Victim's family

After dropping off Li Youlan and his wife at Song Weidong's place, Yu Chunsheng drove home alone.

It was getting late, and wisps of smoke rose from the roadside.

When he passed by Hongxing Elementary School, he saw a group of people pointing and whispering at the school gate. There was nothing wrong here when he took Xu Tangmian away that morning.

He thought he had mastered his life and was no longer afraid of Xu Zhilian's actions, but he never expected that Xu Zhilian's arrival would still throw his life into chaos.

Once bitten, twice shy. Upon seeing this scene at the school gate, Yu Chunsheng's imagination ran wild, wondering if it was related to Xu Zhilian.

He gently pushed through the crowd to see what was going on, but what he saw left him speechless.

The two people at the school gate looked like a couple. The woman was holding a child in her arms and crying incessantly; her voice was already hoarse.

The man on the other side, presumably the child's father, was throwing broken bricks into the school while shouting, "It's all your school's fault for teaching him 'heroic acts'! It's all your fault for telling him not to offend that 'inspection team'! Give me back my child!"

Yu Chunsheng astutely grasped the key phrase—"inspection team"? Xu Zhilian was a member of the inspection team, could it really be him who did it?

His gaze shifted from the child's parents to the child, whose face was soaked beyond recognition but whose features were still vaguely discernible; he recognized the child.

He went to the school to find Xu Tangmian after they had a fight, and he saw her secretly calling the child out from the corner and squatting down to put on the pair of Warrior shoes she had specially bought for him.

At that time, they were not very familiar with each other. He originally thought that Xu Tangmian was a lazy and ignorant young lady from a wealthy family, while Xu Tangmian thought that he was a country farmer who did not understand culture and could not communicate.

After that, he gradually realized that Xu Tangmian was a kind person at heart. And because of this, whether he liked her appearance or pursued her good character, he inevitably fell in love with Xu Tangmian in the course of their daily interactions.

Xu Tangmian is currently at home taking care of her child and probably doesn't know what's going on here. How heartbroken would she be if she saw this?

As a new father, compared to his former naivety and stubbornness, he now understands better the deep love and concern his parents once had for him. Even he finds the scene before him somewhat unbearable, let alone Xu Tangmian, who has carried a child for ten months and given birth.

Whether for Xu Tangmian's sake or for his own peace of mind, he couldn't just sit idly by.

Yu Chunsheng stepped forward, hoping to resolve the issue for the poor parents as soon as possible before things escalated.

Regardless of how the child died, the problem should be addressed and the body buried. What is the point of displaying the body in front of the public and crying all the time?

But... how could the pain of losing a child be relieved by a few words from an outsider? Before he could figure out what to say, the school gate opened.

Principal Ding led several teachers out in a hurry, each with their heads bowed and solemn expressions.

"Mr. Luo Hui, we have heard about what happened to your child, and we understand your feelings. However, this occurred outside of school during the holidays, and the school... we are all deeply saddened. We will definitely strengthen education in this area in the future..."

"You're talking nonsense!" Luo Hui's father waved his fist and was about to step forward, but two or three people rushed out from the crowd and grabbed him, leaving him to struggle in vain.

He was filled with resentment, his eyes red-rimmed as he gritted his teeth and said, "You're giving me that bureaucratic nonsense after my child is gone? You owe me my child!"

Hearing this, Principal Ding lowered his head even further, but there was nothing more he could do. He could only wipe the sweat from his face and sympathetically advise them, "I understand how you feel... but... let the child rest in peace."

Upon hearing this, Luo Hui's father was about to jump up again. Ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, he flew up to kick someone. Seeing this, the principal and teachers could only retreat and dared not do anything.

One side wanted to vent its anger, but the other side could do nothing but keep backing down. As things escalated, Yu Chunsheng quickly stepped in front of the principal, bowed, and raised his arms to try to comfort the child's family.

"Hello, may I say a few words?"

"Who do you think you are!" Luo Hui's father was still aggressive.

"From what you just said, the child acted bravely and righteously?" Yu Chunsheng patiently explained to him, "Since it was an act of bravery and righteousness, I don't think the relevant departments will sit idly by. What are your demands? You might as well think about them carefully."

"Demands?" Luo Hui's mother sat on the ground, her voice hoarse as she questioned Yu Chunsheng, her eyes filled with anger and disappointment. "Do you think we're trying to extort money from our child?"

"No, no, no!" Yu Chunsheng naturally didn't think that way. He just saw that they could only cry and not say anything, and even if others wanted to make amends, they didn't know where to start. Besides, it involved a life, and even Principal Ding wouldn't dare to take responsibility lightly with just a few words.

The outdoor temperature was near zero degrees Celsius; you could see white breath coming out of your mouth. Luo Hui lay quietly in his mother's arms, his hair, wet from the river, already beginning to clump together.

Yu Chunsheng lowered his eyes and slowly walked towards them. Principal Ding behind him suddenly grabbed him and gently shook his head, signaling him not to get involved in this mess.

"It's alright." Yu Chunsheng smiled and broke free, unbuttoned his coat and walked to the child to put it on him, saying, "The child will get cold outside like this in this weather."

