After Marking the Omega Officer Who Was Pretending to Be an Alpha - Chapter 14
Shao Enzhuo and Ren Qiruo chatted as they left the farmers’ market.
The two walked through the alley.
Shao Enzhuo first sent Ren Qiruo home. Ren Qiruo insisted no matter what on giving her half of the relief grain, but Shao Enzhuo firmly refused and insisted on not accepting it. Unable to persuade her, Ren Qiruo finally let her go.
The weather today was very nice. It was now around ten in the morning. The breeze swept fallen leaves through the streets and alleys. Shao Enzhuo carried the relief grain back home.
No one was home.
In the Capital of Hope, Betas could only earn money through labor. Every day, Shao Lanzhi would go to a shoe shop in the western part of the city to stitch shoes. Stitching shoes earned eighteen coins a month.
After Shao Enzhuo put away the relief grain, she went out again.
She had to go to the lumberyard in the south of the city to work.
The work she had done before was weaving clothes at the clothing shop. Since she was not the Shao Enzhuo from the original book and had barely touched needles and thread in the real world, she had gone to the clothing shop and tried weaving once over the past few days while familiarizing herself with this place.
The result was that she really had no talent in that area.
She could not learn it at all.
Fortunately, the owner of the clothing shop was understanding and very kind. Taking pity on Shao Enzhuo, who had lost her memory and could no longer weave clothes, the owner introduced her to work at the lumberyard in the south of the city. Although she could not weave clothes, she could do hard labor.
And just like that, Shao Enzhuo went from needlework to carpentry.
—
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed half the sky red.
A gentle breeze blew.
After finishing work at the lumberyard, Shao Enzhuo’s whole body was filled with the smell of wood. When she returned home, the sky had already darkened. Shao Lanzhi was crouching beside the well, washing vegetables. Shao Enzhuo rubbed her sore shoulders and walked over.
“Grandma, I’m back.”
Hearing her voice, Shao Lanzhi turned and glanced at Shao Enzhuo.
“Zhuozhuo, you’re back.”
Shao Enzhuo pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in.
“Zhuozhuo, you must be tired after working at the lumberyard all day, right? Grandma already boiled hot water for you in advance,” Shao Lanzhi said while washing vegetables. “Go take a bath first and relax your body. Once you finish bathing, you can eat.”
Shao Enzhuo walked into the house.
“Got it, Grandma.”
—
The evening wind was bleak.
When Shao Enzhuo came out after bathing, she saw Shao Lanzhi cooking in front of the stove. On the wooden table were a plate of scallion pancakes and a pot of porridge. The air was filled with the rich aroma of food.
Gurgle.
Shao Enzhuo’s stomach immediately let out a series of protests.
So hungry.
“Zhuozhuo,” Shao Lanzhi used the spatula to scoop the stir-fried cabbage from the wok onto a plate. “You finished bathing.”
Shao Enzhuo walked over to the cupboard to get bowls and chopsticks.
“Mm.”
Shao Lanzhi carried the stir-fried cabbage and potatoes together to the wooden table and set them down. “Come eat, Zhuozhuo.”
“Coming.”
Shao Enzhuo took two pairs of chopsticks and two bowls from the cupboard, returned to the table, and put them down. Then she picked up the ladle in the pot and served the porridge. “Grandma, why did you cook so much porridge today?”
“The work at the lumberyard is much heavier than the work at the clothing shop. Isn’t Grandma just seeing how hard you’re working at the lumberyard?” Shao Lanzhi’s eyes were full of affection. “So Grandma cooked a little more porridge today. Only when you eat your fill will you have the strength to work.”
Shao Enzhuo said, “Thank you, Grandma.”
Shao Lanzhi said, “Hurry and sit down to eat.”
Shao Enzhuo placed a bowl of porridge in front of Shao Lanzhi, then served herself a bowl. “Mm.”
Moonlight shone in through the doorway and spilled onto the ground.
The evening breeze poured into the house.
Shao Enzhuo and Shao Lanzhi ate together harmoniously. She had already lived here for several days and had long since treated Shao Lanzhi as her own grandmother. She did not know where the original Shao Enzhuo from the book had gone. Perhaps they had swapped bodies.
Not long after,
two tall, upright figures suddenly appeared through the open doorway and entered Shao Enzhuo’s view.
—Two guards in dark blue uniforms.
