Cao thief!

“Xiao Fei, her name is Liu Yifei. I don't know much about her, only that I've heard others say her maternal grandfather has a great reputation. But who exactly he is, no one has ever told me!” Zhang Jian awkwardly adjusted his glasses. Although he knew a little, he clearly didn't know much.

Zhao Dongchuan nodded thoughtfully. It seemed his guess was correct; Liu Yifei's elders were indeed quite formidable, otherwise, everyone wouldn't

value

her

so much.

He didn't dwell on it. The immediate priority was how to help Zhang Jian escape his isolated situation to complete the system's task. The system had finally given him a task, and he couldn't let it slip away.

Thus, as quitting time approached, Zhang Jian once again invited Zhao Dongchuan to his home for dinner. This time, he readily agreed, wanting to take the opportunity to learn more about Zhang Jian's basic situation and get a feel for things.

When he arrived, Zhao Dongchuan had already taken his bicycle out of the spatial storage and ridden it over, parking it in the magazine office's courtyard. Most people working at the magazine office now rode bicycles to work, and Zhang Jian was no exception.

After work, the two rode their bicycles, with Zhang Jian leading the way and Zhao Dongchuan following behind.

Not long after riding, they arrived near Lujiacun on Yanta Road. Zhang Jian's home was at XX Yanta Road.

Led by Zhang Jian, Zhao Dongchuan entered the courtyard.

Inside the house, a boy and a girl were doing their homework, while a middle-aged beautiful woman, dressed in a form-fitting red dress, was instructing them. The beautiful woman had prominent peaks, a peach-shaped bottom, and an alluring figure, yet she possessed a face that exuded peace and prosperity—what a contrast.

Even Zhao Dongchuan couldn't help but take a second look!

He roughly understood now why Zhang Jian was isolated. It seemed they were all people who wanted to be Cao Thiefs~~~ He was different~ Hmm, he was definitely going to be Zhang Jian's friend!

“Darling, you're back!” The middle-aged beautiful woman smiled radiantly and stood up as soon as she saw Zhang Jian return.

“Papa! Papa!” The two children also became happy.

Zhao Dongchuan heard that and immediately got goosebumps. Her voice was soft and sweet, on par with the original world's “Lin Zhiling.”

Zhao Dongchuan hadn't been very sure before, but now he was absolutely certain; she was definitely being coveted by certain people.

“Qinger!” Zhang Jian responded, looking at Qinger gently.

“This is Zhao Dongchuan, whom I mentioned to you yesterday.”

“Hello, Mr. Zhao!” Qinger curtsied.

Zhao Dongchuan also quickly nodded in response: “Hello, Sister-in-law!”

“I guessed we would have distinguished guests today, so the meal is ready, Darling, Mr. Zhao, please!” Qinger said with a smile.

Zhao Dongchuan followed the group into the house and found that although the outside of the house looked old and simple, the interior furnishings had an elegant feel, with a strong scholarly atmosphere.

He surmised that this “Sister-in-law” was likely a young lady from a prominent family. Zhang Jian was truly fortunate to have married such a virtuous wife.

Although the dishes on the table didn't include lavish meat and fish, they were a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, pleasing to the eye, and a bottle of osmanthus sweet wine was also served.

Under the warm hospitality of Zhang Jian and his wife, Zhao Dongchuan began to eat. Not to mention, the taste was quite good, and paired with the wine, it had a unique flavor.

As the wine flowed, in order to complete the system's task, Zhao Dongchuan naturally couldn't avoid a bit of subtle probing.

“Little Zhao, to be honest with you, my family's background isn't good. We were once famous capitalists in this city. My father later saw the situation was bad, so he donated all our family property to secure my current position. Not long after, he passed away from illness!

Qinger grew up with me, but her family…” Zhang Jian's face flushed, and he paused… He didn't say much more, likely indicating there was another hidden story.

At this time, Sister-in-law Qinger, also having had a little wine, had flushed cheeks and looked at Zhang Jian with deep affection.

“…suffered a misfortune, left all alone… Later, we got married…” Zhang Jian said slowly.

“Fortunately, with the position my father secured for me, I now work at the magazine office. Although we're not very affluent, the work is stable, enough to support the family!” Zhang Jian said with a smile.

Sister Qinger listened from the side, holding the two children, and occasionally placed food on Zhang Jian's plate, truly envying others.

Zhao Dongchuan listened and nodded silently, not speaking. Zhang Jian needed a listener at this moment.

The dinner lasted until late into the night before it broke up.

Zhao Dongchuan bid farewell to Zhang Jian and his wife, and alone, pushing his bicycle, walked along the wide street. The moonlight, mixed with the dim yellow streetlights, cast a very long shadow of him.

In an ordinary world, ordinary people, everyone has their own story, with its joys and sorrows. Only those who have experienced it firsthand truly understand the taste of it all.

One can imagine how, in such circumstances, two people from disadvantaged backgrounds supported each other and shared their lives. It was unfortunate, yet also fortunate.

Zhao Dongchuan returned to the guesthouse, took a hot bath, changed into fresh clothes, and then lay on the bed, thinking about how to help Zhang Jian escape his isolated situation…

“Insufficient available information. I still need to go to their office and inquire about the situation!” Zhao Dongchuan thought.

“But this problem is an internal one. They certainly won't expose their own shortcomings!”

Suddenly, Zhao Dongchuan thought of Liu Yifei. This girl had an unusual identity, and they were from the same magazine office. Even if they weren't in the same department, she would definitely know some inside information.

“It seems the key to this problem still lies with this young girl!” Zhao Dongchuan thought to himself.

Originally, he hadn't intended to provoke her actively. He always felt that the way she looked at him was off… Forget it, no more dwelling on it, lest someone accuse him of being a “confident, yet ordinary man”!

In a hazy state, Zhao Dongchuan gradually fell into a deep sleep!

………

When Zhao Dongchuan was thinking of Liu Yifei, Liu Yifei was also thinking of him.

Today, Liu Yifei didn't go to work at the magazine office because her aunt, who rarely had time off, came to visit her.

She naturally didn't go to work and spent the day with her aunt, shopping in the provincial capital.

At the Friendship Store on Dongdajie, they bought many fashionable clothes, shoes, and cosmetics.

These were all rare, new arrivals.

Her aunt rarely had to wear a military uniform, so once she had a vacation, she inevitably engaged in retaliatory shopping.

“Xiao Fei, this dress is so beautiful, it suits you very well. Come on, try it on!” Back home, Xiao Fei's aunt said with a cheerful smile.

“No, Auntie, this dress is a bit too short, isn't it!” Xiao Fei looked a little embarrassed at the dress that was short to the knees.

“This isn't short at all! You haven't seen short ones. A while ago, when I was on a business trip, those foreign girls wore dresses even shorter than this, and they even wore black stockings!”

“Black stockings?” Xiao Fei looked curious.

“Yes, black stockings. Those stockings look so good when worn. If you wore them with your figure, you'd be irresistibly charming!” Xiao Fei's aunt touched Xiao Fei's straight, slender legs and said.

“Oh, Little Auntie, what are you saying? Aren't you ashamed!” Xiao Fei looked shy.

She inexplicably thought of Zhao Dongchuan… Would he like her in this dress?