Ch 9: Text Messages Across Time

An hour later, Lin Wu walked out of the canteen office. Wang Manshan and Hao Shuqin were waiting outside. The moment Wang Manshan saw him, he stepped forward anxiously.

“How did it go? Are you alright?”

An hour earlier, Wang Manshan and Hao Shuqin had come to the market to buy daily necessities and had unexpectedly run into Lin Wu and Luo Xiaorong. When Lin Wu saw them, he froze for a moment, then politely greeted them.

“Uncle Wang, Teacher Hao, I left something in the canteen. Could you help me take my mom home…”

The Third District residential area and the First District were in the same compound, only seventy meters apart in a straight line.

“It’s fine, go back and get it,” Hao Shuqin said, immediately linking arms with Luo Xiaorong. Then, as if remembering something, she added, “I pickled some sweet garlic the other day. I was going to bring you some. After you get your things, come by my place.”

The two families were very close. After Lin Haiming passed away, Hao Shuqin often found reasons to help Lin Wu, and Lin Wu would tutor Wang Jiahui in math during school breaks.

“Alright.” Lin Wu smiled and agreed.

After the three of them left, Lin Wu went straight back to the canteen, picked up a slop bucket from the kitchen, and dumped it over Lu Meiling’s head.

Once he realized Luo Xiaorong had been bullied, he had never intended to let the matter go lightly.

“Ahhh!!!” In the courtyard, Lu Meiling felt the sticky mess covering her and screamed in shock.

“Hey! Why are you pouring slop on someone!” The others reacted and rushed to grab Lin Wu.

The slop bucket spun on the ground with a squeaking sound, taking a full ten seconds before it finally stopped.

“I’m calling the police! This is assault!” Lu Meiling was partly scared, but more furious at being humiliated in front of so many people.

“If you don’t call, you’re a coward!” Lin Wu showed no fear at all.

“You!” Lu Meiling was about to borrow a phone when the head chef quickly stopped her. “It’s just a small dispute between employees. Why call the police?” The steel factory was currently participating in a provincial evaluation for “green factories.” If this blew up, it could affect their score.

“I won’t accept this! Why does he get to dump slop on me?” Lu Meiling touched her hair and pulled out a handful of red oil and fish bones. She had been sitting with a loose collar, and now even inside her shirt was soaked with slop, dripping down her body.

“What’s going on?” A table of officials in the front hall had heard the commotion and came over, their expressions serious.

“Director Kong…” The head chef immediately grew tense upon recognizing the administrative director.

Ten minutes later, everyone was gathered in the canteen office.

“I was just thinking of mutual help, and he suddenly came over with a slop bucket…” Lu Meiling exaggerated the story, glossing over her own laziness.

The administrative director was sharp and quickly caught the key point. “She’s assigned to make buns, not wash dishes. Why didn’t you go help her make buns? Isn’t that also mutual help?”

“I…” Lu Meiling, who liked to cut corners, found herself unable to wriggle out in front of someone like him.

After addressing her, the director turned to Lin Wu. “You’re Lin Haiming’s son?” He remembered Lin Haiming, who had a lame right leg and had worked in the boiler room.

“Yes.” Lin Wu had already calmed down after the earlier surge of emotion.

The director looked at everyone, thought for a moment, then said, “Lu Meiling was wrong for cutting corners, but you also poured slop on her. Let’s leave it at that. In the future, you can’t bully people like this. Understood?”

As he finished, he gave Lu Meiling a stern look.

“I understand,” she said quickly. She had never truly intended to call the police.

“Then it’s settled,” the director nodded, then looked at Lin Wu. To him, this was a trivial matter.

“It’s not settled,” Lin Wu said.

“What do you mean?” the director frowned.

“When my father was alive, he was always an outstanding worker. The factory gave my mom this job, and I’m grateful. But she was also made to appear in promotional photos for the factory. You can’t act one way in public and another in private. You show concern for employees’ families on the surface, but behind the scenes you let people bully them. Maybe leadership doesn’t know about it, but in reality, my mom has been bullied.”

Lin Wu was referring to an interview in March, when the factory had been featured by provincial television. Translated on Hololo novels. To showcase its “humanistic care,” Luo Xiaorong had been arranged to appear. Later, a report titled “Love Among the People: Xuhu Steel Factory Cares for Disabled Family Members of Deceased Employees” had been published.

