The Great Upheaval in the Jin Family

This was the sixth day of the week.

The morning brought the Golden Sun. Chen Miemie knew that, by process of elimination, the upcoming night would inevitably bring the Frost Moon.

The Day of the Golden Frost Moon.

This was the most uncomfortable day for the majority of people.

The sudden transition from extreme heat to extreme cold made it easy for those unprepared to catch a cold.

As Chen Miemie went downstairs, he ran into Madam Jin in the stairwell.

This usually flamboyant and luxuriously dressed lady was acting completely out of character today. She was wearing a simple outfit made of cheap material and looked utterly haggard.

Even when Chen Miemie greeted her, she merely gave a low "Mhm" and brushed past him.

Just as Chen Miemie walked out of the building's entrance, he saw several familiar middle-aged women gathered in two groups, seemingly gossiping about something.

There was some drama to watch.

Chen Miemie immediately pricked up his ears and leaned in closer.

"Did you guys hear? Old Jin's transport fleet encountered an Anomaly, and everyone died."

"Tell me about it. To still dare run logistics outside the city at a crucial time like this... Although it's unexpected, it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"What about Old Jin? He's the big boss and doesn't drive with the fleet himself anymore. He's fine, right?"

"How could he be fine! He's still alive, sure, but the loss of the entire fleet, both people and cargo, falls entirely on him. I heard the families of the deceased employees surrounded him at the company yesterday, clamoring for time compensation, even demanding he pay with his life."

"You can't really blame him for that."

"Then who do you blame? Blame the Anomaly? The families are definitely going to go after him, the person in charge."

"Yeah, my husband got some inside news. He says the situation is terrible. The municipal authorities assigned Old Jin secondary liability, and even if their family goes bankrupt, it won't be enough to pay the compensation."

"Sigh, the three members of the Jin family are done for this time. I saw Madam Jin this morning too; she looked like she had aged ten years in an instant, like a completely different person."

"Old Jin is usually a decent guy, and Little Jin is smart too. He just started school and now... what a pity."

One of the women voiced a different opinion, starting to derail the conversation.

"What's there to pity? When Madam Jin was acting all high and mighty before, why didn't she think about today? Don't say I'm kicking them while they're down, but when their family was rich, they looked down their noses at everyone. Now that they're in trouble, you're taking pity on them. When they were eating delicacies, I didn't see them thinking of you."

"Exactly. I have no problem with Old Jin and Little Jin, but seeing Madam Jin like this, hmph, she deserves it!"

From there, the topic spiraled into cynical mockery of Madam Jin.

Hearing this, Chen Miemie left the crowd.

He hadn't walked far when he received the latest message from Road Rage.

This message completely stunned him, freezing him in place for over ten seconds.

The words Road Rage said echoed continuously in his mind:

"The Pineapple Roast Chicken shop has identified the person downstairs monitoring your movements. It's Old Li from the fruit stand."

Old Li.

The first time Chen Miemie went downstairs, Old Li had taught him how to use his watch and how to unlock payments after inter-city messages;

Before his graduation exam, Old Li had beamed with a smile and given him a hook-hook fruit as a blessing;

Every day when he went in and out, they would greet each other with full, energetic voices.

Chen Miemie was somewhat unwilling to believe that such a person, from whom he had felt genuine sincerity and whom he had never doubted, was actually an informant sent by someone else to monitor him.

Taking Qinghua and Pure Water with him, stepping on Road Rage, and under the watchful eyes of Loop from the roast chicken shop across the street, Chen Miemie walked into Old Li's fruit stand.

"Yo, Chen Miemie, what would you like today?"

"Old Li, I heard you've been observing my movements." Chen Miemie didn't want to play riddles with him.

Old Li paused for a moment, then answered extremely naturally, "Yeah."

"Who sent you?"

"What do you mean who sent me? I've been running this shop here for over a decade. There's no such thing as someone sending me."

"Old Li, you've given me fruit twice, and I remember that. That's why I came in to ask you myself. If you insist on not telling me, it won't be me coming next time."

"What do you mean insist on not telling? You're asking who told me to keep an eye on you, right?"

"Right."

"Oh, it's your relative. Old Chen, the sanitation worker who comes to collect the spoiled fruit every day before closing.

He said he's your second uncle. He was worried you weren't doing well here, so he asked me to pay more attention to you and look out for you. Every day he came, he'd ask how you were doing. He also said you had thin skin and told me not to tell you."

"Old Chen? He comes every afternoon?"

"He did a while ago, but he hasn't been here the past few days. They swapped in someone new."

"Exactly which day did he stop coming?"

"Let me think. His last visit was three days ago, and then he was replaced."

"Not bad, Uncle Li. You have a great memory."

"You rascal, one moment it's Old Li, the next it's Uncle Li. I wouldn't remember it wrong.

Because that day happened to be the grand opening of the Pineapple Roast Chicken shop across the street. The line was so long, there was a sea of people at the door. At the time, I even told Old Chen how jealous I was of their business."

"How did he react?"

"Him? He didn't even go over to the roast chicken shop. He seemed to joke that there were too many people, and if he squeezed his way over, he'd be beaten up for cutting in line."

"He said he was my second uncle and you just believed him?"

"What else was I supposed to do? What could he possibly want from you? Besides, he's a dignified clergyman of the Church. Would he lie?"

"Wait, wasn't he a sanitation worker? The sanitation department belongs to the municipality. How did he become a clergyman of the Church?"

"Where do you think all these recycled food materials go?

Let me tell you, they are all sent to the Church. After the Church sorts them, they pick out the small portion that is still edible and give it directly to the homeless. Therefore, many sanitation workers in recycling positions are directly Church personnel, saving the intermediate handover process."

Back home.

Chen Miemie leaned back on the sofa, with Qinghua and Loop sitting on his left and right.

"Miemie, should we go to the sanitation department to look for this Old Chen?"

"Don't waste your energy. If I'm not mistaken, this Old Chen, just like Nurse Zhao, can no longer be found."