Xiao Luo continued eating his breakfast, ignoring the presence of Chai Zhiying, who stood there staring at them both in exasperation.
Zhang Dashan raised his head, smiling as he glanced at her and said, “How would we dare to fool you? Didn’t you just say that the consequences would be too dire for us to bear? We are timid people, and we have accepted your money, so we will definitely keep our mouths shut, okay. We are having our breakfast now, so if there’s nothing else, you may leave. I’m sure Goddess Su Li and the rest of them are waiting for you downstairs.”
He grabbed a xiaolongbao and ate it heartily, his cheeks swelled up, looking like an egg had been stuffed into his mouth.
Chai Zhiying gritted her teeth, not taking kindly to how Zhang Dashan had spoken, and how Xiao Luo was totally ignoring her. She had a bad feeling about how this was turning out.
“I don’t believe in you.”
“Since you don’t believe us, take your money back.”
Without hesitation, Zhang Dashan took the card from his pocket and flicked it back at her. It sailed the short distance like a frisbee and startled Chai Zhiying, who appeared to be trying to avoid being hit and catching it at the same time. It fell on the floor next to her.
Chai Zhiying was incredulous and could not believe that they had just throw away 8 million dollars without blinking an eye. Were these two men even sane?
She quickly regained her composure, picked the card up, and placed it back on the table. She put on a cold, intimidating look and said, “The money is yours! But I wish to warn you again, if information about Bei Bei leaks out, I’ll come for you!”
She quickly turned around and left, not giving them a chance to reject her offer this time. At she stepped out, she took out her phone and made an urgent call. She instructed the person at the other end of the line to find out all the information on a man going by the name of Xiao Luo, who lived in Gong Village. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on the official report from her source. But little did she know that Xiao Luo would have a cover as a member of the NSA. He retained his regular identity as an employee at Luo’s Workshop, but she would find out little else about him.
“F*ckin’ hell. What a highly-strung woman. She must’ve been lacking nourishment from men,” Zhang Dashan said.
Xiao Luo couldn’t help smiling and quipped, “Why not you go nourish her then?”
“Wekk! Nourish her your head! She looks like a butch, my willy won’t even respond even if she stands nude in front of me,” Zhang Dashan said, and made a face like he was puking.
Xiao Luo just shrugged his shoulders as he fixed his eyes on the ravioli and fritters he had especially bought for Bei Bei earlier. A pang of deep emotions weighed down on him, and he felt a sudden and inexplicable emptiness within his heart. Xiao Luo had only known Bei Bei for a day, and yet it felt like a lifetime. Now, he had to try adjusting to life without a little girl tottering around the house and yelling his name in his ear to wake him up. He missed her dearly.
“Aiyah, that Miss Su Li too. Why couldn’t she let little Bei Bei have something to eat before leaving.”
Zhang Dashan didn’t seem to have an appetite, and that would be a first. He couldn’t get used to the sudden quiet as well. Without the little girl, their apartment felt like an empty shell, something was missing, and it felt very strange. She only stayed for one night, yet it left an indelible impression in his heart.
Su Xiaobei’s every word, every smile, and even her bawling when she accused him of getting shampoo in her eyes stayed deeply etched in their minds.
“There’s nothing to worry about, Miss Su will take good care of her.”
Xiao Luo unconsciously said that perhaps to comfort Zhang Dashan, but probably to also calm himself. He pulled himself together, it was time to move on. He promptly changed the topic and said to Zhang Dashan, “You should quickly settle the affairs at the company within these few days. It’s time to go home. The New Year will be in about 20 days.”
“Alright, I’ll do that.”
Zhang Dashan nodded. “By the way, will you be attending the company’s annual party?” he inquired.
Xiao Luo shook his head. “Nope. You’re now in charge of everything at headquarters, so you must establish your position and be seen as the head. For me to appear too many times wouldn’t benefit you in any way,” he said, “and for the annual meeting, you should give out bonuses to outstanding employees, this will encourage more enthusiasm.” He added, “Li Zimeng, Luo Qi, Lin Chongdong – these three should be given special awards. But of course, this is just a suggestion. The final decision is entirely yours.”
The three persons mentioned had always been supportive of his plans from the moment he took over Luo’s Workshop. He never failed to remember those who had supported him, and it was his practice to reward any employees who deserved it.
