"Okay, I'll go out and look for it."
This time Yang Laoshi did not refuse.
It was indeed getting late, and Yang Binghui had not come back yet. Yang Laoshi was a little worried.
Compared to waiting at home with the old woman chattering in his ears, Yang Laoshi would rather go out to look for his son. At least he can have some peace and quiet for a while.
Yang Laoshi rode his 28-inch bicycle and headed towards the fertilizer plant.
It was past ten o'clock in the evening and the streets were deserted, with no one around.
Yang Laoshi walked all the way to the entrance of the fertilizer factory but didn't see a single person.
"Wait a minute, old comrade, what are you doing at the fertilizer factory so late?"
Yang Laoshi, who was about to enter the fertilizer factory, was stopped by the diligent security guard.
"Comrade, I'm here to look for my son. My son's name is Yang Binghui, and he works at your fertilizer factory."
Yang said honestly and politely.
"Oh, so it's a worker's family member! The fertilizer factory doesn't allow outsiders to enter and exit freely. Which department does your son work in? I'll go in and call him out for you."
After hearing him say that his son was a worker at a fertilizer factory and that the old man didn't look like a bad guy, the security guard's attitude softened a lot.
"Comrade, my son Yang Binghui works the day shift as a front-line worker in the workshop. He has not been home since he started working in the early morning shift.
Comrade, please go in and ask if my son is working overtime at the factory."
Yang Laoshi took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, took out one and handed it to the guard.
"Okay, I'll go in and ask for you. Don't get your hopes up. The front-line workshops at the fertilizer plant operate in two shifts, so there shouldn't be any overtime."
The guard locked the gate and made sure that no outsiders could enter the factory when he was not there. Then he turned and walked towards the workshop.
The guard did not enter the workshop, but stopped in front of the notice board outside the workshop.
The guard glanced at the notice board and turned back to the factory gate.
"Old comrade, you should look somewhere else. Your son doesn't even work during the day, let alone overtime."
The guard said honestly to Yang.
"How is this possible? Comrade, are you mistaken? My son left home early this morning."
The guard's words made Yang Laoshi's heart skip a beat.
"How could I have seen it wrong? It was clearly written on the notice board: Yang Binghui, an absentee.
Your son is the only one absent from work in the entire factory. I can’t be wrong.”
After saying this, without caring about Yang Laoshi's reaction, the guard went straight back to the guard room.
"Where could he go if he wasn't working? Did he go to the black market to exchange things and get caught by the security team?"
Thinking of this, Yang Laoshi got on his 28-inch bicycle and rode towards the police station.
"Comrade? What's up so late?"
The patrolman on duty immediately perked up. According to his previous experience, when a crime is reported late at night, it usually means a major case has occurred.
"Comrade Patrolman, my son left home before dawn. I thought he was going to work, so I didn't pay much attention to it.
Who knew he still hadn't returned home? I went to the factory to inquire and found out he hadn't been to work for a day.
Comrade, my son's name is Yang Binghui. Please help me check if he has committed any crime and has been arrested by you!
Yang Laoshi asked a little nervously.
If you are detained by the police, you will most likely lose your job, which will make life at home even worse.
"Okay, I'll check for you."
The vast majority of civil servants in that era were dedicated to serving the people.
The patrolman on duty stood up, took today's case records, and began to look through them carefully.
"Comrade, no records have been found regarding your son Yang Binghui.
What time did he leave the house today? Was there anything different from usual? Did he say anything to you? Was there any unusual behavior?
Out of professional habit, the patrolman on duty asked.
"I didn't see him go out in person. In the morning, my wife prepared breakfast and asked me to wake him up.
I went to his room and saw that he had gotten up and gone out without knowing when.
As for what's unusual, he didn't ride his bike today, but he usually rides his bike to work."
Yang Laoshi carefully reported everything he saw this morning to the police.
"I didn't see him go out, which means he might not have slept at home last night.
The fact that he didn't ride a bike meant that he had no intention of going to work, the place he was going to was not far away, or it was inconvenient to ride a bike.
Does he have any close friends? Is he dating someone?
The patrol officer made a quick and simple judgment based on known factors.
“He doesn’t seem to have any particularly close friends; I’ve never heard him mention them before.
I've been dating someone for more than two years. She's a female worker in a textile factory.
Comrade Patrolman, my son is a good comrade who abides by the law and will not have casual relationships before marriage.
At most, we just had a meal and went to the theater to see a movie, but we never did anything out of the ordinary."
This point must be made clear to the police. In this red era, hooliganism is punishable by death.
"Old comrade, don't be too anxious, it's only been one day.
You should go home now and check, maybe your son has already returned home.
If you haven't returned home by tomorrow, come back and report it, and we'll open a case and investigate."
The police station will not file a case if the person is missing for less than 24 hours.
"Okay, Patrol Comrade, I'll be leaving first."
Yang Laoshi walked out of the police station and onto the deserted street, feeling confused.
"If he's not working and hasn't been arrested, where can he go?"
In the 1970s, there were no entertainment venues and almost every household turned off the lights.
Yang Laoshi had no idea where to look, so he could only go home and wait.
The patrolman is right. Maybe the youngest has already returned home.
When Yang Laoshi returned home, he didn't see his youngest son. Only Liu Genhua was still awake and walking around in the main room.
"How's it going? Old man, is your son working overtime at the factory?"
Hearing the noise, Liu Genhua ran out of the main room in three or two steps and came to Yang Laoshi.
"No, the third brother didn't go to work at all. I suspected he was caught on the black market. I even went to the police station, but there was no record of him being arrested."
It was almost midnight, and Yang Laoshi was feeling a little flustered.
"Then where can my youngest child go? Have you reported the crime?"
Liu Genhua's voice trembled, and she no longer had the strength she once had.
"The patrol officer said that we won't file a case for 24 hours. If the third child doesn't come home tomorrow, let me go to the patrol station again."
At night, the old couple did not sleep and just sat in the living room all night.
The next morning, Yang Laoshi rode his 28-inch bicycle and took Liu Genhua to the police station again.
"Comrade, I want to report a case. My son is missing."
In the early morning, the police station was filled with Liu Genhua's hysterical cries.
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