Chapter 29: Who is looking for him at this hour?

"Dongzi, hurry up, dig in while it's hot." Zhou Kun had already downed his first tea-mug of liquor, probably over two taels.

Ning Weidong was truly hungry, so he used his chopsticks to pick out a piece of fish belly.

This part of the fish had the fewest bones and tasted the best.

Taking a bite, it was indeed quite fragrant, and the meat quality was good, unlike the fish eaten in later generations, which were mostly farmed, didn't get enough exercise in the fish ponds, and required medication to prevent disease.

The only downside was a slight earthy, fishy smell, though that wasn't really the fish's fault; for one, before Ning Weidong transmigrated, his palate had been spoiled by an endless variety of seasonings; for another, in this era, seasonings at home were limited, and there wasn't even ginger in the pot, which was essential for cooking fish. If it were summer, a handful of cilantro would have helped suppress the earthy smell, but as it happened, it was winter and there was no cilantro either.

However, since he was eating and drinking for free, he had no right to be picky.

Zhou Kun, on the other hand, didn't care at all, eating the fish and drinking the liquor in large gulps, and in a few moments, he had drained his second mug.

Ning Weidong didn't try to keep up with him, just eating and drinking at his own pace.

Zhou Kun wasn't a particularly calculating person; after a few taels of liquor, he wiped his mouth with his hand, rubbed his palms together, and sucked hard on his gums: "Dongzi, let me ask you about someone."

Ning Weidong looked at him: "Mm, go ahead~"

Zhou Kun said: "In the reception center of your factory's Logistics Department, there's someone named Zhao Huiru..."

Ning Weidong had long guessed that Zhou Kun had something on his mind, but he had no impression of this Zhao Huiru. After all, with over twelve thousand people in the Red Star Factory, it was perfectly normal not to know everyone. He sipped his liquor and chuckled: "What, you've taken a fancy to the girl? Want me to help you play matchmaker so you can get to know her?"

Zhou Kun's expression was conflicted; he picked up his tea mug and took a large gulp, then said with a bitter face: "Dongzi, to tell you the truth, this woman was introduced to me by someone from my transport team, and we already met a couple of days ago..."

Ning Weidong blinked; if they had already met, why come to him? Combined with Zhou Kun's constipated expression, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "Wait—is there something wrong with this woman?"

It was already past six o'clock when he left Zhou Kun's place, and it was dark outside.

The afternoon snow had already stopped.

Ning Weidong was slightly tipsy, and when he was hit by the cold wind in the courtyard, he couldn't help but shiver. He hurried across the accumulated snow toward the East Cross Courtyard, his feet making "crunch, crunch" sounds, and walked quickly to the Upper Room.

The light was on in the room.

Ning Weidong called out "Brother~ Sister-in-law~" at the door and pushed it open to enter.

Both Ning Weiguo and his wife were in the outer room, sitting by the eight-immortal table.

Having finished dinner, Ning Weiguo was hunched over writing something, and Wang Yuzhen was grading papers.

"Weidong is back~" Wang Yuzhen stood up and went to brew a cup of hot tea to help him sober up.

Ning Weiguo capped his fountain pen and said with a smile: "How did it go meeting Li Peihang today? Any thoughts?"

Ning Weidong took the teacup, said "Thank you, Sister-in-law," and took a sip: "What thoughts could I have? It was nothing more than using your and Sister-in-law's reputation to get a familiar face, so things will be easier to handle at the factory in the future."

Wang Yuzhen, off to the side, didn't say anything, but in her heart, she gave Ning Weidong a few more points.

He knew how to manage interpersonal connections, and he wasn't intimidated wherever he went.

Don't look at some people who are usually loud and boast that they can poke a hole in the sky; when it comes to the real deal, let alone meeting a high-ranking official, even when going to a government office to handle some business, they can't even speak clearly.

Ning Weidong gave a rough account of his meeting with Li Peihang during the day, then returned to the earthquake shelter.

Ning Lei was on the bed wrapped in a quilt reading a picture book; seeing Ning Weidong, he called out "Third Uncle" in a distracted manner.

Ning Weidong gave an "Mm," glanced at the stove, added a scoop of coal balls with the iron poker, kicked off his heels, took off his cotton shoes, and sat on the edge of the bed to ponder Zhou Kun's matter.

It wasn't complicated to explain: the people Zhou Kun drove tricycles with had introduced him to a potential partner, who was Zhao Huiru.

Originally, it was a good thing; Zhou Kun went, and they met. The girl was twenty-six, tall, and good-looking. Although she was in a Big Collective and earned a little less, Zhou Kun didn't care, nor did he care that the girl's family situation wasn't great; his only standard for a partner was that she had to be pretty.

The woman wasn't young anymore and was sincerely looking to get married.

At first, Zhou Kun was quite happy, but a few days later, he heard some unfavorable rumors. They said Zhao Huiru was loose in her personal life and was flirting with married men at her workplace.

Zhou Kun was instantly stunned.

He had a good impression of Zhao Huiru, but after all, he didn't know her background, and he was worried about the "what ifs," which was why he asked Ning Weidong to secretly inquire about her at the factory.

If she were truly flirting around at work, there would certainly be gossip.

The reason he sought out Ning Weidong specifically, treating him to a meal and drinks, was actually because he hoped Ning Weidong would help him keep it a secret.

This kind of thing didn't sound good if it got out, and as of now, the fact that he had gone on a blind date with Zhao Huiru hadn't spread yet.

As far as Ning Weidong was concerned, this wasn't a good task.

This kind of thing was hard to do; if you didn't handle it well, you'd end up like Zhu Bajie looking in a mirror—neither side is a person.

If he found out the girl was indeed loose, although he helped Zhou Kun, it was still an unpleasant affair, and Zhou Kun might not necessarily appreciate it.

If he didn't find anything, and something happened in the future, he would be blamed even more: "You were the one who said she was fine."

Ning Weidong didn't care about the meal; if he had known it was this kind of thing, he wouldn't have gone.

After thinking for a while, Ning Weidong's thoughts returned to the factory.

How would Li Peihang respond next?

Was the person behind Wu Bingzhong that Deputy Division Chief Wang? Or was it someone else...

Ning Weidong thought and thought, and more than two hours passed without him realizing it.

Ning Lei had fallen asleep while holding his picture book.

He was probably tired from playing wildly during the day, and he snored every now and then.

Ning Weidong looked at the alarm clock; it was almost ten o'clock.

The night shift commuter bus arrived at Fuchengmen at a quarter past eleven, and he had to leave by eleven, so there was still an hour left.

Influenced by Ning Lei's snoring, Ning Weidong felt a bit sleepy and couldn't help but yawn.

His hand instinctively reached for a cigarette, but as he put it to his lips, he saw Ning Lei's sleeping profile, hesitated, and tucked it back into the cigarette case.

Ning Weidong took a deep breath; with only an hour left, sleeping was definitely out of the question.

If he fell asleep and missed the commuter bus, it would be even more troublesome.

He simply sat up and took a few of the picture books from Ning Lei's bedside to pass the time.

Just then, there was a light knock on the door, and then someone asked in a lowered voice: "Brother Weidong~ Brother Weidong~ Are you there?"

Ning Weidong was stunned; it was the middle of the night, who would come looking for him at this hour? Had something happened?

His first reaction was that it was Ning Wei, but the voice didn't sound like him.

Furthermore, Ning Wei would call him "Third Brother" directly, not "Brother Weidong."

Ning Weidong became cautious, immediately got out of bed to put on his shoes, and asked, "Who is it?" (End of chapter)