Zhou Xianye was diligent and frugal throughout the journey, eating only the dry food that Su Xiumei had carefully prepared before the trip. He was thinking about saving every penny he could, and he wished he could split every penny in half to spend.
At that moment, facing Manager Zhao's questioning, his heart tightened, his fists clenched involuntarily, and cold sweat instantly seeped from his palms.
He feigned composure, quickly pulled money from his pocket, shoved it into Manager Zhao's pocket, and offered him a cigarette, his face plastered with a fawning smile, saying:
"Manager Zhao, look, there's some dirt on your clothes. Let me help you clean it. My coworker really doesn't know the rules and went to relieve himself. It's all our fault. We promise we won't do it again. We'll wait until we've finished unloading the goods before going. We hope you'll be lenient and let us off the hook. We'll definitely follow the rules from now on and never do it again."
Zhou Xianye smiled somewhat humbly and respectfully presented a box of unopened cigarettes with both hands.
He bought this specifically to deal with such emergencies. He originally knew nothing about cigarette brands, and only after asking Brother Lie did he realize that this brand was good. He thought it was better to be prepared, but he never expected it to actually come in handy now.
Manager Zhao coughed lightly, clearly not expecting Zhou Xianye to be so adept at handling things.
He patted his pocket, glanced at it briefly, and saw that it was full of ten-yuan notes. His expression immediately softened, and he said:
"Yes, these clothes are indeed a bit dirty. You seem like a quick-witted person, but this is a one-time exception for leaving your post without permission. Your family called you from the gatehouse. I'll check the goods, and you can leave after that."
Zhou Xianye nodded hurriedly, knowing that he had temporarily passed this hurdle, but he dared not relax his vigilance at all, his back already soaked with sweat.
Manager Zhao pretended to inspect the goods, but when no one was looking, he secretly rummaged through his pockets and found a hundred yuan inside. He was immediately in a good mood, glanced around casually, and then left.
Zhou Xianye drove to the warehouse entrance and saw that the inspection at the entrance was much stricter than when he came in. His heart jumped into his throat and his forehead was covered with sweat.
Looking at those fierce-looking inspectors, he couldn't help but wonder if they were all after Gu Xue. His heart was pounding in his chest.
Just then, Manager Zhao came out to pour tea. He saw Zhou Xianye, smiled and casually said a few words to the inspectors before letting him out.
Only then did Zhou Xianye breathe a long sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "That hundred yuan was really well spent!"
After picking up Brother Lie, Zhou Xianye was worried about how to bring up Gu Xue's matter, but Brother Lie spoke first:
"Xianye, you should go back with the convoy. I have some other things to take care of in Beijing, so I won't be going back with you. Will you be okay driving by yourself?"
Driving back empty meant less pressure, and Zhou Xianye quickly replied, "No problem, Brother Lie. How long will it take you? I can wait for you, and we can go back together, which will save us a lot on transportation costs."
Brother Lie smiled and waved his hand, handing Zhou Xianye ten yuan, saying, "Then I'll trouble you."
Zhou Xianye found the convoy and learned that they would be setting off back together that evening, so he could go and prepare some dry food and equipment in the afternoon.
He went to the convenience store and called Li Quan's house. The phone rang only twice before it was answered: "Hello! Is this Xianye?"
"Mom, it's me. The goods have all been delivered, and I can leave for home tonight."
"Alright, alright, thank you for your trouble. Since you're in Beijing, see if you can find out anything about Xiang Nan. It shouldn't be hard to find out about Gu Xue's family situation; see if anything has happened to them."
If you don't find out anything, come back quickly. Xiaoli, Xiaojuan, and Xiumei are all worried about you.
Zhou Xianye gripped the phone, glancing warily around. Seeing no one suspicious, he lowered his voice and said, "Mother, I found Gu Xue. I don't know what happened between them, but the situation looks bad. If I go and inquire about Xiang Nan, will it implicate him?"
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before Meng Shuyun lowered her voice and replied, "Come back as soon as possible, and be careful on the road. Don't worry about Xiang Nan's matter for now, just be extra careful on the road."
"I understand, Mother. I'll wait for you near the ruined temple." Zhou Xianye understood Meng Shuyun's meaning, hung up the phone, bought some food, and returned to his car.
At this moment, Gu Xue had already woken up. She looked weakly at Zhou Xianye, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn't say a word.
Zhou Xianye quickly took out a new kettle, poured her a glass of water, and then took out a bowl of easily digestible porridge.
The lunchbox was still warm. He said softly, "Eat something first to save your energy. The drive is a bit bumpy. I've told Mom we'll head back tonight. If you feel unwell, just let me know."
Gu Xue's eyes welled up with tears, and she nodded gently.
She drank a few mouthfuls of porridge and some water, but ultimately succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep again.
Meng Shuyun hung up the phone, her expression grave.
She turned to the crowd and said, "Xiumei, you stay at Quanzi's house and wait for the call. Xiuju, take a week off and call Xiangnan morning, noon, and night until he calls back. If Xiangnan calls, tell him to call back in thirty minutes."
"Kangshun, Jiaqi, Xiangyang, you can continue with your work and tutoring as usual. If you receive any strange phone calls or encounter strangers, please be extra vigilant."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Meng Shuyun then took Su Xiulan's hand and said, "Come with me to pick up Xue'er the day after tomorrow."
Afterwards, Meng Shuyun pulled Zhang Laidi aside for a private talk, saying with a face full of guilt, "I'm so sorry to have troubled you these past few days. Something really did happen at home. This is the phone bill and compensation I'm giving you in advance; you must accept it."
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