Chapter 10 My Heart Collapsed
Hu Jiao felt a chill in his heart. He was indeed a soldier, a professional soldier. Everything he did was related to military affairs, either shooting or execution.
Women need to know who dares to be a target or a death row inmate?
After their first chat, the three of them felt that they were very much in tune with each other. Hu Jiao repeatedly told them not to spread their chat. Hu Jiao only chatted with the two of them when they were on duty and did not talk to others at other times.
Wang Changjun and Li Youcai have the cleverness unique to Sichuanese, and they also like to chat with Hu Jiao.
Anyway, after the chat, my misunderstanding of Hu Jiao was completely overturned.
If even a psychopath can be this good, it's really bullying. Have you ever seen a psychopath write a paper? Have you ever seen a psychopath compose lyrics or music?
The two men secretly brought razors to help Hu Jiao shave, and the team leader used clippers to help Hu Jiao give him a short flat head.
There's no way, the army only supports short flat heads.
But Hu Jiao didn't mind. Having his hair cut would save him a lot of trouble.
Neither of them went to college. Li Youcai was okay, as he joined the army after graduating from high school. Wang Changjun looked gentle on the surface, but he was actually just a junior high school graduate and a rural soldier.
They both liked to listen to Hu Jiao's "chatter", especially the interesting stories on the university campus and the anecdotes of celebrities from the two universities.
There are many stories about Hu Jiao, and it was not until November 19th that Chinese celebrities talked about Genghis Khan.
But on this day, Liu Jie finally showed up after three months.
Hu Jiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was grateful to Li Youcai and Wang Changjun. If they hadn't accompanied him these days, Hu Jiao really wouldn't have the confidence to continue. Even if he had no worries, who could stand being locked up like this all day?
Liu Jie's expression was relaxed and indifferent. Seeing Hu Jiao's new look, she couldn't help but smile. "It seems like you're living a good life. I heard you wrote a few new songs?"
Hu Jiao was slightly excited, knowing clearly that he was about to leave this lifeless place, but he didn't want to show it, not even the slightest bit of dissatisfaction.
He looked at Liu Jie calmly, with no intention of teasing her at all. This was a huge change from three months ago.
"It's too boring. The organization is testing me very harshly. I can only get more reflection materials."
Looking at the calm Hu Jiao, Liu Jie felt a little doubtful. Is this the real Hu Jiao?
A great talent in the past? A cultural hooligan in the past? Now... calm, yes, calm Hu Jiao, giving people a deep and restrained temperament.
I wonder what impact these three months will have on his future life?
Hu Jiao looked at Liu Jie calmly, "Is the case completely clear?"
Liu Jie nodded. "Mo Wu confessed everything yesterday. Your signatures and fingerprints were all forged by him. However, he did not mention how he obtained your fingerprints. This is very strange. Can you tell me?"
Hu Jiao felt a little strange. Was Mo Wu doing him a favor?
"Where's Hongmei? She's from Xiangrou Villa."
Liu Jie said, "Hongmei ran away with the money."
Hu Jiao already had the answer in his mind. When he received Hongmei's letter, he guessed that Hongmei must have run away. He just didn't expect that the girl would actually abscond with the money.
"How much money did they take? Where did it go?" Hu Jiao asked casually.
Liu Jie shook her head and couldn't help but sarcastically said, "Why? Are you worried about your sister Swan?" Without waiting for Hu Jiao to reply, she said, "Eight million! She's in Canada."
Eight million! Even someone like Hu Jiao couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Seeing Hu Jiao's face full of horror, Liu Jie was very satisfied with the effect she had created. "Let's go. Although you didn't make any great contributions this time, you are still a member of the task force. I will record it for you."
Hu Jiao smiled bitterly. Was it a consolation? A compromise? He didn't have the heart to continue asking about the case. Thinking of his mother, his heart was filled with warmth. He suddenly became anxious and wanted to go home, have a good sleep, and talk to his mother.
Liu Jie pointed at the clothes she had taken off, and Hu Jiao shook his head and said, "I don't want them anymore. Find someone to throw them away."
There was no one on duty today. When Liu Jie arrived, the armed police on duty had already withdrawn.
Hu Jiao left first. Liu Jie pulled Hu Jiao's arm, with deep apology in her eyes, "I'm sorry, Hu Jiao."
Shaking his head slightly, how could he blame him? The arm can't twist the thigh, Hu Jiaowei leaned sideways and said, "Come to my house for dinner tonight?"
