Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 485 True Hero

What Lu Guohua said next finally made Zhou Yi realize the real reason why he had made up his mind to stay here and teach.

Some of the information contained within is deeply moving.

She said that when Lu Xiaoshuang was two and a half years old, it was also summer, and the whole city was hit by torrential rain. The continuous rain not only brought difficulties to life, but also caused flooding and a lot of soil erosion.

At that time, their house was not on this high ground, but on the other side of the village.

It was built with the help of several educated youths from the village when the two got married.

At the time, some elderly people in the village reminded them not to build there, but due to language barriers, they did not understand the elders' good intentions.

The subsequent flood proved just how serious the consequences were for ignoring their advice.

The continuous torrential rains caused severe flooding, and even the lower-lying areas of the village were submerged.

Lu Guohua's house was also mostly flooded.

Su Xiuying could only carry Lu Xiaoshuang, who was not yet three years old, to the roof to hide.

Because the floods were so severe at the time, the village didn't even have electricity, let alone telephones, so there was no way to ask the county for help.

Therefore, the village party secretary could only organize the able-bodied men in the village to carry sandbags to build river embankments and make the water flow around them.

Lu Guohua was among them.

Then, something happened.

The adobe houses were already structurally weak, and the continuous torrential rain only exacerbated the problem.

Shortly after Su Xiuying carried Lu Xiaoshuang to the roof, the house collapsed.

Su Xiuying and Lu Xiaoshuang both fell into the flood. Because the house had not completely collapsed, Su Xiuying, being an adult, was stuck in the rubble and was not swept away.

However, she failed to catch Lu Xiaoshuang, who was not yet three years old, and Lu Xiaoshuang was swept away by the flood.

Just as Su Xiuying was in despair, a figure suddenly jumped into the raging floodwaters and swam desperately toward the child.

In the end, Lu Xiaoshuang was rescued.

The man who saved her was a disabled, single old man in his forties from the village.

This old bachelor, with only one hand, rescued Lu Xiaoshuang from the flood like a god descending to earth, and even helped her climb ashore.

Prior to this, Lu Guohua had no contact with this old bachelor.

All I know is that he is a lonely man, without parents or a family.

Although this man was a local of Yangjiatun, he left after his parents passed away many years ago, and no one in the village knew where he went.

All I know is that he suddenly returned from outside more than ten years ago, and when he came back, he had lost his right hand.

There are many stories about him in the village, but most of them sound a bit scary. Some people even swear that he was in jail and had his hand cut off.

In short, this old bachelor was usually completely invisible, and no one expected him to step forward and save Lu Xiaoshuang at that moment.

After Su Xiuying took Lu Xiaoshuang from the old bachelor, she immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

The old bachelor didn't say a word, turned around and left.

After the rain stopped and the floodwaters receded, an exhausted Lu Guohua returned and learned what had happened.

She immediately ran to the old bachelor's house, kowtowed to him, and thanked him for saving her daughter.

The time she fell into the flood terrified Lu Xiaoshuang, causing her to fall seriously ill. Her illness was so severe that Lu Guohua and his wife almost thought their child was beyond saving.

The couple stayed up all night watching over their child, and finally, thanks to God, the child recovered.

Lu Guohua said that after that serious illness, Lu Xiaoshuang rarely got sick, and even colds and fevers were rare. Her health was much better than when she was a child.

Zhou Yi knew that, from a scientific perspective, it was actually that the serious illness that had strengthened Lu Xiaoshuang's resistance.

But Lu Guohua felt that, whether it was that time or this time, his daughter was destined to have benefactors.

Zhou Yi thought about the grand case from his previous life and realized that sometimes it might be necessary to believe in some metaphysical things.

"Later... after Xiaoshuang recovered, I borrowed money from a few other educated youths who had been sent to the countryside with me, and went to thank the older brother who saved Xiaoshuang."

"In the end, my older brother didn't take a single penny. He said that treating him to a bowl of braised pork and a drink would be enough."

"So without saying a word, I walked more than ten kilometers back and forth to the town to buy meat and wine." Lu Guohua's tone was somewhat bitter. "Back then, it was not easy to buy meat and wine because you needed coupons. Where would I get coupons? I asked around the town and it took a lot of effort to finally buy the wine and meat."

Lu Guohua said he left in the morning and didn't get back to the village until evening. He had several blisters on his feet, and Su Xiuying burned a needle on a candle and popped them for him that night.

The next day, he took the wine and meat to the old bachelor's house.

