Chapter 35 The Car Thief

As soon as the Spring Festival was over, it felt like spring had arrived immediately. The weather warmed up in the blink of an eye, and the wind no longer felt biting cold and penetrating our clothes, but instead gently brushed against our cheeks, bringing with it the fresh scent of trees.

Chen Yun didn't get up too early. After brushing her teeth, she entered the room and saw Gao Ming standing in front of the dresser, staring intently at the wall.

What are you thinking about?

Chen Yun leaned over and rubbed her chin against Gao Ming's arm, wiping away the remaining water droplets from her chin as she did so.

Gao Ming looked down slightly, a warm smile playing on his lips, and a deep laugh emanating from his throat that made Chen Yun's jaw go numb.

A large hand slipped through her slender waist and pulled Chen Yun into his arms.

"Looking at your photos."

A black and white photo was added next to the couple's wedding photo.

In the photo, Chen Yun is holding her award certificate and standing on the stage of the auditorium, smiling just like she did in her wedding photo.

“I watched you go on stage to receive the award that day from the audience, and your smile didn’t change much the whole time. You don’t smile like that when you’re really happy.”

A large hand suddenly tightened around his waist, warm lips landed on his lips, and his laughter grew deeper.

"When the photos arrived at my home, I saw that smile was exactly the same as in my wedding photo!"

"I'm like this when I'm nervous." Chen Yun scratched the spot where she had just been kissed, embarrassed. "You only live once, it would be strange not to be nervous."

"Let's take another one in the provincial capital. You won't be nervous this time, will you?"

Chen Yun gave a soft "humph," turned around to avoid the large hand that was holding her waist, scratched Gao Ming's armpit twice with her other hand, and then quickly jumped away.

"We'll talk about the photos later. Didn't we agree to go to the bookstore?"

"We're going to the bookstore, and we're going to the shops too." Gao Ming smiled as he watched Chen Yun run out the door. "I've already exchanged the clothing vouchers, I'll buy you two new dresses."

"Who doesn't like new clothes?" Chen Yun winked and smiled.

Without the damp chill of winter, we've entered the windiest season of the year.

The doorway hadn't been swept overnight, and a lot of withered leaves had blown in. The scallions in the vegetable garden were buried under the withered leaves, with only their tips showing.

"Where did all these dead leaves come from?" Chen Yun muttered to herself as she picked up the leaves.

After living in the new house for about half a year, the first problem slowly emerged: the house is located downwind, and whenever the wind blows, dust is blown towards the door.

"It'll be fine in a couple of days. Every year, there's always a few days of dust accumulating in front of my house."

Yang Juhua, who lived next door, got up early. Chen Yun could hear her urging Hu Gangtie to go to Huangniba Commune to buy a fish while she was in her bedroom.

After finishing the household chores, I took the broom and went out to sweep the front door.

"Chen Yun, I heard you're going to the provincial capital with Captain Gao this time?"

"The provincial hospital has distributed a batch of penicillin, and the hospital sent me to pick it up. I'll leave on Friday morning."

The collected dead trees are specially stored in a cloth bag by the door, which can be used as kindling when lighting a honeycomb briquette stove, as they are more flammable than tree branches.

"Did your brother Hu return the tickets he borrowed to you yesterday?" Yang Juhua rubbed her temples as she spoke, "I've been so confused these past few days that I don't remember anything."

"I returned it yesterday." Chen Yun smiled, straightened up, patted the dirt off her hands, and asked with concern, "Sister-in-law, are you feeling a bit cold?"

"It's not a cold, it's just anger," Yang Juhua waved her hand.

Every year, the Spring Festival is the happiest time for all the factory employees. As long as the factory is doing well, each department will distribute New Year's gifts before the holiday.

Especially for employees who win awards at the year-end commendation meeting, the generous rewards are the envy of many.

Putting aside the distant past, Chen Yun received an Outstanding Individual Award this year, and I heard the prize was a plush sofa.

