Chapter 82

Lin Qiangsheng took Gong Ya home, and as he was about to leave, Gong Ya smiled and said, "See you when I come back from abroad!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "It won't be long."

Gong Ya smiled and nodded, waved to Lin Qiangsheng, and turned to enter a large courtyard with a guardhouse.

Looking at the time, it was just past ten. Lin Qiangsheng drove to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, which was still an old two-story building.

Lin Qiangsheng asked around and finally found a middle-aged police officer in an office who told him, "The arson case on New Year's Eve has been filed. Go home and wait for the notice."

Lin Qiangsheng, puzzled, thought, "Why hasn't anyone come to investigate my store?"

Lin Qiangsheng asked again, "Comrade, how many years would a criminal typically get for a case like this?"

The middle-aged police officer glanced at Lin Qiangsheng and said, "Are you a relative of the criminal?"

Lin Qiangsheng quickly shook his head and said, "No, no! I'm the victim!"

The police officer said, "The criminal didn't cause any major damage. According to our country's criminal law, for an arson case without major damage, the sentence is between three and seven years!"

Lin Qiangsheng said, "Oh," and thanked the middle-aged police officer. He left the office and looked around the corridor.

Lin Qiangsheng walked towards the door and met a police officer in his fifties coming in. He was wearing a dark blue uniform with a dark blue cap, hands behind his back, and head down.

Lin Qiangsheng stepped aside and then went out the door. Just as he was about to open his car door, someone called him from behind.

"Comrade, is this your car?"

Lin Qiangsheng turned around and saw the old police officer facing him. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, this is my car."

The old police officer walked out of the Public Security Bureau and circled around Lin Qiangsheng's red SUV, tapping the hood and smiling, "It's a military vehicle, I've never seen this model! It looks a bit like an American jeep."

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "It's modified by our car factory. There's only one like this in the city."

"Oh? You work at the car factory, so you know about the arson case on New Year's Eve, right?" the old police officer asked.

Lin Qiangsheng carefully said, "Yes, we were the ones who handed the criminal over to the police station."

The old police officer looked at Lin Qiangsheng and then at the car, suddenly laughing, "You're Lin Qiangsheng, the one who opened two stores privately? The factory director Lin Xiangrong is your father? And this red car is yours, right?" He pointed at the SUV.

Lin Qiangsheng laughed and nodded, "Yes, it's me! The stores are affiliated with the car factory, not privately opened!"

The old police officer waved his hand and said, "Now, the higher-ups are opening up and reforming. Without specific policies, we don't know what to do. These matters are now under the jurisdiction of the Industry and Commerce Bureau, not us! We only deal with criminal activities!"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and said, "I understand. May I ask your name, sir?"

The old police officer looked at Lin Qiangsheng and said, "I'm surnamed Pan! Comrade, go home. Don't loiter around the Public Security Bureau!"

Lin Qiangsheng watched the old police officer enter the gate, shook his head, and muttered, "Is it really going to be that simple?"

After obtaining the visa, on February 2nd, a delegation led by the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and the Governor of H Province, with Gong Benyan as the leader, set off for a friendly visit to several Western European countries.

Lin Qiangsheng was wearing a simple gray suit that was a bit too big. It was a set of clothes given to each member of the delegation, for which they had to pay.

He mixed in with the crowd, pushing a large suitcase. His father, Lin Xiangrong, and his mother, Xu Hongmei, each carried a suitcase, as if they were moving. Many people were like his family, carrying many bags. However, these bags were empty, intended for buying foreign goods abroad.

The delegation members gathered in front of the Provincial Party Committee. Gong Benyan, the leader, and another member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee announced the discipline for the visit and introduced the itinerary.

They would visit France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland in Western Europe, for a ten-day inspection, which was quite a tight schedule.

"Go back, sister!" Lin Qiangsheng said to his sister, Lin Xiang, who had come to see them off.

Mother Xu Hongmei also advised, "Xiang, go back! Be careful on the way home and wait for us to return!"

Lin Qiangsheng gave his sister 200 yuan. There was still a lot of meat in the storage room, so she wouldn't go hungry.

Lin Xiang wiped her tears, as if she might never see her family again. She looked at her parents and brother and said, "Be very careful on the plane! Come back soon!"

