Chapter 36 Whose Sacrifice

After fighting in the wind and snow for more than ten days, most of the police officers were very tired. In order to let the police officers take a break, Ji Feng tried his best to persuade a group of police officers including Xin Xiao to go home to rest or to be on duty in the detachment. He rushed to Nanling Cemetery alone early in the morning.

Because of the local custom of "no sacrifices after noon"—all memorial ceremonies for loved ones must be completed before noon—Jifeng deliberately rose early the next day, setting off at dawn in the secondhand Passat he'd bought after returning from Xinjiang. The pink McLaren he'd driven from the police academy now sat, like a pet dog abandoned by its owner, curled up in a lonely corner, covered in dust.

As the festive season approached, the cemetery was deserted, as serene as a sleepy ancient realm. Rows of tombstones, arranged like dominoes, stretched across the frost-covered hillside, standing silently. The sun hung low in the sky, its pale light casting a cold, slender shadow on the tombstones. Jifeng followed the location Yang Jiaxu had described, carrying the offerings he had prepared long ago, and slowly made his way through this cold forest of tombstones, searching for the resting place of his deceased loved ones.

In the dead of winter, the wind was like a knife, slicing painfully across my face. Dead branches trembled in the wind, their thin coats of ice wiping out a low, whimpering hum. Snow had frozen into a hard crust in the low-lying areas, and the exposed frozen soil was cracked like a tortoise's shell, adding to the solemnity and coldness of the cemetery. He tightened his heavy coat and slowly advanced along the hard granite steps, his gaze sweeping over each headstone.

Finally, at the end of the stone steps, he saw that familiar name. The tombstone stood alone in a corner, as if forgotten by time. The inscription on the tombstone read only the simple words "Lu Chenzhou's Tomb," with no birth or death dates or signature of the person who erected the tombstone.

Jifeng stood before the tomb, his expression solemn. As he placed the offerings, a bone-chilling chill suddenly pierced his heart, far more intense than the harsh winter wind and snow. Thinking of his former classmates, once so brilliant and vigorous, now resting here, his heart ached, and his eyes welled up slightly.

He gently brushed away the thin layer of snow on the stele, as if brushing the dust and frost off the shoulders of a deceased friend. He lit the incense and candles, his eyes passing over the flowers and offerings placed there by someone unknown—the flowers still looked beautiful in the bitter cold and morning snow, tiny water droplets condensing on the petals, their color vibrant. On the ground lay unburned paper money.

Ji Feng was slightly startled. The offerings and flowers were fresh, obviously someone had just been there.

He leaned over to examine the offerings: fresh fruit, cakes, a bouquet of flowers... Suddenly, he caught sight of a small scrap of paper among the layers of petals. He hurriedly picked it up, and saw that on it, fresh ink marks, neatly and boldly written, "My son, rest in peace in the wreck of the ship."

Ji Feng stood up suddenly and looked around, trying to find the elderly couple. But the fields were empty and silent, with only the echo of the cold wind sweeping through the mountains. No one else was there. A thought struck him, and he remembered Yong Xiangdong. He immediately took out his phone and dialed his number.

Yong Xiangdong's voice, like a huge bell, echoed from the other end of the line, his enthusiasm undiminished: "Jifeng, Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year, Xiangdong. Sorry to bother you at this time."

"It's okay, just tell me."

"I'm at Chen Zhou's grave now, and it seems like Chen Zhou's parents have been there, you know?"

"You went to the cemetery?" Yong Xiangdong said in surprise, "Yes, Chen Zhou's parents did go there. I accompanied them yesterday."

"Yesterday? Chen Zhou's parents came?"

"Yes, they are all here. Three months ago, after you left his house, the two old people missed their son so much that they decided to return to their hometown in southern Jiangsu Province to settle down, saying that they wanted to be closer to their son..." Yong Xiangdong felt a little sad when he said this.

"It was my visit that brought back the old man's sad past." Jifeng said in a low voice.

"Don't overthink it. The two elderly people have always wanted to return to their roots. They've been supporting construction in the border areas for so many years, and now that they're old, they naturally long to go home. They had planned to go back home for the New Year this year." Yong Xiangdong paused, as if calming his turbulent emotions, and continued, "The flight you took when leaving Yishijiang was the last one before it was suspended. To be able to return home for the New Year, the two elderly people rented a car at a high price, stopping and starting along the way, and it took two days and two nights of bumpy ride before they arrived in Qingning. From Qingning, they took a flight and just returned to their hometown in southern Jiangsu a month ago."

"Where are the old people now? I want to see them."

"They've already taken the train back to their hometown. They arrived on Mo Island the day before yesterday and left in a hurry after the memorial ceremony yesterday. They said they were old and didn't want to spend the Spring Festival away from home, so they wanted to return home before the Spring Festival. Before leaving, they sighed and wondered if they would be able to come back next year..."

"Ah..." Ji Feng sighed, "I feel so bad. The two old people are so pitiful."

"Yes, every memorial service may be the last one."

“I really want to do something for them, but I don’t know how to help them.”

"Jifeng, don't be too sad. Things have already happened and we are powerless to change them. You can go to the cemetery today to pay tribute to the sunken boat." Yong Xiangdong comforted Jifeng in turn.

"Yes. First, to pay tribute to my old classmates; second, to see if it's possible to meet Chen Zhou's girlfriend and learn some information about his past from her."