Liu Jie shook her head, her eyes suddenly reddened, her voice choked with sobs, "Actually, I'm already married, and he's picking me up tonight."
Hu Jiao's face turned pale. He didn't dare to look at Liu Jie anymore. He lowered his eyes and laughed dryly, "Oh, then let's ask my brother-in-law to come along?"
He finally understood the other meaning of Liu Jie's apology.
He straightened his chest and said as calmly as possible, "Let's go."
Liu Jie wiped away a tear and said, "Hey, today is your day. Let's go, your parents are waiting in the front yard."
Hu Jiao finally couldn't hold on any longer and bit his lip, "My heart is collapsing." He drew it softly with his hand a few times, "Pieces of rocks are falling down, the collapse continues." After saying this, he left without looking back.
I quickened my pace and walked to the front door. In front of a black car, my father Hu Jianguo and my mother Li Aiju were standing quietly side by side.
When Hu Jiao saw his parents, he paused, ran over quickly, opened his long arms, and hugged his parents tightly. The various blows he had endured in the past three months and Liu Jie's words just now finally made Hu Jiao's eyes fill with tears.
"Dad...Mom...I miss you!"
Hu Jianguo pursed his lips tightly, his eyes swollen. He knew everything about Hu Jiao's performance in the past three months. He patted his son's back hard and said, "Dad is proud of you!"
Teacher Li Aiju leaned gently on her son's shoulder. Surprisingly, she did not shed tears, nor did she seem particularly excited.
Hu Jianguo felt a little surprised. His wife's reaction was so unexpected. Maybe she was too sad.
Seeing Hu Jianguo's worried look, Li Aiju shook her head gently and whispered, "My son, I believe, I understand, I know!"
Hu Jianguo tightened his left hand, held his wife's hand, and whispered, "Thank you!"
Teacher Li took out a handkerchief and lovingly wiped away Hu Jiao's tears, his eyes filled with an inexplicable smile, "Men don't shed tears easily, they just haven't reached the point of being heartbroken, Jiaojiao, only men who have experienced the failure of their first love can be considered truly mature."
Hu Jiao was very surprised by his mother's words, "Mom, you..."
"How should I know? Haha, you, the story of you being jealous of others during the meeting has spread everywhere. Alas, it's a pity that you two are not destined to be together."
Hu Jianguo interrupted the mother and son's conversation and said, "Let's go home."
After getting on the car, Hu Jiao took the initiative to greet the driver. This is a good habit that Li Aiju instilled in him since he was a child, to respect others regardless of their occupation or status.
Master Qiu is nearly fifty years old and can be considered a close friend of Hu Jianguo. "Jiao Jiao has suffered a lot! God will give you a great responsibility."
Li Aiju said with emotion, "What do you mean by a high position? If you treat me like this, I don't think any high position is worth it."
Master Qiu said while steering, "Yes, yes, I heard rumors that Jiaojiao had gone crazy, and our small car team was very angry. Later, they said it was not true, and everyone calmed down. Minister Hu knows about this, am I exaggerating? Xiao Liu and the others are planning to find someone to attack."
Hu Jianguo laughed and said, "Yeah, if I hadn't stepped in to stop them, they would have really looked for someone to attack. Jiaojiao, remember these uncles."
Hu Jiao followed his father's words to express his gratitude. Master Qiu said a few polite words and stopped interrupting. Now it was time for the leader's family to reunite.
Hu Jiao's eyes were still red, and Li Aiju couldn't help but joked, "It's not easy to feel heartbroken, right?"
Hu Jiao pursed his lips, feeling a little aggrieved indeed, as Yourong had become someone else's special possession.
"Mom, I'm fine. It hasn't started yet."
Li Aiju said with a smile, "Oh, it's even more pitiful. It's over before it even started. Come on, tell mom how you felt at that time?"
"I felt like my heart was collapsing, with huge rocks crashing down one after another, making it hard for me to breathe."
Hu Jianguo looked at his wife with admiration, smart!
It would be much better to guide Hu Jiao to speak out his feelings, so that Hu Jiao won't be depressed by himself and will inevitably be affected.
Li Aiju smiled generously, showing the love of a loving mother. "There is a song called Devotion of Love. Haha, of course, between men and women, it's not so noble or great, but I think that loving someone means making that person happy. What do you think?"
