Electronic Nezha

Chapter 7 Running away from home
I didn't get to the stall until after nine in the morning. I pushed Lao Wang's electric bike through two residential areas, threw the keys to him and said, "These past few days they've been checking helmets, and I took a bullet for you." Then I glanced at Li Ping, who was sitting calmly at the door wrapped in a military overcoat, looking like she deserved it.

Old Wang pulled out an extension cord to charge the car and asked me, "I didn't see you all day yesterday. What happened to Liu Zhenhua?"

"The score manipulation has been detected."

Old Wang asked, puzzled, "What does that mean?"

"He would deliberately get 85 in subjects where he could get full marks."

Old Wang said, "Wasn't he ranked over 300th in this high school entrance exam? What's the point of him controlling his score?"

"The devil knows."

"What did he say?"

Just then, a WeChat message came in. As I opened it, I casually said, "It didn't say anything."

The WeChat message was a voice message from Teacher Wang. It said, "Is Liu Zhenhua's stomach feeling any better? Can he still come to school this morning?" I was taken aback.

Old Wang was the first to react, exclaiming, "Holy crap, this kid has run away from home!"

Li Ping asked, "You're not going to hit him anymore?"

"No, he was fine this morning. I watched him go to school—" I stopped there, only then remembering that he had asked me for money. This was a bad omen. Then he went to school, lied that he had a stomachache and asked the teacher for leave. And then what?
Old Wang said, "They might already be on the train."

I panicked too: "Where could he have gone?"

Li Ping remained calm and offered a suggestion: "You should send the teacher back first, but don't tell the truth, or Liu Zhenhua will become a celebrity."

I answered the teacher as she instructed, feeling completely lost, and asked, "And then?"

Li Ping said, "Let's look around nearby first. Maybe he's playing games at some internet cafe."

Old Wang suddenly said, "Could he have gone to see his mother?"

After thinking about it carefully, I think it's very likely. My situation with his mother is complicated. Overall, it was a peaceful breakup, but we rarely contact each other in private. In China, divorced couples often become enemies. If Liu Zhenhua really betrays his country and defectes to the enemy, his mother will definitely be happy to see me make a fool of myself.

I picked up the phone and called Han Shiya, asking bluntly, "Is Liu Zhenhua with you?"

Han Shiya was stunned for a few seconds. She didn't know what kind of calculations her brain had gone through, but she quickly deduced the whole situation. She said sternly, "You lost my son?"

Based on that one sentence, I knew Liu Zhenhua was probably not with her. If she really went to find her, Han Shiya would most likely say the same thing, but in a sarcastic and provocative tone.

"It's really not with you?"

"Don't you dare go anywhere, just you wait!"

Less than half an hour later, Han Shiya stormed to the fruit market, followed by a tall, refined man like a bodyguard—her current husband, Qiao Yan. Han Shiya wore a beige trench coat, cinched at the waist with a belt, her figure still slender, exuding the air of a wealthy lady. Qiao Yan also wore a light-colored jacket, perfectly complementing Han Shiya's style. Han Shiya walked briskly ahead, while Qiao Yan followed leisurely behind, occasionally giving me a playful wink, as if to say, "You're in for it now."

Han Shiya rushed up to me with a murderous aura and said, "What's going on? Shouldn't Zhenhua be at school right now?"

Old Wang stood between us and said, "Girl, don't rush."

Han Shiya ignored his presence and pointed at me, saying, "Liu Chuanfeng, say something!"

I, Liu Chuanfeng, could only turn away and shrink into the shadows, muttering, "Idiot—"

In fact, I said confidently, "What did I say? My son has been with me all these years and he's doing just fine."

"Now that's why something bad has happened."

Li Ping said, "You two stop arguing. There are plenty of internet cafes and arcades nearby. Let's split up and look for them while there are more people around." She volunteered, "I'll head north."

I said, "That would be so embarrassing."

Li Ping rolled her eyes at me and said, "Say something useful."

I pointed at Han Shiya and said, "Since you're here, let's do some work. You and Lao Qiao head south."

Without a word, Han Shiya grabbed Qiao Yan and left. I called out behind her, "That's north." Han Shiya angrily turned back and walked in the opposite direction. This woman still doesn't know the way.

Old Wang asked me, "Shall we go our separate ways?"

I said, "You can stay here."

Old Wang patted his lame leg and said, "Don't underestimate me just because I'm lame. There are no more than three young men in this market who can outrun me."

"No, what if Liu Zhenhua has nowhere else to go and gets involved? In that case, you'd better grab him."

Old Wang then agreed.

I chose to head west along the school gate. My reasoning was simple: since it was during class time, a student in a school uniform would be very conspicuous. So, I went into any open restaurant, bookstore, or pharmacy and asked the staff.

Persistence pays off. In a kitchenware store that he hadn't had high hopes for, the owner said he had seen a tall, thin student in a school uniform. He remembered him because the boy had bought a ten-meter-long plastic pipe from him.

"Look where he went."

The boss glanced at me sideways and said, "Who are you to him?"

“I am his father, and my son has run away from home.”

The shopkeeper paused, then jumped up from his chair. "Damn, he wouldn't be—" Clearly, Liu Zhenhua's purchase had given him some unpleasant associations. "It's unlikely," I interrupted his wild speculations, feeling a little more at ease. Our heating hadn't been working properly since the heating was turned on, and I kept mentioning buying a pipe to drain the water, but I'd forget about it as soon as I left the house. It was clear Liu Zhenhua cared about the family, but the idea that he skipped class just to drain the water from the heating system didn't seem very plausible.

