Siheyuan, my new life

Xu Fugui's wife, Liu Lanhua, sat at the octagonal table with a livid face. Hao Aiguo's wife and Yue Xiangqian's wife also had gloomy faces. They didn't even bother to sit down, staring intently at Liu Lanhua, wanting to hear what good ideas this old lady had now.

Now that the three stewards have been arrested, the families of the other residents who went to the black market naturally came to Liu Lanhua and the wives of the three stewards. At this moment, Liu Lanhua felt a little regretful. This morning, in order to avoid those people blocking her door early in the morning and asking all sorts of questions, she specially brought a bucket to the pool in the middle courtyard early. Sure enough, after seeing her, several family members immediately surrounded her and talked non-stop. Soon, a large group of people gathered at the pool in the middle courtyard.

It was at this moment that Qi Liushun's wife, who lived in the backyard, squeezed through the crowd and approached Liu Lanhua, saying that she had something important to tell her.

Liu Lanhua originally thought she could take this opportunity to leave, but the people surrounding her insisted that Qi Liushun's wife speak there. As a result, everyone heard a shocking piece of news: Qi Liushun's eldest son, Qi Wenzhang, was released around 5 a.m. this morning and had just eaten and was sleeping.

Immediately, everyone rushed to Qi Liushun's door, clamoring for Qi Wenzhang to come out and find out what had happened.

After hearing Qi Wenzhang's explanation, everyone present was dumbfounded. Even these housewives who were barely literate understood one thing: the common people cannot fight against officials. In their minds, offending an official would definitely not end well. Now, their husbands had actually followed Xu Fugui and Yue Xiangqian in attacking law enforcement officers and were arrested on the spot. Even a fool would know that they would not have a good ending. Therefore, these housewives panicked for a moment. Some even cried out to the heavens and earth on the spot, while others complained about Xu Fugui and Yue Xiangqian.

Fortunately, Fang Dahu intervened and sent those housewives away, preventing Liu Lanhua from being further besieged by those old women. Now she truly regrets agreeing to let Qi Liushun's wife announce Qi Wenzhang's release in front of so many people. Obviously, she originally intended to tell her privately, but now everyone else knows. Moreover, Qi Wenzhang just told the residents of the courtyard about what happened last night, especially the reason why Xu Fugui and the others were arrested.

Liu Lanhua did not doubt that Qi Wenzhang would lie about such a thing. After all, it is said that a dead child cannot be buried in the snow. As long as he sees Xu Fugui and the others in the future, if Qi Wenzhang lies, then the lie will be exposed immediately. At that time, not only will he be condemned by thousands, but his reputation will probably be ruined.

Yue Xiangqian's wife broke the silence in the room by speaking up: "She's an old lady, what are we going to do now? You're experienced and knowledgeable, hurry up and think of a solution." Hao Aiguo's wife, who was standing next to him, nodded in agreement.

Liu Lanhua smiled bitterly to herself. If her former boss, Lou Bancheng, hadn't gotten into trouble, given her and her husband's relationship with the Lou family, if they went to him for help in this situation, Lou Bancheng certainly wouldn't stand idly by. But now that Lou Bancheng had been executed and Lou Tanshi and her daughter had disappeared, who could she turn to for help?

Looking at Xu Damao, whose face was somewhat pale, Liu Lanhua said hoarsely, "Damao, go to the Qi family and invite Qi Wenzhang over. Tell him I have something to discuss with him. Remember, be polite."

Completely bewildered, Xu Damao quickly agreed and stepped out.

Hao Aiguo's wife asked with some confusion, "What use is it for her, an old lady, to find that kid Qi Wenzhang who hasn't even grown up yet?"

Liu Lanhua snorted: "Right now, only Qi Wenzhang knows the specifics. If we don't find out the details, how can we rescue the head of the family like headless flies? You'd better be polite later, after all, we need your help now, so you'd better not say anything unpleasant."

Just as Hao Aiguo's wife was about to retort, Yue Xiangqian's wife quickly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "What that auntie said is right. Although Qi Wenzhang mentioned what happened last night, he didn't say where he was taken. We should at least know where our leader is being held so we can find someone to help us."

Hao Aiguo's wife could only reluctantly agree after hearing this, and then stood there with a long face.

At this moment, Xu Damao and Qi Wenzhang walked into the house one after the other. As soon as they entered, Qi Wenzhang greeted them with a smile: "Hello, Auntie, Second Aunt, Third Aunt. I heard from Brother Damao that you wanted to see me, Auntie. May I ask what it is?"

Liu Lanhua narrowed her eyes slightly, but still managed a smile: "Wenzhang, there were too many people talking outside just now, so I didn't hear clearly. Could you please tell me what happened last night?"

After returning home early this morning, Qi Wenzhang had already discussed the response with his father, Qi Liushun. The two had even rehearsed it several times in advance. Therefore, when he heard Liu Lanhua's words, Qi Wenzhang did not hesitate to repeat the words he had practiced countless times in his mind.

After listening to Qi Wenzhang's account, Liu Lanhua did not speak immediately. She mentally reviewed the content of Qi Wenzhang's two accounts, but unfortunately, she could not find any difference.

Just as Hao Aiguo's wife was about to speak, Yue Xiangqian's wife quickly tugged at her sleeve and shook her head slightly at her. Hao Aiguo's wife could only let out a sigh of relief and then reluctantly shut her mouth.

Liu Lanhua suddenly asked, "Wenzhang, do you remember where you were taken last night?"

Upon hearing Liu Lanhua's words, the eyes of everyone in the room immediately focused on Qi Wenzhang's face.

Qi Wenzhang said calmly, "Auntie, last night we were all put on a truck. According to the orders of the law enforcement officers escorting us, everyone squatted in the truck bed. Because it was so dark at night, we had no idea where we were being taken. But when I was released early this morning, I saw a big sign on the gate that read 'Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill Security Training Base' by the light at the gate. Following the directions of the guards at the gate, I walked north along the main road in front of the gate for less than two miles and saw the west gate of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill."

Upon hearing this, Liu Lanhua and the other three couldn't help but ask in unison, "Is it the training base of the security department of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill?"

Qi Wenzhang nodded seriously: "That's right. I've been to the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill to look for my dad before, so I'm quite familiar with the route from our courtyard to the mill. Therefore, I definitely won't be mistaken."