Shao Enzhuo looked blankly at the two guards who had suddenly appeared at her doorstep. Not knowing what had happened, she asked, “You… is there something you need from my home?”
One of the crew-cut guards spoke sharply.
“Which one of you is Shao Enzhuo?”
Shao Enzhuo was just about to answer when she saw Shao Lanzhi stand and walk toward the cupboard, so she could only put down her chopsticks, stand up, and answer the guard. “I am Shao Enzhuo. May I ask what this is about?”
“So you’re Shao Enzhuo?” The crew-cut guard lowered his eyes and examined Shao Enzhuo for a moment. Then he crossed his arms and asked expressionlessly, “Did you go collect relief grain today?”
“Yes,” Shao Enzhuo said. “What’s wrong?”
“Today’s relief grain was one bag of flour, two cabbages, and one piece of meat. Hand over the meat you received today,” the crew-cut guard said, stretching his hand toward Shao Enzhuo. “I’m taking it away.”
Shao Enzhuo: “?”
This guard actually wanted to take away the meat she had received? She looked at the guard in confusion. “Why are you taking away the meat I received? Isn’t that relief grain distributed to me?”
The crew-cut guard looked at Shao Enzhuo and did not answer.
The other guard also remained silent.
Shao Enzhuo had just been about to ask Shao Lanzhi what was going on when she saw Shao Lanzhi walking over with the meat. Seeing that Shao Lanzhi was about to walk toward the guards, she hurriedly stepped forward and stopped her. “Grandma, why are you taking the meat out?”
“Silly child, of course it’s to give the meat to the guards,” Shao Lanzhi said, looking at the crew-cut guard and trying to hand over the meat. “This is the meat my granddaughter brought back today.”
Shao Enzhuo was completely stunned.
This was…
She subconsciously pressed down Shao Lanzhi’s hand holding the meat and asked in confusion, “Grandma, this is the relief grain I received today. Why are you giving this piece of meat to them?”
“Why so many questions?” The crew-cut guard frowned impatiently. “Hurry and give me the meat. I’m in a hurry to leave.”
As he spoke, he stepped forward and stretched out his hand.
“Give it to me.”
“No, wait, guards. This is relief grain the Hope Organization distributed to us today. The commander personally stood guard at the farmers’ market while it was distributed,” Shao Enzhuo said, reaching out to block Shao Lanzhi. “Why are you taking away the meat I received?”
“Little girl, are you pretending not to know on purpose?” The crew-cut guard looked at Shao Enzhuo with a half-smile. “How could you not know why I’m taking the meat?”
Shao Enzhuo truly did not know.
Since this was relief grain the Hope Organization had distributed to them today, what was going on with the guards taking away the meat?
“I’m really sorry, guard,” Shao Lanzhi said with an apologetic smile. “My granddaughter lost her memory a few days ago and doesn’t remember. I’ll hand the meat over to you now.”
Shao Enzhuo turned to look at Shao Lanzhi, her eyes full of disbelief. Had her family committed some offense?
“Grandma? Why?”
The other guard said, “She lost her memory?”
“Real memory loss or fake memory loss?” The crew-cut guard looked unconvinced. “You’re not messing with us, are you?”
Shao Lanzhi said, “My granddaughter really lost her memory.”
“Since this young lady lost her memory, I’ll be merciful and tell you this once. We’re taking the meat you received to send it to the Reconnaissance Department. You also know that the vanguards of the Reconnaissance Department work hard outside the city clearing out walking corpses. Right now, the situation at the pastures isn’t very good, and there’s not much meat in the city. Of course we have to take the meat you received and send it to the Reconnaissance Department,” the crew-cut guard said, looking down at Shao Enzhuo from above. “The vanguards are protecting your safety with their lives. You wouldn’t be unwilling to give the meat to them, would you?”
That reason sounded quite reasonable.
But…
Why did it feel so strange?
“If there isn’t enough meat in the city and the Reconnaissance Department needs meat, then why was meat distributed to us today? Shouldn’t it have been kept for the vanguards of the Reconnaissance Department?” Shao Enzhuo did not quite believe the guard’s words. “Also, the commander personally stood at the farmers’ market today and watched the grain protectors distribute relief grain. Besides, you aren’t vanguards either. I can’t give the meat to you.”
The crew-cut guard immediately became furious.
