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CHAPTER 1
PART 7
When they heard the word "police," Su Xiaotong and Gu Lei both trembled simultaneously, their expressions momentarily freezing. Gu Lei's eyes widened for a moment before quickly returning to normal. Su Xiaotong controlled her facial expression, pretending to look natural.
Li Xueli didn't notice the subtle change in their expressions and continued, "After all, we all came from out of town and didn't have any connections here, so we thought it would be good to have a good relationship with the police. That's what we initially thought, but then we found out that Lao Tan is really nice, down-to-earth, and easygoing, so we became good friends."
"I'll call Lao Tan and ask when he'll finish work," Fan Lin took out her phone and dialed the number. Soon, someone answered on the other end. Fan Lin said, "Lao Tan, are you still on duty? We're having a welcome party tonight, everyone is having a great time, we just need you. What time do you finish?"
After a few exchanges, Fan Lin's face lit up with joy. "Great, we'll be waiting for you!" She hung up the phone and said, "Lao Tan said he'll finish work at nine and then come over."
"That's great!" Xia Qi clapped her hands and said, "Now everyone will be here!"
The next round of toasting began, Su Xiaotong claimed to be unable to handle much alcohol and didn't drink much, appearing somewhat absent-minded. Around half-past nine, the doorbell rang, and Li Xueli said, "Lao Tan is here!" and went to open the door.
The person who walked in was a middle-aged man in his fifties. He had a kind and friendly face, with a slightly plump figure. Since he came straight here after work, he was still wearing his police uniform. After he entered the house, everyone greeted him with "Lao Tan," "Tan Ge," "Yong Ge," and various other names. He waved his hand to the crowd like a leader and walked towards the dining room.
"Let me add a dish for you all. It's braised beef from the cooked food shop downstairs," the middle-aged police officer placed the boxed beef on the table.
"Oh, every time we invite you for a meal, you bring alcohol and dishes. Why so polite? Let me introduce you. This is a family of three who just moved to our neighborhood a few days ago, Gu Lei, Su Xiaotong, and their son Gu Xiaoliang," Li Xueli introduced them to each other, "This is Officer Lao Tan, whom I mentioned earlier."
"Nice to meet you," Lao Tan proactively reached out his hand. Gu Lei quickly shook his hand, and Su Xiaotong followed suit. Li Xueli arranged for Lao Tan to sit down, provided him with utensils and a wine glass, and poured him a drink.
Lao Tan noticed the bottle of Wuliangye, "Oh, we're going all out today, drinking Wuliangye."
"It's been a long time since we had a welcome party, and today we're really in a celebratory mood," Li Xueli gestured for everyone to raise their glasses, "Now that Lao Tan is here, let's have a drink together!"
Everyone stood up, clinked their glasses, and drank. Lao Tan sat down and asked the newcomers, "You just moved here, have you completed the permanent residency registration?"
"We have. On the first day we moved to the community, we registered with the neighborhood committee," Gu Lei said while lifting his glass, "Officer Tan, we're new here, so we hope you can take care of us in the future. I toast to you."
"Don't be so polite, just call me Lao Tan," Lao Tan tilted his head back and downed a glass of baijiu.
"It seems like Lao Tan can hold his liquor too."
"It's alright, I drink occasionally, but not too much."
After a few more pleasantries, Lao Tan asked them why they moved to Lishi City as a family of three. Su Xiaotong explained the reasons once again. Upon learning that Gu Xiaoliang was intellectually disabled, Lao Tan sighed and gently patted the child's head.
Everyone was toasting to Tan Yong, Tan Yong was really good at drinking, he gladly accepted the drinks offered by everyone and showed no signs of change in his expression or demeanor after finishing a round. He simply commented that drinking Wuliangye in such a manner was a waste, and that good liquor should be savored. Afterward, he engaged in lively conversation and seamlessly blended in with everyone, just as Li Xueli had described, displaying a friendly disposition.
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The warm and joyous atmosphere continued until 10 o'clock when Su Xiaotong mentioned that their child needed to rest and suggested they take their leave. Li Xueli said, "Well, since we're just on the same floor, you can go take care of your child and come back to continue drinking."
"Yeah, there's still the second half of the activities coming up," Wang Xingxing said cheerfully.
"The second half?"
"We often stay overnight at Xueli's place, watching movies, playing cards, and games. Today, I just downloaded a new horror film. Let's watch it together; it's quite thrilling!"
