Chapter 4: When Mountains and Rivers Come to an End, One Suspects There is No Road

  For five consecutive days, An Yi went out with high hopes and returned exhausted. It was not that the numerous shops in Guangzhou did not need to hire people, but he simply could not pass the first test of the shopkeeper's selection.

  An Yi took a deep breath and walked into the first store, which specialized in imported machine tools. He chose this store because he felt it was a good match for his major in mechanical engineering, and he was very familiar with various lathes, milling machines, and grinding machines. Seeing the simple cutters and several matching devices displayed in the storefront window, An Yi thought they looked easy to handle. With confidence in his solid foundation knowledge, he believed that as long as he picked up those products, he could judge their quality without looking at the instruction manual and accurately describe their purpose and general installation procedure.

  However, the shopkeeper didn't give him a chance at all. No matter how polite and patient he begged, the shopkeeper just said one sentence: First find a guarantor, without a local guarantor these valuable goods won't even let you touch, let alone hope to enter our famous Lingnan business.

  An Yi did not get discouraged after the first interview failure, on the contrary, he thought it was normal. He believed that as long as he had real talent and knowledge, and worked hard, he would be able to find a suitable job for himself. So he went from door to door without hesitation, but ended up leaving with disappointment every time. The main problems were: Firstly, An Yi did not have any identification documents; Secondly, slightly larger businesses required academic certificates; Thirdly, after finally getting an understanding, most shops put out a brush and inkstone on the table for the applicant to write their own resume, which immediately made An Yi retreat. As a result, whenever An Yi saw the brush and inkstone on the recruitment desk, he would leave immediately.

  Dongzi is a very righteous good brother, every night the two sleep on the widened hardboard bed, Dongzi will comfort this cheap big brother in a soft and gentle voice, always telling Anyi not to rush and come slowly. He himself came to Guangzhou alone at first and was caught by Liu Zhenhuan's Gui army as a strong recruit. It wasn't until he had been a beggar for more than three months that he got the care of Ms. Cai from the Civil Affairs Bureau in an accidental opportunity, finally found a bowl of rice to eat and lived a comfortable life. Now he has left the notorious body collection team and become a clerk at the Civil Affairs Bureau's garment factory.

  Mr. Lao treated An Yi with a different attitude, he would occasionally point out to An Yi to read and recognize characters when he was free at night, but he never asked or mentioned anything about An Yi's difficulties. What he loved to do most was to tell An Yi some anecdotes about Guangzhou City, the origins of street names, and changes in Guangzhou's situation over the past few years. At first, An Yi didn't appreciate this, but as he spent more time walking around the streets and alleys, contacting society, he gradually felt that he had learned valuable knowledge from Mr. Lao, it seemed that every conversation between him and Mr. Lao was intentionally arranged for his future and destiny, each one so natural and casual, yet letting An Yi learn and benefit greatly.

  The next morning, Dongzi had already gone to work for a long time. Mr. Lao was still wearing his white scholar's robe, walking out of the courtyard with a steady pace. Anyi washed and hung up her clothes, grabbed her top and put it on, and rushed out of the door. As soon as she walked out, she felt something heavy in her pocket. She reached in and found two boiled eggs that were still warm, and then another handful of ten silver coins. Anyi looked in the direction where Mr. Lao had left, her eyes slightly moistening. She quickly put away the money and eggs, lowered her head, and walked out of the street with big strides.

  After a futile morning of wandering, An Yi bumped into a wall at the intersection of Shi San Hang and Yi De Road. Dragging his tired feet, he aimlessly walked back onto Chang Di Avenue, where he gulped down a bellyful of lukewarm water from a bucket left by a kind-hearted foreign shopkeeper, bowed in gratitude, and continued on his way eastward in a daze. As he walked, the Tian Zi Wharf came into view before him, and An Yi suddenly remembered that Mr. Lao's fortune-telling stand was just ahead. Afraid of being seen in his miserable state by Mr. Lao, he immediately stopped in his tracks and headed towards the Pearl River shore, hoping to sneak past Mr. Lao's line of sight from beneath the chaotic docks.

  Past the simple wooden dock with polluted water and garbage all over, An Yi stepped onto the concrete floor of the regular dock and finally let out a sigh of relief. Looking down at the pair of Southeast Asian sandals that Dong Zi had given him, he saw that they had already cracked open in a big gash. If he didn't use red-hot saw blades or iron sheets to repair and glue them together in time, this precious pair of shoes would probably be ruined.

