Chapter 89

Xu Damao's family left quietly; at first it didn't draw attention from the other residents of the siheyuan, after all Lou Xiaoe had often returned to her parents' home after giving birth, but as time went on the neighbors still sensed something odd—although Lou Xiaoe and her child frequently stayed at her parents' place, Xu Damao still came back to the siheyuan every day, even if he went to the countryside to show films for just two or three days, yet this time he hadn't been seen for several days straight.

"Qiangzi, why haven't I seen Xu Damao's family these past few days?" Li Qiang had just returned to the gate of the siheyuan when the door god Yan Butgui blocked his way.

"Yan Lao Shi, I really don't know much about it; I heard Xu Damao hasn't been to work for several days either, and the factory is looking for him," Li Qiang said.

"Normally Xu Damao's family gets along well with yours, yet you don't even know what he's been up to lately—could something have happened?" Yan Butgui asked, a little worried.

"It shouldn't be; if something really had happened, the neighborhood office and police station would surely have notified us," Li Qiang chuckled.

"That's true; why don't you go check on Lou Xiaoe's parents' place tomorrow, just in case something happened?" Yan Butgui still cared about the neighbors in the siheyuan.

"Alright, I'll swing by tomorrow when I have time."

The next day Li Qiang genuinely went through the motions and made a trip to Lou Bancheng's house.

"What are you doing?" Li Qiang had just reached Lou Bancheng's gate when two youths wearing red armbands stopped him.

"Comrade, I am the Section Chief of the Security Section at Red Star Yagangchang; our factory's Xu Damao hasn't been to work for several days, I came over to see if he's at his father-in-law's home," Li Qiang said calmly.

"Oh, who is his father-in-law?" Upon hearing Li Qiang say he was the Section Chief of the Security Section, the youngster's attitude improved considerably.

"His father-in-law is the former Factory Director of Yagangchang, Lou Bancheng."

"You mean Lou Bancheng? His whole family has gone missing now, and we've sealed off his house," the youngster said.

"Missing?" Li Qiang asked, feigning surprise.

"He probably fled," the youngster said softly, stepping up to Li Qiang.

"I understand, thank you, comrade; I'll go back and report to the leadership," Li Qiang said with a grateful expression.

"You're welcome."

Li Qiang didn't return to Yagangchang; only he himself knew clearly that the Lou Bancheng family had left.

That afternoon, when Li Qiang returned to the siheyuan, Yan Butgui stopped him again.

"Qiangzi, did you go check on Lou Xiaoe's parents' home?" Yan Butgui asked.

"I went, but I didn't go inside; I was stopped at the gate by the little red soldiers. They said there was no one in the Lou household, that they seemed to have gone elsewhere, and now the Lou family's home has been sealed off by the little red soldiers." Li Qiang did not say the Lou family had fled; instead he said it seemed they had gone elsewhere.

"I understand, I understand," although Li Qiang's words weren't very clear, as a smart person Yan Butgui could hardly fail to grasp the meaning behind Li Qiang's words.

No matter what news, once Yan Butgui knows it, it won't be long before it spreads throughout the entire siheyuan.

"Second Brother, I heard from Yan Lao Kou that Xu Damao's family has fled?" After dinner, He Yuzhu came to Li Qiang's house and asked.

"Zhuzi, don't rush, sit down and I'll tell you slowly," Li Qiang said, handing He Yuzhu a cigarette.

"Second Brother, what exactly is going on?" He Yuzhu is short-tempered; he usually gets along fine with Xu Damao, and now that he's heard Xu Damao's family has fled, he's surely worried.

"Lou Bancheng took Xu Damao's family to Hong Kong; you just need to know this, and absolutely must not spread it outside," Li Qiang whispered.

"When did this happen? How come I didn't know? Xu Damao didn't even tell me about such a big thing, making me worry for nothing," He Yuzhu began to complain.

"It's been over a week; when he was about to leave, Xu Damao came to me and asked me to pass on his farewell to you—that's why I didn't tell you. I was afraid of dragging you into trouble; you know the situation outside now, and given Lou Bancheng's standing, if they hadn't left they wouldn't have fared well." Li Qiang said.

"That's true," He Yuzhu said, now calming down.

"Remember, Zhuzi, from now on, no matter who asks about Xu Damao's situation, you say you don't know," Li Qiang instructed.

"Got it, Second Brother; I can tell what's important," He Yuzhu said, not being stupid—how could he not grasp the seriousness of the matter?

"Also, from now on, in any situation, do more and speak less; it's very possible that an offhand remark of yours could be seized upon as a loophole by others," Li Qiang reminded He Yuzhu again.

"Second Brother, is it really that serious?" He Yuzhu asked, half-disbelieving; He Yuzhu is a decent person, just has a foul mouth, but with Li Qiang's protection he's improved a lot. In the original story, He Yuzhu offended many people with his mouth, which caused him to spend half his life at Yagangchang still only a Level 8 cook, though his culinary skills actually far exceed Level 8. Because he's made too many enemies, even when there were opportunities to take a promotion exam, no one would tell him or recommend him to take it—back then, taking such exams required a unit's recommendation and an introduction letter; without one, you couldn't accomplish anything.

"It's more serious than you think; just focus on cooking your dishes well and don't get involved in other matters," Li Qiang said.

"I got it, by the way, have you heard that our factory is going to set up a revolutionary committee?" He Yuzhu's information is still quite reliable.

"It's already been established today, with Li Huaide appointed as chairman of the revolutionary committee," Li Qiang said.

"How could it be him? By rights it should be Factory Director Yang," He Yuzhu asked, puzzled.

"You don't understand many things here; it's not that whoever has higher status automatically becomes the revolutionary committee chairman. Also, one more thing: when you come into contact with Factory Director Yang in the future, be careful—I estimate he'll be ousted soon. By the way, this Sunday go see the top leader; I reckon his days won't be easy either." Li Qiang recalled that when the big movement just started, the top leader had gone south to lay low, and only returned after the movement ended.

"Alright, Second Brother, how do you know everything?"

"To be honest, Li Huaide came to see me today and asked me to serve as vice-chairman of the revolutionary committee," Li Qiang said.

"Second Brother, I think you're fine as Section Chief of the Security Section; just don't get mixed up in their messy affairs," He Yuzhu said.

"I know what I'm doing; if I don't take this vice-chairman post, I reckon my position as Section Chief of the Security Section won't be secure either—the Security Section is a real power department. Although I usually get along well with Li Huaide, if I oppose him, do you think he'll let me stay on as Section Chief? He'll have to find someone obedient." Li Qiang firmly believed that in the face of interests there are no eternal friends nor eternal enemies.

"Second Brother, if I were you I'd just quit being the Section Chief altogether to avoid the aggravation," He Yuzhu said, being straightforward.

"Zhuzi, you don't understand many things; only by holding this position can I properly protect our family."

"I understand, Second Brother," He Yuzhu now realized too; Li Qiang was absolutely right—only when you hold power can you protect yourself and those around you. In this country of Huaxia, money can't outweigh power; Lou Bancheng may have money, but isn't he now scurrying off to someplace else to lay low?