Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Five or six senior students were climbing up and down the garbage mountain, joking as they went. Wang Chengcai had binoculars hanging from his chest, one hand holding a bag and the other a small stick, rummaging through the trash.

"Today's haul isn't good; can't find anything interesting."

"I want to find an iron fork to make a slingshot."

"Don't make a slingshot; if the supervisors catch you, you're in trouble. That thing could hurt someone."

...

Wang Chengcai was growing increasingly frustrated as he rummaged. Just as he straightened up to catch his breath, he saw what seemed like a moving shadow at the base of the hill on the right.

He stumbled over to investigate, leaning forward to look, but found nothing. Nearby stood the row of waste processing factories, their machines humming loudly.

"We should head back soon; the garbage forklifts will be coming out," said one of the senior students.

"Alright, let's go back."

Just as Wang Chengcai was about to turn around, he spotted a steel ball bearing wheel lying on the empty ground beside the garbage mountain.

He rubbed his eyes, suspecting he might have seen wrong.

No mistake—it was indeed a steel ball bearing wheel.

Many machines used such wheels, with outer and inner rings connected by rolling balls, making them smooth and ideal for the coveted steel ball bearing carts that the children dreamed of.

When machines were discarded, these wheels were often removed and thrown away, but finding them was rare. Despite daily scavenging, only one student in the entire orphanage had managed to build a steel ball bearing cart.

That student rode the cart, pedaling along the orphanage grounds, drawing envious looks from everyone. The children followed him, mesmerized. Wang Zhusheng was also envious and had pestered Wang Chengcai several times, but the owner of the cart was strong, matching Wang Chengcai in skill, so he couldn't take it, only yelling at Wang Zhusheng in frustration.

Seeing the steel ball bearing wheel on the empty ground, Wang Chengcai's heart raced, fearing others might spot it. He immediately slid down the garbage mountain.

"Wang Chengcai, come on, what are you doing?" The other children had already reached the gap in the barbed wire fence and called out to him.

Wang Chengcai quickly replied, "I need to take a dump. You guys go ahead; I'll catch up later."

Wang Chengcai swiftly descended the garbage mountain, rushed to the empty ground, and picked up the steel ball bearing wheel, fondling its smooth surface and turning it to hear the rolling balls inside.

He placed the wheel in his pocket, thinking how great it would be if he found three more. Four wheels plus a metal plate, and he could build a steel ball bearing cart for Wang Zhusheng.

Overwhelmed with joy and regret, he turned to chase after his companions but paused when he saw another wheel on the ground ahead.

Wang Chengcai rushed over to pick it up and continued searching. Sure enough, within minutes, he found a third wheel near the entrance of the waste processing factory.

Overjoyed, he realized these wheels must have fallen from the factory and put all three in his pocket before entering.

Inside the factory, the space was vast, with several automatic garbage forklifts charging against the walls. In the center were several waste processing pools, three of which were cutting up large pieces of garbage and feeding the chopped remains into adjacent high-pressure pools for compression.

The high-pressure pools were sealed, but the shredding pools were open, revealing the stirring shafts driving massive, sharp blades continuously.

All the children who scavenged for garbage knew that falling into the shredding pool meant certain death, so they never entered the factory. Wang Chengcai searched for the wheels carefully, avoiding the shredding pools.

As he moved toward the left side of the factory, he saw a steel ball bearing wheel near the shredding pool and rushed over, thrilled.

Approaching the shredding pool, the ground trembled with the rhythm of the stirring blades. Wang Chengcai slowed his pace, watching the gleaming blades emerge periodically from the pool, taking cautious steps forward.

He bent down to pick up the wheel, but before his fingers touched it, someone pushed him hard from behind, sending him uncontrollably toward the pool.

Wang Chengcai was terrified, unable to scream, watching helplessly as the spinning blades drew closer, flailing his arms in panic.

Just as he was about to fall in, a hand grabbed his back, stopping his momentum.

His scream finally escaped, and he tried to move backward, but the hand held him firmly, neither letting him fall into the pool nor retreat, leaving him immobile.

"Who? Who is it?" Wang Chengcai's voice trembled, trying to turn and see who had grabbed him, "Please pull me up, pull me up."

From his angle, he couldn't see behind him, and the person holding him made no move or sound, creating an eerie scene.

"Who are you? Please pull me up!" Wang Chengcai, just a twelve-year-old boy, began crying in fear, "Pull me up, or I'll die, I really will die..."

Chu Ya's wheelchair was parked at the edge of the shredding pool, the brakes locked. He leaned forward slightly, his right hand gripping Wang Chengcai's back firmly, while his left hand slowly pulled out a cloth strip.

"Please... please, who are you... please."

Wang Chengcai sobbed and shivered, pleading, but Chu Ya remained unmoved, silently wrapping the cloth around his head, covering his eyes.

The factory was dimly lit, with light from the open door casting half of Chu Ya's face in shadow. His head slightly bowed, his handsome face cold. When he lifted his eyelashes, his gaze was fierce, resembling his Black Wolf quantum beast.

