The small office fell into silence.
Although Wang Lu's behavior was inappropriate, Mingqiao still hoped that Wang Lu really escaped. She broke one hand and must be treated in time. Moreover, this injury was too severe for a junior high school girl.
He really didn't want to judge whether Wang Lu was good or bad at this time. She was selfish, but maybe that was human nature.
Qin Xue didn't know why Ming Qiao's expression suddenly changed, but he could also feel the anxious and worried mood. He tentatively asked, "Teacher Ming, what happened to Wang Lu?"
"I don't know." Ming Qiao said, "But it's better for her to go out than to stay here."
"Teacher Ming." Shi Xin shouted from behind: "I found a notebook."
"What book?"
Shi Xin opened the black cover of the book and took a look at the contents: "It looks like a diary."
"Let me see." Mingqiao walked over and took the notebook handed to him by Shi Xin.
This book is just an ordinary notebook, A5 size, as thick as a coin. There is nothing written on the title page, and only content appears after page 3 or 4.
[April 28, cloudy
At the meeting today, they said that the higher-ups were going to transfer a new principal to the school. He is a national-level teaching expert, and it would be a waste of his talent for him to be the principal of No. 1 Middle School.
When I got off work, I saw the old principal sitting alone on the first floor of the restaurant eating. He looked so pitiful.
Now that the new principal has arrived, he will be laid off.
May 1, light rain
It is said that something happened with the new principal.
The old principal came to eat again, and I went up to talk to him.
May 7, cloudy
May Day is over, but the new principal has not arrived yet.
The employees are saying that the new principal is from the south and may not be able to adapt to the climate and soil in the north, so he has been reluctant to take up the position. But I think the climate and soil in our north are pretty good, just a little dry.
I guess in order to cater to the new principal's taste, the restaurant will have to add a southern cuisine.
May 11, light rain
The old principal came to eat again today. He said that there was too little meat in the restaurant's meat dishes and that he could only eat two pieces of meat for two yuan.
But the restaurant has always charged this price, and it’s subsidized. If it were cheaper or gave more meat, it would be a loss.
I told him this and got scolded.
He said the children were tired from studying and needed to eat something good, and asked me to think of a solution.
Okay, I'll see where I can find cheaper meat.
May 21, heavy rain
The new principal arrived today, surrounded by a group of people, with an umbrella held over his head like a canopy.
The shelf is really big.
Who cares? As long as it teaches the kids something.
May 27, heavy rain
Why has the rain been going on for several days?
The new principal gave me an employee handbook. It was full of nonsense and the handwriting was not even as good as mine.
May 30, cloudy
There are several new employees.
I arrange the work.
Eating, restaurant, delicious.
Someone is coming to the third floor.
Chicken Feet
Meat
Breeding.
Mingqiao almost finished reading with a frown on his face. He slowly closed the notebook and put it down. Shi Xin handed him another one: "This is a work log."
[Note: The work logs before May 15 have been submitted. This notebook records the work content after May 15.
Monday, May 21
Work arrangements: purchase supplies, provide catering services, and repair tables and chairs.
Work review: Completed daily tasks, welcomed the new leader’s inspection at 8 a.m., repaired three tables and chairs in the afternoon, and negotiated a meat purchase project with the Languan Vegetable Market in the south.
Work problem: In light of the criticism and suggestions from previous leaders regarding the lack of meat in meat dishes, we re-tendered and approved the meat procurement project from Languan Vegetable Market. It will take time to re-set the prices of the dishes.
Sunday, May 27
Work arrangements: purchase supplies, provide catering services, complete menu pricing, and help employees familiarize themselves with the manual.
Work review: Daily tasks completed, pricing completed, employee handbooks distributed.
Work problem: Employees do not cooperate in reading the manual.
Friday, June 1
Work arrangement: daily completion and personnel arrangement and transfer.
Work review: eating.
Work problems: None. 】
There are only three work logs in total, and there are no more subsequent ones.
In general, whether it is a diary or a work log, it can be seen that the owner of the note has changed his mood after the 30th of last month, and later even the language began to change.
But it always feels wrong.
"Teacher, today is only the 2nd day." Qin Xue leaned over and asked, "How come you remembered it up to the 3rd day?"
Mingqiao also discovered this problem. Maybe the 3 books are not dates, but numbers? Qin Xue and the other two came in on the 2nd. From the diary, we can see that this person wrote the words "chicken feet" and "breeding", which just correspond to Wang Lu's hands and Qin Xue being locked in a cage.
The more he read, the more panicked he became. These words blatantly showed the process of a person going crazy. Just a few words made him shudder.
If they had not come into the restaurant and found Qin Xue, he might have been "raised" in a cage like livestock and eventually eaten as food by a group of monsters.
The pain of having his finger bitten off suddenly came back to him, causing Mingqiao to shiver unconsciously.
He calmed himself down, turned around and asked Shi Xin: "Did you find anything else?"
"Does a bottle of ten-year-old Moutai count? They are all insignificant things," Shi Xin shook his head and said, "There is nothing else."