Zhang Dashan looked at Xiao Luo with a questioning look on his face. “What the hell? The boss of Luo’s Workshop will always be you, and I’m only the second boss…. Err, hang on, I’m not even the second boss, I’m just the assistant to the boss, so I’ll award whoever you want to award,” he said.
“…?” Xiao Luo didn’t argue with him.
…
…
With Zhang Dashan handling the company’s affairs, Xiao Luo finally found himself with some time to spare.
He decided to go over to the People’s Hospital in Guangming District to visit his sister. Although the new year was just around the corner, the work in hospitals never ceased. People still get sick and run into accidents regardless of the time of the year.
Xiao Luo and Xiao Ruyi were chatting at the hospital’s rooftop terrace. She was in her white uniform and stood against the breeze.
“Brother, when are you going back home?” Xiao Ruyi asked.
Xiao Luo nodded and said, “Probably in a few days. I’ll be going back with Dashan. What about you? When will you and Tang Ren go home?”
“After New Year, perhaps. We nurses have to take our breaks in shifts. Hospitals can’t be left without nurses for even a day. Tang Ren has to work until after New Year too.”
For no apparent reason, Xiao Luo suddenly broached a subject that he had had long kept to himself, and he felt now would be a good time to say it. “To be honest, I wasn’t supportive of you marrying Tang Ren. Even though our families are from the same province, it’s still a great distance between our villages, and it would’ve been inconvenient for you to come home. If you were to marry someone in our village or the nearby, you could come home more frequently. But anyhow, Tang Ren is a good man. He’s nice to you, and that’s all I ask for,” he said.
Xiao Ruyi pouted, playfully giving him an angry stare then smiled.
“Stop giving me that whimsical smile. You should seriously think of having a child with Tang Ren so that I can become an uncle,” Xiao Luo said, making a serious face and speaking in a tone like an elder.
Xiao Ruyi only blushed and said, “Xiao Luo, you can’t rush something like that. It’ll come when it is time and will never when it is not. You have to go with the flow.”
“Well, continue trying. It has been almost a year since you got married, and there’s still nothing in here,” Xiao Luo said, tapping her belly. “Don’t you know that you can recover your figure better after giving birth the younger you are?” he said in jest.
“Haha, don’t worry about these things, alright? You are the one that should hurry up and find me a sister-in-law. Oh, the nation’s goddess, Su Li, is a great candidate. She held a concert recently in Jiangcheng. Some of my colleagues were there, and they took lots of photos of her. She doesn’t look different from her photos on the internet. She’s a real beauty!”
“You think too highly of me,” Xiao Luo said.
Xiao Ruyi wouldn’t let up, she said so in jest, but she undoubtedly had a high opinion of her brother and said, “My brother is an outstanding man, what’s wrong if he makes the nation’s goddess his wife?” Then, she chuckled, “Xiao Luo, if you can really bring her home as your wife, it will definitely bring glory to our ancestors. Why, even green mist [1] will rise out of our great grandfather’s grave.”
Xiao Luo was stumped for a moment, then smiling, he said, “Nonsense, utter nonsense!”
Xiao Ruyi stuck her tongue out and made a face.
“Alright, alright, I won’t bug you any further about the baby. Come home with Tang Ren when you can, it’ll be good to pay a visit to your grandparents,” Xiao Luo said, then let out a long sigh.
Xiao Ruyi nodded, “Okay, I’ll certainly go back as soon as I can and fulfill my filial duty.”
“So, yep, that’s it. Just say hi to Tang Ren for me. And, oh, I didn’t give you anything when you and Tang Ren got married, so here’s my belated gift,” Xiao Luo said, then showed her a card, “There’s four million in it, the password is six ‘one’s. Spend it wisely as I won’t be in Jiangcheng next year. Have a good life with Tang Ren, and if you face any difficulties, tell me. I’m your brother, and I’ll never judge you.”
Xiao Luo placed the bank card into Xiao Ruyi’s hands.
Xiao Ruyi was moved, and her eyes turned red instantly, she said, “Xiao Luo, you are the best brother in this world!”
She hugged him tightly. As she thought about her brother no longer being in this city next year, she was suddenly overcome by a deep sadness, and tears flowed from her eyes.
*****
Footnote:
[1] Green mist: a metaphor that alludes to a deceased person ascending to heaven as a Daoist Immortal.
