Electronic Nezha

Chapter 177 The Fool and the Blind

After Cui San'er and his men left, Hu Chunyan stood there for a while, then started pouring water for us.

I said speechlessly, "You shouldn't be so polite now."

"I'm sorry to have made Mr. Liu laugh at us." Hu Chunyan insisted on pouring three glasses of water and bringing them to us.

"Aren't you hot? Everyone's run away, why are you still covering your head?" This is what Hu Chunyan said to Hao Hao.

"You don't need to worry about him, he... is ugly." Hao Hao still couldn't reveal his identity before things settled down, and if Hu Chunyan was just an ordinary person, there was even less he could explain it to her.

"If you're ugly... then drink more water." Sister Hu used her hand to measure the gap between the two buttons, seemingly checking if it was enough to prop up a cup and drink...

I asked her, "How long has it been since you last saw Sun Xiaogang?"

"More than three years."

Why did you two break up in the first place?

"Hey, actually we couldn't go on like this for a long time. That bastard Sun Xiaogang has no proper job and is lazy. I've been supporting him all these years of marriage, but I never thought that even so I couldn't tame this ingrate. In the end, he still ran off with another woman."

Have you seen that wild woman?

"I saw her once. By then, their affair couldn't be kept secret anymore. That woman was dressed up so extravagantly, she was obviously not a decent person—" Hu Chunyan said in a low voice, "I think she was a prostitute."

Middle-aged women usually speak in this tone only to create an atmosphere and emphasize key points; Ma Chaoran and Hao Hao can still hear what she says.

Ma Chaoran was cleaning up the broken glass on the ground with a dustpan and broom. She picked up a photo that had fallen out of the frame and said, "Sister Hu was so beautiful when she was young."

I took the photo and glanced at it, and I knew it was at least ten years old, because the background was in front of a fountain in a park in our area. That fountain was filled in and turned into a roller skating rink ten years ago.

In the photo, Hu Chunyan has long hair draped over her shoulders and a figure that people would call "slightly plump" nowadays. She is curvaceous and full-figured, and is indeed much more attractive than she is now. The man next to her is of very ordinary height and appearance. He has one arm casually around Hu Chunyan's waist and a cigarette between his fingers.

I clicked my tongue and said, "I thought someone who could live off a woman would have to be incredibly handsome, but he's just average."

Hu Chunyan said, "Everyone has moments of blindness. Li Ping seems smarter than me, but she's not much better at choosing men than me." She suddenly said to Ma Chaoran, "Girl, I was just joking with you. Boss Liu is a good man, though... he is a bit old. If the premarital checkup is fine, he's still worth entrusting your life to."

Ma Chaoran just smiled.

Hu Chunyan suddenly realized and said, "Have you already checked it yourself?"

I took the opportunity to hand her the giant squid, saying, "Put away your gossip fire. I brought this for you. Eat it quickly, it'll get fishy when it gets cold." Although I was now about 80% convinced that Sister Hu wasn't the queen, having the squid in hand was a sure thing. If she hesitated or flew into a rage, things would be much easier. It was like a common scene in movies—a group of gangsters suspected A of being an undercover agent, so they gave him a gun and told him to shoot the exposed undercover agent B.

Hu Chunyan tore open the packaging and said, "You went to the food street?" Then she took a bite and said, "Didn't you buy it from the first shop at the street corner?"

"You can taste the difference?"

“I know that owner. He used to get his supplies from me when I was selling seasonings.”

My doubts vanished, but at the same time, I lost interest.

"If those people contact you again, just call me. The rest is up to you. We're leaving."

Hu Chunyan saw us to the door, grabbed me, and said, "Boss Liu, I don't know what to say about you taking such a big responsibility for me." She looked at Hao Hao, then suddenly lowered her voice and said, "You don't really have some kind of organizational background or rely on some power, do you?"

“Of course I have an organization and influence.” I patted her hand twice and said firmly, “The organization behind me is the state, and the influence I rely on is the law!”

……

When I came downstairs, I asked Ma Chaoran, "Did you get it?" Ma Chaoran showed me a tuft of hair in her hand.

I knew she had an ulterior motive when she helped Hu Chunyan sweep the floor. We watched Cui San'er pluck this tuft of hair from Hu Chunyan's head. If this is not a problem, then Hu Chunyan will be completely cleared of suspicion.

Back in the car, Hao Hao put on his coat and suddenly asked me, "Brother Feng, what's a 'chicken'?"

That question completely stumped me: "What? What's a chicken?"

"Sister Hu said the woman she saw was a prostitute. What does a prostitute do?"

"Why are you only interested in this out of all the things she said?"

"I understand everything else."

"Chicken" is a derogatory term used in common parlance to refer to women engaged in illegal sex work. I haven't heard such a term with such a strong sense of the times in a long time, but should I explain it to Hao Hao so clearly? Logically, a young man his age should know what it means, but what's supporting Hao Hao is a combat chip. Thinking that what's done is done, Liu Zhenhua wrote almost all military knowledge into it. Hao Hao can now talk to you about "The Art of War" and fighter jet maintenance, but he doesn't know what "chicken" means. After all, even if two masters are dueling, one of them wouldn't suddenly blurt out, "You're a chicken"...

Hao Hao has only had normal intelligence for a few days; strictly speaking, he's still a baby under a year old. How can that old woman, Hu Chunyan, say anything in front of the child?
Ma Chaoran looked at me with a smile.

All I can say is, "You'll understand when you grow up."

Ma Chaoran said, "If Liu Zhenhua asked you this question, would you answer the same way?"

I blurted out, "Liu Zhenhua won't ask."

Ma Chaoran said, "Maybe not now, but what if he was a child?"

I realized I'd let something slip, so I changed the subject: "Let's talk about something else!"

Ma Chaoran asked, "Okay, then what does 'baby' mean?"

Hao Hao said, "I understand. That's how young couples address each other these days. I've seen several couples do it in coffee shops—you blind man, you don't even know that?"

I was astonished: people actually go to heavy industry cafes? It's true that there's no such thing as a shop that doesn't open for business!

Ma Chaoran teased me, "I'm asking you, what does 'baby' mean?"

Hao Hao said, "Didn't I already explain it to you?"

Only I understand that calling Ma Chaoran "baby" just now probably triggered her reaction.

I smiled apologetically and said, "Isn't this just to get into character? We're a couple in front of outsiders, so isn't it normal for me to call you that?" Actually, I don't call Cui San'er by her name or Lao Ma in front of her because I subconsciously don't want her to be exposed and get harassed by these people. By the time I realized that she wasn't afraid of being harassed at all, it was too late.

Hao Hao asked in surprise, "You two aren't really dating?"

I asked in even greater surprise, "You really believe it?"

Hao Hao said, "Yes, I think you guys are doing quite well together."

Ma Chaoran said, "So you're a fool."

Hao Hao said, "I think you're the one who's blind. Who wouldn't like someone like my brother?"

I quickly waved my hand and said, "It's over, it's over." This statement only holds true in front of my parents; even Han Shiya would have to vote against it.

Ma Chaoran chuckled and said to me, "I can see it now, everyone in this car, including the navigation system, is facing you."

(End of this chapter)