Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 6 Encounter with a family on their way to Hong Kong

As soon as Lin Zhou climbed over the steel mill's wall, he immediately hid at the base of the wall. Sure enough, just as Lin Zhou was hidden, several beams of flashlight swept over, and there were a few indistinct conversations. Only when the voices gradually faded away did Lin Zhou dare to straighten up and pat the dust off his trousers.

Lin Zhou walked slowly along the wall, his mind a jumble of thoughts. His home had been occupied, he had no food coupons or cloth coupons, he dared not go to the neighborhood committee, and they couldn't even get a basic letter of introduction.

In this era where everything requires tickets and certificates, he was like a ghost without an identity. Even if he had money, he couldn't buy a hot meal or a piece of clothing to cover himself.

"I have no choice but to go south." Lin Zhou gritted his teeth, the idea that had long been budding in his mind becoming clearer and clearer: keep heading south, passing through layers of checkpoints, to Hong Kong. At least there, he could use his memories from his later life to find a way to survive.

Having made up his mind, Lin Zhou quickened his pace, deliberately choosing to walk through alleys without streetlights. He walked for about half an hour before finally stopping in an abandoned courtyard. The place reeked of mold and dust, and several bundles of dry straw were piled in the corner, making it a good place to hide temporarily.

Lin Zhou looked around, then quickly slipped behind the haystack. With a thought, he vanished from his spot and entered his portable house.

Lin Zhou went into the bedroom, pulled a thick coat from the closet and put it on, then took a few pieces of chocolate from the drawer and stuffed them into his pocket. He knew that going to the black market in the middle of the night was quite risky, and he had to be in top condition.

After a satisfying meal at the restaurant and spending about two hours on the sofa, Lin Zhou estimated it was almost ten o'clock—the black market usually started to get lively around this time. On a whim, he returned to his room in the dilapidated courtyard. As soon as he pushed open the door, a blast of icy rain lashed down on him, causing Lin Zhou to shiver involuntarily.

"This awful weather," he muttered under his breath, quickly retreating back into the house. With a thought, he retrieved a folding umbrella from his storage space. He had bought this umbrella specifically after renovating the house; its sturdy canopy could cover most of his body when opened. He opened the umbrella and stepped back into the rain. The raindrops pattered against the umbrella, their sound particularly clear in the quiet night.

Lin Zhou was fairly familiar with the road to the black market. In the past, when he was short of food, he would occasionally come here with his neighbors to exchange for some scarce items. He walked quickly along the alley, raindrops dripping from the edge of his umbrella and forming small puddles at his feet. After walking for about ten minutes, he turned a corner, and suddenly a small Western-style building appeared in front of him.

This Western-style building stood out conspicuously among the surrounding low bungalows, with light gray walls and exquisitely carved iron bars on the windows. Lin Zhou originally intended to walk right past it, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a truck parked in front of the building, with several people in raincoats busy loading things onto it.

The items were wrapped tightly in cloth, obscuring their contents, but judging from the way the men were struggling, they must have been quite heavy. Lin Zhou was puzzled—why would anyone be in such a hurry to move things in the middle of the night, especially on a rainy day?

He was about to take a second look when suddenly a voice rang out: "Stop!"

Lin Zhou's heart tightened, and he subconsciously stopped in his tracks. Two men strode quickly from beside the truck, blocking him at the corner from both sides. These two men were wearing green raincoats, were tall, and had expressionless faces, their sharp eyes fixed on Lin Zhou as if scrutinizing some suspicious person.

"Who are you? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" the man on the left asked in a low, wary voice.

Lin Zhou tightened his grip on the umbrella handle, his mind racing. He knew he couldn't panic now; showing weakness could lead to even bigger trouble. He raised his head, trying to keep his tone calm: "I was just passing by."

"Just passing by?" The man on the right sneered. "I bet you're here to keep watch, aren't you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the two men took a step closer, their hands stealthily reaching for their waists—Lin Zhou could see the bulges on their waists, as if they were hiding weapons. His heart sank; he knew he couldn't avoid this today. He took a step back without making a sound, his other hand quietly reaching into his pocket. With a thought, a thick iron rod appeared in his hand.

