Linbiangui Village-Infinite Streaming Chapter 23

Xiao Gang is Missing

“Why exactly are you asking about my family’s business?” Sister Li frowned, lowering her voice as she asked. She clearly didn’t want people to know the real reason her husband was away. She was displeased with Chen Jin’s questioning but didn’t dare to raise her voice.

A small bird landed on a branch of the large potted tree in the courtyard, fluttered twice, and then flew away in alarm.

“I want to know what reason has kept you so fixated on the card house for two years?”

Sister Li didn’t reply for a long time. Chen Jin wasn’t in a hurry, merely watching her composedly, slowly adding, “It can’t be because you want to go steal back the money you lost, can it?”

Sister Li sighed, warily looking behind her. After confirming they were alone, she resignedly pushed Chen Jin aside, found a corner, and whispered, “I saw you two last night! You shouldn’t be doing such things at your age!”

Chen Jin smiled helplessly, wondering how the criticism had suddenly landed on him. “You are right about that.”

“Exactly! What decent person goes to a card house! That card house is no good. The proprietress acts like a seductive fox every day, playing with this person one moment, and that person the next. Who knows what kind of bewitching evil arts she uses to trick people out of their money! I just hate seeing them. I want to go and see when they’ll meet with an accident and die. That would truly be heaven showing mercy!” Sister Li grew more agitated as she spoke, unable to keep her voice down. She finally choked on her own saliva. “Cough, cough…”

Chen Jin involuntarily recalled the interaction between the card house woman and Wu Zeng. It was all the trouble this man caused. He handed over the teacup he was holding, allowing her to catch her breath. “Right…”

“My Old Zhang was tricked by that kind of table scam! He used to slaughter and sell pigs properly for over 20 years without any issues. Then, Old Man Wu’s dead cripple somehow found that young wife, and they opened a gambling den on the street! My Old Zhang went in to play a couple of rounds and got hooked. We couldn’t pull him back; he was like a man possessed. In the end, he lost every last drop of the family’s money. He only stopped going when there was absolutely no other way.” Sister Li’s eyes slowly welled up, and her voice began to choke. “Later, he knelt before me, saying he wanted to make it up to me, so he specifically looked online for work in Yue Dong to go earn a living. Who knew he’d go missing after that…”

“Is the situation similar to Xiao Gang’s?”

Sister Li bristled like an angry cat, clutching her clothes tightly and staring at him. “Old Zhang went missing after working for more than four months. Before that, he regularly transferred money to me every month—7,000 yuan a month. How could he be lying to me? Where else would the money have come from!”

It seemed Sister Li still trusted Zhang Guo Wei deeply.

“And what did the company say later?”

“We called them! They said there was no such person and they had never hired any workers!”

This was strange. Since money was transferred regularly, it meant he was indeed earning money. But if he had simply found a new company, there would be no need to lie to Sister Li. Could it be that the money came from an illicit source?

In the living room, Li Ming Ming opened his notebook, pressed down on the center line with his palm, and then picked up his pen to ask, “Did anything happen before Brother Xiao Gang left for work?”

Li Ming Ming was much more serious when working, meticulously writing down the conversation records in his notebook.

“He was acting like he was possessed by evil!” Uncle Liao snorted coldly. “He should have just stayed home. When he got a bit older, I would naturally help him find a match. But starting sometime last month, he insisted on going out to work, saying it wouldn’t be complete if he hadn’t seen the world. I don’t know where he got that idea.”

Uncle Liao glanced at Sister Chen. “So, if she had listened to me, nothing would have happened. It’s his mother, she just had to indulge his wishes. Well, look what happened—now the person is gone!”

Uncle Liao grew more agitated, veins bulging on his neck. He slammed his palm onto the coffee table, causing a continuous groan from the surface and making the old tea caddy rattle.

Sister Chen hunched over and flinched, clutching her arms tighter until her knuckles turned white. She practically sank into the sofa.

Uncle Liao’s intense anger was inseparable from his son’s disappearance, but taking it out on Sister Chen like this was hard to watch.

“Tell me, is it true? Is it?” Uncle Liao was completely worked up, his eyes wide with fury. He abruptly turned, ready to grab Sister Chen’s collar.

This savage and aggressive attitude was completely different from his usual demeanor.

“Uncle Liao, please don’t get agitated. Let’s talk this through calmly!” Li Ming Ming was quick, rushing forward to stop him. He urgently looked for support, shouting at Wu Zeng, “Brother Wu Zeng, you’re so capable! Come and help!”

Wu Zeng sat on his stool, watching the scene like a spectator, not moving. He shook his head indifferently. “Why are you getting involved in a couple’s business?”

“How can you say that when things are like this!” Li Ming Ming was provoked by Wu Zeng’s attitude and became agitated himself. He let go of Uncle Liao and pointed at Wu Zeng, cursing, “You’re just a hypocrite who only pretends to be a good person in front of Chen Jin!”

Wu Zeng stretched out his long leg and casually kicked the coffee table. The heavy table immediately slid backward, its edge hitting Li Ming Ming’s knee. He cursed and bent over in pain, “Damn it!”

