Chapter 26 I’ll give you the watch when I get back.
Yan Xue was just being cautious out of habit. After all, she had read too much social news in her previous life.
They didn't expect that someone would actually follow them when they left the purchasing point, and they didn't expect that Qi Fang was so sharp-eyed that he had discovered it long ago.
If it were an ordinary girl, she would definitely turn back to look for him; even if she didn't, she would inevitably show an abnormal expression when she suddenly heard such news.
Yan Xue showed nothing, and continued walking forward as usual. "Are you still following me?"
He is really calm, rational, and courageous enough.
Qi Fang had a good memory, and he noticed those faces the third time they appeared before him. He didn't tell Yan Xue because he didn't know how long they would stay with him, and he was afraid that Yan Xue would worry.
It turned out that Yan Xue was prepared.
He even wanted to go see Yan Xue. The last time they encountered a bear in the mountains, Yan Xue was already in a very miserable state when he rushed over. It was only later that he heard from others that Yan Xue had calmly organized everyone to retreat.
But he restrained himself and whispered, "They're still here. One is looking at his watch, one is looking at his cigarette, and the other is outside the department store."
Yan Xue still didn't turn around. Instead, she picked up a round mirror with an iron stand on the counter and said, "This one is better than the one we bought for our wedding. The picture on the back is beautiful too."
Using the mirror, I scanned the two directions he mentioned.
Sure enough, there were two suspicious-looking people, stealthily glancing over here. "The one in the army green and the one with the bald head?"
"Yeah." Qi lowered his voice and returned to his normal volume, cooperating with her, "There's one at home now."
"Can't I take a look?" Yan Xue put the mirror down and picked up the wooden comb next to it. "I see there are ready-made clothes over there. Do you want to buy one?"
This wasn't just a pretense. Although ready-made clothes were expensive and not as cost-effective as buying cloth to make yourself, they didn't require cloth coupons. In those days, each person only had 12 zhang of cloth coupons per year. For someone as small as her, it was barely enough to make a set of clothes, and for someone as tall as Qi Fang, it wasn't enough at all.
She took the largest size and tried it on Qi Fang, but it was still a little small. She could only ask the salesperson, "Is there no larger size?"
"No more," the salesperson said after a casual glance. "Our ready-made clothes are hard to sell. These are the only ones we have."
Yan Xue put it down and was about to look at something else when Qi Fang said calmly, "I don't need it. Just buy it for yourself."
"How many years have you been wearing those clothes?" Yan Xue picked up another white shirt.
Qi Fang had very few clothes. Although they were all made of durable and hard-wearing materials, not ordinary homespun, they were clearly old, with some of the cuffs no longer being long enough. Yan Xue suspected he hadn't bought any new clothes in the past two years; otherwise, how could he have come up with so many cloth coupons when they got married?
She took some effort to find two pieces of clothing suitable for men, bought them all, and then went to look at stationery. "This iron pencil case is nice, Jigang will definitely like it."
He bought it with the money in his pocket and planned to give it to Jigang when he came.
Yan Xue walked around and bought a lot of things, but none of them were for herself.
Qi Fang couldn't help but ask again: "Is there nothing you want?"
"Yes," Yan Xue said with a smile, "I want money."
It was unclear whether he was sincere or joking, but Qi Fang still glanced at her and said, "I'll give it to you when we get back."
The two stayed in the department store for a long time and bought some things, which made the two people following them very anxious.
"There are so many people coming and going here, how can we start a fight?"
"How should I know? It's been over an hour, and the salesperson who was selling watches just now started glaring at me."
The two met briefly, but were unwilling to give up, so they separated and continued to follow, and then met again.
"Damn, it's been two hours. I've never been with anyone for so long."
"Have these two never seen anything before? They're not tired after walking around for such a long time."
"You're a nobody, you've never seen a department store, right? The key is, if you keep buying things like this, will you still have any money left?"
That's the problem, they want the money, but they don't want all that crap.
As they were cursing, the one waiting outside couldn't wait any longer and came up to ask the two of them, "Is this going to work?"
"You ask me, who should I ask?"
The three of them waited for a while, but couldn't wait any longer, so they had to leave. Before leaving, they glared at Qi Fang and Yan Xue fiercely.
