Chapter 57 of 100

Chapter 57

10 min read2,477 words

Ma Ling was still in class, and after a round trip, she had to return to send the car. Liu Handong rode his motorcycle back to Iron Slag Street, where Song Shuang and the others were still there. Ling Zijie seemed to have no intention of leaving, chatting happily with the girls. Sister Mei was wiping her tears with a handkerchief, talking incessantly as if she had found a kindred spirit.

Lunchtime arrived, and Liu Handong said, "Let me treat everyone to a meal." Sister Mei immediately objected, "No way, it should be me who treats. I'll arrange for a meal at Tuji Dog Meat Restaurant."

Song Shuang frowned slightly; she detested dog meat restaurants the most.

To be honest, Tuji Dog Meat Restaurant was one of the better restaurants on Iron Slag Street, always bustling with customers. If you arrived late, there wouldn't be any seats. Sister Mei's choice was well-intentioned, but she hadn't considered Song Shuang's feelings. Song Shuang was the vice president of an animal protection association; there was no way she would eat dog meat.

Liu Handong said, "Let's not eat dog meat; it's too fiery. Let's go somewhere else, I'll take you."

Song Shuang gave Liu Handong a grateful look.

Nana and Xiao Ya declined to go, showing good judgment. They knew they weren't the main guests, and Sister Mei and Huanxi could represent them. Liu Handong didn't insist, letting Ling Zijie sit in the front passenger seat while Sister Mei, Huanxi, Song Shuang, and Zhu Pengpeng squeezed into the back. Fortunately, they were all slim, so they could endure the short trip.

As they passed the dog meat restaurant, the dogs in the cages pitifully watched the passersby. Song Shuang turned her face away, unable to bear the sight. Suddenly, Liu Handong braked to a stop and said, "Everyone, get out!"

It turned out that Shanpao was rushing out of the restaurant with Xiaoyue, who was holding a knife and covered in blood—whether it was dog blood or human blood, no one knew.

"You came just in time. Xiaoyue had a miscarriage," Shanpao said, sweating profusely. It was the busiest time of the day, and Xiaoyue had been skinning dogs in the backyard when she suddenly had a reaction. It was still early in her pregnancy, and the situation was dangerous.

Everyone quickly got out of the car. Shanpao placed Xiaoyue in the back seat, and Sister Mei, without hesitation, got back in to take care of her. "I'll take care of her. Shanpao, you sit in the front."

"Okay," Shanpao sat in the front passenger seat, and Liu Handong sped off.

"Let's find somewhere else to eat," Ling Zijie said.

"Goodbye, thank you all," Huanxi bowed in gratitude.

"Don't go yet. Let's find a place to eat, and I still need to interview you," Ling Zijie said.

...

Xiaoyue lost her baby, but fortunately, she was fine.

Shanpao squatted in a corner of the maternity hospital, smoking and looking dejected. Liu Handong walked over and patted his shoulder, saying nothing. At such a time, any words were superfluous.

"What have I done to deserve this? Why is the heavens so cruel to me? Damn it!" Shanpao angrily flicked his cigarette butt away.

Sister Mei walked over and sighed, "Shanpao, I'm not saying this to blame you, but you've committed too many sins. The heavens are punishing you. Think about it, how many dogs do you and your wife kill every day, skinning and butchering them, with blood all over the place. The heavens are keeping a record of all this."

Shanpao, in pain, held his head and, after a long silence, looked up. "If I stop killing dogs, will the heavens spare me?"

"I don't know, but reducing the killing and doing good deeds will always have its benefits," Sister Mei said.

Shanpao seemed to be deep in thought, lighting a cigarette but forgetting to smoke it. The ash grew long but didn't fall.

Sun Jiatao and Sun Jikai, having settled the shop's affairs, also rushed over. Liu Handong and Sister Mei comforted Tu Hongbin for a few moments before leaving.

It was already 5 PM. Song Shuang and Zhu Pengpeng had gone home, leaving only Ling Zijie to continue the interview. It seemed he planned to stay on Iron Slag Street. Seeing Liu Handong come in, Huanxi said happily, "Brother Ling is going to help me retake my exams and apply to university next year."

Ling Zijie took out his DSLR camera. "Huanxi, don't move. I'll take a few pictures."

Liu Handong covered the lens. "Student, can I talk to you for a moment?"

Pulling Ling Zijie aside, Liu Handong said, "Why are you taking her picture?"

"For the research report. I can't just make things up. These are basic materials," Ling Zijie said.

"No, Huanxi is different. She hasn't officially entered this line of work. If you take her picture and spread it around, how will she face people in the future? Her life is still long ahead of her."

Ling Zijie understood and put away his camera.

"Liu Handong, you're a good person. My research project requires long-term tracking of the lives of women in this line of work. I plan to stay on this street for a while. Can you help me find a place to rent?"

Liu Handong nodded. "No problem."

In the end, Ling Zijie didn't stay on Iron Slag Street. The conditions were too poor, with no private bathroom, no shower, and a lot of noise. The environment was also unhygienic, affecting his writing. He returned to the youth hostel and came to the street every day to observe the lives of the women in the hair salons.

...

The next day, Ma Ling was off, and Liu Handong took her for a ride on his motorcycle, enjoying the wind. They had lunch together, and during the meal, Liu Handong pushed the motorcycle keys across the table.

