Go back to the past to plant trees

The next day, while Zhang Fulin was still half asleep, a sudden commotion outside woke him up.

He opened his eyes, and Feng Cheng was staring at him intently, just like yesterday. This startled Zhang Fulin, and he realized that he had been arrested.

Just as Zhang Fulin was bewildered, the door of the dugout was pushed open with a bang, and Qu He walked in with a grim expression, followed by two armed guards.

"Director."

Upon seeing Qu He, Feng Cheng immediately stood up to greet him.

"Hmm," Qu He nodded, then looked at Zhang Fulin on the kang (a heated brick bed), "Is it from his bundle that the gold ingots were found?"

“Yes, the item is here,” Feng Cheng said, taking out the gold ingot and handing it to Qu He.

Qu He took it and looked at it. He didn't know much about cultural relics, but he knew about gold. He wouldn't dare say he could tell the difference between real and fake at a glance, but he could tell that it was 70-80% real, because he had also captured gold when he was fighting in the past.

Qu He wrapped up the gold ingot and looked at Zhang Fulin again: "Zhang Fulin, right? I didn't bring the police up today because I wanted to give you a chance. If you honestly tell me where this gold ingot came from, I can help you get a lighter punishment. But if you are stubborn and intend to resist to the end, I will not only not help you, but I will also let the police deal with you severely."

Last night, after Zhao Jinquan arrived at the bureau, Qu He had already gone home. Zhao Jinquan went directly to Qu He's house and told him about Zhang Fulin's matter.

Qu He was a shrewd man who had lived through the War of Resistance against Japan. He knew from Zhao Jinquan's account that the horseshoe gold definitely did not belong to Zhang Fulin; it was either stolen, robbed, or obtained through fraud.

Qu He was both surprised and furious that he had personally recruited such a person. As a former reconnaissance soldier, he had failed to notice Zhang Fulin's abnormality, which made Qu He feel ashamed. So, he had someone drive him up here early this morning.

Qu He hadn't notified the Public Security Bureau yet. In his view, this matter could be handled at the bureau first, and then the suspect could be handed over to the Public Security Bureau, rather than having the Public Security Bureau come here to arrest the person and then go back for interrogation.

In those days, this was how workplaces and departments were structured: if an employee committed a crime, even if they were to be sent to the police station, it would be done after the unit's security department had interrogated them. Moreover, if it wasn't a particularly serious offense, the unit would say a few kind words to the police to get a lenient sentence. Some units didn't even notify the police station and just handled the matter themselves.

Upon hearing Qu He's words, Zhang Fulin's tense defenses instantly crumbled. Qu He hadn't even asked him a question, and he hadn't said a word, yet she had already concluded that the gold ingot wasn't his. This made Zhang Fulin realize that his attempt to deceive her had completely failed.

"This thing is definitely not mine; I stole it with people from my village."

Qu He asked, "Where did you steal it from?"

"museum."

"A museum? You just stole it and left without being caught? And you only stole these two gold ingots?"

"We were discovered, and then my friend hit him with a hammer. After the man fell down, we got scared and ran away. We stole four gold ingots in total. My friend got two, and I got two?"

"How is the person you hit? Is he unconscious or dead?" Qu He continued to ask.

Zhang Fulin shook his head, "I don't know, I was terrified at the time, so I just ran away."

Qu He nodded; the matter was now quite clear.

"Take him away and bring him back to the security department for questioning. Find out the time, place, and details of the theft, and then hand him over to the police station."

Qu and the two armed youths behind him immediately stepped forward and dragged Zhang Fulin away.

"You handled this matter well, without causing any impact on the camp or the bureau. I will apply to the higher-ups for a commendation for you."

After Zhang Fulin left, Qu He's expression immediately softened, showing great satisfaction with how Feng Cheng and Zhao Tianshan handled the matter.

Zhao Tianshan said, "Just apply for it for Feng Cheng. He's the one who discovered this and he's the one who suggested taking measures against Zhang Fulin."

“You are the camp leader. If you can handle this well and prevent any accidents, you will have made a contribution. There is no need for you to shirk responsibility.”

Qu He waved his hand, not giving Zhao Tianshan a chance to refuse.

"I originally planned to come up in a few days to talk to you about something, but I came up earlier today because of this matter, so I'll say it all at once."

"Feng Cheng, you have successfully planted trees on the dam with a high survival rate. After deliberation by the Party Committee of the Bureau, it has been decided to promote you to the position of Deputy Chief of the Production Section of the Weichang County Forestry Bureau, with full authority over the seedling cultivation and afforestation work in Saihanba."

Qu He brought Feng Cheng some very pleasant news. Although Feng Cheng had expected it, he was still very happy when it was confirmed.

The position itself is not important; what matters most to Feng Cheng is the recognition and affirmation of his hard work over the past few years, because it proves that his efforts have not been in vain and have been worthwhile.

"Feng Cheng, congratulations."

Zhao Tianshan sincerely offered his blessings to Feng Cheng.

He had only been in Saihanba for a short time, but in that short time he had already experienced the hardships of Saihanba. He had only been there for a few days, while Feng Cheng had been there for three whole years, and there were only two of them.

Zhao Tianshan was truly impressed by the achievements made under such difficult conditions.

"Director Qu, since Feng Cheng has become the deputy head of the production department, let him take the position of team leader!"

“It’s different. Deputy Section Chief Feng Cheng is in charge of technology and production, while you, the brigade leader, are in charge of living conditions. The division of labor is different. If Feng Cheng were to be in charge of everything, he wouldn’t be able to handle it all.”

Feng Cheng also said, "Old Zhao, you should take the position of team leader. The number of people in the camp will increase, and the workload of living and logistics will be huge. You will be very busy if you do it all by yourself."

"By the way, speaking of people, Lao Yu called me yesterday and said that he has recruited a few college students in Northeast China. They have confirmed that they will come over. If nothing unexpected happens, they will report for duty in mid-May."

When the topic of manpower in Bashang came up, Quhe shared another piece of news.

"Mid-May, that's more than half a month away?"

"Yes, so you need to get this underground shelter done quickly. I'll have someone bring the materials up soon. You can do it yourself or hire someone else, but you must get the shelter up and running before they arrive."

"Besides the underground dwelling, we also need to build a high-standard wooden frame to serve as a kitchen, warehouse, and meeting room. I'll ask the materials bureau to approve some glass and try to make this wooden frame as good as possible."

Feng Cheng listened quietly as Qu He talked about this, with a mixture of anticipation and indifference. Three years on the dam, they had planted trees and brought them to life. The advance team had arrived on the dam, and now college students were also going to come. The dam was becoming more and more lively. Feng Cheng and Zhao Jinquan had finally escaped the life of the wild men.