Yan Xue lowered her head and pretended not to see anything. After a long while, she asked Qi Fang, "Are they all gone?"
"Um."
She then let out a sigh, "Finally gone."
He put down what he was holding and looked at his watch. "If we don't leave now, it will be too late."
Qi Fang knew she wanted to go to the pharmaceutical factory, but he paused and said, "Let's go to the nearby police station first."
This made Yan Xue look up at him, but she didn't say anything. She just went to another counter in front and said, "Comrade, give me two packs of cigarettes, thank you."
Many women in Northeast China smoke. The older ones smoke pipes, and the younger ones smoke cigarettes. Yan Xue and her family team are among them.
But Yan Xue doesn't smoke, and neither does Qi Fang. She buys cigarettes probably for other purposes.
Qi Fang didn't ask, but brought up the previous topic, "You don't want to report the case?"
When Yan Xue raised her eyes, she met his deep gaze, which was different from her usual half-closed lazy look. It was a careful look that even contained a hint of scrutiny and exploration.
Yan Xue didn't want to say it, but since he insisted, she said it anyway. "I don't think reporting it to the police would be any use. These people come in groups, specifically squatting outside the purchasing point, and they're still fine. This only proves that they're experienced."
Yan Xue didn't mention the deeper details, but Qi Fang probably understood.
She had spent many years in the market in her previous life and knew that thieves were divided into different areas. Those who stole from the market only stole from the market, and those who stole from the train station only stole from the train station. The vendors knew who the thieves were, and the police knew too, but didn't those people still steal things peacefully?
Qi Fang fell silent, his peach blossom eyes drooped, and he didn't say anything else until he left the store.
Yan Xue stopped at the door of the store and asked the bicycle salesman: "Comrade, do you know how to get to the police station?"
Qi Fang raised his eyes, a rare look of surprise in his eyes.
Yan Xue finished asking the other party, then looked at him, "Let's go and ask. What if I'm overthinking it? We have to give it a try, right?"
Give it a try. If it works, no one else will suffer. If it doesn’t work, they will just have to make one more trip.
Yan Xue was in a hurry and walked out while talking. After taking a few steps, she realized that the man had not caught up with her. "What's wrong? Did you forget to buy something?"
"No." Qi Fang withdrew his gaze from her, walked a distance, and looked at her again unconsciously.
When the two arrived at the police station, the man talked more and described the number of people, their clothes, and their facial features exactly.
The police officers at the police station couldn't help but look at him repeatedly. "Three of you, right? We'll keep an eye on them."
Qi Fang didn't say anything more, and went out to accompany Yan Xue to the county pharmaceutical factory.
Now I know why Yan Xue bought cigarettes. She knocked on the window of the guard room and handed a pack of cigarettes in. "Comrade, I want to ask you something. Does our pharmaceutical factory have agar?"
The most important thing in artificially cultivating wood ear mushrooms is the cultivation of the fungus strains.
The culture medium for cultivating bacteria mainly consists of potatoes, glucose and agar.
Potatoes are easy to buy, and glucose can also be obtained at the town hospital, but agar is the only one available. Yan Xue can only think of trying it at the pharmaceutical factory.
This thing is a polysaccharide extracted from algae. It is mainly used in jelly and pudding in the food industry, culture medium in the medical field and as a thickener in the cosmetics field.
The cigarettes Yan Xue bought were Yingchun cigarettes at 28 cents a box. They were not the most expensive in the store, but they were definitely good cigarettes. The guard could tell at a glance.
"I'm really not sure about this. Let me ask for you."
The smoke didn't push back.
Yan Xue knew something was up, so she smiled and said, "Thank you for your help."
"What's the trouble?" The other party waved his hand and went in.
Outside the factory gate, Qi Fang cast his gaze towards Yan Xue. "Is this the reason you came to the pharmaceutical factory?"
It was unusual for him to be talkative today. He never really cared about her affairs before.
It's not just her business. This man seems to be uninterested in everything and indifferent. He also doesn't like others to explore him.
Yan Xue looked at the other person carefully and said, "It is indeed for this reason, but I don't know if it is available."
"Probably not," Qi Fang said, "This stuff is rare and not yet produced on a large scale in China."
"You know all this?" Yan Xue was even more surprised.
Qi Fang immediately remembered that she didn't even remember what she studied in college. He was silent for a moment and said, "I heard it from others before."