Lin Qiangsheng rolled his eyes. He had carefully recalled the flight safety of 1979 and found that there were no major accidents, either domestically or internationally. Besides, even if they were careful, the plane would still have to follow its own course.

"Sister, don't worry! Nothing will happen. We're just going abroad for ten days and will be back in ten days!" Lin Qiangsheng said.

Everyone got into the car. Xu Hongmei and Lin Xiangrong comforted Lin Xiang, patted her hand, and then the family got on the bus.

Before getting on the bus, Lin Qiangsheng quietly told his sister, "Tell He Zhengguo to prepare the building materials for the factory as soon as possible."

Lin Xiang nodded and said, "Little brother, take good care of our parents!"

Lin Qiangsheng nodded heavily, waved to his sister, and got on the bus.

The bus started, and the family members who came to see them off either cheered or wiped their tears, waving. Lin Xiang waved hard, tears streaming down her face.

Lin Qiangsheng watched his sister's figure fade away, sighed, and muttered, "Really, it feels like a farewell, so sad!"

"Ha ha..." A girl's voice came from beside him. It was Gong Ya. Her grandfather had a car to take her and her colleagues, so she didn't need to sit on the bus. When Lin Qiangsheng got on the bus, he saw an empty seat next to the girl and sat down.

"Are you afraid of flying?" Lin Qiangsheng asked the girl with a smile.

Gong Ya nodded and said, "A little. Just thinking about it makes my heart race!"

Lin Qiangsheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm here!"

Gong Ya laughed happily but said stubbornly, "Hmph, take care of yourself! Hehe..."

After about half an hour on the bus, they arrived at a small airport in the suburbs. Lin Qiangsheng pushed his suitcase and mixed in with the crowd. The group, with large and small bags, looked quite odd, like a moving team.

Since last year, after Deng Lao went abroad, a wave of going abroad had formed in the country. This was the early stage of the "going abroad" craze. Anyone going abroad was asked by their family to bring this and that, to buy things that were not available in the country, mainly household appliances and other large items.

Gong Ya looked back and said in surprise, "You also brought such a big suitcase!" The girl had only a small brown suitcase, very compact. Perhaps her family didn't expect her to bring anything back from abroad.

Lin Qiangsheng nodded and smiled, looking around and said, "There are many things I want to buy!"

Lin Qiangsheng's large suitcase contained a big secret, and he didn't want it to be inspected. He carefully watched the pre-inspection, noticing that many people passed without being checked. It seemed that this airport had no customs, and no one checked the delegation's suitcases.

They smoothly left the airport building and went to the runway. The delegation members boarded the plane one by one. Lin Qiangsheng carried his suitcase and breathed a sigh of relief.

The flight attendant smiled and said to the family, "Please put your suitcases in the rear cabin."

Seeing his father about to lift the suitcase, Lin Qiangsheng quickly took it and said, "Dad, you rest, I'll carry it!"

Lin Xiangrong looked at his son, nodded, and sat down with Xu Hongmei.

Looking at his son's back, Xu Hongmei asked in a low voice, "What's in your son's suitcase? Did you check it?"

Lin Xiangrong shook his head and said, "I don't know. This kid is mysterious. Who knows what he put in it? He doesn't let anyone touch it!"

Lin Qiangsheng put the suitcase in an inconspicuous place, smiled at the flight attendant, and looked at his suitcase before returning to his seat.

The propeller aircraft, in addition to the delegation, had a total of about 40 passengers. After half an hour, the aircraft closed the cabin door, the propellers started to spin, and the plane took off!

Lin Qiangsheng saw Gong Ya sitting at the front of the plane with her grandfather. She looked back and smiled at him.

Lin Qiangsheng raised his eyebrows and tightened his seatbelt.

It was his first time on a propeller aircraft, and Lin Qiangsheng was a bit nervous, feeling dizzy as he watched the propellers spin rapidly. His father, Lin Xiangrong, and mother, Xu Hongmei, also held their hands tightly.

As the plane ascended, it began to shake violently. Someone shouted, "This plane is really scary!"

"Ha ha ha..." The cabin echoed with some people's off-key laughter, probably to boost their own courage.

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