False evidence

Chapter 263 Green Leather Train
Pidan's mom is a serious card game enthusiast.

According to Pidan, ten years ago, the old lady once set a record of not leaving the mahjong table for two days and one night.

It is said that Pidan's father was driven to his death by her obsession (Pidan told me this with a smile, which proves that it was just a joke).

I've been living here for about half a year now, and I've gotten to know all the neighbors, including the other three people at the card table.

The plump woman and the bald man are a couple, and they seem to be related to the family of the preserved egg.

I've never really liked that old couple.

Because it was our first meeting, their words and actions reminded me of the Shao family from my old village—always trying to gain an advantage and never suffering a loss.

The plump woman smiled kindly, but her words, though directed at me, were anything but kind. Anyone with a modicum of common sense could tell she was subtly putting me down.

It does not matter.

The important thing is—I just confirmed through divination that what Xiao Huan said was actually true!
If it weren't for Jie Xiaohuan's appearance, Pidan's mother, and even Pidan himself, might have really died.

However, the appearance of Xie Xiaohuan changed the ending.

This could be considered a butterfly effect...

After a round of cards, Pidan's mother played a 70,000, and the player opposite her shouted "Pong!" I shouted "Mom!"

"What's wrong?" Egg Mom turned to look at me.

In that instant, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of 'Bald' swapping the card he had already drawn for another one, and then putting it back with a feigned look of regret.

"Oh, so he's calling her 'Mom' now?" The plump woman squinted at him, not forgetting to 'joke'.

I smiled at her and the bald man, and said to Egg Mom, "Let me draw one for you."

Pidan's mom was quite surprised: "Didn't you say you didn't know how to play mahjong?"

I laughed and said, "If you don't know how to play, just learn! I have a feeling I'll win this time!"

As they were talking, it was time for Egg Mom to draw a card.

Seeing her nod at me, I smiled, reached out and picked up a tile, slowly rubbing my thumb across its surface before slapping it down with my other hand: "Self-draw!"

The plump woman and the bald man both looked terrible. It seemed they'd won big this round.

……

On the way home, Pidan tugged at me and asked, "Should Mom keep hitting it?"

I countered, "You saw it too?"

“I’m not blind!” Pidan frowned, “That guy has always been dishonest, but my mom is just too oblivious, and she gets really focused when she plays cards, so she never noticed.”

I said, "It's good to be carefree. But what do you think will happen if Mom sees this?"

"She'd be furious!" Pidan said, still shaken. "Mom and I are both intolerant of any wrongdoing. She's kind to people, but those two are the kind who will turn on you if they don't get something for nothing! If Mom really sees through their act, she'll definitely argue with them! Mom definitely can't win an argument with them, and then... I just took Mom's blood pressure this morning, and it wasn't good. You know, if she gets sick over a few dollars..."

I stopped. "Xiao Huan's diary is quite intriguing!"

Pidan didn't react for a moment: "What does this have to do with the diary?"

I shook my head: "Let's talk about it later. Anyway, Mom is fine now."

Sometimes, in certain situations and with certain people, a small thing can lead to serious consequences.

The first thing I saw when I entered the mahjong parlor was through the tarot card game: Pidan's mom, who was even more impulsive and straightforward than Pidan himself, got into an argument with him and the fat aunt after discovering that the bald guy was stealing cards.

Two against one, the other side seized on the key point, with a shrew and a rogue teaming up and shouting for Pidan's mother to produce 'evidence'. In the end, Pidan's mother was so angry that she suffered a heart attack due to high blood pressure and had to be carried to the hospital.

I didn't see any further updates.

But considering what Jie Xiaohuan said, it's not hard to imagine—if Pidan's mother really couldn't be saved, given Pidan's physical condition and his feelings for her, he would really have to go with her...

When we got to the door, Pidan grabbed me and asked somewhat nervously, "Mom, are you really okay?" I pulled her into my arms and rubbed the back of her head. "Didn't you see? I glared at that bald guy before I left. If he dares to play any tricks, he's a complete idiot."

Pidan looked up at me and asked, "Was it a coincidence that you picked up that last two of bamboo tiles?"

I chuckled: "I didn't know how to play mahjong before, but this guy, besides cheating people out of money and sex, is also a con artist by trade! Also, Liang Kaiyuan seems to have run a gambling den before."

I said, "I suddenly had an idea. I'll quit my job with Sister Ling right away, buy a plane ticket to Las Vegas, and if I get there smoothly, I'll only work for a week, and then we'll be little tycoons..."

"Get lost!" Pidan pinched my waist.

Once inside, I asked Xie Xiaohuan directly, "Who left the diary?"
Xie Xiaohuan stammered and couldn't utter a coherent sentence for a long time.

Fang Ling affectionately took her hand and said to me:

“She just arrived here and has nowhere to stay, so let her stay here temporarily. Let her live with me.”

Seeing her give me a meaningful look, I hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

In reality, I had no choice.

Jie Xiaohuan seems to be more than just timid and shy; I suspect she's a bit autistic.

Talking to her is a bit like talking to the old Fang Ling; you have to be very patient.

Fang Ling led Xie Xiaohuan into the room.

Meng Chao asked me in a low, depressed voice, "What diary is she talking about? Could it be true? If I go back tomorrow, I might really die on New Year's Eve?"

Having witnessed this, I was quite apprehensive.

I thought for a moment, then beckoned to him with my finger: "Come closer, I'll feel your bone structure."

I still don't have a direct understanding of bone palpation. The first two times I touched the cheeks of the monkey and Xiao Hanning, images flashed through my mind like a movie.

However, this time, the moment my fingers touched Meng Chao's face, the surrounding situation changed completely.

I was no longer in the living room, but on a train.

"Have we entered another dimension again?" Pidan asked me, sitting next to me.

It's no longer surprising that Pidan came along. It seems that when I was examining Meng Chao's bones, my other hand was still holding hers.

Pidan and I were standing in the aisle of the train, and sitting in front of us was none other than Meng Chao!
This guy has recently become obsessed with a match-3 game, and he's playing it on his phone right now.

Pidan turned to look around, "Why are there still such old trains these days?"

“Mengniu has to transfer trains to get back. His home is relatively remote, and unless he takes a bus, the only other option is a slow, green train.”

I pointed out the window, "With such heavy snow, the buses must be out of service."

The announcement of the station came over the loudspeaker.

I did the math, and not counting the stops ahead, there are still two small stops to Meng Chao's home.

The train pulled into the station, and a few people boarded the carriage.

Pidan tugged at me, gestured with his eyes, and whispered, "Look, there's a treat!"

Even without her reminder, I had already seen what she called 'benefits'.

A woman in her early thirties, who had just boarded the bus, was wearing a fur coat with a very low neckline. Even more outrageous, she wore a leather mini-skirt, revealing a large section of her white legs between it and her boots.

The woman wasn't ugly, and her figure was decent.

In the dead of winter, when everyone is bundled up like dumplings, her light and airy attire is quite a sight to behold.

However, my gaze didn't linger on her for long; it quickly shifted to another man behind her...

(End of this chapter)