Chapter 787: Chapter 772
"No need, Uncle Zhao, I can watch here by myself, you quickly go down and eat!" Tang Xiaoquan already felt guilty for putting everyone in such a sorry state and didn’t have the heart to let others suffer for him.
Tang Xiaoquan’s refusal was expected by Old Zhao. It seemed that Wang Qiang’s earlier questioning had some impact on him, and it was likely not a small one.
Since the other party was holding on to a sense of guilt, continuing to argue about whether to go inside for a meal was obviously inappropriate at this moment. So Old Zhao simply squatted down and sat.
Seeing Old Zhao sitting on the ground, Tang Xiaoquan quickly tried to persuade him, "Oh, Uncle Zhao, what are you doing? I can handle this here, you’ve been busy all day, go and eat!"
Old Zhao shook his head like a drum: "Alright, you go eat, I’m just a bit tired from cooking earlier, let me rest here and enjoy the breeze for a bit."
"How can this be? The wind is so strong, if you need a rest, go inside and lie down on a bed, besides, the food might get cold soon!" Tang Xiaoquan frowned, his tone serious.
"No problem, no problem!" Old Zhao didn’t take Tang Xiaoquan’s words seriously at all, he chuckled and said, "The food’s being kept warm, it won’t get cold, and if it does, I’ll just reheat it."
"Old Zhao, don’t..."
"Is there any new movement over at the factory?" Old Zhao interrupted him, shifting the topic.
"No!" Sure enough, when the factory was mentioned, Tang Xiaoquan’s expression dimmed immediately, and his previous stubbornness disappeared without a trace.
Old Zhao sighed inwardly, feeling that the young man before him was already burdened enough with the villa matters, it wouldn’t be fair to let him bear any more criticism or questioning: "No movements are normal, we just thwarted their ambush yesterday and killed two people, they are likely wary and may not act again so soon."
Old Zhao’s intentional reassurance didn’t have much effect, Tang Xiaoquan remained silent, without responding to his words.
A gust of north wind howled past, Old Zhao instinctively looked up at the sky, the snowfall was weakening, with just a few snowflakes drifting in the air. He couldn’t help but remark, "Looks like tomorrow will be a good day!"
Tang Xiaoquan absentmindedly responded with "Hmm," then continued to eat his meal in silence.
Old Zhao had intended to help Tang Xiaoquan open up through casual conversation, but with the other party uncooperative and seemingly not willing to talk, he decided to address the issue directly. He shifted, finding a more comfortable sitting position, and spoke:
"Xiao Tang, earlier, Xiao Wang’s tone was a bit much, but he didn’t mean any harm, just don’t take it to heart. He’s been on edge for a reason I think you understand without me saying it. So keep following your own plan, don’t let his words influence you or feel like your plan has troubled everyone. Since this is a result of analysis and theory, there can be errors. We shouldn’t stress too much about whether these judgments are right or wrong. What’s important is correcting any deviations when they arise, getting closer to the truth, and eliminating threats as our top priority."
"Thank you!" Old Zhao’s consideration touched Tang Xiaoquan deeply. Knowing that Old Zhao rushed up to comfort him without even eating, he couldn’t hold onto any pettiness despite Wang Qiang’s words affecting him. But for face’s sake, he couldn’t show it: "Old Zhao, I’m fine. It might just be that after watching for so long, I seemed a bit dazed and worried you, haha. As for Qiangzi’s words, how could I take them to heart? He’s straightforward and speaks his mind, plus, his criticism gives me a lot to reflect on."
"Ah, that’s good, if there’s no issue, I’m relieved. Alright, I’ve rested enough, I’ll go down and eat, and I’ll take over your shift in a while. If the food’s not enough after you finish, just call me up and I’ll bring more." With that, Old Zhao stood up and dusted off his pants.
"No need, Uncle Zhao, finish eating and get some rest early, I’ll take the night shift tonight!"
"Nonsense, the night shift must be rotated, no one’s endurance can keep up without rest, and if we doze off and miss something, all of today’s efforts would be wasted. So listen to your Uncle Zhao, I’ll relieve you soon, and we’ll take turns every 3 hours. That’s that." Old Zhao spoke decisively and left, giving no opportunity for argument.
Tang Xiaoquan thought it over and realized arguing was pointless. He was already exhausted, pushing on would only risk more mistakes.
After being satisfied with food, Wang Zhongyu lay happily on the metal plate of the lorry, smoking a cigarette, while in front of him, Wen Quanxin kept burping.
"Hey, Xiao Wen, can you keep it down? Burping like a chicken," Wang Zhongyu teased, idly making fun.
Wen Quanxin kicked him hard without hesitation: "You’re the chicken, your whole family’s chickens, dammit. Who are you to talk about my burping? Looks like you’re stuffed full just like me!"
"Damn, can’t even take a joke? Let’s get serious, tonight you’ll sleep in the lorry and I’ll make do in the cab overnight, just in case of an emergency, it’s easier to escape," Wang Zhongyu said, adopting a more serious tone.
Wen Quanxin disagreed, as the lorry was definitely safer: "No way, you sleep in the lorry, I’ll take the cab."
"You? If there’s an emergency, can you handle the lorry?"
Wen Quanxin was speechless as Wang Zhongyu hit his weak spot.
He could drive, but hadn’t had many chances to drive, and even then, it was only smaller cars.
So if an emergency did arise, he wasn’t as capable as Wang Zhongyu.
Of course, Wang Zhongyu didn’t bring up his driving skills to show off. He genuinely wanted Wen Quanxin to get a good night’s rest after the day’s exhausting back and forth. So he softened his tone: "Xiao Wen, it’s possible Old Xu has a task for us tonight, so I need to be ready in the cab to make sure we can move out at any time. Meanwhile, you should use this time to rest well, so we both have enough energy when action starts."
"But the front seat isn’t a place to sleep!"
"It’s fine, you’d only know if you drive a lot; those of us who often drive develop a habit of being able to sleep anywhere, catching sleep whenever. Let’s not argue, it’s settled." (The end. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to give recommendation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