“You—”
Normally, once these Betas heard that the meat was being sent to the vanguards of the Reconnaissance Department, they would obediently hand it over.
But this little girl actually…
This was the first time he had seen such a disobedient Beta.
“This is the commander’s order,” the crew-cut guard said, completely out of patience. “Are you trying to defy it?”
The commander’s order?
When Shao Enzhuo heard this, she believed him even less.
Relief grain was originally used by the Hope Organization to help the people in the city. Logically speaking, they would not then send guards to take away the meat that had been distributed and hand it over to the Reconnaissance Department. If taking away the meat was Han Yilü’s order, then why distribute meat to people who needed food in the first place? And if the meat was taken away, what would people without food eat? Starve to death? For some reason, she believed that Han Yilü would not do something like this. The crew-cut guard’s words were truly not believable.
“I don’t want to defy anything,” Shao Enzhuo said, staring at the crew-cut guard with a dark expression. “I just don’t believe you.”
Hearing this, the crew-cut guard instantly flew into a rage.
He gritted his teeth and shoved Shao Enzhuo aside.
“Move. I still have to deliver meat to the Reconnaissance Department.”
“I don’t have time to waste arguing with you here.”
Shao Enzhuo was pushed off balance and staggered backward several steps, directly crashing into the edge of the wooden table. The bowl on the table was knocked over, rolled off, and fell to the floor. It shattered, spilling porridge all over the ground.
Seeing this, Shao Lanzhi panicked and quickly handed the meat in her hand to the crew-cut guard. Then she ran forward to support Shao Enzhuo and asked worriedly, “Zhuozhuo, are you alright, Zhuozhuo?”
“Wouldn’t it have been fine if you had handed over the meat earlier?” The crew-cut guard snorted coldly with the meat in hand. “You had to force me to get rough.”
After saying that, he left with the other guard.
“Grandma, why did you give him the meat?” Shao Enzhuo steadied herself and shouted toward the doorway, “Stop! What right do you have to take away the meat I received? Don’t leave! Stop!”
“Zhuozhuo, listen to Grandma. Don’t chase after them,” Shao Lanzhi said, reaching out to stop Shao Enzhuo, who was about to chase after the two guards. “Just let the guards take that piece of meat and leave.”
Shao Enzhuo really could not understand why Shao Lanzhi was letting the guards take the meat away just like that. She looked at Shao Lanzhi, who was blocking her, and asked, “Why let the guards take the meat? Isn’t this the relief grain the Hope Organization distributed to us?”
“It’s true that this is relief grain distributed to us, but what the guards said isn’t wrong either. The vanguards are clearing out walking corpses outside the city. It’s very dangerous and very hard. Let them take the meat and send it to the vanguards,” Shao Lanzhi said, grabbing Shao Enzhuo’s hand and trying to soothe her agitation. “Zhuozhuo, the vanguards are protecting us with their lives. They are desperately protecting this world full of walking corpses. We should give them the meat.”
Shao Enzhuo suddenly did not know what to say.
No matter how she thought about it, she could not understand why meat would be distributed to them if the Reconnaissance Department was short on meat. Did everyone who received relief grain today have to hand over the meat? Then what would happen to the people who lacked food? Were they really supposed to starve to death? If all this meat had to be taken back and given to the Reconnaissance Department, then what was the meaning of distributing relief grain? Was the Hope Organization distributing relief grain just for show?
She knew very well why Shao Lanzhi was willing to hand the meat over to the guards. Vanguards really did have it hard, but the guards taking the meat away went against the very purpose of distributing relief grain.
She believed that as the commander of a district, no matter how cold Han Yilü looked on the outside, she would not ignore whether people in the city who had no food lived or died. She was also willing to believe that the Hope Organization would not make mistakes in food distribution. At the very least, the vanguards who had to leave the city should not lack food. So where exactly was the problem?
There was a high possibility that the guards were lying.
This was truly headache-inducing.
After thinking it over, Shao Enzhuo could not help asking Shao Lanzhi, “Grandma, how long has it been going on, this matter of guards taking away meat?”
“Almost every time after relief grain is received, the guards come to the house and take the meat away,” Shao Lanzhi answered Shao Enzhuo truthfully. “In any case, the meat is being sent to the vanguards. The vanguards have it very hard, so just give it to them.”
“What? The guards come and take the meat almost every time after relief grain is received?” Shao Enzhuo frowned in disbelief. “Grandma, are you sure all the meat the guards took actually reached the vanguards?”
