Chapter 33 p1
Lu Ze was in a daze for a moment.
The young man’s figure, for a moment, faintly overlapped with Lin Zhiyan’s.
Lu Ze liked to call him “Little Cat Lin.” Apart from the fact that some of his subtle movements were as cute as a cat’s, another reason was that he liked to eat fish.
He liked all kinds of fish, but he didn’t like to pick out the bones.
He seemed to be naturally bad at eating fish and could never learn how to deal with the bones. After being scared by him once, Lu Ze had only bought fish with large and few bones ever since. After cooking it, he would even help him pick out the bones, like a dutiful cat owner feeding his cat.
He was used to Lin Zhiyan acting coquettishly and telling him what kind of fish he wanted to eat today, and he was also used to his excited look every time he went fishing with him in the suburbs and caught a fish.
The young man smiled brightly, his eyes shining, and the wooden stick he held high had a fish on it, exactly the same as when Lin Zhiyan had cast his line and caught a fish.
Lu Ze was in a daze for a moment. It wasn’t until the “Lu-ge” that he was pulled back to reality.
He blinked hastily. Xu Qingyan was struggling to take the fish off the spear and was holding it with both hands. Before Lu Ze could say anything, he saw the fish struggling for its life. With a flick of its tail, it slapped Xu Qingyan in the face, and then the whole fish leaped out, fell into the water, and soon disappeared.
Xu Qingyan stood there in a daze, motionless.
Half of his face was wet, and he could faintly smell the fishy smell from the tip of his nose. Xu Qingyan had never expected that a fish in his hand could fly away.
Most importantly, he had even been slapped by a fish!
Lu Ze watched from the bank, coughed lightly into his fist, and said, “The fish is very slippery. The harder you try, the easier it is for it to escape. You should pinch its gills. That way, it won’t be able to struggle.”
Xu Qingyan’s lips were tightly pressed. Seeing his amused look, he felt that it was simply too embarrassing.
He took a deep breath, wiped the water from the side of his face, held his breath, and continued to work hard.
After this time, he had gained some experience. He didn’t believe that he couldn’t catch a single fish in a whole afternoon!
Lu Ze watched him from the bank, his expression still gentle, but his eyes slowly lowered.
They were still different.
There were so many people who liked to eat fish. Not everyone was his Yanyan. Xu Qingyan’s reaction was just the normal reaction of a young man of his age. There was nothing strange about it.
On the contrary, he…
Lu Ze rubbed his temples and sighed in his heart.
In the past, even if they were temporarily separated, he knew that they would meet again later. Although he missed him, he was also waiting for the deep affection when they met again.
Because of this, Lu Ze had never known that longing was such a tormenting thing.
Xu Qingyan was Xu Qingyan, and Lin Zhiyan was Lin Zhiyan. For him to try to find Lin Zhiyan’s shadow in Xu Qingyan time and again, what did that mean for Xu Qingyan, and what did that mean for his Yanyan?
But Lu Ze had never missed Lin Zhiyan as much as he did at this moment.
He asked in his mind, “777, can the mission end early?”
777 paused. “Normally, it’s possible, but if you want to leave this world early, Host, you have to ensure that the mission will not go wrong after you leave.”
But this was undoubtedly very difficult. Even if Lu Ze made all the preparations, it might not be able to withstand a small change in the future. A butterfly flapping its wings could cause a hurricane. Who could say that the future was definitely in their control?
777 comforted him, “There are only a few worlds left anyway. Just bear with it, Host. It will be over soon.”
The system had no human concept of time. It just thought that since the Host had already been through hundreds of worlds, and there were only a few left, wouldn’t it be over soon?
Lu Ze couldn’t tell him that the previous hundreds of worlds combined were not as unforgettable as the last one, and he couldn’t tell a system how difficult it was to yearn for someone.
777 didn’t get an answer, so it obediently didn’t speak.
Lu Ze looked at the river. Xu Qingyan had successfully caught another fish. He learned the method Lu Ze had told him and threw the fish onto the bank with a force.
Lu Ze got up and picked it up into the bucket, thinking to himself that he was really a child.
The two of them returned with a full load in the afternoon. In the end, the bucket was full, and Xu Qingyan was still carrying two large fish in his hands.
When they got home, Xu’s mother was shocked. “This… how can there be so many?”
A full bucket of large and small fish. How long would it take to eat them all?
Lu Ze said, “It’s warm at noon, so all the fish came out. Auntie, you can keep a few for the family, and see if anyone in the village wants the rest. We can exchange them for some grain and cloth coupons.”