  An Yi took off his slippers and put them in his waist, walking barefoot on the scorching dock under the blazing sun. He planned to walk through the dock and onto the road before heading to a store for an interview. Just a few steps away, An Yi saw a well-dressed, elegant-looking young woman carrying two large suitcases, one big and one small, approaching him. Perhaps due to the weight of the larger suitcase, it suddenly fell, and the corner of the sturdy case landed squarely on her right foot, causing her to cry out in pain and sit down on the ground.

  An Yi didn't think much and took big strides forward to support her. Seeing that the young woman was not seriously injured, he helped her pick up the fallen suitcase and politely said: "Sister, are you in a hurry to board the ship? If you don't mind, I can send you to the entrance of the pier."

  "Thanks, young man!"

  The beautiful young woman struggled to get up, took two steps and let out a big sigh of relief. She raised her head to thank An Yu again, but was immediately struck by the unique elegance and handsomeness that couldn't be hidden beneath his shabby clothes and bare feet: "Then I won't be polite, bother little brother to send me on my way."

  "Alright!"

  An Yi picked up the large suitcase and walked closely beside the beautiful young woman, as if worried that she might fall again. The beautiful woman soon noticed An Yi's intention and secretly praised this thoughtful young man in her heart. Her pretty mouth moved slightly, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately held back.

  After walking dozens of meters in the crowd, when they were only twenty meters away from the entrance of the bridge, two big men wearing black silk short-sleeved shirts suddenly appeared in front and behind An Yi, and started punching without saying a word.

  Wei Yi's stomach and waist were heavily punched without any preparation, the heavy suitcase fell to one side, and he was in so much pain that he fell to the ground with difficulty breathing. The passing crowd dispersed in an instant, cries of surprise kept ringing out, but no one dared to come forward to stop it.

  The young woman who had just reacted shouted loudly: "What are you doing? Stop! Stop it quickly......"

  The two big men were unmoved, continuing to kick An Yi, who was curled up on the ground with his head in his arms. They loudly warned him: "We'll beat you to death, you beggar who's crossed the line! Don't you know whose territory this is? How dare you intervene..."

  "Hmm—"

  The whistle sounded, and the two big men looked up at the embankment, continued to beat him, and viciously spat a mouthful of thick phlegm before rushing westward. The young woman, disregarding An Yi's dusty clothes and the fresh blood flowing from his nose, grabbed his collar, pulled him into her arms, and anxiously asked in a loud voice: "Young man, what's wrong with you? Young man, say something..."

  "It's nothing... Cough, cough..."

  An Yi sat up stubbornly and gently pushed away her concerned older sister: "The boat is leaving soon, you get on it, I'm fine... cough, cough! I'm really fine."

  The older sister saw that he had a nosebleed and was so anxious that she almost cried, hastily pulling out a handkerchief to help him wipe it clean, but An Yi politely pushed her away.

  The two black-clad policemen rushed over, and the squad leader, who was carrying a shotgun on his back, saw the beautiful young woman's face and immediately changed color. He stood up straight and saluted: "Report to Deputy Director Gong, we are late, please forgive us!"

  The young woman stood up indignantly and asked: "Who were those two thugs just now? How dare they beat innocent civilians in broad daylight?"

  "Report to the deputy director, it seems that the local gang that has dominated the dock for several years may have mistaken their target. If they knew your identity, they wouldn't dare even if they were beaten to death." The team leader reported urgently: "Deputy Director, you'd better leave quickly, I'll take care of this place and ensure that the murderer is brought to justice in the shortest time possible."

  The woman felt a bit relieved, seeing the two men in suits who had come down from the boat and stood beside her, nodding slightly. One of them, about thirty-five or six years old, looked at An Yi, who was slowly standing up, and turned to the police captain, saying coldly: "If our bureau chief has an accident today, I'll skin you alive!"

  "Xiao Tang, time is pressing, take the box and get on the boat quickly." The beautiful woman turned to An Yi, who was pinching his nose, and said apologetically: "Young man, I'm sorry! You were beaten for helping me, but I couldn't do anything about it. Sigh... Alright, young man, remember this: my surname is Gong, and I work in the Second Bureau of the Party Department at the headquarters. If you have time a month later, come find me, and I'll thank you properly!"

