Chapter 99: Education
The anomaly at Min Long Supermarket didn’t make Gao Ming feel confused in any way. Based on his years of experience, he managed to calm Uncle Li’s wife down.
“I’m not fully against Ol Li drinking, but he can’t keep on drinking like this.” The old lady picked up the comb. “He’s over 70, and he’s still acting like a child. Go and get him. I need to bring him home for a change of clothes, or he’ll catch a cold.” “Uncle Li and Boss Zhang have gone hiding in the back.” Gao Ming pointed the way for the old lady.
“Are they hiding from me? Do they think I’m some kind of beast?” The old lady huffed and walked into the supermarket.
His heart slowly calmed down. Gao Ming sat beside the female streamer. The lady chuckled and gave Gao Ming a thumbs up. “Xiao Lian, you are quite clever. You must be very happy with your girlfriend.”
Seeing the woman’s bloated face, Gao Ming was confused. Every ‘human’ at the supermarket acted so normal.
The bell chimed again. Three dirty kids ran in. They were wet from the rain, but their faces were filled with smiles like they had just experienced the best adventure in the world. Gao Ming slowly stood up. Of the three kids, the leading kid had a wrinkled face from being soaked in water. The other two kids looked normal. The biggest issue was the two kids looked exactly like the children inside the picture in the break room.
“The work table wants us to look for children’s corpses, but the two kids are here perfectly fine. Do corpses mean actual corpses?” Gao Ming remembered every detail. He felt like he was close to the truth of the supermarket.
“Today, it’s my treat! To celebrate our success in crossing Li San Gulf!” The bloated kid raised his hand. He didn’t mind his dripping dirty clothes.
“I also want to be the captain.”
“You’ve both been captain. It’s my turn next…”
Gao Ming got their names through their conversation.
The fat captain was Zhang Fendou. He was the boss, Zhang Ding’s son. The other two kids were called Le Jia and Le Ren. They were sons of the nearby neighbours. They had no adult troubles. They bought some snacks and soda. They poured the soda into the cap and made this into a ceremony.
“They are at a carefree age.” Gao Ming walked to the cashier. “I have the urge to give them homework.”
Gao Ming rang up the kids. He was about to chat with the kids when Zhang Ding’s voice came from inside.
“Ouch! I didn’t let Uncle Li drink. It’s all Xiao Gao’s handiwork. Don’t harm the innocent!” Zhang Ding had his ear pulled by the old lady. He didn’t dare to resist. He even bent down so the old lady could pull his ear better. “Uncle Li! Say something!”
Uncle Li coughed and turned to the old lady, “Ah Mei…” At that moment, the old lady glared at him, and he shut up.
“Uncle? Are you kidding me? Didn’t you tell me you’re the boss at home?” Zhang Ding widened his eyes at Uncle Li.
“Aren’t we outside now?”
The three of them walked out. The old lady wanted to lecture Zhang Ding further, but when she saw Zhang Ding’s son at the door, she let go of Zhang Ding. “If Ol Li comes here alone in the future, none of you are allowed to sell him alcohol. He can only drink if I’m here with him. It’s not that I don’t want to let him drink, but the doctor doesn’t allow it!”
“Understood, understood.” Zhang Ding promised her and turned to the kids at the door. “Where did you three go this time? Why are you so dirty?”
“We risked the rain and ran from the east of Min Long Stree to the west. We helped Grandma Zhao move her vases into her house.” Zhang Fendou shook his little fists. He sounded very proud. “Very impressive!” Zhang Ding knelt before his son.
“The kids are not young anymore. Kids their age are already in tuition. The three of them are still running around like brats.” Once the old lady spoke, the three kids quieted down.
“It’s fine. Compared to being a big shot, I only want him to be happy.” Zhang Ding ruffled his son’s hair. “Quality education is popular now.”
Zhang Fendou hid behind his father and looked at the old lady with fear.
“Quality education is a scam.” The old lady looked at Zhang Fendou. “How did you score in your last exam.”
“59.” Zhang Fendou lowered his head.
“That’s one mark away from passing. Not bad.” Zhang Ding encouraged him. “Have confidence in yourself. Dad knows how clever you are! When I was doing make-up, I heard you guys took another recent exam. How much did you score this time?” Zhang Fendou hesitated and inched backwards. Then, he said embarrassedly. “27…”
“God damn it!” Zhang Ding pulled out his belt and started to chase after Zhang Fendou in the supermarket.
“Quality Education! Boss, did you forget about that?” Gao Ming hurried to stop him. The kid might be the key to this anomaly.
“Move! Do I look like a person with quality?”
The supermarket was thrown into chaos. Zhu Suisui and the other newbie were still busy looking for the corpses.
“They sure are having a lot of fun.” “Don’t get distracted. We need to follow the rules!”
Gao Ming finally stopped Zhang Ding, but the three children were already gone.
More customers appeared at the shop. Gao Ming stayed at the cashier and interacted with everyone. Other than the two kids, all the customers appeared bloated, like they had been drowned. Min Long Supermarket was in the middle of Min Long Street. It was not at a low ground. If this place was submerged, then the flooding must be serious.
“The rain is not stopping. Is there a hole in the sky?” Zhang Ding didn’t act like the boss. He was friendlier than his employees. He knew every customer’s shopping habits and sometimes did delivery for the neighbours. “I’ll go mop up the water.” Gao Ming dragged the mop to the entrance. The storm drenched his uniform. The storm was heavier than the one in real life. The raindrops caused pain as they fell on Gao Ming. “I have a bad feeling.”
It was dark outside the supermarket. None of the other buildings could be seen. It was like the place was surrounded by rain. In the darkness, suddenly, a headlight cut through it. The sharp siren shattered the peace. The car zoomed down the street. The person in the car shouted until his throat was red.
“Emergency evacuation! The dam is broken! Li Sui Dam has just burst!”
Gao Ming’s brain buzzed as the news from a decade ago flashed in his mind. He stood in the rain and could see the rapids rushing at him.
The countdown on the monitor resumed. Gao Ming’s pupils narrowed. He ran back into the supermarket and yelled.
“Run! Li Sui Dam just burst!”
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