ebookslot Chapter 16 Fangs Appear
Chapter 16 Fangs Appear
He Jiu didn't stay in the private room for long.
The iron gate opened again.
Zhou Xing stood at the door, holding a piece of official paper in his hand, with a guard behind him.
The guard was holding a slightly worn gray cloth outfit and a pair of cloth shoes.
"come out."
Zhou Xing said.
He Jiu froze, not moving.
Zhou Xing shook the paper in his hand:
"The bail papers have been approved. Put on your clothes and come with me."
He Jiu then moved his body, the shackles clanking loudly.
He took the clothes, his fingers touching the fine stitches and the soft, washed fabric, his eyes filled with even more confusion.
Above? Which above? The man surnamed Ruan just died, how could this be… He looked up at Zhou Xing.
This person is cunning and capable beyond my expectations.
The procedures were processed incredibly quickly.
He signed the agreement, pressed his fingerprint, and retrieved his personal belongings, which turned out to be nothing more than an empty purse and a few copper coins.
When He Jiu followed Zhou Xing out of the back door of the detention center, it was still bright daylight, which made him squint.
"You... released them?"
He couldn't help but ask.
"Bail. The case isn't closed yet."
Zhou walked ahead without stopping. "Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. If those above agree, those below will naturally move faster."
He Jiu pondered for a moment, then quickened his pace to walk alongside Zhou Xing, lowering his voice: "You...you're not just a constable, are you?"
Zhou Xing glanced at him: "What, can't a police officer have friends in power?"
Hua Bu certainly couldn't, but Li Wenyong did. If you have connections, you should make the most of them; otherwise, why wouldn't he just kill them off as easily as possible?
He Jiu chuckled dryly twice:
"Where do we go now?"
"Let's go to your house."
Zhou Xing glanced at him.
He Jiu paused, his expression changing:
"Sir, I've already told you where the item is. Why don't you just get it yourself? Why bother..."
"Your mother hasn't seen you for two years."
Zhou Xing interrupted him, "Now that you're out, you should let the old lady see you all right now. It'll put her mind at ease."
He Jiu remained silent, his initial doubt turning into a cold laugh.
Sure enough, she still doesn't believe him. She's afraid he'll run away and wants to hold her hostage.
These thugs in dog skins all use the same tricks.
His mind was in turmoil, but he finally managed a smile:
"Okay, whatever you say."
Zhou Xing led him to a secondhand clothing store, where he bought a decent set of dark blue shorts, and then they found a bathhouse.
For a few copper coins, He Jiu went in for a soak, scrubbing off years of grime.
The barber shaved his head short and cleaned his beard, revealing his thin but rugged face.
The person in the mirror finally looked somewhat human.
Stepping out of the bathhouse, there's a stall selling mutton offal soup diagonally across the street.
Zhou Xing sat down and ordered two large bowls of soup and four sesame seed cakes. He Jiu stared at the steaming soup on the table, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he didn't move.
"eat."
Zhou Xing picked up the sesame seed cake, broke it in half, and soaked it in the soup.
He Jiu then picked up the bowl, first taking small sips, then drinking faster and faster until he almost buried his face in the bowl, making slurping noises.
He stuffed the two sesame cakes into his mouth in just a few bites, choking so badly he had to stretch his neck out.
Zhou Xing pushed his own sesame seed cake over.
He Jiu paused for a moment, then grabbed it and began to gnaw on it fiercely.
After finishing his meal, Zhou Xing paid the bill and stood up.
"Let's go."
He Jiu wiped his mouth and followed.
The two walked one after the other through the increasingly narrow alleys toward the shantytown by the railway.
The closer He Jiu got to his home, the slower his steps became.
He kept tugging at the hem of his gray cloth jacket, and then raised his hand to smooth his freshly shaved stubble, his scalp gleaming.
"Sir,"
He suddenly spoke, his voice a little tense, "I... do I look alright?"
Zhou Xing turned his head to look at him.
