Once inside the kitchen, the fat man finally understood the half-finished sentence Secretary Chen had said earlier.
Considering the day-and-night meeting before, this person will probably have to step aside. At that point, they probably won't be paying attention to the Lou family's affairs anymore.
In the afternoon, the senior leader was in high spirits and talked with the fat man for quite a while.
The words, both in and out, conveyed a sense of desolation and sorrow, like "the Yi River rising with mournful waves."
The fat man didn't know how to comfort him, and he wasn't qualified to comfort the big boss.
Instead, the big boss put a record on the gramophone, and it was "Destiny" playing.
He said to the fat man, "This is Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor, also called Fate; the composer's fate, the nation's fate, the people's fate..."
The fat man accompanied the big leader to listen to the symphony. As they were leaving, the big leader said to the fat man, "We're friends despite our age difference. I see you really like this piece, so I'll give you this phonograph."
The fat man quickly declined, saying, "I can't accept this; it's too valuable!"
The high-ranking official sighed: "This phonograph was a gift to me. It will just gather dust if I keep it, so I might as well give it to you."
The fat man felt a pang of sadness; it seemed the big boss had already made preparations to head south.
※※※※※※
The fat man finally returned to the courtyard house near the end of the workday.
He carried a large box and quickly went straight back to his room. He didn't even acknowledge Yan Bugui when Yan spoke to him.
I don't know what time the elementary school closes every day, but whenever Fatty enters this yard, I see him nine times out of ten, like a watchdog.
And they talk a lot of nonsense: "What's this?", "Where did you go?", "Why are you back so early today?"
Those who know him would think he's a primary school teacher, but those who don't would think he's a spy!
Chen Yan was busy working on the sewing machine, and Yu Li was giving her instructions when she suddenly saw Chen Yan carrying something that looked very heavy into the house.
They all stopped what they were doing and curiously crowded around: "What's in here?"
The fat man found a suitable spot to put the item down and opened the lid: "A phonograph!"
After saying that, he plugged in the power, took out Tchaikovsky's film, placed it properly, and slowly put the stylus on the film. Soon, the rich and majestic music began to play.
Yu Li and Chen Yan watched it like it was a spectacle, but after a while they found it noisy.
The fat man scratched his head, wondering why Lou Xiao'e could understand it, Yu Haitang could understand it, and Ran Qiuye could understand it even more easily.
Yu Li and Chen Yan actually found it noisy, noisy, noisy...
With a dark expression, he put the tonearm aside, rubbing his teeth in frustration: "Can't you two improve your academic skills?"
These two women almost channeled the Jin-Sui Iron Triangle again: "Learning, learning something...hehe!"
However, what the fat man didn't know was that after he went out to cook, Yu Li put the needle back on, just like he did.
The two women listened intently to the music coming from the gramophone. After a while, Chen Yan wrinkled her nose and whispered, "I don't like this piece. It's too depressing. I hear submission in it..."
The music played for a while longer, and Yu Li looked up: "I heard a struggle, a struggle against a tragic fate."
"No wonder this piece is called 'Fate'."
Chen Yan said something, then became engrossed in the music, and after a long while she finally spoke: "He thinks we two are uncultured."
Yu Li also felt wronged: "But we really are uneducated."
Chen Yan then took the opportunity to flirt with her, saying, "That's because you're uneducated. I at least graduated from primary school."
Yu Li was thoroughly teased by her again, and said unwillingly, "You just wait, I'll start learning culture tomorrow!"
Chen Yan scoffed, "You? Who did you learn from?"
"Of course it's with my man! I was watching him tutor my third sister, he's amazing!"
"..."
That evening, a sudden downpour hit the capital.
A sudden storm raged, accompanied by the constant rumble of thunder.
Yu Li hurriedly went to close the window. The fat man stood at the door, smelling the fresh, earthy scent, his eyes becoming unfocused.
Yu Li rushed to pull him inside, and saw what looked like a figure getting closer and closer in the heavy rain.
Under the eaves, Lou Xiao'e flicked her umbrella, looked at the fat man with a bold gaze, and uttered a shocking statement: "I've come to repay your kindness with my body!"
The fat man guiltily glanced back into the room. Yu Li and Chen Yan were both there. "Don't make a scene..."
Seeing his cowardly appearance, Lou Xiao'e burst out laughing. Taking advantage of the strong wind and rain, she said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "I came back specifically to thank you."
The fat man stared at her blankly: "Nothing else?"
Lou Xiao'e chuckled and playfully slapped him, then pulled a box from her pocket: "This is our family heirloom. Let it repay me in kind."
The fat man put his hands behind his back to show his innocence: "Sister Xiao'e, please stop joking."
Lou Xiao'e said seriously, "Chen Kang, I'm not joking with you! You were born before I was born, and I was born after you had grown old. We've been separated for thousands of miles, and there's no telling when we'll meet again. I don't know if I'll ever see you again, and I don't know what the future holds for me!"
Seeing that he still wouldn't take it, Lou Xiao'e hurriedly shoved it into his arms, and the fat man quickly caught it with both hands. Suddenly, Lou Xiao'e pounced on him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him…
A bolt of lightning illuminated the entire night sky, like a long roar from the heavens, and the rain poured down even harder.
Lou Xiao'e gasped for breath: "It's too late, I have to go."
The fat man wanted to say something, but in the end, all he could do was offer a heartfelt farewell.
Back inside, he saw Yu Li and Chen Yan sitting at the table, looking at the fat man with worried expressions.
The fat man sighed and took out the box.
Chen Yan asked curiously, "What is this?"
"Priceless treasure".
A priceless treasure? Yu Li and Chen Yan looked at each other in disbelief. The fat man slowly opened the box, and what came into view was a pure white bracelet, crystal clear and without a single blemish.
bracelet
Chen Yan didn't even dare to reach out her hand, murmuring, "My God, it's so beautiful. You say it's priceless?"
The fat man nodded: "Gold has a price, but jade is priceless. In ten or twenty years, this thing will probably be worth hundreds of millions."
One hundred million?! Yu Li and Chen Yan stared in disbelief at the box on the table: "Such a valuable thing, Lou Xiao'e, she... she!"
Yu Li hesitated for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence. The fat man sighed, "It's because it's too valuable that she doesn't dare carry it with her and asked me to keep it safe for her. Her family is now like frightened birds; even though the capital is big, I'm afraid they can't find a single trustworthy person."
The two women then belatedly asked, "Where did she go?"
"Hong Kong, or maybe overseas, who knows?"
Is this an escape...?
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