Siheyuan, Me and the Yu Sisters

Lou Bancheng asked Zhang Renkang to sit on the sofa. Lou's mother took the bucket into the kitchen first. She looked at Zhang Renkang and was more and more satisfied. This Zhang Renkang was much better than Xu Damao. Then she heard Lou Bancheng ask

"Renkang, I heard from Xiao'e about your family."

"It was my fault that I was blind and harmed Xiao'e. Xu Damao will find a good opportunity to get them divorced. I have no objection to your relationship, but what are you going to do with Xiao'e?"

Zhang Renkang looked at the nervous Lou Xiao'e sitting next to him and smiled. He held her hand and said slowly:

“I can’t marry her now.”

Lou Bancheng's face suddenly darkened. Lou Xiao'e was trembling all over and felt uncomfortable. Zhang Renkang patted Lou Xiao'e on the back to calm her down and said

"You can't delay any longer. You, Auntie, and Xiao'e won't survive here for much longer."

After these words came out, Lou Bancheng's face was uncertain. Knowing that Zhang Renkang was not going to deny the debt, he was no longer worried and asked

"How sure are you about what you said?"

Zhang Renkang said without a doubt

"One hundred percent. I can't tell you where the news came from. I won't be able to protect Xiao'e by then. She is my first woman. I can't let her die here."

"All I can say is that you should make plans now and deal with what you can while you can while things are still going on, otherwise you won't even be able to get out of here."

"Uncle Lou, you can't fail to notice that there are more people around here, right?"

Lou Bancheng lit a cigarette and smoked silently. He was not stupid, he just didn't want to accept it. He had heard a little about what Zhang Renkang said. There was a big force above that wanted to deal with them, the capitalists, but it hadn't been completely concluded yet. In addition, a few months ago, there were a few strange faces wandering around the house day and night. As a big capitalist in the old times, Lou Bancheng was not a good man. He understood the situation too well. Zhang Renkang's words today undoubtedly broke his fluke mind.

Zhang Renkang said again

"You can't bring much with you to the southern port city. If you exchange it for yellow croaker, the rest will be processed. Don't be greedy for these little things. If you really can't process them, I will handle them."

After hearing this, Lou Bancheng looked at Zhang Renkang sharply and asked coldly:

"Who are you anyway? What is your purpose?"

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"I am who I am. I have no purpose. Whether it was an accident or something else, Xiao'e and I did have a relationship. I can't just watch her die."

"To be honest, your Lou family's wealth is not very attractive to me. What I have is enough for me to spend. Besides, with the current situation in the country, what is the difference between money and waste paper?"

"You should understand the consequences of what I said. If the higher-ups find out, I won't survive for more than a few days."

Lou Bancheng thought for a moment and calmed down, then asked

“How long can it last?”

Zhang Renkang said

"You have to leave before the end of next year, and if you want everything to go smoothly, it's best to leave in the middle of the year, otherwise it will be difficult for you to get going smoothly once the higher-ups start to regulate you."

"Besides, only the four of us know about this. If we alert the enemy, no one will be safe."

Lou Bancheng smiled. There were still seven or eight months left. That was enough time for him to preemptively deal with his assets and handle some interpersonal relationships.

Lou Bancheng said with a smile

"Renkang, thank you. I won't tell your aunt about what happened tonight."

Then he said to Lou Xiao'e seriously

"Ezi, did you listen? Never bring this up again."

Lou Xiao'e nodded. She understood how important today's conversation was. If it was leaked, not only would her family be in trouble, but her lover would also be implicated.

Seeing that Lou Xiaoe understood, Lou Bancheng said with a smile:

"What do you want to eat tonight? Your aunt is the heir of Tan's cuisine. Let her show you how to cook."

Lou Tan also looked at Zhang Renkang with a smile. This young man was sincere to his daughter, otherwise he would not have taken such a big risk to remind her family.

"Renkang, you guys continue talking. Auntie will go cook for you."

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"Auntie, let me do it. You may not know this, but I am also a cook and my cooking skills are pretty good."

Lou Xiao'e said with a smile

"Mom, Renkang's cooking is delicious. He is now the team leader of the kitchen."

Lou Bancheng said with a smile

"Then your aunt and I will wait to test your cooking skills. Xiao'e, you can follow Renkang and help."

Seeing the two leave, Lou's mother showed a worried expression on her face, and Lou Bancheng also had a solemn expression. The situation described by Zhang Renkang made him a little confused for a moment. He had to think about a way out. He could leave, but who would be willing to leave their hometown and go to a strange place to fight? Lou Bancheng lit a cigarette and smoked it while standing by the back window. Suddenly, he saw a black shadow dodging, and he couldn't help feeling a chill in his heart. Could they really not escape?

In the kitchen, Zhang Renkang had just finished kissing Lou Xiaoe, patted her hips and said

"I'll make you a delicious dish tonight. Have you ever had boiled fish?"

Zhang Renkang originally planned to make hot pot fish, but the Lou family did not have the corresponding equipment, so he had to boil the fish instead. Zhang Renkang quickly scraped off the fish scales, sliced ​​the fish into thin and transparent slices, and heated the pan with oil.

