Looking at the crowd weeping with their faces covered, Lu Yuan's eyes also welled up with tears.
An elderly professor with white hair trembled as he pulled a yellowed old photograph from his pocket, gently stroking it with trembling hands, tears streaming down his face.
It looked like a family photo, with the corners worn and curled.
The photo shows a young couple holding a cute boy, and the family of three is smiling happily.
"Forty years have passed, Rongzhen and Xiaoquan, how are you doing?"
Cheng Yanqiu carefully placed the two urns into a suitcase and gently patted the old professor on the shoulder.
"Mr. Jia, don't worry, your family will be fine."
The old professor wiped away his tears, carefully put the photo back into his inner pocket as if it were a precious jewel, and then smiled with relief after wiping away his tears again.
"Yes, they will definitely be fine. I will send them money every year. Although I can't be by their side, they should have enough to eat and wear."
Actually, his salary wasn't low, but the expenses for scientific research were also considerable. He and a group of people spent a lot of money privately on equipment, books, and magazines, leaving them with little savings.
At first, I could only save a few hundred or a thousand dollars a year to send back.
Later, when his son reached marriageable age, he sent more money, about one or two thousand US dollars.
Later, as he counted the days, he realized that his grandchildren should be of marriageable age, so he sent them more, $3,000 a year.
Over the years, all I've hoped for is that my family can live comfortably without worrying about food and clothing while I'm away.
He could only make up for it for his wife and children materially.
The ship sailed smoothly for five days, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They did not hire any additional boatmen, as one-third of the 26 researchers were skilled boatmen and their abilities were quite good, so there was no need to hire outsiders.
In the past few days, Lu Yuan has done a very good job in logistics. Everyone had thought that they would be on the ship for at least one or two months, so supplies had to be plentiful.
They also prepared a lot of drinking water, bread, and instant food. But no one was as well-prepared as Lu Yuan.
It had everything: pots, pans, stoves, charcoal, and all sorts of ingredients. The freezer was filled with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, and slaughtered beef and chicken.
"Director Lu, you're amazing! You've prepared for everything." Qian Bing was incredibly impressed.
The others felt the same way, thinking that Lu Yuan was omnipotent.
Keep in mind that after the boat was purchased, it only took them less than an hour to pick up the people. Lu Yuan not only transported all the scientific research equipment and books onto the boat, but also brought so much food.
Furthermore, they discovered that there were many extra wooden crates on the ship.
Although we don't know what's inside, it must have taken a lot of manpower to get so many wooden crates onto the ship in such a short time.
Su Tingxiao also took the opportunity to ask, "Director Lu, why didn't your other group of people evacuate with us? Isn't it dangerous for them to stay in the US?"
Lu Yuan asked in confusion, "Where is another group of people?"
Su Tingxiao and the others were even more puzzled than he was.
"No? If not, how did you manage to load all that equipment, supplies, and those wooden crates onto the truck within an hour?" Qian Bing asked.
Lu Yuan smiled, "So that's what you're talking about."
Fortunately, he had already prepared an excuse.
"Hey, this is a bunch of rabble I've gathered. Do you know exactly what happened the night we left?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"It seemed like the whole city lost power that day, and the police sirens seemed to be going off non-stop," Cheng Yanqiu said.
“That’s right. When we heard the sirens, we thought something had happened to you, and we almost went to look for you,” Chen Beilin said.
If Lu Yuan hadn't repeatedly instructed them to keep a close watch on Cheng Yanqiu so he could buy the ship, they probably would have gone to find him.
Lu Yuan grinned mischievously, "Something big happened that day, but it wasn't me. I reckon by the time we get back to China, the news will have already spread."
"What's the big deal?" Cheng Yanqiu pressed.
He was dying of curiosity, and the others were also staring intently at Lu Yuan, waiting for him to tell them something interesting.
Lu Yuan coughed lightly before speaking according to his prepared statement, "When I was strolling around the streets, I passed by a dirty and messy alley and overheard a group of people plotting to rob shops and banks."
"This kind of thing happens frequently in NY," Cheng Yanqiu said, unsurprised.
Lu Yuan said, "This time it's different. There are many of them, at least several thousand. Unemployed people and many people who have jobs but are dissatisfied with their treatment have all participated."
"Oh God, this can't even be called a robbery anymore, it's almost a riot."
Lu Yuan nodded, "That's not wrong. They have a rather meticulous plan. Some of them are from the power company and they agreed to sabotage the entire city's power system on the day we leave, so they can take advantage of the chaos."
"So that's how it is. That's why you decided that we would buy the boat and leave on that day."
Everyone suddenly realized.
But then they thought of another problem.
Cheng Yanqiu's eyes widened. "Oh no, Lu, don't tell me you were involved too, and that the money to buy the boat was robbed from the bank?"
Lu Yuan smiled slyly, "It wasn't stolen, it was taken."
He wouldn't tell everyone that he was the one who orchestrated the whole thing; it was something that was going to happen all along, and he just moved the timeline forward.
Everyone stared at him in a daze.
take?
"So you took $15 million?" Xu Guowu murmured.
Lu Yuan held up one index finger and waved it in front of everyone.
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