Taking the meat away every time was far too ridiculous.
How was she supposed to trust the guards?
“Zhuozhuo, the guards won’t lie to us. They will definitely take the meat to the vanguards,” Shao Lanzhi said, gently patting the back of Shao Enzhuo’s hand. Her expression was kind, and her tone was firm. “It’s alright if you lost your memory and forgot everything, but you must believe in the Hope Organization. The guards will never lie to us.”
Shao Enzhuo said, “But Grandma…”
Shao Lanzhi said, “Zhuozhuo, you must believe.”
Shao Enzhuo’s heart was extremely complicated.
She understood why Shao Lanzhi believed in the guards, but she truly could not believe them. Suddenly, she thought of something and strode toward the outside of the house.
“Grandma, I’m going out for a bit. I’ll be back later.”
“It’s so late, where are you going, Zhuozhuo?” Shao Lanzhi looked at Shao Enzhuo’s retreating figure. “Zhuozhuo!”
Unfortunately, Shao Enzhuo had already run far away.
“That child…”
—
The pitch-black night covered the entire Capital of Hope.
Moonlight poured down.
Facing the gentle evening breeze, Shao Enzhuo ran through the old streets and alleys as fast as she could. Before long, she ran into a residential building. In a rush, she charged up to the second floor and knocked on the door. Soon, Ren Qiruo came over and opened it.
“Ah Zhuo?”
Ren Qiruo looked at Shao Enzhuo in surprise.
“Why did you come to my house so late?”
“Did any guards come to your house?” Shao Enzhuo leaned against the wall, panting heavily as she spoke. At the same time, she raised her head and looked into Ren Qiruo’s home. “Is everything alright at your house?”
Ren Qiruo said, “Everything is fine at my house…”
Seeing that something seemed off with Shao Enzhuo, she asked, “No guards came to my house. Did something happen?”
“Just now, two guards came to my house and took away the meat I received at the farmers’ market today. They said they were going to send it to the vanguards of the Reconnaissance Department,” Shao Enzhuo said, slowly steadying her disordered breathing. “I thought they had gone to your house too.”
“So it was because of that? The guards came to our house last month and took the meat,” Ren Qiruo said as if she were talking about something completely ordinary, showing not the slightest surprise. “But they didn’t come to our house today.”
“…”
“You mean the guards came to your house last month and took away the meat you received?” Shao Enzhuo widened her eyes and asked in disbelief. “While your mother was bedridden?”
Ren Qiruo nodded. “Mm.”
“They also came to your house on the night of the day you received relief grain?” Incredulity flickered in Shao Enzhuo’s eyes. “And then took away the meat you received?”
“The guards said the Reconnaissance Department didn’t have enough meat, so they could only use the meat we received to make up for it,” Ren Qiruo answered calmly, as if speaking about something perfectly natural. “It’s dangerous for vanguards to leave the city and clear out walking corpses, and vanguards really do work especially hard, so…”
“Why would you give the meat to the guards? Your stepmother is sick, Ren Qiruo,” Shao Enzhuo said, feeling terribly uncomfortable after hearing this. “How could you give the meat to them?”
There was a trace of anger in her voice.
“Ah Zhuo… don’t be angry…” Ren Qiruo had not expected Shao Enzhuo to get so angry. “Every time the guards come to my house, we give it to them. This was also my mom’s decision.”
“Qiruo, the guards are lying to you!” Shao Enzhuo said, somewhat agitated, grabbing Ren Qiruo’s shoulders. “If the Reconnaissance Department really lacks meat, then why distribute relief grain to us? Since the relief grain was already distributed to us, why take the meat back? Is distributing relief grain just for show? Are the Reconnaissance Department and City Guard Department both putting on an act?”
“How can you say the Reconnaissance Department and City Guard Department are putting on an act?” Ren Qiruo also became somewhat angry after hearing Shao Enzhuo’s words. She would not allow anyone to view the Hope Organization this way. “Ah Zhuo, the guards and vanguards won’t lie to us. And the guards said this is the commander’s order. The commander wouldn’t lie to us either. Besides…”
Before she could finish speaking,
Shao Enzhuo turned and hurriedly ran downstairs.
Seeing this, Ren Qiruo quickly chased after her.
“Ah Zhuo! Where are you going?”
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