With Pan Qingqing's help, the old woman took out a yellowed photo and handed it to Lu Yiwei. Pointing at the photo, she said in broken Mandarin, "He … is my son."
Lu Yiwei took the photo and saw Xu Xiaokang standing on a fishing boat, holding a big fish in his hand. There was a cigarette in his mouth and a happy smile on his face. He carefully put the photo in his pocket and said, "Pan Qingqing, tell Auntie that I will try to look for him when I get back. If there is any news, I will let you know immediately."
"Thank you so much." Pan Qingqing was so excited that she almost knelt down to Lu Yiwei.
At night, Lu Yiwei received the highest standard of treatment. The table was full of seafood that he had never seen before. Lu Yiwei looked at the spikes protruding from the dark brown skin of the sea cucumber and felt his scalp go numb. Uncle Pan put a big sea cucumber into Lu Yiwei's bowl and said, "Eat this. This is good stuff. I caught it in the sea this afternoon."
Pan Qingqing saw Lu Yiwei's strange expression and said, "You can't find such fresh sea cucumbers in the north. Try it."
It was hard for Lu Yiwei to refuse such hospitality, so he braced himself and took a bite. After chewing a few times, he found that the meat was elastic, chewy, and smooth. It tasted like pork tendons, or like meat jelly. After swallowing, it tasted pretty good. Lu Yiwei took another bite. The diet in the north was relatively simple. Fish was the main food in the water. However, this was also a supplement, and people rarely ate it.
After the family saw Lu Yiwei eat it, they all began to eat with relief. Uncle Pan casually ate a few mouthfuls of rice, put down his chopsticks and said, "You eat first. I will ask around for you." With that, he turned and left.
After dinner, Pan Qingqing suggested going to the seaside to enjoy the wind. Lu Yiwei readily agreed. When they reached the seaside, the reflection of the full moon on the calm sea was very beautiful. The sand by the sea still retained the temperature of the day. It was soft and warm to step on with bare feet. Lu Yiwei desperately breathed in the clean air. He really wanted to stay here and see this beautiful scenery every day when he opened his eyes.
Pan Qingqing told Lu Yiwei many stories about her and Xu Xiaokang. He could tell that Pan Qingqing had always been secretly in love with Xu Xiaokang, but Xu Xiaokang did not know. Lu Yiwei repeatedly promised that he would definitely help her find him. Pan Qingqing revealed a trusting smile on her face.
Soon, Uncle Pan ran over, following the sound. Lu Yiwei hurriedly stood up and waited for the good news. However, Uncle Pan shook his head and said, "Little Brother, I've asked everyone, but I don't know anyone named Pan Chengjun. It looks like he's not from our village. I'm really sorry. Why don't you look for him in the surrounding villages tomorrow?"
"Oh." Lu Yiwei was slightly disappointed. "Regardless, I still have to thank you."
Time waited for no man. Lu Yiwei returned to Putian City early the next morning. He stood in the bustling city center and did not know how to find a breakthrough. He walked aimlessly on the street and bought a bottle of mineral water from a small shop. When he raised his head to drink, he saw the words "XXX Police Station" next to him. Lu Yiwei slapped his forehead and thought to himself, "That's right, why didn't I think of asking the police for help?" Thinking of this, Lu Yiwei immediately walked in.
There were not many people in the police station, and it seemed a little deserted. After Lu Yiwei walked in, the police officers were sitting on the sofa drinking tea and chatting. They raised their heads to take a look, then continued chatting in full swing.
The indifferent attitude of service was a common problem in the police station, but Lu Yiwei could understand it. They repeated the same thing every day, and after a long time, it would be annoying to everyone.
As a foreigner, Lu Yiwei quickly took out a pack of cigarettes and went forward to give them a row. After the police officer received the Chunghwa cigarette, he asked, "What do you want?"
Lu Yiwei explained the purpose of his visit, and before he finished, the police officer pointed to the next door and said, "You look for someone, go to the police reception hall and ask." After that, the police officer lit a cigarette and continued the conversation.
Lu Yiwei had to go to the police reception hall next door, and when he mentioned to a female officer that he wanted to investigate someone, the female officer said, "Bring the paperwork over."
"What paperwork?" Lu Yiwei asked in puzzlement.
"Why are you investigating someone without any paperwork? Do you think the police station is opened for your family, and you can investigate whoever you want? "The female officer said angrily.
Lu Yiwei was helpless. He walked out of the hall and called the Public Security Bureau Chief, Xiao Dingyuan. Xiao Dingyuan actively supported the work and asked Lu Yiwei to find a fax machine and immediately get someone to send a letter.
Lu Yiwei found a copy shop nearby, and 20 minutes later, the letter was sent over. Lu Yiwei took the letter back to the police reception hall, and the female officer looked at the letter and threw it out. "It's not the original. You can't do it."
Lu Yiwei had been suppressing his anger. He wanted to flare up, but he suppressed it in the end. He asked for advice again, and the result was the same. It was still not allowed.
When Lu Yiwei walked out of the police station numbly, his phone rang in his pocket. He saw it was an unknown number, and he picked it up impatiently.
"Is this Lu Yiwei? I'm Pan Qingqing. I have good news for you. We might have a lead on the person you are looking for. "Pan Qingqing said.