"What are you doing? Giving me the bike?" Ma Ling glanced at him, feeling a sweet sensation in her heart.

"I usually have a car to drive, and the motorcycle isn't used much. You can take it for fun," Liu Handong said, pushing the registration papers over as well.

Ma Ling picked up the registration and read, "Song Shuang, the daughter of Director Song, you should be nice to her. One word from a big leader, and your future is secured. A job, a house, and even a wife won't be a problem. You might even become the son-in-law of a director."

Liu Handong quickly denied it. "No way, someone like her wouldn't look at someone like me."

Ma Ling's eyebrows furrowed, and she grabbed Liu Handong's ear. "So you've thought about it?"

"No, no, you brought it up. I was just saying," Liu Handong hurriedly explained.

Ma Ling let go. "I don't think you dare." In fact, she wasn't worried at all. As Liu Handong said, how could the daughter of a police director look at a guy who drives a black car?

After lunch, they rode around for the afternoon, returning only at dinnertime because Ma Ling had strict family rules and had to eat at home.

The road was bumpy, and Liu Handong braked frequently, causing Ma Ling to lurch forward, her chest pressing against Liu Handong's back several times.

"So soft, what is it?" Liu Handong asked with a mischievous grin.

"Pervert!" Ma Ling pinched him.

Liu Handong slowed down and glanced back quickly. "It seems bigger than before. What's going on?"

"Padding," Ma Ling said helplessly, her most insecure point being her small chest.

Suddenly, she thought of something and asked fiercely, "Is Song Shuang's chest bigger?"

"Smaller than yours," Liu Handong said, trying to please her, but it backfired. "So you've been staring at Song Shuang's chest, you pervert."

They bickered all the way back to Huanghua Neighborhood. Liu Handong gave the motorcycle to Ma Ling and didn't dare stay downstairs, going straight home. Ma Ling pushed the motorcycle into the parking shed, locked it, and came out to meet her father, Ma Guoqing.

Ma Guoqing looked at his daughter calmly. "Ling, where did you get the motorcycle?"

"Borrowed it," Ma Ling's eyes darted around.

Ma Guoqing said, "I told you not to associate with Liu Handong, but you still took his bike. Take it back right now."

"It's not Liu Handong's bike," Ma Ling said reluctantly.

"Show me the registration," Ma Guoqing extended his hand. He knew his daughter's tricks; this bike was almost certainly Liu Handong's.

Ma Ling, unwilling, handed over the registration and went upstairs.

Ma Guoqing opened the registration and saw that the owner was indeed not Liu Handong but a girl named Song Shuang, with an address in the police department's residential area.

The old police officer frowned. What was going on? His daughter didn't have friends like this.

"Ling, come back. Whose bike is this?" Ma Guoqing called out to Ma Ling, who was about to go upstairs.

Ma Ling stopped and said, "The registration has a name and ID number. Check it if you want." She then ran upstairs. The food was already on the table, and her mother, Wang Yulan, was watching "Empresses in the Palace" (again, "Empresses in the Palace"). Seeing her daughter, she smiled and said, "Daughter, Aunt Li introduced a match for you. He's the driver of the deputy director of the traffic bureau. He's a good guy, and his family is well-off. His parents are retired from government agencies. I think you should meet him."

Ma Ling picked up her bowl and started eating, saying dismissively, "Mom, didn't you say that only civil servants and deputy section-level officials or above were good enough to be your son-in-law? Why are you lowering your standards?"

Wang Yulan said, "You don't understand. A leader's driver is no ordinary person. Even though he's not a civil servant now, he has a good chance of getting a permanent position and a real job in the future. You know, the traffic police chief used to be a driver..."

Ma Ling ate a few bites and threw down her bowl and chopsticks. "I'm full." She went to her room and lay on the bed, playing with her phone.

Meanwhile, Ma Guoqing went to the station and checked the internal network for information on Song Shuang. He was shocked to find out that Song Shuang was the only daughter of Song Jianfeng!

Who was Song Jianfeng? The head of the Jiangdong Provincial Public Security Department, a vice-provincial-level official with a bright future. How did his daughter get involved with the Song family?

A familiar police officer walked in and sighed, "This time, Chief Meng is in trouble."

"What happened?" Ma Guoqing asked, having been on leave for the past two days.

"A section-level official from the traffic department, for some reason, hired people to almost kill the daughter of Director Song. It caused a huge scandal. It turns out that Director Song's daughter was investigating the official's prostitution scandal, and the prostitutes were caught by our station, including Mei Zi from Iron Slag Street. When she was caught, her three-year-old child was left at home and almost starved to death. Now, people from the department are investigating. Fortunately, no one died, or Chief Meng would have been in serious trouble..."

Ma Guoqing asked, "Mei Zi knows Liu Handong. Is he involved in this?"

The colleague said, "You're right. He's deeply involved. He saved Director Song's daughter. This kid must have good luck. Last month, he saved Xia Qingshi's daughter, and now Director Song's daughter. He's a natural hero. Why can't such good things happen to me?"

"Director Song must be grateful to Liu Handong," Ma Guoqing said, now understanding. The motorcycle was a gift from Song Shuang to Liu Handong, who then lent it to his daughter.

"Of course. This kid has made it to the top," the colleague said, sipping his tea and leaving.

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