Of course, mutual benefit was also one of Chen Liuhe's reasons for agreeing. Qin Ruohan could at least alleviate his and Shen Qingwu's current predicament. He himself didn't care, but Qin Ruohan was right about one thing: Shen Qingwu was frail, suffering from lingering complications of a serious illness, requiring expensive traditional Chinese medicine.
At this thought, Chen Liuhe's eyes narrowed, a chilling glint flashing within their depths.
"Those people in Yanjing, just because Little Sister doesn't speak, do they truly believe I don't know what they did to her a year ago? Her severe illness and crippled legs—not even the blood of their entire clan could wash away their sins!" Chen Liuhe muttered to himself. "Less than two years left. I wonder how many will wake up screaming in the middle of the night then!"
The next morning, Chen Liuhe, as usual, took Shen Qingwu to school. He didn't forget to soak in the vibrant, youthful campus atmosphere, and of course, primarily, to feast his eyes.
Don't mistake Chen Liuhe for being indiscriminate. He didn't just look at anyone. He adhered strictly to one principle: he only looked at those who wore the least.
After satisfying himself, Chen Liuhe swaggered away on his old tricycle, ignoring countless disdainful stares.
Today, Chen Liuhe didn't go collecting scrap in the streets and alleys. Instead, he headed straight for a construction site. Amidst the swirling dust, Chen Liuhe finally found the inconspicuous Huang Baiwan.
The man was hauling cement.
"Brother Six!" Seeing Chen Liuhe, Huang Baiwan quickly dropped his task and scurried over, his yellow-toothed grin wide. He wiped his grimy hands on his trousers, then pulled out a crumpled pack of cheap Daqianmen cigarettes, carefully offering one to Chen Liuhe.
He chuckled, "Old Huang's just this class, Brother Six, don't mind."
Chen Liuhe took the cigarette, lit it with the lighter Huang Baiwan offered, and took a deep drag. The pungent, harsh taste burned his throat, even worse than the three-and-a-half-yuan Hongmei brand.
"Old Huang, you've got connections. You can still get these cigarettes nowadays?" Chen Liuhe and Huang Baiwan squatted by the construction site, puffing away.
"Heh heh, these cigarettes are cheap," Huang Baiwan said bluntly.
Chen Liuhe eyed Huang Baiwan. "Old Huang, you're doing heavy labor here, earning maybe one or two hundred a day. Why are you tightening your belt so much?"
Huang Baiwan replied without hesitation, "Nah, I only get eighty a day. The foreman skims off a hundred and twenty. He doesn't say it, but I know. I have a little sister studying in high school in a town about fifteen kilometers from the mountains. I'm supporting her. It doesn't matter if I suffer; I can't let a scholar suffer. Only with education can you have a great future, not like me."
"You can take such a humiliating loss?" Chen Liuhe asked teasingly.
Huang Baiwan grinned, revealing his signature, unappealing smile. "When I left the mountains at thirteen, my old mother told me: 'Loss is a blessing.'"
Chen Liuhe said no more, just lightly patted Huang Baiwan's shoulder. He felt that this gaunt, stick-thin rascal beside him had broad shoulders and an incredibly tough spine!
"Huang Datou! You damn well gonna work or not? Don't you want your pay today?" At that moment, a smarmy-looking middle-aged man walked over, berating Huang Baiwan.
Chen Liuhe looked up, a smile on his face, but remained silent. Huang Baiwan, on the other hand, was all fawning smiles. "Manager Liu, my good friend came by. I'm just chatting with him for a few minutes, then I'll get right back to work." Manager Liu glanced at Chen Liuhe with contempt, then cursed at Huang Baiwan, "Go do your damn work! Still trying to haggle with me? Your pay is halved today, but you still do all the work!"
"Yes, yes," Huang Baiwan nodded and bowed, showing no temper at all.
After Manager Liu left, Huang Baiwan, showing no hint of anger, apologized to Chen Liuhe. "Brother Six, heh heh, made you see a joke."
Chen Liuhe shook his head. "I actually think you'll be more successful than that Manager Liu in the future."
Huang Baiwan grinned. "Brother Six, do you have something for me to do?"
Chen Liuhe nodded. "You've been in Bianzhou for over a decade; you must be familiar with it. There's something I need your help with."
Huang Baiwan tossed his cigarette butt. "Then Brother Six has found the right man. I wouldn't dare boast about anything else, but in Bianzhou, there isn't an alley or street Old Huang doesn't know. Tell me, what is it? Old Huang won't even blink."
Chen Liuhe said, "I have a task that carries some danger. If things go wrong, you might even lose your life. Do you dare to do it?"
"Dare!" Huang Baiwan replied without hesitation.
"Good. Take a look at this first." Chen Liuhe pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. Huang Baiwan took it, opened it, and after about a minute, he used his lighter to burn the paper.
Huang Baiwan's expression became solemn. "Brother Six, how much time do I have?"