Lu Yiwei heard this and asked excitedly, "Where is he?"
Pan Qingqing said, "It's hard to explain over the phone. Please come back again."
Lu Yiwei took the bus back to the village, and Pan Qingqing was already waiting at the village entrance. The moment Lu Yiwei alighted, Pan Qingqing pulled him aside and said, "When my father went out to sea this morning, he happened to meet a family with the surname Pan in the neighboring village. He accidentally mentioned you, and the other party said he had some impression of you and is willing to help look for you."
"That's great. Let's go now." Lu Yiwei said and turned to leave.
Under Pan Qingqing's lead, Lu Yiwei went to the beach again. It was not until noon that the insider came back from the sea.
Lu Yiwei explained the situation, and the insider nodded. "Is the person you are talking about around 40 years old? He's not tall, and he has a scar on his arm? He came to the north ten years ago, and he seems to be working in the coal mine, right? "
Lu Yiwei had seen Pan Chengjun at a meeting, and he only remembered the general outline. As for whether there was a scar on his arm, he did not pay attention. But it was a glimmer of hope, and he begged the insider to bring him to look for him.
To his surprise, the insider said, "There's no need to look for him. His mother is looking for him, and she hasn't been back for many years."
Lu Yiwei's heart fell to the freezing point. The hope that he had reignited with great difficulty was mercilessly beaten back again. But he did not let go of any glimmer of hope. He begged the insider to meet his family. The insider thought for a long time before nodding. "Get on the boat."
On the fishing boat, Lu Yiwei staggered to another village near the sea. The insider brought Lu Yiwei to Pan Chengjun's house, which was also in a dilapidated state. After a few conversations, Pan Chengjun's mother wept and said that her son had come back a few years ago, and she had not seen him since.
Lu Yiwei felt terrible when he heard that. Anyone who could survive in the area would not be willing to leave their hometown to work. Everything was forced out of them.
He still could not get any valuable clues from Pan Chengjun's mother. Lu Yiwei was so anxious that he guided Pan Chengjun's mother to recall. Finally, Pan Chengjun's mother took out an illegible money order from a cabinet, which gave Lu Yiwei hope.
The money order showed that the date was April 25, 1997, and the address was Fuji Town, Maping County, Xijiang Province … Lu Yiwei was stunned when he saw it.
1997. That was about two years ago. Had Pan Chengjun been in Beizhou Province all this time? Lu Yiwei found it unbelievable. He concluded that Pan Chengjun should still be in Xijiang Province.
Without further ado, he said goodbye to the Pan family and rushed back to Beizhou City as fast as he could. He arrived at Fuji Town, Maping County, according to the address. Maping County was located in the northwest of Beizhou City. It was the most economically developed county in Beizhou City. Its economic income had exceeded a hundred million in the early 1990s, and now it had reached several billion. It was also a mining area, but it was more than a hundred times more convenient than Nanyang County. Fuji Town was just a town, but it was far better built than Nanyang County. There were countless tall buildings, and luxury cars were everywhere on the streets. Even the people here were dressed much better than Nanyang County.
'Only by walking out can I see my own shortcomings.' Lu Yiwei sighed from the bottom of his heart.
Coming to Maping County to look for someone was tantamount to coming to his own territory. Lu Yiwei did not search aimlessly like he did in Fujian. Instead, he went straight to the local government and revealed his identity to ask for assistance.
The person who received Lu Yiwei was a deputy mayor. When he heard that the other party was Lu Yiwei, he shook his hand warmly and said with a smile, "Oh, it's Director Lu. I know you. You're a famous person in Beizhou City." There was no one who did not know about Lu Yiwei's deeds in the past.
Lu Yiwei knew what the deputy mayor was referring to. He said awkwardly, "I've embarrassed myself in front of you, brother."
"Hey! It's nothing. " The deputy mayor said, "Who doesn't have a past that's hard to talk about? Now, you're back to work, and you're working for the youngest county magistrate in the city. You have a bright future."
Lu Yiwei avoided the topic and asked the deputy mayor to help find someone as soon as possible.
The deputy mayor made a phone call and cast a net in all the coal mining enterprises in the town to search for Pan Chengjun. His efforts paid off, and he finally found a person named Pan Chengjun in the Fuquan Coal Mine.
Lu Yiwei turned down the deputy mayor's invitation and rushed to the Fuquan Coal Mine. When he saw Pan Chengjun in front of him, he was shocked.
Pan Chengjun was wearing indigo work clothes, high water shoes, and a headlamp on his head. His face was dark, and his two black eyes were staring at Lu Yiwei. Lu Yiwei could not believe his eyes. Was the person in front of him really the mine manager of the Shiwan Coal Mine?
Pan Chengjun's eyes were full of doubt. When he saw Lu Yiwei, who looked familiar, he said in a non-standard Mandarin, "You're looking for me?"
Hearing Pan Chengjun's strong accent from his hometown, Lu Yiwei had basically determined that this person should be Pan Chengjun. He stepped forward and whispered, "I'm from Nanyang County. Let's talk somewhere else."
Hearing that Lu Yiwei was from Nanyang County, Pan Chengjun's eyes became flustered, but he quickly recovered. He said expressionlessly, "Why are you looking for me?"
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