"Ah... a horror film? I'll pass."
"If you're scared, we can watch something else."
"It's alright, you all enjoy yourselves. We'll head back first."
Fan Lin asked Gu Lei, "Are you leaving too?"
Gu Lei was actually in high spirits from the drinks, but he glanced at Su Xiaotong and understood the meaning in her eyes. He said to the others, "Sorry, I need to go back and bathe our child. We'll drink together another day."
"Alright, alright, you're a good man indeed." Fan Lin waved to them, "Get some rest early. We'll have plenty of opportunities to gather in the future."
The couple bid farewell to the others once again and returned home, holding their son's hand.
After drinking, Gu Lei became noticeably more talkative than usual. He couldn't contain his excitement and joy, so he said to Su Xiaotong, "Our neighbors are really great, aren't they? I never expected to make so many good friends as soon as we arrived here. We won't feel lonely in Lishi City anymore. Especially since some of them are teachers, they mentioned that they can help teach Xiaoliang to read, do math, sing, and draw. It's almost like being in school, and it's definitely better than a special education school, don't you think?"
Su Xiaotong didn't say much, just gave a faint "Hmm" and seemed lost in thought.
"In addition, what do you think of Li Xueli's suggestion?"
"Eating together at her place?"
"Yes. It's only 1,500 yuan to cover dinner for the three of us. It's really a great deal."
Su Xiaotong looked at him. "Gu Lei, have you had too much to drink?"
Gu Lei was taken aback. "No, I'm quite sober now, aren't I?"
Su Xiaotong glanced at their son and said to Gu Lei, "Why don't you take Xiaoliang to take a bath first."
Gu Lei took his son to the bathroom. After about ten minutes, they came out after finishing their bath. As usual, Su Xiaotong read a bedtime story to their son. When Xiaoliang fell asleep, she signaled for Gu Lei to come out. The two of them closed the bedroom door and went to the living room.
"Gu Lei, I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"Starting from tomorrow, we need to keep our distance from these neighbors. Not only can we not eat together at Li Xueli's place, but we also need to reduce our daily contact."
"What? Why?"
Su Xiaotong widened her eyes and stared at Gu Lei. "Are you really naive or pretending to be ignorant? One of them is a police officer."
Gu Lei pondered for a moment. "So what? He couldn't possibly know what you did before, let alone investigate that matter."
"But when people spend a lot of time together and as their understanding deepens, it's inevitable that they will uncover each other's pasts. Besides, from today's dinner gathering, I learned that they all love drinking, and you especially enjoy drinking and having a good time with a group of people. Today I let you leave early, but there will always be times when you drink to your heart's content. What if you get drunk and say things you shouldn't?"
"That's impossible! Xiaotong, I do enjoy drinking, but I know my limits. Have you ever seen me say nonsense when I'm drunk?"
"At a gathering before we graduated from university, when you got drunk, didn't you say in front of many people that you liked me?"
"Ah... You know about that?"
"Yes, although I wasn't there at the time, someone later told me."
"Alright... But that doesn't count as nonsense, it was just speaking from the heart."
"Regardless, it's still speaking the truth when drunk. So now you understand what I'm worried about, right?"
"Xiaotong, I promise you, no matter how drunk I get, I will never mention 'that thing.' It's not something trivial, am I crazy? How could I possibly..."
"Don't say it! I've told you, don't bring up that matter again!" Su Xiaotong stared at Gu Lei, and he immediately shut his mouth.
The two fell silent for a moment. Gu Lei said, "Xiaotong, have you thought about it? Today we attended this welcoming event and got along well with everyone. If we deliberately distance ourselves from them starting tomorrow, it will only raise suspicion. Especially that police officer, what will he think? We leave shortly after he arrives, and then we never dare to associate with them again. Doesn't that make us look guilty? He may not have wanted to investigate our past, but now he might feel compelled to."
Su Xiaotong didn't speak, but she admitted that Gu Lei had a point. Deliberately avoiding them would indeed be suspicious. After thinking for a while, she said, "Let's maintain normal interactions with them, but not too close. We'll skip dining together."
Then she looked into Gu Lei's eyes and emphasized once again, "But remember, if there are any more gatherings like this in the future, you must control yourself and not get drunk. When I tell you to go home, you must listen to me."
Gu Lei smiled, "Don't worry, when do I not listen to you?"
T/NOTE: Lao Tan and Tan Yong are the same person
Lao Tan is Tan Yong's nickname
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