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墨書 Inktalez
At that moment, in the room, Lu Zheng looked seriously at Brother Wu, who sat silently with his head down, appearing gaunt. Lu Zheng sighed in frustration and helplessness.
"Brother Wu, are you going to say something? Do we still consider ourselves brothers?"
Brother Wu let out a sigh, his eyes reflecting a complex mix of emotions as he glanced at Lu Zheng. Then, as if conceding, he opened his mouth.
"Actually, it's nothing much. I just accidentally broke my leg."
Lu Zheng couldn't help but interject, "Does breaking a leg require amputation?"
As soon as he said it, Lu Zheng realized he had misspoken; he had been too impulsive.
After hesitating for a moment, Brother Wu decided to speak up. Even if he didn't say anything, Lu Zheng would surely investigate and find out. After all, many people were aware of this incident.
Brother Wu spoke in a tone as if discussing something trivial, devoid of any other expression.
"It was just a little while ago. I got injured while on a mission trying to save someone. It's nothing serious; fortunately, the person is fine, so I didn’t waste my efforts."
He made it sound simple, but Lu Zheng knew there had to be more to the story. Brother Wu's clothes covered almost every visible part of his body. When he moved, his body appeared stiff, indicating that he had other injuries.
Seeing Brother Wu's struggle, Lu Zheng chose to remain silent. He would investigate this matter himself. Brother Wu's police station was local; he could just ask around.
The two exchanged glances and sat in silence.
Brother Wu knew he was in the wrong. He smiled slightly and changed the subject. "So what made you decide to bring your sister-in-law over?"
"I made a mistake back then. I should have listened to you and brought them over sooner."
Listening to Lu Zheng's tone and recalling how he had seen the mother and child at the door earlier, Brother Wu sensed that something else was going on. The two of them clearly had endured a lot of hardship.
Just moments ago, his wife had mentioned that the calluses on his sister-in-law's hands were thicker than his own—evidence that she had suffered quite a bit in the countryside.
"Take good care of them both. They've been through so much these past few years. If you don't treat them well, you might as well forget about having a wife and kids."
Brother Wu pointed at Lu Zheng, his expression serious yet tinged with a hint of a smile as he continued speaking.
"Ever since my accident, I haven't been able to go back to work. The bureau gave me some compensation, but your sister-in-law insisted on working. So, I had someone help her find a job at a grocery store. I don't expect her to earn much; I just don't want her sitting at home alone, overthinking things and worrying about me.
Our son and daughter are both married and busy with their own lives. We don't want to be a burden to them; we just want to live our lives well together."
He looked up at Lu Zheng again. "You don’t need to worry about me. Your sister-in-law and I are doing fine. I don’t have to run around anymore, so now I have time to spend with her and take a break.
Mind your own business!"
Brother Wu rambled on, and Lu Zheng listened attentively, nodding seriously. Suddenly, he interjected, "Does the Political Commissar know about this? What about Commander Chi?"
Brother Wu's smiling face suddenly froze. He couldn't bring himself to meet Lu Zheng's gaze and quickly changed the subject. "How could they possibly know about my little incident? It's just a small matter; there's no need to bother so many people."
In the kitchen, three women were also chatting away.
Sister Wu wiped her tears as she looked at Wen Qian and Sister Liu, whose eyes were red from crying. She forced a smile despite her grief. "Alright, stop crying! I don’t want to cry anymore, and you’re making me want to cry again."
"I just feel sorry for our old Wu. When I went to pick him up, my heart shattered seeing him lying in that hospital bed, struggling to breathe. I thought he was going to die! It felt like the sky had fallen; I’ve never seen him like that before."
Wen Qian felt a chill run down her spine; this was entirely beyond what she had anticipated. While this incident might seem significant to others, for their family, it was a devastating blow.
Wen Qian felt that what she had been through paled in comparison to Brother Wu's situation. After a while, they realized that it was almost time for the car to leave. The three of them exchanged greetings before heading out.
On the road, Lu Zheng turned to Wen Qian and said, "Thank you!"
"Thank you for what?" she asked.
"For the money!"
"That's only natural, you don't need to thank me. Even if you don't mention it, I would have brought it up myself."
The couple exchanged smiles and strode forward. When Sister Wu lifted the bowls from the table, she discovered a stack of money hidden beneath them.
Surprised, she picked it up and glanced at Brother Wu sitting by the door. "Old Wu, this money couldn't possibly be given by Lu Zheng and his wife, could it?"
"It should be. I knew that brat wouldn't keep quiet without some other action."
Sister Wu counted the money and exclaimed, "It's quite a bit! One yuan! Those two really don't know how to manage their finances. They just arrived and need money for so many things; they should have saved a little instead of giving away one or two yuan like this."
"No, I need to keep this money safe. When I see them again, I must return it."
Suddenly, Sister Wu looked anxiously at Brother Wu. "What if this money was secretly placed here by Lu Zheng without telling anyone? If his wife finds out, won't they end up in a conflict?"
"No, no, no! I need to go out right now and return it to them."
As Sister Wu finished speaking, she started to rush outside, but Brother Wu pulled her back. "Don't go. Does that kid Lu Zheng look like he has money? This money must be what he asked from his wife. Do you think she knows about it?"
Only then did Sister Wu calm down. She hesitated while looking at the money in her palm and glanced towards the door.
"Oh my, Lu Zheng's family bought a sewing machine!"
In this day and age, who wouldn't want a sewing machine? It's convenient for making clothes and mending them. Most importantly, having one at home brings face.
Borrowing a sewing machine from others often requires bringing something along as well. Sometimes it's even embarrassing to ask.
"Oh look, it's brand new! Our compound now has another sewing machine thanks to Lu Zheng's family. We can come over to sew clothes; you won't mind, will you?"
One person asked, and everyone in the room turned to look.
Why not take advantage of a good deal? If she could allow one person to benefit, then she couldn't deny everyone else the same opportunity. Otherwise, she'd be creating divisions within the compound.
Wen Qian watched the aunt speaking with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
She pulled Lu Zheng, who was about to speak, as it would be even more inappropriate for a man like him to interrupt.
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