The reason the guard came looking for Qin Yuanzheng was that Deng Weijun had given Qiao Lanshu's name, claiming they were relatives.
But Deng Weijun didn't dare give the names of his older sister, Deng Xiaozhen, and his brother-in-law, Yang Wenyan.
He was afraid Deng Xiaozhen would break his legs.
Moreover, Yang Wenyan was the factory director and usually very strict. What if he got angry and fired Deng Weijun on the spot?
Deng Weijun was actually quite afraid of this brother-in-law.
He felt that Qiao Lanshu had a soft personality and was easy to talk to. If he got her to help bail him out of the police station, he could quietly sweep the matter under the rug without his sister and brother-in-law knowing. Wouldn't that solve everything?
However, he never expected that someone even more terrifying than his brother-in-law would show up.
Qin Yuanzheng, wearing a crisp military uniform, stood in front of the holding cell with a cold and stern expression, staring at him through the iron bars.
Looking at his dark expression, it seemed he was harboring some anger.
Deng Weijun: "..."
Deng Weijun's legs instantly went weak from fright. He stammered, "Regiment... Regiment Commander Qin..."
Qin Yuanzheng said, "Come out."
The police comrade nearby had already opened the door. Deng Weijun stepped out of the holding cell, looking incredibly nervous.
Qiao Lanshu was sitting on a chair in the lobby. Seeing them come out, she immediately stood up. When she saw Deng Weijun, she asked with concern, "Comrade Deng Weijun, are you alright?"
Deng Weijun smiled awkwardly and said, "Thank you for your concern, sister-in-law. I'm fine."
Li Jianlin, the deputy chief of the police station, was also there. He and Qin Yuanzheng were old acquaintances, so he added a few more words: "Deng Weijun, you should hang out less with that crowd in the future. Who knows what trouble you might get into next time. Treat this as a lesson learned, understand?"
Deng Weijun nodded with a long face. "I know."
Qin Yuanzheng asked Li Jianlin, "Is there bail to pay?"
Li Jianlin replied, "Of course. Ten yuan. Sign and leave your fingerprint here, and then you can go."
Qin Yuanzheng walked over, took out a stack of ten-yuan bills from his pocket, pulled one out, and placed it on the table. Then he signed, left his fingerprint, and led Deng Weijun out of the police station.
When Deng Weijun heard that the bail was ten yuan, his heart ached.
Ten yuan! That was almost a third of his salary. He only made 35 yuan a month!
He didn't dare speak to Qin Yuanzheng. He only dared to lean close to Qiao Lanshu and whisper to her, "Sister-in-law, thank you both for coming to bail me out this time. I'll pay you back the ten yuan tomorrow. But I beg you, please don't tell my sister about this. She'll break my legs, really! She really will break my legs!"
Deng Weijun lived in the staff dormitory and didn't work in the same factory as Deng Xiaozhen, so they didn't have to see each other often.
But he had been afraid of his sister since he was a child. Growing up, she had beaten him quite a lot.
When he left their hometown this time to come to Longcheng City to join his sister, his parents had told Deng Xiaozhen to keep a strict eye on him. If he dared to cause trouble, would his sister let him off?
Looking at Deng Weijun's pitiful appearance, Qiao Lanshu asked him, "What exactly happened today? The police comrades said your group went to some girl's courtyard and peeked at her taking a bath? Is that true?"
Of course, this matter might not be entirely true, which was why the police station had released them without alerting the Revolutionary Committee.
If it were true, and the other party reported it to the Revolutionary Committee, they wouldn't even need to notify the factory. By now, Deng Weijun might already be on a truck heading to a labor camp.
Qiao Lanshu felt that Deng Weijun probably wasn't that kind of person.
Speaking of this, Deng Weijun felt incredibly unlucky.
