Chapter 13

In the capital city, skyscrapers rose from the ground, and construction sites were bustling with activity everywhere. On Chang'an Street, a steady stream of bicycles mixed with the occasional car, showcasing the new changes in the republic.

Lu Zheng and Du Xiaohu were standing in front of Tiananmen Square, taking a photo together. This had been Du Xiaohu's long-held wish—to take a photo with Lu Zheng at Tiananmen. However, he had never received a response from Lu Zheng until today. Now, with his wish fulfilled, Du Xiaohu grinned widely.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but shake his head and said, "Xiaohu, you're too easily satisfied, but that's a good thing. If a person is too greedy, they often can't control themselves!"

Du Xiaohu chuckled and replied, "How could I not control myself? I can't just tie you up and force you to take a photo with me, can I?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "That's true." Xiaohu was so simple, he didn't understand what he meant.

The square was bustling with people, and bicycles zipped by from time to time. Groups of pedestrians, mostly wearing white shirts, could be seen, along with various trendy outfits like bell-bottoms and T-shirts. Rural women with headscarves were also not uncommon, reflecting the era of great change.

Over there, someone spat on the ground, and a square manager wearing a red armband was issuing a fine. A few people gathered to watch, but the old man's Northwest dialect was hard to understand.

Lu Zheng sighed inwardly. If he hadn't lived two lives, he wouldn't have felt how pure and lovely the people were now. In a few decades, money would be the top priority, and self-interest would come first. Officials, who should have set a moral example, would instead become catalysts for the deterioration of social morals. Reflecting on this, he felt a myriad of emotions.

"Let's go," Lu Zheng gestured to Du Xiaohu, and the two walked to the "parking lot," where rows of bicycles were neatly parked. On the side road, a Volga with a military license plate was waiting.

This was the car sent by his mother, Han Jing, to pick them up from the train station. Du Xiaohu had insisted on coming to Tiananmen to take a photo, so they had made a detour.

"Hey, buddy, nice car," a man and a woman approached. The man was handsome, wearing sunglasses, bell-bottoms, and a denim shirt. The woman was also beautiful, with a big hairdo and a denim mini-skirt, showing off her white thighs. They were the epitome of the trendy youth of the era. They had been eyeing the car and decided to strike up a conversation when they saw Lu Zheng and Du Xiaohu about to get in.

The woman with the big hairdo had bright red lips, exuding a unique allure. She pouted and asked, "Your family must be high-ranking officials, right? At the very least, your dad must be a military division commander, right?"

In this era, the class divide wasn't as insurmountable as it would become later, especially for these free-spirited trendy youth. In the capital, who didn't have a few relatives in high places? No one was a naive bumpkin, so these two young people didn't think much of talking to the "high-ranking official's" child.

In Lu Zheng's eyes, these two were similar to the non-mainstream youth of the future, a group that was always a headache. He smiled and said, "See you later, guys."

He turned and got into the car with Du Xiaohu, and the Volga sped off, quickly disappearing down Chang'an Street.

The trendy youth muttered a few words about how "impressive" Lu Zheng was and then went off to find new entertainment.

...

The red walls and grand courtyards of the capital city were the most mysterious and powerful symbols in the world.

The Volga drove through the streets, and the pedestrians gradually thinned out. At some alley entrances, armed soldiers began to appear.

After passing two checkpoints, the Volga stopped in front of a large courtyard. On the steps of the gate stood a woman in a green military uniform, in her forties, with a straight back and a strong, dignified presence. Her green uniform and red collar tabs were strikingly bright.

This woman was Lu Zheng's mother, Han Jing, the deputy director of the General Staff Department's Guard Bureau.

Han Jing had been gazing into the distance, and when the Volga came into view, her body trembled with excitement.

In the Guard Bureau, Han Jing was known as the "Iron Lady," with high prestige. She rarely smiled, and the soldiers in the guard regiment all feared her.

Of course, this was partly due to her illustrious background. She came from a prominent family, a daughter of a general. She had been a member of the Children's Corps in her youth, and her military service was almost as long as her age. She had participated in the Sino-Indian and Sino-Soviet wars to varying degrees, and her promotion to the rank of major general was a natural progression, though it was delayed by two years due to family connections.

The General Staff Department's Guard Bureau, commonly known as the 8341 unit, was responsible for the security of the central leadership (the Standing Committee of the Politburo) and the Central Military Commission. The soldiers under its command were all elite professional soldiers, but even they were often intimidated by Han Jing, to the point of not daring to breathe loudly. Even during the most difficult times of the Cultural Revolution, few had seen Han Jing show any emotion.