He Jiu avoided eye contact, staring at the new cloth shoes on his feet:
"I haven't been back for two years... I'm afraid my mother will feel bad if she sees me like this."
He rubbed his face again, as if trying to wash away the bad luck he had brought from prison:
"Are your clothes... all tidy? Is there anything wrong with them?"
Zhou Xing looked at him for a moment and then hummed in agreement:
"neat."
He Jiu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but when he reached his own crooked wooden door, he raised his hand but hesitated to push it open for a long time.
Zhou Xing opened the door for him.
The room was dimly lit. By the stove, an old woman with gray hair sat, using the light coming through the crack in the door to mend an old garment.
Hearing the noise, she looked up and squinted at it.
"Who is it?"
His voice was old and hoarse, with a phlegm-like quality.
"mother……"
He Jiu's throat tightened, and he called out.
The old woman stopped needlework.
She slowly stood up, her back hunched, and moved closer step by step, almost touching He Jiu's face, her cloudy eyes trying to make out his features.
"Is it... Jiu'er?"
Her voice trembled, and she raised her withered hand, groping for He Jiu's face. "Is it Jiu'er?"
"Yes, Mother, it's me."
He Jiu grabbed her hand, his voice choked with emotion, "I'm back."
Then he looked closely at his mother's eyes and found that her gaze was unfocused and lacked direction.
His heart clenched suddenly:
"Mother, what happened to your eyes?"
The old lady shook her head, her tone flat:
"It's nothing. Once the tears have dried, you won't be able to see clearly anymore. It's alright, I can still work."
He Jiu knelt down with a thud, hugged the old lady's legs, and burst into tears:
"Mother! Your son is unfilial! Your son is not human! I have caused you so much suffering!"
The old lady did not cry.
She simply bent down slowly, her rough hands gently stroking He Jiu's hair, her voice very soft:
"Get up, get up. Mother isn't blaming you. These past two years, have you been sleeping well outside? Were you cold at night? What do you want to eat? Tell Mother..."
He Jiu cried so hard he couldn't speak, he could only shake his head.
The old lady asked again:
"Where have you been these past two years? We haven't heard a thing from you!"
He Jiu opened his mouth, but couldn't utter the words "go to jail".
At this moment, Zhou Xing spoke, his tone ordinary:
"Auntie, He Jiu has been away on business for the past two years, but he's had bad luck and lost money. He's been trying to find a way out. Now that things have finally calmed down a bit, he finally has time to come back and see you."
The old lady said "Oh" and nodded:
"Doing business is good, it's a legitimate business. Losing money isn't a problem, as long as the person comes back."
She shakily helped He Jiu to his feet, saying, "Mother will cook you a bowl of noodles; there's still half a scoop of flour left..."
"I've eaten, Mother, I've eaten."
He Jiu wiped his face and helped the old lady sit down.
The dim, yellowish light from the kitchen created a small, warm glow.
The old lady chatted on and on about what had happened in the neighborhood over the past two years: who got their daughter married, and whose elderly relative had passed away.
He Jiu squatted down in front of her, looking up to listen, occasionally letting out a soft "hmm".
Zhou Xing stood in the shadows by the door, watching quietly.
The room was filled with the smell of coal smoke and old wood, as well as the faint, aged scent of soap fumes emanating from the old man.
This scene was so ordinary, so real, that it stirred something deep within him.
Right at this moment.
The light and shadow through the crack in the door suddenly flickered.
Zhou Xing's hair stood on end!
He caught a faint, almost imperceptible scent of bitter almonds.
poisonous!
A cold wind silently blew in from the shadows behind him on his left.
The target was aimed straight at his back!
The angle was tricky, and the timing was ruthless.
Zhou Xing's ability to sense force had become second nature. As soon as the slight sound and smell of wind arrived, his muscles and bones reacted naturally, and he could slide away with a slight turn of his waist and hips.
But in front of him were an old woman with her back to the door, completely unaware of what was happening, and He Jiu kneeling on the ground.