People were coming and going on the playground. After Nan Yue spoke those words loudly, some of the inquisitive gazes were withdrawn.
An apology was indeed necessary.
No matter how much Zhao Mingming hated Huang Ya Nan, she shouldn't have said those things.
Zhu Xi Ning's expression remained unforgiving, but her voice sounded aggrieved.
"A-Nan, it seems my persona is some kind of mentally disturbed psycho."
Although Nan Yue saw Zhao Mingming as Zhu Xi Ning and didn't know what she actually looked like, she could tell the woman was quite meticulous about her appearance based on her clothes.
One thing was certain: the faces of all the women on the posters in her room had been slashed with a knife.
Nan Yue pondered for a moment before taking the opportunity to ask, "What floor do you live on, what is your job, and what is your family situation?"
Zhu Xi Ning lowered her voice. "Room 104 on the first floor. I work in the warehouse and live with my parents in an assigned three-bedroom apartment."
Huang Ya Nan had mentioned that Zhao Mingming still hadn't married yet and had only gotten into the factory because of her father's work injury, so the three of them lived together now.
Due to the factory's care, they had been assigned a larger apartment.
"Currently, her father is paralyzed in bed and unable to care for himself. Her mother takes care of everything."
"I saw Jiang Siyan; his identity is Tang Yu, the new college graduate in the factory."
Zhao Mingming and Li Hui's relationship didn't allow them to talk for too long, so both were hurrying to exchange information.
"I saw Gu Xiang Kai. He's a compounding worker named Li Wang, who seems to be a bit of a loafer."
Nan Yue: "..."
"Have you found Wenwen?"
Zhu Xi Ning shook her head. "No. Her looks are too prominent; if she were nearby, I would have seen her by now."
After they finished speaking, Zhu Xi Ning turned and left with the fan. Both worked in the warehouse; from the perspective of the locals, they were rivals forced together, but for the Scavengers, it was a perfect alignment of circumstances.
As Zhu Xi Ning left, her short hair almost brushed against Nan Yue's face.
Huang Ya Nan ran over and glared at her back. "Pah, she's mentally warped."
"Ya Nan!"
Nan Yue gave her a disapproving look, and Huang Ya Nan apologetically took Nan Yue's arm.
"I know, I know. You always say her family has it hard. Yes, Master Zhao is a veteran worker and was a model worker for many years. He dedicated his life to the factory and even got injured on the job."
"But Zhao Mingming is really too overbearing! Besides, it wasn't us who disfigured her face, so why does she always have it out for us?"
So Zhao Mingming's face was disfigured. Nan Yue wondered how that had happened...
She needed to find a chance to warn Zhu Xi Ning.
This mission had scattered everyone, yet each person was connected in some way, whether openly or secretly.
It was still unclear if the secret in the prompt was a shared secret of the rubber factory or if everyone had their own secret.
Therefore, they needed to contact as many Scavengers as possible; every piece of information anyone knew could be a key clue.
"If you ask me, Zhao Mingming is just jealous of you. She thinks that because her face is ruined, you've become the factory belle."
"Even if her face wasn't ruined, you'd still be prettier than her."
It turned out Li Hui was the factory belle. In that case, for Xiang Guang to marry her...
"Don't talk nonsense."
Seeing that Li Hui's reaction wasn't as stern as before and that she seemed a bit shy, Huang Ya Nan's chatter started up again.
"What are you shy for? Everyone in the factory knows. Otherwise, why would Brother Guang, the most promising senior in the transport squad, have tried every possible way to win you over?"
Huang Ya Nan's nagging dissipated into the air. The weather was too hot, and neither of them wanted to stay outdoors.
Huang Ya Nan invited Li Hui to her house, since Xiang Guang wasn't home anyway.
Yes, Xiang Guang was away on a business trip and might not return for five or six days.
This was good news for Nan Yue; after all, spouses were the closest people, and pretending to be Li Hui in front of Xiang Guang would have been much harder.
However, there was a downside: fewer clues. Xiang Guang was the person who knew Li Hui best, so he must have many clues on him.
Nan Yue went to Huang Ya Nan's house. It was directly above Li Hui's apartment, with the same layout but a much stronger sense of being lived-in.
The rooms were a bit messy, with many clothes on the sofa and a sewing box on the table; she must have been mending clothes before going out.
The bedsheets and pillowcases were somewhat old, and there was a half-eaten candy on the table.
A few toy cars were piled haphazardly on the floor, and on the coffee table sat a pinyin textbook with curled pages.
"Have a seat. Xiaotian has gone off playing wild somewhere."
Nan Yue paused for a moment and then sat down.
She hadn't expected Huang Ya Nan to have a child, as she hadn't mentioned one during their entire meeting.
But in this era, people were simple-minded. Everyone in the factory knew each other, and the woods and mountains were all part of the factory grounds, so there were no outsiders.
Things like kidnappers didn't exist; the children of the factory all played together, running around freely.
They would come home on their own when it was time for dinner.
"Let me help you cook."
Huang Ya Nan laughed. "Sure! Xiaotian loves your egg fried rice the most. I happen to have two eggs at home that I've been saving."
As soon as Huang Ya Nan sat down, she instinctively picked up a garment to mend. She bit off the thread with her teeth and wound it around her index finger a few times.
"We also have some water spinach. We can stir-fry that."
Nan Yue knew how to cook; it was a basic required course for Scavengers, though everyone's skill level varied.
Making egg fried rice shouldn't be difficult.
There was still some time before dinner, so the two sat on the sofa and chatted.
Nan Yue took the cattail fan Huang Ya Nan handed her and fanned herself rhythmically.
"Where's your man?"
Nan Yue didn't know who Huang Ya Nan's husband was. There was a photo in the room showing an honest and simple-looking man.
"At the factory. You know how it is. His mixing crew doesn't have days off; they're always on a three-shift rotation."
"Sigh, with that blockhead of his, he doesn't know how to speak or act. All he can do is this kind of labor."
Mixing rubber was a toxic and hazardous job. The workload was heavy and harmful to the body, making it a poor position, though the benefit was early retirement.
But listening to Huang Ya Nan, it was clear she looked down on her husband, thinking him dull and unable to make money.
"You're the lucky one. Both you and Brother Guang have easy jobs."
Huang Ya Nan seemed to think of something; a flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes before quickly turning back into friendliness.
"Just don't worry about the child thing. Take it slow."
Friendship could be complicated, especially between two people living together who compared everything. Nan Yue found Huang Ya Nan's petty thoughts quite easy to understand.
Following her lead, Nan Yue lowered her head, her face devoid of expression.
Huang Ya Nan immediately panicked and tried to comfort her.
"Look at my big mouth! Huihui, don't worry. These things can't be rushed. You and Brother Guang are both young."
"And Brother Guang isn't in a hurry himself. I've never seen a man more attentive than him. Look at the woman next door; she's only been married a short while and already went to Granny Zhao for medicine."
Granny Zhao?
Was she a factory doctor? No, that wasn't how people would address one.
Nan Yue pursed her lips. "Granny Zhao..."
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