Everyone knew

With his business still at the idea stage, Ding Ding still had to go home and cook.

Someone by the roadside was selling freshly caught tilapia, just the thing to buy and steam for Little Bai.

He washed his hands, cleaned the fish, and prepped the vegetables.

It was five forty when the busy Chef Ding took off his apron. If he changed and headed over now, he would arrive just in time to pick Little Bai up from work.

He had only just started his electric scooter when he spotted two people walking toward him in the distance. The bright red jacket on one of them caught his eye. Ding Ding had personally picked it out for Bai Congming that morning.

Ding Ding jogged over, greeted Auntie Zhou beside him first, then took Bai Congming by the hand and drew him to his side.

"Why are you back so early today?"

Auntie Zhou let out a long breath, looking utterly exhausted, and handed over Bai Congming's bag.

"Little Bai... should take a couple of days off. He can come back once his injuries have healed."

Ding Ding froze, immediately turning to inspect his exposed skin, but saw no injuries.

Before he could ask, Bai Congming spoke first.

"No rest! Little Bai won't rest!"

Auntie Zhou waved a hand. "Rest until next Wednesday. Come back to work that day, understand?"

"Go back..."

"Yes." Auntie Zhou forced a faint smile. "Don't forget, or your pay will be docked."

Bai Congming perked up, nodded emphatically, and went inside, brushing the dust off himself.

"What happened? Why did he come home injured?"

Auntie Zhou showed no intention of going inside. She simply stood at the door and told Ding Ding how things had been for Little Bai lately.

With the seasons changing, the seedlings in the flower nursery that had been cut back several times were no longer usable and had to be dug out and replaced.

Greenhouse No. 3 was short-staffed, so some workers had been transferred over from elsewhere. They had done the same in previous years. Everyone was there to earn a living and rarely got into conflicts.

This time, for some reason, the people from the neighboring greenhouse kept targeting Bai Congming, whether deliberately or otherwise.

"I really didn't know about the Xie Family Girl. I told her back then that Little Bai wasn't interested. Who knew she would... Oh..."

Ding Ding did not know how the conversation had turned to this, but that did not stop him from saying it was all right.

"That... It's in the past. Let it stay there..."

Auntie Zhou frowned, her voice far from calm. There was a trace of guilt in her manner, and she did not dare look up at him.

"Quite a few people at the nursery knew that the Xie family's niece had come to see whether Little Bai would make a suitable husband... But it didn't work out. Her family said they would send her back, but she refused and kept coming to the nursery.

"After a while, somehow she got mixed up with that Wang Lao'er."

"Wang Lao'er..."

Ding Ding thought the name sounded familiar, but could not remember where he had heard it.

He could only let it go and ask, "What about Wang Lao'er?"

Auntie Zhou pulled the door behind Ding Ding a little more firmly shut, keeping all this filth outside.

"When those two got married, they invited some people over to celebrate. A few drinks in, and they stopped caring about anything. Little Xie was the bride, after all, yet people pointed right at her as she sat on the bridal bed and said even an idiot hadn't wanted her.

"Little Xie couldn't hold back, and she..."

By this point, Ding Ding had already guessed.

Most people here were superstitious. If something inauspicious happened on a joyous occasion, they would have no luck for the next three or four years.

Thinking it through, Xie Xiao Hua had not really done anything wrong.

After all, she was marrying into another family. If her first impression was too weak, countless bitter days would be waiting for her.

She had left the mountains precisely so she could have an easier life, a little more freedom, and no restraints.

Put simply, she wanted to find herself a home.

Now she had one, and with a wonderful life just ahead, she could not afford to have anything more to do with the idiot.

"Don't you go talking nonsense! That idiot has a partner! A man, at that!"

"..."

The moment they heard that, everyone who loved gossip crowded around Xie Xiao Hua, pestering her to explain what was going on.

Surrounded by countless faces, some friendly and some false, Xie Xiao Hua basked in the attention. She readily turned someone else's secret into a means of currying favor and told them everything she had seen.

Wang Lao'er was a thug. In the words of young people... homophobic.

"Anyway, after that, Wang Lao'er disliked Little Bai even more."

Auntie Zhou licked her dry lips. Only then did Ding Ding realize and step aside to let her in.

Auntie Zhou waved a hand and said she still had things to do later.

Ding Ding did not insist. He went inside and brought her some water.

"That Wang Lao'er would go and make trouble for Little Bai every so often. At first, it wasn't too serious, and a few words of reprimand from us settled it. Then today, Little Bai started fighting... The others... That was when..."

Ding Ding understood, and was startled. "He fought?"

"Yes." Auntie Zhou nodded with a frown. "Go and check the bruising around his waist and such. If it's serious, take him to the hospital."

"...All right."

Ding Ding agreed. Seeing how tired she was, he did not keep her any longer and watched her leave Wuxu Alley.

Water rushed in the bathroom. Ding Ding took the voice recorder out of Bai Congming's pocket and put it away, then pushed the door open and walked straight into the bathroom.

The cold draft swept through the hot steam, scattering it.

Ding Ding held him and inspected him bit by bit. Apart from a bruise at his waist, there were scrapes on his knees too.

"So you've learned to fight now?"

Bai Congming clenched his fists. "Bad man! Hit him!"

"That's right. Bad men deserve to be hit." Ding Ding cleared his throat. "If something like this happens again, can you call me first?"

"Why?" Bai Congming asked.

"I'll help you beat him up!"

"..."

After that fight, Bai Congming seemed to be in a better mood, regaining half his former liveliness.

Ding Ding, however, could not let it go. That night, once Bai Congming was asleep, he quietly went into the courtyard and switched on the voice recorder.

At first, the background was very quiet. A little later, an older woman with a strong, clear voice asked Little Bai what he had eaten for breakfast, then said the Shandong Jianbing she had brought was too big a portion and asked Bai Congming if he wanted some.

Ding Ding heard no answer, but could imagine that he had refused. After all, he had eaten twelve soup dumplings that morning.

"..."

Later, the sounds of work began.

Nothing seemed unusual at lunchtime either...

Ding Ding listened carefully at increased speed. From beginning to end, the only thing that seemed off was a very quiet "mmph."

After that "mmph," the courtyard was silent for a long time, without even the rustle of clothing.

It stayed quiet like that for a long while before a new sound came from the recorder: a conversation.

An utterly disgusting male voice spoke.

"If you let him play with you, why can't you let my buddy have a go? Huh?"

At first, Bai Congming ignored him. After being ignored repeatedly, Wang Lao'er grew furious and started cursing.

And the target of his curses was Ding Ding, whom he had never even met.

"Shut up!" Bai Congming finally lost his temper. "You shut up! Don't talk about! Brother Ding!"

Another stream of filthy language followed. Unable to take any more, Bai Congming grabbed a flowerpot and swung it at the man's head.

Bang-beep-

The voice recorder switched off. Ding Ding let out a long breath.

The world was finally quiet.