Xu’s mother glanced at him. She also knew that most of these should have been caught by Lu Ze. She immediately said, “How can I be so shameless…”
Lu Ze smiled. “What’s there to be shameless about? I’ve been eating at your house for the past few days, and I haven’t seen you being shameless.”
Xu’s mother burst out laughing. “It’s just a few meals. You’re taking it to heart.”
She waved her hand. “Alright, alright. I’ll go and ask if anyone wants them later. I’ll exchange them for more cloth coupons and make you a set of clothes for the New Year.”
The clothes bought outside were different from those made at home after all. At that time, she would exchange for more cloth coupons and make him a thick set of cotton-padded clothes and pants, which would not be in vain for him to bring so many things every day.
Lu Ze smiled and didn’t refuse.
Dinner was still at the Xu family’s house.
Although Lu Ze could cook, there was no one who was willing to eat his cooking, and it was really boring to be alone.
It was better to come to the Xu family’s house. At least it was lively with more people.
But it couldn’t be like this every day. He still had to find something to do, so that when he was free, his mind wouldn’t be full of Lin Zhiyan.
Lu Ze was still thinking about when the police station would have a result, but he didn’t expect that the next morning, someone from the village chief’s house would call for the Lu family’s kid. The voice was so loud that the people around all cast curious gazes.
In 1985, the telephone was still a rare thing. There was only one telephone for their village and the village next to it. It cost a lot of money to make a call for a few minutes, and few people were willing to use it.
Lu Ze greeted the people around him, calling them “Uncle” and “Aunt” without any restraint, which made them quite embarrassed.
By the time he arrived at the village chief’s house, the call had been connected for a while. Lu Ze reported his identity, and the police officer on the other end said that they had seized a nest of human traffickers based on the clues he had provided. Next, he had to go to the city. First, to return the money he had been cheated of, and second, this group of human traffickers were also wanted by the police. He had provided clues and the police had successfully arrested them, so there was also a reward that he needed to collect.
Lu Ze didn’t care about the reward. What he cared about was the factory.
After agreeing with the person, Lu Ze walked back. He saw Xu Qingyan waiting at the Xu family’s door.
Lu Ze’s steps paused, and he said to him, “I’m going to the city later. I’ll buy the books you want, but I might not be able to come back today. You might have to wait for two days.”
Xu Qingyan said, “It’s okay. I’m not in a hurry.”
He added, “Are you in a hurry to leave now? Are you still eating at home?”
Lu Ze paused, then said, “I’m not in a hurry. I’ll go when the weather is warmer at noon.”
The weather had been good for the past two days, so it was not a hardship to ride a bicycle.
Xu Qingyan pursed his lips and smiled. “That’s good. The wheat in the yard should be dry today. Mom will take it to the east side of the village to grind it tomorrow. We can make you some steamed buns then.”
Lu Ze’s expression softened slightly. “You don’t have to go to such trouble.”
“It’s no trouble.” Xu Qingyan walked into the house. “Mom cooked some sweet potato water in the morning and also steamed some sweet potatoes. If you’re leaving, you can take a few with you. Don’t be in a hurry to eat and not be able to find anything to eat.”
Lu Ze agreed.
After breakfast, he went back to pack two sets of clothes. While the sun was still out and warm, he rode his bicycle to the city.
In the original host’s memory, this bicycle had been with their family for many years. Father Lu had specially bought this model. He would ride it, Mother Lu would sit in the back, and the original host would sit on the crossbar in the front. When the weather was cold, he would bury his face in his father’s chest.
It could be considered to carry the memories of their family.
Before he left, Xu’s mother stuffed some more things into his bag, which was placed on the back seat of the car, as if she were afraid that he would be hungry.
Lu Ze had always been unable to refuse the enthusiasm of this family.
By the time he arrived in the city, it was almost lunchtime. The comrades at the police station warmly greeted him and told him some details of the case. In the end, they patted his shoulder. “Comrade Lu, thank you so much for the clues you provided!”
Otherwise, who would have known that the mastermind behind the recent frequent cases of trafficking women and children in the city was actually the owner of a clothing factory?
“You’ve saved more than one family!”
Lu Ze had a harmless and fortunate smile on his face. “I also thought more and more about it after I went back and felt that something was wrong. How could there be such a good thing, where I could just sit and wait to collect money without doing anything? That’s why I paid more attention to it.”
“That’s right. How could there be such a good thing!” The police comrade sighed in his heart and added, “Fortunately, your money can be recovered. The bureau will give you the money later. There are also some extra rewards, which will all be given to you at once.”
Lu Ze nodded. “Thank you for your trouble, comrade.”
The police officer patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “What’s the trouble? If there were more people like you, our work would be easier.”
