A street urchin turned academic genius, starting by saving the blind school beauty.

Chapter 106 Uncle Xu's Accident

Xu Ziqing's eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing this, but she remained nestled in Lu Zhaoye's neck until they were almost getting off the bus before finally getting up.

After Lu Zhaoye and his companion exited Nanjing South Railway Station, they immediately boarded the subway bound for Pukou District in Nanjing.

Xu Ziqing's father works in Pukou District, but Lu Zhaoye is not quite sure of his exact location or workplace.

Lu Zhaoye originally thought this journey would be difficult, but it wasn't. Many people instinctively avoided Xu Ziqing when they saw her holding a white cane, so the journey was actually quite easy.

Lu Zhaoye still remembered that every time he came to Nanjing South Station in his previous life, he had to wait for a long time at the exit before he could get out. It was nothing like the unimpeded passage he could enjoy now.

After boarding the subway, Xu Ziqing felt that the "barrier" between the two had disappeared, and she felt a surge of joy.

But Lu Zhaoye didn't care about any of that at the moment; instead, he frowned and looked at his phone.

He had already added Uncle Xu's contact information and sent a message in advance before his trip.

But it was already noon, and Uncle Xu still hadn't replied. Lu Zhaoye felt a little worried.

He put down his phone and waited patiently for a while until Lu Zhaoye and Xu Ziqing arrived at the location given to him by Uncle Xu.

Another hour has passed, and it's almost one o'clock, but Uncle Xu still hasn't replied to the message.

As planned, Lu Zhaoye intended to take Xu Ziqing out for lunch first, and they would talk about the rest later.

"Xu Ziqing, let me take you to get some food first," Lu Zhaoye said slowly, then asked Xu Ziqing for her opinion, "What would you like to eat?"

Xu Ziqing, unaware of what was happening, tilted her head back adorably, thought for a moment, and slowly said...

"How about we grab some fast food?"

Lu Zhaoye curled his lip. Doesn't this silly guy want to try the local specialties of Nanjing now that he's out here?

Without asking for her opinion, he took Xu Ziqing's hand and walked into the large shopping mall by the roadside.

Lu Zhaoye took Xu Ziqing to Nanjing Da Pai Dang, a specialty restaurant in Nanjing. They ordered a few simple dishes and began to enjoy the local cuisine.

"This Nanjing duck is pretty good, you should try it."

"Hmm, this Meiling porridge is also very good..."

"Mmm, so delicious~"

"..."

Lu Zhaoye ate his lunch slowly, but he picked up his phone and made a call.

It was from Uncle Xu, but he still didn't answer.

Without further hesitation, he told Xu Ziqing that he was going to use the restroom, and then walked to the restaurant entrance.

He immediately dialed another number, but this time it was Aunt Xu's call.

The call was answered quickly, and Lu Zhaoye got straight to the point.

"Aunt Xu, Xu Ziqing and I have arrived in Nanjing and are now near Uncle Xu's workplace."

"But there's a problem now. Uncle Xu hasn't replied to my message yet. I'm wondering if something happened to him. Maybe you could tell me where he works, and I'll go there myself."

After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, Aunt Xu finally responded and then gave Uncle Xu's workplace.

"Ono, if any unexpected situations arise, you can make your own decision."

Lu Zhaoye responded, drawing out a heavy tone at the end.

"it is good."

After finding out Uncle Xu's workplace, Lu Zhaoye quickly returned to the restaurant. Xu Ziqing had already finished eating and was sitting obediently in her chair.

"We're finished eating, shall we go?"

Lu Zhaoye took out a tissue and wiped Xu Ziqing's mouth, saying with a smile.

Xu Ziqing nodded, and the two of them resumed their journey.

Uncle Xu's workplace was a factory, or more precisely, a production line factory, which is very common in later generations. Lu Zhaoye sat in the taxi, frowning thoughtfully.

In his experience, the probability that Uncle Xu could find connections in the factory to treat Xu Ziqing's eyes was practically zero.

Lu Zhaoye had worked in the factory for several years before, and he knew all too well that the factory at that time was a place that would devour people without spitting out their bones.

Three shifts, assembly line, inhumane working hours.

Several years later, policy changes led to improvements in the factory's living environment and work system that were beneficial to the workers.

Before this, almost no one would be willing to work in a factory unless they had plenty of money.

He took Xu Ziqing in a taxi to a factory, which further confirmed his suspicions.

The factory was small, with only a few very large workshops enclosed by iron railings. At the back was a very dilapidated standalone apartment building, which should be the staff dormitory.

Lu Zhaoye looked around at the surrounding environment. It was no exaggeration to say that it was a desolate place. Apart from factories, there were only factories and endless wasteland that no one had cultivated.

"Big brother, have we arrived?"

Xu Ziqing stood to the side, her grip on Lu Zhaoye's hand already loosened, her heart filled with nervousness and anticipation at seeing her father.

Lu Zhaoye saw Xu Ziqing's expectation, but he didn't want her to know his current difficulties, so he told her a lie.

"Not yet, you'll have to wait a little longer."

Xu Ziqing nodded obediently, without asking any further questions or not noticing anything unusual.

Lu Zhaoye originally wanted to leave Xu Ziqing there to wait, but seeing that the place was empty, he felt uneasy, so he grabbed Xu Ziqing's hand and headed to the factory's security room.

"..."

"Uncle, can I ask you about someone?" Lu Zhaoye leaned on the windowsill of the security room, opened the window, and said with a smile.

The security room was filled with smoke, and two security guards were smoking and joking. When they saw a boy who looked like a child leaning against the window, they started cursing angrily.

"Get lost, you little devil from somewhere!"

Xu Ziqing, who was standing to the side, was stunned when she heard this, and her mind went blank for a moment when she heard the cursing.

Lu Zhaoye, however, didn't care about being scolded; he had seen this kind of thing many times before.

Lu Zhaoye frowned slightly, then immediately took out the cigarettes he had prepared beforehand from his pocket and handed them over with a smile.

"Uncles, please don't get agitated. I'm just asking about something."

The two middle-aged men's eyes lit up when they saw the cigarette in Lu Zhaoye's hand. Their cursing instantly turned into laughter as they took the cigarette from Lu Zhaoye and said with a smile,

"Young man, what's the matter? Are you looking for your parents?"

Seeing this, Lu Zhaoye nodded, then continued to ask,

"Yes, uncle. My father's name is Xu Feng. I called him but he didn't answer. I wanted to ask if he is still working at the factory."

Xu Ziqing, who was standing to the side, was stunned. She didn't know why her older brother would lie to her, but she knew that he must have his reasons, so she continued to listen attentively.

However, when the two middle-aged men heard Xu Feng's name, their expressions changed, and the cigarettes in their hands trembled.

The two exchanged a glance, then smiled sheepishly and said...

"Yes, young man, your father is still working at the factory. Let's talk about it after get off work."

However, Lu Zhaoye had already taken in the reactions of the two security guards. He sighed inwardly, but maintained his composure and continued to smile.

"Uncle, I urgently need to see my father. Could I see him first?"

However, the two middle-aged men were no longer willing to pretend. They instantly withdrew their previous friendly expressions and started cursing at Lu Zhaoye.

"You brat, didn't you hear what I said? Get out of here, I told you it's not time to leave work yet."

After saying that, the two security guards closed the window and ignored Lu Zhaoye.

Xu Ziqing, standing to the side, was completely confused, but she sensed something was amiss. She timidly asked in a low voice, "..."

"Big brother, my dad... has something happened to him?"