The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 598 Promise (The End)

Wang Gensheng said nothing, he remained silent.

He doesn't lie, but he chooses not to.

Xu Nuo could have chosen to ignore what Wang Gensheng was hiding earlier, but at this seemingly life-or-death moment, he found it hard to ignore it. He was almost ready to rush up and slap Wang Gensheng twice, asking him if he had cleared his head.

“Old Wang, I’m warning you, don’t ever think that your family can’t afford this money and you’re willing to risk your life for it. Let me tell you, your factory only pays high compensation for work-related injuries. As an accountant, and one who doesn’t handle any money, you’re unlikely to get a work-related injury. You’ll probably die for nothing.”

"Did you hear that?!" Xu Nuo pointed at Wang Gensheng, wishing she could poke her finger into his eye.

“I know,” Wang Gensheng said in a muffled voice.

"You'd better really know." Xu Nuo withdrew her hand, giving Wang Gensheng a look of exasperation. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you hiding something from me?"

“When I went to your office last time, I felt something was off about you. Were you being ostracized by your department? No, your department must be crazy to ostracize you. Without you, they would have to do all the work.”

"Was it Director Liu from the labor union who arranged the blind date for you, and the person you were supposed to meet rejected you because your family is poor?"

"It's not that bad. It's not like this is the first time you've been rejected by a blind date."

"Or have I been involved in some rumors that have dragged you down? No, my parents have cut off my allowance recently, so I haven't had the opportunity to spread any new rumors."

Qin Huai really wanted to say that some brothers, yes, some of them, are always the center of public opinion, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, except that the content of that public opinion is usually not good news.

Seeing that Wang Gensheng still didn't react, Xu Nuo plopped down on his bed and said, "Old Wang, you have a problem."

"Is it right or wrong? Just say yes or no."

Wang Gensheng remained silent for more than ten seconds, then whispered, "Yes."

"Is it a big deal, or not?"

"Yes."

"Are you unwilling to tell me, because you're afraid I'll ruin your plans, or is it that you don't want to tell anyone?"

Wang Gensheng fell into a long silence again. Xu Nuo was very experienced with Wang Gensheng's silence, so she sat on the bed staring at him and calmly said, "If you don't talk, I'll just wait here for you to talk. I'll leave when you do. Anyway, there's only one bed in your dorm, so you can't sleep while I'm sitting here. If you're so capable, then keep me up all night. You won't sleep tonight, and you'll go to work at the factory tomorrow. We'll keep going like this every day, and I guarantee you'll die from sleep deprivation in two or three days. That would really be considered a work-related injury."

Wang Gensheng remained silent.

Xu Nuo sat calmly on the bed, but then found it too boring to just sit there. So he got up and gave the red silk cake he had brought to Wang Gensheng. Wang Gensheng took it and put it on the table. He picked up the red silk cake wrapped in oil paper, unwrapped the oil paper, and started eating it by himself.

Red silk cakes are essentially filled shortbreads, and they are sweet, making them a standard high-sugar, high-oil, high-calorie baked dessert.

The red silk mooncakes that Xu Nuo made were not big, a bit bigger than ordinary fresh meat mooncakes, and much flatter. He stuffed one into his mouth and bit off more than half of it, and the flaky crust fell to the ground.

The filling is indeed rose petal filling; Qin Huai could clearly see the candied rose petals inside the red silk cake. The candied rose petals and fresh rose petals, when used as filling and baked, produce different colors.

It's quite normal to promise to use candied roses, since fresh roses are probably more expensive than candied roses these days.

Qin Huai's attention was entirely focused on the red silk cake that Xu Nuo was holding.

Judging from the red silk cake itself, this pastry is indeed very well made. You can tell it was made fresh that day, the pastry chef's skill in making the pastry is quite good, the pastry is in a very good state, and the filling seems to be candied rose petals mixed with jam, and it seems that a little pine nut was also added, a standard sweet filling.

It really has nothing to do with flower cakes, nor much to do with fresh meat mooncakes. Of course, Qin Huai believes it has nothing to do with red silk cakes either; it's probably a dessert created by Xu Nuo, just given the name of red silk cakes.

To be able to make such original pastries, Xu Nuo Bai An's skills are quite good, at least better than Qin Huai had imagined.