Because his home had been destroyed by the flood, he was temporarily staying at the village secretary's house.

When the old bachelor saw the meat, he told him to sit down first, and then started cooking braised pork without saying a word, while also stir-frying two vegetable dishes.

Lu Guohua saw that although he only had one hand, his movements were very agile, no worse than those of a normal person.

Since it was a bit awkward to sit there and wait, I started to chat.

As they chatted, he realized that this man was not like the villagers had described; on the contrary, he was a truly admirable person.

The older brother told Lu Guohua that he joined the army at the age of eighteen. Since his parents had both passed away, the army was his home.

In the army, he was noticed by his superiors and became an engineer, later participating in the construction of many special projects.

He followed the army, moving from place to place across the country.

In 1963, their unit received a special order to secretly go deep into the desert to participate in a certain project.

The elder brother did not tell Lu Guohua what kind of plan it was.

But he said it was an endless Gobi Desert with nothing there.

Besides the soldiers, there were also many intellectuals there.

He didn't stay there for long, but he said it was the hardest place he had ever been in his life, and he also encountered a natural disaster. Let alone food, wild grass and tree bark were rare commodities.

But that could not extinguish their enthusiasm and will; everyone worked tirelessly, day and night, risking their lives.

An accident occurred during an engineering project because a corroded and loose screw caused an accident.

To save the precious experimental equipment, he risked being crushed to death while rushing to repair it. In the end, the equipment was saved, but at the cost of one of his hands.

In the rush to repair the damage, his right hand got stuck in the deformed steel bar and was eventually torn off.

He suffered a massive hemorrhage and fainted on the spot.

He said that the first thing he asked after being rescued was, "Was the equipment saved?"

Because he had lost a hand, he proactively applied to his superiors for a license to use it before he had fully recovered, because he didn't want to become a burden.

He knew how incredibly important what they were doing deep in the desert was.

His superiors approved his application and told him that due to the confidentiality and special nature of the project, the military could not reward him for his contributions.

However, we can arrange a clerical job for him in the military.

He refused, explaining that the country was also facing difficulties and he didn't want to cause trouble for it.

Therefore, he retired from the military as a disabled veteran injured in the line of duty.

The following year, he heard the news on the news that shocked the whole world.

He excitedly told everyone he met: "We have stood up! From now on, no one in the world will dare to bully us anymore."

Later, after wandering for many years, he wanted to return to his roots.

So, they returned to Yangjiatun.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.

That's right, neither Lu Guohua nor the disabled soldier who saved Lu Xiaoshuang said anything.

But the answer is already obvious.

In 1964, at Lop Nur, my country successfully detonated its first atomic bomb!

Zhou Yi watched the video footage that was later released to the public after the ban was lifted. In the very low-resolution footage, a blazing white sphere tore through the sky, a mushroom cloud rose into the air, and the sound of an explosion resounded through the heavens.

At this moment, what emerged was not just an atomic bomb, but also a cry that shattered the heavens, uttered by an ancient nation after a century of humiliation, using its wisdom, blood, tears, and soul.

Zhou Yi had never been to Lop Nur; the place remained a mysterious place in his memory.

But he believes that after all these years, the wind and sand will still sweep across that desolate desert year after year.

But those figures who used abacuses to open the door to nuclear power back then.

Those who are the backbone of the nation, eating tree leaves while drinking salt water.

Those noble souls who ignited thunder in the darkness during history's darkest moments have long since become an eternally burning banner in the long river of our nation, supporting the backbone of every Chinese person!

The older brother that Lu Guohua mentioned must be the engineering corps who participated in the atomic bomb research program back then, one of the greatest people in that group!

Zhou Yi never imagined that there would be such a towering figure in this inconspicuous little village in Northwest China!

"Uncle Lu... is this hero still alive?"

Faced with Zhou Yi's question, Lu Guohua remained silent in the darkness. After a long while, he let out a long sigh.

“When Xiaoshuang was five years old, he passed away from illness. With the help of the village secretary, Xiuying and I arranged his funeral. I had Xiaoshuang wear mourning clothes for him and send him off on his final journey.” Lu Guohua’s voice was filled with sorrow.

Zhou Yi sighed softly, but upon reflection, he realized that a hero's soul could return to his hometown, and there were people to mourn him. A selfless and great person like him would not want others to feel sad for him.

“That was the only time I drank with Brother Yang. Later, whenever I wanted to thank him, he refused, saying that since he ate my flesh and drank my wine, I owed him nothing,” Lu Guohua continued.

