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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 95: Xie Shi Auto Repair Shop
Han Lan held a hairdryer in her hand and was about to ask me something as I walked out. I waved my hand and pointed to the back room. She glanced inside and then fell silent. Quickly, she grabbed a dry towel and replaced the one on my face, signaling for me to sit down.
I shook my head, vigorously wiped my head with the dry towel she handed me, then pulled out a ten-dollar bill and handed it to her before hurriedly walking out.
Han Lan followed me outside and asked, "Brother-in-law, what was that just now?"
I initially wanted to tell her not to call me brother-in-law, but I thought better of it. After all, she had made significant changes in her life, so I simply responded, "I've run into some trouble. If anyone asks about me, you don't know anything."
"Oh."
I nodded at her and strode away. As for her cousin's questions, I figured Han Lan would explain everything clearly.
The air had turned chilly and gray, a sign that rain was coming. I tightened my collar and didn’t look back at the Barbershop, heading straight toward the auto repair shop across from Ma Wu Funeral Home. The repair shop was where the owner of Leishi Car Shop used to sell cars; now it had changed hands and become a repair shop.
The shop was run by a father-son duo, with the sign reading: Xie Shi Auto Repair Shop.
When I arrived at the repair shop, someone was shouting, "Thank you, Master! Is the car ready yet?"
I recognized the voice; it belonged to Jiang Laosan, one of Uncle Zhang's group of drummers.
Seeing me surprised him. He offered me a cigarette while asking with concern, "Lao Qi, you haven't been around lately. What have you been busy with?"
I took the cigarette and glanced back at Ma Wu Funeral Home with a guilty conscience. "It's a long story; I've been busy with nothing good."
The man called Thank You Master had an unremarkable appearance and an ordinary build, but his gaze always felt sharp as a knife. Beneath his worn-out clothes that looked like they were rusted through, he appeared tall and thin like a bamboo pole, yet his muscles were as hard as rock. His hands were bony like chicken feet as he gripped a wrench, preparing to bend down to work on a car when he heard me speak. He looked over at me and casually accepted Jiang Laosan's cigarette. "You're Ma Wu's grandson, Ma Qi?"
"Thank you, Master! Yes, you know my grandfather?"
"Your grandfather is a legend—a tough old man who raised two orphans. When the kids grew up, he was gone."
I shared a smoke with Thank You Master and Jiang Laosan. After taking a puff, Jiang Laosan asked, "Lao Qi, haven't you gone to check on the shop since you returned?"
"I haven't."
"Fatty went to West City District for business; it's just that woman at the shop now. Honestly, if it weren't for me being there, that woman wouldn't be worth much."
I cautiously took a puff of my cigarette and casually asked, "What's up?"
"Forget it, I shouldn't have said anything. I might as well have my tongue cut off by Yama King," Jiang Laosan replied cryptically, glancing at the Funeral Home and sharing a lewd, silent laugh with Thank You, Master.
"Uncle San, if there's something going on, just spill it. I really dislike when people hold back."
"This matter with Lao Qi is complicated... Hey, how much did the repairs cost?" Jiang Laosan's expression was strange as he paid for the repairs and rode off.
Jiang Laosan had no connection with my grandfather or me; he was a single man in the Honor Guard with a poor reputation. Almost forty years old and still unmarried—not because he didn't want to marry, but because no one was willing to marry him.
Jiang Laosan was known far and wide as a lazy person.
In his words, if one person eats well, the whole family eats well. He had no ambition and spent two cents for every penny he earned. He joked that this was the only way he felt motivated to earn a living.
So I didn't take his words seriously; I stayed behind to ask Thank You, Master about the recent happenings at the Funeral Home. I didn't know much about Thank You, Master, but I'd heard many things about him, none of which were bad.
He was known for standing up for others and was very generous in his dealings. As long as it was right, he would see it through to the end. This reminded me a bit of Qin Jian; however, I hadn't heard from Qin Jian in ages. His phone was always off when I called—whether that was intentional or not, I couldn't tell.
Seeing that I wasn't willing to leave, Thank You, Master cut through the pleasantries and asked directly, "You don't come here without reason; what do you want?"
"Not much, just wanted to ask what Jiang Laosan meant by what he said earlier."
Thank You, Master glanced at me and pointed toward the inside of the building. "Come inside."
I followed him into the building.
The so-called inside consisted of two open rooms filled with tools and grease from the car repairs—everything was dirty and rusty.
Thank You, Master found a relatively clean stool for me to sit on. "I'm smoking Ye Zi Yan; young people don't usually like this flavor." He lit up a cigar as thick as his fingers and took a few puffs before casually saying, "Jiang Laosan can't handle what he can't have. He sees a chubby guy like me getting involved with this girl—she's definitely not just with one man. When he asked me to set them up, I refused... What you need to understand is that there are more than just one Jiang Laosan out there; there are plenty of scum like him around. That's why the chubby guy's wife is being unfaithful."
"What?"
"She’s been getting cozy with some random jerk. This afternoon, I saw her leaning over the counter flirting with him."
If Jiang Laosan had such thoughts, I believed it; desperate people like him would settle for anything. But if another man of even slightly higher status could be interested in Peng Yan, I found it hard to believe. "No way!"
"Someone came early; your brother Fatty wasn't home. That man crawled out from inside and even went to buy fried dough sticks for that wife."
The man was not there to spy on me; he was Peng Yan's lover.
My mind buzzed, and my blood rushed as I impulsively confronted Peng Yan about what this meant, completely forgetting that I was also in trouble.
The Funeral Home was quite quiet. When I reached the door, no one came to greet me. I simply walked in and noticed the Bagua Mirror still hanging above the entrance. I passed through the partition and entered the living room, but still found no one.
Could they be inside? I went to the bedroom, which used to be mine but was now shared by Fatty and Peng Yan. I kicked the door open, only to find it empty. The bed was unoccupied, and a few clothes hung on the hook—uncertain if they were clean or dirty—but there was no sign of anyone, so I turned and headed toward the bathroom.
The bathroom was very quiet, and the door was ajar. Peering through the gap, I saw no one inside, so I pushed it open slightly and leaned in to take a look. Just then, a pair of wet arms reached out from behind the door, accompanied by a teasing voice: "Deadbeat, weren't you supposed to get a haircut?"
I cursed under my breath! It seemed Peng Yan thought of me as her lover. I grabbed her smooth, plump arm and said, "Have some self-respect."
"Ah! Brother Qi, it's you! I'm sorry; I thought it was Fatty coming back."
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