Luo Hui's mother couldn't stop crying, sobbing softly, "My child! Why is your life so bitter!"

Upon seeing this, Luo Hui's father's body gradually went limp, as if all his strength had been drained away. He let out a mournful cry and collapsed helplessly to the ground.

The people who had been blocking him spontaneously withdrew, and without support, he slumped to the ground like his wife, bowing his head and covering his face, his shoulders trembling.

"Beep beep beep!"

A police car, accompanied by another vehicle, slowly drove up from a distance and stopped outside the crowd. Several well-dressed men got out of the car and headed straight for the couple.

“I am the Party Secretary of Huaifeng Town. I have heard about the child’s situation.” The Party Secretary bent down and squatted down beside Luo Hui’s father, patting his shoulder with a heavy expression. “On behalf of the town, I apologize to you. This was an oversight on our part.”

"I don't care if you're negligent in your work, I just want my child!" Luo Hui's father cried as he raised his head, his lower face covered in snot and tears.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life." The Party Secretary could only repeat this sentence with his head down. "The town will definitely take special care of your family's situation. The child died saving someone; we will hold a commendation ceremony for him and call on everyone to learn from Comrade Luo Hui's spirit of selfless dedication, this..."

"No, thank you." Luo Hui's mother suddenly interrupted, her blank expression and hoarse voice making her look as weathered as the old, withered tree by the roadside. "Haven't we, as a family, endured enough pain?"

The secretary paused, then lowered his head and murmured, "Good...good..."

Luo Hui's father suddenly stood up, knelt on the ground, grabbed the secretary's hand, and pleaded with him excitedly, "Where is the person Xiao Hui saved? Why isn't he coming over?"

“This…” the secretary stammered, “If you have any difficulties, the organization will help you resolve them.”

"What difficulties do I have?" Luo Hui's father stammered, lost in thought. "My wife and I have devoted our entire lives to this child. Without him... what difficulties could we possibly have..."

“I only ask him,” he repeated, “the person my son risked his life for, why doesn’t he come to see him? Doesn’t he have anything to say to my wife and me, or to our child?”

“This…” The secretary still looked embarrassed.

The onlookers couldn't stand it anymore and openly pointed at them, saying, "What ingrates! They saved his life and he doesn't even dare to show his face."

"It was all for nothing! The poor child is still so young."

"What do you know? I heard they're from an inspection team, high-ranking officials! What do the lives of ordinary people like us matter?"

"That's right, our lives are nothing compared to theirs. It's just a pity that the Luo family line is about to end."

Upon hearing this, Luo Hui's father's eyes widened, and he gripped the secretary's hand even tighter, gritting his teeth as he asked, "Secretary! Is this true?"

"What do you mean, 'real' or 'fake'?" The secretary changed the subject, trying to help him up: "Get up first and talk. We can discuss any issues privately. The child can't stay out here like this all the time."

"My son cannot die in vain!" Luo Hui's father suddenly stood up straight, each word as resolute and powerful as if cleaved by a knife or axe.

“I don’t want any compensation. I can’t afford the money my son earned with his life. But who did my son save? Doesn’t he even deserve a thank you? As his parents, can’t we even get an explanation?”

"Confess?" The secretary was taken aback for a moment, but quickly reacted. He turned around and looked behind him, puffing out his chest and pointing at the room with his finger as if he were surveying the land. "Who is the principal of this elementary school?"

Principal Ding stepped forward and said, neither humbly nor arrogantly, "It is I."

The Party Secretary narrowed his eyes and said casually, as if tossing away trash, "What kind of educational work is this school doing? How could they let children run to the river to play during the holidays! Your school bears a great responsibility!"

Principal Ding naturally felt wronged; his usually smiling face now looked ashen, as if he were constipated. He frantically gestured with his hands to defend himself: "Secretary, holidays are not within the school's jurisdiction; the children are at home, and their guardians are their parents..."

"Your attitude is not proper!" The secretary became even more determined in his decision: "Starting today, you can rest at home. How you are dealt with next will depend on the outcome of the organization's discussion."

Principal Ding stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning, his eyes lowered, unable to speak for a long time.

This is clearly an attempt to quell the anger of the victim's family, as they cannot make any other decisions for the time being and can only deal with the school.

Yu Chunsheng felt that Principal Ding was quite unlucky. Anyone with eyes could see that a student sacrificed his life to save someone who had fallen into the water during the holiday, yet the responsibility fell on the school.

Although the onlookers were usually a bit gossipy, he felt that they were right about one thing today: why didn't the person Luo Hui had saved come?

Is it because they're afraid of being angered by the victim's family that they simply choose not to show their faces? This is certainly not the behavior of a gentleman.

The Luo family was already heartbroken at losing their only son, and the person their son risked his life to save didn't even say thank you. Of course, they felt disheartened.

No matter how unfair it may be, there's no reason to take back what's said, especially when the child's parents are present.

Principal Ding was a decent person and usually took good care of Xu Tangmian. Seeing his current predicament, Yu Chunsheng tactfully suggested, "Shouldn't we be focusing on finding the person who was rescued and discussing how to handle the child's funeral arrangements? Isn't it too early to talk about punishment?"