80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches-Chapter 184 - 180: Ding Bang Knows Her Too

Xu Dong came out with a cane and a net bag. He hung the bag on the handlebars of Li Xiangyang’s bicycle. "You take him home. I’m going to find Xiuyun."

"Okay!" Li Xiangyang nodded, then rode off with Yang Dingbang on the back of his bike.

Cane in hand, Xu Dong pushed his own bicycle to the police station. He found Yao Xiuyun in her office and waved her over, calling her outside.

"That female colleague you mentioned setting up with Ding Bang last time—has she found a boyfriend yet?"

Yao Xiuyun smiled and gave him a sidelong glance. "Is Ding Bang interested in meeting her?"

"Yeah!" Xu Dong told her about Xie Tian coming to East Market, then asked, "Who is this colleague you’re talking about? Do I know her?"

Yao Xiuyun nodded with a smile. "We all know her. She used to work with the criminal police team and transferred over to us at the end of last year. She also knows quite a bit about Ding Bang’s situation."

Xu Dong’s eyes widened. "Don’t tell me you’re talking about Yang Xiaoman, the one who used to be Ding Bang’s partner?"

Yao Xiuyun smiled and nodded. "That’s her, Yang Xiaoman!"

Yang Xiaoman and Yao Xiuyun were classmates. After graduation, one was assigned to the local police station, and the other to the criminal police team.

Back then, when Xie Tian was still in the picture, she once spotted Yang Xiaoman and Yang Dingbang acting as a married couple for an undercover mission. She grabbed Yang Dingbang and caused a huge scene in the middle of the street, which allowed the criminal to escape. Yang Dingbang even ended up being disciplined for it.

Last year, after getting injured, Yang Xiaoman was transferred to a desk job in the household registration office at the police station.

Xu Dong clapped his hands and laughed. "Excellent, excellent! Yang Xiaoman would be perfect."

"What are you shouting about? It’s not your blind date!" Yao Xiuyun shot him a playful glare. "You head back first. I’ll go talk to Little Man, and we’ll go see Ding Bang together after work."

Xu Dong rubbed his hands together. "Okay! I’ll go tell Ding Bang so he can prepare himself."

Yao Xiuyun waved dismissively and turned to walk back inside.

When Xu Dong arrived at Yang Dingbang’s home, the old woman was in the middle of scolding him. She only stopped when she saw Xu Dong, then picked up a load of dirty laundry and left.

"Where’s Xiangyang?" Xu Dong asked, looking around.

"He had something to do, so he left," Yang Dingbang said, patting the bamboo chair next to him. "Sit!"

Xu Dong plopped right down and looked at him with a sly grin. "You know who Xiuyun’s setting you up with?"

Seeing his sly grin, Yang Dingbang rolled his eyes at him. "Judging by that look, it must be someone I know, right?"

"You know her!" Xu Dong nodded vigorously. "Not only do you know her, you know her well. It’s Yang Xiaoman!"

"What?" Yang Dingbang was stunned for a moment. Then he looked at Xu Dong and said, "You’re not mistaken, are you? I remember her having a boyfriend, and she’s six or seven years younger than me!"

"He’s a boyfriend, not a husband. Besides, a six or seven-year age gap is no problem at all!" Xu Dong pointed to himself with a smug look. "Xiuyun is five years younger than me, but now she looks two years older." He then leaned in closer to Yang Dingbang. "Come on, spill it! When you and Yang Xiaoman were on that mission together, did you two...?"

"Get lost!" Yang Dingbang pushed him away. "Hmph! Just wait till Xiuyun gets here. I’m going to tell her you said she looks old!"

Xu Dong was completely unfazed by the threat. He narrowed his eyes and pointed at him a few times. "You’re hiding something from us!"

Yang Dingbang leaned back against his chair. "I can’t be bothered with you. Now hurry up and get to work."

Xu Dong looked at him triumphantly. "It’s Sunday. I don’t have to work!"

"Then you can just stay here and keep me company," Yang Dingbang said, closing his eyes and ignoring him.

Seeing that he really wasn’t going to talk, Xu Dong stood up. "I don’t have time to keep you company. I’m going home to be with my son and daughter."

Yang Dingbang waved his hand. "Go on, then!"

