Chapter Thirty-Six: Returning the Lilies

Wu Xiaofeng took it, thinking to himself that this must be the hair Feng Yueliang had accidentally left behind on the Simmons mattress during their tryst at his private residence in town that night. He had never expected such a secret affair to have a loophole. It just went to show the old saying: if you don’t want others to know, don’t do it in the first place.

However, it would be difficult for Wu Xiaofeng to turn over a new leaf and give up that kind of lifestyle. He planned to find a different place for his next encounter with Feng Yueliang, ensuring he would never again leave suspicious items like long hairs in his private home.

For now, Wu Xiaofeng held the long strand of hair—clearly Feng Yueliang’s—and twisted it between his fingers, feeling a strange thrill as if he were caressing her body. He sat by the bed, clicked his lighter, and, with a touch of regret, burned it. A faint, acrid smell drifted up and soon vanished into the void.

He whispered to himself, "Yueliang, our love hasn't been burned away; it has been reborn through fire and sublimated."

Excited by this, and knowing he had reassured his wife, he worried she might become suspicious. "Yawen," he said, "I’m taking Feng Yueliang to the construction site tomorrow morning to help with the cooking. Don't be jealous! If you are, just come along to the site yourself."

"Of course not, of course not," Gong Yawen replied brightly, though she felt a slight unease deep down, always fearing her husband might get into trouble with Feng Yueliang.

The next morning, Wu Xiaofeng drove to the edge of the village and parked in the yard in front of Feng Yueliang’s house. He brought a pack of premium cigarettes, intending to use them to keep her husband occupied.

Stepping out of the car, he found the front door ajar. He called for Feng Yueliang several times, but no one answered. He stepped inside and heard a baby crying; Xu Qi had woken up in her cradle. The cradle swayed slightly, moved by the baby’s struggling limbs. A pair of fire tongs lay across the top edge of the cradle—a charm to ward off evil spirits.

Wu Xiaofeng mused that since the baby was still in the cradle and the door was only half-closed, the adults couldn't have gone far. Just as he reached to pick up the crying infant, someone called from behind, "Xiaofeng, why are you here?"

Wu Xiaofeng turned to see the mother-in-law, Mrs. Lei, placing a wooden laundry basin under the bamboo drying rack. She smiled at him and said, "I was just washing clothes by the pond when I heard a car and someone calling for my daughter-in-law. I rushed back as soon as I finished. So it’s you! My daughter-in-law and Sigui went up the mountain at dawn to dig for lily bulbs. I’ll go call her now."

Wu Xiaofeng, having stepped back out of the room, saw the baby still crying and pointed toward the house. Mrs. Lei deftly went inside, picked up the baby, and stepped out to hold her over the gutter to relieve herself. Then she returned to the room, grabbed a baby bottle from the table, and shoved the nipple into the child's mouth. The baby began to suck greedily and stopped crying.

"Wait a moment," Mrs. Lei told Wu Xiaofeng. "I'll put Xu Qi back in the cradle, and then I'll head up the mountain to fetch her."

Just as she finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside. Both Mrs. Lei and Wu Xiaofeng turned to see Xu Sigui, carrying a hoe, and Feng Yueliang, clutching a bamboo basket, walking into the yard.

Feng Yueliang looked at Wu Xiaofeng and said, "Mr. Wu, Sigui and I heard the car, so we came down from the mountain behind the house."

Wu Xiaofeng nodded casually in acknowledgement, then walked over to Xu Sigui, offered him a cigarette, and lit it with his lighter. He took one himself and said offhandedly, "I’m driving your wife to the construction site to help with the cooking. You don't have any objections, do you?"

"I’m grateful for your care, Mr. Wu; I couldn't possibly have any objections!" Xu Sigui said, puffing on the cigarette with relish and looking up.

Wu Xiaofeng pulled a fresh pack of premium cigarettes from his pocket and stuffed it into Xu Sigui's hand, patting his elbow