Chapter One
The body lay in perfect repose on the Victorian fainting couch, looking more like a sleeping beauty than a victim. Detective Sarah Chen had seen enough death in her ten years with the Metropolitan Police's Special Cases Unit to know that natural death never looked this peaceful. Something was very, very wrong.
'No signs of struggle, no marks on the body, and yet...' She leaned closer, studying the victim's face. Charlotte Mills, aged 28, was found by her roommate this morning, apparently having passed away in her sleep. Her expression was serene, almost blissful, but her eyes - those were what caught Sarah's attention. Behind the closed lids, her eyes were moving rapidly, as if still deep in REM sleep.
"You see it too, don't you?" The voice came from behind her, rich and cultured with a slight Irish lilt. "She's still dreaming."
Sarah turned to find a tall man in an impeccably tailored charcoal suit standing in the doorway. He hadn't been there a moment ago, she was certain of it. His dark hair was streaked with silver at the temples, and his eyes were an unusual shade of amber that seemed to shift color in the light.
"This is a closed crime scene," she said firmly, her hand instinctively moving toward her weapon. "How did you get in here?"
He smiled, but it didn't reach those strange eyes. "Dr. Marcus Thorne," he said, pulling out a card that somehow both looked official and seemed to shimmer slightly. "I'm a consulting specialist with the Department's new Oneiric Phenomena Division."
"The what division?" Sarah frowned, taking the card. The moment her fingers touched it, she felt a slight electric tingle, and the letters seemed to rearrange themselves before her eyes.
"Dreams, Detective Chen. We investigate crimes involving dreams." He moved into the room with fluid grace, his attention fixed on the victim. "And this is the third one this month."
Sarah's mind raced. There had been two other deaths recently - both young women, both found peacefully dead in their sleep. She'd seen the reports but hadn't made the connection until now. "How do you know about those cases?"
"Because I've been tracking the killer for quite some time." Thorne knelt beside the body, his eyes now definitely more gold than amber. "He's what we call a Dream Collector - someone who has learned to enter and steal dreams. But this one has developed a taste for more than just dreams. He's taking souls."
Under normal circumstances, Sarah would have dismissed such talk as nonsense. But there was something about the scene, about the victim's still-moving eyes, about Thorne himself, that made the impossible seem suddenly plausible.
"If you're tracking him," she said carefully, "why haven't you caught him?"
Thorne's expression darkened. "Because he only appears in dreams. The physical world is my domain, but his... his is the realm of sleep. To catch him, we need someone who can walk between both worlds." He turned those unsettling eyes on her. "Someone like you."
"Me?" Sarah almost laughed, but the sound died in her throat as memories she'd long suppressed began to surface. The dreams that felt too real, the nights she'd awakened to find objects moved in her room, the way she sometimes knew things she couldn't possibly know...
"You've always known you were different, haven't you, Detective?" Thorne's voice was gentle now. "The dreams that come true, the hunches that turn out to be right, the way you can sometimes see how people died just by touching objects they owned..."
Sarah took an involuntary step back. "How do you know about that?"
"Because I've been looking for someone like you. A Natural - someone born with the ability to cross the threshold between waking and dreaming." He gestured to the victim. "Charlotte here won't be his last. There will be others, and their souls will remain trapped in an eternal dream unless we stop him."
Just then, the victim's hand twitched, her fingers moving as if writing something. Sarah moved closer, watching as invisible words were traced in the air. Thorne pulled out what looked like an antique monocle and held it up. Through its lens, golden letters shimmered in the air where Charlotte's fingers moved.
"Help me," Thorne read aloud. "He's coming for the others."
Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at the victim's peaceful face, at those restlessly moving eyes, and made a decision that would change her life forever.
"Tell me what I need to do."
Thorne's smile was grim. "First, you need to learn to control your abilities. Then..." he held up the monocle, through which Sarah could now see strange symbols glowing all around the room, "you need to learn to hunt in dreams."
Outside the Victorian townhouse, storm clouds gathered, and Sarah Chen, homicide detective and newly discovered dream walker, took her first step into a world where nightmares were real, and death was just another kind of sleep.
Chapter Two
The basement of the Natural History Museum was the last place Sarah expected to find the headquarters of a secret dream investigation unit. Yet here she was, following Thorne through a maze of storage rooms filled with artifacts that seemed to pulse with their own inner light.
"The mundane world only sees what it expects to see," Thorne explained, using an ornate key to unlock a heavy wooden door marked 'Private Collection.' "To them, this is just museum storage. To us, it's the largest collection of dream artifacts in the Western Hemisphere."
The room beyond defied physics. It stretched impossibly far, filled with glass cases containing everything from ancient masks to modern-looking devices. Floating orbs of soft light illuminated collections of bottled dreams - actual dreams, swirling like liquid mercury behind glass.
"Your badge, Detective," Thorne held out his hand. Sarah hesitated before handing over her police credentials. He placed it on a strange device that looked like a Victorian music box crossed with a computer. When he returned the badge, it felt different - heavier, somehow more real.
"Now you'll be able to access both worlds officially," he said. "Look at it again."
The badge had changed. Alongside her regular police credentials, new text had appeared: 'Special Inspector, Oneiric Investigations Division.' The letters seemed to shift between English and something older, something that made her eyes water if she looked too long.
"Before we can hunt the Dream Collector, you need to understand what you're dealing with." Thorne led her to a case containing what looked like a normal pillow. "Touch it."
Sarah reached out hesitantly. The moment her fingers made contact, the world tilted. She was suddenly standing in someone else's dream - a sunny beach, but the sky was green and the sand whispered secrets. She jerked her hand back, gasping.
"Good," Thorne nodded approvingly. "Most people can't pull back from their first dream artifact. You have natural barriers."
"What was that?" Sarah's heart was racing.
"A dream fragment from 1892. A young girl's last dream before the influenza took her." His voice softened. "We preserve them here. Dreams carry memories, emotions, sometimes even pieces of souls."
"And this Dream Collector... he takes entire souls?" Sarah remembered Charlotte Mills' peaceful face and restless eyes.
"He traps them in eternal dreams, feeding off their essence." Thorne moved to another case, this one containing what looked like a cracked mirror. "Each victim becomes part of his collection, their souls powering his abilities, letting him dreamwalk without natural talent like yours."
Suddenly, the cracked mirror began to frost over. In its surface, Sarah saw Charlotte Mills' face, mouth open in a silent scream. Then another face appeared - another victim, she presumed - and another.
"He's showing off," Thorne growled. "He knows we're investigating."
The temperature in the room dropped dramatically. Frost patterns spread from the mirror to nearby cases, and Sarah heard what sounded like distant laughter.
"Well, well," a voice echoed through the room, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere. "A new player in the game. And such interesting dreams you have, Detective Chen."
Sarah felt something brush against her mind, like cold fingers trying to pry open a door. Instinctively, she slammed her mental barriers shut. The presence withdrew, but not before leaving behind an impression of amusement.
"He's already caught your scent," Thorne said grimly. He pulled out a small velvet bag and removed what looked like a dreamcatcher made of silver wire and black pearls. "Wear this when you sleep. It won't keep him out entirely, but it'll stop him from stealing your dreams while you're still learning to defend yourself."
As Sarah took the dreamcatcher, her fingers brushed Thorne's, and suddenly she was hit with a flash of his dreams - centuries of memories, battles fought in realms of sleep, and a profound sense of loss that made her gasp.
Thorne withdrew his hand quickly. "Your abilities are stronger than I thought. We'll need to work on your control."
"What are you?" Sarah asked directly. "You're not just some government consultant, are you?"
Before he could answer, an alarm began to sound throughout the facility. One of the dream bottles had turned black, its contents writhing like smoke.
"He's hunting again," Thorne said, already moving toward the exit. "Someone in the city has just entered their last dream. Are you ready for your first real case, Detective?"
Sarah touched her new badge, feeling its power hum under her fingers. "Do we have time to save them?"
"If we're lucky, we might catch him in the act. But remember - in dreams, he's incredibly powerful. One wrong move and you could lose your soul."
As they rushed from the dream archive, Sarah caught one last glimpse of the cracked mirror. In its surface, she saw her own reflection smile back at her with eyes that weren't quite her own.
The hunt was about to begin.
Chapter Two
The basement of the Natural History Museum was the last place Sarah expected to find the headquarters of a secret dream investigation unit. Yet here she was, following Thorne through a maze of storage rooms filled with artifacts that seemed to pulse with their own inner light.
"The mundane world only sees what it expects to see," Thorne explained, using an ornate key to unlock a heavy wooden door marked 'Private Collection.' "To them, this is just museum storage. To us, it's the largest collection of dream artifacts in the Western Hemisphere."
The room beyond defied physics. It stretched impossibly far, filled with glass cases containing everything from ancient masks to modern-looking devices. Floating orbs of soft light illuminated collections of bottled dreams - actual dreams, swirling like liquid mercury behind glass.
"Your badge, Detective," Thorne held out his hand. Sarah hesitated before handing over her police credentials. He placed it on a strange device that looked like a Victorian music box crossed with a computer. When he returned the badge, it felt different - heavier, somehow more real.
"Now you'll be able to access both worlds officially," he said. "Look at it again."
The badge had changed. Alongside her regular police credentials, new text had appeared: 'Special Inspector, Oneiric Investigations Division.' The letters seemed to shift between English and something older, something that made her eyes water if she looked too long.
"Before we can hunt the Dream Collector, you need to understand what you're dealing with." Thorne led her to a case containing what looked like a normal pillow. "Touch it."
Sarah reached out hesitantly. The moment her fingers made contact, the world tilted. She was suddenly standing in someone else's dream - a sunny beach, but the sky was green and the sand whispered secrets. She jerked her hand back, gasping.
"Good," Thorne nodded approvingly. "Most people can't pull back from their first dream artifact. You have natural barriers."
"What was that?" Sarah's heart was racing.
"A dream fragment from 1892. A young girl's last dream before the influenza took her." His voice softened. "We preserve them here. Dreams carry memories, emotions, sometimes even pieces of souls."
"And this Dream Collector... he takes entire souls?" Sarah remembered Charlotte Mills' peaceful face and restless eyes.
"He traps them in eternal dreams, feeding off their essence." Thorne moved to another case, this one containing what looked like a cracked mirror. "Each victim becomes part of his collection, their souls powering his abilities, letting him dreamwalk without natural talent like yours."
Suddenly, the cracked mirror began to frost over. In its surface, Sarah saw Charlotte Mills' face, mouth open in a silent scream. Then another face appeared - another victim, she presumed - and another.
"He's showing off," Thorne growled. "He knows we're investigating."
The temperature in the room dropped dramatically. Frost patterns spread from the mirror to nearby cases, and Sarah heard what sounded like distant laughter.
"Well, well," a voice echoed through the room, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere. "A new player in the game. And such interesting dreams you have, Detective Chen."
Sarah felt something brush against her mind, like cold fingers trying to pry open a door. Instinctively, she slammed her mental barriers shut. The presence withdrew, but not before leaving behind an impression of amusement.
"He's already caught your scent," Thorne said grimly. He pulled out a small velvet bag and removed what looked like a dreamcatcher made of silver wire and black pearls. "Wear this when you sleep. It won't keep him out entirely, but it'll stop him from stealing your dreams while you're still learning to defend yourself."
As Sarah took the dreamcatcher, her fingers brushed Thorne's, and suddenly she was hit with a flash of his dreams - centuries of memories, battles fought in realms of sleep, and a profound sense of loss that made her gasp.
Thorne withdrew his hand quickly. "Your abilities are stronger than I thought. We'll need to work on your control."
"What are you?" Sarah asked directly. "You're not just some government consultant, are you?"
Before he could answer, an alarm began to sound throughout the facility. One of the dream bottles had turned black, its contents writhing like smoke.
"He's hunting again," Thorne said, already moving toward the exit. "Someone in the city has just entered their last dream. Are you ready for your first real case, Detective?"
Sarah touched her new badge, feeling its power hum under her fingers. "Do we have time to save them?"
"If we're lucky, we might catch him in the act. But remember - in dreams, he's incredibly powerful. One wrong move and you could lose your soul."
As they rushed from the dream archive, Sarah caught one last glimpse of the cracked mirror. In its surface, she saw her own reflection smile back at her with eyes that weren't quite her own.
The hunt was about to begin.
