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墨書 Inktalez
Xu Li took his father-in-law and the others to the mall. With less than a month until the New Year, it was the perfect time to buy a couple of new outfits for the family and stock up on some winter supplies that were not available during the season.
While it was true that Lao San had some goods, he had to spend money to restock. He often brought back plenty of snacks for his sisters, but after a while, Xu Li felt it was too much of a burden on his brother-in-law, not to mention the water and snacks.
"Who are these for?"
As he placed the items into the trunk, Andrei noticed several bags of cigarettes and alcohol in the corner, along with candies and some supplements. Xu Li grinned and said, "I plan to take Anna, Eva, and the kids this afternoon to visit Uncle Andong and Aunt Xie Liao Na."
"It’s about time we check on them," Andrei nodded in agreement. He closed the trunk and got into the car, heading back to Ivan's Family to grab some snacks for his grandchildren. After a moment's thought, he decided to bring Natasha along as well, so they went together to Old Anton's house. Maozi had really helped him out this time!
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it?"
A woman's voice came from behind the security door. The one who opened it was a heavily pregnant Katyusha. Seeing the man staring at her made her heart skip a beat; she feared her husband had gotten into trouble with someone who might be coming for revenge.
"It's me—"
Bang!
A large man with scars all over his left cheek forced a smile that only made him look more menacing, as if worms were wriggling across his face. Terrified, the pregnant woman slammed the door shut.
She ran into the house, shouting, "Lev! Lev! There's a big guy outside trying to cause us trouble!"
"Who dares come looking for trouble with me, Iron Fist Lev?"
The stout man rose from the sofa, pulled out a gun from his waistband, and strode toward the door in just a few steps. He peered through the peephole but could only see darkness. Pressing his face against the door, he listened intently but heard nothing.
With a determined glare and gritted teeth, he suddenly yanked open the security door and raised his gun. "Don't move!"
Xu Li, who had been quietly conversing with his father-in-law, was startled when the door swung open and saw the chipped Makarov pistol. His eyes narrowed as he grabbed his own gun and raised it above his head while delivering a punch to the man's face.
Crack!
With a twist of his wrist, Xu Li felt the satisfying crunch of bones dislocating as he seized control of the man's gun hand. The man let out a muffled groan followed by a woman's scream from inside: "Lev!"
Xu Li toyed with the old pistol in his hand before kicking the man into the room. He instructed his father-in-law to take Mother-in-law and Anna downstairs while he closed the door behind him and scanned their apartment where they had lived for over a year.
The man lay on the floor groaning in pain while Katyusha knelt beside him, cradling his head in her lap and glaring at Xu Li. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Sister Katyusha, don’t you recognize me? It’s Makarov! Didn’t I live here two years ago?"
"Impossible!"
Katyusha stared intently at Xu Li, shaking her head firmly. "Pasta is so small and thin, he can't even fight or cause trouble. You look like a bad person. What have you done to Pasta?"
"I really am Makarov. I’ve just grown taller," he replied.
Xu Li crouched down, pulling out a cigarette and placing it in the man's mouth before lighting it for him. He then lit one for himself, awkwardly scratching his nose. "Are you Brother Lev?"
"I am Lev, but don’t try to get close to me; I don’t know you."
The man held the cigarette between his lips, watching Xu Li warily as he slowly stood up, positioning himself protectively behind his wife. His eyes fixed on the gun in Xu Li's hand. "Who sent you?"
"What will it take for you to believe that I’m Pasta, the one who had dinner and watched movies with you over two years ago?"
With a hint of helplessness, he handed the gun to Lev. "Here, Lev. Your Kunkun is big-headed and thin-bodied. I laughed at it looking like a mushroom, and you hit me several times for that."
"Suka Buli Nini!"
Lev cursed under his breath, looking at the man in disbelief as he ignored the scar on his left cheek. He truly resembled Pasta. "Are you really him?"
"Yes, it’s me! On your fifth wedding anniversary, you wanted to spend some time alone together, so you left Xiao Lisa with me for a day. When you returned, you brought me two hamburgers, a bottle of cola, and a bag of chicken nuggets."
"Wow, it really is Pasta!"
Hearing Xu Li recount such detailed memories made Katyusha incredibly happy. She rushed forward to hug Xu Li, playfully scolding him as she patted his back. "How could you beat up Lev like this? You scared me!"
Xu Li just chuckled while shaking Katyusha gently. Then he looked at Lev, who was blowing smoke rings, his eyes filled with curiosity. "By the way, Brother Lev, how old are you now? Where's your hair? And why have you gained so much weight?"
"Uh..."
Lev, facing an early midlife crisis, awkwardly touched his thinning hair and receding hairline while grinning sheepishly. "Well, there’s some hereditary baldness in my family. In the past two years, I opened a mobile phone store and haven’t had to worry about money; I’ve just been eating a bit too much."
"I'll take you to the hospital to get checked out," Katyusha said. "You can chat with my parents."
Xu Li opened the security door and led Andrei and the others inside. The old couple sized up Katyusha while she did the same with them. "Uncle Andrei, Aunt Natasha."
"Hahaha! Katyusha was bullied by Ivan when she was little; now she's a mother!"
Natasha happily embraced Katyusha while Xu Li took Lev to the hospital. He had hit Lev a bit hard earlier; it was likely that Lev's wrist would need a splint and plaster for at least a month of recovery.
"Haha! I thought you were trying to do something bad to Katyusha and went a little overboard," Xu Li explained awkwardly on their way back.
Lev shook his head dismissively but was instead curious about Xu Li's face. "What happened to your face? And what’s up with your physique? You've changed so much!"
"Oh, my face got scratched by a grizzly bear," Xu Li replied casually. "I was logging near the forest when I encountered a starving grizzly bear. My wife was bringing me lunch at that time; I distracted the bear and fought it off."
"Did you really take down a brown bear? Did you have a weapon?"
Xu Li nodded, "Of course I did. I had a chainsaw with me. I first sliced off a piece of its scalp and half an ear."
Although Xu Li spoke casually, Lev felt a chill run down his spine. Despite his hot temper and love for fighting, he would never dare to face a starving brown bear with a chainsaw. That wouldn't be bravery; it would be foolishness!
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