Chapter 176
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The red toothbrush cup was likely his mother’s because she wore a red dress. As for the other two toothbrush cups, was the blue one his, or was it the green one?
Lou Yan’s gaze swept over the other items. Besides the toothbrush cups and towels, essential cleaning supplies such as shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste, and even the hand soap on the countertop were all in sets of three.
Lou Yan had a gut feeling that using the wrong one could lead to terrible consequences.
The only comforting thing was that although these items came in sets of three, they were all color-coded in red, green, and blue. As long as Lou Yan found the right color, he could use everything correctly.
Lou Yan continued to carefully search for useful information, hoping to find something similar to “bathroom rules.” Finally, he found a soggy piece of paper inside the toilet tank cover.
Lou Yan sat on the toilet and unfolded the paper. The words on it were somewhat blurred due to being soaked, but still readable.
“Bathroom Rules.”
“1. Personal hygiene must be maintained at home. Brushing teeth and washing up are required in the morning and before bed. Father’s brushing time is 7-8 a.m., mother’s is 8-9 a.m., and the child’s is 9-10 a.m. In the evening, father’s brushing time is 7-8 p.m., the child’s is 8-9 p.m., and mother’s is 9-10 p.m.”
“2. Apart from brushing time, no one is allowed to enter the bathroom. The bathroom must be kept absolutely clean.”
“3. Each person must use their own toiletries and cannot use others’ belongings.”
“4. Mother dislikes blue, son dislikes red, father dislikes green.”
So many rules.
Lou Yan firmly remembered these rules, focusing on the last sentence.
Mother dislikes blue, so her color is either red or green. Father dislikes green, so his color is either red or blue, while his color is either green or blue.
Recalling his mother’s red dress and his father’s inconspicuous deep blue shirt cuffs, Lou Yan confidently picked up the green toothbrush cup from the washbasin.
He squeezed green toothpaste onto the green toothbrush until he finished brushing his teeth without any other incidents. Lou Yan was completely reassured.
He spent five minutes carefully cleaning himself and half an hour restoring the bathroom to its previous state of cleanliness. Thanks to Li Sanxin’s OCD and cleanliness obsession, Lou Yan had seen Li Sanxin cleaning so many times that, although he was not used to it, he still managed to clean properly.
“Little Yan, come out for dinner.”
Mother Lou called softly from outside the door.
Lou Yan put away the cleaning tools, washed his hands again, wiped away the splashes of water on the sink, and then opened the door to walk out. “I’m coming.”
Mother Lou glanced at the appearance of the bathroom, smiled in satisfaction, and said, “Little Yan cleaned the bathroom very well. Mom is very happy. Remember to keep it like this next time.”
Lou Yan smiled and nodded, “I know, Mom.”
The dining table was full of dishes, including rice porridge, shrimp dumplings, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and eggs.
Father Lou and mother started eating first, only picking up the food in front of them. They chewed without making a sound, and there was hardly any clinking of bowls and chopsticks. Lou Yan also noticed a detail: their chewing speed and frequency were almost identical.
Not only did they eat like this, but they also demanded Lou Yan to eat the same way. If Lou Yan’s chopsticks accidentally hit the bowl or his chewing frequency was off, Father Lou and mother would stop eating and stare straight at him until he resumed the “correct” etiquette.
Lou Yan endured the meal with patience, matching his chewing speed and frequency with his parents’. Even the most delicious food tasted bland under the mechanical consumption, like eating wax, barely enough to fill his stomach.
What kind of paradise was this? Lou Yan felt like this place was like a small box, suffocating him.
After dinner, Father Lou and mother prepared to go out to work. Before leaving, Mother Lou cleaned up the dishes and utensils in the kitchen, touched Lou Yan’s head, and reminded him, “Lunch is in the refrigerator. You can take it out and heat it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. Don’t wash the dishes. I’ll come back to wash them after work.”
Lou Yan nodded, indicating that he understood.
Father Lou lifted the briefcase and solemnly said to Lou Yan, “Little Yan, it’s time for you to start looking for a job too. After we leave, go out and look around. If you find a suitable job, go for an interview. If you haven’t found a job within two days, people from the neighborhood disciplinary committee will come knocking on our door.”
Mother Lou also showed a worried and anxious expression, “Little Yan, your dad is right. You must find a job as soon as possible. It wouldn’t be good if people from the neighborhood disciplinary committee come looking for you. Old Lou, does your unit still have any vacancies for Little Yan to work?”
Father Lou’s stern face also showed a hint of worry, “My unit… sigh, I’ll go ask today. You can also inquire at your place. Little Yan’s matter needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.”