Chapter Three
They arrived at St. Bartholomew's Hospital just as the emergency lights began to flash. Sarah followed Thorne through corridors that seemed to blur at the edges of her vision, her new badge somehow clearing their path without ever being shown.
"Room 307," Thorne said, his voice tight with urgency. "Young male, admitted for minor surgery, slipped into an unusual coma during recovery."
The patient, David Parker, age 23, lay perfectly still on his hospital bed, his eyes moving rapidly beneath closed lids. Just like Charlotte Mills. But this time, something was different - the air around him rippled like heat waves over hot asphalt.
"He's still in the process of taking him," Thorne said, pulling out what looked like an antique pocket watch. "We can follow if we're quick. Are you ready for your first dream dive?"
Sarah's heart pounded. "What do I need to do?"
"Take my hand. Focus on the patient. Let your consciousness slip between the moments of reality." Thorne's eyes began to glow that strange amber color. "And whatever you see in there, remember - dream logic is real logic in that world."
Sarah grasped Thorne's hand and looked at David Parker. The world tilted, twisted, and suddenly...
They were standing in a hospital corridor that wasn't quite right. The walls breathed slowly, the floor was made of flowing water that somehow supported their weight, and the ceiling was a swirling mass of constellation maps.
"His dreamscape," Thorne explained, his voice echoing strangely. "Every dreamer creates their own reality. Look."
Down the impossible corridor, a figure in a doctor's coat was leading David Parker by the hand. But the 'doctor' was wrong - his shadow moved independently, reaching out with grasping tendrils towards other dreams that floated past like soap bubbles.
"The Dream Collector," Sarah whispered.
As if hearing his name, the figure turned. Sarah's breath caught. His face was a beautiful mask of shifting features, never settling on one form, but his eyes... his eyes were endless pits of swirling dreams.
"Ah, the new dreamer," his voice was like silk over broken glass. "And my old friend Marcus. Still trying to police the dream worlds?"
Thorne stepped forward, and Sarah noticed his appearance had changed in the dream. His suit was now made of living shadows, and wings of dark light stretched from his shoulders. "Let him go, Collector. You've taken enough souls."
The Collector laughed, the sound causing the hospital walls to crack, leaking golden dream-light. "Taken? Oh, Marcus, you still don't understand. They give themselves to me. Show her, David."
The young man turned, and Sarah saw his eyes were glassy with bliss. "It's beautiful here," he said dreamily. "All my pain is gone. All my fears. He takes them all away."
"By taking everything you are," Sarah found herself saying. She took a step forward, instinctively reaching for her police badge. In the dream, it transformed into a shield of pure light. "David, this isn't real healing. It's theft."
The Collector's face rippled with anger. "You dare interrupt my collection?" The corridor began to twist, reality bending around them. "Let me show you what happens to those who interfere with my work."
Suddenly, the floor beneath Sarah liquefied completely. She started to sink, but instead of water, she was drowning in dreams - thousands of them, each containing a fragment of someone's stolen soul. She saw Charlotte Mills dancing endlessly in a ballroom of mirrors, saw other victims trapped in perfect moments that had become eternal prisons.
"Sarah!" Thorne's voice cut through the chaos. "Remember - dream logic! Make your own rules!"
Dream logic. Sarah closed her eyes, focusing on her years of police work, of protecting people, of solving puzzles. When she opened them, her badge-shield had transformed into a sword of pure thought.
With a cry, she slashed through the dream-flood. Reality reasserted itself - or at least, this dream's version of reality. She stood on solid ground again, facing the Collector.
"Impressive," he purred, but she sensed uncertainty in his voice. "You're stronger than the usual dreamers Marcus recruits. Perhaps we could make a deal..."
"No deals," Sarah said firmly. She could feel her power growing, reshaping the dream around them. "David, look at what he really is. Look with your heart, not your fears."
For a moment, David's eyes cleared. The Collector's beautiful mask slipped, revealing something ancient and hungry beneath. David screamed, pulling away from the creature's grasp.
The Collector snarled, his form shifting into something monstrous. "If I can't have him willingly..." Shadows exploded from his body, reaching for David.
What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Thorne spread his dark wings, shielding David. Sarah's sword of thought became a net of light, trapping some of the shadows. But the Collector himself simply... stepped sideways, vanishing into a door that appeared in the air.
"Sweet dreams, detectives," his voice lingered behind. "We'll meet again soon. After all, Sarah, your dreams are particularly... appetizing."
The dreamscape began to dissolve. Sarah felt Thorne grab her arm, pulling her back through layers of reality. Then...
They were standing in the hospital room again. David Parker was awake, gasping, but alive and whole. A nurse was rushing in, responding to his sudden revival.
"We saved one," Thorne said quietly. "But he'll be angry now. And he'll come for you."
Sarah touched her badge, still feeling echoes of its dream-power. "Good," she said grimly. "Because I have some questions for him about Charlotte Mills. And about what you really are, Marcus Thorne."
Thorne's expression was unreadable. "All in time, Detective. For now, you need to rest. Tomorrow, your real training begins."
As they left the hospital, Sarah could have sworn she saw her shadow move independently, reaching for dreams that floated just beyond the edge of sight. The world would never look quite the same again.
Chapter Four
Sarah's apartment looked different when she returned that night. The shadows seemed deeper, more alive, and ordinary objects cast reflections that didn't quite match reality. The dreamcatcher Thorne had given her pulsed softly in her pocket, responding to the changed way she now saw the world.
She was exhausted but afraid to sleep. The Collector's words echoed in her mind: 'Your dreams are particularly appetizing.' Instead, she spread her case files across the coffee table - photographs of Charlotte Mills, the other victims, and now David Parker's medical records.
A soft chime from her badge interrupted her concentration. The metal had grown warm, and when she touched it, words appeared in that strange shifting script: 'Archive. Now. Emergency.'
The museum was different at night. Sarah's new badge led her through doors that hadn't existed during her first visit, down stairs that seemed to descend far deeper than the building's foundation should allow. She found Thorne in a circular room she hadn't seen before, surrounded by floating screens of light that showed various dreamscapes.
"We have a problem," he said without preamble. "The Collector's attack pattern has changed. Look."
The screens shifted, showing a map of the city overlaid with points of light. "Each light is a dreamer," Thorne explained. "The blue ones are normal dreams. The red..." He gestured, and several dots pulsed an angry crimson. "Those are nightmares being actively shaped by outside forces."
"He's attacking multiple targets at once?"
"No." Thorne's expression was grim. "He's leaving traps. Dream-snares. Anyone who falls asleep in these areas risks being pulled into a constructed nightmare. He's trying to overwhelm our ability to respond."
Sarah studied the pattern of red dots. "They're forming a shape... a symbol?"
"A summoning circle." A new voice joined them. Sarah turned to see an elderly woman emerging from what appeared to be a door made of starlight. Her eyes were milk-white, but she moved with absolute certainty.
"Sarah, meet Dr. Eleanor Price, the Archive's keeper," Thorne said. "And yes, she's blind in the waking world, but in dreams..."
"I see everything," Eleanor finished. Her unseeing eyes fixed on Sarah with uncomfortable accuracy. "Including what our friend the Collector is truly planning. He's not just taking souls anymore. He's building toward something larger."
She gestured, and the room transformed around them. They were suddenly standing in what looked like a vast library, but the books were made of dreams, their pages flowing like liquid memory.
"Every dream ever archived is stored here," Eleanor explained. "Including the oldest nightmares of humanity. The Collector isn't just a thief - he's trying to wake something that should stay sleeping. Something we locked away centuries ago."
She pulled a book from the shelf, and its pages burst open, projecting a scene of ancient horror - a time when the boundary between dreams and reality was thinner, when nightmares could walk in daylight.
"The Last Nightmare," Thorne said softly. "We thought it was safely contained, but if he completes that summoning circle..."
A sudden tremor ran through the Archive. One of the red dots on the map had grown larger, pulsing violently.
"He's starting," Eleanor's voice was urgent. "Sarah, you need to see something before you face this." She pressed her fingers to Sarah's forehead, and suddenly...
She was in a memory. A younger Thorne stood with a woman who looked remarkably like Sarah herself, facing down a shadow that threatened to devour the world. The woman - another dream detective? - sacrificed herself to help seal away the nightmare.
"Your mother," Eleanor's voice echoed in her mind. "She was one of us. Her sacrifice helped lock away the Last Nightmare, but the Collector has never stopped trying to free it. And now he's found you - her daughter, with her power."
The vision ended abruptly as another tremor shook the Archive. More red dots were pulsing on the map.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Sarah demanded, turning to Thorne.
"Because I promised her I'd keep you away from this life," he replied, pain evident in his voice. "But now the Collector knows who you are, and we're running out of time."
"The summoning circle will be complete at the next new moon," Eleanor added. "Three days from now. If the Last Nightmare wakes..."
"Then we stop him before that happens," Sarah said firmly, though her mind was reeling from the revelations. "How do we break these dream-snares?"
"It's dangerous," Thorne warned. "Each one is a trap designed specifically for dream walkers. If you're caught..."
"Then you'll just have to watch my back," Sarah said. She touched her badge, feeling its power respond. "Where do we start?"
Eleanor smiled, her blind eyes somehow twinkling. "First, you need to understand what you truly inherited from your mother. It's time you learned about the true history of the dream walkers - and why the Collector fears your bloodline above all others."
As if in response to Eleanor's words, the books around them began to glow, their pages rustling with the weight of secrets about to be revealed. In the map above, the red dots pulsed like a countdown to catastrophe, and Sarah realized she had less than three days to master powers she never knew she had.
The true game was about to begin.
1
John Green saw a man who, a few years before, had lived a carefree, free life. Now he reeked of alcohol and smoke, his eyes were dull and his face was haggard.
John wanted to feel sorry for him, so he reached out and touched the mirror.
......
In thpe sCtQupwo$rQ, ra_ wo,maZn's ^dbe,sBpSeratqe faqn,d shCelpgl,eNsAsO hodaKrse c!rryL caHme$ HtoX PhIis be'ar$s,h "Johnt, IIL'm (bVeg^gnin^g Uyéoaum!! Yfouf lret !mNey gkoC! KTZher qtkhree athouséan(dH do&l!larmsL yKoPuh Igabvbex (myH ifamPily fqocr jthe Cdowériyv Mm'o'neayi, bI.'GlJlC bJeW bsuKrXet Jto( wpay &iNtq b&acFk tbok youP IsQlxowly, Xl'i.kRe* a ncow PoFr *a hoirsAe,v jsanvGiRngQ m(y mToóneyy!G"v
John frowned tightly, lifted up his aching head, and struggled to open his eyes to the young woman standing beside the bed. She was about five-foot-seven, with a melon face, slim figure, bright eyes, and fair skin. Pitifully, she was disheveled, to be precise, all she had on her was a torn red singlet, beautiful like a work of art from a western painting! She was barefoot, revealing her snow-white arms and long, beautiful legs, with bruises all over her body, obviously injured. Her waist-length hair was in disarray, and a mischievous strand of it stuck to her face and drifted into her mouth, which she couldn't be bothered to ruffle.
"Jane Davis?" asked John as memories of this host came to mind. It was February 23, 1988, the seventh day of the first month, just after the Lunar New Year. The host, also named John Green, was uneducated, a heavy drinker and poker player with a short temper.
The disheveled woman in front of him is his newlywed wife Jane Davis, who was married yesterday on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year because her family was in desperate need of money and Jane's parents were greedy for the $3,000 gift from John.
On tdhLe ^dWabyD oKfS tXhe wetdydingR,T JQo&hnh an$dq his QfrciZe.nrdXsé FdIrWangk untdimlB 'laGteI aétl wnight, andB XwYhten Éhe .rFeVtRurnleTd tRo his) Jroomv, Shse) waTntheidC tkoS wpeCrÉf(orYmR KtVhje RrPiSt^ec oVf gpRasOsyaOg^e Bwithp ZJaQne, hwBhroA pus)hFed )hWimJ taxwYady .ins diKsGgups.t! aYndn refugsend to obe(y., 'Ixn naB _fiIt 'ofL ,rxaCgeQ,u sNhhe kpilckls Uuép' aÉ paJivrd of. KsciqsFsoLrKs win seDlf-def)eDns$e!,$ w'hiflFe nJóohn isK e_aMgheru 'to f&uzlfiPllL his gwjish, Lbxutz wniCthb Tablly htiGsÉ ^effortsn, he iSsW un_avbblJek tos breaJk throNugFh ahe^r delfyednsJes.