But in front of Lu Zheng, all these pretenses crumbled. When Lu Zheng got out of the car, Han Jing couldn't control herself. She quickly walked down the steps and looked at her son, who was saluting her. Her eyes suddenly welled up with tears. Only in front of Lu Zheng did she become unusually vulnerable.

This son had been separated from her for sixteen years. During this time, Han Jing could have found him, but due to political turmoil and the uncertain fate of high-ranking officials, she and her husband, Lu Tianhe, decided not to bring him back. They feared that if something happened to their families, Lu Zheng's childhood would be spent in darkness. It was better for him to grow up in poverty but have a normal, carefree childhood.

It wasn't until the turmoil ended that they finally found Lu Zheng, but to their dismay, their only son seemed like a stranger to them. This made the strong Lu Tianhe feel helpless and the tough Han Jing heartbroken.

Although Lu Zheng had two sisters, in the hearts of Lu Tianhe and Han Jing, this son held a very special place. They felt responsible for his rebelliousness, lack of education, and rudeness, and they felt guilty towards him.

Lu Zheng had fought bravely on the front lines in the South, and his entire company had almost been wiped out, but they managed to hold back a large Vietnamese force, allowing the Chinese army to successfully carry out the largest-scale battle in the Nanshan Campaign, ending the campaign and recapturing the Nanshan peaks.

Lu Zheng's company was awarded a collective first-class merit and a banner with the inscription "Fierce as a Tiger in Attack, Steadfast as a Mountain in Defense."

All of this showed that Lu Zheng was extraordinary, carrying the blood of the Lu and Han families.

But he never wanted to look at them more than necessary.

Yesterday, when Du Xiaohu called to say that Lu Zheng was coming home today, Han Jing was so excited that she couldn't sleep all night. But when her son stood in front of her, she felt timid and couldn't say a word, only silently leading the way home.

Lu Tianhe had changed into a new Lenin suit. Although he didn't go out to wait for Lu Zheng like Han Jing, he was also very excited and, unusually, didn't scold his eldest daughter for her flashy appearance. Normally, if he saw her dressed like a noble lady, he would have been furious.

Lu Zheng had two sisters: the eldest, Lu Jiaju, and the second, Lu Jiajia.

Lu Jiajia, who was two years older than Lu Zheng, was unmarried and studying in the UK. Lu Jiaju's husband had left his job to start a business and was now quite successful, one of the first private car owners in Beijing, though the car had to be registered under the company's name to get a license plate.

Hearing that her younger brother was back, Lu Jiaju naturally dragged her husband, Hu Deli, back to their parents' house. Although she was sharp-tongued with others, she, like her mother, doted on her younger brother.

Seeing Lu Zheng enter the living room, Lu Tianhe thought, "This kid has grown taller," though he knew it was probably just his imagination.

"Where's Grandpa?" Lu Zheng asked after greeting everyone.

Lu Jiaju smiled and said, "You want to argue with Grandpa again? Unfortunately, he's in Beidaihe. Didn't you know he goes there every year at this time? He left a few days ago."

Lu Jiaju pouted and added, "With how biased he is, if he knew you were coming, he probably wouldn't have gone."

Lu Tianhe frowned and said, "How can you talk like that?!"

Lu Jiaju giggled and fell silent, but she winked at Lu Zheng, signaling him to follow her.

Lu Zheng rarely came home, and when he did, he often isolated himself in a small room, ignoring his cousins and siblings.

Lu Jiaju thought he would do the same, so she signaled him to come inside and chat, as she was one of the few who could still communicate with him.

But to everyone's surprise, Lu Zheng sat down on the sofa and said to Lu Jiaju, "Sis, I only come back once a year, so I want to chat with Mom and Dad."

Lu Tianhe, Han Jing, Lu Jiaju, and Hu Deli were all taken aback. No one expected Lu Zheng to say something so reasonable.

Lu Zheng then turned to Han Jing and said, "Mom, you haven't changed much, still as energetic as ever."

The word "Mom" came naturally, but it struck Han Jing like a bolt of lightning. Her body trembled, and she suddenly ran to the study, where muffled sobs could be heard.

Even at home, Han Jing rarely showed her emotions, let alone cried. Even now, she wasn't used to crying in front of others, even if those "others" were just her family.

Lu Jiaju muttered, "Amitabha, Mom has finally seen the light." She thought that Lu Zheng's change of heart would save her parents from their constant worry. These two were powerful figures, but they had always been troubled by Lu Zheng.

Lu Tianhe gazed at Lu Zheng, a hint of confusion in his eyes. He had seen many people and knew that a person's character wasn't easily changed.

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