Watching Xu Dong leave, he leaned back against the chair. An image of an impetuous figure with short-cropped hair flashed through his mind. He sighed under his breath, ’That troublesome girl. She really gives me no peace.’

****

When Lin Lan got home from work, she told Wu Shufen about the situation.

"No wonder everyone likes living in the city. It’s so much more convenient when you’re sick or in pain!" Wu Shufen sighed, but then her expression turned angry and she started cursing. "That son of a bitch. It was obviously the man who was infertile, yet he put all the blame on Yuezhen."

Thinking of her own past, Lin Lan tried to comfort her. "Don’t be angry. I think as long as Yuezhen can prove that she’s not the one who can’t conceive, she’ll feel a huge weight off her shoulders."

Wu Shufen thought about it and had to agree. What could be more painful for a woman than being unable to have children? "Talk to Old Mrs. Liying and the others. Ask them to keep an eye out for Yuezhen. While she’s still not too old, if there’s a suitable man, she could start a new family."

Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "I know. I’ll talk to them."

"Okay. Little Douzi went over to your grandaunt’s place. You go sit and rest for a while. Your brother and the others have already tilled the vegetable garden and our private plot. I’m going to prepare half a garden bed and plant some peas, so we can pick the shoots to eat."

"I’m not tired. Let’s go together."

Lin Lan went to the woodshed to get a hoe, and together with Wu Shufen, she prepared half a garden bed and planted the peas. When they lifted the straw covering the bok choy and mustard green seeds, they saw that the seeds had already sprouted, revealing pairs of tender, emerald-green shoots.

Wu Shufen took a look and then glanced at the sky. "No need to water them. The sky’s getting overcast. It looks like it’s going to rain."

"Okay!" Lin Lan glanced at the time. "I’ll go make dinner."

Wu Shufen quickly said, "There’s still leftover rice, cold dishes, and duck soup. Just pick some baby bok choy to blanch in the soup and heat up a few buns. That’ll be enough."

"Alright! I’ll go get the basket."

After the two of them had heated up the food, Lin Lan saw that Little Douzi still wasn’t back. She went over to the old woman’s house and found Yang Dingbang sitting in a recliner, one leg propped up on a small stool, a bandage wrapped around it.

"You must be here to get Little Douzi for dinner," he said. "They went to Little Kai’s house, but they should be back any minute."

She nodded and gestured toward his injury. "Why are you at home? Weren’t you hospitalized?"

Yang Dingbang smiled. "It’s just a scratch. The hospital is too uncomfortable, so I took the opportunity to come home and spend time with my grandma and Dandan."

The old woman came over from the vegetable patch, carrying a basket. She pointed at Yang Dingbang and said to Lin Lan, "Just look at him. Every time he’s away for a long time, he comes home with one injury or another. I don’t know when these old bones of mine will ever stop having to worry about him!"

"Don’t you worry, Grandma. See? I came back just fine!" Yang Dingbang said, trying to placate her with a smile. "Just pick an auspicious day, and we’ll move into the new place."

Lin Lan also smiled. "That’s right! Xiangyang was just saying yesterday that the house has been repaired and cleaned up. They even managed to scrounge up some old-fashioned furniture that looks quite nice."

The old woman sighed and nodded. "Alright, we’ll move. I’ll go find a master to pick a date for us later. If we move sooner, Dandan can sleep in a little longer in the mornings."

Lin Lan nodded. "Yes, it’s too far to get to the elementary school from here. Once you’ve picked a good day, Grandaunt, we’ll help you move."

The old woman smiled. "There’s not much to move, really. Just two beds, an old square table, and a cupboard."

Little Douzi and Dandan ran into the yard. Seeing Lin Lan, Little Douzi announced, "My mom’s here! I have to go home for dinner now. Dandan, do you want to come eat at my house?"

Dandan shook his head. "I’m not going. I want to stay here and keep my dad company."

"I’ll come back and do homework with you after I eat," Little Douzi said.

"Okay!" Dandan patted Little Douzi on the shoulder. "You study hard so you can try to start school with me next year."

Watching Dandan instruct Little Douzi like a little adult, both the old woman and Lin Lan started to laugh.

Lin Lan led Little Douzi out of the old woman’s house. Not long after they got home, Yao Xiuyun and a female police officer with refreshingly sharp, short hair and androgynously handsome features rode their bicycles over to Yang Dingbang’s home.