  An Yi tilted her head back and looked up at the sky to stop her nosebleed, and responded vaguely with a muffled voice.

  The police officer in charge of the group apologized to Deputy Director Gong while assuring him that they would take good care of the young man who was beaten. Deputy Director Gong sighed helplessly, walked over to An Yi and looked at him with concern until the ship's whistle blew for the last time, then roughly stuffed a white handkerchief into An Yi's hand, and under the urging of his two subordinates, hastily walked towards the gangway, just as the ticket-checking ramp was slowly retracted. The three-story British cruise liner slowly sailed away from the shore amidst the sound of its whistle, Deputy Director Gong still standing at the ship's rail, gazing back at An Yi on the shore.

  "Hey kid, are you okay?" The team leader exhaled a mouthful of turbid air and turned to ask An Yi with concern.

  An Yi stopped the nosebleed and lowered his head. Wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve, he replied in a calm voice, "I'm fine, officer. I'm okay."

  The squad leader laughed: "I'm not some kind of official, just a temporary squad leader in charge of maintaining law and order... Hmm? Why does this brother look so familiar? It seems like we've met somewhere before...... Ah! It's you, my fellow villager!"

  An Yi put down his hand, curiously sizing up the police officer in front of him with thick eyebrows, a black face, a big nose and a wide mouth. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly became excited and shouted: "Brother Li? Is that you... You're my lifesaver! That morning, if it wasn't for you shouting 'stop the knife', I would have been beheaded by now! Haha..."

  An Yi excitedly stepped forward to hug Xiao Duizhang, but suddenly realized that his hands were covered in blood and his whole body was dusty. He stretched out half of his hand, frozen in place, unsure of what to do.

  Captain Li let out a hearty laugh, grasped An Yi's hands and said enthusiastically: "Come on! Let's go to my police booth on the embankment to take a break... Lu Kun!"

  "Long live the Emperor!"

  "Go immediately to the front of the Bu Yi store and get two sets of clothes that fit my brother, preferably the latest young fashion style. Tell the shopkeeper it's for me, and don't dare bring back any hand-woven fabric to deceive me!"

  "I understand!"

  The little policeman with a long gun immediately ran towards the main road, Captain Li pulled An Yi's hand and walked towards the police booth not far away on the upper side, seeing An Yi's surprised face, he chuckled and explained in a low voice: "Little brother don't be surprised, this is a very normal thing, the dock and the middle section of the main road are under my jurisdiction, haha... little brother, how do you know Deputy Director Gong?"

  An Yi replied honestly: "I just met her, I saw her carrying two heavy boxes and tripped, so I went to help her, but unexpectedly got beaten up. If that sister hadn't told me her surname before she left, I really wouldn't have known what it was. Even now, I still don't know what this 'Big Base Party Department Two' is. Sigh, forget it, let's just consider the matter settled."

  Captain Li stopped in his tracks, looking at An Yi's natural demeanor for a while before saying with admiration: "Little brother is indeed kind-hearted! Such a big official doesn't even try to curry favor, and yet he was beaten up without reason but still takes it so lightly, this is rare! I've never seen anyone as open-minded as you, especially at such a young age, impressive! You will definitely have great prospects in the future."

  "What did Big Brother Li say? I was bullied a lot when I was young, and I would often take revenge on others. Fighting became a habit after a while. Later, when I went to technical school, I slowly matured and wasn't so mischievous anymore... My old man's hair turned white with worry over my fighting back then..." As he spoke of his father, An Yi felt a pang in his heart, closed his mouth, lowered his head, and stopped talking.

  "It's clear that my brother is a cultured person, haha!" Captain Li pulled An Yi up the stone steps and walked into the narrow police booth to fetch a towel, poured half a basin of water onto the stone slab in front of An Yi: "Make do with washing up, and change into a set of clothes after you're done."

  "Thank you, Brother Li!"

  An Yi casually took off his dirty clothes and carefully placed them on the stone railing, bent down to wash his face and wipe the remaining blood stains on his neck and chest. The little policeman who went to fetch the clothes came back in a hurry and handed Li Dui Zhang a yellow, neatly printed paper box with "Zhou Ji" written on it.

