Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 406 405 Thinking of Women

Bang!
A sharp cracking sound startled Feng Xiuhu from his reverie.

He turned his head and saw that it was the sound of the old owl throwing the spoon into the pot after he finished shoveling the vegetable porridge.

The old owl set the spoon and pot aside, then leisurely took a pipe from his back.

He looked down and squinted, noticing that there were still leaves left in the pot, so he didn't add more tobacco. Then he reached into his back pocket and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a box of matches.

He pushed open the box, and there were only two or three matches left inside. He stared at them for a few moments, seemingly hesitant about whether to take them.

Seeing this, Feng Xiuhu took out his own cigarettes from his coat and handed them over: "Have one of mine."

He casually waved the lighter in his hand.

The old owl pushed away his cigarette: "I don't smoke this."

Then he brought the pipe closer, gesturing for Feng Xiuhu to light it.

Feng Xiuhu brought the flame closer, and the old owl squinted and smacked his lips a few times, finally managing to ignite the tobacco.

A strong, pungent smell of tobacco filled the air around the two of them.

When Feng Xiuhu looked back at Beitaiji, the two figures had already disappeared to the other side of the island.

He lit a cigarette, rested his chin on his hand, and began to ponder.

What kind of person is Xu Liansheng?

From Feng Xiuhu's own perspective, she is independent, resilient, intelligent, reserved, and tactful. All these qualities combined constitute her unique charm.

She never hesitated to express her goodwill to Feng Xiuhu and his companion, and her way of expressing it was not blatant but rather made people feel comfortable.

Just as she herself said, she was willing to be friends with Feng Xiuhu and the other person, so this is how friends should be treated.

Feng Xiuhu agreed with Xu Liansheng's statement, not because she was kind to the two of them, but because Xu Liansheng had indeed shown enough sincerity.

But Fang Youliu also said that this woman was not as simple as she seemed, and that she had a very powerful background.

Feng Xiuhu also agreed with this statement—as mentioned earlier, the fact that she was able to make her business the largest in the city, navigate her dealings with the government with ease, and earn a good reputation among the people was enough to prove her methods.

The problem is that "having means" does not equate to "bad people".

This at most proves that Xu Liansheng is a capable person. It doesn't mean that just because someone is capable, they must have ill intentions towards Feng Xiuhu and his group—that's not the logic.

Feng Xiuhu was just habitually suspicious, a flaw he was well aware of. If it were someone else, they might have already completely accepted Xu Liansheng as their "new friend."

So he couldn't help but start to doubt again—could it be his own problem?

Perhaps he's overthinking it.

With the cigarette almost burning down to his fingers and Feng Xiuhu still not having taken a puff, the old owl-man next to him couldn't help but remind him, "Thinking about women, huh?"

Feng Xiuhu was stunned: "How do you know?"

The old owl smiled knowingly: "When I was as young as you, whenever I took a break and drifted off into thought, I was definitely thinking about women."

Since the conversation had progressed to this point, Feng Xiuhu started chatting with him about this topic.

"I have a friend who's been getting really close to a woman lately..."

The old owl stared at Feng Xiuhu with an expression that said, "I understand now."

Feng Xiuhu retorted, "Don't look at me like that, I'm really a friend."

“I understand.” The old owl nodded. “Was that woman pretty?” Feng Xiuhu thought for a moment: “You can’t simply describe her as pretty. It’s a kind of aura, you understand?”

The old owl said, "I understand. If you truly like someone, you can see the beauty in even the ugliest girl."

Feng Xiuhu's eyelids twitched slightly: "You don't seem to understand."

The old owl waved his hand: "Go on, I've seen plenty of women, my advice is always right."

Feng Xiuhu licked his lips, considered for a moment, and then said, "This woman has her own business, and her family are officials. As for my friend, well... he's a roughneck. But the woman seems to admire him a lot, and she always puts herself down and takes the initiative to get close to him."

The old owl shook his head and laughed: "You're still too young. The story of a rich girl falling in love with a poor boy only exists in storytellers' tales—young man, be careful not to fall for a bad woman's tricks!"

Feng Xiuhu frowned: "But what is she after? We've only known each other for a short time and have no business dealings with each other at all—that's the most illogical thing, unless she really just wants to build a relationship."

The old owl pretended not to notice that Feng Xiuhu had already let something slip. He helped Feng Xiuhu think, and after pondering for a long time, he said, "Could it be... that this woman actually suffers from some hidden illness, so she wants to find an honest man to marry as soon as possible?"

Feng Xiuhu shook his head: "I don't think so. Oh, by the way, she's a widow."

The old owl slapped his thigh: "You should have said so earlier! That's right! These days, it's not easy for a widow to remarry into a good family. Perhaps she saw that you were decent-looking and young and healthy, so she started to covet you."

Feng Xiuhu said with dissatisfaction, "I already said it wasn't me."

But then I thought again—Shunzi's body is indeed very healthy, and exceptionally healthy.

Could it be that Xu Liansheng really has this idea?

Feng Xiuhu's expression gradually turned serious; this matter could not be taken lightly.

He asked the old owl, "Does it cost a lot to get a wife in Thousand Isles City?"

"The score."

The old owl shook his head and pursed his lips: "Since that woman is a widow, she probably wouldn't be comfortable having a big celebration. Besides, didn't you say she's well-off? She probably wouldn't even look at your paltry sum. Just a token gesture will suffice."

Feng Xiuhu breathed a sigh of relief. In that case, he figured that even if he took out all his savings, it should be enough for Shunzi to get married.

The old owl leaned forward and asked slyly, "Tell me, which widow is she? She's probably in her forties or fifties, right? She's a businesswoman in the city, and a widow, those are pretty distinctive features. If you tell me, I might recognize her."

Feng Xiuhu was lost in thought when he casually replied, "Madam Xu."

Silence fell around him, and Feng Xiuhu turned his head to look, only to find the old owl-man staring at him with a sinister gaze: "Are you teasing a fool?"

He grabbed his pipe and smacked Feng Xiuhu on the head: "You son of a bitch, you're quite good at making up stories!"

Feng Xiuhu, his head covered in soot, lunged at the old owl in a rage, pinning him down and pulling out handfuls of his hair.

The old owl cried out in pain, but even more so in disbelief: "You hit an old man too?! Have you no shame?!"

Feng Xiuhu ignored him, but the old owl couldn't take it anymore: "Wrong, wrong! Stop pulling my hair!"

Feng Xiuhu persisted: "First, admit that what I said is true."

The old owl replied, "I admit it! You do have a friend, okay?"

Feng Xiuhu shouted, "And Madam Xu too!"

The old owl paused: "I can't admit to that."

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "I didn't expect you, an old man, to still be such a tough nut to crack!"

(End of this chapter)