Chapter 137: Chapter 137

""Speak.""

Su Qinghu turned around with a blank expression and looked at Dadan and Erdan. ""Which one of you wants to go first?""

Dadan stepped forward first. ""I told you before, when Erdan and I have free time, we go visit and help the elderly. You heard it and didn't object.""

Su Qinghu’s face remained expressionless. ""And then?""

Was this it? Where was the sense of accomplishment? She hadn’t even started her “tough interrogation,” and they’d already confessed?

Erdan said, ""We didn’t waste any money.""

Adults care most about whether kids are wasting money, right? Well, they didn’t!

Su Qinghu’s face twitched as she tried to hold back a laugh. These two kids really had their own way of talking!

Dadan almost turned green from anger at Erdan’s words.

She hadn’t even brought up anything about money! She hadn’t even noticed that aspect—so why bring it up themselves?!

Were they afraid she wouldn’t think about it otherwise?!

At this moment, Dadan really wanted to roll up her sleeves and show Su Qinghu how she could beat her silly little brother right on the spot!

Seeing Dadan’s darkening face, Su Qinghu smiled and followed up on what they seemed most worried about. ""Where did you get the money?""

Money was tight lately. The kids’ allowance barely covered a boiled egg—there was nothing extra.

Dadan, deflated by her silly brother, was about to tell the truth when Erdan blurted out, ""We got it from selling melons!""

Su Qinghu was taken aback, then suddenly remembered.

But—

She narrowed her eyes at Erdan, who was trying hard to cover for his brother, and at Dadan, whose little face looked so defeated she seemed to be questioning her whole life. Suddenly, Su Qinghu smiled. ""Silly kids!""

Erdan was stunned. Silly kids? What’s that?

Dadan was also confused. She looked at Su Qinghu, then at her silly brother holding a green-skinned honeydew, then back at Su Qinghu. She started to suspect that ""silly kid"" wasn’t referring to the melon in Erdan’s hand...

Cai Huayang: ""Pfft!""

The expressions on these two kids were just too funny! Hahahaha!

Even the old men and women, after a moment of surprise, started laughing. The old man, who always claimed he was a handsome young guy back in the day, spoke up, ""She’s calling you a fool!""

Erdan was even more confused. He’d only said two sentences, and neither seemed wrong, right?

Was he really a fool?

If he was, would he have come up with the idea of selling melons so quickly?

Dadan hesitated for a moment but in the end didn’t say anything.

Su Qinghu asked, ""Which elderly person are you visiting, exactly?""

She was asking knowingly.

From the moment she entered the courtyard, she’d been paying attention to the situation and had a rough idea of who lived there.

In this crowded courtyard, only the old man who’d been saved by the dog lived alone. The others all had children and didn’t need anyone to visit them.

Prompted by Su Qinghu, the old man spoke up. ""It’s me.""

""These two kids have been coming by every now and then to help me out for quite a while now.""

The old man looked at Dadan and Erdan, his smile growing even kinder. He even tried to reassure them, ""They’re good kids. They haven’t neglected their studies. Now that my life is better, it’s okay if they don’t come anymore.""

His connection with these two kids had been a coincidence, but it had warmed his heart and given him a reason to stay in this world.

Cai Huayang watched as the old man’s few words sent the other elderly folks away.

Once everyone had left, he explained to Su Qinghu, ""Sister-in-law, this is our old squad leader.""

Anyone who’d ever been a squad leader, even if just for a year, was still called that affectionately.

""He’s seen combat,"" Cai Huayang said, ignoring the old squad leader’s look to stop him. ""Before you came, he asked me to look after the two kids, to see if they were doing okay.""

After transferring to the police, the first thing Cai Huayang did was get to know his job. The second was to find out about retired soldiers like the old squad leader, hoping to help them live a little better—at least make sure they had enough to eat.

Today was his first visit to the old squad leader, and by coincidence, he’d run into Su Qinghu and Dadan and Erdan—the very kids the old squad leader had asked him to check up on.

Dadan said, ""I don’t think I did anything wrong.""

Erdan quickly added, ""I don’t think my brother or I did anything wrong.""

Su Qinghu: ...Who said you did anything wrong? Why do you both look like you’re about to heroically sacrifice yourselves?

""This is so strange. If you want to do something, just do it! Why would I stop you from doing something good?"" Su Qinghu was speechless. ""What I care about is that you two lied to me.""

Dadan paused, and Erdan’s confidence faded. He glanced at his brother but didn’t say anything.

Lied to her?

Which lie was she talking about?

He sneaked a careful glance at Su Qinghu, unable to figure out which incident she meant.

Su Qinghu’s expression suddenly turned dangerous. ""Judging by your faces—""

She paused, then said in a low voice, ""Looks like you’ve lied to me about a lot of things...""

Erdan: ""...""

Dadan: ""...""

She’d guessed right.

Su Qinghu continued in that same tone, ""I’m right, aren’t I?""

She let out a long sigh and shook her head. ""You two can’t be relied on. I’ll have to work even harder myself.""

Her expression turned serious as she confirmed with the old squad leader that the interview could begin.

She asked some basic questions, then some stories the old squad leader was willing to share. After taking notes, under the dim streetlight, she took a photo of the old man and his dog gazing at each other.

A sense of solitude, yet peaceful and harmonious.

Guardianship—that was the theme Su Qinghu chose for the photo.

Her crisp efficiency during the interview contrasted sharply with the quiet solemnity when she took photos.

That seriousness and respect made Dadan and Erdan so nervous they barely dared to breathe. Even Cai Huayang slowed and quieted his own breathing.

Now he believed what his sister-in-law had said about love at first sight between the two.

Whether in motion or stillness, there was a silent beauty.

After finishing, Su Qinghu put away her camera and her emotions, then beamed and crooked her finger at Dadan and Erdan. ""Count me in for your visits to the elderly from now on!""

Dadan was surprised. She wasn’t going to ask about their lies?

Erdan’s jaw nearly dropped. ""Huh?"" What was going on? Had they made up? She wasn’t going to ask where the money came from?

He sneaked a glance at Dadan. Seeing his brother didn’t react, he quickly looked away—only to meet Su Qinghu’s half-smiling gaze.

""You’re allowed to have secrets, but if I catch you, either don’t say anything, or if you do, don’t lie to me!"" Su Qinghu huffed. ""I’ll give you some time. We’ll talk at home.""

The two kids breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Qinghu finished speaking and was about to suggest they go eat together when the old squad leader sighed. ""It’s not some big secret—just life forcing our hand. Don’t blame the kids. It’s been hard for them, too."""