[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-the-cleanup-crew":3,"chapter-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-43":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm the Cleanup Crew!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2285879,4472,"Chapter 43","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>43 Family Portrait and the Protagonist (Combined)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course I should go and talk some sense into her; Anna’s condition has stabilized, but she was only discharged not long ago—crying herself sick would be terrible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After patting his brother’s head—smart when he says clever things, foolish when he says dumb ones, yet understanding everything—Li Ang put down the newspaper, rose from his seat, left the smaller bedroom, and walked toward Anna’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This old house on Veteran’s Alley was not the original home of Li Ang’s four siblings, but one assigned to them by the military after forcibly withholding part of their pension—it was nearly five times as old as Li Ang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The house was thoroughly worn and dilapidated, poorly lit, and had no toilet; besides the small living room connected to the kitchen, there was only one main bedroom and one smaller bedroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smaller bedroom had always been occupied by Li Ang; as for Anna’s so-called room, it was in fact the main bedroom she shared with her two younger siblings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the old door hinge groaned with rust, Li Ang pushed open the door and stepped into the main bedroom—his first sight was his sister sobbing face-down on the bedding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like Li Ang’s smaller bedroom, this tiny main bedroom held only a single bed; when William and Melanie were small, it was barely enough space, but after the two troublemakers grew a bit, it became cramped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Li Ang collected some wooden planks and bricks from outside, added an extension to the old bed, padded it with quilts and their parents’ old clothes, hoping his siblings would sleep more comfortably—though due to material limitations, the added section was slightly unstable, and the bed frame often shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anna was now lying face-down on this extension; with each muffled sob, the newly built half of the bed swayed back and forth, making her hips sway too, twitching with each breath—quite comical, making Li Ang chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother! You’re laughing?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Li Ang’s muffled laugh, Anna, lying on the bed, grew even angrier—rarely did she throw a tantrum, but now she kicked her two pale, delicate feet angrily into the air, then couldn’t help complaining:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s all your fault for spoiling them! Whenever they caused trouble before, you always stopped me from hitting them! Now they’re shoving horse dung into my mouth! And you’re still laughing?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too embarrassed to explain what he was actually laughing at, Li Ang shifted his gaze away, scanning the room’s furnishings as he changed the subject:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just think hitting their bottoms alone won’t work—they need to understand why they’re being punished, otherwise they’ll think misbehaving is fine as long as they get beaten.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t believe me? Look at William—he’s already figured out exactly how many times he’ll get spanked after each prank. So clearly, reasoning matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But they only listen to your reasoning after they’ve been beaten!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Li Ang, Anna had always been gentle, rarely voicing opinions—but on disciplining her siblings, she was fiercely dominant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she turned over, pouting defiantly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You spend so little time with them—you have no idea how infuriating they are!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Melanie isn’t ignorant of right and wrong—she just thinks she can trick her way out of trouble! William’s even worse—he doesn’t actively cause trouble, but his thoughts are always strange, like… like…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After stammering for a long time without finding the right word to describe her brother’s odd mindset, the frail girl slammed her fist onto the bed and summed up:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They just need to be disciplined! If we don’t act now, it’ll be too late when they grow up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, yeah, discipline! We absolutely must! Next time, I won’t stop you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After echoing her words, Li Ang sat beside the bed, gently stroking his sister’s back as he soothed her:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But try thinking positively too—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re certainly mischievous, but they’ve never bullied anyone on purpose; previous incidents weren’t entirely their fault… hmm… let me think.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling several past incidents, Li Ang spoke with a complex expression:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time, they caused trouble because someone said you wouldn’t come back; last time, during a game, a kid called William a wild child; the time before that, they stopped a fat kid named Jack from bullying someone;”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before that, when I worked as a dock laborer and got fired for being too weak, people in the alley gossiped; before that, it was because your nighttime coughing disturbed neighbors, and they called you a consumptive…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Li Ang recalled why the two younger ones caused trouble, the more uneasy both he and Anna became.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t noticed before, but now it was clear: though the two were indeed mischievous, each incident had a reason—so rather than calling them “mischievous,” it was better to say they were trying, in their own way, to protect this fragile little family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only I, as their older sibling, had been stronger back then—had shielded them from more of life’s cruelty—perhaps they wouldn’t have had to be so “mischievous,” and could have grown up as happy, innocent, ordinary children…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t think about that now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the glistening tears in his sister’s eyes, Li Ang realized his attempts to comfort were making things worse—he quickly changed the subject, reached for a yellowed old photo album on the bedside shelf, and wrapped his arm around Anna’s thin shoulders:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve got a public post now in the Police Department; after my probation ends this year, William and the others can enroll for free—no more fighting with alley kids. Let’s leave the past behind. Our family will only get better…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, the last time we looked at this album together was over two years ago, when I had a high fever. Today’s still early—if you’re not feeling unwell, would you mind flipping through it with me again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaning into Li Ang’s side as he guided her, Anna, her eyes still red, took the album, gently caressing its damaged cardboard cover before slowly turning its pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is Mother when she was young.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the first page, she pointed to a faded group photo showing a woman in military uniform—her features resembling Li Ang’s, radiating bold vitality—and explained softly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When we were little, Mother told us this was taken when she got into the Mechanical Engineering Academy and was assigned to the Artillery Adjustment Class. And this is Father…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anna’s soft fingertip lifted slightly, pointing to a tall, handsome black-haired man in the back corner, smiling warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father and Mother were classmates. After graduation, they were both conscripted into the same unit, grew close, and then… you came along. The next year, I was born…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Anna gently turned the pages, Li Ang watched the unfamiliar man and woman—from meeting, to knowing each other, to falling in love—finally dressed in formal wear and wedding gowns, embracing tearfully in a small chapel, their joy radiant. His heart warmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the cold, cruel reality, the moments frozen in the album felt so warm—even with heavy fading from time, their smiles still blazed brilliantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait… was Anna really such a lively child when she was little?