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Chapter 213. The River and Memories
Jiang Jianxin did not respond to Haidu Security's remarks, but stood side by side with Yin Ju, silently watching the personnel of Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals come and go.

The murky river wind, carrying a putrid stench, swept over us, and the damp air was filled with the distinctive, fishy smell of death.

Jiang Jianxin stood quietly on the riverbank, watching the staff of Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals carry out their mission—lifting up one filthy tent after another and roughly dragging out those festering bodies and dying patients.

A piercing wail tore through the leaden sky.

The dying scratched at the muddy ground in vain with their withered, twig-like fingers, but the plague had already drained their last bit of strength.

They could only stare with murky eyes as they were thrown into the iron cage in the back of the truck, which was already crammed with emaciated prisoners. The old were curled up like shrimp, and the children stared with empty eyes. The same despair was solidified in the pupils of everyone.

The living and the dead were transported separately, clearly separated. On another truck, bulging sacks were piled up like mountains, and the outlines of human figures could be vaguely seen rising from under the canvas.

Jiang Jianxin's gaze followed the body bags that were carelessly tossed about, his ears filled with cries and groans.

"The epidemic in Cangjiang..."

She spoke softly, her voice almost carried away by the river breeze.

Has it gotten that serious?

Yin Ju, holding a thermos, slowly said:
“It’s always been this serious, but the disease doesn’t infect us, so you don’t feel it.”

Jiang Jianxin pursed her lips and asked softly again:

"Does this disease only infect the gifted and ordinary people?"

Yin Ju nodded and said:
"Yes, it has almost no effect on powerful gifted individuals."

He paused and added:
"So when Rose blocked the highway, many powerful people disagreed because the disease could not infect them, but the road closure would really delay their travel."

"However, the public opinion was suppressed by the Rose Group. The Crown Princess of Rose issued a supreme order, requiring that all major transportation routes in Cangjiang, the epicenter of the outbreak, be completely sealed off."

Yin Ju frowned and said:
"Because of this incident, the Crown Princess Rose suffered a lot of abuse. Those powerful people said she was dictatorial, autocratic, cold, and arrogant."

Jiang Jianxin also frowned.

In the society she once lived in, lockdowns were implemented to protect people in other regions during an outbreak.

In this society that values ​​talent above all else, the epidemic in Cangjiang only poses a threat to the lower classes, yet the Rose Group still chose to block major transportation routes—this was clearly not for self-preservation, but to protect ordinary people in other areas from the impact of the epidemic.

When faced with disasters, both monopoly capital and private forces in this world are always weighing the pros and cons and calculating gains and losses.

Ironically, it is the conglomerates that have repeatedly stepped forward to protect ordinary people.

What's even more chilling is that in this society where talent determines everything, the lives of the underprivileged are simply not valued. The Rose Group's efforts to protect ordinary people have ironically subjected it to immense public pressure and economic losses.

Jiang Jianxin slightly moved his lips, his voice low and slow:
"The Crown Princess Rose did nothing wrong; it's just that society here is too distorted."

“In my previous society, if such an epidemic broke out, the government would organize a lockdown, expand hospitals, and allocate medical resources.”

Her gaze pierced through the blood-scented air, as if fixed on a distant phantom:

"But that golden age is gone forever, and probably, there will never be a special force like a 'government' again."

Upon hearing the word "government," a bitter smile appeared on Yin Ju's lips:

“I know about your ‘government’; my father used to work for that organization.”

He turned to the side, carefully straightened his black executive jacket, and said earnestly, "This uniform was left to me by him, and I've always worn it."

Jiang Jianxin cast an inquiring glance:

"Speaking of which... I don't think I've ever heard you mention your father before. Was he just an ordinary person?"

Yin Ju's smile froze on his face, and his eyes gradually dimmed.

“My father was an ordinary man who worked for the government, but he passed away when I was very young.”

"My mother told me that the floods that year submerged the local impoverished primary school. He sent the children away, but he himself was buried in the river."

The floodgates of memory were opened, and Yin Ju seemed to see those scenes again—his mother sitting blankly in front of his father's portrait all day long, her empty gaze lingering on the silent river in front of the door.

That river was once my mother's most loyal comrade-in-arms.

Yin Ju remembered how it roared and surged at its mother's call, and how, when the river roared, his mother seemed to wield a world-destroying power.

But ever since her father left, the light in her mother's eyes has gradually faded.

In the end, she moved away from that place full of memories with her young son.

There is no river in front of the new house, nor for miles around.

The mother said it was to avoid being reminded of painful memories.

Ten years later, when Yin Ju looks back on all of this, he finds the arrangement of fate to be so absurd and laughable.

So...do you feel sad when you wear this outfit?

Jiang Jianxin asked softly, his gaze falling on Yin Ju's clean and tidy black executive jacket.

Yin Ju sighed and said:
"How could I not be sad?"

His voice was soft, like the river breeze carrying a damp sense of loss.

Memories never fade—under the bright sun of Jiangnan, my mother's blood stained the sewer ditches red; on the day the floodwaters breached the dikes, my father used his last strength to lift the children of the impoverished primary school above his head, but he himself was swallowed by the turbid waves.

Ten years later, when news of the devastating floods that submerged countless people reached Haidu, Yin Ju, who was attending a meeting, nearly dropped his thermos.

No one understood why this newly minted water system tycoon would lose his composure like this. Only he knew that in the news footage, he saw that familiar figure in every person trapped by the flood.

So Yin Ju came here and established a flood control office. Year after year, when the Cangjiang River began to surge restlessly, that figure in a black jacket would always appear on the embankment on time.

In a moment of torrential rain, Yin Ju, who had exhausted all his strength to build a ten-thousand-meter-long wall of water, turned around to face the crowd of people being evacuated behind him. He vaguely saw a man in an administrative jacket nodding and smiling at him in the crowd.

—That executive jacket, soaked by the rain, eventually grew into another suit of armor over the years.

Jiang Jianxin didn't say anything else; she simply patted Yin Ju on the shoulder and said:
“If your father were still alive, he would be very happy to see you now.”

More than a decade ago, that government official in the black executive jacket disappeared into the torrent, and now—

The Cangjiang River still flows swiftly, but no one will ever be carried away by it again.

　感谢茹素干年、Gillian king、木华、书友202503183016、梦魇O_O、ALumen、silverghost、嬉弄命运、乐意..、蕾维妮雅芭德薇、风景。ED、辻二、冷色光氏、燕惜、冰过的佳多宝、笑傲寒冬、书友150206211905310、qaqmjmj、巴比伦小王子、鹤浔笙、网友才是人才、含、夏纳_dE、今天也要开心、书海一生笑、书友20210301106541408396、名字、、歆秣、≡_dc、书友20200817114010258、书友202103017400918518、遮月、书友20230730222826364、玄月青铃、书友20230804220640085、总裁、L.、秋狸的月票和q_ea、服了无所谓、书友20190405115518805、书友20250627022126521、蝰叱对本书的打赏，以及橘子楹对阿遇、江剑心、谢妍三位角色的打赏，感谢大家的支持！

　　Recently, many readers have been donating monthly tickets. If I've missed anyone, please leave a comment to remind the author. Qidian has released a bonus chapter featuring Yin Ju, which is at the end of this chapter. You can swipe right to see Yin Ju's video!
　　(End of this chapter)