Such reports were common and didn’t cause much stir, but they existed in black and white.

Lin Wu had only learned about it afterward. If he had known beforehand, he would never have allowed it. Those interviews didn’t just bring sympathy, but also curiosity and subtle discrimination. All he wanted was a simple life, without more harm coming to Luo Xiaorong.

“What do you want?” the director straightened, not expecting Lin Wu to bring up the report.

Lin Wu looked at Lu Meiling. “Just like I said before. One bucket of slop a day. For a month.”

An eye for an eye. To him, that was fair.

“No way!” Lu Meiling stared at him. If that happened, she would have no face left to show.

“That’s not acceptable.” The director rejected it outright. It bordered on public humiliation. After thinking, he said, “Your mother will be transferred to work inside the factory. The hours are regular, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and the pay stays the same, thirty a day. As for the rest…”

He looked at Lu Meiling and the others. “Lu Meiling will be fined six hundred. That money goes to Luo Xiaorong as compensation for a month of dishwashing. The head chef and canteen manager are responsible for poor supervision. Each will be fined two hundred, and this will be recorded in their performance evaluations.”

Xuhu Steel Factory was the largest state-owned steel plant in the area, with both internal and external canteens. The “internal canteen” he mentioned was farther away but had shuttle transport and better working conditions.

“Director Kong…” Lu Meiling panicked at the mention of fines.

“If you don’t like it, leave!” the director snapped, then turned sternly to Lin Wu. “This matter is settled. I don’t want to hear phrases like ‘one thing in public, another in private’ again. The factory has its own rules and processes. If everything gets escalated over people’s heads, the entire system would fall into chaos.”

Lin Wu’s words had been subtle, but the director understood the implication: if this wasn’t handled properly, he might go to the media. Whether he actually would or not didn’t matter. People with nothing to lose were dangerous, and he didn’t want trouble during the evaluation period.

Of course, even though the issue was resolved smoothly, as the one being pressured, his impression of Lin Wu dropped sharply.

“Do you have any other objections?” the director asked.

Lin Wu had originally planned to have Luo Xiaorong quit entirely, fearing continued mistreatment. He hadn’t expected the factory to transfer her instead.

After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Is the work environment there good?” He meant interpersonal treatment.

“I’ll hold a meeting tomorrow. No one will bully your mother. There are surveillance cameras in the kitchen. You can check them anytime,” the director said coldly.

“Alright.” Lin Wu nodded, accepting.

“And the ‘one thing in public, another in private’ remark?” the director pressed.

“I won’t bring it up again.”

“Make sure you keep your word.”

Lin Wu knew this had left a bad impression, but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered to him was what he cared about.

……

After Wang Manshan and Hao Shuqin returned, they heard that Lin Wu had been stopped by the administrative director and hurried over in a panic.

At 9:40, Lin Wu walked out of the canteen office.

“They’ve gone too far! I’m going to find the factory leadership tomorrow and demand an explanation!” Hao Shuqin had already asked around about what happened and was so angry her chest hurt.

“It’s fine, it’s already been resolved…” Lin Wu let out a breath and briefly explained what had happened.

At that moment, Lu Meiling and the head chef came out of the office. When they saw Lin Wu, Lu Meiling’s eyes were filled with tears, her face full of resentment, while the others looked at him with complicated expressions, especially the head chef and the canteen manager, who had just been formally disciplined.

Lin Wu glanced at them, unconcerned.

“Where’s Huihui?” he asked, changing the subject.

“She’s at home doing homework…” The three of them walked back under the moonlight. Hao Shuqin was still thinking about what had happened and sighed. “It’s good she’s being transferred. This place is too chaotic. The staff canteen is quieter. From now on, your mom will get off work at the same time as your Uncle Wang. Let him take her on the shuttle after work so it’s safer. You won’t have to worry…”

As she spoke, she nudged Wang Manshan.

“Your mom can just come with me. I’ll walk her right to your building,” Wang Manshan nodded.

Luo Xiaorong had moderate intellectual disability. She could manage basic routines after repeated instruction and could take the shuttle between two fixed points. Even so, Lin Wu thanked them sincerely.

“Thank you.”

“We’re family, no need for that,” Hao Shuqin waved it off.