Although he didn't study this, he knows people who study related majors.
Yan Xue discovered that this man knew quite a lot. But then again, with such a good memory, his brain must be able to hold a lot of things. It was just a pity. If such a good brain had been used seven or eight years ago, or seven or eight years later, he would have been able to get into university at least. But now...
For some reason, Qi Fang always felt that Yan Xue looked at him with some regret. When he wanted to explore it, the guard had already come out.
"I asked, but the factory didn't have it. They said you need to find a biopharmaceutical factory. We make traditional Chinese medicine."
As expected, what Qi Fang said came true. Yan Xue glanced at the man, but was not disappointed. She still kept the pack of Yingchun cigarettes.
As for the other package, since the pharmaceutical factory is out of agar, it can only be saved for the time being.
The two walked out side by side. Qi Fang lowered his eyes and asked her, "Why don't you go to the provincial capital to look for him?"
"No need," Yan Xue shook her head. "I'll think of another way. It doesn't have to be ready-made."
She knew how to make agar-agar, but since it was already available, who would bother?
Qi Fang must have understood. He looked at her again, but didn't ask any more questions. "Go back?"
"I definitely have to go back," Yan Xue checked her watch, "If I don't go back now, I'll miss the train."
After getting off the long-distance bus station, the two almost ran all the way to squeeze onto the train before it started. They bought their tickets on the train.
When I returned to the forest farm, I happened to meet a few male educated youth who had just returned from shooting birds in the woods with homemade slingshots and gas/wood guns.
Ever since Qi Fang shot and killed the black bear with two shots, these male educated youth have become interested. They definitely cannot join the patrol team. Even Yu Yongzhi and the director Yu refused to let him join.
The main reason was that the eldest son was not a good shooter and he went right up against Hei Xia Zi. Director Yu didn't dare to let him touch the gun at will.
But if we can’t hunt big ones, it should be okay to hunt birds and pheasants, right?
It just so happened that they were average at work but had a lot of time. Among these educated youth who came to the mountains, very few of them really worked hard.
Everyone had gained something today, and they were chatting as they walked, completely unaware of Yan Xue and Qi Fang who were not far away.
Yan Xue and Qi Fang didn't pay attention to them at first, but after walking for a while, Qi Fang suddenly turned his gaze back.
Yan Xue also stopped and frowned slightly, because those male educated youth happened to mention Liu Weiguo, and there was a lot of contempt in their words.
"Isn't that funny? He wants to date Zhou Wenhui, but he doesn't even take a piss and look at himself."
"The people in the ditch are ignorant. They think they are great just because they can saw wood and shoot guns."
"Maybe Zhou Wenhui likes this. She asked him to fix the alarm clock without even noticing it."
"If someone brings you delicious food every day, wouldn't you be nice to them? Besides, if someone offers to fix your alarm clock for free, why not?"
"Gouli" means "a valley in the mountains", which was originally a nickname for the forest villages in the mountains, but when they say it, it sounds like a derogatory term.
As the young men walked, they asked one of them, who was carrying a gas/wood warehouse, "Gangzi, what were you thinking? Why did you let him fix your watch?"
Yan Xue had a memory of this man: Zhang Guogang. He came from a well-off family and had connections at the town forestry bureau, so he wasn't particularly interested in the work at the forest farm, simply hanging around to get by.
Before Zhang Guogang could say anything, a short man next to him laughed. "What are you thinking? You want to make Liu Weiguo look bad. Do you really think his friend can be fixed?"
This is Yang Tao, who is almost inseparable from Zhang Guogang.
"That's right. This little place is so small. It's hard to say how many watches he has seen. Otherwise, why would he say he would try to repair it? I guess he himself is not sure."
"Then he still took on this matter?"
"He's trying to show off in front of Zhou Wenhui. Look how cocky he's been lately. He doesn't even know his last name anymore."
It's not like no one was cautious, "What if Qi Fang really can repair it?"
"It's okay if you really know how to repair it." Zhang Guogang smiled and lowered his voice.
Several educated youths all leaned over. I couldn't hear what they said, but judging from their expressions, they definitely couldn't hold their fart.
Sure enough, someone laughed after a while, "Then I have to follow him and give him a good scolding in person."
