With one more person, there is a lot worth saying just on this point.
For example, this extra person is Ding Kun's "younger brother".
If the Cthulhu Run Game Hall is involved in this matter, then Liu Xing feels that the possibility is not low.
Because according to Ding Kun, his parents should both work in a coal mine in the three northeastern provinces. This was considered an iron rice bowl that everyone envied in those days. After all, the job was stable and the income was relatively good. In addition, there were still people in the mine.
Various benefits.
However, as we all know, the proportion of single children in the three northeastern provinces has always been among the highest in the country, and it can even be said that it once occupied the top three. The reason for this is that there were many factories and mines in the three northeastern provinces, so a large number of young people of working age joined them.
Nowadays, even if they are "civil servants" or "established", these people have to abide by the rule of "only one child is good", otherwise their jobs may not be kept.
Of course, if it's twins or multiples, it's a different story.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, Ding Kun should be an only child, unless he and his younger brother are twins. However, Ding Kun also said that his younger brother was in college when he disappeared, and he had already started working at that time.
So the age gap between the two should be about five years.
So according to the existing data, on that snowstorm night, Ding Kun, who was in middle school, had a younger brother who was in elementary school. This was not common in the three northeastern provinces at that time, especially when Ding Kun's parents might still be working both ways.
.
Thinking of this, Liu Xing suspected that the Cthulhu Run Game Hall at that time had planned to make Ding Kun's "younger brother" disappear, so he specifically chose this time to make Ding Kun happy to be his brother.
If this is the case, then the plot here is interesting.
"By the way, Brother Ding, your parents were both workers in the coal mine at that time, right?" Zhang Jingxu suddenly asked.
Hearing what Zhang Jingxu said, Liu Xing knew that he most likely remembered the situation in the three eastern provinces, so he also began to doubt whether Ding Kun's younger brother was real or fake.
Ding Kun nodded and said: "Yes, my father and mother both worked in the coal mine, but my father was a front-line worker, and my mother worked as a clerk because she went to middle school. Later, after the coal mine resources were exhausted,
, my family went back to their hometown to farm. After all, there is black soil everywhere, and you can get a good harvest no matter what you plant."
Hearing this, Zhang Jingxu said very seriously: "Well, Brother Ding, have you ever considered the possibility that your missing brother is actually the extra child that night? Because if I remember correctly
, At that time, most of the three northeastern provinces were only children, especially dual-income families like yours, Brother Ding.”
Ding Kun waved his hand and said with a smile: "How is this possible? My brother and I must have grown up together. I still remember..."
Before Ding Kun could finish speaking, Zhang Wenbing, who was about the same age as him, said: "When Zhang Jingxu said this, I also feel that something is wrong with you, Ding Kun, because the friends I used to know from the three eastern provinces, they are 100%
Eighty percent of them are only children, and their family situation is similar to yours, Ding Kun's. As for the remaining 20% of my friends, they are basically from rural areas, so the control is not so strict."
"Yeah, I've also heard that people in the three northeastern provinces at that time had to either have a stable job or have more children. So under normal circumstances, Brother Ding, you shouldn't have a younger brother, unless there are some special circumstances in your family?" Yin
En touched his chin and said, "I have a cousin who gave birth to three children. The last two were born around 2008. At that time, you had to pay a fine to get your household registration."
At this time, Ding Kun was also said to be a little unconfident, because as a native of the three northeastern provinces, he must know the situation in the three northeastern provinces at that time better than Liu Xing and others, and he also said that the county where his home was,
To put it bluntly, it is a large coal mining community, so he also knows very well what the surrounding families are like.
They are all single children, unless they are twins or reorganized families.
So now it seems that my family's situation is indeed a bit out of place, but the people around me have never raised any objections.
This is even more strange.
Although distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors, and neighbors in the same building will often help each other, it is not uncommon to gossip behind each other's back. After all, even people from the same family often arrange things behind other people's backs... For example, Liu's mother
She often complains to her relatives about a cousin of hers, because this cousin's family is also considered a nouveau riche, and after becoming rich, she looks down on others.
And everyone knows that children are the worst at hiding things, so if someone mentions that the Ding family has two children, one older and one younger, but both parents still work in the coal mine, it will definitely spread without a reasonable explanation.
If some gossip is made, these children will come and mock Ding Kun and his younger brother.
But in Ding Kun's impression, it seems that this kind of thing has never happened before.
So, is his brother really the "extra kid"?
"Under normal circumstances, unless there was something serious wrong with the eldest son, it was theoretically not allowed to have a second child. Of course, if you were willing to pay a fine, that would be a different matter."
Liu Xing also said: "I remember that there were more than 60 classmates in my class at that time, and there were less than five brothers and sisters. Of course, I was many years later than you, Brother Ding, and I didn't have much reference.
significance."
At this time, Ding Kun said hesitantly: "Yes, I also remember that when I was studying at that time, I seemed to be the only one with a younger brother in the class, and I was the only one with two children in the whole building... So now I
After thinking about it carefully, I found that there was something wrong with this matter, and my brother and I were exactly four years apart in age, which meant that he was in elementary school when I was in junior high school, and then he was in junior high school when I was in high school.
Then when I was in college, he was in high school, and finally when I graduated from college, he had just entered college, which happened to not be in the same school as me, so we usually met at home."
"But I had a lot of friends at that time, and many of them lived in the same community or even the same building as me. After all, housing was allocated in those days, and it was easier for newlyweds to be allocated new houses, so in this building
It was normal for a family of two who were just married; so after dinner and homework, I would play with my friends in the same building, while my brother stayed at home and watched TV, because
Most of his friends live in other communities, so he is too lazy to travel so far to hang out with his friends... If I think about it now, I would talk to my brother during the day, that is, during dinner."
