Chapter 117: Learning (Fourth Update! Please Vote!)

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The household that opened the door was the neighbor of the one with the lanterns.

A man stepped out through the doorway. In the faint moonlight, Han Bin could make out that he was no longer young—probably in his fifties or sixties. He followed the path in front of the house to the foot of the southern wall of the lantern-hanging household, then squatted down.

One minute passed, then five. The man remained motionless beneath the southern wall, his eyes closed, as though absorbed in something.

“Zhou Lixia just went into that house, and this man is hiding nearby to listen. Do you think there’s some secret involved?” Li Hui speculated.

Han Bin was puzzled as well. “Even if they were discussing some secret, they wouldn’t be shouting. How would he know Zhou Lixia had arrived?”

“Could the two houses be connected—that they’re actually one household—and this man came out to keep watch?” Li Hui guessed.

Han Bin could not figure it out either.

“If only we could go inside and take a look,” Li Hui muttered.

“How are we supposed to get in without a search warrant?” Han Bin countered.

“Are we really just going to stand here and watch?” Li Hui sighed.

Han Bin spread his hands. He was helpless too.

“Do you think that man by the wall might know something?”

“I’ll go take a look.”

Han Bin rose and walked toward the lantern-hanging house, keeping close to the wall.

The man was around fifty or sixty. His eyes were still closed. As long as Han Bin kept his footsteps light, the man would not notice him.

Moving stealthily, Han Bin approached until he heard a series of sounds nearby.

“Creak... creak...”

“Mm... ah...”

The sounds of a rocking bed and a woman’s moans.

Han Bin smiled. Zhou Lixia certainly was not one to remain idle. She had probably come to meet her lover.

Judging by how skillfully the man listened beneath the wall, this was clearly not his first time.

Zhou Lixia was probably in the southern room. With only a wall between them, Han Bin feared startling the couple and did not call out to the man. Instead, he returned without making a sound.

“Binzi, what’s the situation?” Li Hui asked softly.

Han Bin glanced at him, hesitating over whether to tell him. His friend was still a virgin; hearing something like this late at night would surely put him in a bad mood.

“Come on. We’ll go around the other way. Don’t alert that man. We’ll wait for him outside his house,” Han Bin said.

“Why?”

“We’ll talk once we get there.”

Han Bin waved for Li Hui to follow.

The man was still standing there with his eyes closed, listening intently. Han Bin and Li Hui moved so quietly that he noticed nothing.

After a while, the two of them reached a spot a short distance from the man’s doorway. Li Hui asked in a whisper, “What was going on back there?”

“Zhou Lixia came to meet her old lover,” Han Bin replied quietly.

“What were they doing?”

“What you think they were doing.” Han Bin grinned.

“I... damn, that’s...” Li Hui’s face flushed. “So that man was squatting beneath the wall just to listen to them doing that?”

Han Bin nodded.

Li Hui rubbed his forehead and muttered, “What a pervert.”

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“It’s unlikely that Zhou Tianrong is in this house,” Han Bin said.

“That’s not necessarily true. In houses of this layout, the southern and northern rooms are separated by a courtyard. That actually makes it harder to hear anything.” Li Hui winked.

...

After a while, the man let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes. Supporting himself against the wall, he stood up and began walking toward his own doorway.

When he saw Han Bin and Li Hui standing not far from his house, he froze for a moment and whispered, “What are you doing outside my house?”

Li Hui took out a cigarette. “Come over here. Let’s talk.”

Afraid of making too much noise and alerting the neighbors, the man walked over and accepted the cigarette. “What do you two do?”

“And you?”

“I wasn’t doing anything!” the man said stiffly, lifting his chin.

“You weren’t doing anything, yet you were squatting beneath someone else’s wall. Or shall we go inside and tell them about it?” Li Hui snorted.

“What business is it of yours? You were listening too.” The man sounded somewhat guilty.

“Nonsense. Do you think we’re perverts like you?” Li Hui said contemptuously.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“We’re police.” Han Bin displayed his badge.

“I... I didn’t do anything. You came here...” The man could barely get the words out, like a child caught doing something wrong.