Hu Jiao nodded, agreeing with his mother's point of view, "If I had known that she was married, I would never... do this."
Hu Jianguo interrupted, "You can't really blame her. After all, it was arranged by the organization. It's not easy for a woman like her to investigate such a big case."
When I returned home and looked at the familiar furnishings, a warm and gentle atmosphere hit me. This is the smell of home.
Hu Jiao took a deep breath and said, "It's good to be home."
Hu Jianguo was very satisfied with Hu Jiao's performance. Even the municipal party secretary Li Mingyong sighed, "I misjudged him. I didn't expect our municipal party committee's pen to be so strong. Not bad! I usually think Jiaojiao is weak, but I didn't expect him to be so reliable."
Reliable, what kind of evaluation does this sound to outsiders? But Hu Jianguo knew that just this word "reliable" had earned Hu Jiao's appreciation from Li Mingyong. How many people in the current officialdom are reliable?
Hu Jianguo patted his son on the back and said, "Go take a shower and change your clothes first. Your mother has prepared your favorite dishes."
After Hu Jiao closed the bathroom door, the couple smiled at each other. Li Aiju rolled her eyes at her husband and said, "Are you satisfied now?"
Hu Jianguo's eyes were full of pride. "Jiaojiao is calm! He is able to keep his composure and keep his mind steady. It seems that this ordeal is not without merit. Speaking of which, I really have to thank Wu Chengjing! Humph, he is the deputy secretary of the provincial party committee in vain, and he wants to use his son to help me."
Li Aiju sighed, "Your wish came true, but mine went against my will. To be honest, after watching you fight overtly and covertly in the officialdom for so many years, I really don't want Jiaojiao to follow in your footsteps."
Hu Jianguo was silent. He was aware that his wife was deliberately shaping his son's interests and hobbies and guiding him towards academic development.
But Hu Jiao still has Hu Jianguo's blood flowing in his body!
Of course, he couldn't be arrogant in front of his wife. He had such a virtuous wife who gave birth to such an excellent son. As a man, what else could he say? He could only love them wholeheartedly.
"Aiju, this is the last time. I promise you! From now on, I will never let Jiaojiao suffer such a living torture again!"
Li Aiju smiled generously and gently, "I would rather Jiaojiao rely on himself. But I understand you."
The couple chatted for a while about family matters like food. Li Aiju looked at the time and decided it was time to prepare lunch.
Hu Jiao hung a towel around his neck and rubbed his wet hair dry. Hu Jianguo stood up and waved, "Jiao Jiao, come into the study."
The father and son sat opposite each other, separated by a large desk. On the side wall was a calligraphy piece that read: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
"Let's talk about the case tonight. Now there are three things I need to tell you in advance." Hu Jianguo looked at his son's eyes as usual.
He was afraid that Hu Jiao's previous behavior was only temporary, and he was afraid to see weakness in his son's eyes again.
Hu Jiao looked at his father calmly and peacefully. He had obtained some information about his father's future from the fragments of memory, but Hu Jiao still didn't dare to believe it completely. After all, some things were too strange.
Hu Jianguo nodded with satisfaction. "First of all, my position has been decided. I will be the executive vice mayor of Hongjiang City. The handover will take place before the New Year."
Upon hearing the news, Hu Jiao couldn't hide his joy, "Congratulations, Dad!"
"The second thing is about your work..." In fact, Hu Jianguo still felt a little cowardly and angry. Those people in high positions can decide life and death with just a word. Power is a double-edged sword. Only by getting up as soon as possible can he talk about protecting his family.
"I took office in Tieshu Township, Tong County, and took on the responsibilities of both secretary and township head."
There is a saying among the cadres in Fenghuang City: If the tree does not bloom, the whole county will not be rich. Someone joked that if a cadre can achieve political achievements and be promoted on the iron tree trunk, he must be a material for a high-ranking official.
But decades later, among all the towns and villages in the city, only Tieshu Township has not seen much development. With a population of more than 20,000, the average annual income per person is less than 200 yuan. Even eating has become a problem, and life is basically maintained by relief food.
Relief food, relief food, relief food, when relief comes, we have a mother. Without relief, Tieshu Township will become a child without a mother.
Several municipal leadership teams have been considering whether to abolish Tieshu Township, relocate all its people, and leave a village establishment there.
