Chapter 37: The Scrap Yard

After listening to Old Dong's praise, Qin Hengzhi finally entered the workshop to find Master Lu. A few minutes later, he and Old Lu were standing behind a machine in the workshop.

Qin Hengzhi spoke in a low voice, "...We held a meeting to discuss this and decided to reward you, Master Lu. Based on your family's actual situation, we are prepared to offer you a recruitment quota..."

Old Lu's expression gradually turned serious.

After only a moment of thought, he refused decisively.

"No, that wouldn't be according to the rules."

Qin Hengzhi explained gently, "We will issue an official document. Senior workers with long service years, a rank of Level 7 or above, and who have been honored as Labor Models at the provincial level or higher, are all entitled to a preferential quota."

Pausing for a moment, Qin Hengzhi continued, "Master Lu, I have always admired your character. You performed a great service during the Red Star Lake incident, but unfortunately, it cannot be publicly commended. Now that my mission is complete, I will be leaving soon. I hope that before I go, I can do something for you."

Looking at the handsome young man, Old Lu asked hurriedly, "You're leaving? When?"

Compared to his own son or others he knew, the Qin Hengzhi before him was truly a standout among the younger generation. He was the kind of person who was captivating in every respect.

Qin Hengzhi replied, "I will leave once the new military representative comes to take over."

Old Lu sighed with regret. Qin Hengzhi held an extraordinary status; even if he were leaving, the place he was going was not something Old Lu could ask about casually.

***

When Lu Qiaoge stepped out of the department store, she still had one yuan in her hand. She planned to visit the waste collection station to see if there were any suitable textbooks.

It wasn't just for herself, but also for her younger sister, Lu Qiaoling, by her side. They hadn't been able to study properly for years; it was time to pick it back up.

At some point, the clingy tabby cat had followed her. Lu Qiaoge scratched Huahua's chin a few times, letting it follow behind her. She had to admit, Huahua was incredibly capable, always managing to find her location.

Upon arriving at the waste collection station, Lu Qiaoge heard a chaotic jumble of voices coming from within.

【That's my book, you're not allowed to eat it!】

【I'm going to eat, eat, eat! I'll even eat the food and meat coupons tucked inside the book!】

【When do you think the secret in the bookcase will be discovered?】

【What kind of secret is that? It's just some petty thing done by the Tao worker's wife.】

【Humans are so fun. They say harmony is precious, but in reality, they are the most ruthless.】

【Run! The big blind cat is coming!】

Then came the tabby cat's sinister voice: 【Which little rat called me "Big Blind Cat"? What, do you want to become a dead rat?】

The tabby arched its back, assuming an attacking posture, meowing incessantly.

Lu Qiaoling asked Lu Qiaoge in surprise, "Second Sister, what's wrong with the cat?"

Lu Qiaoge said, "It's nothing. It probably just thinks there are too many rats here."

By this time, the tabby had already intimidated the fleeing rats into staying put.

The tabby asked Lu Qiaoge: 【Do you want me to make them come and pay their respects to you, little master?】

Lu Qiaoge quickly rejected the idea in her mind. One or two might be considered cute, but a whole swarm was quite unnecessary.

With a single leap, the tabby jumped into the pile of waste.

Old Zhong, who was in charge of the waste collection station, shouted, "The old books you want are in the northwest corner. Don't rummage through other things."

Even in an era of scarcity, there were still families living well, so there were quite a few old cabinets and boxes here. However, the most common items were scrap metal—iron lumps, screws, cracked radiator sections, and broken stove lids. These were all sent back to the factory for recycling.

Because of this, the waste collection station belonged to the military factory. Although there weren't many employees, there was quite a bit of profit to be made.

Lu Qiaoge glanced at Old Zhong, who was sitting in a chair listening to the radio, and then led her sister to the northwest corner where the old books were kept.

A shed had been built there. Inside was a messy pile of books. Lu Qiaoge even saw a tiny mouse trembling in front of a book, its little fleshy paw resting on the cover.

*Inner thoughts? No, there was nothing but a blank space.*

The tabby jumped over, looking triumphant: 【The book that little mouse is pointing at has food coupons, meat coupons, and money inside.】

Then it hurriedly pointed toward a dilapidated bookcase in a corner: 【There's something there too. It's definitely just like the vanity in Zhou Li's house.】

Lu Qiaoge glanced toward the corner and indeed saw a broken cabinet leaning against the wall. She warned the tabby not to go into areas with too much trash. Then, she pulled Lu Qiaoling aside, preventing her from seeing the trembling little mouse that was signaling.

Lu Qiaoge bent down and pulled out the book. It was a thick, famous Soviet book titled *How the Steel Was Tempered*. It was a book that had influenced generations, though it had been affected during those years of tense relations.

As Lu Qiaoge opened the book, she immediately saw the tucked-away slips. 36.89 in cash, 18 jin of food coupons, and 1 jin of meat coupons. This seemed to be someone's monthly salary.

After flipping through it a few times, Lu Qiaoge found no names or markings in the book. She had intended to hand the book over to the station worker, but looking around, she didn't know anyone except Old Zhong. And Old Zhong didn't look very reliable.

Lu Qiaoge took the money and coupons out and put them in her crossbody bag. She then set the book aside, letting the trembling little mouse scurry away, and continued selecting usable textbooks.

Just then, a man in his forties walked in, greeting Old Zhong with a smile, saying he wanted to see if there were any usable cabinets. He began walking toward Lu Qiaoge's direction.

Lu Qiaoge had been organizing the books when she heard someone mention looking for a cabinet. She straightened up and looked at the only two relatively intact cabinets in the station. The bookcase the rats mentioned looked passable; the other was even more broken, missing its door entirely.

*Is there a secret hidden in there? Should I get involved or stay out of it?*

As expected, "abilities" weren't given out for nothing.

Lu Qiaoge called to Lu Qiaoling, "Qiaoling, come here."

Lu Qiaoling hurried forward.

Lu Qiaoge led her to the corner. "Buy this cabinet and we'll clean it up; I'll use it as a bookshelf."

Lu Qiaoling didn't complain, but she did say, "Second Sister, this costs money, and we don't have enough. Just so you know, I only have fifty cents in my pocket."

Lu Qiaoge waved her hand. "We'll settle the bill later. Let's move it over to the old books first."

Lu Qiaoge could have done it herself, but it wouldn't be easy to carry, mainly because of the heavy dust. She just had her sister lend a hand, and the two sisters carried the cabinet to the shed.

"Help me pick books. Just choose textbooks. I need to go to the lake to catch fish later."

The tabby cat meowed happily several times.

Lu Qiaoling glanced at Huahua. "Second Sister, I feel like the cat eats better than I do. It's always meat or fish."

Lu Qiaoge ignored her. She had no choice; she had promised the tabby she would raise it. Nowadays, it loved eating bitterlings, so she had to catch them for it from time to time. But since she was working now and didn't have much free time, Lu Qiaoge decided to catch some palm-sized fish without "inner voices" to make dried fish snacks.

Lu Qiaoge placed the selected books on the cabinet.

At that moment, the man walked over. His eyes lit up when he saw the cabinet, and he said to Lu Qiaoge, "Qiaoge, my nephew just started high school and wants a bookcase. Would you let Uncle Wei have this one?"