Chapter 297: The Little Girl Left, Then Returned

I bought some fruit, took a net bag to the inpatient ward, and after the hospital looked up the relevant information, finally found Ning Ning's neighbor.

That neighbor lived in an apartment building, on the top floor, and was rescued quickly.

When Lu Cheng explained his purpose, the neighbor thought carefully and said that in the year Ning Ning's father died, an out‑of‑town uncle had visited once.

Lu Cheng and Wu Zhekun exchanged a glance; the uncle's remark made the kinship completely acceptable.

As the saying goes, a mother's brother is like a second father; this maternal nephew would surely be willing to raise the child.

He asked the neighbor to recall the address again; after the neighbor wrote it on paper, Lu Cheng was about to tuck it into his pocket, but Wu Zhekun snatched it away.

"I have a vehicle, it's more convenient; let me go instead."

Lu Cheng was somewhat worried about his headache condition, but Wu Zhekun insisted on going, thinking it might alleviate the trauma caused by his stress disorder.

Lu Cheng stopped insisting; it suited him, as he also wanted to go to the Research Institute—he had been busy transporting supplies and had neglected the Snow Removal Machine Project.

From Lu Cheng, he learned that Ning Ning was at a department store, so Wu Zhekun got into a Jeep and prepared to take Ning Ning away.

At that moment Lu Ying was sorting goods; she saw a Jeep parked by the road and glanced at it curiously.

But when a person in military uniform stepped out of the vehicle, she suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

As Wu Zhekun approached, Lu Ying finally recognized him: "Oh, you're the…"

Lu Ying didn't know his name, so she scratched her head and smiled awkwardly: "We met last time."

Wu Zhekun also smiled: "More precisely, we've met long ago."

"Met long ago?"

"Yes, the last time at Hua Bing Chang, the one wearing the senior officer's coat." Wu Zhekun gestured.

Lu Ying recalled; no wonder she felt a déjà vu—the main clue was his military uniform, which had prevented her from connecting the dots earlier.

"Oh, it's you; you changed clothes and look completely different."

Remembering that this guy had teamed up with Qin Shou last time, Lu Ying instantly lost her good mood.

Seeing the other's attitude was off, Wu Zhekun felt a bit embarrassed, thought he should have kept quiet, and quickly changed the subject.

"Um, I'm here to pick up Ning Ning."

Lu Ying rolled her eyes: "Who's 'that'? I'm Lu Ying."

"Sorry, I… hello, Comrade Lu Ying."

Wu Zhekun proactively extended his hand; Lu Ying glanced at it and saw it covered in scars—wounds from the time he was digging people, and he was also the one who rescued Ning Ning—so Lu Ying reached out and shook his hand.

"Where are you taking Ning Ning?"

"Oh, I just ran into Lu Cheng at the hospital; he told me everything. We also learned that Ning Ning has an uncle, so I'm preparing to take her there."

Lu Ying nodded; Wu Zhekun was no longer the idle troublemaker he used to be—now a soldier, naturally trustworthy.

Actually handing her over to someone else, Lu Ying really felt a bit uneasy.

"Then wait a moment; Ning Ning is playing behind, I'll go call her."

Wu Zhekun shifted his gaze to the shelves; the goods were fairly complete, and there was Big Bowl Tea.

He just remembered he hadn't taken his medicine, poured a bowl of tea, dropped a few pills into his mouth, and then gulped it down with a sound.

"Hey, who told you to take medicine with tea water!"

Wu Zhekun, startled, swallowed the pills directly.

"I, I'll pay."

Lu Ying set Ning Ning down, poured out his tea water, and handed him a bowl of plain water.

"Medicine taken with tea water has no effect."

Wu Zhekun took the plain water and finally realized the misunderstanding.

Lu Ying squatted down, helped Ning Ning adjust her clothes: "Ning Ning, this uncle, you still know him, right?"

Ning Ning looked up; Wu Zhekun smiled and waved at her, and she nodded her little head.

"Will this uncle take you to find your uncle; are you willing to go with him?"

Ning Ning hesitated briefly, but then, maturely, nodded.

Lu Ying felt relieved and handed Ning Ning over to Wu Zhekun.

"Is her uncle's home far away?"

Wu Zhekun took out the recorded slip of paper, glanced at it and said, "It's a bit far from the Capital City, but still within He Province; you don't need to worry, I'll definitely deliver her safely to the place."

"Okay." Lu Ying patted Ning Ning's head, feeling rather reluctant inside—mostly worried, not sure whether the uncle could treat Ning Ning well, but this was the only option now.

Seeing Lu Ying kindly explain things about Ning Ning, Wu Zhekun felt the girl was truly kind-hearted and couldn't help saying, "Thank you for taking care of Ning Ning all this time."

Lu Ying didn't look at him and said, "No need for you to thank me."

Wu Zhekun opened his mouth: "I, I'm thanking you on behalf of her family."

"Alright, no need to thank me; the road is long, you still have to hurry, let's go now."

Wu Zhekun took Ning Ning's hand, got into the Jeep, and Lu Ying's gaze followed until the Jeep vanished at the street corner.

……

Over there, when Lu Cheng arrived at the Research Institute, everyone was holding a meeting.

Wu Qiming hurriedly greeted, "Group Leader Lu, weren't you transporting supplies? Why are you back?"

Lu Cheng replied, "I was reassigned to rest; I've been on leave these days."

"Then you should stay home and rest; there's nothing much here, you don't need to come over."

"It's fine; at home my mother keeps nagging, so I come here to find some peace."

That's how mothers are; if she spends half a month on vehicle duty without returning, then comes home with concern and delicious food, but maternal love only lasts two days, after which she finds everything annoying.

Wu Qiming smiled, "Take a seat; we're holding a summary meeting, you can listen as well."

After Tan Zonggong took charge, the construction issues of the Supporting Facilities were quickly resolved, and the impeller casting work had already begun; the plan is to have the finished product by the end of the month.

This meeting is not only a summary, but also a study of the upcoming components.

Currently there are several major issues to resolve, one of which is the engine problem.

The Rotary Snow Removal Machine developed this time is a gigantic beast; a regular engine certainly cannot provide enough power.

So everyone came up with a solution: connect eight large engines together, as the saying goes, "combine forces in one place," allowing the power to be drawn together.

After the meeting, Lu Cheng and Wu Qiming chatted casually: "Director Wu, based on the current work progress and your experience, when is the earliest the snow removal machine can be put into service?"

Regarding this question, it has been discussed internally many times, and Wu Qiming replied directly: "Around early next year, it should be about right."

Seeing Lu Cheng frown slightly, seeming unsatisfied, Wu Qiming smiled and said: "Group Leader Lu, this is indeed a fast pace; we originally estimated two to three years to complete, and now we've cut the time by more than half."

Lu Cheng naturally understood that, limited by the industrial base, this truly is the fastest production speed; the mountain‑high stacks of blueprints in the office bear witness to the researchers' hard work and effort along the way.

Two days later, just when the old Lu family thought Ning Ning could have a good place to settle, Wu Zhekun unexpectedly brought the child back.