  Captain Li quickly put the cardboard box on the ground and opened it, taking out two sets of khaki youth suits, one light gray and one dark gray, and spreading them out to take a closer look: "Not bad! The workmanship of Old Zhou's family is really good, these clothes and pants are only suitable for cultured talents to wear with dignity, matching my brother's knowledge and appearance perfectly. This pair of canvas rubber-soled shoes is also very good, thanks to you thinking ahead, it's complete, haha! Next time my wife's birthday I'll let him help me sew a set too... Brother, after washing up, come on! Quickly go into the pavilion to try it on, let big brother take a look."

  "This... Brother Li, I really can't accept it, let's just leave it. I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave first." An Yi repeatedly declined with a red face.

  "Cut the crap! Are we or are we not fellow townspeople? Brothers? You think you can look down on me, a small-time cop?"

  "No, no! What is Big Brother Li saying? I'm just...I'm just too embarrassed to accept it, this kind of clothing is very expensive, the cheapest one would cost at least ten big dollars a set! I couldn't bear such a heavy gift..."

  "Cut the crap! Get in quickly! Change into it for me right away!"

  An Yi saw Captain Li was really angry, hesitated for a moment and took the clothes into the police station, thinking that since it's come to this, he might as well change into them. Who knows, he might even have to ask Big Brother Li to issue him a "Good Citizen Certificate".

  Then, An Yi put on the black stand-up collar youth uniform, tidied up for a moment and walked out of the police station with a red face. As the saying goes, people rely on clothes and Buddha relies on gold, An Yi in a brand new and fitting uniform looked even more handsome and elegant, his shy smile revealed a few hints of charming warmth and elegance, making Captain Li and the little policeman look at him with shining eyes and praise him without stopping, after a round of compliments they reluctantly sent off An Yi who was eager to return home, before leaving he repeatedly reminded them that if anything happened, come find him here, as long as you say you are Li Tieku's brother, no one will not help.

  An Yi repeatedly thanked him before leaving, perhaps because he was grateful for the kindness and his footsteps were light and fluttering.

  The little policeman watched as An Yi disappeared into the alleyway, then turned around and asked his superior in confusion: "Li Ge, you've been a cop for so long, but I've never seen you extort money from any shop, nor have I ever seen you care this much about a stranger. Why is that?"

  Captain Li sighed: "Isn't it all because of Deputy Director Gong? She's the deputy director of the party committee's confidential bureau, holding our future and even our lives in her hands. Today, we let her lose face at the dock, how could I not try my best to make up for it? She's always been a woman of her word, I'm sure she'll find me when she gets back from her trip. Alas! My young friend is an honest and kind-hearted person, who would have thought that he unintentionally helped someone important? I reckon he won't go looking for Deputy Director Gong, he's a magnanimous person, don't be fooled by his gentle manners, I saw the pride in his eyes, and also saw the appreciation in Deputy Director Gong's eyes for my young friend. Lu Kun, you're an honest man too, but honest people get taken advantage of these days, remember to observe and learn more from now on, got it?"

  "Got it, thanks Li Ge!"

  Lu Kun thought for a moment and asked again: "Brother Li, that young fellow from the countryside has some backbone. The day before yesterday, I saw him applying for a job at a store, but he wasn't selected, so he went to the next one. So I paid attention to him, and every time he was rejected, his face didn't show much distress. I reckon today he's also having trouble finding work. If that's the case, should I go find the owner of some store and put in a good word for your young fellow from the countryside to get him a job?"

  Captain Li smiled slightly: "We don't need to rush, I believe that as soon as Deputy Director Gong returns, my little brother will follow her and rise to prominence. The other day, I accidentally heard our Director Wu say that the Grand Marshal and several elders highly appreciate Deputy Director Gong's ability to handle matters, praising her as a rare female hero, and it's likely that she'll be given important responsibilities soon. What we're doing now is just helping a small favor for someone from the countryside, it's nothing! Maybe Deputy Director Gong won't even be happy about it!"

  "So that's how it is? Little brother understands, big brother can rest assured. I'll tell the other brothers later, as long as we see your little fellow villager, we will definitely take good care of him." Lu Kun wasn't a fool either.

  Captain Li nodded: "That's right...... Alright, let's call it a day too, this weather is like a steamer..."

  Captain Li made two decisions to be vigilant from now on, but Mr. Lao at the fortune-telling stall across the street had been vigilant long ago. Since An Yi dodged him and walked away, he saw everything clearly, but he pretended to be unaware, with no expression on his face.