Although it would take some effort to get it brought back from the city, it just so happened that... Chen Yun's wife was in the transport team.

This time, they ran into the same problem again: going to pick up medicine. Not only could the couple travel together to the provincial capital, but they could also pick up the sofa along the way.

Unlike her family... they just have to cause trouble to be satisfied with a perfectly good life.

Chen Yun glanced at the open door next door, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Is Yue'e still making a fuss?"

Since the day she mistakenly became pregnant, Hu Yue'e has been arguing with her family for almost three months. Hu Gangtie, in a fit of anger, declared that he would abandon his daughter, while only Yang Juhua continued to persevere.

"Let her make a scene!" Yang Juhua pinched her brow, her irritation intensifying. "I don't want to get involved anymore. Let her date whoever she wants; it's none of my business!"

Despite her obedient and docile appearance, Hu Yue'e is just as stubborn as Hu Gangtie at heart, and no matter how many times someone tells her, it's no use.

"The person...went out?"

Seeing that Yang Juhua was truly heartless, Chen Yun guessed that Hu Yue'e must have already left home long ago.

Yang Juhua nodded.

“Last night, Xiangyang’s dad said he wouldn’t care anymore, but before dawn, Yue’e secretly opened the door and went out to find that kid Tang Junjie. We… couldn’t stop her from going out.”

"What if Yue'e brings the person back..."

Before Chen Yun could even voice his guess, he saw Hu Yue'e and a skinny young man slowly walking towards him from the other side of the stone bridge.

The two chatted and laughed, their actions intimate and uninhibited.

"Sister-in-law Yang, Yue'e is back," Chen Yun whispered to Yang Juhua.

When an unacknowledged future son-in-law arrives without warning, one should at least be mentally prepared... especially since this son-in-law doesn't seem very appealing.

Tang Junjie's body proportions are quite strange, with a long upper body and short lower body, making him look like two sticks stuck under a bamboo strip from a distance.

With a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks, Chen Yun didn't know if it was from hunger or genetics, but anyway, she felt that this person looked like he had a lot on his mind.

"Let her be." Yang Juhua was truly disheartened, glancing indifferently at the distance before continuing to bend down and sweep the floor.

Chen Yun felt quite bad that someone who was usually energetic and lively looked so listless even when sweeping the floor.

"Mom." Hu Yue'e greeted her coldly, but when she turned and saw Chen Yun, a smile appeared on her face: "Good morning, Aunt Chen. This is my boyfriend, Tang Junjie."

Chen Yun didn't interfere with Hu Yue'e's search for a partner, so Hu Yue'e happily introduced her to him.

"So young and already calling her 'Auntie'?" Tang Junjie's small eyes darted around Chen Yun before he grinned and greeted her, "Good morning, Auntie Chen."

Hu Xiangyang said that young Chen Yun was happy to listen, but Tang Junjie said that he felt like he had been bitten by some fly.

“Given the seniority, even if she’s young, she’s still an aunt,” Chen Yun replied expressionlessly.

“Aunt Chen is only two years older than you, but she’s still young!” Hu Yue’e playfully patted Tang Junjie twice, and he immediately put on a smiling face, scratching his head and grinning sheepishly.

"Uncle Gao went to work?" Hu Yue'e asked with a smile.

"No! I'm cooking breakfast in the kitchen."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gao Ming, carrying a bowl of plain noodles, stepped across the threshold and came into everyone's view.

He handed the bowl of noodles to Chen Yun, put the chopsticks in the bowl, and then turned to Hu Yue'e with a smile to greet her: "Yue'e... is this your boyfriend?"

The brief pause in sound puzzled Chen Yun, as if she had encountered a somewhat familiar neighbor.

"Uncle Gao, this is my boyfriend, Tang Junjie."

Hello.

Gao Ming smiled, turned around and deftly took Chen Yun's bowl, gesturing for her to come inside: "I forgot you didn't wash your hands, wash them first before you come in to eat."

