Although some people in the Ministry of Public Security suspected favoritism in the Special Operations Team's report, no one dared to question the conclusions in front of Zhou Xi. Everyone knew that Zhou Xi was a member of the Zhou family, and one who should not be offended.
The Ministry of Public Security issued a Class A arrest warrant to capture the suspect Gu Tiezhu.
Gutiezhu, unaware he was on the wanted list, returned to Zhaojiagou with his son and daughter. Huangmao and Zhou Jiaxing had separated from Gutiezhu in Sanhe Town. After years away, Sanhe Town had changed considerably, and they were all eager to return.
Since entering the village, Gutiezhu encountered several familiar villagers along the way. Sadly, the neighbors who once shared a drink and conversation with him now looked at him with surprise and even disdain. Gutiezhu's smiley greetings went unanswered.
There were also a few children around Gu Xiaofang's age who, upon seeing Gu Tiezhu and his group from afar, shouted loudly, "The murderer's son has returned to the village! The murderer's daughter has also returned to the village!"
Before Gutiezhu and his group could get closer, the sound of doors closing began to resound. The curious eyes through the crack of the door made Gutiezhu feel uneasy.
"Hongxing, don't you have any other children in the village who want to play with you? Do they bully you?" Gutiezhu's voice was a little dry. From their reactions, Gutiezhu could predict that during his absence, his children must have been ostracized by the other children in the village.
"Yeah." Gu Hongxing answered with one word and then said nothing more. When he and his sister needed him the most, their father abandoned them. Gu Tiezhu's question now seemed a bit redundant to Gu Hongxing.
Gutiezhu said nothing more and walked towards his home with his two children.
Gutiezhu's home is near the foot of Daqing Mountain, some distance away from other houses in the village. When he arrived in front of his house, he was stunned.
In Gutiezhu's mind, his house, though small, was a good place to shelter from the elements. The three thatched houses before him, on the verge of collapse, looked so desolate.
Gutiezhu's heart was filled with bitterness.
The world has changed dramatically. When Gu Tiezhu left home, he hoped to earn a fortune and provide for his mother and two children. But what happened? Six years later, when Gu Tiezhu returned, his mother had long since crumbled to dust. Gu Hongxing and his sister had lost all sense of affection for their father. Even their house, decrepit and crumbling from lack of life, was in ruins.
Gutiezhu raised his hand and touched his face. He didn't know when, but tears had already covered his face.
"Tiezhu, Tiezhu, you're back? Where have you been these past few years? Even your mother had no place to look for you for her funeral, wuwuwu..." Aunt Gu rushed over from home when she heard the news that Gutiezhu was back. Seeing the familiar figure of Gutiezhu, Aunt Gu couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
"Auntie..." Gu Tiezhu lost his voice just after calling out one word. Compared to six years ago, Auntie Gu had aged a lot. Her hair was almost completely white and her body was hunched.
"Grandma."
"Grandma."
Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang cried out in unison, their gratitude for Aunt Gu inexpressible. Although Aunt Gu hadn't been able to take them home, Gu Hongxing wouldn't blame her. After all, every family has its own problems, and Aunt Gu couldn't make the final call at home. They were grateful that Aunt Gu had found Zhao Yunxiang for their help. Over the past few years, Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang had felt unprecedented warmth from Zhao Yunxiang, who had given them direction in life.
"Hongxing? Xiaofang? Why did you come back with Tiezhu? Where's Yunxiang? Did she go back to Zhaojiagou too?" Only then did Aunt Gu realize that the two children in front of her were Gu Hongxing and his sister. Three years had passed, and Gu Hongxing and his sister had grown a lot taller, and had changed a lot compared to three years ago. At first, Aunt Gu thought that Gu Tiezhu was bringing guests home.
"Aunt, my dad..." Gu Xiaofang was interrupted by Gu Tiezhu before she could finish her words.
"Aunt, have you been doing well these years? Your nephew has been thinking about you all the time." Gu Tiezhu didn't want Aunt Gu to know that he had "snatched" Gu Hongxing and his sister back from Zhao Yunxiang. He took out a black wallet from his trouser pocket, pulled out a stack of 100-yuan bills, stuffed it into Aunt Gu's hand, and said, "Aunt, thank you for fulfilling your filial duty and helping with my mother's funeral on my behalf."
Aunt Gu was shocked when she saw the money in her hand, which was about twenty bills. Two thousand yuan was the annual income of Aunt Gu's family.
"Tiezhu! It's not easy for you to make money outside, so keep it for yourself! I have food and drink at home, so I'm not short of money." Aunt Gu stuffed the money in her hand back to Gu Tiezhu.
Gutiezhu refused to accept it and tried to persuade her, saying, "Aunt, this is a gift from your nephew to show his filial piety to you. Thanks to your care in the past few years, Hongxing and Xiaofang finally have a place to stay..."
"Speaking of Hongxing and the others, Tiezhu, you shouldn't thank me, you should thank Zhao Yunxiang. If it weren't for Yunxiang's help, I really don't know what I would have done." Aunt Gu resolutely refused to accept Gu Tiezhu's money. Speaking of Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang's situation, Aunt Gu still felt guilty! As their aunt, she watched the two minors grow up without providing them with a shelter. It was Zhao Yunxiang who stepped in to help and resolved the matter.
Aunt Gu hadn't contributed a cent to Tiezhu's mother's funeral expenses; it was the money Gu Tiezhu had sent home a few years before, and Tiezhu's mother had been reluctant to spend it. Aunt Gu was a down-to-earth person, doing things for peace of mind, and she hadn't expected any "big reward" from Gu Tiezhu.
"Auntie, look at what my house has become like. It's getting dark. I want to take Hongxing and the others to your house to stay for one night. Is that okay?" Gu Tiezhu saw that Auntie Gu was determined not to accept his money, so he had to take it back and put it back in his wallet. However, Gu Tiezhu had made up his mind. He would stay at Auntie Gu's house for one night and put the money under his pillow when he left the next day.
"Okay, let's go! I can still make the decision if you stay for a few days." Aunt Gu took Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang's hands and walked towards home. In Aunt Gu's view, relatives should help each other. She couldn't cut off contact with her daughter-in-law's family just because she didn't like her.
Seeing the familiar Aunt Gu, Gu Hongxing and Gu Xiaofang felt relieved. They were afraid that Gu Tiezhu would take them to an unfamiliar place, and then they would not be able to return to Jingyang City to find Aunt Yunxiang. Along the way, Gu Xiaofang carefully noted the transfer location, waiting for Gu Tiezhu to relax his vigilance, and then she and Gu Hongxing escaped back to Jingyang City.
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