Chapter 586: The Secret in the Film Canister Box

Liu Guangfu was holding a toy gun, strafing Bang Geng, while providing his own sound effects: "Bang bang..."

Bang Geng played along quite well, clutching his chest, letting out a miserable "Ah!", and falling straight backward, his two legs still kicking desperately on the ground, acting as if it were real.

Liu Guangfu's mouth was stretched almost to his ears; this was the most glorious moment of his day.

"Guangfu!"

Liu Guangqi strode into the courtyard, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and hauled him toward home, "How old are you, still playing this with a little brat?"

Liu Guangfu was dragged along stumbling by his brother, but he didn't forget to turn back and wave at Bang Geng: "Keep acting tomorrow!"

Bang Geng climbed up from the ground, patted his bottom, and pulled two pieces of White Rabbit Creamy Candy from his pocket: "If it weren't for these two candies, I wouldn't have played along with you!"

Once inside the room, Liu Guangqi finally let go.

Liu Guangfu wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a big gulp of cold boiled water, and said, "Bang Geng is just a bit dim-witted, but he's quite fun."

Liu Guangqi lit a cigarette and asked, "Guangfu, what has your second brother been up to lately?"

Liu Guangfu's eyes darted around, and he stretched his hand out in front of his brother.

Liu Guangqi's mouth twitched; he fished a few White Rabbit candies from his pocket and slapped them into his palm.

Liu Guangfu immediately peeled one and stuffed it into his mouth, mumbling, "Him? He's been helping Xu Damao deliver goods lately."

"Deliver what goods?" Liu Guangqi's brows knitted into a knot.

"Grain, obviously." Liu Guangfu chewed the candy, completely unaware that his brother's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Liu Guangqi narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in their depths, thinking: Xu Damao, you actually dare to engage in speculation and profiteering!

Liu Guangfu caught the man-eating expression on his brother's face, couldn't help but stick out his tongue, and his heart skipped a beat, feeling he had said the wrong thing.

The next day at noon, at the entrance of Seven Middle School.

Liu Guangtian was straddling a bicycle, one foot propping him up on the ground, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, squinting as he watched the students coming and going.

He was wearing a Lenin suit with the front open, revealing the sailor shirt underneath.

He was a second-year student at this school, but he basically never came to class.

Even if he did come, it was just to sleep in the classroom.

Because his reputation for violence was well-known, even the teachers gave him a wide berth.

The teachers were only too happy that he didn't come to class, so no one bothered him, acting as if he didn't exist.

"Brother Tian!"

Several boys saw him and came running over eagerly, nodding and bowing as they called out.

Liu Guangtian lazily pulled a cigarette from his pocket and gave one to each of them.

The boys were flattered, hurriedly cupping their hands to light them, gathering around him, feeling like they had a great deal of face.

Liu Guangtian narrowed his eyes, watching the students at the school gate stealing glances at him, and he felt absolutely great!

He was now a big-shot in the vicinity of Seven Middle School; anyone who ran into a problem they couldn't handle was willing to pay him to step in.

Just as he was smoking, a boy wearing glasses, as thin as a Maguan, trotted over, his face full of smiles: "Brother Tian! I finally waited for you!"

Liu Guangtian waved his hand at the others, and they sensibly walked away with their schoolbags on their backs.

He squinted at the boy with glasses: "What is it?"

The boy with glasses leaned in closer and lowered his voice: "There's a kid in our class named Lao Mu who says he knows some kind of Splitting Fist and bullies people all day long; two days ago he even broke my glasses. Brother Tian, can you find a few people to help me teach him a lesson?"

Liu Guangtian blew a smoke ring: "How much can you pay?"

"Thirty yuan, will that work?" The boy with glasses looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to agree.

Liu Guangtian nodded without even lifting his eyelids.

The boy with glasses hurriedly pulled three ten-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them over.

Liu Guangtian took them and stuffed them into his pocket: "Tomorrow night after school, come out early and wait."

The boy with glasses looked as if he had been granted amnesty, his head bobbing like a chick pecking at rice, and he ran off in a flash.

Liu Guangtian touched the thirty yuan in his pocket, feeling wonderful.

He pedaled his bicycle and rode swaying toward Hongxing Primary School.

He picked up Liu Guangfu and had him sit on the back seat.