Xu Nuo unceremoniously ate half a bag of red silk cakes in front of Wang Gensheng, and after finishing, she didn't even issue a disclaimer: "I haven't made red silk cakes in a long time. Today was a trial. Isn't the Mid-Autumn Festival in three days? I know the cotton mill will give out mooncakes, but every year they only give out vegetarian mooncakes, and only one each. I'll make another batch of red silk cakes then, and you can eat them as mooncakes."

“Old Wang, say something. Why don’t you respond to anything I say? Do you know how hard it is for me to get the ingredients for making red silk cakes? I have to go to the countryside to collect them. If you don’t say anything, you won’t get any on Mid-Autumn Festival. I’ll give your share to Xu Mo.”

Wang Gensheng finally spoke: "Tomorrow I will file a formal complaint with the factory director against our section chief, as well as some other leaders whose specific identities I do not know, for embezzling and reselling factory materials."

"I have compiled all the accounts and plan to go to your house before work tomorrow to submit the materials to the factory manager."

“My section chief threatened me, saying he would kill me if I reported him.”

Is this considered a work-related injury?

Promise: ? ? ?
Qin Huai: ? ? ?
Qin Huai was stunned, and Xu Nuo was also stunned.

Xu Nuo didn't even swallow the half-eaten red silk cake in her mouth; she almost choked to death.

"You're going to do something this big tomorrow, and all you care about is whether getting killed counts as a work injury?!" Xu Nuo almost lost control of his voice, but he managed to keep it down, so it was just a soft scream.

Xu Nuo silently wrapped up the remaining red silk cakes: "Do you have a lot of materials to give to my dad?"

“They’re all here.” Wang Gensheng pulled out a few sheets of paper from the table. “These are the parts of the accounts I’ve compiled that have obvious problems. There are also many details that I haven’t had time to calculate.”

Seeing that there were only a few sheets of paper, Xu Nuo grabbed them, glanced at them, and realized he couldn't understand them. He folded them up and stuffed them into his pants pocket: "Are you stupid? Running to my house first thing in the morning to hand in the report to my dad. When my dad investigates thoroughly, even an idiot will know that you reported it."

“As soon as the factory manager starts a thorough investigation, they will all know that I was the one who reported it,” Wang Gensheng said.

Xu Nuo: "...My dad isn't stupid. How could he openly start investigating? My dad has long suspected that there are problems with the factory's accounts. He has mentioned it to my mom several times during meals at home. Otherwise, my mom wouldn't have agreed to my dad putting so much money into the factory during this period."

"Alright, don't worry about it. I'll submit this material for you. It will be considered a real report by you. If it's really investigated, the reward is yours. I thought it was a big deal. Why are you making such a fuss over something like this?"

"Your immediate priority is to sell the prescription I gave you. It's not easy to investigate this kind of thing; it might take a year or two to find out. Your bonus won't come in that quickly. Sell the prescription first, and you can pay me back when your bonus comes in."

"Let's avoid seeing each other for a while to avoid suspicion. As for the red silk cakes for Mid-Autumn Festival... go to the state-run restaurant to pick them up. I'll deliver the red silk cakes to Master Jing that day. You should eat something good for the festival. Go to the state-run restaurant and buy two steamed buns and a baozi. I'll ask Master Jing to secretly slip the red silk cakes to you along with them."

"That's it, I'm leaving first."

After saying that, Xu Nuo stood up, threw the wrapped oil paper package on the table, and prepared to leave.

Wang Gensheng didn't stop Xu Nuo, but looked at her and said, "Our section chief said that if I told you about this, you'd run away faster than anyone else and wouldn't care."

Xu Nuo scoffed, "He's afraid you'll report him, so of course he has to say that."

“You don’t have to worry about it,” Wang Gensheng said. “It’s my business if I want to report it. I know the section chief is threatening me, and I know he’s serious.”

“They’re doing things that warrant execution. If I report them, they’ll kill me.”

"It's my business to report this; I don't want to involve other people."

Xu Nuo turned around and looked at Wang Gensheng with a smile: "What's this about being implicated? My dad is the factory director. Isn't it normal for someone to ask me to submit a report to him? Your section chief has threatened you like this, and you still want to report him. You're not even afraid of death, so what do I have to be afraid of?"