“What are you?” Wu Zeng’s expression was grim.

“Stop fighting!” Sister Chen shrieked, jumping up. Her movement was so sudden that she knocked over a small cushion on the sofa. Her petite figure was almost the same height as the seated Wu Zeng.

Sister Chen held her head and stomped her feet, repeating those three words incessantly, “Stop fighting! Stop fighting!”

When a scene is chaotic, sometimes an even more chaotic person is needed to bring everything to a halt.

Sure enough, once Sister Chen started acting hysterical, the three men instantly fell silent.

“Have you ever cared about your son?!” Sister Chen rushed up to Uncle Liao, pointing at his nose and yelling, “All you know is dictatorship! If you hadn’t driven him crazy by making him listen to you about everything since he was little, would he have gone gambling? Would he have lost so much money? Would he have had to work so hard outside only to end up missing!”

The last word tore apart in her throat. Sister Chen had finally voiced years of suppressed frustration. Now she felt dizzy, the oxygen gradually draining from her body.

Li Ming Ming quickly helped her sit down, patting her back to help her breathe.

Uncle Liao was speechless for a long time. The lingering micro-expressions of his previous rage remained on his face, but he couldn’t erupt again.

“How much money did he owe?” Wu Zeng leaned forward slightly, reaching under the table. He hooked his thumb and, with a slight pull, dragged the displaced coffee table back into position.

“300,000.”

“300,000?!” Uncle Liao looked incredulous. “Our entire family’s worth isn’t even that much! You’re telling me he owes people 300,000?”

Li Ming Ming was also too shocked to speak. He never expected the situation to be this serious.

Sister Chen and Uncle Liao were likely doting parents. They only had this one son. Apart from his tendency to be dictatorial on certain matters, Uncle Liao probably gave Xiao Gang maximum freedom and support in other areas. Sister Chen, needless to say, was even more supportive, which was evident from Xiao Gang’s usual interactions with his parents.

For so many years, the couple had been unwilling to let their son suffer outside, but Sister Chen had recently changed her mind, contradicting Uncle Liao’s opinion. They might have even clashed over it. This suggested that Xiao Gang’s departure was truly unavoidable, and Sister Chen was clearly aware of the reason for his trip.

Yesterday at the card house, the small gold lock on the woman’s wrist was clearly the same as the one Xiao Gang wore around his neck a few days ago. Wu Zeng initially thought it was a coincidence, but the conversation between Sister Chen and Uncle Liao today confirmed his suspicion.

Wu Zeng was curious. What kind of power did that card house possess to make an unreasonable person like Xiao Gang obediently go out to work and pay off his debt, instead of simply shirking responsibility? “Where did Xiao Gang find the job information? Does Sister Chen know?”

“He didn’t say… but… but he left a phone number!” Sister Chen quickly pulled out her phone, presenting it like a treasure.

“Try calling it?” Wu Zeng looked at the number, which was clearly different from the one Chen Jin had dialed this morning.

“Beep—The number you have dialed is not in service.” Sister Chen suddenly froze, like a body going rigid, remaining motionless.

“Oh, my heavens!” Uncle Liao slapped his thigh, his lips trembling. He sat back on the sofa, utterly distraught. “It’s over, it’s over…”

Li Ming Ming wanted to turn and comfort Uncle Liao, but he saw Sister Chen still frozen in place. He was flustered, unable to attend to either of them.

“Didi didi…” Sister Chen’s WeChat video call suddenly rang. The ringtone instantly brought her back to her senses. The caller was Xiao Gang.

Sister Chen gasped for air, practically crying tears of joy, yet afraid that the person on the other end wasn’t Xiao Gang himself.

Her hand trembled, fumbling for a long time before finally managing to press the green button.

Uncle Liao sat beside her, tilting his head and staring intently at the phone screen. His anxiety was no less than Sister Chen’s.

Li Ming Ming couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He snatched the phone and answered the call.

“Mom!” This single word made Sister Chen collapse to her knees. The anxiety that had hung over her for two days finally lifted, leaving her feeling utterly weak.

On the other end of the line was clearly Xiao Gang’s face. He was lying in bed. “Mom?”

“Ai, ai, ai! Xiao Gang!” Sister Chen quickly took the phone. Uncle Liao also squeezed into the frame. Seeing their son on the screen, tears involuntarily streamed down their faces.

“Oh, why are you two crying! I’ll be back for the New Year!” Xiao Gang looked very obedient today, completely different from his usual arrogant self.

The family of three exchanged greetings for a long time before hanging up.

Sister Chen and Uncle Liao were reconciled. They recovered from their previous furious state, now feeling a bit awkward.

Sister Chen distractedly scrolled through her Moments, then excitedly said, “Xiao Gang is doing well! The factory has foreign words all over it—it’s high-class.”

Wu Zeng looked up. It was a sheet metal factory, seemingly without any tall buildings nearby. The location tag in the Moments was written in English: Sha Country.

Had he gone abroad?