“It was during that drinking session that he told me that he had great respect for scholars. He said that for the country to prosper and become strong, and for the nation to stand tall, it is essential to ensure that children receive an education and have culture. Only when each generation of our descendants is stronger than the last will we not be bullied by others.”

"It was these few words of his that made me decide to start a primary school in the village and teach the children to read. His kindness in saving Xiaoshuang is higher than the sky and deeper than the sea. I have no way to repay him. Staying here to teach is the only way I can repay him."

Lu Guohua's words resonated deep within Zhou Yi's soul.

This hero's sentiments were heartfelt, for he had personally witnessed how scholars changed the fate of the nation through knowledge, and this was a deeply ingrained understanding in him.

Lu Guohua spent half his life repaying his kindness.

A true hero and a true gentleman composed an untold hymn on this land.

"Uncle Lu, where is this hero's grave? I'd like to visit it tomorrow."

“Alas, in the summer of 1989, there was a flood that washed away the village cemetery, and Brother Yang’s remains were also washed away,” Lu Guohua said sadly. “God is so unfair; even in death, he can’t rest in peace.”

Zhou Yi immediately said, "No, Uncle Lu, I don't think so. God must have buried him in a more expansive world. After all, this is the land he loved so much, and God wanted him to see an increasingly better era."

Lu Guohua was taken aback for a moment, then nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right, you're absolutely right."

Outside the narrow window, the starry sky twinkled, illuminating this land.

The next day, Zhou Yi asked Lu Xiaoshuang about what he had learned the day before, and Lu Xiaoshuang was shocked.

“I…I don’t know. My dad has never told me.” Lu Xiaoshuang said, unable to hide her surprise. “I only remember that when I was little, my parents would take me to sweep Uncle Yang’s grave every year during Qingming and Winter Solstice, although I didn’t have much of an impression of him. Later, Uncle Yang’s grave was washed away by a flood, and then my parents would burn paper money for Uncle Yang at home every year during Qingming and Winter Solstice.”

"I really didn't know that there was such a legendary and tortuous story behind this."

Zhou Yi expressed his understanding, after all, not every parent will fully open their heart to their children. It's not that they don't love their children, but rather that they have the pride and stubbornness of being parents, especially the older generation whose love is deeper and less expressive.

"Brother Yi, I never expected that my dad would tell you such a secret."

"Perhaps, this secret has been buried in his heart for so many years, and he has always lacked someone to confide in. It just so happens that I came along."

Zhou Yi whispered in Lu Xiaoshuang's ear, "Don't ask him about this, or he'll feel embarrassed."

Lu Xiaoshuang was a little confused, but she nodded nonetheless.

Around 9 a.m., Zhao Liang from the Shacao Town Police Station arrived.

However, this time he didn't come in a police car, but in a small truck. In addition to several workers, there was also a pile of building materials on the truck.

When the truck stopped next to the school and workers speaking with local accents unloaded the building materials, Lu Guohua was dumbfounded.

They kept asking if they had delivered it to the wrong place.

Zhao Liang smiled and said, "Teacher Lu, that's right, it was delivered here to you." He then pointed to Zhou Yi, who was busy moving things, and added, "This was all arranged by your son-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Lu Guohua quickly ran over and pulled Zhou Yi aside to ask what was going on.

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Uncle Lu, let me help the workers move all their things over first. Xiao Shuang, why don't you explain the situation to your dad?"

"Okay." Lu Xiaoshuang nodded and pulled Lu Guohua aside to say, "Dad, here's what happened. Zhou Yi knew that our classroom always leaked, so he asked Officer Zhao for help in advance to buy materials to replace the roof and hire workers."

"This won't do, it will cost so much money, no way!"

“Dad, look, all the parts have been delivered, and the workers have all arrived. If we tell them we're not going to fix it now, we'll still have to spend money anyway.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Guohua was immediately caught in a dilemma.

"How...how did Zhou Yi know the classroom roof was leaking?"

Lu Xiaoshuang stuck out her tongue and said, "It's because I accidentally let it slip, and Brother Yi remembered it."

"Oh my, this child is so thoughtful."

"Dad, don't feel guilty. You'll understand later. That's just Yi's personality."

Lu Guohua's eyes welled up with tears, and he nodded repeatedly: "Good, good, good. With you in the care of such a good person, your mother and I will never have to worry again."

"Xiuying, Xiuying, hurry up and go to the market at the village entrance to buy some vegetables so we can cook lunch for everyone." Lu Guohua hurried into the house.

