Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 130 Drinking Is Not a Crime, Blacking Out Is

Upon returning, my senior sister seemed preoccupied. It was I who fetched the wine glasses and poured wine for Teacher Wang Ren. After drinking, her complexion became a little rosy. Seeing my and my silent senior sister's bewildered expressions, she smiled and said, "I can't hold my liquor well. Today, I'll talk about my abusive relationship."

I frowned, "Teacher Wang Ren, how about we talk about the scheme instead?" My thought was that my senior sister's suicide attempt for Prince was a matter of emotional entanglement. After their recent reunion, though my senior sister's demeanor was as cold as frost, she was clearly a few levels weaker. At this moment, for Teacher Wang Ren to talk about an abusive relationship, wasn't that rubbing salt into her wounds?

Teacher Wang Ren's abusive relationship was also with a Beijinger. She had lived in Beijing for decades, and it was inevitable they would meet a few times. The romantic feelings had long since faded, but their friendship had endured like an evergreen tree. Nowadays, they would occasionally meet for a small gathering at a restaurant and be overjoyed. They would chatter endlessly about trivial matters. When they weren't meeting, there was a faint longing, like family.

The year they met was 1977. He was a handsome young man, wearing a leather jacket, with long hair and sunglasses. Disliked by the older generation, he pursued his dream of rock and roll. Wang Ren found him very cool. They quickly entered a romantic relationship and, against his parents' wishes, chose to live together. That year, Wang Ren was thirty-one. Before she studied under Teacher Wen De, she had lived like a wild weed. Even when she came to Beijing and studied psychological observation with Teacher Wen De, Wen De did not interfere with Wang Ren's life. Instead, he supported her in connecting with these young people of the era.

The man was five years younger than Wang Ren, also twenty-six. In that era, a twenty-six-year-old was already a father, yet he played rock and roll and lived with a woman five years his senior in a rented room. This greatly displeased his parents.

Wang Ren had not considered these issues. She was intoxicated by the life she was living at the moment. The man would write songs for her. His songs were a blend of strength and gentleness, with a touch of deep affection in his roaring, like a refreshing breeze in the sweltering summer. When the coolness gradually turned into the biting winter, he would use his unique smoky voice, like chili and mustard, to dispel the chill and make the heat unbearable.

For a year, Wang Ren was confined to that small room of a few square meters, living intimately with the man. They were equals, speaking with distinct personalities. This exhilarating life, however, did not last long before reality pulled them back.

The man started working, and they gradually saw less of each other. Later, she heard that the man's parents had sponsored him to start a musical instrument business, and they tacitly chose to break up. Over the years, the man's business prospered, but he became more stable. His singing no longer held the wild fervor of youth; it sounded as gentle as a spring breeze, then suddenly like dandelions scattered by the autumn wind, flying freely.

Wang Ren still occasionally listened to the man's cassette tapes, trying to understand his feelings and the thoughts behind his composition and lyrics at the time, but within this contemplation, the burning, cold love was gone.

I was truly shocked. Teacher Wang Ren's experience happened when she was thirty-one. Was it that people matured earlier in our era? Playing rock and roll, acting cool, wasn't that something high school students should be doing? Moreover, Teacher Wang Ren was a professor of forensic psychology, someone even criminal investigation geniuses like Luo Bo respected. Why would she expose such a difficult past?

I looked at my senior sister. She remained silent.

"I joined the police force at forty-four, obtained my Ph.D. in psychology at fifty-two, and I've been a criminal psychology mentor in Beijing for only six years."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What life has experienced is the past, not the future. Who would believe that I, who lived like a wild weed in my youth, am the person I am today? In my youth, I had four abortions, which led to habitual miscarriages. After the breakup, someone introduced me to a second-hand man with a child who was a civil servant. He was decent and honest. We got married the following year. I gave birth to a daughter at thirty-three and almost lost my life. However, all that is in the past. Now, my eldest child is in kindergarten in Beijing, and my daughter has graduated from university and is working in Beijing. Everything is fine."

I understood. These words were meant for my senior sister. My senior sister had almost committed suicide due to Prince's emotional manipulation. When we spoke of "Shadow," my senior sister became somewhat out of control, indicating she hadn't let go of past experiences. Therefore, Wang Ren used her own regrettable life to teach my senior sister. Someone like Teacher Wang Ren, known as the "Goddess of Case Solving" in the Beijing Public Security Bureau, was treated by my senior sister as her respected third senior martial aunt.

And this woman, respected by all her juniors, had once lived like a wild weed. Teacher Wang Ren told us that she could forget the past and become who she is today, and my senior sister could too.

"Senior Martial Aunt, I understand what you mean? No matter what happens between Prince and me, it's all in the past. What happened back then cannot dictate my future."

"Such a clever girl."

I was pleased to hear that and casually added, "Senior Sister, what exactly happened between you and Prince? What bad things did that bastard do?"

My senior sister glared at me.

