Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

As soon as Xu Li finished speaking, Zhao Fengying angrily threw down the rag.

"It's probably them who did it! I actually had a feeling that Hua Hun'er was behind it, but I didn't dare to say it out loud."

I'm afraid your brother will go directly to them to settle accounts, but without evidence, there will be endless arguments.

If you had come earlier today and we had come later, Xiaoli might have slipped and fallen, and she could have gotten seriously injured!

"If anything happens to my grandson in my belly, the happiest person will be Xu Dahong, who can't be born!"

Xu Bei was surprised to see himself as so reckless and impulsive in his mother's eyes, and helplessly rubbed his temples.

He was about to speak when Xu Li, who was seething with hatred, spoke first.

"Even without evidence, I feel that it was Xu Dahong who did it. We have no grudges against him, so he has no reason to resort to such underhanded tactics!"

She really deserves a beating! I didn't hit her hard enough before! I think we should go confront them later, even if they don't admit it, we should still give her a good beating!

When it came to the safety of his wife and his son or daughter, Zhu Wenliang felt both extremely relieved and furious, but he still managed to remain rational.

"Indeed, only Xu Dahong has the suspicion and motive to commit the crime! However, everything needs evidence, otherwise we won't be in the right if we go to investigate!"

"There is some evidence, to say the least."

As soon as Xu Bei said this, everyone in the shop turned to look at him.

"What evidence?"

"Brother, tell me quickly."

Xu Bei then shared some information he had gleaned from Sister Liu.

"According to what Sister Liu said, it must have been around 2 a.m. when two people came by on bicycles, and the voice they were talking was that of a man."

I suspect it's Xu Dajiang's two sons. Actually, I saw them loitering outside the shop a few days ago, but I didn't want you to get upset or suspicious, so I didn't say anything..."

Zhao Fengying understood her son's good intentions and didn't dwell on it. At the same time, she became increasingly certain, "It matches up! It all matches up! It must have been Xu Dahong who ordered those two brats to do it!"

"Yes, they've always been on the same page, much closer than us!" Xu Li subconsciously stroked her still flat stomach. "Besides, Xu Dahong hasn't had a child in so long, but I have one. Maybe if I just secretly stir things up behind their backs, the two of them could be a perfect match!"

I'm going to find them later no matter what, and let Xu Dashan see for himself what kind of people his sister and nephew are!

Then, we'll ask him to say one thing: which is more important, his daughter's unborn grandchildren or his family back home?

Just then, five or six customers, including adults and children, entered the store in a flurry, interrupting their conversation.

Why is there ice in front of your shop?

"Yeah, they can even make it slippery."

"You almost fell."

Not wanting to say anything else to outsiders, Zhao Fengying quickly said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, the water froze."

Xu Bei also said, "Sorry, we'll handle it right away."

Then, he quickly took Zhu Wenliang outside the shop to continue chiseling ice.

Even a thin layer of ice that was frozen solid could not withstand the heavy blows of a pointed pickaxe and quickly shattered into ice shards.

Zhu Wenliang glanced at the shop, his hands still busy tidying up with a small shovel, while he whispered something to himself.

"Brother, your sister is pregnant. We can't let her get too emotional or violent, or something bad could easily happen. We have to make sure she stays to sell the goods later, even if I have to go with her."

Xu Bei loved his sister even more than Zhu Wenliang, who was his brother-in-law. Having been married and had children, he was well aware of the many precautions pregnant women should take. Even if the other party hadn't told him, he would have done it anyway.

"Okay, I'll try to get my sister and Mom to stay at the shop, and then we'll go check it out. After all, this is all based on our analysis, so it's best to do it this way..."

Zhu Wenliang nodded vigorously as he listened to his brother-in-law's plan. "Great! That's what I was thinking too. We'll work together well, and if they really did it, they'll definitely be exposed."

After the two quickly cleaned the area in front of the door, not only was the family who had been shopping still there, but several other people also came in.

Sisters Zhao Fengying and Xu Li were both busy answering customers' questions, and were quite busy for a while.

This gave Xu Bei and his group an opportunity.

"Mom, you guys go ahead and busy your sales. It's already the 28th of the month, so we'll definitely be getting even busier later. My brother-in-law and I will go check on things first."

"Yes, Mom, I wasn't planning on going to work today anyway, so I'll just go with my little brother. You, Xiaoli, and my sister have a good time selling the goods."