Half an hour later, Zhang Renkang and Lou Xiaoe brought a pot of boiled fish, a plate of stir-fried beef, a plate of stir-fried bamboo shoots, and dry-pot potatoes and beef brisket stewed with tomatoes.

At the dinner table, Lou Bancheng and Lou Tanshi were eating while asking Zhang Renkang and Lou Xiaoe about their plans. Lou Xiaoe was too embarrassed to speak. Zhang Renkang thought about it and said, "Let's say in November, Xiaoe and Xu Damao will divorce. I will invent a reason by then. Xu Damao was caught for having an affair, which is enough for Xiaoe to divorce him."

Lou Bancheng nodded. He knew about Xu Damao's mischief in the countryside. If he hadn't been afraid of implicating Lou Xiao'e, Lou Bancheng would have had him killed long ago. This reason and excuse was easy to find. Lou Bancheng not only looked up to Zhang Renkang, but also felt relieved because this kid was ruthless and resourceful. If Zhang Renkang was soft-hearted, he would not feel safe discussing important matters with him.

Lou Bancheng asked

"What are you going to do after Xiao'e gets divorced?"

Zhang Renkang said distressedly

"Xiao'e must go with you. If you run away, she will definitely be implicated and she will have no chance of survival."

Lou Xiao'e took Zhang Renkang's arm and said

"Can't you come with us?"

Zhang Renkang smiled bitterly

'I can't leave'

Zhang Renkang didn't want to leave. He wanted to wait until the time was right to start his big move. How could he run away with Lou Bancheng? He was a well-connected person and he wasn't afraid of anyone dealing with him. The factory didn't care whether Li Huaide wanted to or not. As long as there was a material transaction, Li Huaide would definitely protect him. He hung up a sign for the family of a martyr in the yard. Who would dare to cause trouble in his house? Besides, the people in the subdistrict office and the police station were his father's colleagues and comrades-in-arms, so they wouldn't let him get into trouble.

Lou Bancheng also understood Zhang Renkang's choice. If he had no choice, he would not want to run away. He sighed and said

“It’s all fate.”

Lou Xiao'e looked at Zhang Renkang with red eyes. Zhang Renkang patted her on the back and said

"Actually, this will only last for ten years at most, and you can keep coming back then."

Lou Bancheng heard this and asked hurriedly

"Really? Ten years? How do you know?"

Zhang Renkang laughed

"I guess the people above won't let the chaos continue. Otherwise, how can the country develop? The policies will have to keep changing for at most ten years, and then you can come back."

Then he said to Lou Xiao'e

“I will try to go over there to see you.”

Lou Xiao'e sobbed softly and said

"Renkang, I want a child, our child"

Zhang Renkang nodded and said

"I will give you a child next year"

Lou Bancheng said again

"The higher-ups won't let our whole family leave now, right?"

Zhang Renkang nodded and said

"Otherwise, we wouldn't have arranged for someone to keep an eye on it."

"Do you have reliable and trustworthy relatives and friends over there?"

Lou Bancheng nodded and said

"Yes, Xiao'e's second uncle is over there, he can be trusted."

Zhang Renkang thought for a moment and said

"You recently applied to go on your own to inspect new technologies and equipment, so don't bring anything valuable with you."

"After you go there, feel the situation first and come back in half a month"

"Then I will go again at the beginning of next year, mainly to prepare where to stay and to inspect the place."

"Come back within the month, so they'll be more relaxed. The third time, you can bring money with you and say you're trading in a batch of machinery."

"The higher-ups won't get suspicious when they see you. When you get there, go to a Western bank and open an account and deposit your funds. We can't check their accounts here."

"Then come back. In April or May, tell them you are going to pick up the goods. When your aunt goes there to visit her relatives, I will find a way to send Xiao'e to Tianjin as well. I will use a fake identity to get a boat ticket for Xiao'e and send her aboard. By the time they find out, you will have already arrived at the port city."

After hearing Zhang Renkang's idea, Lou Bancheng thought about it and thought it would work. It was a trick to make a feint to the east and attack in the west, and to tire out the enemy. Zhang Renkang's brain was quite active. Besides, there were still seven or eight months left, so he could plan slowly. Lou Bancheng said,

"Okay, let's do it this way. I'll apply tomorrow and get ahead of myself."

"When I come back, I will deal with the assets on a small scale before the New Year. After the New Year, I will say that the cost of purchasing machinery and materials is too high and I need to raise funds. This way, the higher-ups will not be suspicious for a while, and they will not rush to start for this batch of machinery."

It was already past eight o'clock when they finished discussing. Lou's mother sent the two young men to talk on their own, and she and Lou Bancheng packed up. Lou Xiao'e brought Zhang Renkang to her boudoir, and as soon as she entered the room, she hugged Zhang Renkang and cried. She had just realized the beauty of love, but she had to accept separation. This was undoubtedly heartbreaking for Lou Xiao'e.