Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 745 - 731: An Unexpected Reunion (Part 2)

So far, nothing unusual has been found around the villa, and no vehicles have entered. Therefore, regarding the Passat that Liu Fugui and his son are in, besides the two of them, it could at most fit three more subordinates. If that’s the case, it’s not much to worry about. Liu Fugui quickly calculated the situation in his heart.

"Yunpeng, be careful!" Liu Yunpeng lifted his foot, ready to climb over the barricade set up by the camphor tree, and Liu Fugui immediately reminded him from the side, the care in his voice evident.

"Yunpeng is lucky to have a good father like Mr. Liu!" Old Xu’s words were not just flattery; although he was not yet married and did not have children, the deep fatherly love that Liu Fugui displayed was genuinely touching.

Liu Fugui waved his hand repeatedly, replying with some embarrassment, "Oh, I don’t deserve such praise, Sergeant Xu. The truth is, I’ve owed Yunpeng too much and truly can’t be considered a competent father."

"Hello, Sergeant Xu!"

"Hello, Yunpeng!" Old Xu gave a symbolic nod of greeting. Though he hadn’t been directly involved in the previous food-for-medicine trade, he had heard a bit about Liu Yunpeng’s aggressive words toward Wang Qiang during that time, so he found it hard to like the boy.

The brief expression of distaste on Xu Renjie’s face did not escape the keen eyes of Liu Fugui, who was good at reading people, though he couldn’t understand the source of the displeasure.

Since he couldn’t figure it out, dwelling on it wouldn’t lead anywhere. Liu Fugui pretended to grumble, "Oh, this damn weather is really cold, huh, Sergeant Xu? Should we go inside and talk?"

"Ah, I’m such a forgetful person, just rambling on." Old Xu reacted quickly, slapping his head apologetically, "Come on, come on, let’s go inside."

After Old Xu locked the door again, Liu Fugui swept a hand over the somewhat disorganized wooden fence in the yard and praised, "Old Xu, you guys are something. All of this was arranged by you, wasn’t it? I really didn’t expect you’d have such a knack for this!"

Old Xu laughed heartily, "Heh heh, it’s not like I alone have such skill; it was all done together with the brothers. But we did make a mess of Mr. Liu’s nice yard, so please don’t be angry!"

"Oh, don’t say that!" Liu Fugui waved his large hand, "I made it very clear at the time that this villa is for you brothers to stay, so however you want to use it is fine by me. Besides, you’re doing this to guard against robbers anyway."

"It’s great that Mr. Liu understands; we’ve been worried about how to explain it to him." Old Xu guided Liu Fugui and his son into the house, where brothers Li Zhong and Li Guo had prepared tea in the living room.

"Hello, Mr. Liu. Yunpeng, it’s been a while."

"Hello there. Sergeant Xu, aren’t you going to introduce your brothers?" Liu Fugui naturally took a seat on the chair that Lei Tong had pulled out for him.

"Ha ha, you guys go ahead and introduce yourselves to Mr. Liu!"

Lin Jun sat on the edge of the bed in the room, lowering his head in thought. The appearance of Liu Yunpeng seemed to have given him a clue. He felt he somewhat understood why Liu Fugui had arrived so suddenly.

In the first-floor living room, Liu Fugui and Xu Renjie exchanged meaningless small talk, each with their own thoughts. It wasn’t long before Wen Quanxin rushed down from upstairs and, after greeting Liu Fugui, whispered something in Old Xu’s ear.

After listening, Old Xu frowned and nodded, "Alright, I know."

"What’s up, Sergeant Xu? Is there something going on?" Liu Fugui assumed from Old Xu’s tense expression after hearing Wen Quanxin’s whisper that something must have happened, perhaps related to himself.

"Ah!" Old Xu sighed deeply in resignation, "Actually, it’s nothing major, just some trivial matters. But pardon me, Mr. Liu, I need to excuse myself to go upstairs for a moment."

"Ha ha, carry on, Sergeant Xu! Business is business!" Liu Fugui chuckled, lifted the lid off his tea, blew on it a couple of times, and gestured for the other to handle his affairs first.

As soon as he got to the second floor, Old Xu was pulled aside by Lin Junfu, who was waiting in the corridor.

"What is it, Old Lin? I heard from Xiao Wen you were urgently looking for me?"

"Yes! That’s right!" Liu Muhua replied, his expression grave, "I think I know the purpose of Liu Fugui’s visit this time."

"What? You figured it out?" Old Lin’s words were like a shot of adrenaline, prompting Xu Renjie to quickly ask, "What’s their purpose for coming here?"

"Li Huiru!"

Bam! Old Xu’s heart pounded fiercely. Yes, how could he have forgotten about this tea affair, considering Liu Fugui wanted to deal with that woman.

Could it be that the latter had already learned of her survival and came here to find her?

If that’s the case, it wouldn’t matter. If worst comes to worst, they could come clean, claiming they don’t have her and letting him search each room.

The problem was that Old Xu had lied to them all, including Old Lin, about the matter. So if it were exposed, he might have a hard time explaining himself to them.

"I figure Li Huiru may not have returned yet, so they came here to inquire since she used to live here.

If you ask me, how about we pretend we don’t know anything?" Old Lin believed that playing dumb would avoid trouble and that lying to Liu Fugui was no big deal.

Old Xu stared at Old Lin for a while, his brain churning quickly, "No way. Old Lin, just think, if Li Huiru left any documentation, or if Liu Fugui already knew her whereabouts but lost contact, then if we don’t tell the truth, it could backfire. Do you agree?"

"Hmm! That makes sense!" Old Lin thought briefly and understood what Old Xu meant, "So what should we do then?"

"We’ll have to take it one step at a time. After all, Liu’s an old fox; it’s not easy to figure out his thoughts. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll handle the negotiation to figure out his true intentions as soon as possible. You stay upstairs and coordinate with everyone. No matter what, we must remain cautious until the matter is settled, and the alerts can’t be lifted."

"Alright, let’s do it that way!"

Having agreed with Old Lin, Old Xu returned downstairs, acknowledging that Old Lin’s speculations held some truth.

Sigh, if Liu Fugui indeed came because of Li Huiru, then he would have to be honest. But afterward, he would need to spend considerable effort explaining to everyone.

"All done?" Liu Fugui gently put down his teacup, looking at Old Xu, who seemed lost in thought. The latter shook his head, sighed deeply, and pretended to be weary, "Ah, being head of a family, you have to handle everything big and small; it’s not easy at all!"

"Ha ha! I understand, I understand! People think it’s good to be at the top, but only those there know the hardships!" Liu Fugui seemed very understanding.

Old Xu nodded meaninglessly and sipped from his tea, then abruptly changed the topic, "What brings Mr. Liu here today? Surely you didn’t come just to chat with me?"

"Heh heh!" Liu Fugui also picked up his teacup, partly hiding his face with the lid, blowing away the floating tea leaves, "What’s wrong, Sergeant Xu? Can’t I come to catch up with an old friend?" (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to support it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)