Chapter 36
The literary society's activities opened a new window for Xu Nianlei. In that space built with words and thoughts, she was no longer the silent girl shrouded in the shadows of her family, but a member with a unique perspective and delicate writing style. The appreciation of her mentor and the friendliness of her fellow members (especially Li Yue and Zhang Xiao) helped her relax her tense nerves, and a faint smile, typical of her age, would occasionally appear on her face.
Lu Baiyan took in her changes and felt slightly relieved. But he did not let his guard down; he knew that the real test often came from unexpected directions.
One Thursday afternoon, just as the school bell rang and the students were packing their bags, a strange middle-aged man appeared at the classroom door. He was wearing faded work clothes, had dark skin, and his face was lined with wrinkles from years of hardship, but his eyes were gentle yet uneasy. His gaze searched the classroom, finally settling on Xu Nianlei.
"Excuse me... are you Xu Nianlei?" The man's voice was a little hoarse, with a heavy accent from another region.
The entire class's attention was instantly drawn to him. Xu Nianlei froze, staring blankly at the unfamiliar man, and subconsciously nodded.
A relieved yet slightly nervous smile appeared on the man's face. He strode over, took out a small package carefully wrapped in old newspapers from his pocket, and handed it to her: "This...this is for you."
Xu Nianlei didn't take it, looking at him warily: "You are...?"
“I’m your father… a former coworker, my surname is Zhang, you can just call me Uncle Zhang.” The man quickly explained, a hint of sigh in his voice. “I went back to my hometown a while ago, and just got back. I heard… I heard your father… sigh…”
He sighed and didn't say anything more, but just handed the small package forward again: "This is some stuff your dad left with me before, and... this is a little something from me. Take it and buy some things for your studies."
Xu Nianlei stared at the package, then at the man who called himself Uncle Zhang, her mind a jumble of emotions. Her father's coworker? She'd never heard her father mention him. And would someone like her father really have such a seemingly honest and simple coworker?
The students around them began to whisper among themselves.
"Xu Nianlei's father's coworker?"
"Why are you looking for her? And bringing her something?"
"She doesn't seem to recognize me..."
Lu Baiyan stood beside his seat, his brows slightly furrowed. He quickly sized up the man. His clothes, accent, and demeanor certainly made him look like a migrant worker who spent most of his time away from home, not someone who was faking it. But his appearance was too sudden, and it was hard to imagine that someone like Xu Jianguo would have any truly sincere friends.
Just as Xu Nianlei was at a loss, hesitating whether to take the package, Lu Baiyan walked over. He didn't look at the package, but instead calmly looked at Uncle Zhang, his tone polite yet carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible, scrutiny:
"Hello Uncle Zhang, I'm Xu Nianlei's classmate and also the class monitor. How can I help you?"
Uncle Zhang seemed a little surprised to see Lu Baiyan, and then quickly said, "It's nothing, it's nothing. I just came to deliver something to Nianlei. I'll be leaving now." He seemed unwilling to stay any longer and stuffed the package into Xu Nianlei's hands.
Xu Nianlei passively accepted the package, which still carried the warmth of the other person's body, and felt its weight.
"Thank you... Uncle Zhang," she said softly, her voice a little hoarse.
"You're welcome, you're welcome. You... study hard." Uncle Zhang looked at her with a complicated expression, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just sighed heavily, turned around and hurriedly left the classroom, his back view looking somewhat rushed.
After a brief silence in the classroom, murmurs resumed. Xu Nianlei stood there, holding the package, unsure of what to do with it.
"Nianlei, what's this?" Li Yue asked curiously as she leaned closer.
"Why don't we open it and take a look?" Zhang Xiao asked, full of curiosity.
Xu Nianlei hesitated for a moment, and under the curious gazes of her classmates, she slowly peeled off the old newspaper.
Inside were several reasonably well-preserved, somewhat old books about mechanical and electrical engineering fundamentals, with Xu Jianguo's crooked name written on the covers. Below the books was an envelope.
Xu Nianlei picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a small stack of banknotes. The denominations weren't large, mostly ten- or twenty-yuan notes, but the thick stack estimated at least five or six hundred yuan. Tucked among the banknotes was a note, the handwriting crooked but written with great effort:
"Nianlei, study hard. Don't be like your father."
There was no signature.
Xu Nianlei stared at the stack of money and the note, completely frozen. Blood seemed to rush to her head, then quickly recede, leaving her face flushed and pale. This money…this note…
The students around them also saw the money and let out a series of low gasps.
Wow, so much money!
"Is her dad's coworker that nice?"
"And she was told not to follow in her father's footsteps..."
Various gazes—surprise, envy, curiosity, inquiry—pierced Xu Nianlei like needles. She felt an immense embarrassment and an indescribable humiliation. This money felt like charity, yet also like a silent indictment of her despicable father, exposing the scars she had been trying to hide, raw and bloody.
She shoved the money and note back into the envelope, haphazardly wrapped them together with the old books, and clutched them tightly to her chest as if holding a mark of shame. Head down, she pushed aside the onlookers and practically fled the classroom.
"Nianlei!" Li Yue and Zhang Xiao called out to her and quickly chased after her.
Lu Baiyan didn't chase after her. He stood there, watching Xu Nianlei's hasty retreat, his eyes deep. He bent down, picked up the old newspaper that Xu Nianlei had crumpled and discarded from the ground, examined it carefully, and then recalled Uncle Zhang's words and actions.
There are many suspicious points. Why would an ordinary coworker deliberately preserve Xu Jianguo's old books from many years ago? And why would he give several hundred yuan, equivalent to what might be one or two months' hard-earned income, to a daughter who is practically a stranger? And why leave behind such a meaningful remark?
Unless... he's more than just a coworker.
A vague thought flashed through Lu Baiyan's mind. Had Xu Jianguo ever been less of a scoundrel in his youth? Was this Uncle Zhang a genuine friend he'd known during a brief period of clarity? Or… perhaps they had a deeper relationship? Those books about skills seemed to suggest that Xu Jianguo had once harbored the desire to make a living through technical skills.
Is this money a lifeline for Xu Nianlei, or another form of harm?
He couldn't be sure. But he knew this matter had to be handled carefully. The money's origin was unclear, and its motives were questionable; if not handled properly, it could bring new trouble to Xu Nianlei.
That evening, Lu Baiyan logged into the anonymous information channel again. He posted a new reward, this time aiming to find information about "Xu Jianguo" from his earlier years, especially which factory or construction site he worked at twenty years ago, and clues about a coworker who might have the surname "Zhang" and with whom he had a good relationship.
He needed to find out more about this Uncle Zhang. If he was well-intentioned, the money might be a small help to Xu Nianlei in her predicament; if he had ulterior motives, or if the money was ill-gotten, he had to cut off any potential risks in advance.
After finishing all this, Lu Baiyan closed his laptop and walked to the window. The night was deep, and the lights of the residential buildings in the distance twinkled.
He recalled Xu Nianlei's pale and humiliated face as she fled with the package. How could her sensitive and proud heart bear this yet another complex and heavy "gift" from her parents?
Leilei, every gift from fate comes with a hidden price. This time, let me see if we can afford it.
He gazed resolutely out the window. No matter who this Uncle Zhang was, no matter what the money meant, he would not allow anyone or anything to easily shake the fragile peace she had just begun to build.
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