Lou Yan never expected to see the day when his “parents” would worry about finding him a job. He keenly sensed the key points in their conversation.
If he couldn’t find a job, the neighborhood disciplinary committee would come knocking, and from the tone of Father Lou and mother, this neighborhood disciplinary committee seemed like a dangerous and terrifying department.
Lou Yan nodded again, calmly saying, “Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I’ll go out today and see if I can find a job. Is there anything else you want to tell me?”
Father Lou and mother glanced at each other and then spoke to Lou Yan, “If you see people handing out flyers outside, never take their flyers. Don’t engage too much with others in the neighborhood. If you encounter neighborhood workers wearing blue uniforms, you can seek help from them. But if you encounter neighborhood workers wearing red uniforms, immediately lower your head and run away! Do you remember?”
Lou Yan repeated the words in his mind and nodded slowly.
If he didn’t ask actively, Father Lou and mother wouldn’t have told him these things. Although this place was called a Paradise, one couldn’t forget that it was a strange place full of traps.
After saying these things, Father Lou and mother prepared to leave. When Father Lou opened the door, Lou Yan keenly noticed that there were four words printed on the upper right corner of his father’s briefcase: Victory Factory.
Lou Yan’s eyes narrowed, instantly thinking of the packaging bag on the message bottle also bearing the words “victory.”
Maintaining a calm demeanor, he bid farewell to his parents. After they entered the elevator, Lou Yan secretly followed them out of the house. Father Lou and mother didn’t notice at all. They parted ways at the entrance of the neighborhood, with Father Lou heading east, and Lou Yan decisively following him.
The streets here looked normal, just like in real life, with everyone hurrying to work. Many shops were open, but Lou Yan noticed that these shops were mostly for job hunting and matchmaking. The largest number of shops were for job hunting and matchmaking, followed by supermarkets and restaurants. Lou Yan also noticed a detail: most of the shop signs had the words “victory” on them.
“Victory Factory Sponsorship,” “Victory Factory Highly Recommended,” “Victory Factory Investment Construction”… The words “Victory Factory” appeared frequently on the street.
Lou Yan pondered for a moment, then took out his neighborhood access card from his pocket. On the back of the access card, he found the sentence he was looking for: Victory Community (Phase I Employee Community under Victory Factory).
Victory Factory…
Lou Yan put the access card back in his pocket, lost in thought.
This factory was obviously the leader of various industries in this Paradise, with great power, dominating people’s daily lives. If the Anomaly Lord really existed in this Paradise, then the Victory Factory was likely the tool used by the Anomaly Lord to control this place.
In other words, the Anomaly Lord was very likely in the Victory Factory.
Father Lou led Lou Yan out of the bustling street and gradually arrived at the outskirts of the city with fewer people. Finally, they stopped in front of a spacious factory gate.
In front of the factory, there was a rugged boulder with bright red words written on it: Victory Factory.
Lou Yan hid under a tree about fifty meters away, squinting his eyes to watch as the security guard meticulously inspected Father Lou’s body and the contents of his briefcase.
The security guard was burly, as strong as a black bear. Father Lou, who was not short, looked pitifully small compared to the security guard. The security guard’s inspection was very thorough, even making Father Lou take off his shoes and checking inside before finally allowing him to enter the factory.
This is not good.
The strict inspection furrowed Lou Yan’s brow, but the more strict it was, the more convinced Lou Yan became that there was something important inside the Victory Factory.
Lou Yan stood under the tree for a while. After about ten minutes, his expression suddenly changed to one of urgency. He hurriedly walked towards the Victory Factory.
When he reached the entrance, Lou Yan deliberately avoided looking at the security office and headed straight for the factory.
“Hey, stop!”
The burly security guard from the security office rushed out, intercepting Lou Yan a few steps in front of him, and roared angrily, “Who are you?! Outsiders are not allowed to enter our factory!”
Lou Yan then pretended as if he had just noticed the security guard, revealing an expression of suppressed urgency. He quickly said, “Hello, I’m here to bring the keys to my dad, Lou Lan. He forgot to take the house keys when he left for work this morning. Can I go in and give the keys to him?”
The security guard looked at Lou Yan suspiciously. “Are you Director Lou’s son?”
Director!
Lou Yan’s eyes flickered, and he immediately nodded. “Yes, I’m his son. He should have just arrived at the factory. I didn’t see him on the way here at all. Oh, my dad always leaves a few minutes earlier than me, how come he walks so fast?”
As he spoke, Lou Yan gestured towards the factory. “Brother, just cut me some slack. I’ll just give my dad the keys, and then I’ll leave.”
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