Chapter 101: Sneaking Around |
Like a dried salted fish, Liu Zhiyue lay on the sofa, staring blankly ahead, his spirit seemingly drained.
Liu Changqing watched his son’s lifeless state and sighed.
“Alright, just rest on the sofa. I’ll go buy the bulb.”
“Got it!” Liu Zhiyue replied cheerfully, his mood instantly lightening, showing the carefree nature of a 15-year-old.
Throwing the broken bulb into the trash, Liu Changqing washed his hands, changed his shoes, and stepped out of the house.
As he walked downstairs, Liu Changqing spotted an elderly man standing with his hands behind his back, head bowed in deep thought, looking rather troubled.
Liu Changqing glanced at him, initially intending to walk past. But just as they were about to cross paths, the old man sighed.
“Who on earth stole my ladder…”
Liu Changqing’s steps faltered. Turning around, he looked at the man, who was muttering to himself with a resigned expression.
The man sighed again, even more dramatically this time.
Curious, Liu Changqing walked over. “What’s wrong, sir?”
The elderly man glanced at him, shook his head, and gestured toward a corner piled with random items.
“I left my ladder over there not long ago, went to grab some breakfast, and when I came back, it was gone!”
“Really?” Liu Changqing felt a pang of guilt.
“I think I’ve seen that ladder before. It’s been sitting there for days, hasn’t it? I thought no one wanted it…”
“That’s my ladder! I bought it just a few days ago but hadn’t used it yet, so I left it there for a bit!”
The old man grew visibly agitated, his voice rising as he explained.
Liu Changqing, feeling increasingly uncomfortable, took a small step back. “Using a ladder at your age is dangerous. What if something happened?”
“Rubbish! I’m as fit as a fiddle!”
“…”
Seeing the man’s rising agitation, Liu Changqing decided to cut the conversation short.
“Why don’t you take a rest at home? Maybe the ladder will find its way back to you by tonight.”
“You think I’m a child? Ladders don’t grow legs and walk back on their own!”
Turning away, the old man resumed his sighing, now with his hands clasped behind his back.
Liu Changqing quickly left the scene, guilt weighing heavily on him.
He swore he hadn’t realized that the ladder, stashed among broken stools, a cracked washboard, a legless table, and other junk, was newly purchased.
But judging by the man’s demeanor, confessing that he had borrowed the ladder might result in an impassioned scolding—or worse, a barrage of "senior strength" punches.
One doesn’t reason with the elderly. It rarely ends well.
As Liu Changqing hurried away, the old man suddenly stopped sighing and looked toward the corner where Liu Changqing had disappeared.
“Hmm… That kid looks familiar…”
Standing in front of the locked doors of the neighborhood snack shop, Liu Changqing felt a pang of melancholy.
A sheet of white paper taped to the door read: FOR SALE, followed by a phone number.
The shop, like the nearby breakfast stall, had closed for good.
The once-bustling neighborhood was growing quieter, with more residents moving to other cities or closer to the urban center.
Things had truly changed…
Shaking off the sentiment, Liu Changqing headed to a small supermarket a few minutes away.
Inside the supermarket, Liu Changqing approached the cashier.
“Where can I find lightbulbs?”
“Over there!” The cashier gestured vaguely.
Following the direction indicated, Liu Changqing searched the shelves but found nothing. After a minute or two of fruitless searching, he found himself in the snack aisle.
The faint sound of rustling caught his attention.
Looking up, he saw a girl wearing a baseball cap and shorts standing with her back to him, her hand moving toward her mouth.
Curious, Liu Changqing watched for a moment before glancing toward the cashier, who was engrossed in their phone, completely unaware of what was happening.
Suspicious, Liu Changqing stepped closer.
After a few more moments of searching, he finally found the lightbulbs on a bottom shelf. Choosing the right size, he headed to the cashier to pay.
Passing the girl again, he noticed her hand reaching for more snacks, stuffing them into an already bulging pocket.
Unable to tolerate the blatant theft, Liu Changqing grabbed her wrist.
Startled, the girl looked up at him.
“You’re young—why are you doing something so disgraceful?” Liu Changqing scolded in a low voice. “Didn’t your parents teach you better?”
“Uh?”
The girl’s expression shifted from shock to confusion. She glanced at her wrist and then at Liu Changqing.
Before she could say anything, Liu Changqing pulled her toward the cashier.
“Apologize, pay for the snacks, and maybe they’ll go easy on you,” he said as they reached the counter.
Placing the lightbulb on the counter, he addressed the cashier.
“This girl was stealing your snacks.”
“Stealing?”
The cashier looked up, first at Liu Changqing, then at the girl, her face puzzled.
“She’s my boss’s daughter. This supermarket belongs to her family.”
“Excuse me?”
Liu Changqing froze, turning to see the girl’s smug expression. Under her baseball cap, her eyes gleamed with mischief.
No wonder she’d been so brazen—she had connections.
Letting go of her wrist, Liu Changqing sighed, pointed to the lightbulb, and asked the cashier, “How much?”
After paying and leaving the supermarket, Liu Changqing was just about to head home when he heard a voice behind him.
“Hey! Uncle!”
“…”
He froze for a moment before resuming his steps.
“I’m talking to you! Uncle!” the girl called again.