A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"They've been caught."

Lu Zhenguo's seemingly casual remark carried a tremendous weight in Su Nianci's ears.

The red rope in her hand, which was fluttering, suddenly stopped moving.

They caught him?

Su Weiqiang... Wang Guixiang...

Those two names that haunted her like nightmares for two lifetimes, those two faces etched with greed, malice, and stupidity, were finally... going to disappear completely from her life?

Su Nianci slowly raised her head and looked at Lu Zhenguo.

She felt neither the ecstatic joy nor the excitement of revenge that one might expect.

"Then... what will happen to them?" she asked softly.

"Multiple offenses will be punished concurrently." Lu Zhenguo's voice was cold and authoritative, filled with an unquestionable sense of judgment. "Embezzlement of martyrs' pensions, a huge amount, ten years imprisonment! Abuse of martyrs' orphans, heinous methods, five years imprisonment! Collusion with human traffickers, intentional abduction of children, severe punishment, fifteen years imprisonment!"

"Added up, it's at least thirty years!"

"They'll never get out of prison in this lifetime."

Thirty years! For a rural couple nearing fifty, this is practically equivalent to life imprisonment.

They will pay the heaviest price for their actions behind cold iron bars, spending the rest of their lives in endless regret and pain.

This outcome is more satisfying than simply killing them.

"Then... what about the people in the village?" Su Nianci asked again.

She can't forget the villagers who watched her being abused but remained indifferent; she can't forget the village officials who helped Su Weiqiang and his gang by tipping them off and obstructing the investigation for petty gains!

They were accomplices too!

"Don't worry." Lu Zhenguo seemed to see through her thoughts, his eyes turning cold. "Those who aided and abetted the tyrant will not escape! Li Weimin, the secretary of Shiqiao Commune, and Su Youcai, the village head of Sujia Village, will both be dismissed from their posts on the spot, expelled from the Party, and sent to a farm for labor reform!"

"As for those villagers who took bribes and helped lie, although they don't deserve punishment, their names are all recorded in their files. From now on, their children, whether they want to join the army or become workers in the city, will never pass the political background check!"

Ruthless! Absolutely ruthless! This is like cutting off their lifeline, severing all their escape routes!

If you can't be a soldier or a worker, it means you'll spend your whole life toiling in the fields, with no chance of ever getting ahead!

For rural families who dream of their children escaping rural life, this is worse than death!

A surge of exhilarating pleasure finally welled up in Su Nianci's heart!

Evil will be punished! It may be late, but it will come eventually!

Dad, Mom, did you see that? Your daughter has avenged you!

Su Nianci's eyes reddened slightly.

"Alright, it's all over now." Zhou Yayun stepped forward, squatted down, and hugged Su Nianci and Xiao Shitou on either side.

"From today onwards, you've completely said goodbye to the past." Her voice was so gentle it could melt your heart. "From now on, you have a father, a mother, and a home."

Lu Zhenguo also came over. Looking at the scene of his wife and two children embracing each other, a rare, heartfelt smile appeared on his resolute face.

He took out two brand-new household registration books with red plastic covers from behind his back.

"Come on, look what good things Dad brought back for you."

Household registration booklet?

Su Nianci's heart skipped a beat!

She knew what this thin little red book meant in this era.

It signifies identity, belonging, and the very foundation upon which a person stands in this society!

She reached out her trembling hand and took one of the household registration books.

Open the first page.

The head of household's name was prominently displayed in three bold and powerful characters: Lu Zhenguo!

Household Relationship: Household Head.

Page 2.

Name: Zhou Yayun.

Head of household relationship: Wife.

Her heart was beating faster and faster!

She nervously turned to the third page.

It was written clearly in neat penmanship—

Name: Su Nianci.

Household relationship: adopted daughter.

Place of birth: Nanyang area, Henan Province.

Place of origin: Nanyang area, Henan Province.

Ethnicity: Han.

On the last page of the household registration booklet, there is a bright red seal with the national emblem—the Harbin Municipal Public Security Bureau's Household Registration Seal!

Become!

Her household registration has indeed been moved out of that hellish village!

She is now a citizen of Harbin!

She is now the daughter of Lu Zhenguo, the political commissar of the military region!

A tremendous, indescribable joy and sense of security instantly enveloped her!

She felt like a small boat that had been adrift in a storm for a long time, finally finding a warm and sturdy harbor where she could dock!

"Dad... Mom..." Su Nianci could no longer hold back her tears, which rolled down her cheeks like beads from a broken string.

This time, it's not sadness, it's not grievance.

It is joy, it is rebirth.

"Silly child, why are you crying!" Zhou Yayun tenderly wiped away her tears. "This is a joyous occasion! From now on, you are the eldest daughter of the Lu family!"

Su Nianci nodded heavily.

She picked up another household registration booklet and opened it.

Sure enough, on the next page, Little Stone's name was written.

Name: Su Xiaoshi.

Household relationship: adopted son.

Because he didn't know Xiao Shitou's real name, Lu Zhenguo could only register this name for him temporarily.

Looking at the two names, "Su Nianci" and "Su Xiaoshi," side by side, Su Nianci suddenly seemed to have thought of something.

She looked up at Lu Zhenguo and said in an extremely solemn tone, "Dad."

"I want to... change my name."

What? Change your name?

Lu Zhenguo and Zhou Yayun were both stunned.

"Nianci, wasn't this the name your father gave you? It sounds so nice, why did you change it?" Zhou Yayun asked, puzzled.

"It was my father who named me," Su Nianci nodded. "But the surname 'Su' has brought me too much pain and disaster."

"I don't want to have the surname Su anymore."

She looked at Lu Zhenguo, her clear eyes filled with admiration and...pleading.

"Dad, Mom, you gave me a second life and a home."

"I want to... take your surname."

"I want to be called... Lu Nianci."

boom!

The name "Lu Nianci" was like a warm torrent, instantly breaking down the last line of defense in Lu Zhenguo and Zhou Yayun's hearts!

Take their surname!

This child truly accepted them from the bottom of his heart! He regarded them as his only family!

Zhou Yayun's tears flowed uncontrollably once again.

Even Lu Zhenguo, a tough man who remained unfazed amidst gunfire, had tears welling up in his eyes.

He stretched out his large, calloused hand and rubbed Su Nianci's head vigorously.

His voice was hoarse, yet filled with an unprecedented... pride.

"good!"

"From today onwards, your name will be Lu Nianci!"

"He," he pointed to the bewildered little stone beside him, "is called Lu Xiaoshi!"

"You are all my children, Lu Zhenguo's children!"

In this warm and tender moment, the family was enjoying this long-awaited happiness.

The guard's voice came from the doorway.

"Reporting, sir! There's a letter for you! It's from... the border post!"