But it was impossible. If three problems were not solved, there was no way to evacuate. The first was that eight old Red Army soldiers refused to move, because General Chen Hu, a revolutionary hero, was a man of great integrity. He died of illness before liberation and had repeatedly asked to be buried in his hometown.
The eight old Red Army soldiers were the poor people the general led out of the country. There were 49 of them, but only eight of them survived after liberation.
Over the past few decades, various parties have been searching and collecting the remains of nine people intermittently, but they have still not found them. They had to build a cenotaph for their clothes and bones. The surviving old Red Army soldiers have built their own mausoleums early on.
This is the most famous Red Army Martyrs Park in Tieshu Township, Tong County, Fenghuang City, and even the entire Nanzhao Province. It is famous because 49 veteran Red Army soldiers came from the same township and served under the same general, sharing life and death together.
Secondly, the entire cemetery was built by the living veterans of the Red Army themselves. There are 49 bluestone tombs without hiring any laborers. Finally, there are the famous military exploits. Among the 49 veterans of the Red Army, there are four second-class combat heroes who died in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, two first-class combat heroes who died in the War of Liberation, and six colonel-level officers, who of course died early.
The remaining eight veterans were all illiterate. If they hadn't been illiterate, they wouldn't have stayed in their hometown.
The old Red Army soldiers did not intentionally oppose the government. They also expressed their wish to implement the policy of withdrawing from the countryside after they all died.
The second biggest problem is the local people’s sense of localism. Think about General Chen, who wanted to be buried in his hometown even after his death.
The third biggest problem is that the pristine forests of Tieshu Township are entirely cared for by local villagers. Several fires were put out in time by the villagers living in the mountains. Moreover, the villagers here are different from those in other places. I don’t know since which generation, all the villagers like to plant trees, even if they are hungry.
These three problems would give anyone a headache, so the matter of abolishing the Tieshu Township establishment has to be delayed again and again.
Hu Jiao couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seemed that his career was really a long-term plan. "When will he take office?"
"Before the New Year, let's do it together, father and son." Hu Jianguo also smiled bitterly. He hasn't told his wife about this matter yet. He hopes to convince his son first and then have his son come forward.
"However, the province will allocate a special poverty alleviation fund to you, and let you try to solve the problem of food and clothing for the whole township within three years."
Hu Jiao met his father's expectant eyes and asked with gritted teeth, "How much?"
"1.2 million."
Hu Jiao calculated in his mind, two villages with 20,000 people, 60 yuan per person? "What about the city and county? Do you want to give them some money?"
Hu Jianguo was relieved that his son did not show any fear or anger, which was a good thing!
"The city has decided to follow the provincial government's lead and allocate funds on a one-to-one basis. The county can forget about it. The entire county is in extreme poverty, and it's already good enough to distribute relief grain on time. What do you think? Do you have confidence?"
Hu Jiao smiled bitterly. Liu Jie's words made him feel depressed, and the news about his father almost made him despair. Hu Jiao didn't think he was that great. Over the years, how many solutions had the city's cadres come up with?
"Dad, I want to say that I have confidence. Do you believe me? Without investigation, you have no right to speak. It's too early to talk about confidence now. Let's go down and take a look first."
Hu Jianguo had to comfort his son, "Indeed, anyone would be worried about this. A thousand-year-old iron tree cannot be frozen overnight. But you don't have to worry. Although someone has said that a great talent must show actual results, I don't think so. A great talent is also a human being. Don't worry, you are still young, you can return to the city after three years. Okay?"
The more Hu Jianguo said this, the more uncomfortable Hu Jiao felt. Although he was accused of being a "great talent" and used this as a blow, Hu Jiao did not want to give up easily. What if he arrived in Tieshu Township just in time for the millennium to bloom?
Hu Jiao also understands his father very well. What would others think if the Organization Minister of the Municipal Party Committee was reluctant to send his son to the most difficult place?
Everyone thinks that having a father who is a high-ranking official means one has easy access, but little do they know that if the father is an honest official, the son will have to bear more hardships than others, and may not necessarily be recognized. If one can achieve results, it is because he has a father who is an official; if one cannot, it is still "in vain to have a father who is an official."
Fortunately, Hu Jianguo was transferred from Phoenix, which made Hu Jiao feel less pressured. The big shot who transferred Hu Jianguo probably didn't expect that Hu Jiao would be happy to work under his father.
"What about the third thing?" Hu Jiao simply put aside his worries about Tieshu Township. He vaguely felt that the third thing was more important than the previous two.