Chen Yun responded with "Oh, oh," and rushed into the house first.

"Mom, has breakfast been cooked at home?"

"No!"

"Let's cook some noodles too, Junjie and I haven't eaten."

"If you're so capable, go eat at his house... What kind of behavior is it to bring someone home and ruin my food?"

After Gao Ming put the bowl of noodles on the table, he turned his head and stole a glance at the group of people arguing next door.

Yang Juhua threw down the broom, turned around, went inside, and slammed the door shut. Tang Junjie gave her a wink, and Hu Yue'e immediately pushed the door open and followed her in, seething with anger.

The three of them entered the house one after another, and Gao Ming turned around and frowned at Chen Yun.

"Do you know Tang Junjie?" Chen Yun asked in a low voice.

Gao Ming nodded and reached out to close the door: "This kid is no good. If Hu Yue'e really marries him, we're doomed!"

Gao Ming rarely spoke with such certainty, and Chen Yun's heart skipped a beat, his expression turning serious.

"Do you remember when I told you about the people who hitched rides and stole things on the way back to the factory from the provincial capital?"

Chen Yun recalled that the incident occurred on the last trip before the Lunar New Year when she went to the provincial capital's materials bureau to pick up supplies and bring them back to the factory.

Because it was close to the Lunar New Year, a lot of supplies were being distributed, and the truck was too full. The road was muddy and in bad condition, and it was also the middle of the night, so the truck was driving very slowly.

Not long after driving, Gao Ming noticed a dark figure climbing onto the car through the rearview mirror. Car thieves specifically climb onto cars when they are moving slowly to steal things.

The group of men, wearing hats and scarves covering their faces except for their eyes, skillfully climbed onto the truck bed.

A few well-fed scoundrels were no match for Gao Ming and his men, who were born into military families. They were beaten and forced to flee in all directions after only a few rounds.

"Five out of six ran away, and we only caught one whose legs gave way and he knelt down." Gao Ming sighed, looking somewhat troubled. "Those kids were from the nearby Huangniba Commune. The one we caught was only twelve years old... He was so scared that he wet his pants on the spot."

Gao Ming took the child back to the factory and handed him over to the security department. He didn't care what happened to the child afterward.

According to the children, one of them, surnamed Tang, was their leader. That person was a family member of a factory worker and knew exactly when the transport team would return to the city, which enabled him to accurately ambush and steal from them on the road.

“The moment I saw Tang Junjie today, I knew he was the leader of that group.” Gao Ming raised his hand to compare Tang Junjie’s body proportions: “I’ve never seen another person whose waist is as long as his legs.”

With such a distinct body proportion, the way he ran back then was unforgettable. In addition, the surname and age matched, making Gao Ming even more convinced that Tang Junjie was the leader of the hitchhiking gang.

"Why didn't the factory arrest him?"

"This kid is cautious. He hasn't revealed his real name or shown his face. The factory probably hasn't found out anything from him."

"Should we talk about this?" Chen Yun finally understood why Gao Ming looked so troubled.

To say... there is no evidence, but not to say is to watch Hu Yue'e jump into a fire pit.

“We have to say it.” Gao Ming hesitated for a moment before deciding, “Whether they believe it or not is their business, but we can’t lose our conscience.”

Chen Yun nodded and silently picked up a noodle and put it in her mouth.

The noodles were soaked until they were soft and mushy; they broke into tiny pieces with the slightest touch of the tongue and slid down the throat as one swallowed.

I sliced ​​up a few pieces of the leftover cured pork from the New Year, stir-fried them with garlic sprouts, and the noodle soup was infused with the aroma of cured pork.

A sudden inspiration struck Chen Yun.

"Are Su Weiming and his group going to the county bus station to pick up goods today?"

"We should be there by now." Gao Ming estimated the time, then asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

What are they pulling?

"Parts and a batch of newly arrived lathe parts."

