Chapter 37: Scrap Collection Station
Qin Hengzhi listened to Old Dong’s praises before entering the workshop to find Master Lu. A few minutes later, he and Old Lu stood behind a machine in the workshop.
Qin Hengzhi said in a low voice: “…We held a meeting to discuss it and decided to give Master Lu a reward. Based on your family’s situation, we’re prepared to give you a recruitment quota…”
Old Lu’s expression gradually became serious.
He only thought for a moment before firmly refusing.
“No, that wouldn’t follow the rules.”
Qin Hengzhi explained mildly: “We’ll issue a document. For old workers with such long seniority, level seven or above, and who have won provincial or higher labor model honors, there’s a special quota.”
After a pause, Qin Hengzhi continued: “Master Lu, I’ve always admired your character. You made a great contribution in the Hongxing Lake incident, but unfortunately it couldn’t be publicly recognized. Now my task is complete, and I’ll be leaving soon. I hope I can do something for you before I go.”
Old Lu looked at the handsome young man and hurriedly asked: “You’re leaving? When?”
Compared to his own son and the ones he knew, the Qin Hengzhi in front of him was truly outstanding among the young people.
He was the kind of person who impressed in every aspect.
Qin Hengzhi: “I’ll leave once the new military representative comes to take over.”
Old Lu sighed regretfully. Qin Hengzhi’s status was unusual, and even if he was leaving, the place he was going wasn’t something he could casually ask about.
Lu Qiaoge, who had come out of the department store, still had one yuan in hand. She planned to go to the scrap collection station to see if there were any suitable textbooks.
It wasn’t just for herself, but also for her younger sister Lu Qiaoling beside her.
They hadn’t properly studied for years, so now it was time to pick it up again.
At some point, the clingy calico cat had followed along again.
Lu Qiaoge scratched Hua Hua’s chin a few times, letting it follow behind. She had to admit, Hua Hua’s abilities were strong; it could always find her location.
When they arrived at the scrap collection station, Lu Qiaoge heard all sorts of chaotic sounds from inside the scrap station.
【This is my book, you can’t eat it.】
【I’m just eating eating eating, I’ll even eat the grain ration tickets and meat tickets tucked inside the book.】
【Guess when the secret in the bookshelf will be discovered?】
【That’s no secret, it’s just the potter’s wife being petty and doing a bad thing.】
【Humans are so fun, saying harmony is precious with their mouths, but actually the most ruthless and cruel.】
【Run quick, that big blind cat is coming.】
Then came the calico cat’s eerie voice: 【Which little mouse bastard called me big blind cat? What, you wanna be a dead mouse?】
The calico cat arched its back, assuming an attacking posture, meowing nonstop from its mouth.
Lu Qiaoling asked Lu Qiaoge in surprise: “Second Sister, what’s up with the cat?”
Lu Qiaoge said: “It’s fine, probably just feels there are lots of mice here.”
By now the calico cat had stopped the mice that were trying to escape.
The calico cat asked Lu Qiaoge: 【Want me to have them come pay respects to the little master?】
Lu Qiaoge quickly rejected the proposal in her mind. One or two could barely count as cute, but a whole bunch? No need.
So the calico cat leaped into the scrap pile.
Old Zhong, responsible for the scrap collection station, shouted: “The old books you want are in the northwest corner. Don’t rummage through the others.”
In these times of scarce supplies, there were still families doing well, so there were quite a few old cabinets and old boxes here.
But the most abundant were scrap iron.
Iron lumps, screws, frozen-burst radiators, broken stove lids, and such.
All these were to be returned to the factory for secondary use.
So the scrap collection station belonged to the military factory. Though it had few staff, there was actually plenty of oil and water.
Lu Qiaoge glanced at Old Zhong sitting in a chair listening to the radio, then took her sister to the northwest corner where the old books were placed.
There was a shed set up here.
Inside were piles of messy books. Lu Qiaoge also saw a little mouse trembling as it stood in front of a book.
Its chubby little paws rested on top of a book.
Inner voice? None, just a blank.
The calico cat jumped over, smug: 【There’s grain ration tickets, meat tickets, and money in the book that little mouse is pointing at.】
Then it anxiously pointed to an old bookshelf in a corner: 【There’s stuff there too, definitely like the one in Zhou Li’s dressing table.】
Lu Qiaoge glanced toward the corner, and sure enough, there was a broken cabinet leaning against the wall.
Lu Qiaoge warned the calico cat not to go to places with lots of garbage.
Then she pulled Lu Qiaoling over, not letting her see that trembling but gesturing little mouse.
She bent down and pulled out that book.
It was a thick, famous Soviet Union book.
Titled 《How the Steel Was Tempered》.
This was a book that influenced generations, but during those years of tense relations, it was still affected.
Lu Qiaoge opened the book and immediately saw the tickets tucked inside.
Cash 89, grain ration tickets 18 jin, meat tickets 1 jin.
This seemed like someone’s monthly salary?
She flipped through a few pages, but Lu Qiaoge didn’t find any name or marks on the book.
Lu Qiaoge originally wanted to hand the book to a scrap station worker, but she looked around—besides Old Zhong, she didn’t recognize any of them.
And Old Zhong didn’t seem very reliable.
Lu Qiaoge took out the money and tickets inside and put them in her shoulder bag.
Then she set the book aside, telling the trembling little mouse to hurry and leave. She continued selecting usable textbooks.
Just then, a man in his forties walked in, smiling and greeting Old Zhong, saying he wanted to see if there were any usable cabinets.
He also walked toward Lu Qiaoge’s direction.
Lu Qiaoge had been organizing books when she heard someone say they wanted a cabinet.
Lu Qiaoge straightened up and looked at the only two relatively intact cabinets in the scrap station.
The bookshelf the mice mentioned looked barely usable; the other was even more broken, without a door.
Did it hide a secret inside?
Should she get involved or not?
Sure enough, abilities weren’t given casually.
Lu Qiaoge called to Lu Qiaoling: “Qiao Ling, come here.”
Lu Qiaoling hurried over.
Lu Qiaoge took Lu Qiaoling to the corner: “Buy this cabinet and clean it up when we get home. I’ll use it as a bookshelf.”
Lu Qiaoling didn’t mind it, but still said: “Second Sister, this costs money, and we don’t have enough. Just so you know, I only have fifty cents in my pocket.”
Lu Qiaoge waved her hand: “We’ll settle the bill later. First, move it over to the old books side.”
Lu Qiaoge could actually do it herself, but it wasn’t easy to move, mainly because of all the dust on top.
She just had Lu Qiaoling help out, and the two sisters lifted the cabinet to the shed.
“Come pick books with me, just select textbooks. Later I still need to go to the lakeside to catch fish.”
The calico cat happily meowed meow meow several times.
Lu Qiaoling glanced at Hua Hua: “Second Sister, I feel like the cat eats better than me—always meat or fish.”
Lu Qiaoge ignored her. She couldn’t not go; she had promised the calico cat to raise it.
Now it loved rice fish, so she had to catch some for it from time to time.
But now with work, time wasn’t plentiful. Lu Qiaoge decided to catch some palm-sized fish without inner voices and dry them into dried fish.
Lu Qiaoge placed the selected books on the cabinet.
By then the man had also walked over, spotted the cabinet at a glance, his eyes lighting up. He said to Lu Qiaoge: “Qiao Ge, my nephew just started high school and wants a bookshelf. Can you let it go to Uncle Wei?”
Seeking monthly votes and support~
