so many people here, so I'm sure he won't dare to do anything reckless. But if we wait until everyone leaves, it's hard to say. Let's sit down and talk after the call."
"You are still young and don't know how terrible they are... Alas, it's all my sister-in-law's fault that you have been harmed!"
Jiang Zhilan didn't have much hope for Wen Liang, but she still took him to a store near Gongti, which was the only public telephone nearby. Wen Liang called Zuo Yuxi's cell phone, briefly explained the situation, and asked her to call Niu Guiqing directly. Doing so would not only save Niu Guiqing's face, but also put pressure on Niu Guifang in the most direct way, eliminating all dangers in the bud.
“Don’t mention my name, just say that the person who started the conflict was a good friend…”
"Yes, I understand!"
Wen Liang didn't want Niu Guiqing to know that he was involved in this, as it would be awkward for them to meet in the future. In fact, there was no need for Zuo Yuxi to come forward to deal with such a small matter, Liu Tianlai could handle it with a little help. However, Jiang Zhilan still had to make a living here in the future, so it would be good for her to let Niu Guiqing personally teach Niu Guifang a lesson.
After hanging up the phone, Wen Liang walked to Jiang Zhilan and said, "Go back. When you wake up tomorrow, Niu Guifang will come to apologize to you. Everything will be fine, I promise."
Jiang Zhilan didn't say anything, just looked at Wen Liang quietly, and then walked back slowly after a while. The two walked along the corner of the wall on one side. There was no light, no crowd, only her unique voice quietly spread in the darkness, sounding a little hazy and heavy: "I graduated from high school at the age of 18, got married early, and had a daughter the following year. But my husband died in a car accident when the child was less than three years old. There were no brothers or sisters in both families, no one to help. I raised my daughter alone for more than ten years, and I suffered a lot... Well, suffering is nothing. What makes me happiest is that my daughter is in the third year of high school, and she can take the college entrance examination next year. She will no longer live a hard life like me in the future..."
Wen Liang followed behind her and listened to her quietly. He knew that women just needed an audience, and that perhaps she had never confided these words to anyone in all these years.
"… After the Chinese New Year, I have to pay tuition for the next semester, and there is still a large amount of fees for admission to university. A while ago, my stall was closed by Director Niu, so I had to work in a restaurant during the day and come back to help people mend clothes at night. I earn a few dozen yuan a month, which is enough to live on if I use it frugally. I am not afraid of any hardship or fatigue, but this little money is not enough to pay for my daughter's activities. She can't hold her head up in front of her classmates. I... I am not a good mother..."
"It just so happened that the restaurant fired me, and I couldn't find another job, so I came back to set up a stall. I thought that after so much time had passed, Director Niu would not bother me again after collecting the things and smashing the objects. My previous position was also occupied by someone else, so I had to set up a shed at the very edge... After only two nights of opening, Niu Guifang came three or four times, each time more disgusting and more obscene than the last..."
"sister in law… "
Wen Liang was about to speak when Jiang Zhilan stopped and turned around. The stars in the sky were twinkling, but they were not as bright as her eyes. "I wanted to beg him, even kneeling and kowtow would not be a big deal. I can endure all this for my daughter. But once my innocence is gone, it doesn't matter if I ruin myself, but if my daughter is also stabbed in the back by others, I might as well just die..."
"How wonderful it is to die, without worries, without pain, without having to smile and greet people just to make a living, without having to live so hard, so hard..."
Wen Liang couldn't bear to listen any longer, so he stepped forward, held Jiang Zhilan's hand, and said in a deep voice: "Don't be upset! Believe me, everything will be different tomorrow!"
"No, how could I be so depressed? If I wanted to die, I would have died ten years ago. I want to watch my daughter grow up, watch her get married, and watch her live a better life than anyone else. Only then will I feel at ease..."
"Yes, yes, you will all be fine, very good!"
Wen Liang finally held her in his arms, gently stroked her hair with both hands, and whispered comfort. He couldn't help but be moved. Anyone with a heart will always be a crying child in front of maternal love. Except for the time in the shed just now, this was the first time in all these years that Jiang Zhilan was held in the arms of a man. What was rare was that neither of them had any messy thoughts. She gently placed her head on his shoulder and said, "It's nice to have someone to lean on! I know that you lied to me for my own good, and I can't really implicate you..."
