Even Lao Da's bicycle was stolen.

  The young worker with a red armband looked suspiciously at Liu Ziguang, seemingly not believing his eyes, and tentatively called out: "Four Eyes?"

  Liu Ziguang smiled and said: "I didn't expect you still recognize me, Zhuo Luquan."

  Qinggong was convinced and went forward to hug Liu Ziguang. Both of them patted each other's back fiercely, but after a couple of times, Qinggong couldn't take it anymore and jumped away, shouting: "Your strength is so great, do you want to beat me to death?"

  Liu Ziguang chuckled and said: "Sorry, it wasn't intentional. I was just too excited."

  "Let's go to our old office and sit for a while, it's been over ten years since we last saw each other." Zhuo Luoqun enthusiastically pulled Liu Ziguang, whose two legs were slightly not as robust as before, probably the origin of his nickname.

  "Unfortunately, the old principal of our alma mater just called me and I'm on my way to meet him now. I'll come find you when I get back, by the way, there's something I wanted to talk to you about anyway." Liu Ziguang said.

  "That's right, I'm on duty today, you come over later, the Security Department is still in the same place, remember?"

  "See you later." Liu Ziguang flew onto the car and sped away, until he disappeared from view. The little fellow from the security department then let out a sigh and turned to continue his patrol.

  ……

  Arriving at the entrance of Chen Guang Middle School, Liu Ziguang saw that the school gate was still the same as before. Even the old wooden sign hanging beside the gate was still the original one. He couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia wash over him. How many youthful memories lay behind this gate? For a moment, all the past events came flooding back to his mind and his eyes grew moist.

  The school gate was still closed during class hours, and Liu Ziguang locked his bicycle at the door and knocked on the door of the delivery room. Coincidentally, the doorman was also the old man from before, who was now over 70 years old but still looked spirited, except for his slightly poor eyesight.

  Liu Ziguang reported his name and surname, Old Cheng's head suddenly enlightened: "It's you! Hurry up and go in, Principal Wang is waiting for you. Do you remember how to get to the principal's office? Go up to the fifth floor, turn right, and it's the third door."

  Liu Ziguang said a thank you and entered the school. After waiting for a while, two sneaky boys emerged from the alley next to the main gate. They looked around and saw no one, then quickly pulled out a large pair of pliers from under their clothes and snipped open the chain lock on Liu Ziguang's bicycle wheel. They pushed the bike and ran away. Old Cheng was in the delivery room wearing reading glasses and reading the newspaper, unaware of their actions.

  Liu Ziguang walked through the empty stadium, reminiscing about his student years. The single and double horizontal bars, the basketball hoops, seemed to still have his body heat on them. Alongside the track, rows of tall poplar trees stood with lush leaves, rustling softly in the gentle breeze. For a moment, it felt as if he had returned to the past.

  How many years have passed, the junior high school has not changed much. The clean campus and the sound of books in the teaching building all indicate that it is still a vibrant school. As soon as Liu Ziguang stepped into the teaching building, he was nostalgic for every step. His youth at the age of twelve or thirteen had slipped away in this campus, unforgettable for a lifetime.

  Finally arrived at the fifth floor administrative level, there are several logistics departments of the school. Turn left and the third door is the principal's office. Gently knock on the door, a kind and gentle voice came from inside: "Please come in."

  Pushing the door open and sitting behind a worn-out office desk was Principal Wang. Seeing Liu Ziguang come in, the old man hurried out to shake hands with him and asked him to sit down on a couch. He himself pulled over a chair, personally brewed a cup of tea and placed it in front of Liu Ziguang, and also took out an unopened pack of Furongwang cigarettes from his drawer to offer to Liu Ziguang.

  Liu Ziguang was flattered and hastily polite: "Teacher Wang, I'm your student! If you put it that way, I won't be able to sit still." He then wanted to stand up.

  Principal Wang laughed and pressed Liu Ziguang onto the sand, handing him a cigarette: "Come on, let's smoke, we're already adults, we're equals now."

  Liu Ziguang wanted to help Principal Wang light a cigarette, but he pulled out a pack of White Box Red Sandalwood from his pocket and said: "I only smoke this." As he spoke, he lit one himself.