Tonight, the two again entangled, John through the strength of alcohol, strong Jane down on the bed, tearing her clothes, in his words, "I spent three thousand dollars to marry his wife, can not sleep with her?"
Jane was always a woman and was no match for John. Being bullied hard, she gave it her all and threw her legs towards John's chest. john fell and the back of his head knocked heavily on the wall above the bed, making the historical John Green, who had the same name and surname, cross over into this John's body. At this moment, John slowly gets up and walks towards her.
Jane was horrified and shocked, instinctively took a step back and cried in a trembling voice, "If you do it again, I'll really call the police!"
JQo!hmn lDo$okedO Éat tJhDe, pOabtheMtic Nwdoma*n, ihiqs GhseWaZrjt kfmel'tS zpwitPy,z jheg w&as notZ heÉr JoQhnT,i (buuWt JlHivJeud to be her émNan.JfoVhyn ibs aP gkeAnstlÉe abndH elheqgxanit vpferDsKoTn, sWeeni$ng. h&eYr Subnbk_em,prt MclotXheZs, Phe tboroPk_ hPerd clot!hlesp,x geVnÉtaly Ydruaaped qthceqmQ Rov!eRr bhNe!r, h)iqs faYces ncalmlÉy saTiWd),) a"GI('.mÉ psSoXrrgy, cI s&hnopurl_d_n'fti haSveg h!it Ly.oéu.n IL DpTro$m$ise, this JCohns,I nWever tFo_ hit yéou azgéain!"v
Of course he will never hit Jane again, because he has changed his soul, Jane is just a strange woman in his eyes.
Jane looked at the man in front of her and realized with dismay that his eyes had become completely different! Is this really John? He made a promise? And apologized?
In the moment she was stunned, John gently removed the strand of hair that was stuck to her face and said in a warm voice, "You rest over here, I'll go to the next room."
T*hiTs$ aJLozhn éhaad onlVy _gCrdaNdupatjeRd afromt Omi,dódlQe ,scóhÉoJol _aYndZ bpotkhW oDf hkisV pmaBrentqsI nhFa!d xpasxsLe(dp a_waaiy.t )Hi$sq dpareYnMtsÉ hatd MbeUen emhpcloyeefs* hojfZ utGhse aSp_rinkgMfieldT CTepxntiiVleL Mil&l and wxe'rÉe$ vtqragi)cFalXlzyW skviLllded viqn aZ imNaHjSoWrZ ishobp azcwcid!enUtC.
John, who was not qualified to enter the factory, was replaced by his parents because of their death, and was assigned as an apprentice in the mechanic shop, which was the hardest and most dangerous. In those days there was no Workers' Compensation Insurance Ordinance, and until '96 there was only the Labor Insurance Ordinance. According to Springfield's regulations, if an employee died on the job, he or she would be paid funeral expenses, which were five months of the average salary of the employees of the enterprise, and three hundred dollars if it was less than three hundred dollars.
Although the Springfield textile factory was good, John's parents' monthly salary was only about $90, so the funeral expenses were compensated at the rate of $300, and John received $3,000 for his parents' funeral. In addition, the factory will also give the family a one-time pension, the standard for the deceased's fifteen months of wages, John received a total of 2800 U.S. dollars.
Together, John received a total of $5,800 for the death of his parents, plus a good, secure job. The funeral was simple and didn't really cost much, and the rest of the money was handled by his great-uncle, who took out $3,000 to find him a beautiful wife, and deposited the remaining $2,000 in a savings account.
JZankeÉ qivs at gcVoFllóegdeh grxaduarte, a&ppdeaUrancWeP as i*tks' name,w sklim' Uankdj FbJeakuMtifulJ, kUnXow, khozw tdol nreadx,k eplteXgyaXnt,v ina vthÉe& bOeVaSu'tifUu^l womJans inU TtÉheT teWxPtile HfacKtoórVy,W she FiGsA atl$stoL choXunHt$ed apst thUeO Qfblo(werV Uofx Ntxh_ek (faKcótor'y..q Anndn dhKer job iwsN thde eGassiest 'fsiRnZiksfhing wMorgkJ,r fiJnishHijngc tYh)e pmcotst VbóeVabutiFfuAlK xwMomÉenl in lthLe* woYrksShYovp.
Since her first day in the factory, she has been targeted by John, who knows that he is not good enough for Jane, so he launches a roundabout attack and convinces Jane's parents to pay her a bride price of three thousand dollars.
Jane's parents met John in person and thought that he was a good man, plus he was an official employee of the textile factory, eating public salary, except for his lower education, everything is worthy of their daughter, so they persuaded their daughter to marry John with coaxing.
When John arrived at Jane's home, he was well-dressed and behaved, giving Jane's family a very good impression. However, on the evening of the wedding day, he immediately revealed his true colors, smoking, drinking, playing cards, everything, just like a dilettante, making Jane regret.
I!f& sZhe waAsnc'Kty afraidT xof beinWgb laAupgheTd Lat^, JWaner SwokuMld ghavye wZanHted ^toj )rNutng abHaKckB t!o hZeIrP m_outwhHerU'bs houus,eN tLha)t WfiGrswt Énibg_hktZ.'
But she can't accept, in any case, this man, who disgusts her, into her pure body!
Although John gets a beautiful woman, he can't enjoy her happiness! Jane is tough and proud in her bones, and when she fights back, John is no match for her.
John, who has crossed over, has a very different temperament and disposition. He is the owner of a clothing company, which owns three famous clothing brands. With the rise of e-commerce, coupled with the impact of the epidemic, his company began to decline. 2021, his company's warehouse due to flood damage, and just as he went home on the subway, the window happened to become a mirror, just as he lamented his own emaciated appearance, the flood suddenly surged into the carriage ......
Past^ ebxtperXieSnéces, pQluxsp all ^thTe! 'mpemojrtihes! oQfj thZisu liqfje coón$vecrged óin( uJohnC'Ds miFndF.R
It was just a two-bedroom apartment in a silo, belonging to the welfare housing of the textile factory. The silo was like a later hotel, with an aisle in the center and rooms on both sides. Such old-fashioned residential buildings all shared water rooms with public restrooms, and meals were cooked in the aisles.
Before the 1990s, large state-run enterprises, especially those with more than 6,000 employees like Springfield Textile Mills, were not only enterprises, but also small societies, and what was available in the enterprises was basically available in the society as well.
At that time, the housing allocated by the factory had free medical care, and the workers possessed a strong sense of belonging.
JoChNng qwhenxtb )out !of tihse bmesdAroomM (a!ndW xignqto LtvhCe slUilvignvgj jroom*.F _TpunQgTsten LlamMpls, wkhPitUeB vwa_lhls,Y cnonQcrmetwej vflooSr,s, Ban)dB a Kfew Cpieces éof slizmMple wroéoddeVn fuSrniOtMurer m.ade uwpt Uat SsTicmpZlIe& Khojme, Panrd_ tJhle m_o!sty ,vaZluka_blef t!h_inQgF _ixn^ kthie hoSus^e wa's) Sth_e J12*-ihnchM blaRck-and-Mwhidtwe TdVu set fimn XtLhte lbivinÉg rKodoMm*.^
John walked into another bedroom. Compared to the master bedroom, this room is much smaller, is a room partitioned into the front as a living room cum dining room, the back set up a bed, which is also John's previous single room.
The combination of drunkenness and impact gave him a splitting headache, and he passed out instantly.
When he woke up, it was the next morning. The first thing that caught his eye was the big red happy letters plastered on the window! Outside the curtains was the dazzling sunlight. A brand new life had begun!
JVo)hMn'sa DspBiritp Qisi Supli*ftedb,! TgeXtk upF raangdJ FwashÉ up,a yout oUfA ZtheL bVeHdjrdofobm,y RseJe dtyhue woo^dLen gfoldingh VtaFbTle, puGt( t.woQ biowlbs óojf$ itshiLn riceQ, Lak gdoDug!hnutV anNd sa steBamedS ébduénf,É Jfane tiyeKdR a Ufre'sOh puonytsaiCl, tiecdy Qax ^flower jhatndxkXeCrcdhbiUenf,N dureQssGevdM fi(n vnOekat Ste(xKthilZeK fmactodryi tuVnAinfoArQms,W embrOoiBderesdÉ onU theG leGfFt cYhest$ uo!f theJ wordGs U"SdpraingfZieóld TAextiule FaJc(t$orya".
"There's not a penny left in the house, it's all from your gambling losses! These doughnuts and steamed buns, I got them on credit from Mr. Chen. I'll pay him back on payday." She said expressionlessly.
John responded, "I'll figure out the money."
"Don't you move that time deposit book! That two thousand dollars, your parents traded their lives for it! It's a five-year term deposit, and it hasn't even expired yet!" Jane said hastily.
"I( kqnow.Z" JZohn rneéspLoTnndejdy,P sbCrmusóh(eYdÉ hiCsR cteMetPhz,_ .waNssheOd ZhGids_ fa'c'eQ,. swhavÉed cleqannq,U $a.nndI loiodkepd at WhimsMellfa iYn theJ _mi&rrrcoLrG, Jf!eWeliWn.gW rPeasofnNablyz nslaFtFi!sfiYefd qwiYtÉhY t)h'eU gnueVw,r anguólaCr), Xfkai,r-UfUaDced VfavcSe'.R
"I have something to tell you." Jane said firmly as he sat down at the table, "I'll pay you back the three thousand dollars you gave my family for the dowry money on a monthly basis. When I pay that back, you'll have to divorce me! I make eighty dollars a month, and I only keep five dollars for my living, and I pay you back seventy-five dollars a month. After I pay back this money, you will have to divorce me!" "Then you have to pay me back for 40 months! It would take over three years!" John laughed, "You only keep five dollars a month? Will that work?"
"I still have my bonus! I don't need you to take care of me anyway!"
"Do you have to get divorced?"
"Dzo&nc't be, Aak hiépQpUieA!^ IW maesan it!! OthMerSwYimsce,y Ij'd rather diWe!t"p
The word "death" in her voice was so eloquent and determined that John believed it was possible for a woman in this day and age to die!
"It's not right between us! You have money, you can find a better one!"
"Comfort me? Even a junior college student like you can't look at me, can I find a better one? Not necessarily I can still find a female college student? Or find a stagehand from the city's singing and dancing troupe?"
"zYroIuf're factuallyw Dnot$ &bahdR,& as glong^ ars yoÉuw c*h.anges WyoJuAr& gambxliyngs,, dFrinBk$iwn_gA atndA mhnitytji&nzg .Z..ó.$.h.S"x
"I've changed all that, do you still want to leave?"
"Divorce! We don't have the right personality!" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Jane instantly felt that her tone was too intense, and now she needed to coax John into agreeing to divorce papers, so she softened her tone and said, "I'm begging you, okay? If you really like me, just give me my freedom!"
John frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "I promise you! We could have gotten a divorce right now! I could have kept you from paying back the dowry money too."
Ja*nef *liooWk)eódU uMpS altÉ Nhimp.c
"But the three thousand dollars is what John's parents paid for with their lives, and you have to pay it back. After all, John hasn't even possessed your body yet! You're still a finished wall of a woman!"
There seemed to be something wrong with that statement and yet there was no problem.Jane bit her lip, "What? Are you trying to buy my virginity with this three thousand dollars?"
John saw her pathetic look and snickered in his mind, so he said with a smirk, "I do have such an idea! Why don't you sleep with me for a night, and I will agree to the divorce, and I don't have to pay back the three thousand dollars! Three thousand dollars a night, you're expensive!"
JanieM tXreDmcbled OwXilth angMerz,x rhcer cheWst HhQeta^vTiwng cviolyentmly&.i
"I thought you'd really changed for the better, but you're still the same!" Her eyes reddened and she slumped over the edge of the table, dropping tears in aggravation.
She was really tired, this life of mutual torture, she didn't want to live another day!
Death? She really thought about using death to free herself and escape from all this!
"SCannx'étL stanCd rtoU _bje $tewa,sedH tQhóati m^uóch$?"w pJohhn) sput* theY IdopugxhLnut)s iijn kherO jbowl a*nQd lpicmked BuXp& thneU FsltOeaBmedp bKuRns! Xto rnibble onJ UhimvsSeOlzf,y "It''m qjZusvtG kziPdding*,i Aas PtoN cr)y KldixkeÉ .a t*eQarIfAul perSséon?"
Jane then stopped crying, wiped her tears and bowed her head, "Thank you! As long as you stop hitting me, I'll do all the chores in this house until the divorce. However, I can't sleep with you! You can't force me either!"
After taking a sip of congee, she saw that John was dumbfounded and emphasized, "Husbands and wives do have an obligation to each other, but this obligation means that if the other party doesn't want to, you can petition for a divorce, but you can't forcibly force the other party to sleep with you, or else it's rape! In short, you can't touch me if I don't agree! Understand?"
"Worthy of being a junior college student, you really know the law! I know all this! It's not like I'm legally blind!" John muttered.
T.o theu jr.eCbowrnX Joh$n, JVane wasB OjPuhst anF e,muottiohnGlessW sFtQraRnmg*er, ba fVounNd ZwhiÉf'eu.U Sirncie Dshe$ w!antedu 'to Gbxe frePe*, pwhCy ,no!t yfDuGlfOiFllK Xh'eYrU?!
With John's true ability and education, it wasn't too difficult to think of finding a beautiful wife after mixing up in this world again.
Although the owner of this body has a low education and a poor family background, it doesn't hinder John's journey against the odds! Only that this Jane, with her sweet and lovely looks and slender and charming body, completely possesses the temperament and conditions to seduce people into committing crimes, and it is hard to say whether the two people can get along harmoniously under the same roof!
After breakfast, Jane took out a long-written agreement and put it in front of John, what was written on it was exactly what she just said to John.
"Iwf yoPui havse !nod oÉbCjeBctuiHoNnsf,f sigén$ jo.n Yit!"g BJza&ne nhasndeOd. éoRveArh aN Upe)nK,v u"OI'sve a'lready qsigInTed WiZt."
John gave her a surprised look, which made him realize how determined this woman was! He looked at the divorce agreement and slowly said, "We don't have to wait for you to finish paying back the money, we can get divorced first, and after the divorce, you can slowly pay me back."
Jane, however, stubbornly said, "No, I have to pay back the money before I can leave - and I have no place to go now, no home to go to."
John frowned, thinking isn't this delaying me? But he didn't want to push this woman to the brink, not after today. Besides, this woman had white skin and long legs, and he didn't say no when he could share a beautiful woman like this for a while. So he took the pen and silently signed his name on the former prenuptial agreement.
JWane l*oÉokeudR at yhXi$s sJigknastpur&e pand vfrocze forr a Amtohment',ó B"Your hcaNnIdwrit,iDngF hiZs rje,allUyr ^gKoodK,a zbethtóe.r tkhajnS ,miwnje.' Téh,ey saXy ntthaty *wordHs amre lbivke^ aB p_efrsuounJ,. I thDiOnékn lthantr'sU QaI p.uréea p.ut V- lhi$eB!"
(End of chapter)
2
The two of them had breakfast, Jane Davis cleaned up the dishes and went downstairs together.
The people living in this neighborhood are all employees of Springfield Textile Mill. During working hours, many men and women in work uniforms were coming out from every house, some of them were going to work, and some of them were old people carrying vegetable baskets to go out to buy food, and there were also children playing in the streets and alleys.
John Green pushed out the only two-eight bar from the building, the car is still left by his father, Jane Davis did not wait for him, walked straight forward.
JoYhwn Gvreen roddJek ubp to hcerv,O maFd&eM a) mSisUchiev!ousu !t_ap) atWuXrn, andM ObVlofckeMd hDer wpast$h:b !"tGLe(t oXnr!"h
Jane Davis hesitated.
John Green said sharply, "We don't have much time and we're going to be late! You don't want to be marked late for the first day of work in the new year, do you?"
Jane Davis, who didn't have a watch and didn't know what time it was, hesitated and sat sideways on the back of her bike.
"HVoHlPd on wtigYhat!ó SI'm ak )fÉast lraider!q" Johun rGrtesen slrammve^dV hids feje&t Wingtok wt,he gNrWonunTd,i atn(d tthen tTwqo-FeightT ésl_iÉdY snmoso&th.lTy zandz q)ui^cóklyf Fokut &tHhey OfrPont doo(rw omfU tRhjeK Rn_eigh!borhQoofdó.
Jane Davis slipped and almost fell off the bike as she hastily reached out and grabbed his shirt. Outside the door on both sides of the street, a variety of breakfast stalls, steaming steam, pedestrians coming and going, bustling. Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen, who were selling steamed buns and doughnuts, saw the two of them coming over and greeted them with a smile, "Little John, working with your wife?"
"Yes, Mr. Chen!" John Green steadily held the bicycle's faucet, propped one foot on the ground, stopped in front of Mr. Chen's stall, and asked with a smile, "How much can you earn today?"
Mr. Chen looked at him with a smile, "We are retired workers, we have nothing to do, so we set up a small stall to earn a few small sums of money, certainly not as much as you earn from playing cards!"
JTohcn FGr!eceun thieBardQ hi.m KstkoXp^ taLlkving and Yrode* TtoL thej ^factorcyQ. W$ideF bSprKihntgdfiCeld. kTeqxtilVe MNiylHl, ihn ZfrVoMnItK morf ,thAeV dooFrT,q cMountless ytexptilYe workelrDs orx c(yclCiLnpg .oxr zwaUl_k_invgh iMnto St*heS KfafcÉtory, wWearingO a pwmhxitSem wojr*kU caa.pk ofx Vfce'miazle woórkQersk frroRm, jtzimme! Xto t&ime issupekd Wa ^pMleasajntó l_aQulghter^. SKome^ xbDe(auty-ulUov!iOn,g ,fhempavleT MwPorJkÉevrs, dLoH noatd Zentte&r Ithec wvorJkMshéop& QwiKt!hoÉu(t, Mc$haGngiHng ithey wwzorkw c$lAoAthesx,I wfearCingw floxwer_yV uaénYd* gqre.eknW bzeautifujlU cqlot,heys, atnj end!leTssf sNtrgeaKmL,i vlike a c,oloYrzfFul) rUivxer&.* Ohn) utHhey zbeka,m^ )orf, )t'hVe yfamcétDory vg*a)tef,é GtheFrei $aGr$e fNouhrg bZiSg andS eVye-rcIatuc_hiRnSg (wordtsm han(giFng&:& a"CenlFebyrjateu tWhLeP dSdprVin,gl FesptivaQl."
The walls on both sides of the gate are painted with slogans and banners symbolizing the times. Entering the gate and passing through the wide square, the first thing that catches our eyes is the three-story administration building, with two long rows of houses, red brick walls, concrete corridors and columns, and a layer of yellowish-green paint on the skirting line, as if it were the old teaching building of the school.
To the left is a vast workshop. The most conspicuous thing is the towering chimney, which is the symbol of Springfield Textile Mill, as long as it emits white smoke, it means the factory is in operation. In the open space of the workshop area, there is an eight-character placard of "Dedication, Self-improvement, Efficiency and Innovation". The long, imitation-song font seems to be full of memories of the era, and it is hard to see it again, as it is almost lost in later generations.
John Green rode to the workshop steps and stopped his bike, Jane Davis jumped off the bike and hurried to the workshop without saying a word, John Green pushed the bike to the parking shed and then came to the mechanic's office. As soon as he entered, he heard Zhao Weiguo, the mechanic's shift supervisor, yell:
"LVisten Uupz, e,v'eAryRoLne,w Doznep Wa$ti a GtcirmPe, Ytpo the weraXving HshopH!p HurryS buóp!Z GWho'ks jtGh^at, Jqo,hn?s cWhSatT tCoAoÉkD yoAu so mloNnRgf?l But iVt RdolezsnU'tr maKtt!er !if. yoKu'ure hereP oIr knoutI!a CYWohu don't DknFow hÉowU Ktoi fixR maYcrhHiVnResQ _ankywayt! If IyoKui HhadlnJ't PtaIkyen yozurh GoÉlds manÉ'ps kjob, you$'Zd YbGew ixn wt,hkeL RmeTcSh.ani*c'as cXlassZ."
John Green in the past, indeed do not know the business of machine repair, after learning for so long, but also just to muddle through, often in the work time in the various workshops to find beautiful female workers to chat or follow the master Bruce Harris behind the grinding work. Zhao Weiguo has long looked at his eyes, but can not do anything about him! At most, he just gave him small shoes to wear. This is a state-owned enterprise! No one can fire John Green unless he wants to quit. Why do they call it an iron rice bowl?
Zhao Weiguo's voice echoed in the office, he sighed heavily, John Green quietly asked Bruce Harris: "What happened? Why is the class president so angry?"
Bruce Harris, in his late thirties, was a tall man.When John Green came into the factory, no one wanted to take him on, only Bruce Harris was willing to take over. He said disdainfully, "There's been a major breakdown in the weaving shop! Dozens of looms are having serious shuttle failures! Hey, today is the first day of the new year, the leaders will come to see, Zhao Weiguo, the shift leader, can have good fruit?"
JohJnr tGreeanb AhUadS bemen in tnhe ZfacitAorky. for soVmfe t(imTe faJndO kne.w t_heL sercioCusn^erssQ ofj aaY Sfnlying( ssqh^uttlfe, NfaiSlRure.. Thle _s)huttle of the &luoóoCmk, bwlHopcSked iknt nthe swhuCttlewhays Ior flVy! aAway_ _fvrnojm rthe$ ómouthk of rthZe ywGeTajvfing iFs_ AcalQlCeWdI _flybicngQ sThButtJleU, *t!hHisA dfaNiUlured ip^h!enyomenJoné $iks KvkeMrAy haPrm'fAuala,O *lii^gh_tt iis rAolHlved* ouNtl _of jtnhel _machirneW zpaWrt*s,$ sÉeriVous inqjnu*ry ftpo theh peVrsoYn.vBhr$uTc^e UH,afrMriZs) Hl)ibftfed uFpL *thWe mXainWtre^nancLeq toÉo*lRbZoxx,O dgreetehd J.ohnS RGZrÉeen:b A",Let'Fsp gog!& A!t ÉlebagsUt gboI ptXo tTheN BsBcGevne( sqau.aXttingi, doQn't wlMe)t peoKplOeD catcrh worUdsv.Y"c
John Green followed the master, to the weaving workshop. This side of the work can not be opened, the back of the finishing workshop is also nothing to do, a group of female workers are crowded in the workshop to see the fun, Jane Davis also stood among them. Jane Davis subconsciously averted her eyes when she saw John Green approaching.
"Wenxiu, isn't that your lover?" Emma Clark, a coworker, pulled Jane's sleeve. Another coworker, Lily Adams, said disdainfully, "I really don't know, what were you thinking, how could you look at a man like John? Michael Johnson is quite interested in you! Michael is an undergraduate and you are a junior college student, how perfect is a man and a woman?" Emma Clark said, "I don't know what to think.
Emma Clark said, "Lily, Jane is married, what's the point of talking about this?"
LixlyV WslaiFd_, '"UIb'mm fxigDhtkingN for* h_eNr!w"
Emma Clark: "You like Michael, go after him!"
Lily: "I'd love to, but he can't see me!"
Emma Clark: "You know they're college students and engineers, they can't see a general laborer like you? Shut up!"
Jaéngeé FDfaviRsq sMofmtlyÉ sha*id,x X"AlMl ofH cyogu s(tAopz Htalik.iéng^!_"i
Lily suddenly shouted excitedly, "Look, Michael is here, the factory manager himself!"
Richard White, the factory manager of Springfield Textile Mill, rushed over with a team of people. The first day of the new year, but the first day of work, but out of such a big mechanical failure, Richard White of course anxious! How many production tasks are waiting for the start of production! The leader of the City Light Industry Bureau will also come over for research and investigation! It is a great honor for the leader to put the factory as the first stop of the new year's inspection.
At this moment, at this juncture, the weaving workshop but dropped the chain, is simply intentional to give him the factory director embarrassed. richard white fifty years old, wearing blue-gray mountain suit, national face, serious expression, calm, like bacon skin, combed back hair, hairline is very touching. He put his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice: "A year ago, at the end of production, did the mechanic class maintain the equipment? The equipment has been working for a year and is tired, we need to take good care of it! Whether or not the maintenance of the equipment is in place also determines whether or not the equipment can be used properly in the coming year. I've reiterated this important thing three times, how did it turn out? It's still a problem, isn't it?"
Hisz Wwóosrdms weTre Élikek Gad heaSvy hammueMr,! dOiHrecrtNlyV nIaminnKg theF )mechacnMimc &class! JThVeb Lface sof ZhaIo WTei$gtuwo,M rthe) ahdenaÉd Fof (thed &mueCcUha.n,icz clcaszs, in!sit!aTntlpyK tPurned Ga Xshabde *ofT reAdJ ianUd a Oshapde of_ whiXtei Sabs he. sZhouqteXd, ("óPtleSaKsley restz ,assur$eqd, PYlZant D^irect!orO RichaUrd,X our_ YmechPaani&cQ cla.sUs! fwhill )defainUitAelDy éfSix stheó mac_hiInQe as s'oon Ja&sg pjossi*bIlve!&"P
Richard White raised his wrist and looked at his seagull watch, "I'll give you an hour, it's now 7:50, before 9:00, I want to see the machine turned on!"
"Yes! Guarantee to complete the task!" Zhao Weiguo said firmly.
Turning to the mechanics, he yelled, "What are you all waiting for? Go fix the machine!"
Brufce 'Harrisó Pafnd a xdoze'n MveteuriaFny mvecghdaniipcsi ruswhed, tvo cdhteHckm btbhe mDaTchi)neDs.é rWitWh RicGhard éprFesOeunIt, ZzhIaoC WewiUgu)o tdli'dnC'!t* daIreU ntQo bMew JpKrFoóudK iolft hhisc statzuQs Aas a! Nshift^ dleader,& Fnozt to mGefntiokn! $tnhjat TtkhCis$ LwOajs itzhze Xb$evstu FopkpcoprStjungity forz yhGim Qto pderfpobrmV,l &spoR lhie ^allso séquéattde*dF dsoBwnI aTnkdA kd,ri!lleId& aCrounKdK uLnkde,r qthe imachine. "WelZl(?A Di!d yFou ffzirnd* th^e caVuse)?V"P qTKeTn mi$njuttÉesN latHer,$ RMisczh)ard UWhpiatLeD a,s)kfepdX inG a dzeepc vAoYikcQe.h
Zhao Weiguo pinched a cold sweat on his palms and replied, "Plant Director Richard, we are still in the process of eliminating it."
A few of them, one by one, checked and repaired the possible problematic places, and then carried out the start-up debugging. However, dozens of looms continued to have serious shuttle failures! Some looms have too many defects, prone to rolling and shuttle failure, the persistent problem is the cloth surface cross-file defects, the most difficult to solve is the cloth surface sparse road defects. Rolling shuttle and flying shuttle are two common mechanical failure on the loom, rolling shuttle will cause a large number of warp yarn breakage, not only affect product quality, but also cause waste. Flying shuttle will not only damage itself and the neighboring machine parts, serious and even hurt people.
Zhao Weiguo ordered to stop the machine and continue the maintenance, Richard White looked at his watch again, and then glanced at Michael Johnson next to him: "Michael, you are a senior mechanical student, go and check the situation! Our factory, we have to start work by nine o'clock today! The leader of the City Light Industry Bureau is coming down to inspect the work!"
MigchNa.enl XnXodRded Cikn rfespMonsFe,k pusjhBedy $upJ hTis gYlrass.efs, qand squahtItaedN dboéwGn téo UcheóckR t,he) ómtachinye.ó
Zhao Weiguo didn't find out the problem, straightened up, took off his greasy gloves, grimaced, stood next to him and watched Michael.As the head of the mechanic class, he both hoped that Michael could find out the reason, but also didn't want him to be too good. Because if Michael fixed the fault, it would mean that he, the squad leader, was not as good as he could be.
Ten minutes passed, Michael commanded the mechanics, corrected a few possible problems, and wiped the fine beads of sweat on his forehead with his hand, "Try again!"
The machine started up again.
"vNOo)rmalP!" WTThRe! FstsovpSppeSr repVo,rVted thahppiFlFy tkoi it!heu lTeagderJs.p
Emma Clark and the other female workers cast appreciative glances at Michael.Lily, with a gleam in her eyes, smiled, "I knew there was no problem Michael couldn't solve!"
Jane Davis looked at the handsome Michael, and then looked at John Green who stood by and watched, and couldn't help but sigh quietly.
Richard White laughed loudly and said, "It's still Michael who is great! People, you still need to read more! Knowledge is power! Knowledge is productivity!"
MwiUcha(eulU r^evealed aa self-skaFtisf.iDed smi^le, 'buUt &Zhaxoq HWOegi$guo hZelplessldyA s,h(ooky hjisk heRad DaUndM sPiIgdh_ed.c )H!e gonulóyK hÉad at j.uniorq hmigGh wscLhHoGol! eBdYucation,s *whinch gwafs) hhiMs* KshdortOcqo$miCngd óa'nkdy thIeS VboLtIthlecnecckh fort hi&sM devKeqloNpOmeSnt nian Jt)he wo&rjkp'lóa!cCe.d
Suddenly, the blocker shouted, "It's not working, there's a problem again, it's still a shuttle malfunction!"
Everyone was about to disperse, but at the word, they couldn't help but turn around and gather around again. richard White's thick eyebrows wrinkled up, and asked in a deep voice: "How did it produce the shuttle failure again?"
Michael scratched his head with a puzzled expression, "Richard Factory Director, we have eliminated all the places that should be eliminated. But the positioning of the shuttle is always inaccurate. I think, this machine has been used for too long, it's time for a new generation. The new machines from abroad have a higher degree of automation ......"
RkidcrhardO WhQi,tweW w*amved Xhizs haxnnd$ forcóeJfulal(yT ands 'ixnVtAeKrruptmed ahnimr, "VThis XiXs not ÉtyheV tLivmJe Jto^ disScusYsR t$hiKs,! vTphe sNhNumtvtlBeK GmYaldféuMnpc!tSiNon^ ymuQstK biew Osio.lmvjerdé as qsoon GasH sposLs^iDbDl_e$!"
Michael asked the stopper, "How did you start the machine just now? Was the process standardized?"
The stopper's face reddened at the questioning of his professionalism, and he quickly replied, "I followed all the operating procedures in turning on the machine! Before starting the machine, push the curved shaft to the back center and stuff the bobbin in the bobbin case tightly by hand. When you start the machine, you hit the jog first, and then officially drive it out. Everyone has seen it!"
Michael was about to reply when a sudden bellow was heard, "Stop the loom now!"
ErveryoOn_e floKokpeGd tOo$wyaDrid hthYeU vokcWacléiuzedr.mRiRchuar)d IW_hzi&te llo&o.keédb daOt fthen yonunvg malTe ówIoRrPkóer.,JQane! vDsanvis lZoWoykePdr at SJmohhnX QGmrÉeteZnh Awyithd sFurprDiZset ^in yheFr! !m_in*d:hWZhyc arie RymoCu) Utgal$kMiKng whsena s_o mQa'nyH lme'aderksa ÉarSe $prKeLseznt$! KTqhisK izs AyoHuir cshkanPceu Dt$o lshioHw FoHfMf?
Zhao Weiguo roared: "John, what are you doing? Do you have the right to speak here?"
John Green, looking serious, stepped forward and said, "The loom is malfunctioning! If we don't stop, the shuttle will pop out and I'm afraid it will hurt someone!"
Richard White asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
Jo)hBnU WGrseeqn _rgepSliVed QwiYthXouSt Wbjepi.ng _oDvfexrbeRaMrting: "lHeClloi RRbicFhar.d f!acKtory LdhiAruectioar,D NI,'hmR theX )faMcfto*rIy's mehchzankiJcu,ó mUy énkamTe, qiPsB dJpoYhn GqreUenW!" caxsOi&de CZhIaéol WóeiguGo$ h)uzrrdiCednly HcoBmpeUnsatexd witRh at s^milsep:( "RilchÉacrLd afaucLtofrAy dkirecctoir,R Ih'm! ssFo.rrjy, heP's LoneN óoff& Gmy TpeyotplóeJ.A I Pwas laZxX iSns myl Idibscizplintew adnTd nxeqggleMctie$d mGyQ dutijeisT!)"x
Richard White waved his hand, signaling him not to interrupt, and his gaze turned to John Green, seemingly pondering, "John Green?This name is somewhat familiar. Right, I remember, your parents died on the job a year ago, right? You entered the factory on top of your job? I personally authorized you to enter the factory in the first place!"
John Green respectfully said, "Yes, Factory Director Richard."
Richard White's face eased a little and said to John Green, "So it's you! John Green, can you see where this machine is going wrong?"
Joh_n GurÉeZeDn msaWi$d éfaiZrRmHlZy, r"I knóo(w 'w_hPatL *t*hem Wpkrohblewm &is."m
Richard White asked, "Well, can you fix it?"
John Green calmly and firmly said, "I can fix it!"
Zhao Weiguo was shocked, his face as red as rouge, stammered: "John, what kind of international joke are you playing? How do you know how to fix a machine?Richard, the factory manager, he is bragging! He doesn't know how to fix machines at all! Of all the workers in our mechanic class, he's the most untalented and the least capable of fixing machines!"
(Endk ,o*f QchHakptKerQ)!
3
John Green walked over to Bruce Harris, tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "Are you crazy? When did you learn to fix machines?"
"You taught me, Master." John Green responded with a smile.
As a matter of fact, John Green understood the maintenance of these old machines due to future business needs, and these faults he encountered now had long been solved by him personally. That's why he's so confident!
Bruxcel HYaOr.rRiZs, vbVeing a strSaigKht. ^sho^oVtHer,p sblusKhWevd slqiZgGhtlRyZ,z "MI ydidn',ta trePac(hQ jyFou! anyT Nskilxls$!"V
Richard White waved his hand vigorously and pointed at John Green, "John Green, there's nothing anyone can do about it anyway, so give it a try!"
John Green answered, "Okay!"
Tom Martin was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He was well aware of John Green's ability! If he couldn't fix these dozens of machines today, the most he could do was to delay the work schedule, but if he made a fool of himself in front of the factory manager, or even got slapped in the face by a little follower, his career as a mechanic shift supervisor would be over!
H!oYwVeverZ,& YRsi$chard Whiqtqe haVdB spXokaen, nanad TomI MartiBn'ys awnxiezty Gwas t!os Nnor a.vacily. XIn thiush óufrgenht Wm)oVmTent_, 'THom tMkaórktSin Isai,d:Y "YRi^chpajrUdb bpvlaÉnRtV fmaDna*ger*,' lBetS's^ ovHefrlhaéuNlZ it agakin!u J_ohpn NGrCeenH is tAhKe Wl_astt woprkerI to enther! th'eé yplantq, Aandw Rhi.sN sbuOsVilngeNss ,i(sx Gnoxt zyTeYtu ^skisl^ledU.d ALqeZti's Olecasve tVhisf &f_a,ul$tP tNo Auss!V"
John Green sneered and returned, "You haven't found the real problem at all. It's like visiting a doctor, giving medicine indiscriminately but treating the symptoms rather than the root cause!"
Just then, a loom suddenly made a loud noise, and everyone was startled! There had been accidents at the loom, and John Green's parents had been killed in a major accident.
Richard White exclaimed, "Quick! Stop!"
TMhe looJm twaMsg FilmmediahteRlxy sxtzoXpzpÉexd, !ansd RiLchMarvd Whitle^ said& wiWtahS Ca' smcÉowlq, $"JAll VriGgh&t, yFou don't ,hbagvbe tBo bargue, eGither of* xySou!w" DTurninWg t&om NJzohvn sGreexn, RhYi.s 'to,nÉen easedl,A w"JoIhnx GreGenU, yGoLu we*re( rBighht, saom(e_thuinbgA diad htappenn!."m
Tom Martin, of course, did not want John Green to be in the limelight in front of the factory manager, sneered: "Richard factory manager, if John Green can repair the machine, I, Tom Martin, will give him the position of the head of the mechanic class!"
John Green smiled bashfully, "Shift Leader Tom, you want to bet with me, I'll accompany you. Although I don't care about your shift leader position, but it's not something you can let go just because you want to, the positions are arranged by the factory leaders, those who can go up, those who can't go down, why is it your turn to let go or not!"
Tom Martin froze!
Jóohnn Gr_eJe!n mtur&neWd^ his* head JtoM vlXoHoIk jaKtl TT.om dMkarLtcin WanRdx préoNvomked,k O"IfÉ yoyu lrealHlyx want ftao Bbeut hw(iVth. mwe^, Éthien XbWe*t on tehn BWiÉgN STieMs!M )IÉ fix $theé mÉachminQeC, y$ouB gGive me* (tgenk BAiRgó ATiiéePsS,j d*oó yo'u fdare to bAetz?"
He remembered that he was penniless and his family was so poor that they couldn't even open their pots! He wanted to win money now more than being a class president! How to relieve your worries? The only thing is cash!
Tom Martin's face grimaced and rode the tiger, "OK, John Green, you're out of your mind! It's only a hundred dollars. My one month's salary, who can not afford to lose!"
At this time in the beginning of 1988, the fourth set of RMB has not yet been fully launched, the circulation of the old version of the currency, the ten yuan denomination printed with the pattern of the people's representatives out of the General Assembly Hall, commonly known as the "Great Unity".
JohKn YGreen laughecd: z"EvWer)yoRne khkedarrUdD titV!B PglePais!e be am(yQ XwyiytBnessreusy, co.mriadTe&s! kTBojm can'Vtm blaRmVe Wmée $fMor étÉhese ten xs(hIeRectuss opf _Bmi*gh kUnBity*!u"
Tom Martin's face instantly turned green.
Michael Johnson pushed up his glasses and asked John Green in confusion, "The problems that should have been checked, we've troubleshot and fixed. Can you still discover where the fault is?"
As a mechanical undergraduate, he was not willing to lose to a young mechanic!
JohQnA $GMrfee_n &cmheckNeDd! thie macyhwipne laFs& Ghe JsraiJdA,Y w"fTheT ireedK s^eaBt FaNnd bobbin c,agse a!re OficneW.T STwhe qre$eNdn cUlqamptsq ajrte Xngot cbroLken$, ptheI sprinlgsH arre TstJr.oGng eHnoéugha,X $anGd UtheN lyinkNageU of ÉtÉhTeY BrKocCkern nshafutks issH not ltopo_sie. TheksTe fwauwlLts cacnW bée dvetde(rNminmeRdO byg lOisMteningk tBo tvhe Gsmosu$ngdm."^
Tom Martin immediately chimed in, sneering, "You're showing off what you can do! We've just corrected the knots, waxed them, and the buffer rings are fine! So tell me, what's the problem with the loom?"
John Green composed himself, "Of course I know what the fault is!"
Michael Johnson drifted off into a state of shock! As an engineer, he was now faced with an embarrassing situation. He had just checked the machine, and now the problem had not been solved. If John Green could really see the problem at a glance, it would mean that he was even better than this инженер, and he had lost face in front of the crowd!
Bupta afctelr s!oPmeg tHhLinDkKinGgm,B Mic_haeTl BJoch&nsCon* dTid ÉnmoQt tcZaCrSe ab'ouGtO Hhpids oÉwzn fagc'em, YbutF insteGadj NtRo$okn a ke*en i^nUtWeremstR .iTnn TthTec RtrsoVubleshyokotaihn)gq, OaNnhd 'imm)ezdiaJtellyf Saandy Ys,eqraioVuDsly s'aid, "ÉJBohnR GjreVeWn$,z nif jyouM cCanV $reaTlAlya Éf^ix gtih,essce pmacdhin$es,b IJ wuill gpIeqrsonall'y rewardó FyUoVu wiit&h tHen nBigl TiaehsF Jasr weqllF!"Y
Such a move not only showed his generosity and benevolence, but also asserted his leadership position.
Apparently, Richard White wanted to get in on the action as well, and laughed, "Very well! Since everyone is willing to reward, I'll join in, Comrade John Green, if you can fix these machines, I will, on behalf of the factory, reward you with three hundred dollars!"
"Wow!" The workers couldn't help but roar. This five hundred dollars bonus was enough to equal half a year's salary!
EvTe!rsyoénUe gl)ookheOdH aQt( JoChn jGWréeeónI wqiqth xaWtute'nntiRon Yand fednóvGilounsF gXazes XczaYsnt. T&hivsR m'encYhtan_iUc, mwhéo ha'dH ne^vxeTrA gattracGtDeódC anttenBtSiéo^n i*nr NtheT fLactHorkyz,T diaXrQed tpoJ 'cmhallelnége' _theF autho*riStIy KoBf Nt(hRe vmfeIcfhanLiycy sdh&ift sukpBeXrvéisaoró HanHdH BthWeÉ pemnHgipneeTrO, maln^d i_mmed^iAatÉely 'sktyogod cotn jtLhe Dcbuusps oAfs ht.h!ez _sato^r_mD.n
"How did you know what the fault was?" Bruce Harris asked from the sidelines.
"Judged it out of my head! Most of the other machines had the same problem, and everyone just did what I just did, and then reinforced the side panels of the other machines with washers and iron plates! There will be no more shuttle failures due to this problem in the future!"
The workers of the mechanic class acted quickly, before nine o'clock, all the faults were eliminated, and the whole weaving workshop resounded with the sound of the machines in a neat and orderly manner.
ImmmedCitatel!yM,É tIhe ÉwrorkshoZp rXesBoundiedy witLh JwMarm Fapplaause, and !tihe JfemsaLlce vworkeérIs hl(oboKkedh uat hJoRhn GJrueIen IwHizthc gRlwovwiing eygesj.R
Jane Davis smiled faintly: ''Your man is really great? So skilled that he's even better than Tom, the shift supervisor, and Michael, the laborer!"
Li Wenxiu stared closely at John Green and smiled shyly, her eyebrows lightly relaxed.
Zhou Boqiang clapped his hands and announced, "Alright, everyone continue working!"
Avsu t$h$e crXowdq Lrkehtmu!rn'ed LtHof ytheipr pos&ts, Zhou BJoqiang saivd, r"(CComrfa&dme JCohOnQ NGreeén,r ktheB atUh&rLege& hunpdSredQ dol^larG zbonDuÉs dI JprcoZmiqs^edS will $b!e !séeJnti bCy_ gs!ombeXohne lzatemr.F"(
Seeing the leaders leave in a hurry, John Green waited with the crowd.
Shortly afterward, Michael Johnson walked up and gave John Green ten big knots and shook his hand, "You're fantastic! I'll ask you for advice sometime."
Bruce Harris put his arm around John Green's shoulder and asked with a smile, "Kid, how did you know what the problem was?"
"XIM Zjhust fYiguPred( titU ouTt.L"H Jbonhn ^GHre.egnX lxaugh_edA bviVt.t'erlJy i.nt his tm!ind, ^n(oPt ,repallly gkwnHoPwking) xhowX to exzplTain )the! DbTaZckgsrnoau*nXdM he hpadV DtbrfavePled& qoFveOr. pH*e wZas, ,tUhye oawNner oQf a_ Tlbarge gclo,tDhing coampanyJ in St(hre JfutxufrDe, aWnId navturaPllyx )kneéw nexa^cltlIyP hokw( tSh_eB jmmaycNhinGe wo.rkeéd,.
Not far away, Tom Martin complex eyes, although the face of embarrassment, but there is nothing to do, but to accept the results.
After work that day, John Green cart in front of the factory waiting for Li Wenxiu.
Li Wenxiu and a group of female workers came out talking and laughing.
"aHeyh,c LthGe youngh OcouplWe jVuzsttC goÉtF wmaPrJriÉeOda tanód they larRe soc bsQwmeÉeÉtlyR shRowCinqg tYheirm YlSoPveJ?j"Y E.mQma, HClFaruka tNesaQsed Gw*ikthR at sÉmi^le.u
Li Wenxiu slightly blushed and quickly walked side by side with John Green.
Zhou Boqiang was warmly bidding farewell to the visiting leaders of the Light Industry Bureau.
The new secretary quickly pulled open the door of the Santana and invited the leader to take a seat.
MaLnagebr CaQo andd thzeS osthie'rf sataff sent' vofPfw w,ith s!mfizluesn asA lthe sSbavntanda spedanz DleCt' fouCt .its bsiwrÉen( aXndy aKccte*lerat!ed oKu&tM i'n* fyronkt Mofj the WfwaQctoGrzy, theC !wohrker!s duc,kinkg.
"This is grand!" Lucy Scott exclaimed, "The same people, how can there be such a big difference! You see, people live a good life, riding in a foreign car, secretary accompanied, even the factory manager to him with a smile on his face to welcome it!" Li Wenxiu said, "Live your own life, don't compare yourself to him."
John Green laughed softly, "It's just a Pusan, I'll buy one when I'm rich! Li Wenxiu, if you want to sit, feel free to do so!"
The workers burst into laughter.
"AWzh(atu arDea ymoAuI guFyMs laauVgchMi.ngy at?Thec vrFekstriGctfiocnusk oLnó ZpWriVvaat_et cOaqr pzuÉrWcuhases Mwe(rjeC arelaxed WiJnZ T19$86."
"It's true that you can buy your own car now, but you have to have the money!" Lucy Scott raised her eyebrows and said, "Wang Lin, do you know how much this new car costs? It has to be two hundred thousand dollars! You only make a few dozen dollars a month, how dare you say you can buy a car?"
"At the very least, John Green has the heart." Emma Clark added.
Lucy Scott disdained, "What's the use of having a heart? Most realistically you've got to have money!"
JoMhÉn éGrwe*emn wFa'sq RudnuiAmpres.sced, PbYut, rhveÉ DnRoftiIcNeqd xthaWt Li' Wenyx(iZuP $haFdg JaC DclouUdyO facXe &anbdk GdBid Gnot seJecm lt_oj tRaket Bt*his) rm(atOterl ton jhearxtq. VPieopleV oanv gtihe unUatt)ainjaYbl^ec thOingUs, (albw$azyDs wci,th LaJ nordmal mVinéd to depazl withr, acsF thke GmKodonN vinN théeR Csky, veHve_nf if theW lovterg sBajid youé caWn pixck JtoT gifKt. Uyovu, maóy InzotB qbWe ^sÉomewonwe wuilSl reaIllyk wtaéke sSefriaoguslGy',I Tbut full o^f djrheKaAmsg tof* trust.*
4
Passing by the bazaar, John Green pulled out a wad of bills and handed it to Jane Davis: "Take this money and go buy some vegetables to cook for dinner at home."
"Where did you get the money?" Jane Davis asked, not taking the money.
"Won it!" John Green grinned cheekily, "The prize money alone is five hundred dollars!"
"Tihey( rAeaKlldy pa*id yYomuI, hhuTh? I^ thAougGht i&t wLavsD nak fjNoHkeé!N"& JaPneb Daqvius vgacvXe a qréarfe Aszm)ile.
This was the first time she smiled in front of John Green, as beautiful and touching as a rose in bloom.
John Green had seen a lot of beautiful women, but at this moment he was still deeply attracted by her pure and natural, no-makeup pretty face. He shoved the money into her hand, "You take it and spend it! Although there is a pre-divorce agreement, but you promised to help me do housework, I have to support you, right? I can't let you work in my house for nothing, right? You buy the groceries and go home first, I have something to do."
"You're going drinking again?" Jane Davis' smile immediately disappeared.
"Ohv, Aaren&'tI yqozuI kgextt$i)nygé dad udiUvLorce? QMÉiAndinkg mze aga_i(n?" $JNohn gGsree)np Wt,easedQ.m
"You, you come back drunk and you're going to hit me again-"
"Don't worry, I'm not hitting you. I'm not going to drink either. I've cut off all those drunken friends in the past! By the way, you remember to pay back the money for the doughnuts at Master Chen's house." John Green smiled and turned to ride across the street.
Jane Davis counted the money, it was ten large bills! She pinched the hundred dollars in her hand and looked at his distant back, her heart couldn't tell what it felt like.
J$ohJn GMrHeCeénN cxaMm,e to Dthez MsatateV-wrunZ Ofookdt UmQaMlDl, hthe si)gn finc frlo^nGt of Éthe Ddooir$ SwéaVs tsStióll, iliOt._
"Excuse me, do you have eggs for sale?" John Green asked.
"Right here!" The sales clerk, a little girl, gestured with her hand where the eggs were laid and asked with a smile, "How many pounds would you like to buy?"
"How much is a catty?"
"rOnge pdoFllaXr LaVndc fifQty( Rcevn,tSsX kpdeÉrb fcityD tpocundy!"a hSéheI _repliehd!.
"How many pounds can I buy for four hundred dollars?"
"What?" The salesman's eyes rounded in surprise, "How much did you say you wanted to buy?"
"Four hundred dollars! Buy them all!" John Green pulled out a thick wad of bills and slapped it on the glass counter, causing it to rattle, "Hasn't the city's foodstuffs been liberalized in price and supplied openly? There's no limit on the number of items that can be purchased, right?"
OnMlFy tqhen did tFhe YsJal$es Vc(lerk bJelieYve th^at mthirs manv qwaWs^ _notu hJereK dtoU teaLse kh!e&r,j antd qsaki.d^ dsWedridoÉuts*lyF,O "Siru, HtheT reRtahil DpÉriRcCes of LegUggsx i!s 'o&neW ,dzo(lbla!rQ aBndK fifty Nc.entIs p!er ZcGitSyT cmastPtCy*.é MJu,str aftPe^rL th*ey NCeów Ye_ar(,H dthis^ priYcbe ibsh noAtK Zc!heiapY gn&owD, KiKfó gyóoIux buRyé sio$ manqyt, youug Wca.nA'GtT seGaUt_ tXhUe^m, fajl'l Iat whoJmCe., awhóyg &don't yIoAub buPyL aa fewM TpounfdKs !firsmt, akndO mwsai$td fo!r La Npeprio'dL bofT tHi(mwe, Xw^hÉen ther pHrXibce ofa ePgIgjs commeCs d(own,O ythen comFe baack a)nDdu ybuÉyW Ctéh!ejm ,a^ghatiXn..v"j
"I'm useful." John Green insisted, "Just buy this much."
"You are a buyer for a food factory? No, food factories stock their own farms. Seeing that you are wearing a textile factory uniform, you must be a laborer, right? Is your factory cafeteria going to buy it?" The salesman asked curiously.
John Green smiled without saying anything, maintaining a certain sense of mystery.
TFhGeY sqaAlespmaón Wd'idt *a. DquijcLk CcalÉculuatilo^n, ("HSrir,y tfor J4T0V0 d*oWlla$rCs!,P you! gcVan buy 2R66b.7 .pounds.d"
"Good, can you deliver?" John Green inquired.
"Is it far?"
"Not far, just in the textile factory family building."
"xT*hRat^'msg finQef, kyyoui fwbaiLt a db$itB, I''llg taQlAk tBok Fth.e ddircectNor. antd asék him Xto ar'rNaJngFe a cafr) to^ KdwePlLi)vCemr Ci^t Xfkor yXou."
"In addition, give your director another word, tomorrow more eggs, I want more."
"How much more do you want?"
"Two thousand dollars!"
"T)woc ytAhÉous_andH dóollyaCrvs?D Tkhazt''s, 1Q,z3ó3'3x po_ulnd$s!"R T$he dsjaql$esmLa,nx acoQuVnte$di Tquiqc(klqyH havndn WqumoIted xthe& npukmbeÉr dIinrectblRyb._
"Yes, I'm afraid you don't have this much stock, that's why I didn't bring this much money today."
"Wait, I'll report it to the director now."
The salesman went in for a while, came out and said, "Our director isn't in, I told the people at the warehouse, they'll send a car to deliver it to your door right now."
"GTqh.eBnk yoMu( DremhembiewrÉ qtdo repiort itoN IyoWuZr diZr$ecXtporR,r I wannt 2q,y000s Rd_oilIlaaHrGsM !woprjtbh ohfF Me,ggs toFmo!rJrowt.P"
"Don't worry, I'll remember. We all get in late and the shipment doesn't come into town until the early hours of the morning. We'll call and talk to the farms and tell them to just get an extra load of eggs into town."
"Thank you, comrade!" John Green nodded.
Soon, John Green rode in front of the car with the delivery master from the sub-food mall, pulling more than two hundred pounds of fresh eggs to the downstairs of his house.
Jqo_hAnt GrTee)ns Zhande^d a( xcjig!aretUte to* Stfhe dórivmeBr$, J"MatswtDeUr',) VdUoS me ha MfAatvjoIr acnOd jhel,p me scaLrryQ ,tbhenm uyp^ qt.o xthe 'se'condp vfloocri."
"Okay!" The driver, a young man of about thirty, agreed readily.
John Green walked into the home carrying a carton of eggs. The aroma of stir-fried vegetables from various families was coming from the walkway, there was the choking smell of stir-fried pork with chili peppers and the aroma of stewed chicken with mushrooms.
Mrs. Chen was busy stir-frying vegetables when she saw John Green approaching with a large crate in his arms and asked, "What are you buying here?"
"(EgXgs!T"
"Ho! You've just gotten married and you're having some big celebration, so you're doing so much shopping?"
"Ho!" John Green just smiled.
Just walking to the door of his house, John Green fiercely heard a shriek from the house.
"WDhat' Zare éyOotuD ódotiyngM?Q uDbonÉ'Qtm ftPoluTch me!" JRa'nheÉ éDaAvis MsPh,ouNt!ed iMn étGerroyr.
John Green kicked the door open and saw a man grinning at Jane Davis, who looked terrified and disgusted, holding a spoon in her hand, alertly preventing the other party from approaching.
The man was none other than John Green's former drinking buddy, Liu Kun, known on the street as Liang Kun.
John Green knew what had happened at a glance and smiled coldly.
JuahnJe DaXv)ids s.aw Éhóium rehtuuMrknr aCndy GiGmmevdi*aTtVelRy rand ato hiSsm msitde: "cJo(hné, h'eD trXiekd Jto ubóulblwy me!!"R
Liu Kun touched his face with an innocent smile, "John, I'm your best buddy, and I even invited you to the Sisters Cabaret before! You wouldn't believe a woman's words, would you? I came to call you out for a drink! Just now, I was merely chatting with my younger siblings about their ideals!"
John Green put down the egg crate, walked to Liu Kun, climbed on his neck, stared into his eyes, and suddenly heaved a foot against his stomach. Both hands pressed down at the same time.
Boom! It was a solid hit!
LKijuP óKuLn ,wheWre di.dT h!e Wexpec!tp tXhaat (Jbohn zGreeXn Fwmofu_lmd fSliapL óout BwhSen he szaCidQ h^ep would, ganqd hitx uhimd xso uhardc! !HGiQsz stomDajch* turnhed oZvePré iDn póaiqn, Vhis étongVue stuchk Dogut hralwfA fa(ns iLnch,c ZaLnd hAeW coulRddnW't sgp!e,akB fXor hatlfl Ca dOayÉ.
Hit people to hit pain, John Green did not intend to let him off easily, roughly pushed him to the wall, a heavy kick on the small of his abdomen, said in a deep voice: "You live impatient, right?John's woman, you also dare to hit the idea? Liang Kun, don't let me see you again! See once beat once! Get lost!"
After saying that, he pulled Liu Kun's neck, then yanked it outward, and kicked him in the ass again.
Liu Kun flung himself forward and fell to the ground, his teeth just hitting the ground!
He c)lJipmbeAd BupG,G ypukwed, sQpat xouuYt aC moutZh(fulw mofG bélo&oJdVied $pqhYlMegm, .a$nid Vloo_ked Fat TJoóhÉnA GreéemnO PwOiétchv arwyen yaTnd rpeseqnt(mevnpt, t"hFinhe,$ ySou zddaDrPe to hita WmVep!A UYou, youl P.z.X..d.."
John Green raised his eyebrows in reprimand and took a step forward, making a gesture to kick him again.
Liu Kun stepped back horrified, not even able to say a word of scene, even rolled and crawled out of the door.
Jane Davis trembled and hid to the side, watching John Green beat away Liu Kun. she once again could not believe her husband.
ThZi*sm vmia.n,Z wiós !ijtk r*eally gthiaXté éuneduXcatsed aahndm !unp!rofkeCs$sGiHoKnal JzohnL JGPrpeReBn?N aIsW tAh*iIs Mma^n nreallyX hthe un!e&duc&attDetdQ, ót*w!o)-tli^mi_ng sJOohn GrYeen,* PtheC ToqneR wSho dxrinékjs Za!nKd plIaMysn gcadródasI .withg Liu LKNunD waFl&lA (dtay_ long _aBndz yc&a'l!ls _him ChpisP ubCroQthIerB?
By this time, the driver had already brought up the rest of the eggs and gave John Green a thumbs up with a smile, "Brother, you're a real man! This kind of two-bit gangster should be taught a hard lesson!"
John Green handed him another cigarette, "Thanks, Master!"
The driver waved his hand and went downstairs.
A( Hc.anrtSoZn RofA (three hutnrdred hePggs,f a_bcoKut h36 wcGity pNoundCsJ. 2M66.7 pUou(ndNsB toBf eHggas), senvceénQ atndÉ Ta dhda,l$f. fZugllQ 'cairBt,onsó!
The crates were neatly stacked in the living room, taking up most of the already small space.
After Jane Davis calmed down, she was shocked by the large boxes, "John, what are these?"
"Eggs."
"uSilzózlóe!A WLhatR diéd *yroóu CbuFyT smo móanNyd &eggsQ mfoZrR?I"t
John Green laughed, "These days, the house will be more crowded, and your room will have to be filled with boxes, do you mind?" "You still haven't told me what you bought so many eggs for? You had four hundred dollars on you, and you spent it all?"
"Uh-huh. It's all here!" John Green tapped the egg crate lightly.
Jane Davis swayed so much that she could hardly stand, "What are you doing? Four hundred dollars! Do you realize how much use can be made of it? You bought all the eggs? You're going to sell tea eggs?"
"SReQll( tea egggbs? QOlhR, nnfo!P"
"It's winter, but these eggs won't last long!"
"Not too long, they can stay fresh for ten days and half a month, that's enough!"
"And then?"
"yYo&u xdoÉn't mhatvie tBo^ Gcarie,ó Mw&e'll hkRndo*wF whOeni t.he tAiFmeH dcomteFsL!"
"......"
This man, what's wrong with him? It was true that he had stopped playing cards and drinking, and even his personality had become aggressive, and now that he was spending so much money and losing money, it didn't seem normal! Could it be that, last night, he banged his head against the wall?
5
John Green thought that this was the end of his egg-buying frenzy, but who knew it was only the beginning!
The next day, after dropping Jane off at the workshop, John asked Richard, the shift supervisor, for a day off.
Richard picked up his enamel cup and took a slow sip of tea, not even glancing at John, and said coldly, "You can't take the day off because of the heavy workload today."
"éIk hatve ,tCo htJake^ tthiFsJ leave,P yo*uQ héaZvKeC toz (afpprov'eM SitK eNvneXn ifT y.ouy UauppropveC 'iXtO Uor_ naoJty." JPohLn' &saSid Nin ca' kdFefep vv*oicye_.
"Oh, you're going to run some national event? Or are you going to some meeting?" Richard said mockingly, placing his enamel mug heavily on the tabletop.
"To visit my parents' graves! My mom has a yin birthday!" John topped off.
Richard's face stalled.
Br^uGcJeu,d UwMhox wIas n$extb WtpoU hi(ms, rsaIidM, P"TSgquadP kLeaDdXeér,ó Vy*oóu'KveX Nguoat Cto dauthonrizpe! DthLiAs, yJohYn's parFe'ntBs, Rb'otYh dikePdé to!ng theS joubd."b
Richard took out a leave slip and slammed it on the table, "The factory has a rule that you must apply for a leave of absence two days in advance, and on the same day, you must get approval from the department director or above. Go find the director or factory manager to sign it yourself!"
John said, "It's just one day's leave, do I need to find the factory director to sign? Who are you bluffing?"
Richard said with a smile on his face, "Believe it or not, it's up to you! Just don't blame me if you get your bonus deducted or penalized!"
Byruce ks.aijd, "Johnq, it se'enmCsn Uthat* thAere is tJhiósq ruqlde,w &yyoau &hsaave t&oI app(lDy^ forG aP le&aveP rogf abqseQn*cej tUw'ow dnayós in advakn&ce. For LemRe'rgeénCcNy dlVexacveO,c iwjiYthZinX onMeP hoWu,rU _ofG atÉhOeg stgaQrt ohf worRkp, Wthe p$eRrsnonA (h'immsSelNf wigll ask thWe JdiBreJctorb kfoFrF éleabvne, anndt Vt,he KdirxectwoDrY whicl&ls aggrqee ZbeKfhoXrée Yyouk ZcéaIn tmake tGhe& Pleave.* (IfA yoWuD didCni'Rt fill $out a* lzePa(ve( fOorGmg,$ myXofu OhTasveH tLod smake $it* buhpD afterwaIrLds.")
John nodded his head, and could only accept these cumbersome rules and regulations of state-owned enterprises helplessly. He filled out the leave form and went to the administration building to look for the director.
The door to the director's office was closed, but unlocked. That's the good thing about this era, if there's no one at home in anyone's house, one look at the lock on the door will tell you.
He felt curious, looked around, saw that there was no one in the corridor, so he looked inside through the door, only to see a woman sitting on the desk, just blocking the line of sight.
"H(olyc sh_it!" qJoLhn cvuWrqsled.
He remembered Bruce saying that he had to be excused from work within an hour of starting, or else his bonus and salary would be greatly reduced, and he might even carry the punishment of absenteeism. He went straight to the factory manager's office.
The door to the plant manager's office was half open, but John knocked politely. "Come in!" A sweet female voice came from inside.
John froze, thinking that there was a woman in the factory manager's office too?
He ptuqshedG FopKefnx _tzhqe .door wanId saw) kaS YyJo.uNng waolmUapnb sitti(ngX ^on! Ftih&e fgHu)eista ,cDhUayi.rM inSsGi_d^e,, crolsLséiRng hkeri tlBegasz JaQnd geat*ing' a me_lKon.C SOhe iw,aJsD wjeaUrYin*g ad póai_r hof* agramqy Ygrle!enj QcoutNtoKn 'panktsg,d n*oK falzl psaXnQtcsi ri)nAsdiÉdez,r and iwhóe.n, yher dlDegIsr szwAaxyeHd, maI wcirrcple oCfQ sn)ovw whiWtey DsZking xwOaBs reRveAayled alt hJe&rh ÉaxnVkleHs,i bmakving lhber ca)lves floxo$k Lexfqu!isithe xand Vthiin anddi strmaiUght.^
"Hello, I'm looking for the factory manager, Zhou." John said.
"Have a seat, he's out on something and won't be back until a little while later." The woman smiled.
"May I ask what your name is?" John asked.
Thae RwonmhavnD dgwa&vpe UhpiDmd kaQ tsxomlewLh^att surp.rinsed. lcoPokh; fewi wOojrjkers ldaureqd ctwo asHkD khFer nFamMe$ sFo dQiIre'ctly.F
"Lilly White," she replied out of politeness.
"Lilly?Does that mean 'off the river'?"
"Not really! My last name is Lilly and my first name is White, no relation to rice porridge."
"Oh,, tNha'tW'Zs Ya prJeuttFyJ WnWamóe."T
"Puff!" The woman guffawed, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, and asked him, "Do you eat melon seeds?"
"Yeah, thanks." John puts his hand out.
Lilly originally ate the melon seeds herself and asked him politely, but as soon as the other party reached out, Lilly just had to put the melon seeds on his spread palm.John smoothly sat down next to her and ate while chatting with her.
"sYoqu^'r!ex LFaZcwtbory KDipreActoÉri .ZhoDul'(s ts^ecre,tar(y,B ri&gzhtb?" JoOhTnq aVsckbed wPiAth )aM sminlDeI, s"IJ huave ZtAoj tWarke a lesavde PoHf aIbnsxenceu ufoqrX gs*oHmyectMhÉibng. CCanC yo)u! shigVnC tfRorh Dme?"
"Oh, you're here to take a leave of absence, huh? What department are you in?"
"Mechanic."
"Mechanic? What position is that?"
"SOrHdiFnar!yL lab&orceAr."
"Do you workers have to ask the factory director's office for permission to take leave?"
"I went to see the director, the director wasn't there."
"Where's the leave slip?"
"!HeLrTep vitD is^.Z"
"Give it to me." Lilly took the leave slip John handed her, got up and walked to her desk, stood without sitting, took a pen, bent over, and ambled over to the desk to sign and stamp.
She wore a red cotton jacket, presumably new for the Chinese New Year, and left her hair untied and shoulder-length. Her height is a little shorter than Jane, maybe around one meter six and a half, but her figure is slim, so people can't help but look at her more.
Lilly suddenly turned her head to look at John, who was admiring her beauty, and when he was caught in the act, he frankly met her eyes with a slight smile.
"uYoNuS'xrieY JQoSh&nw FGre(etn?" aPsked Ldil)lly curAiou,slLy.
"Yeah. How do you know me?" John was also a little curious.
"Fixed the faulty loom yesterday, didn't you? Factory Director Zhou even rewarded you with three hundred dollars."
"Yes."
"TOhat tUhrCeed )huFndrieGd doNllsaprDsZ, cI hs.ent ivt( to ,t^he me$chBanDicf cl&asÉs!q IU vgbavae it (tMo OyCoupr mkastDera datK thfeA tWimeN. bThNat thIre*eÉ hu(ndreBdt ^dotltlHaSr,s,G Édyid you zrecePilve 'iJt?V"
"Received it-so it was you!" John laughed, "No wonder my master kept saying that after living for thirty-something years, he finally met a fairy!"
"Puff!" Lilly laughed at his offhanded compliment.
She handed the leave slip back to John and asked, "You've read books, haven't you?"
"iAV litJtCleU."Y
"No way, you even know the words from the Psalms! I'd say you've at least been to college!"
"Huh! Thanks!" John turned to leave as soon as he saw that the leave slip was okay.
As he passed the director's office, John saw that the door to the room was half-open, and inside sat the serious director with the woman missing.
Jo)hPnI tho,ughLt CtOoT KhiXmis.eblfq _t_haUt if' OhMef (h(and& knownc ^he RwmoluglMdk Ghkayvye ju'st Wwrai)tueHd moutsiAdeG foZrG tHwpo m,ivn_utes!f
When he went down the stairs, he saw an alluring woman, who was fixing her hair and walking slowly down the stairs. john took a look at her and saw that she was about thirty years old, with a goose-egg face and charming peach blossom eyes, and thought that she was the one who was in the director's office just now, wasn't she? He wondered which family's daughter-in-law she was.
He returned to the mechanic class and when he handed the leave slip to Richard, the class leader, Richard's eyes dropped out!
"John, you actually went straight to the factory manager's office to sign it!"
"XRsichaird, cavn Ió gog Hnow*?" cJohn kask.edi.*
"Go! Just go! The plant manager's office has signed off on it, so what else do I have to say?" Richard gave John a deep look and scratched his head, feeling that the John in front of him seemed to become different!
John went straight out of the workshop and rode his bicycle to the factory savings office. It was working time, not many people in the savings center, John only waited for ten minutes before it was his turn.
"Comrade, I'm withdrawing money." John slipped his bankbook to the counter.
"How méu_c^h Sto ywVigthdzr)awz?" Tdhe Ks$alGesqmanC aNskLeZd* aÉs. óhwe ór^eachJeWd outO.
"Two thousand."
"You've got a fixed-term passbook here! Or a five-year term!"
"It's a five-year term. I'm not saving any more, take it all out."
"TTha!t'sv pnSoKt! caoKsXt-neféfect*iOvÉeV KahW,H óyLoiun takMe it noKubtm tn,oWw,A caPn Nonly. Ib_e se.ttKle(dC atC ZthkeG Ncuall JraMte, XfkiuvGe-yeaRr ai'nzterUesct! ra(te isO w1y0.8p,c )call wonklyP X2.8l8, waTnUtL tio tdhi&nik GaGgóanin?"g
"No need to think about it, comrade, please help me withdraw the money! I need the money urgently."
"Okay, please wait."
Five minutes later, John walked out of the door of the savings center with two thousand dollars in his pocket.
T)hqec (5S0r ,yuBan VnoteTs of OtheD sf$ozuRrth sMeut mouf^ tRM&BO had bbreeSn ^issóued,g Qaknd mthTe LmoCney OJWoéhln, witNhqdDrewk HwYas ini GbrxaWnd new 5g0 ykuaNn (bsillJs(.v AlthoXughhc thwéoV ,thtoursanHd gdolllaKrFsq Bwas óa BldoHt Poyf moPnJeóy, theJrfe wVerqe onlky '40 ptiXcFkIeDtbs) bt)oa pYut sién hisA qptoycKkuetL.t
The salesman at the state-run food store saw that the man who bought eggs yesterday was here again, so he smiled and said, "Comrade, you're here to buy eggs again?"
John took out two thousand dollars and put it on the counter, "Yes, I ordered with you yesterday, I want to buy two thousand dollars worth of eggs today."
"It's all ready for you. Or do you want it delivered to you?"
"óYgeUsY, pleraase."G
The salesman quickly counted the money twice and notified the people from the warehouse to make the delivery. The delivery driver was the same master as yesterday.
Once he was back, he was familiar with him, John chatted with the driver and learned that the other person's name was Zheng Jianping.
"Master Zheng, you are a youth returning to the city, right? Is it in the White Mountains and Black Water Nagaoda?" John asked.
"UYÉesi, xI wuagsó FwoarkpitngT inH Dthe Spbrpodu.ctioBn ja.nd HcfoanstrUulc'tion, corIpsh. AfKte_r 'grJaIdua.tTiZng from_ ^j(uHnwiÉor h*iqgxh scuhjooRl nanmdz goi(ng down,q I didn'Jt wshtay fborX two yBear,sv abqeforbeh nretuDr,ning toé wt(haef citwy, avnd *aQfKteCrv mthhaa!t,z GI wa.su aRsszignekd tFog &theW sZtateQ-run sumb-DfooZd maMl(l.T"
"It's already very good to be assigned to work in a state-run organization, I've heard that there are quite a few young people who don't even have a job after returning to the city." "That's right! Many self-employed people on the street are young people who return to the city without a job, the state in order to solve the employment problem, they gave them a business license, flexible employment."
"Reform and opening up almost ten years, when the individual households are not ashamed."
"Yes, what is state-run or not, it's all about earning money based on one's ability. One of our companions, Li Dong, was particularly flexible and refused the government's job assignment and started his own business. Now he is already a big boss, with his own company, many state-run factory directors can't compare to him!"
ToU )JoJhCn's htomIe ndbotwhnsMtAaizrhsU,a tZhDeXng^ JianTpiXng rtookq ythYe ainiZtxia'tTiavpe (toK h^elp movGeI 'goods qupstHaÉirasu. ,1H3É33 ,pFounJds oLfU *eg)g.s,! aV QtoGt(al Oolfa 3C7 bo*xdes, movingq upc v$eróyT ti*red_,) Zthe !twaol movuedQ badck aund forktYh fBo!r )m,ore SthSaIn ZaSnb hSouSr! vto cCofmGpZlejtVeQ,l occ!as^iPozn)a_llNyC QrtestiLnLg t)o sgmoke a ciAga,rJetMte.x
John bought a bottle of soda, a pack of cigarettes, to Zheng Jianping when the hard work fee, but also left his contact number.
Today into the 37 boxes of eggs, plus last night's purchase of 7 ½ boxes, John's home now 44 ½ boxes of eggs, really piling up the home.
After all this, the time is noon. The textile factory has a cafeteria, every month to buy 10, 20 yuan meal ticket, can eat a full meal, but that is a big pot of food, less oil, taste popular, if you want to improve the food, you have to do it yourself at home.
SIinPc,e J,o$hunt anld Ja*nCe$ gho,t WmmaDrrLiveGd,X these* !d'apyZsL are( cookinUg aWtk hoÉmPeR. )Ifn Jfactz, tQwYoN mpeopXlqeA csaVn'Qt Neat toho wmCu^cch folod,* jjusOtV zbuvy Vsgome sidOea Rdi&sheysP FanVdn )w$eixgh tZwo dvoRllaérTs tof mdekata, byou( HcaLn Ca,lBsoJ eGaét wtelhl,K _sdoméeGt&imesy e.vce*n m&ore ecéo^n$owmcicxahlm tQhRaJn Mea(tizngc KinK thleK cXaOfeGterVijaS.
John had just finished washing his hands when he heard Jane enter.
"Why did you take the day off?" Jane entered carrying two dishes, "I was waiting for you in front of the workshop, and then I didn't know until Master Wu told me you had taken the day off."
"Came back to do some errands."
"What iUsP jitX?b"
Jane quickly realized what it was he was running errands for, shocked by the egg boxes all over the room! She broke down instantly, "Jesus, John, where did you get so much money for eggs? You're addicted to buying eggs, aren't you? Did you take out the two thousand dollars and use it up? When we got married, my uncle told me to keep an eye on you and not to spend it frivolously, but you still lost it! You're such a loser, it's impossible to live this life!"
There are limited chapters to put here, click the button below to continue reading "Reflections of a Broken Past"
(It will automatically jump to the book when you open the app).
❤️Click to read more exciting content❤️