Wen Liang understood the meaning of her words. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled away from her. Her face was so close that he could hear her breathing. He said, "Sister-in-law, I know you won't believe me now. How about this, since I took the risk to help you just now, give me one more night, just one night, okay?"
He wanted to make Niu Guifang kneel in front of Jiang Zhilan right now to reassure her. But with Niu Guiqing in the middle, many things cannot be done too recklessly. Since this matter is resolved through him, it is not easy for Wen Liang to intervene. You have to understand that Wen Liang is not Yu Peidong, Zuo Jing, or Xu Fuyan, but even these three people cannot do whatever they want. In this world, there are many things that are helpless.
Feeling the man's sincerity, Jiang Zhilan had never been cared for like this by a man in more than ten years. She couldn't help but tremble in her heart. She stared at Wen Liang's young face with her eyes like flowing water. After a while, she nodded and said, "Okay, I promise you, I will never do anything stupid before tomorrow!"
Wen Liang took two steps back. The young man's face was as firm as a knife, his eyes were as deep as the sea, and he said, "It's a deal!"
Jiang Zhilan was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "It's a deal!"
Wen Liang came to Gongti originally to see Xie Yan, but now he had no other thoughts. He gave Jiang Zhilan a few words and turned away. Jiang Zhilan was a widow and lived alone, so it was not appropriate to send her home so late. Although he was not very old, he looked like an adult. Especially now there were many gangsters in Qingzhou who ate, drank, gambled, and did everything. No one would ignore the difference between men and women just because you were young.
Just like Jiang Zhilan, after deciding that Wen Liang was a gangster, she ignored his age and treated him as a man. There were so many gossiping women in the neighborhood, and if they saw someone, wouldn't they spread the news everywhere
Jiang Zhilan watched Wen Liang's back disappear into the distance, and returned to the shed to sit quietly. She didn't believe Wen Liang's words, but she didn't want to refute his good intentions in person. With Niu Guifang's personality, there was no need to wait until tomorrow. He might not be able to swallow it all at once, and he would bring people to take away all his things, or he would find an excuse to arrest her. He also knew friends in the police station.
Fortunately, he is not in this area, so it should not be so easy to be caught. But it is not so easy, Niu Guifang is so powerful...
The weather is getting colder, and Nizi's cotton-padded jacket is too small to wear, so I have to buy her a new one. In the blink of an eye, Nizi has grown so big...
I am old...
Jiang Zhilan sat by the coal fire, her beautiful face gradually calming down in the firelight. She seemed to remember many things, yet her mind seemed blank. Countless images flashed through her mind in a disorderly manner, but for some reason she remembered the gangster's shoulder again.
It’s nice to have someone to rely on.
I am so tired.
Jiang Zhilan didn't know how she got home, nor did she know if she really believed what Wen Liang said before he left. She fell into a deep sleep in the darkness.
Niu Guifang ran back to the office in a panic, and sat in the boss chair, still in shock. Wen Liang's ferocious look of wielding the knife really frightened him. Sun Mazi puffed up half of his face, and his words began to leak: "Boss... Boss, we must not let that kid go, now tell Director Gou to take people to arrest him, and that bitch..."
"Catch you, catch you!" Niu Guifang was furious, and he grabbed the clay inkstone on the table and threw it at me. "I wrote a confession myself, and the night market was full of people. That guy looked like a desperate bastard. He exposed things in front of the crowd and said that I, the great Director Niu, forced women of good families into prostitution. If it gets out and becomes a big deal, I'll lose my seat so you can take it, right?"
Sun Mazi was hit in the middle of his chest by the inkstone, and he almost choked on it. He was so frightened that he dared not say a word. After a long while, he asked tremblingly, "What should we do? Just let it go?"
"Fuck you!" Niu Guifang was about to grab something again, and Sun Mazi quickly jumped up and dodged to the side. "If you were not such a useless thing that you couldn't beat her, I would have embarrassed myself in front of that bitch! Damn, you pretend to be a chaste and virtuous woman, but aren't you secretly keeping a gigolo? I thought you were a good young woman, but it turns out you are a stinky bitch!"
Niu Guifang was so angry that his lungs were about to explode, partly because he was humiliated by Wen Liang, and partly because he thought Wen Liang was having an affair with Jiang Zhilan, and that his beautiful body had been taken by a pretty boy. He was jealous, envious and hateful!