Teacher Wang Ren smiled somewhat helplessly, "Sometimes clever, sometimes foolish. What a peculiar child. Understanding and letting go take time; they can't be achieved overnight."

I scratched my head awkwardly, "I won't ask, I won't ask."

Teacher Wang Ren began to talk about the scheme. This scheme was called "Three Concubines Divide Gold," different from the "Pirates Divide Gold" typically used by the Long-Tongued Ghost. In this case, with absolute rationality, the dilemma could be resolved with a reasonable algorithm.

But how could the Long-Tongued Ghost let two brothers receive the inheritance so easily?

The first division: the two brothers would split it equally, and then leave a portion of the money for the third one.

This idea was Fang Yue's, and the Long-Tongued Ghost respected his opinion.

Then, the Long-Tongued Ghost invited Teacher Wang Ren to be a tool and activated the second will division. This also ignited human nature. The two brothers would rather give the money to outsiders and get more themselves than leave it to their mother.

Once "Three Concubines Divide Gold" lost its rationality, it became an unsolvable puzzle.

Teacher Wang Ren said that the Long-Tongued Ghost had left this puzzle for me. As long as I participated in breaking it, "Shadow" would inevitably join.

After listening, I was somewhat puzzled, "So, 'Shadow' is waiting for me to enter the game? Was the person the second brother, Fang Zidong, contacted in the restroom him?"

"Most likely," Wang Ren nodded.

"What should I do?"

Wang Ren shook her head, "I don't know. I'm just a tool in this scheme. I'm returning to Beijing tomorrow. Tomorrow, I will reconcile with them and divide the inheritance according to the third plan."

I was bewildered, "But I'm not their third son!"

"I don't know about that. Old Nine told me. The rest is up to you."

Clearly, Wang Ren had not put much effort into this matter. The reason she participated was to help her junior martial brother, the Long-Tongued Ghost Li Jiu, fulfill his final wish and lure me into the game. Once I was in the game and Prince appeared, she would extricate herself completely.

When my senior sister and I returned home, she bought a case of beer downstairs. She was in a bad mood and asked me to drink with her. Prince's appearance had truly pierced my senior sister's long-sealed heart. This girl was drinking desperately today. I wanted to accompany her, but I felt I didn't have enough stamina. If I continued drinking like this, I would get drunk.

"Senior Sister, we can't drink anymore. If I keep drinking like this, I'll wake up in your bed."

My senior sister touched my face, her cheeks flushed, "Really?"

"Of course, it's true."

"Then stay and have a few more bottles with me."

I don't know how much I drank; I blacked out.

A pleasant alarm sound woke me from my sleep. I struggled to open my eyes and saw my senior sister's pink quilt. I quickly pulled the quilt away. Damn, I was only wearing shorts.

Just then, the door opened, and my senior sister returned from outside. She squatted down, looked into my eyes, a hint of shyness on her face, "You're awake. I made you porridge."

Her expression was a little ambiguous. Did something happen last night... Impossible, I only said that, and I didn't feel anything. I was completely drunk. I tried to sit up, feeling dizzy. My senior sister helped me put on my slippers and patted my face, "Let's go, we're having porridge."

When I stood up, I was still feeling dizzy and unsteady. I went to eat porridge. The bowl was made of blue and white porcelain, filled with very yellow millet porridge. I ate half a bowl and smacked my lips, "It's sweet!"

"Sweeter than last night?"

"Last night?"

"Don't you remember? The sweet words you spoke last night were very sweet."

My senior sister cupped her hands under her chin, her eyes shimmering like silk. I looked at her and found her becoming increasingly blurry in my eyes.

A pleasant alarm sound woke me. I opened my eyes, lying in the pink bedding. I lifted the quilt. Indeed, it was the same.

Just then, my senior sister pushed the door open. She squatted down and looked into my eyes, a scene that felt familiar, "You're awake. I made you porridge."

I touched my stomach. It felt like I had already eaten. Was I dreaming? I sat up. My senior sister reached out to help me put on my slippers, but I stopped her. I stood up unsteadily and walked out.

A blue and white porcelain bowl, filled with very yellow millet porridge.

It was indeed sweet. I looked at my senior sister doubtfully. She sat opposite me, her hands cupping her chin, looking at me with her eyes shimmering like silk.

"It's sweet!" I said tentatively.

"Sweeter than last night?"

A pleasant alarm sound woke me. I rolled over and sat up. I didn't feel so groggy. I lifted the quilt. I saw my senior sister push the door open. She reached out as if to speak, but I interrupted her, "You made me porridge?"

"Yes, you know me so well."

My senior sister replied with a smile and was about to squat down, but I stopped her, "Don't get your hands dirty. I'll put on my own slippers."

I went to the kitchen. A bowl of porridge was on the dining table. A blue and white porcelain bowl, filled with very yellow millet porridge.

This is strange, an infinite loop!

I looked at my senior sister, and she looked at me. If she gave me that seductive look again, I'd slap her. Fortunately, she was smiling normally and asked me, "How is this scheme?"