Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Zhao Fengying replied, "Okay, your sister is pregnant now, and she's most afraid of slipping and falling. Let's chisel it off quickly."

Xu Juan added with a tense expression, "Not only my sister, but also the customers who come to buy goods can't be allowed to drop them."

"Of course."

As Xu Bei spoke, he took the key from his mother and then carefully walked upstairs.

Because of my years of experience walking on ice and my body's instincts, I was able to walk over and unlock the shop door quite steadily.

When the door was opened, after a night of freezing temperatures, in addition to the chill that hit you, there was also a mixed smell of small general merchandise and cosmetics.

Xu Bei opened the door wide, turned around, and stretched out his arm to hand it over.

"Mom, come on, slow down."

"Know."

Zhao Fengying was caught off guard before and almost fell backward, but now she was extra careful. With the help of Xu Juan and Xu Bei, she was able to enter the store smoothly.

Xu Bei put the lock and key on the counter and went to find the snow-shoveling tools.

However, the shop did not have any suitable tools for chiseling ice.

The house I live in now has one, but it's impossible for me to travel all that way.

So, Xu Bei first found a wooden board in the shop and laid it at the entrance.

Then he removed the wooden shutters from the window and went to Sister Liu, who had been working late into the night and practically living at the shop, to borrow a pickaxe. He also wanted to ask if she had seen any suspicious people or heard any unusual noises.

When Xu Bei opened the door of the tailor shop and entered, the air was filled with the steam from the fabric and the heat from the iron.

We found Sister Liu asleep, slumped over the table, her face toward the door.

Besides the case, there were also piles of unfinished trouser hems and unbuttoned shirts on the sewing machine next to it.

In the 1980s, before the Lunar New Year, every household would prepare New Year's goods and make new clothes.

After all, ready-made clothing is relatively expensive, not yet widely available, and has limited styles.

Most people still prefer to buy some fabric, and those who are skilled can do it themselves, while those who don't know how can find someone they know or take it to a tailor shop to have it made.

Therefore, tailors often accept orders far exceeding their production capacity.

In order to finish the work before New Year's Eve, they often have to work through the night.

Even during the day, Xu Bei could hear the rhythmic clatter of sewing machines coming from the shop as he passed by.

Perhaps because of the noise of the door opening and the chill that rushed in, before Xu Bei could even call out, Sister Liu groggily opened her eyes.

When he saw that it was Xu Bei who came in, he yawned and smiled.

"Brother Xu, it's you! I thought your brother-in-law had come to bring me food."

Xu Bei said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Sister Liu, I didn't know you were asleep. Otherwise, I would have come later."

Sister Liu waved her hand with a smile, "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I was just too tired from working and took a nap. Didn't you see I even locked the door? You must have something to say, right?"

"Yes." Xu Bei's smile faded, and he succinctly recounted what had just happened, concluding with a sigh, "...Luckily, we were the ones who arrived early this morning. If my sister had accidentally fallen, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

Sister Liu had a good relationship with Xu Bei's family before, and after Xu Bei took two particularly satisfactory photos of the store's interior and exterior, their relationship improved even further.

After hearing this, I felt both extremely relieved and incredibly angry.

"Who can argue with that! Who did this? If they had the guts, they should have come out and fought openly with real weapons. This kind of underhanded trickery is just too despicable!"

As Sister Liu was speaking, she suddenly clapped her hands.

"Oh dear, I suddenly remembered that I heard bicycles and people talking outside in the middle of the night, but I was working alone in the shop with the door locked and the gate closed, so I didn't dare to open the door and go out to see what was going on."

I thought they were just passing by, but they could very well be the ones who harmed your family!

Xu Bei had come to borrow tools and also wanted to gather some information. He was secretly delighted and immediately pressed on, "That's very likely. Sister Liu, do you remember approximately what time it was? There should have been two people talking, right?"

"Probably... I did check the time, around two o'clock. There should be two people, there's no need for just one person." Sister Liu, observing his expression, also noticed something amiss. "Brother Xu, do you have someone you suspect?"

"I do have some information, but I can't say anything without evidence yet." Xu Bei didn't want to tell even his mother or the others, let alone tell the neighbors. "I'll tell you, Sister Liu, once I have more information from my investigation."

"Indeed, everything requires evidence; otherwise, people can't admit it."

After expressing her understanding, Sister Liu quickly went to find the pointed pickaxe that Xu Bei wanted to borrow.

After thanking him, Xu Bei picked up his tools and left the tailor shop.

I had only made a few chisels in front of my own shop when I saw my sister and brother-in-law coming over.

Although Xu Li was pregnant, she didn't treat herself like a fragile baby and insisted on riding her bicycle alone, refusing to let her husband carry her.

Zhu Wenliang has always been very obedient to his wife, and now that she is pregnant, he is even more so.

Before Xu Li even got off her bicycle, her voice preceded her arrival, "Hey bro, what are you chiseling?"

Zhu Wenliang, with his sharper eyes, exclaimed, "Oh dear! How can there still be ice after snowfall!"

Xu Bei straightened up and looked at the two of them. "Someone vandalized our house. They sprinkled water at the door. There was a layer of snow on it before, and Mom almost slipped and fell."

Xu Li and Zhu Wenliang were also furious when they heard this, and the couple cursed as they got off their bicycles.

"That's so malicious! Ice is incredibly slippery when there's snow on it, and the New Year is just around the corner. If Mom falls and gets seriously injured, we won't be able to celebrate the New Year properly!"

"Yes! Ordinary people wouldn't think of such a despicable trick. It must be a treacherous villain who only knows how to use such methods!"

Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan, who were tidying up the shop while tending the stove, heard the noise and pushed open the door to peek out.

"Alright, alright, stop shouting outside. Let's talk inside."

"Yes, come inside quickly."

As the mother and daughter greeted each other, Xu Bei laid out the wooden planks again and reminded them, "Especially you, sister, you have to be extra careful."

Xu Li knew what was important, so she replied with a "Don't worry," and carefully stepped onto the wooden planks to enter the shop.

Zhu Wenliang and Xu Bei followed closely behind and went inside.

It's easier to talk when the shop is closed.

"Who could have done this?" Xu Li frowned and pointed to the side, lowering her voice as she said, "Could it be the neighbor who owns the shop next door? They're jealous of our business and are doing something sneaky behind our backs."

Zhao Fengying picked up the rag from the counter again. "It shouldn't be possible. The shop owners in this alley all look quite kind; they don't seem like the kind of people who would do such a bad thing. Besides, before the Lunar New Year, it wasn't just us who had good business; theirs was doing well too."

"That's true. Besides, people say that competitors are enemies. We do different businesses, so we don't have any grudges."

Xu Li immediately dismissed her doubts, then analyzed in a somewhat uncertain tone, "Then the only people we have grudges against are Xu Dahong and the old lady. Could it be...?"