He whispered, "Sister-in-law, of course it's not true! I went out for a stroll with Zheng Daliu and the others. They said they were going to a friend's house for some drinks and asked me to keep watch at the door to see if anyone was around. Before I even saw anyone, I heard them getting chased out. They said there was a girl taking a bath inside, and they were peeking! This time was really like a mouse drinking cat's milk—too thrilling!"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Deng Weijun continued, "Whether they peeked or not, I don't know. Anyway, I didn't look. Am I that kind of person? Besides, that woman didn't even look that great. She's already in her forties or fifties and still calls herself a girl. It's the middle of the day, there's no heating, and she's taking a bath in her room. Who knows what was really going on?"
Seeing Deng Weijun getting closer and closer to Qiao Lanshu, Qin Yuanzheng reached out, placed his hand on Qiao Lanshu's shoulder, and pulled her into his embrace. He turned his head, glaring chillingly at Deng Weijun, and said, "Hang out less with those people in the future. Don't you know they have criminal records?"
Stared at by his chilling gaze, Deng Weijun subconsciously shrank his neck. He said, "I, I didn't know. They are all workers in our factory. We are all colleagues. We usually just chat and play cards together."
Qin Yuanzheng said, "They aren't innocent in getting arrested this time either. Look out for yourself in the future. If something like today happens again, have your sister bail you out."
He only helped bail Deng Weijun out today for the sake of his cousin Yang Wenyan; otherwise, he couldn't be bothered to care about these things.
Scolded by him, Deng Weijun didn't dare to breathe a word.
In front of Qiao Lanshu, he was incredibly noisy, but now, he was as timid as a quail. He quickly nodded and said, "I know. I'll never dare do it again."
This lesson was enough. How would he dare go out and fool around with those people again?
Qin Yuanzheng took Qiao Lanshu to the car. It got dark early in winter, and it was already pitch black outside.
The wind was also strong at night. It was better to go home early and lie on the heated kang bed.
Qiao Lanshu whispered, "So Weijun was instructed to keep watch at the door this time?"
Qin Yuanzheng turned his head to look at her, his expression dark. He said, "Weijun? Are you that close to him?"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu had just said it casually. She said somewhat embarrassedly, "No, it's just that he's quite a nice person."
Qin Yuanzheng felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart.
But at his age, he couldn't possibly bicker with his eighteen-year-old little wife over such a trivial matter.
That would make him seem very petty.
He fell silent for a moment before saying, "Deputy Chief Li from the police station just told me that the guy named Zheng Daliu is no good. He has robbed people and beaten them up before. Later on, he caught a lucky break and managed to get a job in the factory. But after all these years, his true nature hasn't changed. I heard he's also fond of gambling."
Qiao Lanshu didn't know this Zheng Daliu. In her previous life, she had only entered the factory two years later. By then, let alone Zheng Daliu, even Deng Weijun wasn't at the factory anymore.
She had also been working for a short time this time around and hadn't met that Zheng Daliu.
She said, "Hearing you say that, it seems that guy really isn't a good person. Who knows, maybe he really did go peek at women taking baths and made Deng Weijun keep watch for him. These people are truly awful."
Qin Yuanzheng drove in silence for a while. A few minutes later, unable to hold back any longer, he asked Qiao Lanshu, "You seem to care quite a bit about Deng Weijun?"
Qiao Lanshu let out a soft "Ah" and smiled. "Not exactly, but I guess you could say we're friends? He's a really nice guy. Oh, right, he even gave me a pear at noon. He said it was shipped in from some county, and it was incredibly sweet."
Hearing this, Qin Yuanzheng abruptly pulled the car over to the side of the road. He leaned over, his face hovering just inches from hers. Qiao Lanshu pressed herself tightly against the passenger seat, her cheeks flushing as she looked up at him. "Zheng Ge, wh-what's wrong?"
Why did Qin Yuanzheng look so displeased? Had she said something wrong again?
Qin Yuanzheng stared at her and asked in a low, husky voice, "Why are you eating things given to you by other men? Haven't I fed you well enough these past few days?"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
