Chapter 879 Innocence "Who told you that you need a gun to protect others?" Lu Qingyang squatted down to be at eye level with his son.
Little Stone's logic was clear: "Dad...the gun in Grandpa's warehouse, does it protect our family? The uncles who fight bad guys in the movies also have guns, but Uncle Gu and Uncle Li don't have guns, so how can they fight bad guys? Dad, I'm good at sports, I can run fast and jump high. If I also had a gun, I would protect my sister and Mom!"
Little Fish muttered softly beside her, "I need you to protect me."
But she couldn't help but glance at her father, clearly equally curious.
"Whether Uncle Gu and Uncle Li have guns or not, we can ask them about their work, okay? Just like how Dad tells others about some things in his lab."
Little Stone nodded as if he understood, but he was clearly not completely convinced, and his eyes were still glancing outside.
Lu Qingyang thought for a moment, then changed his approach: "There are many ways to protect others, having a gun is one way, but what's more important is this."
He pointed to his head, "and here." Then he pointed to his chest, "Be smart, be brave, always pay attention to your surroundings, detect danger in advance, and avoid danger. Uncle Gu and Uncle Li are very smart and careful. They protect us in their own way, which is more useful than carrying guns around."
"Then...do they have guns?" Little Stone was still fixated on the initial question; the little boy's admiration for weapons was deeply ingrained.
Lu Qingyang smiled and didn't answer directly, but said, "Whether they have guns or not is important. It's important that we know they're here to help us, they're our friends. We should respect them and listen to them. For example, if someone wants to run away, they should tell everyone where they're going. This will help them protect us better, understand?"
Little Stone said "Oh," and although he hadn't solved the mystery of the "gun," he had taken some of his father's words to heart.
Little Fish breathed a sigh of relief, as if her father's words made her feel that the two uncles were not so scary anymore.
Just then, Aunt Liu came out of the kitchen carrying dishes. Having overheard a few words, she gave Lu Qingyang a reproachful look: "Why are you saying these things to the child?"
Then she gently said to the two children, "Wash your hands and eat. Uncle Gu and Uncle Li are here to work. We should treat them normally. There's no need to be afraid or particularly curious, especially Stone. You're not allowed to disturb the uncles' work, understand?"
"I heard you..." Little Stone replied in a drawn-out voice, his eyes still sparkling, as if he were pondering something.
One evening a few days later, while playing football in Xiaoshitou Hutong, the ball carefully rolled to the door of the small gatehouse.
Gu Weimin was standing outside the door when he saw this. He gently hooked the ball with his toe, steadied it, and bent down to pick it up.
Little Stone ran over, a little embarrassed, and said, "Thank you, Uncle Gu."
Gu Weimin handed him the ball, his face expressionless, and simply nodded.
As soon as Xiao Shitou took the ball, the moment their fingers touched, Xiao Shitou felt that Uncle Gu's palm was particularly rough, especially the hard calluses on the base of his thumb and index finger, which pressed against him.
Moreover, when Uncle Gu bent over, the hem of his jacket lifted up slightly, and Xiao Shitou, with his sharp eyes, caught a glimpse of what seemed to be the outline of a hard object on his lower back, hidden by the clothes, but he could see it clearly.
"Uncle Gu," Little Stone mustered his courage and asked in a low voice, "I...I'm very good at sports, I run fast, will I be as good as you in the future?"
Looking into his eyes, which were filled with admiration and longing, Gu Weimin remained silent for a few seconds. His face, which rarely showed any expression, seemed to soften slightly for a moment.
"Eat well and study hard." His voice remained flat, but his tone was not cold or hard. "When you grow up, use your abilities to protect the people you want to protect."
After speaking, he straightened up and turned his gaze back to the street outside the alley entrance, which was gradually darkening.
Little Stone, holding the ball, stood there for a moment, then nodded and ran away.
Inside the gatehouse, Li Xiangdong, who was reading a book, saw this scene through the window. He smiled slightly, shook his head, and muttered to himself, "This little guy... has a sharp eye."
Lu Yu, the little girl who is much quieter than her brother and always loves to draw with pencils and crayons, observes the world from a completely different perspective than her brother.
She fears direct conflict and coldness, but possesses an exceptionally keen perception of color, shape, and the gentleness hidden beneath silence.
Although Uncle Li always had a smile on his face, every time she came home from school, he seemed to be standing right in the direction of the school gate, and he would look away after she had safely entered the yard.
Uncle Gu was even more serious. Once, she was squatting by the door watching ants move house. Uncle Gu patrolled by, walking very lightly, hardly disturbing the busy little creatures.
She also noticed that the windows of the gatehouse were always kept very clean, and Uncle Li would sometimes stare blankly out the window.
When Uncle Gu takes a break, he takes out an old harmonica that is worn smooth and shines, and plays some slow, somewhat melancholic tunes that always become firm in the end. The sound is very low, and only those who are close by can hear it.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Little Fish, clutching her precious sketchbook and tin pencil case, mustered her courage and walked to the door of the gatehouse.
Gu Weimin was on duty, sitting on a small stool reading a newspaper, when he heard footsteps and looked up.
"Uncle Gu..." Xiaoyuer's voice was soft, a little embarrassed, but she still stretched out her hand from behind her back.
There was a drawing on drawing paper, folded in half.
Gu Weimin was somewhat surprised. He put down the newspaper, stood up, and took the drawing paper.
Unfold the drawing paper.
It was drawn with colored crayons, but it was drawn with great care.
Under the old locust tree, which is drawn a little crooked but has distinct features, there are two little figures standing side by side.
The little figures are dressed in blue. One has a serious expression and a flat mouth, while the other has a curved mouth and eyes with two upward-pointing arcs.
In the upper corner of the drawing, it was written neatly in pencil: "For Uncle Gu and Uncle Li, thank you, Little Fish."
Little Fish looked up and saw that Uncle Gu's eyes seemed less cold; there was something in them that she couldn't understand, but felt warm inside.
She smiled happily, revealing a missing front tooth: "Where's Uncle Li?"
“He’s on his day off, he’ll be back later,” Gu Weimin said, then hesitated for a moment before asking, “This painting… is it for me?”
"I'm giving this to you!" Little Fish nodded.
In the evening, Li Xiangdong came to relieve him.
I laughed after seeing the drawing: "Wow, this little girl's drawing is really good. She even drew me as quite handsome."
For three consecutive days, a man wearing a worn-out gray Zhongshan suit and a tattered felt hat was loitering across the street.
He squatted down to smoke, leaned back to doze off, but his eyes always drifted toward the alley, especially toward the Lu family's house.
During his night patrol, Gu Weimin discovered fresh scratches on a section of old wall behind the Lu family's house, and happened to be able to see a corner of the second-floor study window.
The two men made subtle changes and adjusted their focus of surveillance.
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