How I Tamed My Wolfish Husband Back in 80s-Chapter 139: Understanding_1

Li Qiao returned to her department, learned the report format, and began writing. After finishing, she set it aside.

While stretching her arms, she caught a glimpse of someone carrying a lunchbox across the yard.

Feeling hungry, she went out to inquire, "Excuse me, sister, where can I get some food?"

The woman smiled, "You must be new here, right? Do you see that big chimney to the north? Just turn here and walk straight, and you’ll find the cafeteria."

After thanking her, Li Qiao headed to have her meal.

When the cafeteria lady heard she was from the forensic department, she found her a new lunchbox and said, "Ordinary people wouldn’t dare to do that job; you’re a brave young lady. Not afraid of having trouble finding a partner, are you?"

The lady filled her lunchbox with rice, firmly scooped two big pieces of braised pork without shaking, and poured the gravy over the rice.

Li Qiao smiled and thanked her, then sat down and began to eat.

The rice was fragrant and chewy, and the braised pork was rich without being greasy, melting in the mouth.

The sauce was moderately salty.

The work meal is so delicious!

After finishing the box of food, her belly was round and full.

She went to the sink to clean her lunchbox and chopsticks and returned them to the lady.

The lady told her to keep the lunchbox and remember to bring it next time, to which she thanked the lady again.

On her way back, she met the gatekeeper: "Young lady, your partner is looking for you."

Li Qiao immediately ran out.

The young man wore blue trousers paired with white sneakers and a white short sleeve.

He stood out with youthful vitality.

She said with a happy smile, "Jin! How come you’re here? Did you finish the chores at home? Did you attend Li Jinhua’s wedding feast? What does the man look like?"

"Yeah, the man wasn’t happy; he ran off. His older brother ended up marrying her. Have you had lunch yet?"

Li Qiao burped, "Is that so? But that’s for the best. His brother’s in for it now." A woman like Li Jinhua would wreck three generations if she were brought home; it’s better to stay single than to deal with someone like her.

Qin Jin asked with concern, "Are you getting used to work? Not too tired?"

"Tired, no, but it’s disgustingly gross. Today was my first day of work..." Li Qiao recounted the Yaojia Ditch case.

Qin Jin thought to himself, you can still eat after something that disgusting? I can see your belly swelling from a distance. Is the food really that good?

The sun was scorching outside. Li Qiao informed the gatekeeper, then led Qin Jin into the office hall of her department. "This is my desk."

Qin Jin looked around, "Why is it just you here?"

"The other two are helping Director Xun with an autopsy." Li Qiao recalled the victim’s appearance and sketched out a rough likeness. "Do you recognize this person from around here?"

Qin Jin examined the drawing, "Looks a lot like a woman from Liu Er’s village."

Li Qiao got excited, "Really? What’s her name?"

"I heard Liu Er call her Mrs. Ping."

Li Qiao recorded this clue, and just then, Xun Dong and two others came in. "Qin Jin is here, huh. Li Qiao, have you eaten yet?"

"I have. The food here is really good. As soon as the auntie heard I was from the forensic department, she packed my lunchbox full of rice and gave me two big pieces of meat."

Xun Dong’s face beamed with a smile. The older cafeteria lady was superstitious, always fearing that one day they would be haunted by ghosts or encounter mishaps because of their work; thus, every time she cooked, she would give the best to their department.

As if to say, perhaps it’s their last meal.

It was bittersweet.

One of the reasons he valued Li Qiao was that she didn’t regard him as ominous.

Li Qiao continued, "My partner said..."

She shared her suspicions about the identity of the deceased with Xun Dong.

Xun Dong immediately arranged for verification in the afternoon.

Having handed in her report, Xun Dong, after reviewing it, praised her for her attention to detail: "There’s nothing for you to do this afternoon; you and Qin Jin can head back home."

"We can go back if there’s nothing to do? That’s great." Li Qiao quickly packed up the small kettle on her desk, said goodbye to her colleagues, and went home with Qin Jin.