"What are you going to do? What are you going to do..."

In the instant his eyes were covered, Wang Chengcai broke down, crying loudly, then felt something wrap around his legs and tighten.

Realizing something was wrong, he tried to struggle, but suddenly his feet lifted off the ground, hanging him upside down in the air.

"AH!! AH!!" Wang Chengcai screamed, flailing his hands wildly, recoiling when they touched the garbage below.

A hoarse voice spoke coldly beside him: "Below you is the shredding pool. If you don't want to be shredded like garbage, keep your hands still."

Wang Chengcai, consumed by fear, didn't notice the voice was deliberately altered. He only knew he didn't recognize the speaker.

"What do you want? What do you want?"

Wang Chengcai hugged his arms tightly, hearing the shredding sounds beneath him and feeling the wind from the blades passing by his face.

Chu Ya maneuvered his wheelchair, slowly moving back and forth along the edge of the pool. Wang Chengcai's feet were bound with a thick rope, hanging from a metal rod above, tied to a machine.

"Please let me go. I don't want to die."

Wang Chengcai's tears streamed down his forehead, dripping into the crushing pool below. A dark stain slowly spread between his legs.

"What is your name?" The voice lacked emotion but carried an inherent chilling dread.

Wang Chengcai hastily choked out a reply: "Wang Chengcai, my name is Wang Chengcai. I'm a student at the orphanage, in the third class of the senior group."

"Wang Chengcai."

"Here."

"Do you bully the younger students?"

"...No."

Chu Ya immediately untied the knot on the machine, and the rope hanging from the metal pole slid, causing Wang Chengcai to drop another two inches.

"Ahhh!!!" Wang Chengcai screamed in terror.

Chu Ya pulled the rope again: "Do you bully the younger students?"

This time, Wang Chengcai did not hesitate, crying as he replied: "Yes, I do."

"Will you bully them again?"

Wang Chengcai didn't understand why this person was asking these questions, but he could tell the inquiry was serious, so he cried out: "I was wrong, I won't do it again, I won't bully the younger students... waaah... I was wrong, I won't do it again, I was wrong..."

"I live at the mine. My nephew told me you bullied him several times."

The voice was hoarse and cold, sending chills down Wang Chengcai's spine. He quickly promised: "I won't do it again, really."

Wang Chengcai continued to sob uncontrollably, his body trembling. He was still hanging upside down, his head throbbing with blood, while the person beside him remained silent. He both hoped the person would leave soon and feared that if they did, he would be left hanging until he fell into the crushing pool.

"Please let me down. I won't do it again. Are you still there? Are you there?"

The person did not respond, but Wang Chengcai noticed the rope around his legs began to sway, making him swing like a pendulum.

"Ahhh!" After one more swing, the restraint disappeared, and he crashed onto the hard ground.

Dazed and disoriented, Wang Chengcai had no time to react before someone grabbed his shirt tightly. The voice spoke again, each word icy cold.

"Remember your promise, or I'll shove you into the crusher and grind you piece by piece. First your hands, then your feet, and finally your body and head. If you tell the management, I'll enter your dormitory while you're asleep and cut off your head!"

"No, no, I won't, I won't tell anyone, I won't..."

Wang Chengcai was terrified, his face pale, and his eyes covered by the blindfold. He shook his head frantically.

The hand on his chest released him, and he fell back to the ground, too weak to even crawl, lying there like a puddle of mud.

"I won't do it again, I won't, never again, never..."

Wang Chengcai kept repeating his promise. After a long while, hearing no response, he asked hoarsely: "Are you still here? Are you still here?"

Wang Chengcai removed the blindfold, looked around, and saw no one else in the large factory. Slowly, he sat up, wiping away his tears, and walked out of the factory, leaving the bag with the steel ball wheels behind without a glance.

Shen Juanjuan searched anxiously for a long time, crawling under beds and checking the bathroom and courtyard, but found nothing.

Where did Shen Miaomiao hide his treasure?

Shen Juanjuan was racking his brain when he heard the gate being pushed open. He ran out: "Shen Miaomiao."

Chu Ya closed the gate behind him: "What's wrong?"

His expression was calm and composed, a stark contrast to his demeanor in the factory. The ferocity and coldness were nowhere to be seen.

"I can't find it, no matter where I look." Shen Juanjuan clasped his hands together, stomping his feet in frustration. "Tell me where you put it."

"Can't find it?" Chu Ya raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Shen Juanjuan nodded emphatically.

"I put the good thing in the corner of the yard." Chu Ya pointed to the empty corner, then added, "Oh! I forgot, I brought it with me."

Sweat beaded on Shen Juanjuan's nose from searching. He paused, then realized what Chu Ya meant, his eyebrows furrowing and his breathing becoming heavy, about to lose his temper.

Before Shen Juanjuan could explode, Chu Ya slowly dragged something from behind his wheelchair and pushed it toward him with a rustling sound.

Seeing the object, Shen Juanjuan's soul seemed to leave his body, leaving only a shell standing dumbfounded, his eyes glued to it as it moved.

It was a simple handmade child's cart.