The boss then offered to give me directions: "I saw him heading towards the 'May 1st Market'."

The May Day Market is a street sandwiched between two residential areas, selling all sorts of everyday items for ordinary people, like kitchen and bathroom hardware, window screens, and door panels. In a safety supplies store, I learned something new: Liu Zhenhua had bought a pair of coarse white cotton gloves and a pair of rubber boots. Using the "finding a runaway son, father" buff, I mobilized a large group of helpful shopkeepers to help me recall, and they quickly pointed me to a hardware store. The owner said a middle school student had bought a bunch of screws and nuts from him.

Buying gloves in the East Market and rubber shoes in the West Market, Liu Zhenhua is going to do a big job on the construction site for his father!

As soon as I exited the May 1st Market, the streets suddenly filled with people—school children were leaving. My mind went blank. What if Liu Zhenhua really went to hide on some illegal construction site and something happened to him? What would I say if the school asked me for him this afternoon? Even if Liu Zhenhua really went to work illegally, at least there was some direction. What if that child wasn't Liu Zhenhua at all? That's why I didn't call Han Shiya and Li Ping back.

Just as I was sweating profusely and my hands and feet were freezing, a voice call request appeared on my phone.

It's Liu Zhenhua!

"Hello?" I answered in a calm and even tone, without a trace of anger or guilt, deciding to keep him calm no matter what unreasonable demands he made.

"Dad, are you coming back for lunch?"

"I... I'll go back. Where are you?"

"I got home a long time ago."

"You skipped class this morning... um, okay, I'll be right back." I didn't dare mention his skipping class, afraid of upsetting him. I hung up and ran off, notifying the others as I went.

When I ran downstairs, panting, Han Shiya and Qiao Yan had also arrived. The three of them hurried upstairs without saying a word, and I took out my keys to open the door.

The moment the door opened, I saw Liu Zhenhua's figure flash and disappear into his room.

"Zhenhua!" Han Shiya called out.

After a moment, Liu Zhenhua emerged from the bedroom, looking somewhat furtive and surprised: "Mom?"

Han Shiya asked anxiously, "Where have you been all morning?"

Liu Zhenhua avoided eye contact and said, "It's...at home."

Why aren't you in school?

"I have a stomach ache."

Qiao Yan could tell there was something fishy going on, and whispered to me, "It's good that the child is alright, don't do anything."

That's unnecessary. Even if I were to take action, would I do it in front of him?

I said gently, "From now on, I'll let you tell the teacher if I need to take leave."

"Okay," Liu Zhenhua readily agreed, a gesture that always betrayed his guilty conscience at times like this.

Han Shiya looked at her son, who was half a head taller than her, her eyes reddened, and she went up to hug Liu Zhenhua.

Liu Zhenhua awkwardly fidgeted for a few moments, then symbolically hugged his mother with his drooping hands.

"Zhenhua, tell me what's going on. Your dad isn't abusing you anymore?"

"No." Liu Zhenhua gently broke free from Han Shiya's embrace. "I just suddenly don't want to go to school anymore. I won't do it again."

That's enough. All the running around and worrying this morning was worth it. Although we're not young anymore, we're not old either. The excitement at the tail end of our youth still feels like yesterday. Which student doesn't suddenly not want to go to school for about two hundred days a year?
Qiao Yan smoothed things over, saying, "It's good that you're alright. Let's have lunch together."

Liu Zhenhua said, "No, Uncle Qiao, my water is almost boiled. I'll cook noodles with my dad for lunch."

This wasn't an excuse; the gas stove was on, the water was bubbling, and the fried sauce had been taken out.

I politely suggested to Qiao Yan, "How about we just have a bowl of noodles here?"

Qiao Yan sniffed the bowl of fried sauce and said with a grin, "I've heard that Old Liu makes good fried sauce, and this one really has a strong flavor."

Han Shiya glanced at him and asked, "Are you very hungry?"

Qiao Yan said sullenly, "Well, since that's the case, I won't bother you any longer."

"Study hard," Han Shiya said to Liu Zhenhua, then glanced at me out of the corner of her eye and said reluctantly, "Listen to your father."

Liu Zhenhua and I were standing at the door seeing the guests off. As Qiao Yan was leaving, he tried to touch Liu Zhenhua's head, but Liu Zhenhua coolly turned his head away. Because of this action, I decided not to pursue the matter with Liu Zhenhua. I didn't have any ill feelings towards Qiao Yan, but that was all; I didn't want to become sworn brothers with him.

Han Shiya and Qiao Yan went downstairs and got into an Audi A8. Liu Zhenhua said, "Uncle Qiao has changed cars again."

I said sourly, "You're so concerned about saving face. Wouldn't it be cheaper to just get an electric one?"

Liu Zhenhua suddenly said, "There are no outsiders here, Dad. Let me introduce you to a new friend."

I replied dismissively, "Where did you get this new friend from?"

Liu Zhenhua pulled me to the door of his bedroom and said to the wardrobe, "Come out."

I was startled: "Who are you talking to—"

At that moment, the wardrobe door opened with a click, and I only glanced inside before I was utterly shocked!

Huh? What exactly came out?
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(End of this chapter)