“I’m afraid of dying,” Wang Gensheng said. “But I’m an accountant, and if I find a problem, I have to speak up. Helping them falsify accounts is falsifying accounts, and knowing they are falsifying accounts but concealing it is also falsifying accounts.”

Xu Nuo's smile deepened, and there was even a hint of envy in his eyes: "Old Wang, you will succeed."

"what?"

"Remember to sell the child."

After saying that, Xu Nuo left.

After Xu Nuo left, Wang Gensheng put the red silk cake into the cupboard, sat blankly on the bed for a while, blew out the kerosene lamp, and lay down to sleep.

In the following days, Wang Gensheng continued to work and work overtime as usual.

Everyone in the department seemed normal. The department head maintained his smug satisfaction at dragging his favorite young colleagues down with him, envisioning them becoming accomplices in the same corrupt ways. Colleagues happily slacked off at work, dumping tasks on Wang Gensheng and casually discussing what Mid-Autumn Festival benefits the factory would provide, wondering if the benefits would be cut since the factory's profits were far lower than in previous years.

This pleasant atmosphere continued until the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Well-informed colleagues had already found out about the Mid-Autumn Festival benefits when they arrived at work in the morning. They weren't great: one vegetarian mooncake, two bath tickets, and three eggs for each person, and that was it.

"What's going on this year? Even if our factory is not doing well, it's still better than other factories. I heard that the coal mine is giving out canned meat."

"Canned meat? The coal mine made a fortune?"

"I'm not expecting canned meat for the Mid-Autumn Festival. At least give me some flawed cloth, which I can exchange for something. Giving me just two bath tickets and three eggs? Who are you trying to fool?"

"Still issuing defective fabric? I've never heard of that. The factory manager said the factory is going to reform, and defective fabric can be sold off at a low price to generate revenue. We won't be issuing defective fabric anymore."

"That works too, but it would be even better to just give them the money directly."

"What are you thinking? Paying money? It's good enough if we can pay wages normally. Look at the silk weaving factory, they haven't paid wages normally this year."

"That's true, life is tough for everyone."

While his colleagues were complaining to each other, the section chief, sipping hot tea, strolled over to Wang Gensheng. Seeing that Wang Gensheng was still engrossed in his work, frantically pressing the calculator without moving, he chuckled and said, "Little Wang, it's Mid-Autumn Festival today. It's not good for you to be alone in the dormitory. Why don't you come to my house for dinner tonight?"

Upon hearing what the section chief said, all the colleagues looked at Wang Gensheng with a collective "Holy crap!" in their eyes, shocked that Wang Gensheng had become so close to the section chief.

Wang Gensheng looked up stiffly, not daring to meet the section chief's gaze, and said in a low voice, "Section Chief, there's a lot of work to do today, I have to work overtime."

The section chief smiled, taking it as Wang Gensheng's last stand to save face, and continued, "No work on Sundays, would you be free to come to my house for a meal?"

Just as Wang Gensheng was about to refuse again, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and a young man whom Qin Huai had never seen before, dressed in cotton mill worker's overalls, rushed in breathlessly and asked in a very urgent tone, "Is Accountant Wang Gensheng here?"

“Yes, that’s me.” Wang Gensheng stood up.

"Come with me to the hospital quickly, Xu Nuo is dying, he wants to see you before he dies." The young man ran forward, grabbed Wang Gensheng, and tried to run out.

Wang Gensheng was stunned.

Completely stunned, my entire body, from movements to expressions, was frozen. The young man dragged me outside, my body running, my soul adrift.

It wasn't until he ran out of the cotton mill that Wang Gensheng's mind returned to normal, and he stammered, "Xu...Xu Nuo, what...what happened?"

Wang Gensheng's reaction was within the young man's expectations. The young man did not slow down, but continued to pull Wang Gensheng forward, panting as he ran, saying, "He was hit by a truck. The doctor said that unless he is transferred to a hospital in Nanjing or the provincial capital, he will not survive."

He specifically asked to see you.

Wang Gensheng was dragged along by the young man all the way to the hospital. The hospital was not far from the cotton mill, and the whole trip took only seven or eight minutes.

When the young man brought Wang Gensheng into the ward, he was experiencing a double breakdown, both physically and mentally.

