Qiao Huali took his seat. At first, Li Yang and the others were a bit reserved, but Qiao Huali said, "Today, just consider me your uncle. Eat and drink as you please!"
The atmosphere instantly livened up.
"What have you two been up to lately?" Qiao Huali asked, a bit tipsy after a few drinks.
"Just the usual miscellaneous matters. Basically, working hard and living well," Hu Jia said with a smile.
Qiao Huali shot him a displeased look. "What? Keeping secrets from me too?"
Hu Jia chuckled dryly. "You already know, why are you asking?"
Although Qiao Huali never interfered in Hu Jia and Ouyang Wen's private lives, everyone knew he was always keeping an eye on them.
"We were afraid you wouldn't agree," Ouyang Wen chimed in, sitting closer.
"You kid, it's not up to me whether I agree or not," Qiao Huali sighed. After all, getting the city's approval to investigate such a cold case wouldn't be easy.
This money wasn't exactly pocket change.
However, Qiao Huali never privately forbade them from participating in the case, only reminding them not to neglect their official duties.
"Have you found anything new recently?"
Hearing Qiao Huali's question, Lu Qingqing felt a pang of emotion. It seemed this uncle still cared about his old friend and the two children his friend had left behind.
"Not much, just a few scattered, miscellaneous clues."
Perhaps sensing Hu Jia's hesitation, Qiao Huali looked at him with a smile. "What? You can't even tell me?"
Hu Jia quickly denied it.
Qiao Huali patted his shoulder. "I know what you're thinking. You two have grown up and learned to shield us from the storms."
Ouyang Wen was deeply touched. "Uncle Qiao, you're the only one left from the older generation. We hope you can stay safe and sound."
Qiao Huali nodded. "If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. You also need to protect yourselves. The Dao Ren are not easy to deal with. At least we have no concrete evidence against them yet, not to mention they have their own reason for existing. Without just cause, they can't be touched."
Hu Jia nodded. This was precisely the dilemma for him and Ouyang Wen. Firstly, arresting someone without evidence was not in accordance with procedures. Secondly, the Dao Ren were a powerful organization.
In the government's view, as long as you didn't go too far, everything was negotiable. Due to the turbulent times and management of social order, there were inevitably areas that couldn't be reached. Coupled with the prevalence of thugs and petty criminals, the police couldn't manage it all. At such times, having a Dao Ren organization emerge to manage all the minor troublemakers became an alternative approach.
The saying goes, "Existence justifies the means."
By collecting protection fees, they were responsible for the safety of the street, and from another perspective, this actually lightened the government's burden.
Because they understood this principle, Hu Jia and the others needed to present irrefutable evidence to bring down the Dao Ren organization.
Pressure!
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Come, let's drink!" Qiao Huali toasted with everyone, occasionally showing concern for Li Yang and the others. This made the young men feel incredibly flattered, and for a while, they drank and conversed merrily, their laughter echoing.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Lü Duobao got up early and had already prepared congee for everyone. He was the only one who wasn't drunk.
As for the others, they all stayed overnight in Jintang Street, except for Qiao Huali.
Hearing her brother's call, Lu Qingqing, with her hair dishevelled, appeared at the opposite door.
"I told you that New Year is a time for family reunion. You guys, on the other hand, fed me a little and then chased me off to sleep, while you drank until late into the night," Lü Duobao said with dissatisfaction, but his hands kept busy.
Lu Qingqing rolled her eyes at him. "What? I've taken care of you for 11 years. Now you can't take care of me for 11 hours?"
Lü Duobao sighed. "It's not that I can't, but you could at least leave a spot for my brother-in-law. He followed you all the way here, and you chased him back."
Lu Qingqing:?
Kid, it's still not too late to shut up now.
"Forget chasing him back, you even locked the door. Brother-in-law, he was freezing outside, jumping around," Lü Duobao said speechlessly.
Lu Qingqing:?
Kid, I was drunk, but I'm not stupid.
But was he really freezing?
Lu Qingqing instinctively asked, "And then? Where did he sleep? He didn't sleep in the corridor, did he? Oh my god, he'll catch a cold at this hour."
Lu Qingqing started to get up, assuming Hu Jia had returned to the bedroom.
"No need, he didn't freeze. He's still sleeping," Lü Duobao placed the congee in front of Lu Qingqing.
"Oh!" Lu Qingqing felt relieved. After taking a sip, she realized something was wrong. "How do you know so clearly? You were running around in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
Lü Duobao shot Lu Qingqing a look. "Finally, you remember to ask me? How do I know so clearly? It's simple. Brother-in-law was freezing outside, and you kicked me out, so you let him sleep in my bed."
Lu Qingqing: ...
Do you even hear what you're saying?
Awkward!
...
Finally, everyone woke up. When everyone saw Hu Jia emerging from Lu Qingqing's place, an ineffable atmosphere filled the air.
Lu Qingqing felt that everyone's gaze was anything but friendly.
"You?" Ouyang Wen looked at Hu Jia.
Hu Jia was also bewildered. He didn't understand how he had ended up sleeping at Lu Qingqing's place. He turned to look at the woman, but she avoided his gaze.
"Boss, is this a habit or subconscious?" Li Yang asked with a somewhat mischievous grin.
"Subconscious? Habit? What are you talking about?" Luo Wenwu was confused.
Lu Qingqing snatched Li Yang's bowl. "Not eating anymore? If you're not eating, get lost and wash the dishes."
Li Yang panicked. "Yes, yes, I haven't eaten enough yet. Sister-in-law, this is wrong of you. Just because you're full, you can't abandon me."
Uh...
Lu Qingqing almost stumbled.
What did she mean by "she was full"?
"Haha..." Hu Jia chuckled dryly. "You were all drunk yesterday, and I couldn't get rid of you. I had nowhere to sleep, so I had to share with Xiao Bao."
Hu Jia made up a story on the spot.
He thought he had covered his tracks, but when he looked up, he saw everyone's gaze was even more meaningful.
"Xiao Bao slept with me last night, didn't he?" Luo Wenwu asked, confused. "Did I remember wrong?"
Lu Qingqing covered her face!
"Eat! Eat!" She glared at Yu Yue in displeasure. "What are you smiling about? You were snoring and kicking the covers last night, which kept me from sleeping well."
With a few words, Lu Qingqing conveyed to everyone that she had slept with Yu Yue last night.
However, Yu Yue didn't take the bait. "I slept very soundly. I don't know anything."
Lu Qingqing: ...
Hu Jia seemed to understand what everyone was thinking, and he felt uncomfortable too. He didn't remember much about last night either, only that Lu Qingqing had pulled him into the room and put him in bed.
Uh...
No way?
Oh dear, how tragic!
The first time, and no impression!
Hu Jia pretended to be calm and went into the room, ostensibly to change his clothes. However, as soon as he entered, his face still flushed, he was angered by the scene before him.
The room was a mess, clothes were strewn everywhere, and even the drawers had been opened, with memos stacked untidily.
These guys really had poor drinking etiquette!
Hu Jia was furious. "Who, who rummaged through my desk yesterday?"