Chapter 348 The Orphanage's Handsome Boys 48 (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!)

As he spoke, he solemnly took a thick envelope from Shen Ci's hand, inside which was a brand new 1,500 yuan.

In front of everyone, he carefully counted the items, then held them high – a sign of a great responsibility and a great trust placed in him.

He had accepted the money, so he had to do it well. This was the trust of the whole village, and even more so, the trust of Shen Ci. As the village party secretary, Secretary Li felt that he had finally done something for the village.

"The money is right here! The school will start construction immediately!"

At this moment, everyone forgot all the previous disagreements and other opinions, and only felt happy and grateful. If they hadn't paid a single cent, they would have had nothing!

Most people know how to be grateful, and the children in the village will no longer have to get up early and stay up late to go to school.

"Ding! We have detected that the host has donated 1,500 yuan to rural education, triggering a tenfold return! The return amount of 15,000 yuan has been sent to the system space."

The atmosphere at the village meeting was very enthusiastic, and all the villagers were in high spirits. Everyone agreed with what Secretary Li said and was willing to cooperate with the work to come.

After the crowd gradually dispersed, Shen Ci called out to Secretary Li.

"Secretary, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"What is it? Tell me!"

At this moment, Secretary Li looked at Shen Ci as if she were a golden baby, or a mountain of gold and silver—she was fascinated and grateful!

The two arrived at the brigade headquarters, in Secretary Li's office.

The room is simply furnished, with only an old table, a few wooden benches, and the walls covered with all sorts of propaganda posters.

After pondering for a moment, Shen Ci got straight to the point and stated his purpose.

"Uncle Li, I'd like to see the files or records kept in the village about Zhou Weimin from back then."

Secretary Li was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected that this was the reason for his visit. Why did he suddenly think of this?

“Nizi, why are you still looking for him? Those aren’t good memories.”

Let bygones be bygones.

Shen Ci sighed, pretending to be preoccupied and looking sorrowful.

"Uncle Li, there are some things that need to be clarified."

It's not for any other reason than that I have a knot in my heart that I want to untie. Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble. I just want to see some documents about him.

Looking at her determined eyes, Party Secretary Li sighed. He had just received their financial assistance; how could he refuse it now?

"Sigh, you young people, alright."

Those old files are piled up in the archives next door, covered in dust.

Logically, you shouldn't show it to just anyone. So, you can say that you were asked to help organize the files, and that you are literate.

"Go look for it yourself. Whether you can find it or not depends on fate."

"Thank you, Uncle Li."

Shen Ci expressed his sincere gratitude.

Party Secretary Li waved his hand dismissively.

"No need to thank me, I just want to take it easy, okay?"

However, neither Shen Ci nor Secretary Li noticed that a figure stood frozen outside the half-closed office door.

Lu Jinnian originally came to tell his mother that his cousins ​​wanted to take him for a walk in the back mountain, but he didn't expect to overhear this conversation.

"Zhou Weimin".

He knew who it was; it was the enemy he held deeply in his heart, someone he would never forget, and the reason he persisted in living.

Why is Mom looking for him? Is she still bothered by him? Or is there some reason she doesn't know?

A complex mix of emotions instantly gripped Lu Jinnian.

He felt sorry for his mother's past experiences, hated that man, and now even blamed himself.

There was still a hidden fear in my heart: if my mother found that man, would it disrupt the current situation?

It shattered the peace and warmth he had finally achieved, disrupting his current life.

Lu Jinnian silently withdrew her hand that was about to push the door open, turned around and quietly left, but the turmoil in her heart could not be calmed down for a long time.

He had no desire to go to the mountains; he needed to be alone for a while.

In the archives room, Shen Ci closed the door and entered alone.

When the original owner married Zhou Weimin, Zhou Weimin never hesitated to tell her the address, the family's population, what her parents did for a living, and everything else. He answered all her questions directly.

So no one ever doubted that what he said was true. After all, the emperor was far away, and it was impossible for them to make a special trip into the city to investigate the real situation.

Entering the city requires not only a letter of introduction but also a large amount of money.

Zhou Weimin is a pretentious person. On the surface, he appears refined, harmless, and respectable. Who would have thought that such a seemingly cultured young man could be so malicious?

You can know a person's face but not their heart.

In the subsequent communications, the original owner waited for several months, but her husband took their son back to the city and never sent a single letter back.

At this point, the original owner started to panic, because things weren't as they had agreed.

In the original plan, Zhou Weimin would first try to return to the city, stabilize everything, and then tell his family about this matter and make arrangements with them.

Then they'll come and take her to Beijing. Bringing the child along might make it easier for her in-laws in Beijing to accept the marriage and their daughter-in-law from the countryside.

For the sake of their eldest grandson, they'll probably accept this daughter-in-law they've never met.

Unfortunately, after waiting for several months without receiving it, the original owner took the initiative to write a letter and send it over.

The address to be mailed was the post office. Zhou Weimin told her that his home was right next to the post office and that filling in this address would be the fastest way to receive the package.

The original owner had never been to Beijing, nor had anyone in the entire Shen family, nor had almost anyone in the entire Shen family village.

They had no idea what the real situation was. The letter that the original owner sent was indeed received by Zhou Weimin, but he never replied.

All of them have vanished without a trace...

Shen Ci composed herself and began searching for information about the educated youth from that year. The archives were filled with countless documents, but fortunately, they were organized and stored in an orderly manner.

For someone who can read, finding it wouldn't be difficult. Besides, Shenjia Village is just a small place, and the number of educated youth sent down there wasn't very large.

There are only a few to a dozen a year.

Shen Ci quickly found the documents from that year and opened them to look for Zhou Weimin's information one by one.

The original owner met Zhou Weimin and got married around 1963. At that time, the original owner was sixteen years old, and the following year she was seventeen, and they had a child.

Zhou Weimin came to Shenjia Village as an educated youth sent to the countryside, so his personnel file should be from those years.

Shen Ci quickly found the kraft paper file box marked with the registration files of educated youth from 1960 to 1964.

Upon opening it, one finds a booklet bound with cotton thread, along with scattered registration forms. The paper is yellowed and brittle, with curled edges.

The writing inside was in blue pen, and it had already faded somewhat.

Shen Ci began to flip through the pages one by one, and finally, when she was halfway through, her finger stopped on a page.

At the top of the table, three words were clearly written: Zhou Weimin.