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The album’s happiness continued—Li Ang stared at the golden-haired girl beaming in the photo, and without thinking, reached out to gently touch the child’s bright hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his memory, Anna’s smile was always quiet, her eyes soft as she nodded at him—nothing but the muffled coughs when ill, and the furrowed brows from pain. He’d never seen his sister laugh so joyfully… What had stolen her smile?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the album nearly finished—yet the two younger siblings hadn’t even appeared yet—the unspoken truth crashed into him like ice. A chilling, creeping dread clutched Li Ang’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… I just remembered—I still have some work unfinished!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing full well how cruelly this perfect family in the album would end, Li Ang stiffened involuntarily—regretting his stupid idea to bring out the album—and apologized to Anna:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should we stop here? You’re tired today—better rest early.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The slender girl softly agreed, seemingly unaware of his unease. She closed the album and smiled faintly, nodding her chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after Li Ang fled, she didn’t rise—instead, she reopened the heavy old album and slowly turned to the last page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the back cover, where the most important photo should have been, a torn old photograph was pasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person who tore it had been furious—ripping it violently, even crumpling the pieces—so many tears curled up. Though carefully patched, it couldn’t be fully flattened; even the faces were incomplete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this strange photo, the couple who had appeared many times earlier in the album—now dead for six years—still smiled happily at the camera, standing together under a sign written in cursive: “Family Portrait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before them stood not four siblings, but only one child, eight or nine years old, holding each parent’s hand, beaming with pure joy at the lens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anna reached out, traced the child’s face with her finger, pressed down the curled edges, revealing the same golden hair as her mother’s. Seeing the unfamiliar smile on the girl’s face—so bright it felt alien to her—Anna bit her lip hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as if making a decision, she used her nails to scrape off the glued fragments one by one, found a matchbox and a small bucket in the room, and tossed all the pieces into the iron bucket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With tearful reluctance, she turned away, struck a match, lit a wad of cotton, and dropped it into the bucket—burning her parents’ and her own final family photo into black ash at the bottom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm… I seem to have forgotten something yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unaware of what had happened after he left last night, Li Ang, a worker with no holidays, climbed out of his small bed as dawn barely broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After checking the scrap paper he used as a memo, he sighed helplessly—he’d left the photo session halfway yesterday, worried it would remind Anna of painful memories, and completely forgotten to confirm his birthday with her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now… she and the two little ones probably haven’t woken up yet. I’ll ask when I get back tonight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing at the still-dark main bedroom, Li Ang shook his head, abandoned the idea of asking now, picked up a stack of old newspapers, quietly slipped out the door, and walked to work under the fading stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? Where’s the coffee stall?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he reached the usual spot, Li Ang was surprised—the coffee stall, perfectly timed for today’s chill, hadn’t opened. The merchant, named after Charle’s Department Store, hadn’t shown up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After circling two nearby streets without seeing old Charle, Li Ang gave up on the promised half-price coffee, slumped his shoulders, and headed to another small stall across the street, ordering the cheapest coffee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Admittedly, though old Charle’s stall was expensive and stingy with portions, the “experience” was unmatched—other stalls might serve more, but they simply didn’t have that same flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed heavily, gulped down the scalding coffee in three swallows, and was about to leave when he noticed a familiar face at the next table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man… wasn’t he also a regular at Charle’s stall?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming the face, Li Ang hesitated briefly, then walked over quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excuse me, sir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could speak, the regular, pointing across the street, suddenly raised his eyebrows in realization and spoke first:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! Aren’t you old Charle’s future son-in-law?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>???\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? I’ve only bought coffee from him a few times—and paid every time! How am I his future son-in-law?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Ang’s confusion, the fifty-something regular chuckled, explained the origin of the nickname, then grinned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You came to ask why old Charle didn’t show up today? I actually know!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured for Li Ang to sit down, then continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw him last night. His wife got involved in a business deal with someone, fell into a trap set by others, lost a lot of money, and fainted right there from rage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Luckily, she was saved by a kind young passerby—no serious harm done—but she’ll need to rest for nearly half a month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Charle told me he’s staying home to care for her and seek justice from those people—he won’t be setting up his stall for a few days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Business… trapped… lost big money… fainted from rage… saved by a kind passerby… Why does this sound familiar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing about the other “Mrs. Charle,” Li Ang scratched his head uncomfortably—this world’s coincidences were absurdly excessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, if my stealing documents from the Hydraulics Company counts as “passing by,” then these two Mrs. Charles’ stories are identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And could these two Mrs. Charles be the same person? Could this coffee-seller Charle be the same as the Charle from Charle’s Department Store…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s impossible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of how absurd such a coincidence would be, Li Ang smirked inwardly, mocking himself harshly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You meet a coffee-seller on the street, turn out he’s one of the top three richest men in the capital, then yesterday, on an assignment, you happen to save his wife’s life, and today you hear he wants to make you his son-in-law and inherit his chain of department stores across the capital…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stop kidding yourself—do you really think you’re the protagonist?\u003C\u002Fp>",2204,"2026-06-20T03:18:28.556Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","01c7da1c0861fa15e3aa93dd3d2631b2759a22cac355150ea3b5d8a7af5e3c6f","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-44","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-42",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]