I closed the door quickly, but that man was already heading straight toward the shop.Just as the shutter was halfway down, he arrived at the entrance.Seeing this, I pretended not to notice and hastened to pull down the rolling shutter completely.
Noticing my panicked expression, the square-faced man chuckled slightly and called out from outside, "You're Li Yang, right? I'm Hu Wenhui, a friend of your second uncle."
Just as he finished speaking, the shutter closed fully.I let out a sigh of relief. After hearing what he said, I couldn't understand what my second uncle was thinking. Why bring in a man radiating with righteousness? Was he tired of feeding Huang Jiu and wanted to get rid of him through someone else?
What kind of people are those overflowing with righteousness?They're not just the kind who shout at injustice or enjoy helping others.Someone like Hu Wenhui, who visibly radiates righteousness, is like a small sun—even if placed inside a haunted building, he'd still shine.People like him allow no room for ambiguity when distinguishing good from evil.To put it bluntly, he's like a watchdog for the righteous path.If a slightly shady character even walks by, he'd kick them without hesitation.
Xiaocui might be fine—she's breathing, she's alive, and I'm even planning to have a child with her.But for Huang Jiu and Huang Xian'er, meeting someone like him would be a fight to the death.
I stayed silent.Outside, Hu Wenhui was clearly confused, and I heard him calling my second uncle.Moments later, my phone rang—it was my second uncle.
The moment I answered, he asked why I closed the door in the man's face when he had already arrived.
I lowered my voice and said, "Second Uncle, that man radiates righteousness like a miniature sun. I've got Huang Jiu and Xiaocui with me tonight—it's too risky to let him 'shine' on them."
My uncle snapped, "You idiot, what are you thinking all day? Open the door now! Wenhui is my best friend. You think he'd hurt you? He's just going through something and needs a place to stay. Let him handle the cases you don't want to deal with."
After hanging up, I called out, "Uncle Hu, I think the door is stuck—please wait a second."
Then I tiptoed into the inner room, trying to avoid making noise that might tip off Hu Wenhui.But when I pushed open the door, I froze.
Inside the VIP room, Xiaocui was seated primly like a queen.Huang Jiu was kneeling before her, muttering something in hushed tones.But the moment I opened the door, Xiaocui suddenly slumped onto the sofa softly, and Huang Jiu stood up as if nothing had happened.
The two of them changed postures so fast, even witnessing it firsthand made me wonder if I was seeing things.
I walked up to Xiaocui and studied her face carefully—still just as adorably vacant.
Huang Jiu came up and said, "Don't bother staring. Her mind's not all there. I tried to get something out of her just now, even banged my head, but she still sat there all clueless—probably going to stay that way forever."
That made me relax a bit.It's not unusual for Huang Jiu to pull this kind of nonsense.Xiaocui probably got intimidated into sitting upright like that.
I shot Huang Jiu a glare and said, "You're the one who's clueless! If I catch you bullying Xiaocui again, I'll ship you straight back to the deep mountains."
"Oh come on, Master Li! Me, bully her? I wouldn't dare even with a hundred lives!" Huang Jiu immediately switched to a groveling tone.
I wasn't stupid.Since Xiaocui's arrival, those folks from Laoshan and Longhushan hadn't shown up again—not because they got smarter, but because they got scared.
Huang Jiu feared the Ten-Thousand Mountain Range deeply. He might bluff, but he wouldn't dare truly harm Xiaocui.
I waved my hand. "Alright, enough. The guy my uncle sent is here. He's going to be staying for a while. I don't think he'd be friendly to you, so I came to tell you to lay low for a bit."
Huang Jiu had already prepared to bolt when he heard "not friendly," but as soon as I mentioned going home, he puffed up again and yelled, "Who is this guy that thinks he can scare your grandpa Jiu? I'm going to check him out!"
Before I could stop him, he darted out.
Worried he might get into trouble, I pulled Xiaocui up and gently held her face."If he tries to fool you again, just tell me—I'll beat him."
Xiaocui nodded obediently.
Only then did I bring her out.Outside, Huang Jiu had already opened the rolling shutter.He stood there with a smug look, one paw practically in a "hands-in-pockets" stance, full of swagger.
But the moment Hu Wenhui stepped through the entrance, Huang Jiu jumped half a meter high, scrambled back, grabbed my pants, and climbed onto my shoulder.He hid his head behind my neck, butt sticking up in the air.
Hu Wenhui walked in, gave a faint smile, scanned the shop, and finally rested his gaze on me, Xiaocui, and the absurd sight of Huang Jiu's butt in flower-patterned shorts.
"I'm your second uncle's friend," he said again calmly.
I forced a smile. "My second uncle just called and told me, but Uncle Hu, it's already quite late. I'm not sure if the client from this afternoon will return."
Huang Jiu had messed things up earlier.But from what my uncle said, Hu Wenhui was just looking for a place to stay.
Still, I couldn't quite make sense of it.Someone of Hu Wenhui's caliber—wherever he went, he'd shine like a sun.How could he be reduced to needing to crash at our place?
He didn't seem like he was doing this as a favor to my uncle.That only left one possibility—something happened out there, and now he couldn't find work.
Whatever it was that cornered him, could we even afford to offend it?
Still, since he came on my uncle's word, I couldn't just kick him out.
I gave him a quick tour of the shop, then handed him the remote for the shutter and the key to the back door.With that, I took Xiaocui and Huang Jiu and headed home.
Back at home, Xiaocui guarded against me like I was a thief.Since I had other things on my mind, I didn't have the energy to mess with her.
The next morning, I changed clothes, left Huang Jiu behind, and headed out.On the way, I stopped by a supermarket, bought a case of Sanlu soy milk, and caught a cab to Curator Qian's place.
Curator Qian had only given me the name of the residential complex.Once I arrived nearby, I gave him a call.He had just returned from his morning exercise and met me halfway, then took me to his apartment.