radicalducati Chapter 350: The Three Who Fell into the Trap
Chapter 350: The Three Who Fell into the Trap
Back at the Liu family's house in the backyard, Liu Haizhong felt increasingly uneasy. He said to his wife, Li Chunhua, "We're going to He Daqing's house for dinner tonight to discuss tomorrow's quota. Now that three people in the yard are watching, shouldn't I try to build a good relationship with He Daqing beforehand?"
An older woman named Li Chunhua glanced at him and said, "Didn't you say Xu Damao would listen to you?"
Liu Haizhong shook his head irritably, his tone irritated: "I thought he was obedient, but seeing him rushing to He Daqing's house with us today, I know that this kid is also thinking about grabbing a spot."
"Snatching a spot?" Li Chunhua pondered for a moment, then immediately made a decision. "You bring a box of snacks from home. I'll keep an eye on Xu Damao's house from the doorway. You sneak over there quietly, without letting anyone see you."
Liu Haizhong's face lit up with joy, and he nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll go right away."
Soon, Li Chunhua stood guard at her door, watching the movement in the yard, while Liu Haizhong pretended nothing was wrong, clutching a box of pastries in his hand, and slipped into He Daqing's house when no one was paying attention.
He Daqing was sitting in the room when he saw Liu Haizhong enter. He stood up with a smile and said, "Liu Haizhong, what brings you here at this hour?"
Liu Haizhong placed the pastries on the table, smiling broadly, "These are pastries I just bought at home, I brought them here for you to try."
He Daqing saw through her immediately and joked with a smile, "You didn't just come here to deliver snacks, did you?"
As he spoke, He Daqing laid out two bottles of fine wine. Liu Haizhong, assuming it was for the evening's dinner party, immediately retorted, "Daqing, tonight it's just us, why did you prepare such good wine?"
He Daqing smiled meaningfully: "This wasn't prepared by me; Xu Damao just gave it to me."
Liu Haizhong's expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "What? He gave it to you?"
"Yes." He Daqing nodded slowly. "You know what, Da Mao is a man who knows the rules. He knows to give gifts first. He even told me that he is determined to get this spot and insisted that I save one for him."
Liu Hai's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Is it just him? Has Yan Fugui been here?"
Just as He Daqing was about to nod and say something, Qin Huairu hurriedly and quietly tugged at him. He Daqing immediately understood and quickly changed his words: "No, no."
Seeing that He Daqing's expression was off, Liu Haizhong quickly stepped forward: "Daqing, we've been neighbors for many years, and we're the closest of brothers. Don't keep anything from me, just tell me straight. Here, take these snacks. I have something nice to give you in a couple of days, and you absolutely have to save one for me."
He Daqing pondered for a moment: "Let me think about this matter first, and I will definitely give you a definite answer tonight."
"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news!" Liu Haizhong quickly agreed and turned to leave.
He had only taken a few steps when he remembered Qin Huairu's nervous appearance earlier, so he quietly turned back and squatted down at He Daqing's door to eavesdrop.
Inside, Qin Huairu nervously closed the door, then quickly raised her voice, pretending to lower it, and asked, "Daqing, why didn't you tell Liu Haizhong that Yan Fugui had already come? He even told us everything about how Liu Haizhong framed our family, and Xu Damao sent such a generous gift. How can Liu Haizhong's little things compare?"
Liu Haizhong, standing outside the door, was shocked and furious. He hadn't expected that Xu Damao and Yan Fugui, who were so friendly to him on the surface, would ruin his reputation like this behind his back and push all the blame onto him. Xu Damao was even more two-faced and insidious.
He squatted by the door and listened for a while longer, but when he heard nothing more useful, he left quietly.
Inside the house, He Daqing heard the noise outside the door stop, walked to the door, glanced at it, and then turned back to give Qin Huairu a knowing smile.
Qin Huairu smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Great Qing, how was my acting just now?"
"Good, wife." He Daqing patted her shoulder. "Liu Haizhong definitely listened."
Qin Huairu was somewhat worried: "Would he really believe that?"
"Don't worry, I trust you 100%." He Daqing said with a smile. He had actually bought the two bottles of wine himself and made them up to deceive Liu Haizhong.
Just as the two finished tidying up, there was another knock at the door. He Daqing opened the door and saw Xu Damao. His eyes fell on the things in Xu Damao's hands, and his face immediately lit up with enthusiasm: "Damao, come in quickly, what's up?"
Xu Damao placed two bottles of fine wine on the table and smiled respectfully: "Uncle He, these are wines that my father treasured. I brought them to you."
He Daqing declined verbally, but deftly took the wine from me: "You child, why are you being so polite with me?"
Just as Xu Damao was about to continue discussing the quota, He Daqing suddenly sighed, hesitating to speak: "Damao, I know how you feel, but Liu Haizhong mentioned you to me just now..."
Xu Damao's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Uncle He, what did Liu Haizhong say about me?"
He Daqing waved his hand: "Forget it, it's better not to say anything. I didn't say anything bad about you."
"Uncle He, you can't hide it from me!" Xu Damao was so anxious he couldn't sit still. "You can't believe everything Liu Haizhong says!"
He Daqing then slowly spoke up: "It's nothing, it's just that the whole thing about framing Huairu was your idea, but I don't believe it at all."
Xu Damao's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected Liu Haizhong to slander him like this. He immediately put on a wronged and heartbroken look: "Uncle He, you've watched me grow up since I was a child. I had a conflict with Shazhu before and went to jail for three months. I've already turned over a new leaf. I can't control what others say, but you have to believe me."
He Daqing quickly stepped forward to comfort him: "Da Mao, don't say that. You're a good boy, Uncle He believes you."
Xu Damao immediately seized the opportunity: "Uncle He, there is now a chance for me to clear my name. It's a public welfare activity organized by the neighborhood committee. You have two spots in our courtyard. You must give me one so I can do my best."
He Daqing pretended to be an elder who cared for a younger person and readily agreed: "Don't worry, Uncle will definitely save it for you."
Xu Damao thanked them profusely before leaving the He family. As soon as he stepped out the door, the grievance on his face vanished instantly, replaced by disdain.
This scene was witnessed by Li Chunhua, who was guarding the Liu family's door. She immediately ran back into the house and said urgently to Liu Haizhong, "Old Liu, I just saw Xu Damao go into He Daqing's house!"
Liu Haizhong suddenly looked up: "You really saw it?"
"Absolutely true!" Li Chunhua nodded. "Xu Damao went once and then a second time; it's clear he's determined to succeed!"
"That kid!" Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth in anger, but then calmed himself down. "Don't panic. He Daqing just promised that if he gives me a straight answer tonight, we'll send even more things."
Li Chunhua hesitated, "Old Liu, what if we send out the materials but don't get the spot? Wouldn't that be a complete waste? Is this spot really that important?"
Liu Haizhong glared at her with exasperation: "You're so short-sighted! This is a great opportunity for me to show off in front of the street office leaders. All the good deeds I do are useless if the leaders don't see them. If I perform well this time, I might get promoted to a cadre!"
After saying that, he turned around and went into the bedroom to rummage through drawers and cabinets, preparing to pick out something more valuable.
On the He family's side, Qin Huairu looked at the two bottles of genuine fine wine that had been delivered and teased with a smile, "Daqing, you really know how to predict things. I just told Liu Haizhong that Xu Damao had delivered wine, and then he actually did."
He Daqing smiled and said, "How would I know how to calculate? It was just a coincidence."