Zhao Fengying didn't want her pregnant eldest daughter to get angry or cause any trouble, so she said, "Alright, you two go ahead."

Xu Li remained stubbornly opposed, "No way! If I don't come along, you two grown men won't be able to fight back against a woman, and you'll just suffer in silence!"

Xu Bei had no choice but to move closer to Xu Li and whisper, "Sis, you really can't show yourself, or you'll give yourself away. I'm planning to pretend you fell down to test them..."

Xu Li was finally convinced and agreed not to follow, but she still gave a few more words of advice out of concern.

Xu Bei and Zhu Wenliang then each rode a bicycle straight to the Xu family home.

Upon reaching the gate, seeing the open gate and Xu Dashan's bicycle parked in the yard, the two exchanged a glance, tacitly adjusted their expressions, and then pushed their bicycles inside one after the other.

Xu Dashan was smoking on the kang (a heated brick bed) in the east room, looking haggard.

When she saw her son and son-in-law coming through the window covered with plastic sheeting, she hurriedly slid off the ground and ran outside, stepping on the back of her cotton shoes.

The old lady and Xu Dajiang and his wife, who were also sitting on the heated kang, craned their necks to look outside.

"Why are these two here?"

"This is the first time we've seen our second son-in-law since we came here. Could something have happened?"

Listening to her eldest son and daughter-in-law's murmurs, the old lady remained silent, but a fleeting glint of excitement flickered in her triangular eyes.

Meanwhile, Xu Dahong, Xu Wei, and Xu Yong, who were hiding in the west room, were also peering out the window at the courtyard.

"Auntie, did you break someone?"

"Xu Li's boyfriend is here too. Maybe it's..."

Unlike the brothers who were speaking in hushed tones with worry and fear, Xu Dahong couldn't suppress the smile on his face, especially when he saw the angry and grief-stricken expressions on Xu Bei and Zhu Wenliang's faces.

"Look at you guys, so pathetic! As long as you and I stay silent to the death, only heaven and earth know. They can't produce any evidence, so what's there to be afraid of!"

Xu Wei and Xu Yong relaxed a little.

"That's true."

However, when he saw his second uncle chatting with Xu Bei and Zhu Wenliang, and looking towards the west room, he still felt guilty and shrank back.

Meanwhile, in the courtyard.

As planned, Xu Bei kept quiet for the time being, letting his brother-in-law Zhu Wenliang put on an act.

Clearly, the other party's performance was very successful. Xu Dashan had already believed that Xu Li had slipped and fell, and he was so angry that the veins on his forehead were bulging and his eyes were red.

"Wenliang, don't worry, as long as it's proven they did it, I will absolutely not show favoritism!"

Zhu Wenliang clenched his fist and continued his acting with great emotion, "Dad, I feel much more at ease knowing you said that! Before I came, I was quite worried that you would think I had wronged them and get angry with me."

Xiaoli and I have been married for over half a year, and we finally had a child. If this happens... what about my parents...?

"I know, I know. You're all coming in with me now, let's get to the bottom of this face to face!"

Xu Dashan was already feeling happy, disappointed, and guilty about his eldest daughter's pregnancy.

Unexpectedly, this happened just a few days later. Naturally, I was heartbroken and also hated the person behind it.

Xu Bei and Zhu Wenliang exchanged a glance without making a sound, and then the two followed Xu Dashan, who was wearing cotton shoes, into the house.

When Xu Dashan opened the door first, Xu Bei saw a kitchen that was quite different from the one he had seen when he came to pack his things last time.

Similarly, when Zhao Fengying, the mother, was at home, she kept everything spotless, and even the stove and pot lids were polished to a shine.

Not only does the pot lid look dirty, but an unwashed rag is also draped over it, giving off an unpleasant smell.

Xu Dashan didn't go into the east room, but instead walked towards the west room.

Although Xu Bei and the others followed, they all glanced at the east room with its door open.

Xu Dajiang, who was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) smoking, was very dissatisfied with his nephew Xu Bei and even let out a cold snort from his nose.

His wife, however, gave Xu Bei and the others a complicated smile.

As for the old lady, she sat cross-legged at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed), glared at her eldest daughter-in-law with a hostile look, and then looked towards the outer room.

Unfortunately, Xu Bei and Zhu Wenliang had already turned away, leaving only two figures, one tall and one short, with their backs to the camera...