Lu Xiaoshuang looked at Zhou Yi, who was busy running around, and said, "Brother Yi, let me help you."

Renovating a roof is a rare thing in the village, especially when it's a classroom for children to go to school.

So when the news came, many people from the village came to see what was going on. The older women and young wives came to watch the excitement, while many men came to help with the work.

For a time, the area outside the Lu family's residence was bustling with activity.

On the rooftop, a group of rough-looking men were busy demolishing the old structure and building a new one, while the audience below filled the seats. Lu Guohua brought out all the stools from his house, and Su Xiuying even bought a few pounds of melon seeds.

A large group of rural women chatted and ate sunflower seeds while watching the men working on the roof.

A group of children are playing and having fun on the playground.

Fortunately, it's mostly cloudy today, so it's not sunny and the wind isn't strong.

Looking at the lively scene unique to the countryside, Zhou Yi felt a sense of familiarity, just like when she visited her maternal grandmother's house before, when everyone in the village would come to visit.

Zhou Yi originally wanted to climb up and help, but firstly, there were already quite a few people, and secondly, he had never done carpentry or masonry work before.

Thirdly, just as he was about to climb, Lu Guohua grabbed him.

Lu Guohua was extremely nervous, afraid that he might bump into something.

The villagers burst into laughter, speaking in a dialect that Zhou Yi couldn't understand.

Zhou Yi secretly asked Lu Xiaoshuang what they had talked about. Lu Xiaoshuang smiled and said she wouldn't tell him, then ran off to help her mother cook.

Seeing Zhou Yi standing aside with his hands on his hips watching the workers, Zhao Liang walked over.

He was wearing casual clothes today, so Zhou Yi guessed he was on vacation.

"Officer Zhao, thank you so much. I really don't know what to do without your help." Zhou Yi said, taking out a cigarette case and handing him a cigarette.

Zhao Liang waved his hand and said, "I don't smoke, and I'm not used to it."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi put away his cigarette and didn't smoke it himself. He smiled and said, "I rarely smoke either."

At this moment, Zhao Liang took out a small notebook, opened it, and pointed to the densely written words on it, saying, "Zhou Yi, take a look. This is the account I kept. The money for the materials and the workers' wages are all recorded. The money you wired to me before is not only not spent, but there's still some left over. I guess the labor costs here aren't as high as over there. Here, check the accounts. After we're done and settle the workers' accounts, I'll return the remaining money to you."

Zhou Yi pushed the notebook that Zhao had handed him back and said, "Brother Zhao, I won't look at the accounts. If it weren't for your help, I would have been completely clueless. If there's any money left over, you don't need to pay me back."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liang waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, you're doing a good deed, how can I take your kickback?"

Zhou Yi quickly explained, "Brother Zhao, you've misunderstood. We're both police officers, how could I possibly use such a cliché thing to annoy people?"

"Then what do you mean?"

“I was thinking that Xiaoshuang and I live far apart, and we can’t take care of each other usually. If there’s any money left over, I’d like to ask Brother Zhao to keep an eye on the school and provide some if they need anything. If it’s not enough, just let me know and I’ll transfer the money over.” Zhou Yi looked at the small, dilapidated classroom and thought about the spiritual heritage of this land. He said with emotion, “I can’t be as great as Teacher Lu and the others. I can only do my part.”

Zhao Liang gave a thumbs up and said, "Brother Zhou Yi, you're a real man. Don't worry about this, I'll keep an eye on things."

"Thank you, Brother Zhao."

“Hey, it’s no big deal, just a small favor. To be honest, when you first came to me about this, I thought you just wanted to curry favor with your father-in-law. I thought to myself, city people are just more cunning than us. Now it seems I was narrow-minded. I have to apologize to you.”

Zhou Yi smiled and exchanged a few polite words.

To say that he didn't intend to please his future in-laws would be a lie.

But in essence, this is the same as donating money to children in impoverished mountain areas; it's about showing love and care.

The biggest difference is that this love goes directly to the recipient, without any interference from various organizations, and it effectively ensures that this love reaches its intended recipients.

Zhou Yi felt it was all worthwhile to achieve this level of success.

As Zhao Liang put away his notebook, he said, "By the way, Zhou Yi, I have a question for you about work."

"Work-related matters?" Zhou Yi was taken aback. "Brother Zhao, what is it?"

"How are missing persons cases usually handled in your big cities?"

(End of this chapter)