Sun Mazi was beaten so badly by Wen Liang that he was afraid that if he went too late, the boy would escape. He did not care about Niu Guifang's authority and said hurriedly, "Boss, I will apologize to you for my mistakes later. We have to hurry up, otherwise if the boy escapes, where can we catch him?"
"Why are you in such a hurry? Wait until the night market is over and find Brother Qi to tear down her stall. I need to communicate with Director Gou to see how to make the things in that guy's hand useless. What are you afraid of? The monk can escape but the temple cannot. With this delicate beauty around, are you still afraid that the boy can't be caught? Damn, a little rascal dares to challenge the emperor, he must be tired of living!" Niu Guifang picked up the phone and prepared to dial, cursing: "Stinky bitch, if I don't get you to death in bed, I'll be the director for nothing!"
Perhaps he had thought of some tricks to torture Jiang Zhilan, Niu Guifang couldn't help but reveal a cruel and lewd smile on his face. Sun Mazi, who had followed him for so long, suddenly felt a little cold.
Just as I was about to press the last digit, the cell phone on my waist suddenly rang. This was a second-hand item given to me by the owner of Shengshi Hotel. It was a bit old, but it was very prestigious to hold it.
Many people know this number. He impatiently took out his phone and answered it without even looking at it: "Hello, I'm Niu Guifang, who are you... cousin?"
Niu Guifang's face instantly showed an expression of ecstasy, but before the joy faded, he heard something on the phone, and his body suddenly shook. He quickly changed the topic, "Oh no, Secretary Niu, Secretary Niu, hello, do you have any instructions... I, I, there is no such thing, this is a rumor..."
Sun Mazi had never thought that he would see such a strange expression on Director Niu's face. His eyes were bigger than a cow's, and the corners of his mouth were trembling. It was a very cold day, but beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His eyebrows, eyes and nose were squeezed together. He had a smile on his face, but it looked like he was about to cry. He even stuttered when he spoke, and the sound of his teeth chattering could be clearly heard from such a distance.
After a long while, Niu Guifang said with a sad face: "Okay, okay, I know, I know. I will definitely follow Secretary Niu's instructions. I understand, I understand!"
There was a beeping sound from the receiver, and the cell phone, which Niu Guifang had always regarded as a treasure, fell to the ground and broke into three pieces. He slumped in the chair in despair, unable to speak for a long time.
"Director Niu, what's wrong?"
Sun Mazi asked bravely, ready to dodge at any time. Unexpectedly, Director Niu replied in a hoarse voice: "This time you hit the iron plate, no, you hit the gold plate..."
The next morning, Jiang Zhilan heard a knock on the door, took a deep breath, and opened the door. As expected, Sun Mazi was standing outside the door, laughing with a disgusting mouth. The other one, who else could it be but Niu Guifang
The two came to apologize, trying their best to smile harmlessly, kindly and friendly. Sun Mazi didn't think about the fact that he lost several teeth and half of his face was swollen like a bun after being beaten by Wen Liang last night. This grin was simply vulgar and obscene to the extreme.
Jiang Zhilan was so distraught that she said, "Where are you going? I'll go by myself!"
Niu Guifang bowed 90 degrees, which was the first time in Gongti that he did that. He said, "Boss Jiang, I am here today on behalf of all my colleagues at Gongti Subdistrict Office to apologize to you. This is 2,000 yuan in compensation for your lost wages and the damaged tables, chairs, bowls, and other property. Please accept it. Also, the Subdistrict Office has replanned an area in the night market and will lease it to you for free.
Sun Mazi also bent down and said with a smile: "Since Boss Jiang may not have time to deal with these trivial matters, the Street Office has already found workers to build a storefront over there with asbestos tiles and windshields last night. It is warmer than a plastic greenhouse and more beautiful. I will personally supervise the work and the quality is absolutely guaranteed! The location also has the largest flow of people and the most convenient transportation. Boss Jiang's business will definitely be booming in the future. Director Niu has instructed that our Street Office and other colleagues will come to support Boss Jiang in the future. You also know that when the government eats and drinks, their stomachs will be three times bigger, hahaha."
"Yes, Boss Jiang, just wait and count your money, haha."
The two laughed dryly for a few times, but when they saw that Jiang Zhilan still had no expression on her face, they quickly stopped laughing. Sun Mazi called out cautiously, "Boss Jiang, Boss Jiang..."
Jiang Zhilan was in a state of confusion, not knowing what had happened. However, the figure of the gangster from last night appeared in her mind, solid and heavy!
(5100 words)