BXBX NOVEL Chapter 62 - 62: Female Ruffian_l
Li Lixue’s statement not only stunned Nie Zhenbang, but also Liu Kun, Long, and Tiger who were standing nearby, their mouths gaping open. This was particularly true for Tiger. As Li Lixue’s bodyguard for a while, he had witnessed her bravado and decisiveness in the Soviet Union. Her audacity, even men would cower. This woman, such a strong person, she actually pleads for help too?
“What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen it before?” After saying this, Li
Lixue also began to feel somewhat embarrassed. In front of Nie Zhenbang, Li Lixue was quite a character. More importantly, the reason why Li Lixue was
gentle in front of Nie Zhenbang had nothing to do with his power. Rather, Nie
Zhenbang’s series of actions deeply impressed her. Compared to the chain of
military equipment exchanges, what she and her dealer colleagues did seemed
to be child’s play.
Despite this, Li Lixue’s admiration for Nie Zhenbang outstripping any fear she felt. Even more so when facing people like Liu Kun. Seeing Liu Kun’s reactions, Li Lixue glared at him annoyed, but started to speak.
At this moment, Liu Kun chuckled awkwardly: “Hehe, Li Xue, I was just curious. What exactly are you asking for Zhenbang?”
The expectation in Li Lixue’s eyes made Nie Zhenbang curious too. A woman like her could rightfully be termed extraordinary. At the moment, however, Nie Zhenbang only gave a slight smile and said, “Li Xue, you’re helping with my work now, there’s no need for such formality. Just call me Zhenbang and speak freely.”
With that, Nie Zhenbang turned to Long and Tiger. “Long, Tiger; you’re both retired. We don’t need to stand on ceremony between us.”
Long cast a glance at Li Lixue, touched by Nie Zhenbang’s words. Being a military elite, a Soldier King, both Long and Tiger had carried out many security tasks over the years. They had protected individuals like Nie Zhenbang on many occasions. However, Nie Zhenbang was the only one who treated them as equals, stirring within them a strong sense of loyalty even unto death.
Looking at each other, Long and Tiger both responded in unison, “Young Master, decorum should not be discarded. We understand your intentions, but this is our respect for you.”
Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s agreement, Li Lixue hesitated. After a moment of silence, she said, “OK, from now on I’ll call you Zhenbang. I hope you can accompany me back to my hometown. Will you?”
Nie Zhenbang was taken aback again. What did Li Lixue mean by this? To use his status and power to return home in triumph? He quickly dismissed this idea. For someone like Li Lixue, who seemed so detached from society, flattery was uncharacteristic, especially since he had always kept a low profile. What could be the real reason? Unable to figure it out, Nie Zhenbang didn’t press Li Lixue further. Everyone has a secret. This wasn’t a big deal.
Then, Nie Zhenbang nodded. “Fine, After the train arrives in Manzhouli, I will accompany you. Where exactly is your hometown?”
Upon seeing that Nie Zhenbang did not delve deeper into her situation, Li
Lixue visibly relaxed, responding, “I’m from Enluo Township in Eguna City.”
The train soon arrived in Manzhouli. After Nie Zhenbang and his party alighted, the military convoy will head south again, arriving in Jingcheng where Nie Zhenbang will decide how to handle the consignment.
Now, Nie Zhenbang made a call to Yuan Xinghua. Borrowing an off-road jeep from the Ninth Army, their team set off for Eguna City.
Eguna City lies on the edge of Daxing Ridge, being the longest city bordering the Soviet Union in the entire Hulun City. The distance from Manzhouli is approximately three hundred kilometers. They were lucky to have Long and Tiger, two locals who had a deep understanding of the area. After forming up on national highway 31 and travelling a few dozen kilometers, they entered provincial road 021.
Throughout the journey, since they were traveling overnight, the speed was kept low. By the time they arrived at Enluo Township, it was early morning.
At this moment, Li Lixue became agitated for the first time. Because of homesickness, Nie Zhenbang noticed that Li Lixue was trembling slightly.
In Enluo Township, more than ninety percent of the population was Russian. Russian-style buildings were spread all over the town. Under Li Lixue’s guidance, the car stopped in front of a wooden house at the tail end of the town.
At this moment, quite a few locals who were already up had noticed. Seeing Li Lixue step out of the car, many of them paused before subsequently crowding around her.
“Evelina, how come you’re back? Quick, get out of here. It won’t be long before you can’t anymore. The local police are still searching for you,” said a sympathetic older woman, attired in typical robust Russian clothing, yet speaking fluent Mandarin with a Northeastern accent.
“Lixue, you should get going. Your younger brother’s in prison right now. The year after you left, he was sentenced. Accused of harboring criminals and hooliganism. If it weren’t for our opposition and the preferential policy for ethnic minorities, he’d probably have been shot dead already. Now he’s sentenced to fifteen years. You can’t let him serve this sentence for nothing,” another old man advised.
Upon hearing these words, tears welled up in Li Lixue’s eyes. At that moment, the door to Li Lixue’s home swung open from the inside. The commotion outside had alerted her family. A woman in her forties walked out of the house.
At the sight of Li Lixue, the woman paused, rubbed her eyes, and then rushed over, saying, “Lixue, my Lixue, how did you get back? My child.”
Although the woman was also dressed in traditional Russian attire, she was Han Chinese, explaining Li Lixue’s beauty. She likely inherited her mother’s Li surname.
After her initial thrill, Li Lixue’s mother released her and anxiously said, “Lixue, go see your grandmother and leave quickly. Right now, they’re still after you. You must leave immediately. It’ll be too late if they receive the news.”
Li Lixue whimpered, abruptly knelt down and said, “Mom, it’s all my fault. Everything is my mistake. If not for me, Dad wouldn’t have died, and my brother wouldn’t be in jail. It’s all my fault.”
At that moment, when the noise outside reached a certain level, a Russian woman in her sixties emerged from the house. She had a pronounced brow bone and had a stumbling gait. The old woman was blind.
Perhaps because of her blindness, the old woman’s hearing was sharp. Struggling to navigate the steps, she called out, “Yuehong, Yuehong, is Lixue back? Is it Lixue? Is it my Evelina?”
Upon hearing the old woman’s voice, Li Lixue promptly stood and rushed over, shouting, “Grandma, it’s me. Your Evelina is back.”
At that moment, Nie Zhenbang was puzzled. He wondered about the reason that led Li Lixue to be unable to return home. No wonder she fled to Manzhouli, no wonder she was working so hard to earn money. But, Nie
Zhenbang was sure that after the time he spent understanding and interacting with her, Li Lixue was definitely not a bad person. So, why were the local police chasing her?
While Nie Zhenbang was deep in thought, at that moment, five or six policemen, dressed in uniform and wearing broad-brimmed hats, were running towards them with an air of aggression from the street.
The main street in Enluo Township was only five hundred meters long. Within a few tens of seconds, these officers had surrounded Li Lixue’s family.
One of the officers, looking coldly at Li Lixue who was embracing the old woman, declared sternly, “Li Lixue, so you’re back. I’m from Enluo Township Police Station, and I declare, you’re officially under arrest for hooliganism..”