Free Web NovelChapter 390: Chapter 388: Going to Pick Him Up
Li Zhi was frantic, and Sun Jiaming’s heart sank as well. They were all in this together; he didn’t want anything to happen to any of them.
"Are the guys from over there back yet? Has this news gotten out?"
Gu’er steadied herself. ’Panicking now is useless,’ she thought. ’I have to figure out what to do.’
"The guys from over there are back. They said all the goods were stolen, and their shop over there was robbed too. None of the merchandise or money was saved. They said it’s chaos over there, so as soon as things looked bad, our people ran back. They’re all back, so why isn’t Dingzi? Do you think that kid saw people stealing our stuff and couldn’t stand it, so he fought them? No matter how tough he is, he’s just one person. How could he fight so many people with guns! If I had known, I never would have let him go alone. No, I have to go find him. I’ll leave tomorrow—no, I’m leaving right now."
As he spoke, Li Zhi turned and started to walk out.
"Stop right there."
Gu’er called out softly, motioning for Sun Jiaming to grab Li Zhi.
"Li Zhi, I know you’re worried, and so are we. We want Dingzi to be safe just as much as you do. But don’t worry. Dingzi isn’t the kind of person to lose his cool. He’s smart enough not to do anything reckless when he’s outnumbered like that. The only reason he’s not back yet must be because something’s holding him up. If you go looking for him now, do you even know where to start? What if he’s on his way back and you go off looking for him? You’ll just miss each other. If we knew for sure where he was, we’d all go with you, not just you. But if you go like this, he might come back while you’re gone, and then we won’t be able to find *you*."
’Li Zhi is being too impulsive right now,’ Gu’er thought. ’There’s more than one way back from the Soviet Union to Harbin. Since he doesn’t have the goods with him, who knows which route he’d take? He says he wants to find Dingzi, but where would he even look? We can’t be sure where Dingzi is right now.’
"How did things suddenly get so chaotic? What the hell is going on? Can’t things just be peaceful for a change? The phones don’t even work. Where on earth is Dingzi?!"
Li Zhi knew Gu’er was right, but he was still frantic.
"It’s probably internal conflict. This chaos won’t be over in a day or two. All we can do now is wait for Dingzi to come back. I believe he’ll definitely make it back. As for Grandma, just tell her we needed a lot of goods this time, so Dingzi is still over there handling things. We need to keep her calm. Don’t you dare let it slip. She’s old and can’t handle the shock."
As Gu’er instructed Li Zhi, her own heart was filled with uncertainty. The phone lines were down, and she had no real confidence. ’The Soviet Union hasn’t collapsed yet, and it’s not something that will happen overnight. It seems the chaos has been going on for a while, with all sorts of struggles. The military has gotten involved, too. A power struggle between two factions isn’t something that ends quickly. I remember hearing that this turmoil will last for almost a year before it’s over.’
’This year will be a fatal one. No one will dare to ship goods over there anymore. Shipping goods will basically have one outcome: getting robbed. The bigger the investment, the bigger the loss. A lot of people saw others making money shipping to the Soviet Union and tried to do the same, only to get caught in this mess and lose everything.’
’With the power struggles over there, the military and police are in total disarray. It seems like many have died, but many have also risen through the ranks. Speaking of which, Marina’s father is an inspector. I wonder if he’s involved. And I wonder how Marina and her sister are doing.’
’I was even planning to invite Marina to come taste some Chinese food. Now I have no idea when I’ll see her again. Sigh... I’m just a nobody. I can’t control any of this, and I can’t help. All I can do is pray.’
’And then there’s Dingzi. Knowing his personality, with how sharp his instincts are, he should be fine. He just has to be okay.’
’Oh, heavens, you have to protect Dingzi.’
"I know, I won’t say anything," Li Zhi finished, letting out three heavy sighs.
"If only we knew which route Dingzi was taking back, we could go pick him up," Sun Jiaming remarked.
Li Zhi’s eyes lit up, but his hope quickly faded. ’Which route would he take? I have no idea. Who knows which way Dingzi would come? I’m not a mind reader. This is stressful enough to kill a man.’
’Where would Dingzi come back from?’ Gu’er wondered, thinking hard.
"Why don’t we go check things out over by the Heihe River? I think with all the chaos, if Dingzi wants to get back as fast as possible, he’ll definitely take the Heihe route. Even though the river is closed off now, you can still get across. It’s just more expensive and dangerous. But Dingzi isn’t afraid of that. As long as he pays enough, someone will bring him over. The main thing is that it’s the fastest way. Of course, this is just a wild guess. He might just show up on the train tomorrow."
Gu’er was just guessing. Normally, taking the train would be the safest option. But maybe because the entire train car of goods was stolen, Dingzi would avoid the railway. Or maybe something else came up that was preventing him from taking the train. Of course, she didn’t know why, but she just had a feeling.
"To the Heihe River, then. I also think Dingzi would take that route. I’ll drive over there now and wait."
Li Zhi nodded immediately. He couldn’t stand waiting at home any longer.
"Gu’er, you shouldn’t go. Li Zhi and I will go. We’ll call you as soon as we get there and give you the phone number of the place we’re staying. If Dingzi doesn’t take that route and comes back here, call us right away, and we’ll head back. That way, nothing gets delayed. It also prevents the house from being empty, which would make Grandma and the others suspicious."
Sun Jiaming was definitely going, but he didn’t want Gu’er to come with them.
Gu’er understood what Sun Jiaming meant. First, if they all left now, they would worry the elders at home. Second, he didn’t want her to suffer by going with them. ’He’s just looking out for me.’
"Right, Gu’er, you stay home. Jia Ming and I are enough. Call us anytime if anything happens," Li Zhi added, nodding.
"Alright, you two be safe. Call me if anything happens. I won’t go out for the next few days; I’ll be right here at home."
Gu’er nodded. She wasn’t being willful; this was the best arrangement.
After reaching an agreement, the three of them went out. They had to say something to Grandma Sun and the others before they left.
"Grandma," Li Zhi began, speaking to Grandma Sun, "my dad’s army buddy wants to go check out another area, and my dad asked me to go with him. I’m not familiar with the place, so I came to get Jia Ming. I want him to come along for company. Is that alright with you?"
Grandma Sun hadn’t even spoken when Grandma Dingzi piped up, "It’s almost New Year’s, why are you running around outside? And your dad’s army buddy, too. What’s the point of going somewhere else at a time like this?"
"I don’t have a choice. They have another army buddy who lives over by the Heihe River, and this guy doesn’t know the way. I have to drive him there. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find it on my own, so that’s why I came looking for Jia Ming. I promise we’ll be back before the New Year."
Brother Li forced a smile. In truth, it was painful for him to smile right now. He was worried sick about Dingzi but couldn’t let it show.
"Alright, let Jia Ming go with you. The roads are slippery with snow, so you both be careful. Especially you, drive carefully. It’s better to be slow than to rush. This is no laughing matter."
Grandma Sun nodded and gave her instructions. Although she didn’t want her grandson to leave, she couldn’t refuse after Li Zhi had come to ask personally.
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Thanks to Bing Rong Huo Mie, Feng, and Liu Xiao Piaopiao for the monthly tickets, and thank you all for your support. The timeline of the Soviet Union’s dissolution in the story differs from reality, so please don’t get too hung up on it, dears. I have a cold plus my period, so I feel awful. I’ll try to get the second Chapter out as soon as I can.
