Another woman from a neighboring household came out and chimed in, "Exactly! I've never seen anyone so shameless. They're not even employees of the Public Security Bureau, yet they insist on staying in our staff housing. A few bad apples really do spoil the whole barrel!"
Hearing these deliberate taunts, Gu Hai's grandmother pretended not to hear them. She glared fiercely at the women before turning around and going back inside.
Meanwhile, after coming downstairs, Gu Hai took the young man to a quiet corner to talk.
"Brother Hai, all the goods we collected this time have already been delivered to your place. There's quite a lot this time—do you want us to get a few more people to help you take them to the recycling station tomorrow?"
Gu Hai replied, "No need. The fewer people involved in our exchange with the recycling station, the better. Your main task right now is to collect as many old items as possible—the older, the better. Everything else stays the same."
The young man nodded. "Got it, Brother Hai. We'll follow your lead."
After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Brother Hai, do you need us to deal with your uncle's family? Their reputation in the compound is terrible. The guys have wanted to teach them a lesson for a long time…"
"No," Gu Hai refused. "I've already cut ties with them. It's best not to get involved anymore. How they live has nothing to do with me, and how I live has nothing to do with them."
"If they dare to provoke me, I'll handle it myself."
As he spoke, Gu Hai patted the young man's shoulder. "Wenbing, during this period, you should focus on collecting old items as much as possible. At the same time, don't neglect your studies."
At the mention of studying, the young man's face fell. He groaned as if struck by a heavy blow. "Brother Hai, have mercy on us! If we were capable of studying properly, would we still be wandering the streets like this? My dad is a department head in the Public Security Bureau—if I could study, I'd have already passed the exams and gotten an official position!"
"Brother Hai, we're not like you. You used to rank first in exams every year—you were the top student in our class. Guys like me and Gouzi were always at the bottom. Asking us to study is like asking a rooster to lay eggs—it's impossible!"
Gu Hai fell silent for a second, then said, "Actually, roosters can lay eggs."
The young man was stunned. "What? Roosters can lay eggs? Who said that?"
Gu Hai opened his mouth, intending to explain, but seeing the young man's expression, he felt there was no point.
Everyone has their own way of living. He couldn't force others to change their mindset—he could only stay true to himself.
Smiling faintly, Gu Hai said, "It doesn't matter. Do as you like. Life is short—just live happily."
After all, to Su Wenbing and Gouzi, everything was more important than studying.
Hearing this, the young man felt instantly relieved. "Brother Hai, you're really educated—everything you say just sounds so comforting!"
"Alright, I'll keep collecting goods. I'll come find you in a few days. Take care on your way home, Brother Hai. See you later!"
After finishing his conversation with Su Wenbing, Gu Hai returned home.
---
The next morning, Gu Hai loaded seven or eight sacks of scrap onto a handcart and transported them to the recycling station.
At this time, Su Yun had just arrived. She had bought two bananas from the system supermarket—she ate one herself and saved the other for Gu Hai.
When she saw him enter, she hurried over to help, but Gu Hai immediately stopped her. "Comrade Xiao Su, don't bother—I'll handle it myself."
With swift movements, he unloaded all the sacks and stacked them beside the counter.
Su Yun picked up the banana and handed it to him, asking curiously, "Comrade Gu Hai, where did you find so many old items?"
Gu Hai wiped the sweat from his forehead and cleaned his hands on his clothes before taking the banana. "Others helped collect them. See if they can be exchanged."
He held the banana in his hand, reluctant to eat it.
Meanwhile, Su Yun bent down and opened one of the sacks. She reached inside and rummaged through several items before finally hearing a notification—
"Ding! Detected: Tang Dynasty covered bowl, well-preserved. Recycling price: 180. Sell?"
Her eyes lit up. She continued searching, and after a few more items, she heard more system prompts:
"Ding! Detected: Song Dynasty official kiln porcelain, minor flaws. Recycling price: 350."
"Ding! Detected: Western Han figurine of the 'Ageless Elder,' well-preserved. Recycling price: 600."
"Ding! …"
After a series of notifications rang in her mind, Su Yun quickly estimated that the items Gu Hai brought this time were worth at least over 3,000 yuan!
This time, she didn't skim anything off the top. She immediately said to him, "Comrade Gu Hai, I think my friend will definitely like these items. Think carefully about what you want in exchange."
Without hesitation, Gu Hai replied, "I want to exchange them for a bicycle."
In those days, buying a bicycle required a ration ticket. Gu Hai didn't have one, so even if he had enough money, he couldn't buy one.
He could have asked someone for help, but he didn't want to trouble others.
Ever since Su Yun had managed to get Su Wenshan a bicycle without a ticket, Gu Hai had been thinking about it.
Su Yun nodded. "That's fine. What else do you want besides the bicycle?"
Gu Hai paused, not expecting the value of the goods to exceed the price of a bicycle.
He then said, "Comrade Xiao Su, you can decide the rest. I still want supplies."
Su Yun readily agreed.
After handling this matter, Gu Hai said, "Comrade Xiao Su, last night I took your gifts to Uncle Sun. He agreed to help and said everything should be arranged by next Wednesday at the latest. At that time, just have your cousin report directly to the Public Security Bureau."
Today was Saturday—so that meant just three days later.
Su Yun's mood instantly brightened. "Comrade Gu Hai, thank you so much! I happen to have a day off tomorrow, so I'll go tell my cousin then. Once everything is settled, I'll properly thank you!"
Gu Hai smiled shyly. "No need. Aren't we good friends? You don't have to be so polite."
"That won't do. Even between close brothers, accounts should be clear! Precisely because we're good comrades, I have to thank you properly. I can't let you help me for nothing!"
Gu Hai wanted to say that he was more than happy to help her for free, but seeing her serious expression, he changed the subject. "Comrade Xiao Su, shall we study physics today?"
Su Yun: "…"
Why did such bad news come so suddenly?
Physics was her weakest subject—this was torture!
With a bitter expression, she reluctantly took out her first-year high school physics textbook and quietly encouraged herself, "Su Yun, you can do it. For Peking University—keep going!"
Hearing this, Gu Hai couldn't help but want to laugh, but to avoid being noticed, he forced himself to hold it in. His handsome, sharply defined face was almost twisting from the effort!
After a full day of work and study, Su Yun got off work and arranged with Gu Hai to come to the recycling station the next evening to collect the supplies. Then the two of them went home separately.