South to North: A Prison Guard at the Beginning

"Yes, there were quite a few such cases when I was in Ningyang. If I encountered them, I could still take care of them, but I can't keep an eye on them all the time. So, I have been thinking about this paper for a long time, and now I finally have the opportunity to write it."

"However, many of the details still need to be improved, and it cannot be finished in a short time. But take your time, this matter cannot be resolved in a day or two." Yuan Mu nodded.

"Yes, this kind of thing has never stopped since ancient times. It is difficult to eradicate it completely, but I believe that the country will definitely take action, and your paper will definitely be taken seriously." Zhou Xiaobai looked at Yuan Mu and said with a smile.

"I hope so." Yuan Mu nodded.

In fact, Yuan Mu himself knew that even if he submitted his paper now, no one would probably take it seriously. Everyone understands the principle, but it is too difficult to put it into practice. Now the country is vigorously developing the economy and has no time to take care of some things for the time being, but what is coming will eventually come.

As the two of them walked along, Zhou Xiaobai suddenly remembered that Zhong Yuemin was coming back and spoke.

"Xiao Mu, Zhong Yuemin is coming back to visit his family. I told him that I would treat him to a meal. You can come with me then."

"Zhong Yuemin? He's coming back? Hey! This guy still owes me a meal." Hearing this, Yuan Mu was stunned and then laughed.

"When will he come back?"

"This week."

"Okay, let's go together then." Yuan Mu smiled and nodded in agreement.

On December 29th, at 10:11 am, a train from the northwest to Kyoto stopped at Kyoto Station.

A soldier wearing a military coat, a cotton-padded hat and carrying luggage came down from carriage number seven. This man was Zhong Yuemin. After breathing the air here, Zhong Yuemin smiled. His hometown was still so familiar. He grew up here since he was a child. If he had not joined the army, he might be doing something else now.

After getting out of the train station, he took the bus directly. His home was in Dongcheng District, not far away, but not close enough if he walked. If it was spring or autumn, he could still walk, but it was too cold in winter.

Standing at the door of his house and looking at the familiar gate, Zhong Yuemin looked a little dazed for a moment. His home is no longer the same as it used to be. He still remembered that when he was a child, people often came to his home, but now, there is no one at home and it is very depressed.

Although his father Zhong Shanyue has been rehabilitated and the organization has restored his vice-ministerial treatment, his current position is a sinecure with no real power, and is now equivalent to a semi-retired state.

The door was not closed, so Zhong Yuemin walked straight in with his luggage. He soon saw an old man with a hunched back, wearing a cotton coat and gloves and sweeping the floor with a broom. It was his father.

"Dad!" Seeing this scene, Zhong Yuemin felt a little uncomfortable and stepped forward to shout.

Thinking about how high-spirited his father was in the past, but looking at him now, the former heroic image is gone, and all that can be seen is an ordinary old man who couldn't be more ordinary. The movement smoothed out his edges, and he no longer had expectations for anything. Now everything is fine.

He drinks tea and reads newspapers at work, and goes for a walk when he has nothing to do, but he just feels a little lonely. After all, he is the only one at home. His wife died early, and he has never reunited over the years.

When Zhong Shanyue heard the familiar voice, he suddenly raised his head. When he saw the familiar figure, he was stunned and threw the broom in his hand aside.

"Leap People!"

"dad!"

"Yuemin, you're back!" Zhong Shanyue walked forward in surprise, held his son's arm with both hands and looked him up and down.

My son hasn't been home for a long time. The last time I saw him was the year before last. Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

When a father and son meet again after a long separation, they naturally have endless things to talk about. Zhong Yuemin and Zhong Shanyue are different from other fathers and sons. Maybe other fathers and sons often don’t have so many things to talk about, but Zhong Yuemin has been an orphan since he was a child, and Zhong Shanyue has always been the one who brought him up, so he has a deep affection for Zhong Shanyue.

At the dinner table, Zhong Yuemin told Zhong Shanyue everything about the army, and the other party listened very seriously. The two laughed from time to time. This was the happiest day for Zhong Shanyue in the past two years.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

The next day at 5:30 pm, in a restaurant in Dongcheng District.

Yuan Mu and Zhou Xiaobai were sitting on chairs on one side, waiting for Zhong Yuemin to arrive. They had made an appointment to have dinner together today, but that was an appointment between Zhong Yuemin and Zhou Xiaobai, and he didn't know that Yuan Mu was there too, let alone the current relationship between Yuan Mu and Zhou Xiaobai.

About five minutes later, a man in a military coat walked into the restaurant, looked around and finally stopped at Zhou Xiaobai. So he smiled, straightened his clothes and walked over, but before he got to her, he saw Yuan Mu next to Zhou Xiaobai. He was stunned for a moment and then his smile became even bigger.

"Yuan Mu!!"

"Zhong Yuemin!" Yuan Mu also laughed and stood up to greet him.

"Oh! I was planning to look for you tomorrow, but I didn't expect to see you today. Why are you here?" Zhong Yuemin hugged Yuan Mu excitedly and asked.

"Oh! I heard from Xiaobai that you were back, so I came along to welcome you." Yuan Mu smiled and let go of Zhong Yuemin, then pointed at Zhou Xiaobai next to him.

At this time, Zhou Xiaobai also stood up with a smile, looked at Zhong Yuemin, and extended his hand to him.

"Yuemin! Long time no see!"

Zhong Yuemin was stunned for a moment when he looked at Zhou Xiaobai's hand, but still reached out and shook hands with her.

"What's up? We haven't seen each other for so long!"

Zhou Xiaobai smiled but did not respond. Instead, he glanced at Yuan Mu next to him and then looked at Zhong Yuemin.

"Yuemin, let me introduce you."

"Hey! Why introduce me? I know him. We are brothers in life and death. If it weren't for him, I might not have been able to get out of the Death Forest alive!" Zhong Yuemin waved his hand.

"It's not about this, listen to me!" Zhou Xiaobai shook his head.

"Ah?" Zhong Yuemin was stunned, then he looked at Zhou Xiaobai and Yuan Mu carefully, only to see the two standing together. The next moment, Zhou Xiaobai put his arm around Yuan Mu's arm, which made his brain crash for a few seconds.

"Yuemin! Let me formally introduce you to my partner, Comrade Yuan Mu!"

Quiet! Very quiet! Zhong Yuemin stared at the two of them with his eyes wide open, and was speechless for a long time. He thought about how he and Zhou Xiaobai had been together before, but later he couldn't stand Zhou Xiaobai's temper and they broke up. However, Zhang Haiyang had always liked Zhou Xiaobai, so why was he suddenly together with Yuan Mu again?

That's right! Yuan Mu saved her life at the station. Could it be that they were together because of this? Zhong Yuemin began to brainstorm.