"Call Zhou Wenhui as well. Let's see if Liu Weiguo dares to continue his treachery."
"Yes, let Zhou Wenhui see that he is just a braggart and nothing more..."
As they walked away, Yan Xue looked at Qi Fang and asked, "Are you still repairing it for them?"
"Xiu." Qi Fang answered simply and directly. His voice was not only indifferent, but also a little colder than usual.
He always seemed to have no interest in anything, but it was rare for him to be so determined. But then again, he had just arrived at the forest farm and was staying at the Liu family's. Liu Weiguo was one of his few friends.
Not to mention him, even Yan Xue wanted to frown when she heard it.
What does it have to do with them whether Liu Weiguo is dating Zhou Wenhui or not? Ultimately, they look down on the people at the forest farm and want to make fun of them.
These people didn't work hard, but were quite creative in their pursuit of shady methods. Furthermore, they wanted to punish Liu Weiguo, and they were using Qi Fang as a pretext.
The next day, when Liu Weiguo went to the educated youth site to get his watch, he found a large group of people waiting there, all wanting to go with him.
He felt that there were too many people, and Zhou Wenhui probably felt the same way. He felt a little embarrassed to be sandwiched in the crowd. "I won't go. It's not like I need to repair my watch."
"That won't work!" a male educated youth immediately shouted, "If you don't go, people will know who we are."
This was a bit of a joke, Zhou Wenhui blushed, and Liu Weiguo couldn't help laughing.
Yang Tao, who was not tall, put his arm around Liu Weiguo's shoulders and walked out. "Since we have two days off, we're free anyway, so let's go join in the fun."
Liu Weiguo didn't say anything.
When the group arrived at Yan Xue and Qi Fang's house, they praised Qi Fang profusely. However, their acting was so exaggerated that not only Yan Xue and Qi Fang, but even Liu Weiguo felt a little embarrassed.
"Where are your watches? Did you bring them with you?" Liu Weiguo hurriedly reminded them to get down to business.
"I brought it." Zhang Guogang took out the watch from his trouser pocket and handed it to him. He paused and looked at Qi Fang, "Can you really fix it?"
His expression was half-smile, and besides questioning, there was even a hint of provocation.
Liu Weiguo heard it immediately and said before Qi Fang could speak: "I didn't promise that. I just said I could help you take a look."
"You can't guarantee that you'll take the responsibility? What if it breaks?" Someone in the crowd immediately expressed dissatisfaction.
"That's right, it's worth over a hundred dollars. If he were to do this, it wouldn't be repairable. Who would compensate me?"
The sound wasn't loud, but Liu Weiguo's face immediately darkened. "Repair it if you want or not! You asked me to help find someone to fix it, and I did, and now you're doing this again."
"If you can't fix it, don't take it on. We didn't ask you to. You found someone to fix Zhou Wenhui's alarm clock that was always blowing. I didn't know you were so great."
The man stopped pretending. Seeing Liu Weiguo glaring at him, he shouted at the top of his voice, "Zhou Wenhui, look! He promised this, and now he can't do it, and he's getting angry again!"
"Exactly, how can you talk like that and fart like that?"
The others followed suit, causing Zhou Wenhui's face to turn red. "Stop bringing this up on me!"
But Liu Weiguo was still framed, as if he had taken the initiative to do this, and there was no way to end it unless he proved today that Qi Fang could indeed repair it.
No wonder Liu Weiguo could become friends with Qi Fang. He would rather lose face in front of Zhou Wenhui than let Qi Fang get involved in this matter. "I'm just bragging. What's wrong with not repairing it for you? Go away, go away!" He started to chase him away.
The male educated youth wanted to say something more, but Qi Fang, who had been silent, stretched out his hand in front of Zhang Guogang and said, "My dear."
Liu Weiguo was stunned and called out, "Qi Fang."
Zhang Guogang suddenly smiled and said, "You are so open-minded." He didn't even put the watch in his hand away, but gave it directly to Qi Fang.
Qi Fang said nothing, just glanced at the watch face on the back, then sat down at the desk and started to unpack it.
Yan Xue had already cleaned and dried a lunch box in advance, and put the parts in it for him. She also said to the others, "Send someone to watch it, so that you won't say we lost it."