He was still in a daze, accepting the fact that Xu Nuo had been hit by a car, but not the fact that Xu Nuo was going to die. Because his body hadn't been active for a long time, coupled with the sudden high-intensity running, he was already a little unsteady when he reached the door of the ward. The moment he entered the ward, Wang Gensheng knelt down on the ground.

Xu Nuo lay on the bed, her lips pale, and blood that could not be covered was still seeping through the blankets and sheets. When she saw Wang Gensheng arrive, Xu Nuo waved to the young man, who walked out with a sorrowful expression, not forgetting to close the door behind him.

Xu Nuo seemed to be in a good mental state, but unfortunately this was not a recovery after surgery, but rather a final burst of energy before his death.

Xu Nuo chuckled as she looked at Wang Gensheng lying on the ground.

"I feel like you're the one who's going to die compared to me."

Qin Huai stood at the door of the ward. Wang Gensheng probably didn't notice him before the door was closed, but Qin Huai saw Director Xu, his wife, and Shi Dadan crying at the door.

As soon as Xu Nuo spoke, Wang Gensheng seemed to have completely merged his soul with his body. He struggled to get up from the ground, gripping the edge of the bed, not daring to touch Xu Nuo.

Why don't you have surgery?

"Didn't Xiao Liu tell you? My internal organs were ruptured and I was bleeding heavily. The hospital gave me an emergency blood transfusion, which is why I'm still alive. Although I don't feel anything now, I know that when people are in extreme pain, especially when they are about to die, they don't feel anything."

"Even surgery can't save him, so I might as well leave a few last words."

"Yes or no……"

"Don't speak, let me speak. I can't say more than a few words."

“I told my dad that I must see you before I die, so that you won’t think that you killed me.”

“They’re out of their minds. They’ll kill me if they don’t kill you. The problem is with them, not you.” Xu Nuo took a heavy breath, his face contorted. “Damn, why am I starting to feel pain?”

“Wang Gensheng, if you really think I was killed by you, then remember this: don’t let my death be meaningless. You’re an accountant; you’ll definitely find out a lot of problems. From now on, even more people will threaten you. If you compromise, my death will have been in vain.”

"Remember this, Wang Gensheng? If you ever falsify accounts again, I will die in vain. You did nothing wrong. If you back down or become weak, I will despise you. Even as a ghost, I will despise you."

"Did you remember?" Xu Nuo asked through gritted teeth.

"I remember!" Wang Gensheng cried silently as he spoke, his emotions completely collapsing and wishing he could curl up beside Xu Nuo's hospital bed. "I will investigate the accounts thoroughly. Even if I have to hide in the mountains to investigate the accounts, I will avenge you."

"I don't have time to talk to you. Call my dad in. I need to talk to him."

Unable to stand, Wang Gensheng practically tumbled and crawled to open the door, scrambled out of the ward, and called out to Factory Director Xu, "Factory Director, Xu..."

Factory Director Xu wiped away his tears, ran into the ward, and closed the door.

Wang Gensheng leaned against the wall, curled up, and burst into tears.

Qin Huai was still standing in the ward.

He looked at Xu Nuo on the bed.

Xu Nuo was probably really going to die. He was grimacing in pain, and the effects of the adrenaline were starting to wear off. Fresh blood was now clearly seeping from the sheets that had previously only shown traces of blood. He must have pulled on the barely bandaged and stitched wound while he was grimacing.

"Dad." Xu Nuo forced a smile, but it was a grotesque one.

Factory Director Xu tried to force a smile, but it was fake; it wasn't a smile at all.

"I'm dying."

"Don't say that." Director Xu wanted to touch his son's face, but in the end he chose to hold his hand.

"I have a secret to tell you."

"I am not human, I am a reincarnated spirit. I have memories of my previous lives, but some things are not very clear."

"So I was born knowing how to read and I was born knowing how to make desserts."

"But I probably won't remember that I was a spirit in my next life."

“Xu Mo is also a clever fellow. He’s not very good at being human. Dad, please take good care of him for me.”

"Old Wang is a good man, Dad, don't blame him. Please help me urge him to be a good accountant."

“Dad, if I remember you in my next life, I will come to find you. I had a wonderful mother before, but I’m sorry, Mom, she wasn’t the best mother I had, but you are the best father I have.”

"Don't be sad, I'm not dead, I'm just reincarnated."

"Wait……"

Qin Huai has left behind her memories.

(End of this chapter)