Just as tensions were running high, another person emerged from the mansion. This man, probably in his forties, wore a dark green raincoat with a hood, and had a serious expression. He walked over to the two bodyguards, his gaze falling on Lin Zhou, his brows furrowing slightly.

The moment Lin Zhou's gaze fell upon this person's face, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and instinctively called out the name: "Lou Zhenhua?"

These words stunned not only the two bodyguards, but also Lou Zhenhua himself. He looked Lin Zhou up and down, his eyes full of surprise: "You know me?"

Lin Zhou's heart skipped a beat. He realized he was in trouble. How could he have forgotten that in his current identity, there was no way he could possibly know Lou Zhenhua? Lou Zhenhua was a character from a TV series in Lin Zhou's previous life. He had a pretty good impression of this capitalist who was obsessed with going to Hong Kong when he watched the show. But now, he couldn't very well say, "I'm from another time, and I've seen you in a TV series," could he?

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Lin Zhou's back, and his hand gripping the iron rod trembled slightly. He frantically searched his mind for anyone who could be connected to Lou Zhenhua, and suddenly, a name popped into his head—Lin Dahai. That was his father, a businessman in the past, who might have actually dealt with Lou Zhenhua. Although he wasn't as big as Lou Zhenhua, he wasn't far behind.

Lin Zhou composed himself, forced a smile, and tried to make his tone sound natural: "Mr. Lou, you may not remember me. I am Lin Dahai's son, Lin Zhou. I attended your banquet with my father before, and you even spoke a few words to me."

Lou Zhenhua's brows gradually relaxed upon hearing the name "Lin Dahai." He didn't know which banquet he had seen Lin Zhou at, but he definitely knew Lin Dahai. He thought for a moment and nodded, "Oh, I remember now, Lin Dahai, right? He used to own a fabric shop in Dongdan, right?"

"Yes, yes, that's my dad." Lin Zhou nodded quickly, relieved. It seemed the lie had been covered up.

Having confirmed Lin Zhou's identity, Lou Zhenhua gave the two bodyguards a look, and they took two steps back, still keeping a wary eye on Lin Zhou. Lou Zhenhua looked at Lin Zhou and asked suspiciously, "What are you doing here alone so late? And carrying an iron rod?"

Lin Zhou glanced at the iron rod in his hand, quickly hid it behind his back, and said with a wry smile, "Mr. Lou, to be honest, I have no choice. My father left the mainland during the public-private partnership period, and the family shop is gone. A few days ago, I ran away from the place where I was sent down to the countryside, and now I don't even have a place to live. I heard that someone on the black market knows a way to get to Hong Kong, so I thought I'd come over in the middle of the night to ask and see if I could find a way to survive."

As he spoke, he observed Lou Zhenhua's expression. Sure enough, upon hearing the words "go to Hong Kong," Lou Zhenhua's eyes visibly changed. He paused for a moment, then glanced at the bodyguard beside him, and then at the things still being unloaded from the car, before suddenly saying to Lin Zhou, "You want to find a way to get to Hong Kong? Perfect timing, we're going to Hong Kong too. If you don't mind, come with us."

Lin Zhou's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He had been thinking about how to strike up a conversation with Lou Zhenhua and get him to join him, but Lou Zhenhua had unexpectedly invited him. It was truly a case of finding something without even trying.

"Really? Mr. Lou, thank you so much!" Lin Zhou said excitedly, almost forgetting that he was still holding the iron rod.

Lou Zhenhua smiled and said, "We're all traveling together, so it's only right that we help each other out. But you have to promise me that you'll follow my arrangements on the road and that nothing can go wrong. The road to Hong Kong is difficult, and if anything goes wrong, none of us will survive."

"Don't worry, Mr. Lou, I will definitely follow your arrangements and will not cause you any trouble!" Lin Zhou quickly assured him. He knew that Lou Zhenhua's willingness to take him along was already a great favor, and he couldn't be ungrateful.

Lou Zhenhua nodded and said to one of his bodyguards, "Put away his iron bar first, then take him to the car and wait for a while. We'll leave once we've finished moving our things."