Having said this, Ding Kun rubbed his hair fiercely, "Oh, I really don't know if I don't talk about it. I'm shocked when I talk about it. Now I'm starting to suspect that there's something wrong with my brother, because now I'm careful
After thinking about it for a while, my memory about my brother was a bit fuzzy before that night. I only remember that he seemed to have gone to the same elementary school as me, and then I didn’t have any other impressions, because my brother’s grades were always average until the third year of high school.
I made rapid progress when I was young and was able to get admitted to a good university in Chengdu; as for the memory after that night, I actually don’t remember much, because my brother is the kind of ordinary person with no shortcomings and no specialties."
"If this is the case, then Brother Ding, your younger brother may have been sent from the Cthulhu Running Group Game Hall, because the disappearance of this younger brother is the only reason for his existence." Liu Xing said seriously: "If nothing happens,
If so, I think Brother Ding, you may receive a call from your brother in the next module, or a clue that he appears somewhere, and then you will go to investigate in the next module, and finally expose it.
His true identity."
As soon as Liu Xing finished speaking, the cell phone in Ding Kun's pocket suddenly rang.
Seeing this, Liu Xing smiled and complained: "Look, the phone call came as soon as I opened my mouth. It seems that I have seen through the routine of the Cthulhu Running Group game lobby."
Ding Kun rolled his eyes, took out his cell phone and looked at it before saying: "It was a call from a friend of mine in the real world. If I remember correctly, he is now doing business in America, and our previous
We still have a good relationship, I asked him to buy things for me before I entered the Cthulhu Run Game Hall, but why would he suddenly call me now?"
As Ding Kun spoke, he answered the phone and turned on the hands-free mode.
"Ding Kun, you said in your circle of friends that you have arrived in America? Why don't you contact me? Don't you want me to take you to a nice place?"
Hearing that his old friend emphasized the pronunciation of the word "good place", Ding Kun said a little awkwardly: "I came here with my other friends to do business. I don't know how long I will stay, so I
I haven’t contacted you, but Ning Hui, please be careful what you say, buddy, I’m a serious person.”
Hearing what Ding Kun said, Ning Hui knew that there were other people next to Ding Kun, so his tone became more serious, "Oh, so that's it. Then where are you specifically now? I just put it in two days ago
The inventory has been cleared, and now we are waiting for the new goods to arrive, so when I have time, I can come over to serve as a guide for you, and treat you to a meal by the way, which can be considered as my kindness to the landlord."
Seeing Ning Hui's enthusiasm, Ding Kun subconsciously wanted to refuse. After all, Ding Kun didn't want his old friend to be in danger. However, Ding Kun soon realized that if Ning Hui called him at this time, he would very likely
Bajiu is an important NPC in this module.
And Ding Kun recalled it carefully and found that Ning Hui was engaged in a "reverse purchasing" business in America. To put it simply, when America's customers made requests, Ning Hui purchased goods from China.
Including some messy things, such as paper money, so if I need anything in the future, I can get help from Ning Hui.
So Ding Kun told the news about himself in Arkham City.
"Arkham City is indeed a good place. If I remember correctly, America's first university and now the best university in the world - Miskatonic University is located in Arkham City.
, so it can be regarded as the city with the most historical and cultural atmosphere in America. I remember that a customer who lived there bought a box of paper money some time ago. He said he wanted to try the paper money.
Can America use it?"
As soon as Ning Hui said this, Liu Xing and others thought that the person who came to him to buy paper money was most likely a mythical creature.
However, this matter seems a bit strange no matter how I think about it.
"By the way, if I remember correctly, tomorrow is the anniversary of Miskatonic University. There should be some activities then, right? So I'll pack my things and fly over now. If it's still early, let's meet today.
.”
After Ning Hui finished speaking, he hung up the phone directly.
Ding Kun shook his head and said with a smile: "This friend of mine is also impatient. I don't know if he drank too much. He said he wanted to open a farm in America, but he was picked up by several friends who were drinking together.
I immediately went to America to develop my business, and I heard that making money from his business as an intermediary purchasing agent was second to none. The most important thing was that he met a lot of people of all kinds, so with him here, we would have an additional source of information.
"
"Intermediary purchasing agent? That's similar to the profession of the protagonist in "The Lonely Gourmet", right? Buying things for customers everywhere they want?" Li Mengyao said.
Ding Kun thought for a while, nodded and said: "That's right, right? I remember that some time ago he asked me if I was in the three eastern provinces. He wanted to buy an old-fashioned machine for a customer; but then again, since our stories are all
It’s already written, how about sending it to the great druid?”
Ever since, Liu Xing and others sent the article they had written to the email address provided by Yin Luyang.
Just when Liu Xing and others were about to set off for the big druid's shop, someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Li Hanxing, who was sitting outside, thought it was Yin Luyang who had arrived, so he opened the door directly, only to see an unknown young white man standing at the door.
"Dear friends, are you all players?"
What surprised Liu Xing and others was that this person went straight to the point when he opened his mouth, "My name is Ricky. Like you, I am a player who will take the entrance exam tomorrow. Of course, I have six teammates who are cleaning up the room downstairs.
"
"Li Hanxing." Li Hanxing nodded and said, "Richie, you are really an upright person. You even pointed out our player identities as soon as you opened your mouth. Aren't you afraid of super games?"
Ricky shrugged and said with a smile: "The word player does not specifically refer to the participants in the Cthulhu Run game lobby, so it is not a super game."