"Let's go." Mingqiao was very aware of the situation the three of them were in. They had to find a way out faster. Since there was no switch leading to the outside in this room, they would go to the next one.
Shi Xin grabbed Ming Qiao's hand as he was about to open the door and said, "Teacher Ming, have you ever thought about a question?"
"What?"
"First of all, we can be sure that as long as there are people in the small dark room and the maze, the passage can be opened."
Mingqiao narrowed his eyes and waited for him to continue.
"The old man is in that small dark room now. Why don't we lead these monsters into the maze? Then the passage will be opened and we can get out."
"No." Mingqiao refused subconsciously: "You can't use other people's lives to exchange for your own. I don't agree. There must be other ways."
"Wake up." Shi Xin scolded, "Are you a saint? The three of us staying here is just a waste of time. What if we can't find any other way? Stay here forever? Those outside are already monsters, monsters! Do you understand? They are not human, unlike you. Right now, your own life is the most important."
"I..." Mingqiao was still struggling.
"Okay, listen to me." Shi Xin interrupted Ming Qiao: "After opening the door, I will be responsible for leading those monster employees away. You take your good students to the next floor first, and then you come to pick me up. Together we will lead them to the middle of the maze, and finally, we will get out together."
Seeing Ming Qiao frowning and not speaking, Shi Xin looked at Qin Xue who was standing beside him in amazement and said, "Repeat it to your teacher Ming."
Qin Xue understood what Shi Xin meant and looked at Ming Qiao: "Teacher, I know what you are thinking, but the most fundamental difference between humans and animals is that humans have consciousness. You said that. Look at those people outside, they are not humans, they are monsters, they are beasts, and you are not, so you have to live, teacher."
Shi Xin held the door handle, not looking at the teacher and student behind him: "Have you discussed it? Are you going to leave or not?"
"Let's go." Mingqiao gritted his teeth.
This cheap wooden door seemed to separate heaven and hell; even if a tiny gap was opened, the darkness that came in could swallow up anyone struggling in the light.
Perhaps from the moment you enter the cafeteria, a game filled with blood has already begun.
Mingqiao knew that he couldn't continue to be stubborn.
He was perfectly convinced by the two of them.
"Teacher Ming, see you on the second floor." Shi Xin left a word and quickly opened the door and ran out.
Mingqiao didn't dare to delay and took Shi Xin to the first floor from the other side of the stairs.
"Teacher Ming, don't be sad." Qin Xue said while taking a breath.
"Yes." Mingqiao pushed Qin Xue to the door and said, "Wait here. Once the barrier is gone, get out immediately."
"Okay, teacher, please be careful."
Mingqiao quickly ran up to the second floor and just in time saw Shi Xin leading a group of people down.
Ming Qiao stopped at the entrance of the maze, waited for Shi Xin to approach, and immediately took him through the maze.
They couldn't run too slowly in case the people behind them caught up with them, but they couldn't run too fast either because the maze was pitch black and it would be a waste of effort if they got lost.
"Mr. Ming, I'm sorry, my tone is not good."
"I should be the one to apologize first." Ming Qiao said, "You're right, they are not human."
"Maybe we'll find some clues when we get out." Shi Xin said, "Isn't there a line in the poem that goes something like this..."
“I cannot see the true face of Mount Lu because I am inside it.”
"Yes, yes, yes." Shi Xinle said, "That's it. It has to be you, Teacher Ming."
"Stop talking nonsense." Mingqiao was also amused by him and felt a lot more relaxed.
Mingqiao entered the maze for the third time. He knew the route very well and reached the center of the maze even faster than the second time.
But they waited for a long time but never heard the broadcast.
Ming Qiao was a little angry: "It's over, this kid, let him go first, he must be waiting there."
"Are there any monsters coming in?" Shi Xin asked in a low voice.
"Got it." Mingqiao quickened his pace after confirming that he heard several footsteps approaching: "It should be open downstairs, let's go quickly."
Since the restaurant staff adjustment was not notified, time would not pass faster, and the heaviness that Mingqiao felt the second time in the maze did not appear.
They ran out of the maze without stopping and ran to the first floor, where they saw Qin Xue standing at the door, looking inside anxiously.
"Why don't you leave?" Mingqiao shouted from afar.
Qin Xue saw them coming down and immediately waved without answering Ming Qiao's question: "Teacher, it's open, we can go out."
Ming Qiao and Shi Xin ran over immediately and rushed over the barrier that trapped them with Qin Xue.
The chirping of birds and cicadas in the nearby woods suddenly surged up, filling the eardrums of the three people. A familiar feeling of reunion after a long absence comforted and satisfied the three people's tired spirits.
"It's out." Mingqiao murmured.
"Yes, it's out." Shi Xin looked at him.
Mingqiao's eyes were sore when he recalled the dangers they had gone through from the time they came in to the time they left.
He blocked the bright sunlight at three o'clock in the afternoon with his hands and took a deep breath.
Volume 2: Flying Trapeze
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