"I have an idea. When Brother Hu comes back... let's do it like this..."

Chen Yun put down his chopsticks and whispered something in Gao Ming's ear.

***

The midday sun in spring seemed rather muggy, so Chen Yun went to the Ma family's house after lunch.

First, I need to check on Ma Cuifen's review progress and what books she needs to bring to the provincial capital. Second, I need to examine Zhang Guixiang's pulse.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye. The seven-month-old twin pregnancy was almost as advanced as that of a singleton pregnancy. The towering pregnant belly kept the entire Ma family on edge. If it weren't for Chen Yun living diagonally across the street, the tension would have been about to break at any moment.

For this reason, Zhang Guixiang specially applied to the factory to have Ma Cuifen cover her shifts for the first half of the year. After the Youth League Committee agreed, she only went to the hospital and walked around the neighborhood.

Ma Cuifen works during the day and studies her lessons in the evenings according to Chen Yun's plan.

In her previous life, this little girl would have been a top student; she could understand a lot of knowledge just by Chen Yun reading it from the textbook once.

"Your older brother just slipped me an industrial ticket and five yuan. Do you have any stationery with you?"

The Ma family, from the oldest to the youngest, each has their own little quirks, but they are never careless when it comes to important matters.

Ma's mother wanted Ma Cuifen to take the college entrance exam and go to university. Ma Zhigang thought she was just being nosy, but since his mother supported it, he supported it too.

He and Old Man Ma took on most of the housework, and even made room for Ma Cuifen to read.

Old Ma decided to spend money to build a second floor before her daughter-in-law gave birth. If they couldn't afford iron, they would build it with wood. They are currently looking for a carpenter everywhere.

“I wrote with charcoal, and exchanged industrial coupons for cloth coupons to buy my two little nephews a set of fine cotton clothes.”

Ma Cuifen knew how to be grateful. She raised her face, which was smeared with charcoal, and smiled, revealing her white teeth.

"If I can get cloth coupons, I'll find a way to buy them."

Chen Yun put the ticket in his pocket, looked up at the window, and immediately waved to Old Ma: "If you don't understand anything, come to my house and find me."

"Thank you, Sister Chen."

Previously, she had always addressed her as Doctor Chen, but Old Lady Ma said it sounded too formal, so she insisted that the two girls call her "elder sister."

"If you become successful, you must never forget the help Comrade Chen gave to our family."

Old Lady Ma sat at the door twisting straw rope, and when she saw Chen Yun call out to Hu Gangtie, she couldn't help but sigh softly.

Don't worry, Mother.

At Chen Yun's house, Hu Gangtie had just entered when Chen Yun went to the next room.

Is my sister-in-law home?

Chen Yun stood at the door and asked, but the answer came from the lower bunk of Hu Yue'e's bunk bed: "Aunt Yang went to the river to wash her bamboo baskets. Aunt Chen, come in and sit down."

Tang Junjie sat up in bed, still sleepy, and looked around as if he had been asleep for a long time.

"I won't come in."

"Trying to be at home..." Chen Yun curled her lip, turned around and left, heading straight to the riverbank to find someone.

"Why do you insist on me coming to your house?!"

"Sister-in-law, keep your voice down," Chen Yun whispered, raising her index finger as she glanced next door.

I don't know what he did last night, he was snoring loudly throughout the house.

"Damn it!" Yang Juhua couldn't help but curse loudly, dropping the basket and rushing inside: "I've really seen something new today. I've never heard of a girl's boyfriend sleeping at her own house."

"What's wrong?" Hu Gangtie heard Yang Juhua's cursing from inside the house. He was about to get up when Gao Ming comforted him and made him sit back down.

The snoring inside continued.

Tang Junjie was asleep in the lower bunk, while Hu Yue'e was lying on her parents' bed. Fortunately, there was a curtain between them; otherwise, Yang Juhua would have already started hitting her.

"sister in law."

Chen Yun pulled the person into the house: "Don't rush, we have something to tell you."

