Chapter 26 Chu Tongyu, 27 years old in Jiangcheng
The world in Shijian Village has completely changed.
The once arrogant and domineering Wang Pozi had lost all her spirit. Her originally gray hair was cut unevenly, and the newly grown stubble was gray and white, making her look more than ten years older.
Wang Erzhu was completely ruined. The injury to his groin wasn't fatal, but the psychological castration he felt was far more devastating than the physical pain. Upon seeing the police and reporters, his eyes darted away, he instinctively clamped his legs together, and hunched his back, as if bracing himself for an invisible beating.
The rescue team organized by the township government, accompanied by the village party secretary and police officers from the local police station, carried out its work in an orderly manner.
This time, the "divine retribution" of the past few days has replaced the villagers' previous tense atmosphere with a suppressed and fearful panic.
On the threshing floor, the trafficked women who were willing to leave and their children stood in a row.
Chunni held Daya and Erya's hands tightly. Though her face still bore the marks of time, her eyes shone with a new light. The other women, some timid, others hopeful, all resolutely chose to leave this nightmarish place.
The work team members registered them one by one and issued them travel expenses and temporary accommodation certificates.
Chu Yanxi stood in the line, her expression calm. She had changed into a slightly worn but clean blue cotton shirt, her hair neatly pulled back, revealing her smooth forehead and composed eyes. Compared to the women around her, some excited and some fearful, she appeared remarkably calm.
Lu Zhe moved through the crowd, assisting the staff with communication, but his gaze kept falling on Chu Yanxi. Seeing that she was safe and sound, and looked even better than when they last met, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense for many days, finally relaxed a little.
The procedures were completed surprisingly smoothly. No villagers objected, no one threw a tantrum, and Wang Fuguo and several clan elders stood at a distance, their faces contorted with complex emotions, but ultimately they did not step forward.
After the registration was completed, the staff led the bride and children who were about to leave slowly toward the village entrance.
The road down the mountain was still rugged and difficult. But because of the anticipation and hope, everyone's face was filled with ease and joy.
Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe naturally walked together and landed at the back of the group.
"What are your plans next?" Lu Zhe turned his head, looking at Chu Yanxi's profile as the mountain breeze blew, and asked softly. He knew that, given her personality, it was impossible for her to return to a normal life so easily.
Chu Yanxi looked ahead, her steps steady: "To Jiangcheng."
Lu Zhe was slightly taken aback: "Jiangcheng? Why Jiangcheng?" Jiangcheng was not his hometown, but he chose to work there after graduating from university, so he was quite familiar with Jiangcheng.
Chu Yanxi was silent for a moment, as if she was choosing her words carefully. Her gaze turned to the distant, layered mountains, her eyes somewhat distant: "I need to confirm some things."
After a pause, her voice lowered: "I need to confirm whether this is the past of our previous world, or another... parallel world."
Lu Zhe paused, looking at her in astonishment.
Chu Yanxi did not offer much explanation.
She now needs to confirm whether her father received the message she sent during her last time travel.
The last time I traveled back in time was in 1985, when my father was 20 years old. Now it's 1992, and my father is 27, having just joined the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. I remember the last time I saw him, he said he really liked working at the police station, so why did he ultimately choose to become a criminal investigator?
Chu Yanxi's eyes flickered, her thoughts drifting to the Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau, the place where she had worked for seven years.
A thought flashed through Lu Zhe's mind in an instant.
—The past? A parallel world?
A startling conjecture formed in Lu Zhe's mind. His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice became somewhat dry: "Um, you said before that we've entered a work of non-fiction called 'Breaking the Cocoon'..."
"Yes," Chu Yanxi answered affirmatively.
A strange light flickered in Lu Zhe's eyes: "Documentary literature, which means the world we are experiencing now is real! Right? It's not a story, it's real history! Isn't it?"
"Yes." Chu Yanxi nodded again.
"A real historical event?" Lu Zhe murmured, repeating the phrase over and over. His pupils suddenly contracted as a possibility he had never dared to contemplate surfaced in his mind. "Chunni, Wang Laowu, Shijian Village... even everyone we've met... they all... actually existed?"
The mountain wind seemed to freeze for a moment. Lu Zhe felt his heart skip a beat, then pound wildly, blood rushing to his head, his ears ringing. If all of this was real, then wouldn't that mean…
"Then my mother..." Lu Zhe's voice trembled with disbelief, "is she also real? She, she's still alive?"
