False evidence

Chapter 73 Plain Noodles (Part 2)
Bai Jing looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Chen Zudao stared at me for a while, then suddenly rubbed his hands together and burst into laughter.

Infected by him, I couldn't help but chuckle, but my throat hurt, and I coughed uncontrollably for a while.

Chen Zudao's expression changed slightly, and he reached out his hand to me.

I waved my hand dismissively, "Don't touch me!"

He immediately withdrew his hands and placed them properly on his thighs.

He looked like a child afraid of being beaten, both aggrieved and at a loss.

I didn't look at Bai Jing again, and instead curled my lip at Chen Zudao:
What happened at that time?

Chen Zudao, as if he had found a way out, quickly said:

"I...I have a big appetite, and an even bigger capacity for alcohol. The portion of noodles was really small, and the rice wine wasn't very strong...Let me explain the whole story. The shopkeeper was planning to sell noodles for a whole day, but the two of us...I ate them all."

In addition... he also gave us two baskets of soup dumplings. Although the wine in his shop wasn't anything special, my brother and I got really into it... and in the end, we waited until dawn and had the shopkeeper go to the liquor store to buy some more. Anyway... anyway, that day, the two of us practically bought out the entire shop.”

"Pfft...cough cough cough..."

This time, it was Bai Jing who coughed. She couldn't hold back her laughter and choked on her own saliva.

Hearing Chen Zudao say that, I should have found it funny.

But I really can't laugh.

My original plan was simply to use every means to get Chen Zudao to talk.

However, hearing him say this much already gave me a strong feeling that I was being shrouded in a conspiracy.

I frowned and asked Chen Zudao, "What exactly did Lü Xin say to you?"

I suddenly lowered my voice, which not only made Chen Zudao himself feel uncomfortable, but also made Bai Jing feel a little uncomfortable.

Chen Zudao stammered, "That's...that's what I said. You...you heard me say that? You...you...you know I ate all the food out of a restaurant back then, you must remember that, right?"

"I am not Lü Xin!" I suddenly raised my voice.

The result was that my throat felt like it had been stabbed by dozens of needles tied together, and I couldn't even cough up anything.

"Little brother..."

"I'm not your little brother!"

I was panting heavily, and waved Bai Jing away as she tried to approach. I looked at Chen Zu and said, "I don't consider myself a good person. But I'm not a shameless scoundrel either!"

Chen Zudao stared at me in astonishment: "You... how could you say that?"

"You know! You know everything!"

I couldn't help but raise my voice again, "You fucking bastard, you didn't tell me the truth!"

Chen Zudao, who had been leaning forward, paused for a moment upon hearing this, then slumped back into his chair, saying weakly:
"Little brother, you're still blaming me for hurting you..."

Bai Jing eventually went to the outer room and brought in a bowl of wine, handing it to Chen Zudao.

Seeing that I didn't respond, Chen Zudao was about to drink when I gave a cold laugh:
"Beggars, kidnappers... they certainly deserve to die with their entire families. But while people deserve to be killed, they shouldn't be humiliated. You're an accomplice; do you really think you're innocent?"

Chen Zudao was visibly shaken and speechless for a moment.

Bai Jing sat down next to the bed, put one hand on my shoulder, leaned close to me and whispered:
"You may have thought of things I haven't, but you'd better watch your tone. You...you shouldn't provoke him any further."

I pushed her aside and asked Chen Zudao, "How many courtyards and buildings does that rich man's house have?"

Chen Zudao lowered his head and said, "Three courtyards, and... just one small building."

"What kind of building is that! Who lives in it?!"

Before he could answer, I looked around, grabbed another rattan pillow, and threw it hard at his chest.

Because I thought of certain details, I really couldn't control my emotions.

However, when the pillow hit Chen Zudao in front of him and he instinctively hugged it, I suddenly froze. "What's wrong with you now?" Bai Jing clearly sensed something was amiss and leaned closer to me, asking, "Did you 'see' something again?"

I ignored her and glanced around.

This is a bedroom.

Looking through the side door, we could tell that the outer room was the main room where the three of us drank last night.

The furniture is also vintage, even the bed is an early canopy bed (the kind often seen in movies and TV dramas, with four posts and carvings, like a small house).

But why does this room feel even more awkward to me than the main room outside?
My gaze fell on a spot, and I was stunned again.

On the whitewashed wall, there were obvious marks about two feet wide and more than three feet long.

I remember clearly that before Li Tao left, he rolled up a scroll that was originally hanging there.

I don't know anything about painting.

But now that I think about it, why does that painting seem so strange?
The key point is that I had asked Bai Jing privately before and learned that Chen Zudao lived alone here.

Looking back
A centenarian
Living alone in a rural house
The house was kept clean and tidy both inside and out.
The yard is also filled with potted flowers that are clearly carefully pruned and maintained.
……

The scene in the courtyard flashed through my mind like a movie.

Suddenly, the image freezes in a corner.

A nerve in my brain suddenly twitched.

As his eyes darted around, his gaze met Chen Zudao's.

He was clearly flustered: "Are you alright? What do you want?"

Some images flashed through my mind in an instant.

I swear, even though I've started to get used to the strangeness of the crosstalk.

However, what I 'see' at this moment should absolutely not be what I am capable of seeing.

Hearing Chen Zudao's question, I barely thought of anything. I rolled out of bed again, slipped my feet into my shoes, placed my hands on my thighs, and looked at Chen Zudao, saying:

"I'm hungry!"

"Okay...I'll go right away..."

Chen Zudao twisted his body, trying to stand up, but his facial features contorted in pain.

I leaned forward and placed one hand on his shoulder:

"If your leg is broken, don't move around."

Chen Zudao seemed to realize something, nodded, and then shouted at the top of his lungs:
"A mute! A mute!"

At his call, a series of hurried footsteps followed, and a young man about my age ran in.

"Mute, get some food! Hurry up and get some food! Your Grandfather Lu is hungry!"

The young man was clearly taken aback, and when he looked at me, his eyes were full of doubt. But after only a brief moment of surprise, he turned and walked away.

I don't know what got into me, but seeing this, I blurted out:

"stop!"

The young man shrugged, slowly turned to look at Chen Zudao, and then at me.

Chen Zudao's image is very much like that of a brainless 'giant,' and a very old one at that.

However, it must be said that as a veteran of the thieves' world, he was not brainless, but rather quite perceptive of people's thoughts.

Just by looking at the exchange between me and the young man, he immediately pointed at the young man and said to me:

“I found this child ten years ago when I was wandering around the dog market. He’s mute, and his name is Jiao Tong. Now, he’s our… my godson.”

(End of this chapter)