Chapter 65

Inside the courtyard.

Tong Jiaxin kept his head lowered, looking distressed. “I’m sorry, Second Brother. I didn’t leave Little Sister behind on purpose. I only went to pick up some firewood.”They were out of firewood at home and those from their hometown never lift a finger. He thought a little while would have been fine.Tong Jiaming’s lips were shut tight and, looking unhappy, he said, “I am not the one that you should be apologizing to.”Tong Jiaxin kicked his toes on the ground and, before he said anything, Tong Xuelu walked over to them.His lips parted and he wanted to apologize but he couldn’t get the words out.Tong Xuelu didn’t look at him. She looked straight at Tong Jiaming and said, “Come with me.”Tong Jiaming had Tong Jiaxin went to watch out for Tong Mianmian before he turned and left with Tong Xuelu.The moon was hazy and the moonlight casted down on the roofs creating a lot of shadows. Crickets in hidden corners making annoying noises.Tong Xuelu finally stopped in front of the main entrance.She took a look outside and, after making sure that there was nobody there, said, “We will make our moves tonight. What I need you to do is……”After listening to her plans, Tong Jiaming had a peculiar look on him. “That… doesn’t sound right?”The tear-like mole under the corner of her eye looked even more bright and charming under the moonlight. “Nothing is not right about it. Just do as I say.”She will take care of all those from the Tong family tomorrow all at once!Tong Jiaming went silent for a little while and finally nodded. “Alright.”That night.A silhouette appeared in the cloth-drying spot of every family and moved around quickly.The sun was bright the next morning.When Aunty Cai went to collect her clothes from the previous day, she noticed that her newly purchased floral underwear was gone!She looked around but didn’t see it anywhere.Aunty Cai, “That’s odd. It wasn’t even windy last night. How did it go missing?”Mother Xu, “We are missing an article of clothing too.”Grandma Lin, “Our family as well……”Aunty Cai, “What is it that you are missing? I am missing my newly-purchased floral underwear.”Mother Xu, “Mine isn’t new, but it’s an underwear……”Grandma Lin, “Me too……”Big Sister Wang, “Me too……”All of them were enraged all of a sudden: Who was it who did that?!Aunty Cai had a loud voice and, with her yelling, the rest in the compound also found out what had happened shortly.There were a lot of discussions surrounding it.“This is so strange. Nobody had ever lost an article of clothing before!”“Right? And it wasn’t even windy yesterday. You think maybe someone’s child picked them up using them as toys?”In order to get to the bottom of the matters, everyone went home to check with their children. But the naughtiest of all children knew better than that. Fabric was very expensive at this day and age.Besides, why would it only be underwear that had gone missing?Old Mrs. Lin was infuriated. “I am going to kill whoever it is when I find out! I have had that floral underwear for years. So what if there were two holes in the back? I’m already used to it. This #@*!() thief!”Everyone else, “……”Looking at Old Mrs. Lin’s wrinkly face and age spots, everybody questioned the thief’s choice.Tong Xuelu walked out of the house with a wearied look. “What’s going on, Aunty Cai?”When Aunty Cai was baffled when she saw Tong Xuelu. “How come you didn’t go into work, Xuelu? Oh, mi. You don’t look well at all. Are you ill?”Tong Xuelu nodded weakly. “I had a terrible headache when I woke up this morning, so I had to have Jiaming took the day off for me. Oh, right, Aunty Cai, what are all of you gathered around?”For the sake of her looking bad enough to take the day off, Tong Xuelu had stayed up all night and she was very tired right now.Aunty Cai talked to her a bit about her condition and angrily told her about the missing underwear. “I wonder what kind of immoral person did that. Why would they steal underwear?”Tong Xuelu put on a shocked look, “Are all of the ones missing women underwear or both men’s and women’s?”After thinking the question over some, Aunty Cai smacked her thigh and said, “Oh mi! I didn’t notice that until you asked. All of them are women’s underwear. We have a creep in our compound!”Mother Xu, too, reacted quickly. “Could it be that Tong’s boy who did it?”Everybody else looked unhappy when they heard that.