“Name?”

“Bao Xuexi.”

“Xue, as in studying? Xi, as in self-study?”

“Yes, yes.”

Li Hui pointed toward the corner of the wall. “So this is what you study?”

“This was my first time. My very first time.”

“Your first time? You looked pretty experienced to me.” Li Hui snorted.

“It really was my first time. Truly.”

“Whether it was your first time or your hundredth, what you did was wrong. Understand?”

“Yes, yes. I’ll change.” Bao Xuexi nodded repeatedly.

“How many people live in this household?” Han Bin asked.

“Four. His son’s family of three lives in the south. Only Zou Huaiyuan remains here.”

“What is the relationship between Zou Huaiyuan and Zhou Lixia?”

“What else could it be? They’re lovers. She comes by for this every ten days or half a month.” Bao Xuexi sighed, his expression complicated—part envy, part jealousy.

“Do you know Zhou Lixia?”

“We’re from the same village. We’ve known each other for decades. How could I not know her?”

“What about her son, Zhou Tianrong?”

“I recognize him when I see him, but we’ve never spoken.”

“Has Zhou Tianrong ever come to Zou Huaiyuan’s house?” Han Bin pressed.

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“Never seen him.” Bao Xuexi shook his head. “Officers, what exactly is this about?”

“Come on. You’re coming inside with us.” Han Bin pointed toward Zou Huaiyuan’s house.

“What for?”

“To apologize. You were listening beneath their wall. Don’t you feel ashamed?”

“I... I’ve been wronged! I wasn’t deliberately eavesdropping.” Frightened, Bao Xuexi took a step back. If he admitted to something like this, how would he ever have the face to continue living here?

“Then why were you squatting beneath their wall?”

“I can hear them just as well from my own house. It’s just...” Bao Xuexi hesitated.

“Just not as clearly as from here, right?” Li Hui mocked.

“No, no, that’s not it. I never intended to eavesdrop in the first place. Go ask anyone around here—I, Bao Xuexi, am a very upright man.” He jabbed a finger at his chest, his face full of grievance. “Those two carry on like that all the time. I can hear them even from my own courtyard. I’m an old bachelor... Tell me, how am I supposed to stand it?”

Li Hui let out a quiet sigh and suddenly felt a little sorry for him.

He rented a place himself, and only a single room at that. He understood the misery.

“If they’re affecting your life, you can file a complaint,” Han Bin suggested.

“You can complain about something like this?”

“Article 46 of the Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law stipulates that when engaging in indoor household entertainment, people must control the volume or take other effective measures.” Han Bin paused, then continued explaining. “If this provision is violated, then under Article 18 of the Public Security Administration Punishments Law, anyone who creates noise that interferes with another person’s normal life shall receive a warning. If they fail to correct the behavior after the warning, they may be fined between two hundred and five hundred yuan.”

“The police can deal with this?” Bao Xuexi still seemed unconvinced.

“The purpose of the police is to serve the people.”

“Then do I still have to apologize?” Bao Xuexi asked.

“If he was the one who disturbed your life and you report him, then no, you don’t need to apologize. But if he hasn’t affected your life, then you were the one who eavesdropped on him, and naturally you must apologize,” Han Bin said.

Bao Xuexi froze for a moment before understanding. “Then I’ll report him for making noise and disturbing my normal life.”

“No problem. I’ll help you handle it tomorrow morning.” Han Bin’s expression turned serious.

Zhou Lixia and Zou Huaiyuan were very close. There was a good chance that, by having her contact Zhou Tianrong and finding a legitimate reason to enter Zou Huaiyuan’s house, they could continue their investigation.

“Can I leave now?” Bao Xuexi asked cautiously.

“Yes.” Han Bin waved his hand.

“Wait.” Li Hui stopped him.

“Officer, is there something else?” Bao Xuexi asked timidly.

“Go home, take a shower, stop dwelling on it, and get a good night’s sleep,” Li Hui instructed.

“All right.”

Though he had no idea why the officer had suddenly shown him such concern, Bao Xuexi hurriedly agreed.

Wonderful Book House

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