"What's the rush?" Yang Juhua was so angry that her breathing became rapid, and water was still dripping from the wooden brush in her hand. "I'll talk to you after I teach that scoundrel a lesson."

"Sister-in-law, we're talking about Tang Junjie."

"he?"

"Sister-in-law, please have a seat." Gao Ming stood up and pulled Hu Xiangyang, who was listening intently to the radio, to the door, and handed her a comic book: "If our adults have something to say, just call us no matter who comes. After it's done, this book will be yours."

Hu Xiangyang: "..."

He was long past the age of being easily fooled by a comic book, but seeing the adults discussing his older sister's matter, he reluctantly agreed.

Hu Xiangyang didn't like his older sister's boyfriend either, and he would be happier if the relationship ended sooner rather than later.

Hu Xiangyang plopped down at the door and waved his hand.

“Brother Hu, this is what happened…” Gao Ming repeated what he had told Chen Yun that morning: “I didn’t see what the leader looked like at the time, but I’m pretty sure it was Tang Junjie.”

"..."

Yang Juhua's face turned pale and red. She never expected that the person her daughter had been so insistent on befriending was actually a thief. She also felt ashamed that her family scandal had been exposed and that there was something even uglier underneath.

She looked down on Tang Junjie because his family was poor, but she never expected that the biggest problem was his character.

"Old Hu." Yang Juhua quickly lost her composure and could only look at Hu Gangtie, the pillar of the family: "What about Yue'e?!"

Hu Gangtie snorted coldly with a dark face: "From now on, lock Yue'e at home and don't let them see each other anymore."

"Can she be locked up for a few days? Can she be locked up for a lifetime?" Chen Yun asked softly, "We don't know what kind of person Yue'e is, but don't you know her?"

"..."

“Then I’ll go talk to Old Man Tang and tell him to keep his son in check.”

Gao Ming chuckled helplessly: "If Old Man Tang could control Tang Junjie, would he still have the guts to organize people to climb onto the car?"

"Then, Brother Gao, what do you suggest we do?"

No matter how strong your fist is, you can't really hit your own daughter. Hu Gangtie couldn't bring himself to do it. A few light slaps were like a drizzle and had no effect.

He's willing to listen to reason, so today Tang Junjie didn't dare to sleep openly in his own bed.

"I do have an idea, but it's not certain whether it will work..."

Gao Ming first revealed the results of the couple's private discussion to Hu Gangtie in advance, in order to prevent them from being upset even though they were trying to help the other party.

"Just tell us what you want, we're willing to try whether it works or not." Hu Gangtie steeled his heart and made a decision: "If we really can't control her, then let her do whatever she wants."

Gao Ming and Chen Yun exchanged a glance and slowly spoke.

They helped Hu Gangtie not just for Hu Yue'e's sake; Gao Ming had long wanted to find out who these car thieves were.

They caught the person that time, but some members of the team were also punished for failing to notice the loss of goods.

Losing the bonus is a minor issue; the bigger problem is having to compensate with wages, which could potentially wipe out several months' worth of salary.

Most importantly... Gao Ming suspects there is a traitor within the convoy.

“A convoy will pass through Huangniba Commune the night after tomorrow. The convoy is carrying parts, so I bet those hitchhikers won’t hitch a ride, but we can make them think there’s something good on the convoy… and then we can catch them all in one fell swoop.”

If Chen Yun hadn't suggested the "luring the snake out of its hole" tactic that morning, Gao Ming would never have considered luring the thief out before taking him in.

It's better to take the initiative than to guard against thieves for a thousand days.

"Catch the thieves...you mean the two of us go and catch them?" Hu Gangtie's voice trembled as he spoke.

"Coward!" Yang Juhua said angrily, shoving Hu Gangtie's arm. "All you do is yell at home, but when I ask you to do something productive, you don't dare to utter a word."