Liu Guangtian rode the bicycle fast through the small alleyways!

"Second Brother," Liu Guangfu suddenly spoke up, "Eldest Brother asked me again what you've been doing lately."

Liu Guangtian's heart skipped a beat; he slammed on the brakes, and the bicycle lurched forward before stopping: "What did you say?"

"I... I said you were helping Xu Damao transport grain."

Liu Guangtian's face turned black instantly: "I was originally going to take you to eat steamed buns, but with that mouth of yours that spills everything, just hurry up and get home!"

Liu Guangfu grumbled aggrievedly: "Second Brother, didn't you tell me that whatever Eldest Brother asks, I should just tell him, as long as I tell you when he asked?"

Liu Guangtian was stunned—damn, he really had said that.

He pulled a one-yuan bill from his pocket and handed it to his younger brother: "Alright, alright, go buy yourself some steamed buns to eat."

"But I need a Grain Coupon to buy steamed buns..." Liu Guangfu took the money, not forgetting to remind him.

Liu Guangtian fished out a one-jin Grain Coupon and threw it to him, then vaulted onto his bike, his two legs pedaling like wheels of fire, heading straight for Xu Damao's house.

Xu Damao was pushing his bicycle out, with projection equipment tied to it.

"Brother, where are you going?" Liu Guangtian called out to him, panting.

"Where else? Going to Qinghe Commune to show a movie." Xu Damao mounted his bike, ready to leave.

Liu Guangtian grabbed his handlebars: "Brother, something's wrong! That kid Liu Guangfu has no filter on his mouth and leaked the fact that you're moving grain to my Eldest Brother. I reckon Liu Guangqi is likely going to report you. You'd better not carry anything to the commune today; someone might check you halfway!"

Xu Damao's expression changed, and without a word, he pushed his bike back into the courtyard.

He lifted the lid of the film canister box, scrambled to pull out the soap and matches inside, then brought two small cotton quilts out from the room, padded them thick and solid at the bottom of the box, then neatly stacked the film reels on top, and even specifically stuffed in two extra "added reels."

Once packed, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, got back on his bike, and hurried toward the commune.

As soon as he entered the commune's territory, Xu Damao sensed something was wrong.

The people at the checkpoint had all been replaced.

He knew what was going on in his heart, but his face remained calm as he rode over slowly.

"Stop, stop!" a young man reached out to block him, "Hurry up and open the box, inspection!"

Xu Damao pulled a cigarette from his pocket and handed it over, his face full of smiles: "Comrade, you've worked hard, have a smoke, have a smoke."

The young man didn't even lift his eyelids, nor did he reach out his hand.

Xu Damao wasn't annoyed either; he tucked the cigarette behind his ear and stood still: "This film is precious; it can't be taken out and exposed to light under normal circumstances!"

The young man sneered: "Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes. The kind that's afraid of light is called a negative; this is a copy, which belongs to the positive film category."

"Oh!" Xu Damao's eyes lit up, "An expert! You even know this! But you also know that if this positive film gets sand on it, it's no good; it's easily worn down. When showing the movie, the screen would be full of scratches. Wouldn't that be a letdown for the audience?"

The young man waved his hand impatiently: "Less nonsense, open it!"

Only then did Xu Damao unhurriedly lift the lid of the box.

The young man leaned over to look and saw a thick little cotton quilt padded under the copy; his brows furrowed: "What are you padding it with a quilt for?"

Xu Damao hurriedly explained: "Oh my, this road is full of potholes and bumps; the film is brittle and easily damaged by the jolting. I padded it thick for shock absorption so this copy can be shown a few more times."

The young man stared at the box for a long time and reached out to press on the quilt; unable to find any flaws, he had no choice but to wave his hand: "Alright, alright, go ahead."

Xu Damao chuckled, closed the box, and while tying it to his bike, said: "Comrade, you're not from this commune, are you? I haven't seen you before!"

The young man didn't pay him any mind.

He got on his bike and rode slowly toward the commune compound.

What Xu Damao didn't know was that in a small grove in the distance, Liu Guangqi was staring fixedly at his back, his eyes red.

"Damn it!"

He slammed his fist hard against the tree trunk, and blood immediately seeped from his knuckles.

Liu Guangqi gritted his teeth, breathing heavily, staring in the direction Xu Damao had gone, his eyes filled with hatred.