A few days later.
Ling Huanwu prepared to take a boat back to the island.
The dock was bustling with people. She was dragging her luggage and about to board the ship when she overheard Song Panmei, who had come to see her off, and an insider who had come with her, revealing that Su Haiting was dead.
She ended her life by plunging a broken iron spoon into her heart, without even waiting for execution.
Ling Huanwu was stunned; she hadn't expected Su Haiting to make such a choice.
A gentle sea breeze blew by, ruffling her hair, and Ling Huanwu was filled with emotion.
She boarded the boat back to the island, refusing Song Panmei's company, and insisted on returning alone with the child.
As a pilot, he had a bright future ahead of him, and she couldn't hold him back.
No matter how dangerous the road ahead, she will keep going.
*
Ling Huanwu stood on the dock, holding her two-month-old daughter tightly in her arms.
The sea breeze howled, ruffling her hair, but it couldn't dispel her anxiety and unease.
Upon setting foot on this familiar yet unfamiliar island, she was met with a surge of malice.
"It's her! This jinx dares to come back!"
A sharp, angry roar ripped through the sky.
Immediately afterwards, a stone flew towards Ling Huanwu and hit her heavily on the shoulder.
Ling Huanwu winced in pain and instinctively tightened her grip on her daughter.
The villagers swarmed around her like a tide.
Angry faces contorted in pain, and curses rained down on her like arrows.
"You killed our loved ones, and you still have the nerve to come back!"
"It's because of you that our family has fallen apart!"
Ling Huanwu's lips trembled, and she offered no explanation.
She knew that arguing now was useless, so she let the overwhelming accusations drown her out.
Her eyes were red and tears were welling up, but she held them back.
At this moment, all she wanted was to protect the child in her arms.
Just when she was isolated, helpless, and filled with despair, a series of hurried footsteps approached.
Political Commissar Hao and his soldiers appeared as if they were divine warriors descending from the heavens.
Political Commissar Hao's face was grim as he shouted, "Stop! What are you doing?"
The soldiers quickly stepped forward, shielding her behind them and separating her from the angry villagers.
Political Commissar Hao approached Ling Huanwu and, seeing her disheveled and tearful appearance, felt a pang of pity.
"Comrade Ling, you've suffered. Come back to the unit with us first."
Just then, Aunt Liu and her second aunt, along with a group of aunts who had fought side by side in the past, rushed over and also protected Ling Huanwu in the middle, confronting the other villagers.
Ling Huanwu nodded slightly, glanced gratefully at Political Commissar Hao and the aunties, and, holding her child, left the villagers' encirclement, which seemed to be devouring her, under the escort of the soldiers.
In the temporary quarters of the military unit, Ling Huanwu sat down wearily and gently placed her sleeping daughter on the bed.
Political Commissar Hao poured her a glass of hot water and comforted her, saying, "You should rest well first. It's very safe here."
Ling Huanwu took the hot water, warming her hands and her heart gradually warming up as well. "Political Commissar, thank you. I..."
Political Commissar Hao waved his hand, "Don't say that yet. I understand how you feel. You've just come back, so you must have a lot of questions. Let's talk about it slowly."
Ling Huanwu composed herself and stated her plan, "Political Commissar Hao, I would like to ask you for a favor. I want to entrust my child to a reliable person for care. I need to investigate the truth behind the quartz mine explosion six months ago. I don't believe that Jiuzhen and those soldiers and villagers just disappeared without a trace."
Political Commissar Hao pondered for a moment and nodded: "I also think this is very strange. We haven't found their bodies yet. How could people just disappear into thin air?"
Ling Huanwu agreed with his statement. She even went to search the space later, imagining that Zhou Jiuzhen might also be able to open the space and take the soldiers and villagers into the space before the explosion.
She searched the space for days and nights, but couldn't find a trace of them at all.
Ling Huanwu originally wanted to leave the children in the army for the female comrades to take care of, but when she saw that the few female comrades in the army had to take care of Zhou Shuyao's triplets every day, she felt very bad.
The triplets, having lost both their parents and their uncle, were very obedient and well-behaved in the army.
She was not even two years old when she started helping to sweep the floor and pick vegetables.
When Ling Huanwu went to see them, they were sitting on small chairs peeling potatoes.
As soon as they saw her, they rushed over like three little firecrackers, calling her "Mama, Mama".
The three of them were all tiny, and when they looked at the little sister in Ling Huanwu's arms, their three big, dark eyes widened, and they happily vied to hold the little sister.
As Ling Huanwu was leaving, the triplets chased after her, crying and shouting, "Mommy, quickly call Uncle to take us home..."
She hurried away, hiding behind a tree with tears streaming down her face.
And so, Ling Huanwu carefully entrusted her daughter to Aunt Liu's care, while she planned to go up the mountain again to the explosion site to look for clues.
Aunt Liu looked at the adorable baby girl in the swaddling clothes and couldn't stop smiling. "Xiao Ling, don't worry, I will definitely take care of her like my own granddaughter."
The triplets also peeked out and gently pinched their little sister's cheek, clearly smitten.
Ling Huanwu's eyes welled up with tears. She gave a few more words of advice before leaving, turning back to look at herself every few steps.
Traveling light, Ling Huanwu and Political Commissar Hao set off for the quartz mine.
The sea breeze remained biting throughout the journey.
The closer Ling Huanwu got to the accident site, the more her heart ached.
Arriving at the quartz mine site where the explosion once occurred, the place is eerily silent, with ruins telling the story of the past tragedy.
Political Commissar Hao spoke with a grave expression, “After the explosion, we conducted a thorough search, but we found no clues about the miners involved in the accident, not even a single piece of clothing or a trace of blood.”
Ling Huanwu frowned, a glimmer of hope rising in her heart. "You're right. Even if the explosion is violent, it's impossible to blow so many people to smithereens."
Political Commissar Hao looked at her, a hint of the same suspicion flashing in his eyes. "I also find it strange, so I have never given up the investigation. Comrade Ling, your husband and those soldiers are all good men. I believe they will not sacrifice themselves so easily."
Upon hearing this, Ling Huanwu's eyes shone even brighter, and tears welled up in her eyes with emotion.
"After all this time, you're the only one who says they might still be alive."
Aunt Liu and Song Panmei all said that Zhou Jiuzhen was gone and his remains were nowhere to be found, but she just wouldn't believe it.
Political Commissar Hao nodded slightly, "That's possible, so we must get to the bottom of this."
Ling Huanwu forcefully wiped away her tears and clenched her fists. "No matter the cost, I will find them. Political Commissar Hao, where should we begin our investigation?"
Political Commissar Hao looked at the ruins and pondered for a moment. "Let's start by interviewing the villagers in the surrounding area to see if anyone saw anything unusual after the explosion."
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