Back To The 80s-Chapter 311 - 321: Car Robbery_1

Lu Zhanguo calmly looked at Song Dajiang, not saying a word, his eyes full of probing and mockery.

Song Dajiang lowered his head, feeling a little guilty under his gaze, and finally said, "Don’t worry, if we knew where Tiancheng is, we’d tell you."

Lu Aiguo nodded. After all, the Song family had raised Lu Yuanchao for sixteen years, and Song Tiancheng had only run away from home because of the forced marriage. From this, it could be inferred that Song Dajiang and his wife’s nature was not bad.

"Then we’ll leave for now," said Lu Zhanguo, standing up to leave.

Song Dajiang, in politeness, said, "You’ve come such a long way, at least stay for a meal."

"No need, we have other matters to handle." With that, he strode out of the door with Lu Aiguo.

After Song Dajiang escorted the Lu brothers out of his home, he turned around and Li Xiuzhen said anxiously, "Why didn’t you tell them that Tiancheng sends us things before the new year every year, even if we don’t know where he is?"

Song Dajiang glanced at her and said, "Are you foolish? Could we say that? Besides, didn’t you notice? This birth father of Tiancheng’s must be well-off. If we told them and they found Tiancheng, he would never come back to us."

"We don’t even know where Tiancheng is. Even if we tell the truth, it’s not certain when they’ll find him," Li Xiuzhen mumbled.

Standing by, Song Wuxiu was wiping away her tears. Song Dajiang impatiently commanded, "Enough, stop crying. You’ve been mourning every day. The new year is coming, Tiancheng will probably send something home, maybe we can see him this time."

As they left Song’s house, Lu Aiguo expressed his disapproval, "What sort of people are they? Forcing someone to marry at just sixteen. It’s like the old times."

Lu Zhanguo furrowed his brow, speaking in a heavy tone, "Did you notice the new shoes Song Dajiang was wearing or the clock on their table, awarded to the advanced individual named Xiangdong in 1983?"

Lu Aiguo exclaimed, "I didn’t notice. Who is Xiangdong? How is he related to our search for our brother?"

Lu Zhanguo shook his head, "Those two things are not something an ordinary household would have. We need to check whether they have any relatives in the military or related departments and who this Xiangdong is. I suspect that our older brother has changed his name and has been quietly supporting them." He wouldn’t have expected Song Dajiang to behave as if he were hiding something.

Lu Aiguo turned excited at this speculation, "It’d be great if that were true. Should we ask the villagers now? We can find out, can’t we?"

Lu Zhanguo held him back, "It’s not that simple. We’re outsiders, and the villagers will be on guard against us. Moreover, in many villages, everyone is a relative of everyone else. We can’t find out much."

"So what do we do?" Lu Aiguo was becoming somewhat anxious.

"Let’s start by getting some information from the local police station."

The two of them went to the township and found a small restaurant to have a bite before they headed to the local police station.

A few young officers in the station were gathered around a heater playing cards. When they saw the Lu brothers entering, they warmly welcomed them.

It was fortunate that one of the officers, Li Tie, was a distant nephew of Li Xiuzhen’s family and was frank about the details after hearing the purpose of their visit.

As Li Tie served them some hot water, he began, "My aunt and uncle don’t have any relative named Xiang, nor anyone they know in the military. Nonetheless, every winter, someone sends a large package to their home. Everyone suspects it’s Tiancheng sending gifts out of gratitude."

Becoming a little excited, Lu Zhanguo thought this might confirm his suspicion. "Xiangdong" might actually be Lu Yuanchao. He asked, "Do you happen to know where the package is sent from?"

Li Tie shook his head, "I’m not sure. There’s no address attached. It’s probably to prevent my aunt and uncle from finding out. However, judging from the goods they receive, everyone suspects it’s the Northeast. Pine nuts and black fungus aren’t those the local products of Northeast?"

Lu Zhanguo nodded, realizing that the boots Song Dajiang was wearing also appeared to be military supplies issued in colder regions.

Looking at Lu Zhanguo’s stern face, Li Tie said, "I have seen Tiancheng before, you two do look alike."

Lu Aiguo, who was sitting on the side, couldn’t help but suggest to Lu Zhanguo, "Second brother, should we call Father and ask him to check if there is such a person in the Northeast Military District?"

Lu Zhanguo shook his head, "Let’s not rush things, we can discuss this later." He was considering the fact that perhaps Xiangdong was not a military personnel or may have been formerly but definitely was not currently, after all, there wouldn’t be an honorific title like "advanced individual" in the military.

By the time they left the police station, it was already five or six in the afternoon. Winter nights coming earlier, and with no hotels in town, they had no choice but to hurry to the county town.

Fortunately, after they had walked a little over a mile, a farmer driving a two-wheeled tractor passed them en route to the county town. Seeing the Lu brothers heading in the same direction, he kindly stopped and offered them a ride.

Without any hesitation, Lu Zhanguo and Lu Aiguo climbed aboard, and the tractor headed towards the county town.

The county town was about forty miles away, and with slippery roads in winter, the tractor moved slowly, swaying along the way.

As they neared the county town, the tractor suddenly came to a stop. Lu Aiguo poked his head out and asked, "What’s wrong, are we not going on?"

The middle-aged driver was a man surnamed Zhang who replied, rather irritated, "There are people blocking the road ahead, I guess they’re after money." Lu Zhanguo jumped off the tractor and saw that the road was blocked by a bowl-thick tree branch, presumably set up as a makeshift roadblock.

During this time, robbery and banditry were rampant. Some villages would band together to set up roadblocks and forcibly demand money or valuables from passing vehicles. Short-distance travelers, in consideration of their village ties, might be able to get away with a lesser fine, but those coming from further away would either have to pay or forfeit their goods.

Lu Zhanguo surveyed the surrounding area, noticing a few shadowy figures hiding in the darkened snow field, probably waiting for the right moment to strike.

Lu Aiguo joined him, and upon seeing the situation, cursed, "Those bastards, do they need to be taught a lesson?"

"Stay calm," Lu Zhanguo said, noticing his brother’s impetuousness and furrowing his brows.

Zhang didn’t dare turn off his tractor engine. In the winter, once turned off, it might take half a day to start it again. He sat in the driver’s seat, waiting for the roadblocks to show themselves.

Before long, the figures in the shadows came out. The one at the forefront was a young man who circled Zhang and said cheerfully, "Isn’t this our Zhang San from Xiahe Village? You must’ve made a fortune raising pigs this year."

Zhang growled, "Just two pigs, how much could I have made? We’re all fellow villagers here, now clear the road." Zhang knew their banditry rules - they had to remove the fallen branch themselves. If he were to do it, this incident wouldn’t end here.