I'll tickle you to death!

A-Zhe lowered his head in thought, then glanced back up at Hou San, who was scratching his head with a bewildered expression. He had to admit that what Li Xiangdong said made a lot of sense.

He said to Hou San from the bottom of his heart, "You are damn lucky."

Hou San didn't understand what Li Xiangdong had said, but he understood A-Zhe's words.

"Everyone says that. A-Zhe, are you jealous of me?"

A-Zhe retorted, "I'm jealous of your uncle!"

Hou San snorted, "My uncle is the deputy stationmaster of the Beijing Railway Station. It's no use being jealous, can you ever become one?"

A-Zhe said angrily, "Was that what I meant? Your uncle!"

Hou San urged anxiously, "A-Zhe, are you cursing me? Your uncle! Your uncle!"

Seeing that the two of them were full of fighting spirit and looked ready to throw down at any moment, Li Xiangdong hurriedly pushed them apart.

Even though there was no one in the hallway right now, given how much people loved to watch a spectacle, he guaranteed that a crowd would gather in under two minutes if the two of them started a fight!

Li Xiangdong didn't want to be praised in the previous moment only to be criticized in the next.

He lowered his voice, "Do you two not know what it means to lose face? Shut up, both of you!"

A-Zhe and Hou San let out a "humph," standing on either side of Li Xiangdong without paying attention to each other anymore.

Passing through the corridor, they pushed the door open and stepped outside the building.

A scent of damp earth rushed toward them. The dry Beijing air felt as though it had been filtered, exceptionally fresh now.

Although the rain had stopped by this time, the sky remained somewhat gloomy.

The three of them stood outside. Li Xiangdong accepted the Da Qianmen cigarette handed over by A-Zhe, lit it, and held it between his lips while taking his bundle of clothes from Hou San.

Looking at A-Zhe, he sighed, "Your dad's legs are more accurate than the weather forecast on the radio; he says it'll rain and it rains. If your dad feels uncomfortable in the future, remember to give me a heads-up in advance."

A-Zhe said with embarrassed annoyance, "Dongzi, if you have nothing to say, shut up and go home!"

Hearing a topic that interested him, Hou San turned his head, completely forgetting the cursing match he just had with A-Zhe, and shamelessly leaned in to ask, "A-Zhe, what's wrong with your dad's legs?"

A-Zhe ignored him, so Hou San sidled up to Li Xiangdong instead. "Brother Dong, tell me about it, won't you? If I don't figure it out, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

Li Xiangdong laughed, "Don't ask me. If you want to know, go ask A-Zhe yourself."

With that, he simply walked away. How nice it would be to go home and keep his wife company; there was nothing to talk about with two bachelors.

"A-Zhe, hurry up and tell me, what's wrong with your dad's legs?"

"Speak up! If you don't tell me, it'll itch at my heart!"

"I'll itch you to death!"

"A-Zhe~ My heart is tickling~"

"Then stand still and I'll scratch it for you. Hey—don't run!"

Listening to the conversation between the two men behind him, Li Xiangdong marveled at the wonder of the Creator and the endless variety of the vast world.

The diversity of biological species was vividly and thoroughly displayed in A-Zhe and Hou San!

The distance from the railway station to his home consisted entirely of concrete and paved brick roads.

However, Beijing's underground drainage system was still inadequate at this time, and puddles formed in the low-lying areas along the streets.

Li Xiangdong was in high spirits, wearing his rain boots and purposely seeking out puddles to stomp in!

Swaggering all the way back to the alley where his home was located, he found that many neighbors had come out to sweep away the accumulated water at their doorsteps after the heavy rain.

Since it was still working hours, most of the people out doing chores were housewives staying at home.

Seeing Li Xiangdong wearing a brand-new railway uniform, carrying an overcoat in his hand, and a bulging messenger bag and cloth sack of unknown contents, expressions of astonishment and envy immediately appeared on their faces.

"Dongzi, why are you wearing a railway uniform?"

"Dongzi, you've really made something of yourself now. This railway uniform looks so sharp on you, and that overcoat of yours is really nice!"

"Why did you bring back so many things? Are you tired, Dongzi? Do you need your auntie to help you carry them back?"

The housewives successively put down their brooms and quickly surrounded Li Xiangdong in the center, their various questions pouring in one after another.

At this moment, Li Xiangdong wanted to leave but couldn't; the crucial part was that some hands-on busybody even reached out to touch his clothes, stroking the fabric while praising its high quality!

Mother Li was sweeping away the fallen leaves blown over by the wind and the standing water at the entrance of her own home.

Hearing the noisy commotion coming from not far ahead, she looked up and saw a crowd gathered around, assuming there was another spectacle to watch.

She hurriedly dropped her broom and walked over briskly, but the moment she saw her youngest son surrounded by the neighbors from the left and right, she instantly exploded!

"What are you all doing! Why are you surrounding our family's youngest son?!"

After a brief silence, the housewives who had been clamoring around Li Xiangdong quickly closed in and surrounded Mother Li in the middle.

"Li Auntie, did your Dongzi go to work on the railway?"

"Wasn't Dongzi arranged by the neighborhood committee to pop popcorn? Sister Li, did your family pull strings through connections?"

"Dongzi's personality is different from before; now he's as shy as a grown girl and won't say a thing when you ask him."

"What are you talking about? Dongzi is just showing maturity now, knowing to keep proper distance from us women."

Mother Li had been dazed at first when surrounded, thinking her youngest son had gotten into some big trouble!

However, when she heard the questions from her old neighborhood gossips whom she frequently chatted with, she gradually understood what was going on.

"Our family doesn't have such great ability to get Dongzi assigned to the railway system; this was originally arranged by the neighborhood committee! You shouldn't go spreading nonsense!"

"Who said our family's Dongzi was going to pop popcorn? I'd like to see who dares to talk nonsense again; I'll definitely go to their house and tear their mouth apart!"

Mother Li said these harsh words with a smiling face. If this matter wasn't cleared up today, who knew what rumors would spread tomorrow!

"Oh, Li Auntie, look at what you're saying. Dongzi is a child we watched grow up; would we go around spreading gossip about him?"

"That's hard to say. Just two days ago, Huazi's mother told me that Dongzi was good for nothing and got assigned by the neighborhood committee to pop popcorn."

"Stop your nonsense! When did I ever say such a thing? Sister Li, don't listen to her wild talk."

"If you didn't say it, then who did? This just proves I was right not to believe it, knowing that our Dongzi has been clever since childhood and was bound to get a good job. Look at him now, hasn't he started working in the railway system?"

Taking advantage of the moment when Mother Li was surrounded by the crowd, Li Xiangdong slipped away and ran all the way to his doorstep in one breath.

Looking back, he saw Mother Li still standing amidst the crowd, smilingly basking in the flattery of others.

When she spoke to the others, her voice was pitched extremely high, and her tone was full of pride!

Even from this distance, Li Xiangdong could hear her clearly as she claimed that he had been an obedient, smart, sensible, and caring good child ever since he was little...

Hearing all this, he couldn't help but feel a blush of embarrassment himself!

***

PS: Today is the God of Wealth Festival.
Wishing all readers great wealth and small wealth coming from all directions!
May your career go smoothly without worries, and may good luck and happiness come to your family!
I hope everyone can make a fortune and be loved!
Come and receive the fortune~