Chapter 33: Chapter 33: His Wife’s Heart Aches for Him

The night wind at West River Beach carried the river’s moisture. In the dry Northwest, the damp, fishy smell of water was a rarity.

Lu Xiao found his way to the abandoned brickyard, relying on memory.

Broken adobe bricks and rubble were scattered all around, and the area was overgrown with weeds.

It was much quieter here than in town. Forget people—he didn’t even see a single stray cat or dog.

Lu Xiao didn’t rush in. He hid behind a half-collapsed low wall, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

After waiting a moment, he saw a small, thin figure emerge from a gap deep within the brickyard, limping. The boy looked around warily, a tattered cloth bag in his hand.

’This must be the “Little Cripple” Geng mentioned.’

Lu Xiao stepped out from the shadows, making his footsteps a little heavier.

The boy jumped, spinning around like a startled rabbit, and nearly fell over.

“Who’s there?!”

His voice was shrill, with a boy’s forced ferocity.

Lu Xiao stopped at a distance where he could be seen clearly. The moonlight outlined his tall, imposing figure, which radiated an intangible pressure.

He cut straight to the chase. “Little Cripple? Brother Geng sent me.”

Hearing the name “Brother Geng,” Little Cripple’s tense body visibly relaxed a bit, but he still eyed Lu Xiao with suspicion.

Lu Xiao took out a few grain coupons and held them out. “I want to buy some mountain goods.”

Little Cripple’s eyes lit up when he saw the grain coupons, and he snatched them quickly.

He counted them by the moonlight, a mercenary smile spreading across his face.

“Oh, so Uncle Geng sent you! What kind of ’mountain goods’ are you looking for, Big Bro? Wild mushrooms? Walnuts? Or… something a little more unusual?”

He took a step closer and lowered his voice, acting as if he could get Lu Xiao anything he wanted.

“Medicinal herbs.”

Lu Xiao uttered the two words, his eyes fixed on him. He described the herb Su Tang had mentioned and, as expected, saw Little Cripple’s expression change.

Little Cripple’s smile froze, and his eyes darted around. “Bro, that… that stuff’s not easy to get. It’s dangerous, too! They’re cracking down hard right now…”

“I came to you because I know it’s not easy to get.”

Lu Xiao’s voice was flat but firm. “Has anyone gotten any recently? A new face, or a familiar one who’s known for trouble?”

Little Cripple swallowed, looking conflicted. “Bro, that’s… that’s against the rules…”

Lu Xiao said nothing, simply pulling a few small-denomination bills from his pocket and stuffing them into the boy’s hand.

’This is enough money for him to live comfortably for a while.’

Little Cripple clutched the money, his expression conflicted for a few moments before he finally leaned in close to Lu Xiao’s ear.

“…Day before yesterday… there was a guy. Haven’t seen him around much before. Looked real tough, not like he was from our town. He bought a small packet of something from Scarred-eyed Old Black. Said it was… said it was some kind of powdered herb ’that’ll make a rat kick the bucket.’”

“He was all secretive about it, and he even gave Old Black a crumpled industrial coupon! A real big spender.”

“What did he look like? What’s his name?”

Finally on to a lead, Lu Xiao pressed him.

“Don’t know his name, everyone goes by nicknames. The guy… on his left cheek here…”

Little Cripple pointed to the spot on his own face, just above the corner of his mouth.

“He has a pretty fresh scar, like he was cut by something. He whistles a bit when he talks, I think… maybe he’s missing a front tooth? He was wearing a slightly worn blue jacket and swayed when he walked. Didn’t look like a good guy.”

Little Cripple tried hard to remember. “Oh, right! He has a big black mole on the back of his right hand!”

’Missing tooth, scar near his mouth, blue jacket, sways when he walks, black mole on his hand.’

Lu Xiao burned these features into his memory.

“Where’s Scarred-eyed Old Black?”

Little Cripple shrank back. “Bro, I wouldn’t dare take you to him. That guy’s vicious! He probably took off as soon as he got the stuff. Who knows what rat hole he’s hiding in now? Anyway, I haven’t seen him around here lately.”

Afraid Lu Xiao would ask more questions, he quickly added, “That’s all I know, Bro! Really! I don’t want the money, you take it back…”

As he spoke, he tried to stuff the bills back into Lu Xiao’s hand. He shouldn’t have been so greedy. This man in front of him didn’t look like someone to be trifled with.

Lu Xiao stopped his hand. “Keep it. You didn’t see me today.”

“Right! Right! Definitely didn’t see you!”

As if granted amnesty, Little Cripple clutched the money tightly and quickly disappeared into the shadows of the brickyard, limping away faster than a rabbit.

Lu Xiao stood in place, his gaze in the darkness as cold as a blade quenched in ice.

He didn’t linger, turning and striding swiftly back the way he came.

He hadn’t caught the man, but this information was enough to confront Hu Jianjun.

’It’s about time that kid, Chang Jia, squeezed something out of Hu Jianjun, too.’

At the crack of dawn, a dust-covered Lu Xiao finally rushed back to the military compound.

He had barely slept all night. His eyes were bloodshot, blueish stubble dotted his chin, and he exuded a frosty air.

But he didn’t even think about going home to wash up. He turned on his heel and headed straight for the confinement cell.

The guard was an old soldier he knew. Seeing Lu Xiao, a hint of sympathy appeared on his face. He didn’t ask any questions, just lowered his voice.

“Captain Lu, don’t take too long. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw.”

“I know. Thanks.”

Lu Xiao’s voice was a bit hoarse. He offered the guard half a pack of cigarettes.

The old soldier waved his hand, refusing them. “Go on, hurry.”

The confinement cell was dim, with only a small, high window letting in a sliver of the faint morning light.

The tiny space contained only a hard plank bed and a chamber pot. The air smelled faintly of must and dust.

Su Tang was sitting on the edge of the hard bed with her back to the door. Her thin figure was curled up, and she seemed to be staring blankly at the corner of the wall.

She was still wearing the same old, faded plaid shirt, her hair messily tied up, revealing her slender, fragile neck.

Hearing footsteps, Su Tang turned around.

“Lu Xiao?!”

“What are you doing here? Where have you been?”

Having never seen a scruffy Lu Xiao before, Su Tang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’He looks like a wild man who just fled a famine in the mountains.’

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“I’ve been asking around the last couple of days. I’m going to question Hu Jianjun today.”

He briefly told her what he’d been up to, and Su Tang, her heart aching for him, reached out and gently stroked his head.

“You’ve worked so hard, all for my sake.”

Lu Xiao lowered his eyes and took her hand.

The warmth from his palm was like a current, instantly enveloping Su Tang’s cold fingers.

“It’s what I should do. It’s my responsibility as a… as a man.”

He had swallowed the word “husband,” replacing it with “man.”

Su Tang seemed to catch his unspoken meaning, her eyes flickering.

Then, she carefully moved closer and rested her head against his chest.

A heart was pounding erratically in there, and Su Tang felt her own head grow a little fuzzy.

In this era, her status was bound to bring him endless trouble.

But Lu Xiao had never said a word of complaint. With his actions, he proved that she had never been a burden to him.

“Lu Xiao, do you have any regrets?”

Hearing her question, Lu Xiao’s eyes widened slightly.

’Regrets? Regrets about what?’

“Captain Lu, time’s up. You need to come out.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep