Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 152 - 1: Patience·Earth

Chapter 152 -1: Patience·Earth

“At that time, I made my stance clear—we workers need to think about the country. If I don’t get laid off, who will?”

Smack~

Liang flipped off the television and stood in front of it, silent. After a while, he ambled back to his chair with his hands clasped behind him.

He quietly lit a cigarette, the fingernails pressing on the filter turned yellow.

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On New Year’s Eve, every household was making dumplings and watching the Spring Festival Gala. They set off firecrackers with a bang.

The old couple were no exception. Liang’s wife wasn’t well and had gone to bed early.

The night was cool, and Liang’s legs ached so much that he couldn’t sleep, so he got up. He pretended to sleep with his eyes closed, his ruddy face tense, the grooves looking tight, and if one looked closely, they would see cinders in his hair.

Dogs barked in the alley, and the sound of knocking at the door was muffled.

The old man opened his eyes, scratched an itch, picked up a coat, put it on, and called out, “Who is it?” as he walked outside.

Creak~

Opening the door, a disheveled man stood at the entrance.

The cold wind whirled into the room.

Liang Ye’s lips quivered as he breathed noisily.

Liang stood there, dumbfounded, gazing upward, his purple-black lips pursed. He reached out to touch the man’s face.

It was warm and a bit damp.

“Where have you been all these years?”

…

Noon, a certain teahouse.

“Red Star Music?”

Liang Ye gargled with tea before replying, “Pretty famous, huh? That Jun something or Wei something—I know him; he sings alright.”

“You’ve been missing for several years and are out of touch with society. It won’t be easy to find a job, so you might as well let us introduce you. Stick to your original trade, keep doing music. We’ll fully support your career.”

Liang Ye rested his arm on the glass table: “So, that thing you’re part of—what’s it called again?”

“Special Task Bureau, you can call me Ailing.”

Across from him was a girl with a neat ponytail, who grew up in the No. 5 Courtyard, Ministry of Internal Affairs Street and came from a military family.

Early in the morning, she took the initiative to find Liang Ye and proposed to help him get into the then-famous Red Star Music.

“Why would the Special Task Bureau want to help me?”

“We hope Mr. Liang can be a bit more settled.”

The girl’s tone was very polite.

“Oh~”

Liang Ye leaned back.

“Additionally, we are quite interested in Mr. Liang’s talent. We hope there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future. If possible, we would also like to hire Mr. Liang as a consultant for our Special Task Bureau.”

Liang Ye hesitated for a moment before asking:

“That person I want to inquire about, tall and thin, quite energetic, speaks with a Hejian accent. Is he, by any chance, also with your Special Task Bureau…?”

“Mr. Liang.”

Ripples spread across the teacup in front of the girl.

“Unless something unexpected happens, it would be better for you not to see this person.”

“Got it,” Liang Ye nodded, “Got it.”

He didn’t ask any further.

Ailing handed over a business card.

“Call me if you need anything.”

Ailing and Liang Ye finished lunch, and she drove away. She picked up a phone call in the car.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” The black Santana swerved, and Ailing drove towards Wangfujing Street.

About twenty minutes later, Ailing briskly entered a grand office building. Upstairs and downstairs, in addition to the familiar colleagues of the Special Task Bureau, there were many new faces in uniform.

She went into an office where a middle-aged man with a square face sat in a large black chair.

“Hello, hello, hello, you must be Team Leader Hu,” she greeted.

Ailing walked over in high heels, with a courteous smile on her face.

“Hahaha, Deputy Director Ai is much prettier in person than in photos~”

Team Leader Hu had a robust voice and a genial smile.

“I’ve been longing for the stars and the moon, finally seeing Team Leader Hu arrive.”

Ailing’s laugh was hearty and gracious.

“After Director Kang went missing, the burden in the Special Task Bureau fell on my shoulders. I’ve been swamped. The higher-ups said that the bureau should cooperate actively with Team Leader Hu’s work, right? If you have any requests, just let me know.”

“That’s not how it should be; we ought to deepen our rapport. After all, once this investigation and overhaul are done, I might be Deputy Director Ai’s partner for a good while.”

Ailing kept her composure: “Director Kang has been missing for less than half a month, and now they’re parachuting in a new director to fill his position. Don’t you think that’s inappropriate?”

Team Leader Hu laughed heartily: “When did I ever say I was here to be the director? Comrade Ai, don’t say nonsense. But speaking of which…”

He lowered his head slightly: “Is Director Kang’s disappearance related to the migrant worker murder cases that happened consecutively last month?”

Ailing blinked, “I have already submitted the report. Group Leader Hu is the head of the oversight team for this case, and supposedly, it should have been reviewed by now. No worries, if there’s anything unclear, just ask me. I guarantee I’ll leave no stone unturned,”

The square-faced man smiled, sat in the former chief position of the Special Investigation Bureau, and his two eyebrows suddenly shot up.

“Everyone who feeds off the state coffers in Capital City knows that your Special Investigation Bureau is all about special tasks and declarations,” he said.

“The flow of personnel, internal data, resource distribution in your hands – no one has the right to inquire about them except for the two directors and someone above. In Yan Capital City, from chasing chickens and dogs to top officials’ security, your Bureau can take over everything with just one word. I’ve been eating from this rice bowl for many years and I’ve never seen a department as imposing as yours.”

“But this time, you’ve made a big blunder.”

The square-faced man’s voice suddenly turned cold.

“If I find out anything, the good days of the Special Investigation Bureau will come to an end,” he warned.

Ailing clasped her hands and remained silent.

Seeing this, the square-faced man changed the topic, “I’ll go to the restroom briefly, and then we’ll continue our talk when I’m back.”

With that, he stood up, opened the door, and left. Not long after Group Leader Hu left, someone from the Special Investigation Bureau came in with a cup of coffee.

“So it’s him?”

Without lifting her head, Ailing asked point-blank.

“Yes, this man has a deep background. Those above have set their minds on reforming the Special Investigation Bureau. It is estimated that once the investigation result is out, a large number of people will be implanted into the Bureau,” the person replied.

The tones of both were very casual.

“That’s good news. However, it’ll take quite some time for Ren Si’s and Ren Jiu’s troops to recover. Ren San, despite being a director, led his team to capture Pei Yunhu and ended up suffering a complete loss. When he returns, I’ll have a good chance to mock him,” Ailing commented.

“Haha, would you really dare, Ren Wu? He’s already died once,” the other laughed.

The two talked and laughed without seeming to take the harsh questioning from above or Group Leader Hu’s aggressiveness seriously.

Tshhhhhhhh~

The sound of flowing water continued as Group Leader Hu twisted the faucet, washed his hands, and held a phone between his neck with a rarely seen gentle expression on his face.

From the other end of the phone came the tender voice of a child, “Daddy~”

“My darling daughter, Daddy is busy today and can’t make it back. Happy birthday to you. Once this period is over, Daddy will take you on a trip to Chongming Island, alright?” he said.

“Daddy, you never keep your word…”

The little girl’s voice was tinged with tears.

“Alright, alright, your daddy has important things to do. Xiaojin, be good,”

On the other end of the phone, Group Leader Hu’s wife soothed their daughter before taking the phone herself.

“What’s with you? Didn’t we agree last month that you would be home for Xiaojin’s birthday today? Hu Jiangyi, you say something!” the wife demanded.

Staring into the mirror, the square-faced man’s eyes were full of shock.

In front of the mirror was a blurry human form with various faces shifting and changing.

A vigorous, youthful face with a sense of bravery; a middle-aged man with a righteous and straightforward smile; an aged, majestic man with undiminished authority.

Several of the faces were familiar to the square-faced man. The last one, a gentle young man with glasses, flashed past.

Director Kang!

The square-faced man wanted to shout out, but his throat felt stuck, and he couldn’t speak a word.

In the end, the changing face in the mirror became a square one.

The face of Group Leader Hu himself…

“Hu Jiangyi! Don’t think that keeping silent means nothing’s wrong! You…”

“Hey, come on, come on. I give in to you, I’ll go back. Even if knives were falling from the sky, I’d still go back.”

Group Leader Hu begged for mercy, reaching to adjust his glasses before remembering that he no longer wore them…

“Really?” his wife asked, somewhat incredulous.

“Why would I lie to you? Oh, and didn’t we have our wedding anniversary last week? I was thinking, we’re an old couple, it’s no fun making a fuss about it alone. So I thought, why not combine it with Xiaojin’s birthday today and go out for a meal?”

“You heartless wretch, I thought you had forgotten.”

“How could I forget? I was just thinking of giving you a nice surprise,” he replied.

“By the way, Xiaojin’s grandpa is coming this afternoon.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Don’t you know that your father and I…”

Hu Jiangyi’s tone became anxious.

“These are all old issues. Weren’t you the stubborn one back then? Let’s use Xiaojin’s birthday as an opportunity to clear things up.”

The conversation between husband and wife was as smooth as ever, with Hu Jiangyi’s life story unfolding before us.

He exited the restroom.

“Alright, I’ll make it back before six in the evening.”

“Don’t forget,” the wife reminded as she hung up, inwardly wondering why old Hu had changed his tune today.

“Group Leader Hu” ended the call, his expression neither happy nor sad. Ailing stood by the wall, and their gazes met for a moment.

“Welcome back.” Ailing extended her palm:

“Ren San.”

Divine Jiazi Nine Hundred and Eighty-Four, the possessor of “Midnight Boiling,” settled the affairs of the Yan Fu Fruit’s special phenomena.