"Who said I was scared? I just... I just wanted to get to the bottom of it." Hu Gangtie firmly denied that he had been a little cowardly just now.

"Brother Hu, don't worry, it's definitely not just the two of us."

The convoy consisted of two people, Su Weiming and Gao Ming. At noon, Gao Ming went to the security department to report the situation. Liu Congwu, the head of the security department, sent Li Huguo and four retired veterans to assist the transport team in catching the thieves.

They outnumbered the enemy by several, so catching the car thieves wasn't Hu Gangtie's main task.

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Hu Gangtie asked, puzzled.

He wasn't needed to catch the thief, yet Gao Ming said he needed his help, but it's unclear what kind of help he was offering.

"We need you to let Tang Junjie know there's something good in the car!" Chen Yun couldn't help but say.

The news was most naturally leaked by Hu Gangtie and Yang Juhua unintentionally; even the smartest person wouldn't suspect that those words were just bait.

"If I can't catch the thief, I'm good at lying." Yang Juhua believed that her verbal skills were second to none, and quickly patted her chest to assure him: "I can definitely fool that little bastard."

"Sister-in-law, whether we can make it work tonight depends on you!"

Yang Juhua solemnly patted her chest to assure him, then rolled her eyes at Hu Gangtie: "If you can't speak properly, then don't talk nonsense. Just listen to me."

Hu Gangtie, unusually subdued in his demeanor, nodded hesitantly.

After discussing their story at Chen Yun's house, Yang Juhua and Hu Gangtie went home one after the other.

Tang Junjie slept until the evening sky was ablaze with color. If Hu Yue'e hadn't woken him up, who knows how long he would have slept.

Yang Juhua has already prepared the meal.

Five rice bowls were laid out on the table, and Hu Yue'e's face lit up with a smile as she counted them.

Doesn't this mean that their parents agreed to their relationship, didn't kick them out, and even fed them?

"Eat your food." Yang Juhua glared at the girl who was already siding with outsiders even before getting married: "If you laugh again, you're not allowed to eat."

Hu Gangtie sat down and poured himself a small glass of baijiu.

“Your relationship is definitely not approved by Yue’e’s mother and me.” Hu Gangtie picked up his wine glass and took a sip. “But if Yue’e is willing, we can’t stop her. However, you can only officially start dating after Yue’e turns eighteen.”

Yang Juhua chimed in, "For now, you should treat each other as revolutionary comrades. If you can't do that, I'll go to your house and find Old Man Tang."

Hu Yue'e frowned, dissatisfied, and wanted to argue a few words.

Tang Junjie readily agreed, rattling off a string of promises. Whether Hu Gangtie and his wife believed him or not was irrelevant... In any case, Hu Yue'e believed him.

Seeing that the couple weren't too opposed, Tang Junjie became more efficient at picking up food with his chopsticks.

Yang Juhua snorted inwardly countless times. After a few bites of food, she suddenly said, "After you finish eating, hurry up and send the money to Chen Yun. If you send it too late, we might not get any."

"We'll go after we finish eating," Hu Gangtie replied.

"What did you buy from Uncle Gao this time? It sounds like it's in high demand." Hu Yue'e asked curiously.

"Ham!" Yang Juhua answered very softly, "Keep your voice down, these hams are some good stuff that your Uncle Gao specially asked his comrades to get for you."

"I heard that they can't even be bought on the black market. They have to be hidden in trucks that transport parts to get into our factory. A lot of people are waiting for the trucks to arrive as soon as they hear about it!"

"When will the car arrive? Should we go and wait for it in advance?" Yang Juhua asked anxiously.

"Let's ask Gao Ming first," Hu Gangtie said, tapping the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks. "None of you can talk about this outside, understand?"

Everyone nodded.

Yang Juhua couldn't tell whether Tang Junjie was listening or not. After finishing her meal, she seemed to be very obedient and went home.

The couple were so anxious they couldn't sleep all night, and at the crack of dawn they slipped into the next room.