  Liu Ziguang can't help but sigh, Teacher Wang is still the same as ever. In the past, he was a big smoker, and now he's an old smoker. The ashtray made from an empty can on the tea table is filled with cigarette butts, which proves this point.

  "Teacher Wang, you asked me to come over, what instructions do you have for me? I'll definitely do my best to accomplish it. If I can't, I'll still try my best. Please just let me know, don't be polite." Liu Ziguang felt a pang of sadness in his heart. Old Principal Wang was already 70 years old, yet he was still fighting on the front lines of education for the sake of the students. This wasn't about seeking power or wealth, but truly for the children. It could be seen from the three-yuan pack of white-box cigarettes he smoked and the worn-out Sun Yat-sen suit he wore.

  To entertain himself, Principal Wang must have specially bought this pack of Furongwang cigarettes. Once Liu Ziguang smokes it, he will definitely help Principal Wang with things, no matter how difficult they are.

  Principal Wang sat down, puffing on his cigar, and said: "I knew I was right to look for you. Yesterday, those students came back and went straight to class without any fuss until the end of school. This is something that would have been unimaginable in the past! I'm really shocked. After investigating, I heard that you have a lot of influence among the students, so I want to hire you as an external counselor to help some underachieving students with their ideological work."

  Principal Wang smiled and looked at Liu Ziguang, waiting for his response.

  Liu Ziguang hadn't said two words when he slapped his thigh and said, "No problem! I'll be the off-campus instructor, but I still have some personal opinions I'd like to express."

  Principal Wang said: "You say."

  Liu Ziguang said: "I remember that when I was a kid, the off-campus instructors were all invited from the People's Liberation Army and they would come once or twice a semester just to go through the motions, it didn't have any effect at all. Principal Wang, if you trust me, I can come and be a substitute teacher for free to teach ideology and politics, lead by example, and absolutely educate them well."

  Principal Wang slapped the table and said, "Your idea is great, even better than I thought. It's more comprehensive. Let me discuss it with the Dean of Studies and the Head of the Grade Department to make it happen as soon as possible."

  Principal Wang extinguished the cigarette butt that had been smoked to the root and lit another one, taking a deep breath. "Little Liu, nowadays kids are different from your batch in the late 70s and early 80s. Nowadays kids are precocious, exposed to complicated things, and early love, gang involvement, internet addiction are all poisonous substances that harm youth and erode schools. You must educate them specifically not to touch these things."

  Liu Ziguang had only smoked half of his first cigarette when he heard Principal Wang's words, and he explained: "Teacher Wang, I think we should look at things dialectically. What the kids need now is correct guidance, not just blocking them off. They're in a rebellious age, and blocking won't work as well as letting go. And these new things like the internet aren't all bad either. I remember when I was young, there was a slogan that said 'Whoever can't use five-stroke characters will fall behind the times.' Now it's the same - whoever can't use computers or get online is falling behind the times."

  Principal Wang laughed and said, "Just now I was testing you. It seems that you are more mature than I thought. This substitute teacher is settled then. You can go back and prepare your lessons first."

  Liu Ziguang shook hands with Principal Wang again and the two bid each other a warm farewell. By the time Principal Wang had escorted Liu Ziguang downstairs, he was already smoking his fourth cigarette.

  As soon as Liu Ziguang walked out of the school gate, he took out his key to unlock his bike, but found that there was nothing in the corner of the wall. He looked around and saw no one by the gate. His heavy-duty 28-inch Forever bike had vanished into thin air.

  Liu Ziguang hurriedly went to ask Old Cheng who was on duty at the gate, but Old Cheng said he hadn't seen anything. Infuriated, Liu immediately called the police to report the incident.

  The little policewoman who answered the phone at the 110 police station was very polite and said that it had been recorded and asked him to go to the local police station to register again, and when the Public Security Bureau released the stolen car, he would take a look and maybe find his car, and bring the ticket with him at that time.

  Liu Ziguang was speechless. He also understood that this case was too small and didn't even have the police force to investigate. But losing his car at the gate of his alma mater was really embarrassing.

  Helplessly, he made a phone call to Bei Xiaoshuai: "Bei Xiaoshuai, who's in charge of the middle school side? Whose territory is this?"

  There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a stifled laugh: "The whole area around Guangzhou Middle School is yours to cover, isn't it?"

