Welder Zhao was a rugged person. He had the same attitude when educating his grandson, thinking that boys should be raised in a rough manner. They could be naughty, but they should not be as delicate as girls.
A few days ago, he saw his grandson having a bravery competition with other kids around the aquarium tank, seeing who was brave enough to pick up a clam worm. His daughter-in-law was criticizing them, asking them not to play with disgusting worms. She even asked him to help educate them.
He didn’t take it seriously and spoke along half-heartedly for the sake of peace in the family. But his tone was not harsh, and he was smiling. He thought his daughter-in-law was overreacting. There was no need to criticize them.
In fact, when he was a kid, he was wilder and crazier. Not only had he played with wasps’ nests and birds’ nests, but he had even cooked and eaten snakes that he caught on the mountain… Boys now were too girly. How could they grow up to be real men? They should be encouraged to be naughtier.
Later, when he saw kids playing bravery games around the fish tank, he didn’t say anything about it. When his daughter-in-law approached, he even alerted them in silence. He was encouraging them to do so.
After being confronted harshly by Electrician Wu, he didn’t know what to say, and he responded hesitantly, “This… I’m not sure. Maybe they play with it sometimes in secret…”
Electrician Wu looked at the time and began to sweat in fear immediately.
It was the first day of elementary school. School was finished after the students handed in their winter holiday homework and were given their new textbooks along with a few words from their teacher. They were to arrive at home early.
Now, maybe they had already finished school, returned home, and finished dinner. They could be together now, discussing what to play and where to have fun in the afternoon.
“Mr. Wu, look how frightened you are… They may not be playing at my place. Even if they are, it’s not their first time. Nothing happened before. Why would something happen this time?” Welder Zhao looked anxious, yet he pretended to be calm.
Electrician Wu took out his phone and dialed. Nobody picked it up after a few rings.
“Mr. Zhao, do you have anyone at home?” he asked.
Welder Zhao shook his head. “No. Everybody’s at work except me.”
“Does your grandson have a key to the house?” Electrician Wu continued to ask. It was the same at his house. Everybody else was at work, while his wife had possibly gone square dancing.
“Yes… Otherwise, how could he enter the house after school?” Welder Zhao said.
Electrician Wu’s face grew paler and paler. He told Zhang Zian in a hurry, “Store Manager Zhang, I… I have an emergency and must return. I’ll get some fish from here later.”
Zhang Zian had seen how protective he was over his grandson. Last time, when his grandson’s hand felt numb due to the leaking heating rod, he had chased after the store owner in the aquarium market relentlessly.
Electrician Wu searched for the key with shaky hands. As he failed to grab it firmly, the key dropped on the floor. He then bent down to pick it up.
“If you are in a rush, just take a taxi.” Li Kun picked the key up for him and passed it onto his hands.
Zhang Zian looked outside the shop and saw that he had come on a bike, while Welder Zhao had ridden an electric bike. In fact, as Welder Zhao had said, maybe nothing would happen. But nobody could be sure.
“How about this: I’m not busy right now. I can drive you back,” Zhang Zian said.
“Really? You are too kind…” Electrician Wu was reluctant to take the offer but felt surprised at the same time. Zhang Zian was young but very knowledgeable. He was so much better than the old folks.
“It’s fine. I’d like to have a look myself.” Zhang Zian had been carrying the key with him since he drove back. “Let’s hurry up and leave. You can leave your bikes outside my shop, and take them back later.”
“Okay.” Electrician Wu agreed immediately.
“Master! We want to go, too!” Wang Qian and Li Kun didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity and asked proactively, “We can drive. Not only do we drive fast, but we can drift in the alley!”
“Well… If I can fit in the car, I’d like to see it, too.” Jiang Feifei grew curious as well.
“You can fit! We are sure! It’s a Wuling Hong Guang! Not to mention five people, even 15 people can fit in there! It can take 20 people in a field mission!” Wang Qian and Li Kun loved drama and nodded ceaselessly.
“Crap. 20 people in a car? It’d squeeze your crap out!” Zhang Zian ridiculed. “This not a train in India!”
He tossed them the key. “Cut the nonsense and leave now. You’ll start the engine while I lock the door. Don’t drift in the alley!”
Electrician Wu walked in front of Welder Zhao and asked for the key with his hand out. “Mr. Zhao, lend me your house keys.”
“Fine. I’ll follow you guys back. Didn’t you say it can take 20 people? I believe I can fit there.” Welder Zhao sighed.
Zhang Zian locked the aquarium door since there were no customers, anyway. He notified Lu Yiyun, then all seven people squeezed themselves into the Wuling Hong Guang MPV.
Luckily, all the containers in the car were moved into the aquarium, and all seven people were skinny. Otherwise, it could not accommodate so many people.
Wuling Hong Guang didn’t disappoint them. With seven people on board, the speed didn’t slow down…
Wang Qian drove, while Electrician Wu pointed the directions. The seven people left as a crowd.
Zhang Zian had thought that a car could make life so much more convenient.
The old factories were built in downtown. To reduce pollution, their factories had been moved out of the city a long time ago. But the workers’ residence buildings had stayed where they used to be. It was at the edge of Dongcheng District, not far from the pet shop. They arrived soon.
Although it was a residential area, the guard was doing a good job. As it was not a car owned by the residents, he stopped them and didn’t let them enter.
Electrician Wu stepped out of the car and greeted him. Then the guard allowed them to enter.
After entering the area, he searched for his grandson. But he didn’t see him, which meant that he was not playing outside. He could either be home or at someone else’s house.
Wang Qian parked the car in front of the building where Welder Zhao lived. The others squeezed out of the car immediately before the car was properly parked. They squeezed into the building entrance.
There were no elevators in the old buildings. Welder Zhao lived on the sixth floor.
The two old men could not walk as fast as the young folks. They left the key to Zhang Zian so that he could bring the others up and check things out first.
Zhang Zian led the group and climbed six flights of stairs in one breath. He knocked on the door loudly first to alert the people inside. In case Welder Zhao’s son and daughter-in-law were doing something intimate while nobody else was home, they would have at least some time to get dressed after hearing the knock…
He took out the key and opened the door before anyone responded inside.
Welder Zhao’s door was facing the living room. As soon as Zhang Zian opened the door, he saw a couple of people. A group of kids were gathered around the aquarium tank in the living room with their sleeves rolled up. A few kids’ hands were wet and dripping water.
Among them, was Electrician Wu’s grandson, whom Zhang Zian had met in the aquarium market. He was putting his arm into the tank…