He pressed for answers, his eyes filled with a complex mix of hope and fear. The trauma of domestic violence his mother endured during his childhood was a deep, unhealed scar in his heart. But what if he really had gone back to the past, back to 1992? Could he protect his mother and prevent her from suffering that same pain?
Looking at Lu Zhe, who had lost his composure in an instant, Chu Yanxi said softly, "The last time I traveled through time, I returned to Jiangcheng and met my father. He was only 20 years old then, in the prime of his life."
She didn't need to finish speaking; Lu Zhe already understood.
1992! It's 1992 now!
His father, Lu Dakun, should have been 27 years old at the time. He was a young worker in a machinery factory in Jiangcheng, and a lazy, troublemaking "hooligan." His mother, Chen Jing, was only 22 years old. After escaping from her unhappy family, she stayed in Jiangcheng to work in a small restaurant, harboring humble hopes for the future.
At this time, the parents may have just met, or even started dating.
A tremendous, almost absurd hope overwhelmed Lu Zhe like a tidal wave. Overwhelmed by mixed emotions of joy and sorrow, he was speechless for a moment, and his eyes uncontrollably welled up with tears.
The good news is that her mother's tragic fate had not yet begun, and there was still time to change it.
Tragically, the man who brought him and his mother endless pain is young at this moment, and may be deceiving his young and naive mother with false enthusiasm!
"Lu Dakun." Lu Zhe murmured the name he hated yet knew so well, his knuckles turning white from the force.
“Silence…” His mother’s gentle yet sorrowful face was crystal clear before his eyes.
Chu Yanxi watched Lu Zhe quietly, not disturbing him as he was experiencing both sorrow and joy.
She understood Lu Zhe's shock at that moment.
Wasn't she herself burning with the thought that "this world really exists"? Wasn't her eagerness to go to Jiangcheng precisely to explore her father's life trajectory?
After a long while, Lu Zhe slowly exhaled, calming his turbulent emotions.
His gaze toward Chu Yanxi held a complex mix of emotions, a strange sense of resonance—they were not time travelers who had been accidentally drawn into the events, but rather people who might change history and bore a special mission.
“I’ll go to Jiangcheng with you.” Lu Zhe’s voice regained its calmness, but carried an undeniable firmness.
The outline of Shijian Village gradually blurred behind us, eventually disappearing into the rolling mountains.
After descending the mountain, Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe eagerly boarded the train and arrived in Jiangcheng, a city they hadn't visited in a long time.
The city of Wuhan in 1992 was completely different from the modern metropolis I remembered. The buildings were not tall, the streets were filled with bicycles, and the occasional Santana sedan that drove by looked particularly impressive. The whole city was filled with a vibrant yet slightly rough energy.
All of this was both strange and familiar to Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe, as if they were looking at an old photograph through a frosted glass.
Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe split up and acted separately.
Chu Yanxi arrived in the old city and found the former location of the First Brigade of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment. It was a gray, three-story building with a Soviet-style architectural style, with a white sign with black characters hanging at the entrance, giving it a somewhat solemn appearance.
Chu Yanxi didn't rush inside, but instead sat down at an inconspicuous tea stall across the street. The afternoon sun slanted across the facade of the Public Security Bureau, and there weren't many people coming and going; occasionally, figures in olive-green police uniforms or plainclothes would hurry by.
Chu Yanxi's gaze was fixed on the door, her fingers unconsciously tracing the rough rim of the teacup, remaining silent. Time passed slowly, and the tea stall owner began preparing to close up shop.
Just as dusk was falling and everyone was almost convinced they wouldn't make it to the next day, Chu Yanxi's body suddenly tensed up slightly. She had seen it!
A young figure stepped out. He was wearing a slightly worn police uniform, without a hat, with an upright posture and brisk steps. His face carried an expression that was a mixture of fatigue and excitement, and there seemed to be a relaxed smile on his lips.
The golden rays of the setting sun fell on his angular face. Although he looked more mature than when he was 20, his eyes were still bright and spirited, with a touch of sharpness in his enthusiasm.
That was Chu Tongyu, Chu Tongyu at the age of twenty-seven.
Chu Yanxi's breath suddenly stopped for a moment.
Across the street, she quietly watched that figure, as if trying to etch this moment into the depths of her soul. This was her father, before she was born, before she became his daughter, before the years had worn away all his sharpness.
