The group went to the police station together to give their statements. Zhao's father was taken to the hospital for examination. It was just a superficial injury, and he was prescribed medicine to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. It was already dark when they came out of the hospital. Zhao Aiguo took Zhao's father home on his bicycle.
Upon entering, Zhao's mother and Zhao Dahu came out to greet him. "Old man, why are you only coming back now?" "Dad, why are you only coming back now!" As soon as he got closer, Zhao's mother's face turned ashen. "Aiguo, did someone bully you?" She looked at the wrinkles in Zhao Aiguo's clothes and the footprints on them. His fair hands were already broken and bloodied.
Zhao Dahu rushed over and grabbed his son, who was almost as tall as him, scrutinizing him from head to toe. His eyes were bloodshot with rage. "Who? Who bullied you?" Looking at Zhao's father, whose face and clothes were torn in places, he roared, "Dad, what happened to you? Damn it, which blind bastard dared to hit you? I'll kill him..."
After tidying up the table, Wei Shuqing sensed something was wrong and rushed out. When she saw Zhao's father and Zhao Aiguo's appearance, she almost sat down in fright and asked tremblingly, "Dad, Aiguo, what's wrong with you?"
Father Zhao waved his hand and said, "Go back inside and talk! Is there any food left? I'm starving."
Wei Shuqing quickly replied, "Yes, yes..."
After entering the house, Zhao's father recounted the whole story while eating. Zhao Aiguo ate his meal in silence, without saying a word.
Zhao's father looked at Zhao Aiguo with satisfaction, "That's why they say you have to raise a son, because brothers fight side by side, and fathers and sons go to war together. We owe a lot to Aiguo today."
Zhao Dahu was still shaken. The men forced his father to take off his shirt, revealing a red and swollen patch on his back. The rest of the injuries were just superficial and nothing serious.
Zhao's mother wiped away her tears, "How old are you? Don't you know to call the police when something happens? What will our family do if something happens to you!"
Tears also streamed down Zhao Dahu's and Zhao Aiguo's faces. The father and son wiped away their tears simultaneously. Zhao Dahu said, "Dad, you're not young anymore, you're fifty-seven! In the future, can you think of us when you do things..."
Zhao's father waved his hand impatiently, "Look at the pathetic state of you two, mother and son. My life is precious, but what about the lives of the police? Aren't the police born of parents? Are they made of steel? You retreat when faced with difficulties, cowardly and afraid of death, like lambs to the slaughter. Isn't that just letting spies and traitors succeed?"
The founding of New China was no easy feat; it was bought with the lives of countless people. With a weak foundation, beset by internal and external troubles, and fraught with hardship, it has grown to this point. If we, as ordinary citizens of New China, cannot go to the front lines to fight, and dare not arrest spies we encounter in the rear, what kind of Chinese are we? How can we face our compatriots who died? How can we face those who work on the front lines?
With red eyes, Zhao's mother roared, "I don't care! I only know you're my man. If anything happens to you, I won't live either! Zhao Defa, let me tell you, if you don't take care of your own safety, if anything happens to you, I won't live either! Zhao Dahu will be an orphan, and Zhao Aiguo will have no grandparents!"
This time, Zhao's father behaved himself and tried to appease his wife, so he quickly kicked Zhao Dahu and Zhao Aiguo out of the house.
After they came out, Zhao Dahu hugged Zhao Aiguo and said, "Aiguo, thank you, Dad. You protected Grandpa today!"
Zhao Aiguo shook his head and choked up, saying, "I'm useless. I hurt Grandpa." He felt ashamed when he thought about it. He shouldn't have gone to the police. He should have let Grandpa go. He stayed behind to keep an eye on things. If something really happened to Grandpa, Grandma would never forgive him for the rest of her life. If what Grandma said was true, she wouldn't want to live either. Thinking of this possibility, he sobbed and cried.
Zhao Dahu and Wei Shuqing stayed with Zhao Aiguo until he fell asleep. This incident left a deep psychological scar on Zhao Aiguo, and it also made him remember never to put his grandparents, parents or children in dangerous places, and to always think about whether they would be sad or hurt before doing anything.
The next day, Zhao's father and mother reconciled. Zhao's father was forced to stay home to recover from his injuries, so Zhao Dahu went to ask for leave for him. Zhao Aiguo rode his father's bicycle to school by himself.
Furthermore, Qu Jinbu and his two companions successfully cracked this major case and captured the spy codenamed Nightingale. No one would have guessed that the dignified Nightingale was actually the old man who guarded the gate of the Children's Palace.
After the case was closed, Liu Dahai, Wang Dabiao, and Qu Jinbu were finally free from their pretense and went to Liu Dahai's house together. Sun Fengying prepared a table full of dishes and sat beside them, sewing shoe soles and smiling as she listened to them drink and chat.
After taking a sip of his drink, Liu Dahai smacked his lips and said, "Can you guys finish eating and go home early? It's been so long since I've seen Fengying. Don't you have any sense of propriety?"
Sun Fengying, who was sitting sewing shoe soles, blushed and said, "Dahaizi, why do you blurt out everything? If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you up!" If Qi Zhifang were here, she would definitely be dumbfounded. Liu Dahai's wife was the woman in her fifties that she had seen.
Wang Dabiao laughed, clutching his stomach, "Sister Fengying, hurry up and administer the family punishment! We haven't seen Liu the Madman get beaten in ages!"
Sun Fengying was Liu Dahai's childhood sweetheart. She had fought against the Japanese in the guerrilla force in her early years. It was she who introduced Liu Dahai to the army. She had an exceptionally fiery temper. If Liu Dahai made a mistake, she would grab a feather duster and beat him for real. It had been more than ten years since Liu Dahai was last beaten. Indeed, it had been a long time since Liu Dahai had been beaten.
"Get out...get out...get out! Are you even human? Feng Ying wouldn't hit me. Have you finished eating or not?! Get out of here!" Liu Dahai was extremely dissatisfied.
Sun Fengying stood up and said, "If they leave before they've eaten their fill, you'll see if I don't beat them! Don't listen to him, I'll go get you some rice." With that, she left.
Liu Dahai looked at them with a resentful gaze. The two of them were already laughing and hugging each other. After eating and drinking their fill, each of them was carrying a lunchbox of pancakes made by Sun Fengying. The two of them walked on the road.
"You know, Liu Dahai looks like a pretty boy who'd never thought he'd be so devoted!" Wang Dabiao clicked his tongue.
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