There was a musty smell on the balcony, caused by the lack of ventilation over a long period.
It wasn't just Yang Mei's house; Liang Yuan's place also had that musty smell.
Too long without sunlight, too much moisture, many things had become moldy.
There were quite a few clothes hanging on the rack. Liang Yuan glanced at them and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Most of these clothes were women's underwear. Judging by the sizes, they probably belonged to Sister Mei.
The huge cup size could fit both of Liang Yuan's fists.
He couldn't help but admire her; despite the half-year flood, Sister Mei still did the laundry.
In contrast, Li Zhiqiang was really sloppy. These clothes must have been hung by Yang Mei before she was kicked out. It's been so long, but they hadn't been taken in.
Liang Yuan tiptoed into the living room, and a sour stench immediately filled the air.
He instinctively covered his nose. It was the smell of sweat.
A lot of clothes were piled on the sofa, and there were half-burned clothes in the living room, probably used by Li Zhiqiang to start a fire.
But apparently, he hadn't cleaned up. It was both dirty and messy.
Liang Yuan listened carefully in the room and faintly heard snoring coming from the master bedroom.
He walked to the master bedroom door and gently turned the doorknob.
However, Li Zhiqiang was more cautious than Liang Yuan had imagined; the bedroom door was locked from the inside.
Liang Yuan chuckled, then turned to walk to the kitchen.
He opened the fridge; it was empty and had a foul smell.
It was likely that the power outage caused the ice in there to melt, giving off the stench of spoiled meat.
He shook his head; he should have guessed there wouldn't be any food.
If Li Zhiqiang had food, he wouldn't have sold out his wife for something to eat.
He walked to the front door, opened it, and stepped into the hallway.
Down the hallway, Ding Yan had been keeping an eye on this side.
Seeing Liang Yuan come out, she was instantly delighted and quickly climbed up.
"So fast, how did you do it?"
Liang Yuan smiled and whispered, "Li Zhiqiang is asleep in the master bedroom, but the door is locked from the inside. Keep your voice down, go bring Brother Cai and Brother Ma over, and first settle the family."
Ding Yan quickly nodded, "I'll go get them."
With that, she hurried downstairs.
At this moment, the door to Liang Yuan's house also opened.
"Little brother!"
Yang Mei's eyes were slightly red, and she rushed out, her eyes filled with joy.
Liang Yuan hugged her without hesitation and planted a firm kiss on her red lips.
The sudden attack left Yang Mei taken aback.
Her face turned bright red, and she fumbled awkwardly, not knowing where to put her hands and feet.
That adorable look was as if it was her first kiss.
She clearly didn't expect Liang Yuan to kiss her at that moment.
After the deep kiss, Liang Yuan smiled and said, "Sister Mei, you did well."
Yang Mei's face was flushed, and she looked up in surprise upon hearing the words, "I didn't do anything though?"
Liang Yuan replied meaningfully, "It's precisely because you did nothing that I say you did well."
Yang Mei wasn't stupid; her heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. She quickly said, "Little brother, I've said it before, from now on, I'll be with you and won't be fickle."
Liang Yuan smiled and said, "I believe you. You should go back for now; there are some things to settle here that might embarrass you."
Yang Mei glanced at her own place, hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask if it was necessary to kill.
But then she quickly closed her mouth. Li Zhiqiang was already in the past.
Her little brother was decisive, better not to say things that might upset him.
She whispered, "I'll make dinner at home, and wait for you to come back and eat."
Liang Yuan smiled again, feeling increasingly satisfied with Yang Mei.
If Yang Mei had asked him to spare Li Zhiqiang, he would have felt uncomfortable.
But she didn't, and that pleased him.
Watching Yang Mei return to her house, Liang Yuan suddenly whispered, "Don't throw away that pair of stockings, wear them tonight."
Yang Mei was stunned for a moment, then her cheeks turned red. She gave him a flirtatious look, nodded almost imperceptibly, and hurriedly closed the door.
Liang Yuan couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth, feeling much happier.
At that moment, there was a commotion downstairs. Shortly after, Cai Zhi and Ma Guocai emerged, carrying large bags, excitedly climbing up.
Ding Yan and another middle-aged woman were helping an older woman in her fifties behind them.
Beside the middle-aged woman was a little girl, thin as a rake.
"Brother Liang, you're amazing, did Li Zhiqiang agree?" Cai Zhi asked excitedly as soon as he came up.
Ma Guocai also quickly said, "Little brother, I'm Ma Guocai, we're truly grateful to you."
Liang Yuan nodded to the two of them, then said, "Of course, Li Zhiqiang wouldn't agree. He doesn't even know the door is open, he's still asleep in the master bedroom. We'll chat with him later. For now, come on in."
They hurriedly carried their things into 3202.
After everything was moved in and the door was locked, Cai Zhi and Ma Guocai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"This place is so big, Daddy, can we live here from now on?"
The thin little girl couldn't help but ask, eyes full of anticipation.
Cai Zhi picked up the girl and said, "Yes, you and Mommy can live here from now on!"
He then pulled the middle-aged woman beside him and said to Liang Yuan, "Brother Liang, this is my wife Wu Qian, and my daughter Cai Yao."
Wu Qian quickly smiled at Liang Yuan, full of gratitude, "Brother Liang, thank you so much. I… I really don't know how to thank you…"
Liang Yuan waved his hand, "We're all just trying to survive. No need for thanks."
"Big brother, is this your home? Are you the one taking us in?" Cai Yao looked up at Liang Yuan.
That pure gaze gave Liang Yuan a slight shock.
The flood had been going on for half a year; he had almost forgotten such pure and kind eyes.
His heart seemed to soften, he crouched down, took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket and handed it to her, "Cai Yao, right? This will be your home from now on. I live right across. Come and play anytime."
Seeing chocolate, Cai Yao's eyes widened with joy, "Chocolate? Is this… for me?"
Liang Yuan nodded with a smile.
Cai Yao didn't dare to take it directly. She swallowed and then looked at her parents.
Cai Zhi hesitated for a moment, "Brother, food is very scarce now. This chocolate is too precious, keep it for yourself."
Wu Qian also quickly added, "Yes, yes, it's too valuable, Yao Yao can't take it."
But Liang Yuan didn't say much. He directly handed the chocolate to Cai Yao, "It's for the child, not you. What's the point of saying that."
Then, not giving them a chance to speak, he looked at the older woman beside Ma Guocai, "Old Ma, is this your wife?"
Ma Guocai watched the scene just now and felt relieved.
He could feel Liang Yuan's kindness; he was a good young man with unimpaired ethics.
Hearing Liang Yuan's words, he quickly responded, "Yes, this is my wife Li Lanhua. Old Li, this is Liang Yuan."
Li Lanhua looked somewhat sallow, and smiled, "Hello, Xiaoliang, thank you so much."
Liang Yuan waved, "No problem, the house is big enough, with four rooms, you can share. But we need to discuss what to do about Li Zhiqiang."
At these words, everyone turned to look towards the master bedroom.
The snoring from inside continued intermittently.
Li Zhiqiang still hadn't woken up.