Lu Ze chatted with him for a few more words, then followed him to meet the bureau chief, listened to some praise, and then went to get his money back, as well as the reward for providing the clues this time.
Several hundred yuan was not a lot in this county-level city, but it was definitely not a small amount either.
Lu Ze put the money away, thought for a moment, and then took out a few large bills. “Comrade, can you exchange this money for grain, oil, and meat coupons for me?”
The police comrade was stunned for a moment, then said, “We’ve never done this before…” He thought for a moment, then put his arm around his shoulder and said, “Alright, it’s break time now. I’ll help you ask if the other comrades have any extra at home and if they can exchange with you.”
As public officials, they would usually receive grain and oil coupons from the bureau during the holidays. Every family probably had a lot saved up. Now that someone was willing to exchange, they should be able to.
He added, “It’s just that everyone probably can’t go back now. How much do you want? What kind of coupons do you want?”
“It’s too much trouble for you, comrade,” Lu Ze said. “I want some of all kinds of coupons, for food, clothing, and daily necessities. If there are any for large items, like bicycles, sewing machines, and TVs, I want those too.”
“As for the quantity…” Lu Ze told him a number.
The police officer couldn’t help but be surprised. “You want that many?”
Lu Ze smiled bitterly. “You don’t know, comrade. My parents… passed away in an accident last year. I was in a daze for a year, and all the grain coupons at home were squandered. I don’t have a proper job now, and the land in the countryside can’t be cultivated for a while. I don’t know where to get grain coupons. I’ve been eating at my neighbor’s house these days.”
The police officer didn’t expect this young comrade to have such a background. He couldn’t help but pat his back comfortingly and said, “Don’t worry. There are many comrades in our bureau. I’ll help you ask around.”
Only then did Lu Ze gratefully agree.
It was lunchtime. The police officer, thinking of Lu Ze’s contribution, asked him if he wanted to have a meal in the cafeteria. Lu Ze also wanted to talk to him more about the factory, so he nodded in agreement.
The food in the police station’s cafeteria was not bad, with both meat and vegetables, and it was also nutritious.
Lu Ze sat with the police comrade. People would greet him as they came and went, and they would also smile knowingly when they saw Lu Ze. “This is the young Comrade Lu who helped us a lot this time, right?”
Lu Ze was generous and let them look at him, which won him a lot of goodwill.
The cafeteria was full of people, neither noisy nor quiet. But Lu Ze’s attention was on a table not far away.
It was the police chief he had just met, and there were also some other people, who should be the other leaders in the bureau.
He could vaguely hear them saying, “It’s good that the factory has been recovered, but what about all the people inside?”
“There are dozens of people! And there are also those who have brought their families from the south, just to find a way to make a living. Now that the factory is gone, what do you want them to do, go back? Will they be willing?”
“Not to mention that our textile factory is not hiring now. Even if it is, it can’t hire that many people!”
The clothing industry here was not developed. There was only one textile factory in the entire county. They had thought it was a good thing when they saw a clothing factory open before. Now it was good. What good thing? It would be good if it didn’t cause trouble!
The crowd was silent for a moment, and one person hesitantly opened his mouth, “Why don’t we ask… and see if anyone is willing to take over this factory? The site, dormitories, and equipment are all ready-made, and he doesn’t even have to hire anyone…”
“It’s easy to say. Such a big factory, the initial investment will probably be a lot of money, and it’s not certain whether it will make money. Who would be willing to take over so suddenly…”
Hearing this, Lu Ze’s eyes suddenly moved.
The police officer looked at him from the opposite side and, seeing this, smiled. “What, you have an idea about this factory?”
Lu Ze thought for a moment, put down his chopsticks, and said, “Comrade, you don’t say, I really have some ideas about this…”
Seeing his serious look, the police comrade also put down his chopsticks, listened to him slowly, and gradually fell into deep thought. “If you have this idea, it’s actually not bad… but you have to think it through. You’ll be responsible for your own profits and losses in this factory. No one can say for sure whether you’ll make money or not. If you lose money, you’ll have nowhere to cry.” he kindly reminded.
Lu Ze said, “I understand. But with my personality, I really can’t stay in one place. I just want to try and see. And I don’t have a proper job now, and a ready-made opportunity is right in front of me. No matter what, I’ve tried. Even if I fail in the end, I’ll give up.”
As he spoke, he smiled a little embarrassedly. “And to be honest, comrade, my mom used to say that I love to try new things. Maybe I can really make a name for myself.”
The police officer also laughed at his words. “Alright, alright. I’ll take you to see our leaders later, and we can discuss this matter properly.”
…
