Back To The 80s-Chapter 536 - 529: Rebirth_1

Tears fell from Gu Xiaobei’s eyes as she wiped them with the back of her hand, a smile on her face. "When I have time, I’ll tell you the story of my parents. It’s not like this one. It’s hard on anyone to have parents like these. There were reasons why Xiaobei used to behave in such a rebellious way."

Lu Zhanguo reached out softly to wipe the tears from her cheeks, "Often, we judge others from our own moral high ground, and others use their morality to bind and restrict us. You don’t need to worry about it so much."

"Are you suggesting I shouldn’t bother with them in future?" Gu Xiaobei asked.

"I’ve already agreed to send them thirty dollars every month until Gu Xiaodong is released from prison."

Gu Xiaobei was somewhat confused, "Why?"

"Because after Gu Xiaodong is released, he must learn to fend for himself. If you are still sending money, they will use it for Gu Xiaodong. After his release, he will venture out with a sense of inferiority. He will likely face obstacles wherever he turns. If he sees that Gu Weimin has money, he will no longer be motivated to face those obstacles," Lu Zhanguo explained.

"What if they bring Xiaodong and come to find us?" Gu Xiaobei asked, sounding worried.

Lu Zhanguo shook his head, "They will never come to you again. Neither will Xiaodong. His pride won’t allow me to look down upon him."

"What exactly did you say to make them obediently go away?" Gu Xiaobei was curious.

Lu Zhanguo saw two little heads peeking from the slightly ajar bedroom door, big curious eyes watching them, he laughed, "This is a military secret. I can’t disclose." He then beckoned the two children over.

Fearing the children might see her tears, Gu Xiaobei ran into the bathroom to wash her face. As she did so, she couldn’t help but think that if those were her real parents, they would definitely not treat her like Gu Weimin and Chen Qiumei did. She vaguely remembered her father often letting her ride on his neck, holding her mother’s hand, walking under the setting sun. Her mother had said that she was as beautiful as a little angel!

Overcome by her emotions, Gu Xiaobei squatted on the ground, using a towel to cover her face, and started sobbing. In any lifetime, her bond with her parents had been fragile.

...

Because Gu Xiaobei’s eyes were swollen from crying, they decided not to go to the courtyard for the time being and to wait until the afternoon.

Although Gu Xiaobei was very curious about what Lu Zhanguo had said to make Gu Weimin leave, since Lu Zhanguo claimed it was a military secret, it was a given she shouldn’t ask anymore.

After Lu Zhanguo heard Gu Xiaobei recount Xiaopang’s conversation with Chen Qiumei regarding Cat Mountain, he began preparations in case Gu Weimin and Chen Qiumei were involved in the matter. Whether it was intentional or not, it was chilling.

This was more than just taking advantage of a situation. It was gambling with their family’s lives. These two, for their own benefit, especially that of their son, were ready to sacrifice their daughter at the drop of a hat. Hence, Lu Zhanguo had to figure out a way to free Gu Xiaobei from the stigma of being a disobedient child while also ensuring Gu Weimin would not bother her.

Lu Zhanguo thought that everyone has a weakness and as far as Gu Weimin was concerned, his son was his weakness. Added to that, with Gu Weimin’s personality, there had definitely been several unsavory incidents during his time in office. He instructed Liu Hongbing to assist in requesting the help of a friend from the third military intelligence department to dig up Gu Weimin’s past work experiences and battles he’d been in, so they could identify inconsistencies and loopholes.

Three days later, Liu Hongbing placed a stack of highly confidential files, sealed with red official seal, on Lu Zhanguo’s desk and reminded, "Read quickly. These files were obtained through unconventional channels."

Lu Zhanguo read them page by page, searching for inconsistencies.

In the battle of midday mountain with the Japanese, Gu Weimin had been taken as a prisoner and rescued after three days.

According to the records, the whole regiment, except Gu Weimin, had been wiped out in the same battle during which he was rescued. His severely injured body was found in the pile of dead bodies by soldiers that arrived later.

Looking at the records, Lu Zhanguo meditated, trying to reconstruct the battle scene over and over again in his head. Finally, he concluded that something was wrong with the time of Gu Weimin’s rescue.

Looking at the report recorded by the then recorder against the sunlight, Lu Zhanguo said to Liu Hongbing, "Could this middle stroke of the ’three’ have been added afterwards?"

Liu Hongbing took the report and looked at it against the light, "The middle stroke is lighter than the upper and lower strokes."

With this explanation, everything fell into place. Gu Weimin, in order to save his own life, probably betrayed his organization. After being rescued and returned to the camp, he must have tricked the enemy using the camp radio.

Because of the chaotic war conditions and the small scale of the battle, coupled with Gu Weimin’s heroic actions in subsequent battles, the incident was shelved and was never mentioned again or investigated.

Lu Zhanguo and Liu Hongbing analyzed that Gu Weimin might have secretly found the recorder and altered the data while he was not attentive, which was why the discrepancy had not been discovered.

The documents only remained on Lu Zhanguo’s desk for two hours before they had to be hurriedly returned.

Lu Zhanguo threatened Gu Weimin with this. As long as the notes were verified, the truth would soon come to light. Of course, Gu Weimin dared not let this happen. If this case was revived, it would be a treason charge. Death would not be the worst consequence. It would affect his descendants as well.

...

In the following days, Gu Weimin and Chen Qiumei indeed didn’t come to bother Gu Xiaobei.

Seeing the pages of the calendar peel off one by one, staring at the bright red 29, Gu Xiaobei let out a sigh. Tomorrow was the last day of the deadline; it seemed like there was no possibility of a reversal now.

Gu Xiaobei, out of spirits, slouched on the couch, watching the two children play around in the house.

There was a hustle of footsteps in the hallway, and then a voice said "Tong Xiaoqing is going to jump off the building!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiaobei sat up straight. Why would Tong Xiaoqing think about jumping off a building? Because Luo Renliang was arrested?

On the rooftop of Luo Renliang’s apartment building, Tong Xiaoqing stood at the edge, wearing a red dress and a smile on her face. She was oblivious to the pressing crowd below and oblivious to their desperate cries.

At this moment, her heart was calm. Death seemed like the best refuge. Over the years, she had accumulated a notorious reputation in the housing complex, causing people to hesitate to interact or even visit her out of fear of discovering her sordid secrets!

Over the years, she hadn’t borne Luo Renliang any sons or daughters because he didn’t deserve it!

The soldiers from the security squad below were layering blankets, there weren’t nearly enough in such short time. Many of the military wives hurriedly fetched their own blankets from home.

Tong Xiaoqing watched everyone with a smile, touched by the acts of the very people she had once scolded, who were now trying so hard to save her.

With tears streaming down her smile, Tong Xiaoqing stepped back a few paces and sprinted in the opposite direction.

In the midst of the gasps from below, she floated away like a beautiful red butterfly...