False evidence

Chapter 261: Visiting a Relative
"Four little sixes!"

"Suppress it!"

"It's just a bomb, everyone has one!"

I slammed the deck of cards on the table and laughed loudly, "I won!"

"You're cheating again!"

The monkey and Meng Chao glared at me together.

I chuckled and rubbed my nose. "It's not that I'm cheating, it's just that it's time to pack up and go. Can't you smell the aroma? The dumplings should be ready!"

As Meng Chao rearranged his cards, he said with dissatisfaction, "It's not like we'll lose one more hand."

The monkey laughed and said, "This kid is getting slyer and slyer."

Meng Chao sighed, "Sigh, honest people always have a hard life. He's cunning, but at least people make dumplings for him. And Gu Haitao, he's even more sly and slippery, but he's never short of girlfriends! I'm honest enough, and I'm graduating next year and I'm still a single dog!"

The monkey chuckled and gave him a nudge: "Oh right, I was so busy playing cards I forgot to ask, what day are you going back?"

Meng Chao said, "I'll leave tomorrow."

The Chinese New Year is almost here.

It's pretty much the same every year. Before Liping and Mengchao go back to their hometowns during the winter break, they always get together for a while, and then they go back to their respective homes.

This year, Li Ping went to his girlfriend's house early, and Meng Chao came over for a meal. He will take the train back home for the Chinese New Year tomorrow.

This is the third year I haven't been back to my hometown. The difference is that this year I'm no longer alone listening to the firecrackers outside.

Meng Chao and I had just put the cold dishes on the table when Xiao Shen San arrived with Lu Zelin.

I pulled Xiao Shen San aside and whispered, "Has Master Lü been sent over? What did your second brother do with him?"

Xiao Shen chuckled: "Delivered. I embellished the story of what that bear did, and before my second brother could say anything, Sister Ya Yun couldn't hold back her anger."

That woman had a fiery temper; she took it upon herself not to change that lecherous man's clothes, but to chain him to the entrance of the inn and let him freeze! "He'll only be allowed to reincarnate when my elder brother marries and has children!"

"Tsk, that won't do! If you ask me, he should be left forever..."

Halfway through my sentence, I realized what they meant and asked, "Isn't your older brother a monk?"

Little Shen chuckled slyly, "Hehe, that's right. Not only is he a monk, but he's also a eunuch!"

I laughed too: "That's why they say you should never offend a woman."

Xiao Shensan continued, still not satisfied: "That Taoist Lu wasn't just frozen; you know, the guards at the post station entrance are Yazi and Taotie! I specifically told these two mythical beasts again about how Taoist Lu killed Xiao Hanning."

Hehe, I reckon that from now on, as soon as my second brother and the others fall asleep, Ya Zi will bite Lu Daoren fiercely, then Taotie will swallow him whole, and he'll be excreted as poop! Over and over again, just thinking about it is awesome!

Pi Dan and Fang Ling brought in the dumplings, and the group sat around the table, raised their glasses, and officially began eating.

Xiao Shen was so angry with Lu Daoren that after drinking half a cup of wine, he couldn't stop himself from talking and revealed Lu Daoren's evil deeds.

Monkey and Meng Chao cursed loudly upon hearing this, and Pi Dan was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode.

Shuanzhu, who was enjoying his meal in the corner, suddenly looked up and barked at the door.

As I advised Pidan not to get so worked up, I got up and went to open the gate in the yard.

When I saw who it was, I was a little stunned.

The woman who arrived was middle-aged and looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place where I had seen her before.

Before I could speak, the other person said, "Cao Jinxiu."

I slapped my forehead and suddenly remembered that she was Cao Xinyun's sister from Cao Furui Tailor Shop.

She wasn't the only one there; there was another woman who looked to be in her early twenties, whom I had never seen before.

Cao Jinxiu pointed to the woman and introduced her to me: "Xie Xiaohuan."

Then he turned to the woman and said, "I think this is the person you should be looking for. Now that you've found him, from now on, don't come to the Cao family again."

After saying that, he didn't even go through the gate, but turned around and left.

I was completely confused. Seeing that Xiao Huan's body was trembling slightly, I had no choice but to let her into the house first.

I poured her a cup of hot water, handed it to her, and asked her what was going on.

Xie Xiaohuan cupped her hands, took a small sip, and looked up at me, seemingly quite bewildered. I asked, "Are you a relative of the Cao family?"

Xie Xiaohuan nodded slightly, then shook her head vigorously.

"friend?"

She shook her head again, still very forcefully.

Why did Cao Jinxiu bring you here?

I'm completely baffled.

Cao Xinyun and I fought together and were hospitalized together; we're practically buddies.

If his sister needs my help, I'm always happy to oblige.

How did this completely unrelated woman end up in my house? And why did she just leave without explaining anything?
Seeing that Xiao Huan didn't seem to be very good with words, I asked her again directly, "What are you doing here?"

Xie Xiaohuan shook her head again, then abruptly asked, "Your name is Meng Chao?"

Meng Chao, who was stuffing dumplings into his mouth, was taken aback. "Who are you? Do I know you?"

Jie Xiaohuan turned to him: "Are you Meng Chao?"

Meng Chao raised his voice and said, "It's me, what's wrong?"

Xie Xiaohuan bit her lip and suddenly said, "Don't take the train tomorrow, or something will happen."

Everyone was stunned.

Meng Chao put down his chopsticks, got up and walked over. He looked Xiao Huan up and down carefully for a while, then scratched his head and asked:

"I don't know you. Why can't I take the train? Something happened? What happened?"

Jie Xiaohuan bit her lip again, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she seemed a little afraid to look him in the eye.
"If you absolutely must take the train tomorrow, then don't meddle in other people's business, or you'll die on New Year's Day."

Meng Chao jumped up on the spot and exclaimed dramatically, "Girl, we have no grudge against each other, why are you so viciously cursing me to die?"

He was genuinely angry. Anyone would feel uncomfortable hearing such unlucky words near the end of the year.

Xie Xiaohuan seemed to know that she had angered the other party, so she lowered her head, bit her lip, and remained silent.

Pidan walked over and asked her, "Have you eaten?"

She shook her head.

Pidan rolled his eyes slightly: "Let's put everything else aside for now and sit down to eat together."

Xie Xiaohuan looked up at Pidan and asked softly, "What's your surname?"

Pidan looked puzzled: "My surname is Pei, and my name is Pei Xiaofan."

Xie Xiaohuan showed a disappointed expression, but then her gaze swept over the faces of the others:

"Which of you... has the surname Xie, or... or Lü?"

Something in my brain suddenly clicked. "Sit down, let's eat and talk."

Xie Xiaohuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

When she took off her outdated coat and long scarf, it became clear that she was actually younger, only about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Xiao Shen winked at me and poured her half a glass of wine. "Sister, today is the Great Cold. It's our custom here that whether you can drink or not, you have to have some wine."

I know he noticed that Xie Xiaohuan was hesitant to speak, so he wanted to get her some drinks to make her open up.

Xie Xiaohuan hesitated for a moment, then picked up her wine glass and took a small sip.

Within half a minute of drinking the wine, his entire face turned red.

After she had been eating and drinking quietly for a while, I felt she was done, so I asked her:

"Are you looking for someone surnamed Xie or Lü?"

Xiao Shen's tricks really worked. Xie Xiaohuan, who was originally like a timid rabbit, actually relaxed a bit after drinking.

She blushed and said, "My mother passed away not long ago. She sent me here to find my relatives."

(End of this chapter)