Chapter 70: Crisis Lurks, the Storm Rises Again

The flame in the furnace curled over the last strip of paper, Zhao Jianguo slammed the stove lid and didn't look again. He lifted the water bucket and walked toward the Kitchen, his steps half a beat slower than usual. Sha Zhu squatted at the doorway chewing a steamed bun, and when he saw Zhao coming, swallowed a mouthful and asked, "All burned?"

"All burned." Zhao Jianguo placed the bucket beside the stove, "The cold air must be held back, and the fire must be saved."

Sha Zhu nodded, took another bite, and mumbled, "Old Chen went around the coal depot this morning, acting all shifty."

Zhao Jianguo gave no reply, turned on the faucet, waited for the water to flow, then said, "He's been unusually diligent lately."

"Exactly." Sha Zhu brushed off the bun crumbs, "Yesterday I saw him whispering with Er Lengzi by the well; Er Lengzi's face turned red, as if his foot had been stepped on."

Zhao Jianguo shut off the faucet, carried the bucket away. He didn't go to Night School, nor return to his room; after a turn, he squatted behind the well platform to wash a rag. It was the water‑drawing hour, with people coming and going, and a lot of chatter.

Old Chen was indeed there, chatting with Qin Huairu: "…you talk about this Rules Sign, the rotation schedule changes whenever it says so, names get crossed out whenever it says so, who can feel at ease?"

Qin Huairu wrung her damp clothes and sighed, "I'm puzzled too. A couple of days ago I had my younger son sign up for Night School; they said the slots were full and we'd have to wait for the next batch. Yet I saw Lao Liu's son already got his certificate, and his father had even stolen coal not long ago."

"Isn't that just it?" Old Chen lowered his voice, "The technical certificate sounds nice, but in plain terms it's a chokehold. Want to learn? You have to obey first. If you don't do the duty, you're not allowed into the Classroom. What else is this but bullying the honest folk?"

The aunt Li, who was hanging clothes nearby, interjected, "Zhao Jianguo is pretty fair, isn't he? All San Daye went to attend the lectures, even Sha Zhu took notes."

"Fair?" Old Chen sneered, "He decides who can learn, and only those he permits can learn. Whoever's name gets crossed out on the rotation schedule can't even think of touching the technical certificate. What's that called? It's called the head of the courtyard! He's harsher than Yi Zhonghai; Yi Zhonghai still knows how to give a Meal Ticket, but he—he grabs a Meal Ticket bowl in one hand and a broom in the other."

A low buzz rose from the crowd. Some nodded, some frowned, but no one spoke.

Zhao Jianguo squatted behind the well platform, wringing the rag until it dripped. He stayed still, neither moving nor leaving, listening and taking note.

After a while, Qin Huairu carried her bucket away, and Old Chen sauntered back to his own room. Zhao Jianguo only then stood up, tossed the rag into the bucket, and took a shortcut to the electrician's room.

He Yushui was squatting, wiring, and looked up at the sound, "You're here?"

"Mm." Zhao Jianguo fished two cells from his pocket and handed them over, "Check the line by the rear window of the coal depot."

He Yushui took the cells, didn't rush to connect them, "Something happened?"

"You didn't hear what was said by the well?"

"I heard it. Old Chen said you're monopolizing the technology."

Zhao Jianguo twisted his mouth into a grin, "He's pretty good at spinning words."

"The problem is, some people believe it." He Yushui shoved the cells into his tool bag, "Er Lengzi just came to me, asking if he could re‑register. I said yes, but he didn't believe me, saying his name was crossed out on the rotation schedule, that it was a deliberate targeting."

Zhao Jianguo squinted, "Who crossed it out?"

"Don't know. The handwriting doesn't look like his."

Zhao Jianguo stood and headed out, "You go check the line at the coal depot, keep it low‑key. If you find it's been tampered with, take a photo, don't touch it."

"What about you?"

"I'll go look through the notebook."

He returned to his room, pulled the small notebook from under the bed, and opened the rotation records. Er Lengzi's name was indeed blacked out on Wednesday, with a crooked "ill" character added beside it. He flipped to the sign‑in sheet; Er Lengzi hadn't attended Night School for the past three days. Looking further back, he found that Lao Liu, Lao Zhou, and Xiao Tian's names had also been swapped out by Old Chen, and none of them reappeared after that.

He took a pencil and drew several lines on the paper, connecting them to Old Chen's head, then circled a region encompassing the coal depot, the Kitchen's rear window, and the restroom doorway—three spots fitted with doorbells.

"If the wiring is cut and the bell silent, they could come and go at night unnoticed," he muttered to himself, "But they don't cut the line nor remove the bell; they just spread rumors, indicating they don't want to act, only to talk."

He closed the notebook, leaned against the headboard, and stared at the ceiling for a while. The stove blazed brightly, the room was warm, yet he felt a chill down his back.

These people aren't stupid. They know there's no evidence to arrest anyone now; making a big scene would only backfire on them. So they don't cause trouble, they just stir the wind. When the wind blows, hearts sway. Qin Huairu being able to speak up shows there's already some wavering.

He got up, slipped the notebook back under the bed, threw on his cotton coat and left.

Sha Zhu was chopping cabbage at the Kitchen doorway; seeing him arrive, he didn't stop, "Heard Er Lengzi is shouting about leaving the group?"

"Leaving what group?"

"The Night School study group." Sha Zhu rolled his eyes, "They say the Rules Sign is too harsh; you have to learn a technique and also sweep the restroom—just not worth it."

Zhao Jianguo sneered, "When was the last time he swept the restroom? Last winter?"

"Who knows." Sha Zhu tossed the vegetables into the pot, "But once the story spreads it gets twisted. Now everyone says you wield a broom to control people and use technology to oppress them."

Zhao Jianguo said nothing, walking toward the courtyard corner. San Daye leaned on his cane, sunbathing at his own doorstep, and waved when he saw Zhao approach.

"Jianguo, come sit for a while."

Zhao Jianguo crouched, "Anything?"

"Yes." San Daye lowered his voice, "This morning I heard Lao Zhou's wife telling her daughter that Zhao Jianguo is even more overbearing than Yi Zhonghai, even his meals depend on his mood. She also said someone is drafting a joint letter to report to the factory, claiming we're running a 'technology dictatorship' here."

Zhao Jianguo's eyebrows lifted, "Who's leading it?"

"Don't know. Lao Zhou's wife didn't say."

"Has the letter been written?"

"Not yet, they're still recruiting."

Zhao Jianguo nodded, not hurrying to leave. San Daye stared at him for a moment, then asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"I won't handle it." Zhao Jianguo shook his head, "If we start arresting people, they'll say we're suppressing dissent. If we just stand by, they'll label us as a dictatorship. This game can't be played by their rules."

"Then what do we do?"

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