"I see. However, I think it's unlikely that you'll run into her. For so many years, I've gone to pay my respects every Qingming Festival and the anniversary of his death, but I've never seen any sign of Shen Zhou's girlfriend coming, and I don't know why."

"Oh...that's it." There was a hint of doubt and a bit of loss in Jifeng's voice.

"Today is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, and tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I think it's unlikely that she will come in such a cold weather."

"Oh," Ji Feng mused for a moment, "Xiangdong, to be honest, we're looking for Chen Zhou's girlfriend because we want to investigate a case. This case is directly related to Chen Zhou, and we want to get to the bottom of the secret behind him."

"Is it directly related to the sinking of the ship?" Yong Xiangdong was puzzled.

"Yes. It is basically confirmed that Chen Zhou is involved in the case." Ji Feng said in a low voice.

"Is Chen Zhou involved in the case?" Ji Feng could feel Yong Xiangdong's surprise even through the phone.

"I don't believe this is true, but..."

"How could this happen? He is... incredible."

"Xiangdong, please trust our judgment. We wouldn't wrongly accuse a good person, especially one of our classmates. We are extremely cautious in this matter."

"Alas... I believe you, but this... is too unbelievable."

"I understand how you feel. At first, I also found it hard to accept this fact, but as the investigation deepened, I had no choice but to come to this conclusion." Ji Feng changed the subject, "Of course, this does not prevent Chen Zhou from being an upright and kind person. I still firmly believe it. That is why I want to uncover the truth. I believe that Chen Zhou must have been forced to do so or encountered other irresistible forces."

"Well... I won't ask about the specific case, but I understand your discipline. Just don't let Chen Zhou's parents know about this, okay?" Yong Xiangdong's voice was hoarse.

"Of course. I promise that this case has nothing to do with the elderly, and I will definitely not bother them again."

"That would be great... By the way, you just said you wanted to find a girlfriend for Shen Zhou."

"Yes, I also wanted to find her to understand Chen Zhou's past, especially his life trajectory and interpersonal relationships in recent years."

"Unfortunately, apart from having seen photos, I know nothing else about it, so I can't help you."

"It's okay, Xiangdong. I won't bother you anymore. I'm going back to Lan Valley now. If you have any news about Chen Zhou's girlfriend, please let me know as soon as possible."

"No problem, don't worry, I will remember it." Yong Xiangdong promised solemnly.

After paying tribute to Lu Chenzhou, Ji Feng pondered carefully and concluded that the possibility of Lu Chenzhou's girlfriend coming to pay tribute today was indeed very small. Rather than wasting time here, it would be better to go back and find another way. With this thought in mind, he got into the car with a slight sense of disappointment and slowly drove towards Lan Valley.

It was already noon when he returned to the detachment. Sunlight shone through the office, casting swaying shadows on the trees. The so-called warm winter sun, I'm afraid, only existed in song lyrics. Most of the team members were resting, and the room was silent. Aside from the officers on duty and the occasional pedestrian, there was no one else. Of course, Jiang Bo and Xin Xiao, as the team's leaders and members of the special task force, would undoubtedly be waiting for him back at the detachment.

Although he returned empty-handed, he didn't want to spoil their good mood as the New Year was approaching. After briefly reporting to Jiang Bo and Xin Xiao, he said in a firm tone that they should use the Spring Festival holiday to think carefully and they would definitely be able to find a way to break the deadlock.

Jiang Bo and Xin Xiao are not so easy to fool. They are clearly at a loss right now. How can they easily make a breakthrough by just daydreaming?

"Both leads are dead. We have to find another way." Xin Xiao sighed softly and tentatively suggested, "How about I take advantage of the Spring Festival holiday when there are many gatherings in the Thuja community and sneak in to look for clues?"

Although Ji Feng felt that Xin Xiao's idea of ​​finding a new way was hopeless, he didn't want to dampen his enthusiasm, so he nodded affirmatively: "Okay, this is a new idea, worth a try."

Jiang Bo, however, had high hopes for Xin Xiao's idea. His eyes lit up, "Yes. That's a great idea. A warehouse of such incredible value would be a piece of juicy meat in anyone's eyes. There's no guarantee the real culprit behind this wouldn't be coveting it. After all, whoever benefits the most is the most suspicious. I think it's possible to open a breakthrough within the Thuja juniper community."

Xin Xiao's spirits lifted as his idea was supported. He said confidently, "As long as we keep our spirits high, there are always more solutions than problems! I believe we can find valuable clues."

Time mercilessly ushered in the Spring Festival holiday, and all work had to stop, as if the whole world had pressed the pause button.

Everyone had already left work, officially beginning their vacation. Even though he was unwilling to accept this, he couldn't do anything about it. Ji Feng sat alone in his office, the dim lights outside the window unable to brighten his mood.

His cell phone suddenly vibrated. It was a voice message from his mother: "Xiaofeng, can you come back for New Year's Eve dinner this year?" There was a hint of cautious humility in his mother's tentative expectation. His heart trembled, and a sour sense of guilt arose. He couldn't help but think of the saying "Parents' love is pitiful in the world."

Yes, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and in the blink of an eye, I haven't been home for half a year. After truly understanding the loneliness of Lu Chenzhou's parents, he increasingly felt the old people's deep desire and dependence on family affection.

He picked up his phone, tapped the screen and replied, "Mom, I'll be back tonight." Then he grabbed his coat and walked out of the office with firm steps - a distance of 400 kilometers had never been an obstacle for him.