She smiled and spoke in a sweet voice, but some people still felt uneasy when they saw her and subconsciously avoided her.
Finally, it was Zhou Wenhui who stood up and said, "I'll do it." Her face was tense.
The female educated youth traveling with Zhou Wenhui also said, "There's me too."
She accidentally told others about the alarm clock repair as gossip, and who would have thought it would become such a big deal.
Besides, Yan Xue was in the same family team as them and had helped them at a critical moment, unlike those male educated youth who were only concerned with escaping themselves.
The two of them stood beside the desk with their eyes wide open, but Yan Xue took a step back to leave them enough space.
Time passed minute by minute, and soon the metallic clattering sound of small parts falling into the lunch box stopped.
Qi Fang put down the watch case, pinched the last one with his long fingers, and looked back at the male educated youth with an ambiguous look.
Immediately, someone's eyes flashed and he subconsciously looked at Zhang Guogang.
Zhang Guogang's expression froze for a moment, but Yang Tao, still smiling, asked, "Have you found the problem?"
"The movement has been soaked in water and needs to be replaced. The parts are also worn, but they can still be used." Qi Fang threw the part into the lunch box as well.
With a small and crisp "ding" sound, someone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhang Guogang also felt that he was overthinking it. He smiled and raised an eyebrow, "As long as I buy the movement back, you will definitely be able to fix it? What if you can't fix it?"
"If it can't be repaired, just ask them to buy a new one," said the man who had been arguing with Liu Weiguo. "Who knows if he can put it back together after dismantling it?"
Liu Weiguo glared at him, "Are you done yet?"
Qi Fang, however, remained calm as he looked at Liu Weiguo and said, "I remember Director Xu of the small repair factory had one similar to this one."
Liu Weiguo was stunned for a moment, then he understood, "Wait for me to borrow it from Uncle Xu." He turned and left.
The man turned the muzzle of the gun towards Qi Fang again, "What's the matter? You've blown the cow away and you don't know how to fix it, so you want to find something to shine the light on?"
"Why do you male comrades in the city talk so much?" Before Qi Fang could speak, Yan Xue had already asked the female educated youth next to her.
This was a bit ironic, but it was also the truth. The other party had been talking non-stop since he walked in, constantly stirring up trouble. He was the most cheerful person present, and those who didn't know would think he was the one who planned this.
The female educated youth couldn't help laughing for a moment, and the man was also forced to shut up, and his expression looked a little suffocated.
About twenty minutes later, Liu Weiguo ran back and said, "I borrowed the item." He was sweating even though the temperature was just above zero.
Qi Fang took it, glanced at the male educated youth, and dismantled it quickly and efficiently.
This time he moved quickly, without studying it seriously or comparing it carefully, and he didn't even disassemble it completely. He only took out the movement of the watch, and it seemed that he was planning to replace it in public.
Several male educated youths exchanged glances secretly, with smiles of impending success in their eyes.
However, after Qi Fang finished installing the movement and reinstalled the other parts, he unexpectedly removed another one from Xu Wenli's watch...
Before they could even manage their expressions, he had already quickly finished assembling the watch, closed the back, wound it, and handed it to Zhang Guogang, "Let's see if it's running accurately."
"Is it fixed now?" Zhang Guogang subconsciously wiped his hands on his pants.
Seeing that he was too slow, the female educated youth who came with Zhou Wenhui had already taken it over. "Who among you has a watch?"
"Use mine." Yan Xue took off the women's watch on her wrist.
The two female educated youth immediately leaned over to take a look. Zhang Guogang and several male educated youth paused, but still moved closer without giving up.
“It’s accurate… He actually fixed it…” Several people were in complete disbelief, and some even murmured out loud.
"Are you sure it's accurate?"
Qi Fang asked everyone, and seeing that they were all silent as if they had been muted, he took the watch back and took it apart.
All the movements and parts were put back into Xu Wenli's machine, and Zhang Guogang's machine was also quickly restored by him.
Finally, he pinched the only remaining part in the lunch box, raised his eyes, and looked at Zhang Guogang with dark eyes, "This is not from your watch at all, right?"
"I..." Zhang Guogang was stuck for a moment.
Zhou Wenhui and the female educated youth were even more stunned. "It's not on his watch?" Then they realized, "You changed it on purpose so they can't fix it?"
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