Once outside the gate, Li Qiao said, "I made the right choice coming here. Half-day work and thirty a month. It’s like a pie fell from the sky."

Qin Jin thought to himself, it’s not like Xun Dong has a secret crush on you, calling you here to enjoy the good life, right?

Probably buying you time to adapt.

If from the start, you were exposed to corpses in the morning and corpses in the afternoon.

Wouldn’t your mind explode?

Who’d want to stay there?

....

Qin Jin first drove Li Qiao back to the courtyard house.

Right before they reached their home, they were stopped by a strange man holding a roll of plastic paper. He whispered, "Would you like to buy some paintings? They’re of little children, five cents each, good for hanging above the bed to bless the child."

Qin Jin was interested, "Let me have a look."

The man unfolded the painting.

It was of a fat and cute baby.

With big, round eyes.

Qin Jin loved it so much, he immediately bought two and said to Li Qiao, "We’ll hang them above the bed, and you can have a baby after you graduate from college."

Li Qiao smiled with pursed lips.

Babies after college graduation? Isn’t it too early to buy them now?

After arriving at the courtyard house, Qin Jin busied himself hanging the paintings.

Li Qiao exclaimed, "How come this baby’s hair is curly?"

"Curly hair looks good. I love curly hair; you’ll have to give me two babies with curly hair."

Li Qiao: "..." No one in the family has curly hair, how sure is he that he’ll like whatever I give birth to?

Qin Jin, as if he had also realized this point, said, "After having a closer look, straight hair seems nicer after all. This one, let’s hang it in grandma’s room."

Li Qiao laughed and stopped him, "Be careful or grandma might beat you up."

After hanging the painting, Li Qiao and Qin Jin split up the chores to clean up, and while sweeping the yard, Yan Xiaoyu from next door came over. "Everyone’s home, huh."

Li Qiao brought over a stool and served tea as a host.

Qin Jin deliberately excused himself, "Qiaoqiao, want an ice pop?"

"Yes, I want the red bean one."

Yan Xiaoyu, with a sidelong glance at Qin Jin’s retreating figure, noticed his good looks even from behind; she hadn’t seen any of the local young men as handsome as him. She asked Li Qiao, "Doesn’t your man have work?"

Li Qiao responded with a hm.

"My man is a workshop director at the textile factory, earns more than a hundred a month. If your man is interested, I can introduce him," Yan Xiaoyu boasted, trying to raise her own status, "That’s even higher than a college graduate’s stipend."

Li Qiao was shocked too, over a hundred a month?

She didn’t know Xun Dong’s salary, nor did the other two like her.

Apparently their department was the highest paid in the team.

Were they really so far behind the workers? Was the status of workers that elevated?

If it was such a good deal, why wouldn’t she do it herself?

Was she being conned?

She tactfully declined, "We have farmland, and we do a little work for the supply and marketing cooperative on the side. That’s enough to get by."

Yan Xiaoyu looked down on her, "How much can you make with work from the supply and marketing cooperative? The textile factory is where you can make money. The workers there earn at least seventy to eighty a month. It’s rare to see someone as unambitious as your man."

Li Qiao grew impatient, clearly scornful of her partner. Was she trying to stir up trouble and make her argue with Qin Jin? "My man is very ambitious in my eyes, you can do it yourself if you want. I’m going to rest, please leave," she firmly asked her guest to leave.

Yan Xiaoyu curled her lip as she left, thinking what’s so great about college students? After all that studying, their salary is still not as high as the workers’?

Show off!

Li Qiao followed outside to close the door.

A chubby, short man came face to face with Yan Xiaoyu, complaining bitterly, "You never take care of the child, and when grandma’s in the hospital asking for your help, is this how you care for her? It’s noon and you haven’t even made lunch for the old lady."

"Doesn’t cooking and grocery shopping take time?!" Yan Xiaoyu’s demeanor was fiercer than the man’s, and with a louder voice, the man shrank back a little.

Seeing the man’s appearance and thinking of Qin Jin’s, Li Qiao thought she understood Yan Xiaoyu’s enthusiasm.