A few steel ball wheels supported a rectangular iron plate, with an iron rod slightly tilted through a hole in the plate, serving as a handle. The plate also had a cushion secured with soft ropes.

The entire cart was made from scrap metal, with uneven colors and materials, but it looked sturdy and well-made.

As the cart rolled in front of Shen Juanjuan, he looked at Chu Ya in a daze, wanting to ask but doubting it was possible, just staring wide-eyed.

Chu Ya nodded: "Yes, this is your cart."

"This is your cart." Shen Juanjuan repeated mechanically.

"It's yours."

Shen Juanjuan stared blankly for a few seconds, then took a deep breath. Chu Ya raised his hand to cover his ears: "Quiet down."

"Ahhh!!!" Shen Juanjuan shouted, rushing to the middle of the yard, clenching his teeth and frowning, punching and kicking the air.

Clearly unable to contain his excitement, he acted as if he were angry. Chu Ya smiled faintly, amusement in his eyes. But then he suddenly sat up straight: "Don't roll on the ground, get up!"

Shen Juanjuan lay on the ground, kicking his legs excitedly in circles. Upon hearing Chu Ya's voice, he got up and started swinging his arms wildly at the air.

"My car, it's my car, my car..." Once his excitement subsided, Shen Juanjuan rushed to Chu Ya, his eyes sparkling as he looked at him. "Shen Miaomiao, this is the car you gave me."

Chu Ya had originally wanted to ask if he liked the car, but seeing his reaction, there was no need for words.

"Shen Miaomiao, you're so nice. You really like me, you really do." Shen Juanjuan hugged Chu Ya's arm, pressing his face against it, and rambled, "Since you like me so much, I'll take good care of you, really good care of you."

Shen Juanjuan spent the whole day playing with his steel ball car, circling around the courtyard. He quickly became adept at controlling its direction and even carried the one-armed teddy bear on his back, pedaling nimbly around.

"Child, life is like this. Instead of being unhappy, sing and bask in the sun with Grandpa... Grandpa's little car goes vroom vroom, vroom vroom, vroom vroom..."

"Let's go, I'll take you out for a test drive."

The two slowly moved down the empty street; Chu Ya pushed the wheelchair while Shen Juanjuan rode alongside on his steel ball car. Shen Juanjuan felt there was something he hadn't told Chu Ya and kept thinking hard as he pedaled.

"What's wrong?" Chu Ya asked.

"I have something important to tell you, but I can't remember what it is." Shen Juanjuan frowned deeply.

Chu Ya pushed the wheelchair and offered a hint: "Steel ball car?"

"No."

"Sweet potato?"

"No... don't distract me, I was just about to remember."

Chu Ya remained silent, letting Shen Juanjuan think as he followed along.

"What could it be? What is it..."

Chu Ya continued to prompt: "Finding treasures at the garbage mountain?"

"You! Stop! Distracting! Me!" Shen Juanjuan said angrily, "I was just about to remember, and now I forgot again."

"Just said you'd take good care of me, now you're getting mad at me?" Chu Ya glanced at him.

Shen Juanjuan suddenly felt a bit guilty.

As they passed by shops, Shen Juanjuan saw a faded celebrity poster under an eave and suddenly stood up, rushing to Chu Ya. "I remembered! At the orphanage today, someone showed us your photo and asked if we had seen you."

"Tell me more, in detail," Chu Ya said, his expression unchanged, but his hand on the wheelchair tightened.

"It was someone from Cloud Peak. I recognized their clothes; they were military uniforms. The person held the photo up front—" Shen Juanjuan didn't notice Chu Ya's tension, only focused on recalling, raising his hand and imitating the stern voice: "Look at this photo, has anyone seen this person? Has anyone seen him?"

"I recognized you right away." Shen Juanjuan leaned closer, staring intently at Chu Ya, whispering, "But I definitely wouldn't say I knew you."

After a few seconds of silence, Chu Ya's voice was dry as he asked, "What about the other kids?"

He knew that while he was unconscious, he hadn't told Shen Juanjuan to keep it a secret. Shen Juanjuan had already shared his story with the other children, and hiding it was impossible since they traded food with them daily.

"They didn't say anything either." Shen Juanjuan patted Chu Ya's hand reassuringly. "They won't say anything."

He thought of something and got angry again. "Those people were saying bad things about you, calling you 'Pig Ya.' Do you know what a pig is? Older kids use it as an insult when they fight. They called you Pig Ya, and I wanted to yell back, but I'm smart, so I didn't. I let it go."

Chu Ya's brow twitched, but he said nothing.

"Let's go." He lowered his gaze and pushed the wheelchair forward. "We'll walk around."

"Okay, let's walk around, I like walking around."

They continued down the long street, chatting intermittently.

"Wang Zhusheng's brother is very fierce and fights well. Should we go beat him up together? No, you shouldn't come. If he fights me, I can run, but you can't run from him."

"Fighting is wrong."

"But he fights well."

"If he fights well, do you like him?"

"No! I hate him!"

"So don't fight like him, or other kids will hate you too."

"Got it."