Back To The 80s-Chapter 335 - 345: Self-blame_1
"Five yuan." Seeing that Ji Xiangdong hadn’t agreed, the master didn’t probe further.
"Wash another set, I’ll take these first." Ji Xiangdong took out five yuan and handed it over, neatly arranging a stack of photos and slowly wrapping them in the kraft paper handed over by the master.
The master took out a form and had Ji Xiangdong sign it.
With the photos in hand, Ji Xiangdong left the photo studio, feeling as if the photos in his hand were burning hot.
He had just flipped through them. They contained pictures of his biological parents, his brothers, and his adorable nephews and nieces. They all had warm smiles on their faces in each photo. There was a string in his heart that had been lightly strummed, perhaps Elder Ji was right, he was running away.
Early on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Gu Xiaobei hurried Lu Zhanguo to pick up the photos. She couldn’t wait to see how they had turned out.
When Lu Zhanguo arrived at the photo studio, the master who had serviced Ji Xiangdong said strangely, "Didn’t I tell you yesterday? The extra prints won’t be ready until the sixth day."
Lu Zhanguo was stunned. Some thoughts flashed through his mind too quickly to catch. He hurriedly asked, "Who came yesterday? I didn’t come."
The master was surprised and looked at Lu Zhanguo for a long time before saying incredulously, "You look exactly like the man yesterday, wearing a black turtleneck sweater and a black woolen coat."
Lu Zhanguo was taken aback. He quickly asked, "What’s his name?"
"Wait a moment, let me check the record. He signed it yesterday." The master found the form signed by Ji Xiangdong from a stack of forms and handed it to Lu Zhanguo.
Lu Zhanguo looked at the form and saw the three flamboyantly written characters at the bottom: Lu Zhanguo.
His heart sank. The person yesterday was obviously Lu Yuanchao. The fact that he knew his name indicated that he knew about his identity, but he didn’t want to acknowledge them.
Lu Zhanguo steadied his emotions and asked, "Did he come alone yesterday, or was he with others? Did he say anything else?"
The master shook his head. He was now completely confused. Could it be that the man in front of him and the man from yesterday were twins? Suddenly he remembered something and said, "Oh, when I called him yesterday, there was a foreign old man with a large nose beside him."
Lu Zhanguo was completely confused by this clue. A foreign old man, this clue was not helpful at all.
Lu Zhanguo left the photo studio, looked at the pedestrians on the street, and tried to calm down as he started to sort things out bit by bit.
Lu Yuanchao knew about his own identity and even knew his name. He then remembered the look in his eyes at the temple fair and the disappearing figure in the martyr’s cemetery. His heart suddenly felt as if it was blocked by a heavy stone, making it difficult for him to breathe.
When passing by the square, he heard on the broadcast: The labor model representative from X Province is leaving Beijing today... At the train station, the deputy prime minister, holding Ji Xiangdong’s hand, kindly instructed...
When Lu Zhanguo heard Ji Xiangdong’s name, he suddenly thought that people from X Province looked like foreigners to mainlanders. Xiangdong could be Ji Xiangdong...
By the time he realized this, Lu Zhanguo ran frantically to the train station. Unfortunately, he was still a step too late. By the time he arrived at the train station, the train had already departed.
When Gu Xiaobei saw Lu Zhanguo return looking serious and not mentioning the photos, she couldn’t help but ask, "Did you get the photos?"
"No, there are a lot of people taking photos during the New Year, we won’t be able to get them until the sixth day." Lu Zhanguo looked at Wen Xiuqing and made an excuse.
Gu Xiaobei knew her man well. He was lying, but she didn’t say anything.
It wasn’t until after lunch, when she was carrying their two children upstairs for their nap, that Gu Xiaobei quietly asked, "What happened?"
Lu Zhanguo felt a bit uncomfortable as he said, "The photos were picked up by our older brother."
Gu Xiaobei was taken aback. After a while, she asked, "Was it really our older brother?"
Lu Zhanguo nodded, "Actually, I saw his back once in the Martyr’s Cemetery, and he might have seen us at the temple fair. Why didn’t I follow him at that time? Also, Ji Xiangdong could be our older brother Xiangdong. Why did I overlook that?" Lu Zhanguo said with self-blame.
Gu Xiaobei looked at her man, who was usually wise and calm, now revealing a look of childlike confusion and regret. Feeling heartache, she put Xiao Mo Wang on the bed, went over, and hugged him, comforting, "Now that we know that Ji Xiangdong may be our older brother and where he is, why don’t we go and confirm it? Besides, our older brother may be just temporarily stuck in a dead end. He will come around."
Lu Zhanguo was silent. Gu Xiaobei touched his face, looked into his eyes, and said seriously, "Don’t blame yourself too much. You have to believe that we will meet again soon."
Lu Zhanguo put Xiaopang on the bed and said to Gu Xiaobei, "Can you put them to sleep? I need to take a walk."
Gu Xiaobei knew that he couldn’t change his mind at the moment and was blaming himself for missing the chance to meet his older brother. She nodded and said, "You have to believe that our older brother will come back soon. We haven’t heard from him for so many years, but look at how many good news we’ve received recently. The day of our reunion is not far off."
Lu Zhanguo nodded, went downstairs and ran towards the hill behind the yard like a madman, blaming himself for not being thorough enough along the way.
That evening, Lu Zhanguo told Lu Songyuan about what had happened in his study. He also decided to go to Shule River after he arrived in the provincial city and arranged his work. He couldn’t let Wen Xiuqing know about this now, or she would feel guilty and distressed.
At this point, Ji Xiangdong had already boarded a train heading to the Northwest. Before he left, he couldn’t help but go to Daoxiang Village to buy four kilograms of honey tribute. Every time he felt stifled, he would pinch a piece of honey tribute and put it in his mouth, allowing the sweet scent of osmanthus to slowly melt between his lips and teeth, which would make him feel better.
District Head Ba, looking at the scenery speeding past the window, said to Ji Xiangdong, "Xiao Ji, have you ever thought about working in the autonomous region? It’s a bit of a waste to keep you there."
Ji Xiangdong smiled and cautiously replied, "It would undoubtedly be excellent to work in the autonomous region. But there are many projects in Shule River that have just started. If I leave, I’m afraid it would be difficult to find a suitable replacement."
District Head Ba knew about the shortage of talent. Many people didn’t want to go to that desolate place to suffer, so he sighed and said, "That’s true. You’re going to G Province to study in April, right? Coincidentally, there’s a conference on western development in the Northwest in May, also in the provincial city. Could you attend that? Plus, it’s always beneficial to know more leaders." District Head Ba was good at cherishing and admiring talents. He wanted to give this young man in front of him more opportunities.
Ji Xiangdong nodded. He was a bit aware of this conference, which would lay a solid foundation for the future grand development of the West. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
District Head Ba said earnestly, "The future belongs to you young people. Being humble and steady is good, but when you should strive hard, you should try your best. Even if you act very humble in your position, you will still be a stepping stone to your competitors. It’s good to be indifferent to fame and fortune, but remember, only when you become stronger, can you seek better welfare for the people and your subordinates."
Ji Xiangdong knew about these principles. After being openly pointed out by District Head Ba today, it was clear that some people had already made their moves and wanted to take credit for his achievements. District Head Ba was indirectly warning him. His expression was serious as he nodded and said, "In the face of interest, the ugliness of human nature is always revealed. I will remember the teaching of Director Ba today."
District Head Ba nodded satisfactorily and said, "When you go back this time, make good arrangements for your work and study well in the provincial city. Young people should have a youthful attitude. Don’t be like this old man, having no ambition."