"Two days," Chen Liuhe held up two fingers. He paused, then smiled. "Aren't you going to ask why I want to provoke them?"
"Brother Six gives the orders. Old Huang just does the work. My brain isn't good, I only have strength in my arms," Huang Baiwan said.
"Be careful. Black Dragon Group is not to be trifled with," Chen Liuhe said, standing up.
Shortly after Chen Liuhe left, Huang Baiwan spat on the ground, stood up, and walked straight out of the construction site. Behind him, Manager Liu's curses echoed, "Huang Datou! Where the hell are you going? Not working? I think you're tired of living!"
But Huang Baiwan just waved his hand without looking back. He felt he had never been so free and easy before.
Two days passed in a blink. In these two days, Chen Liuhe did nothing but idle around. Apart from his routine chores of cooking, laundry, and dropping off Shen Qingwu, his greatest pleasure was riding his old tricycle to various squares and parks, admiring the urban beauties and their fair, long legs.
Chen Liuhe always had a soft spot for long legs. And, of course, sheer stockings added a touch of beauty. He always believed these were the crystallization of human wisdom, a great invention, possessing immense destructive power.
Women wearing them could conquer men; men wearing them could conquer banks. Of course, women wore them on their legs, and men wore them on their heads. But both had the effect of conquering!
In those two days, Qin Ruohan called Chen Liuhe countless times. But each time, Chen Liuhe remained indifferent, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, infuriating Qin Ruohan to the point where she wanted to rush over and bite the bastard to death.
It was unclear if she had completely given up on Chen Liuhe by now, but Chen Liuhe cared little, maintaining his unhurried, unbothered demeanor.
It was worth mentioning Huang Baiwan, who hadn't returned for two days and two nights, and there had been no news of him.
Chen Liuhe wasn't worried. If Huang Baiwan couldn't even handle this, then he deserved to struggle his entire life. The task he gave Huang Baiwan, if he himself were to do it, would naturally be easily handled. But since Huang Baiwan wanted to live a dignified life, he naturally had to pay the price. Chen Liuhe was no saint; he wouldn't offer handouts.
He had given the opportunity; whether Huang Baiwan could seize it depended on his own ability.
This evening, as Chen Liuhe and Shen Qingwu were having dinner in the courtyard, Huang Baiwan, who had been missing for two days, finally returned. However, at this moment, Huang Baiwan looked a bit disheveled.
His hair was messy, his mouth bruised, and his old clothes were stained with blood. Several knife wounds were scattered across his shoulders and back, and his thigh also bore a gash, bloody and making him limp as he walked.
Looking at Huang Baiwan, Chen Liuhe didn't rise to greet him. He let Huang Baiwan limp forward. Shen Qingwu said nothing, nor did she ask any questions. She quietly returned to her room, emerging with a first-aid kit in her hand.
Though covered in wounds, Huang Baiwan's lips were spread in a grin from the moment he entered the courtyard. He pulled out a few photos from his怀里 and placed them before Chen Liuhe. "Brother Six, these might be useful to you."
Chen Liuhe didn't look at the photos immediately. Instead, he examined Huang Baiwan's knife wounds. He took the first-aid kit from Shen Qingwu. "I'll clean your wounds."
Huang Baiwan's knife wounds were not light; one was deep enough to expose bone. Chen Liuhe used needle and thread to stitch Huang Baiwan up without anesthetic, and naturally, Huang Baiwan's pig-like screams echoed through the courtyard.
However, this seemingly frail man was tough. With a swig of strong liquor, he endured the pain.
After the wounds were treated, Huang Baiwan's face was pale, his lips trembling. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and grinned at Chen Liuhe.
Chen Liuhe asked, "You've been through a lot these past two days, haven't you?"
"Far less than when I was scamming people in Hubei back then, getting chased and hacked through the streets every other day," Huang Baiwan replied.
Chen Liuhe nodded. Only then did he pick up the photos and examine them. The intimate scenes in the dozens of photos thoroughly entertained Chen Liuhe. The male protagonist was the same person, but there were three or four different female protagonists.
Huang Baiwan explained from the side: "This guy is Zhou Yunkang. This bastard is quite the ladies' man, changing women every two days. But I have to say, those women are all stunning."
Huang Baiwan continued, "I didn't know until I investigated, and it shocked me! This Zhou Yunkang is not only lecherous but also audacious! Brother Six probably wouldn't believe it, but this dog dares to touch any woman, even his father-in-law's mistress! He's committed so many sins, practically uninhibited."
"Oh?" Chen Liuhe's interest was piqued.
Speaking of this, Huang Baiwan became animated, pointing at a voluptuous woman in one of the photos. "See this lady? She's actually Zhang Yongfu's mistress, the chairman of Black Dragon Group. But secretly, she's also having an affair with Zhou Yunkang! Isn't that just thrilling as hell?"