  "Ah!" Liu Ziguang only then remembered that he was also in charge of the position of Lao Da, but thinking again, no, it's not right. The internet cafe and school projects are usually handled by Bei Xiaoshuai.

  "Xiao Bei, don't mess with me! My bike was just borrowed by someone at the entrance of Zi Di Middle School. I'm giving you half a day's time, if I don't see my bike by tonight, I'll come after you to settle the score! If I find my bike but it's missing one screw, I'll still come after you to settle the score!"

  She slammed the phone shut and walked away with a huff, feeling annoyed and frustrated. Eight out of ten times it's those dropouts who steal things. It really is a serious problem with their education.

  ……

  It's still early, Liu Ziguang goes to the factory to find Zhuo Luoquan first.

  Zhuo Luo Quan is not called Zhuo Luo Quan, but rather Zhuo Li. This person was Liu Ziguang's middle school classmate. His father was a sturdy and robust Mongolian veteran who used to be a cavalryman. It's said that he still has a 65-style cavalry knife at home with a sharp blade that shines brightly and looks very cool.

  Zhuo Li's mother is a Han Chinese, so he has three names. His Mongolian name is Zhuo Ligetu, which means "brave warrior". His Han Chinese name is also Zhuo Li, which means "strong and powerful". He also has a nickname, Zhuo Luoquan, given by Liu Ziguang, because Zhuo Li inherited his father's characteristic of having bowlegs from long-term horse riding.

  It's very common for junior high school students to give each other nicknames. Liu Ziguang also had a nickname called "Four Eyes" because he wore glasses, and Zhuo Li still remembers it to this day.

  He walked through the overgrown factory area to the first floor of the office building, where Zhuo Li was reading a newspaper in the security department. As soon as he saw Liu Ziguang coming, he quickly went to greet him and poured tea for him. Liu Ziguang, who was meticulous, noticed that there wasn't even a water dispenser in the security department, only an old-fashioned thermos flask. Zhuo Li's cigarettes were also just Red Plum brand, which cost only 4 or 5 yuan per box. It seemed that their economic situation was not good.

  In the office, there were only two people sitting down to chat. When they graduated from junior high school, Liu Ziguang chose to attend a regular high school and went to study at Sanzhong Middle School in the city, while Zhuo Li attended a vocational high school affiliated with the factory and studied mechanical and electrical engineering. However, after three years, he didn't learn anything except for fighting. Later, he entered the factory and took over his father's job in the security department, where he worked for ten years.

  "Is Zhuo Li married?" Liu Ziguang asked. He said that among his peers, there shouldn't be many who are almost thirty years old and still not married.

  "Ugh, mentioning this makes me angry. Now the factory is not doing well and most workers have been laid off. I'm still working in the security department, but only making 600 yuan a month, which isn't even enough for cigarettes. Who would want to marry me?" Zhuo Li said with a worried and unhappy expression.

  Liu Ziguang was secretly shocked that 600 yuan was not even as good as the treatment of a temporary security guard at Zhicheng Garden. So he asked, "Why don't you go out and try your luck?"

  "Alas, my parents are still traveling far away, but at least I can consider this a formal job."

  Liu Ziguang was silent. Zhuo Li's ideas still need to be improved, but things like this can only progress gradually and one cannot impose their own views on others.

  "Alright, I'll help you look for a suitable job later. Now, can you help me with something first?" Liu Ziguang said.

  "Go ahead and say it."

  "Just now I saw a scrapped Changjiang 750 tricycle outside the west wall of the third garage, I want to get it and play with it, do you have any way?"

  Zhuo Li slapped his thigh: "What do you want that pile of scrap metal for when you're already full?"

  Liu Ziguang smiled and said: "I have my own reasons, just say if there's a way to get it out or not."

  Zhuo Li said: "There are two ways. One is that you find a car to take me away, and I will turn a blind eye. Anyway, it's also under the management of our security department."

  "What about the other way?"

  "It's going to cost some money then, go find the factory's fixed assets clearance office buddy to buy it. This thing weighs a few hundred kilograms, at 50 cents per kilogram, you'll have to pay over a hundred dollars. So personally I suggest you just get a truck to take it away."

  "We can't trouble you." Liu Ziguang said, "How about this? I'll give you 50 yuan to buy another pack of cigarettes and have the person in charge of fixed assets cleaning up the office deliver it. Will that do?"