The path they took passed Lin Wu’s home first, then Wang Manshan’s. When they reached the bottom of Lin Wu’s building, Hao Shuqin took a jar from Wang Manshan and handed it to him.

“This is some sweet garlic I pickled. I figured you wouldn’t have time to come get it, so I brought it down.”

It was an old yellow peach canning jar. Translated on Hololo novels. Lin Wu had thought they bought canned fruit on the way and had even offered to carry it earlier, but Wang Manshan had refused. He hadn’t expected it to be filled with pickled garlic.

“Thank you…” Lin Wu accepted it, slightly stunned.

“Alright, go on upstairs,” Hao Shuqin said, then added after a moment, “Don’t be so impulsive next time.” She was referring to the slop incident. Lu Meiling was petty, but if Lin Wu had gone any further, she feared something irreversible might have happened.

“I understand.” Lin Wu had seemed impulsive when he poured the slop, but he had calculated that Lu Meiling wouldn’t call the police.

Even if she wanted to, the canteen would rather avoid trouble. That was how such stability-seeking enterprises usually handled things. Lin Wu had acted after weighing everything. He didn’t mind causing trouble, but Lu Meiling wasn’t worth any lasting consequences. Thinking of it, he even felt a bit of regret, the slop could have been filthier.

Three minutes later, Lin Wu opened the door.

Their home was thirty-six square meters. A narrow corridor greeted him, with a main bedroom at the end and a smaller bedroom beside it. That was the entire layout.

Because of Luo Xiaorong’s condition, they always used a gas stove. When Lin Wu wasn’t cooking, he locked the gas tank. Electrical outlets were checked regularly to prevent any fire hazards while she was alone.

Now, the corridor was dark, but light shone from Luo Xiaorong’s room.

Lin Wu set the jar of garlic on the windowsill in the hallway and went into her room. She had already changed into a tank top and shorts, something Lin Haiming had taught her when he was still alive.

She was lying on the bed drawing. When she saw Lin Wu, she beamed.

“Wuwu is back?”

“Mm.” Lin Wu nodded, put his schoolbag in his room, then came back and sat beside her.

He checked the back of her hands. The redness had already faded.

“If it’s not your job, don’t do it. If someone bullies you, you have to tell me right away, understand?” he said gently.

“No one bullied me.” Because of her condition, Luo Xiaorong’s expressions were slightly off compared to others. She didn’t really understand what he meant by “bullying.”

Lin Wu sighed. “You don’t need to go to the canteen tomorrow. I’ll take you to the staff canteen. You’ll work there from now on. If anyone asks you to wash dishes or clean tables, you must tell me immediately.” He had already borrowed Wang Manshan’s phone earlier to ask his homeroom teacher for leave.

The teacher had been displeased about a Monday absence, but since Lin Wu’s grades were good, he turned a blind eye.

“How about we just stop working altogether?” Lin Wu asked again. They had had this conversation many times.

“No! I have to earn money. I can’t be a burden!” Luo Xiaorong immediately became alert and stopped drawing.

“You’re not a burden,” Lin Wu said quietly.

“No! I have to work, I have to earn money!” she shook her head firmly.

“Alright…” Lin Wu thought, today was September 9. If he could just endure ten more months, until after the college entrance exam, he would be an adult. Then he could support her, and their lives would only get better.

At ten that night, Lin Wu washed up and went to bed. Before sleeping, he suddenly thought of the boy in the alley—

【November 19, 8 p.m., Xiao Hulu will have a car accident. December 15, 10 p.m., Luo Xiaorong will have a car accident.】

“Xiao Hulu” was Wang Jiahui’s nickname. Anyone who knew the Wang family knew it.

Lin Wu closed his eyes. Ever since childhood, people had often joked about Luo Xiaorong’s condition. It still happened even now. The boy’s words tonight felt like a stranger suddenly telling you your mother would die tomorrow.

It was ominous, absurd, and offensive.

When he first heard it, he had been furious. He couldn’t understand why someone would be so malicious. But after Luo Liang appeared, everything made sense. It was just another prank from that group.

November 19. December 15.

Lin Wu memorized the dates. He knew he shouldn’t take it to heart, but thinking about it still made him angry.

At that same moment, in 2024, thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu heard a bell-like chime and slowly opened his eyes.

He glanced at the time.

22:12.

Since September 6, his memory had refreshed once again.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.