The young Chu Tongyu said a few words to his colleagues, waved, and then walked alone in another direction.
Chu Yanxi immediately stood up and silently followed behind.
Chu Tongyu didn't seem to be in a hurry to go back to the dormitory. He had his hands in his pockets, walked briskly, and occasionally kicked a pebble on the roadside, like a big boy.
He passed a newsstand and stopped to look at the headlines.
Passing by a music store, he heard Cui Jian's "Rock 'n' Roll on the New Long March" playing, and he gently swayed his head to the rhythm.
Chu Yanxi had never seen a father like this before.
The father she remembered always looked tired, with something heavy in his eyes. Although he was gentle to her and her mother, behind that gentleness always seemed to be an unbearable burden.
The person in front of me was so light and agile that it seemed as if he were about to take flight.
Finally, Chu Tongyu walked into Linjiang Park, found a bench facing the river, took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and quietly gazed at the shimmering river surface.
The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, and the river breeze ruffled his hair, creating an indescribable serene beauty.
Chu Yanxi took a deep breath and walked towards the bench.
The footsteps startled Chu Jianguo. He turned around and saw a strange young woman approaching. He looked puzzled but not wary. He just habitually adopted the look of a policeman scrutinizing a stranger.
Chu Yanxi stopped in front of him, her heart pounding in her chest, but this time, she did not lose her composure or tremble.
"Hello, excuse me... are you from the Public Security Bureau?"
Chu Jianguo paused for a moment, then stubbed out his cigarette after taking two puffs, stood up, and politely asked, "Is there something you need?"
Looking closely at that young face, Chu Yanxi's nose suddenly stung with tears. She blinked, suppressing the tears that welled up, and said softly, following the words she had prepared beforehand, "I came here from the countryside to work. Two years ago, on my way home, I was kidnapped by human traffickers and taken to a small mountain valley. I was just rescued, and I feel a sense of kinship when I see police officers. I saw you coming out of the police station, so I came over to talk to you."
Chu Yanxi is very good at the art of getting close to people.
When people share their tragic experiences, kind-hearted people usually lower their guard.
Chu Tongyu looked Chu Yanxi up and down, as if to confirm the truth of her words.
Seven years have passed, and Chu Tongyu is no longer as quick to trust a stranger as he was when he was 20.
After a long silence, Chu Tongyu asked, "Is there something you need?"
Chu Yanxi asked softly, "You seem to really enjoy being a police officer?"
Chu Tongyu clearly hadn't expected her to ask that question: "Um... it's alright."
Chu Yanxi stared intently at him: "Being a police officer is dangerous, sometimes... even life-threatening. What makes you love this job so much, and even willing to sacrifice for it?"
Chu Jianguo looked at the river and remained silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought about the problem.
A river breeze blows, carrying moist air.
“Passion?” He repeated the word, turning to look at Chu Yanxi, his eyes becoming serious and pure: “It’s less about passion and more about duty. There are always corners in this world where the sun doesn’t shine, there are always bad people bullying good people, and there are always injustices. I hope to help those who have been wronged and have nowhere to seek justice.”
Chu Yanxi pursed her lips: "But what if those you've helped can't understand you, or even misunderstand you?"
Chu Tongyu's mood somber: "There's nothing we can do about this situation. But it's our duty, so we can only keep moving forward."
Chu Yanxi stared at him intently: "Even if... it costs you your life, you'll still keep going?"
Chu Tongyu didn't know who this girl was or why she was asking such a personal question. But perhaps it was the bond of blood, Chu Tongyu didn't feel offended at all; instead, an indescribable emotion rose within him.
It was as if a thread was pulling at his heart, making him unable to bear saying no.
Chu Tongyu thought for a moment, then his tone became somewhat somber: "If I had known I would risk my life, I might have stopped. But police officers always face danger... Should we give up just because we're afraid of danger? If even we don't dare to step forward, wouldn't the bad guys become even more arrogant? Wearing this police uniform means taking responsibility, and we have to be true to our conscience."
Without flowery language or empty slogans, Chu Tongyu's words were as simple as the river water beneath his feet, yet they carried a profound and weighty power.
He no longer talks about his passion like he did when he was 20; instead, he has transformed that passion into a heavy responsibility.
Chu Yanxi listened quietly, a faint smile on her lips, her eyes filled with pride.
This is my father.
A genuine, kind, and responsible father.
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