After narrating Lu Hanqing's bitter experience, Zhou Yihong said with red eyes, "Little Tao, I've always felt guilty towards your father. I've also thought of ways to help him and your family. However, your father was very stubborn and had too much pride. He thought that I was pitying him and looking down on him. When I was in the army, I sent him letters. At first, he replied to a few, but later, he didn't reply at all. When I asked to take time off to visit him in your hometown, he flatly refused.
"Later, I wrote a letter to your village, but it was returned by the original, saying that he was no longer in the village. At that time, I guessed that your father might have moved out of Lin Village to do business or work somewhere else. Since then, I have lost contact with your father. I didn't expect that he had passed away twenty years ago. "
At this point, he could no longer control his emotions. Tears rolled down his face like raindrops, instantly wetting the collar of his shirt …
Lu Tao's heart was also sour. Tears rolled in his eyes, but he held them back. He turned to comfort Zhou Yihong, "Secretary Zhou, I don't know my father well, but I heard from my mother that he was a very strong and proud person. After returning from the army, he was always depressed and rarely smiled. Even after he married my mother and had my sister and my son and daughter, he was rarely happy. Later, he got liver cancer, which probably had something to do with his depression. "
Just as he said this, Zhou Yihong grabbed his hand and said with a choked voice, "Little Tao, don't say anymore. My heart is breaking. Let's talk about something else. What about your mother and sister? How are they doing now? "
"My mother later remarried to a more remote and poorer place. My stepfather was also an honest farmer, more than ten years older than my mother. He was an old bachelor, and two years ago, he fell ill and passed away. My sister married a high school classmate of hers five years ago. He was also from the village and they had twins. Now they are working in Guangzhou. My mother is with them in Guangzhou to take care of their children. "
Zhou Yihong nodded and wiped the tears on his face with a tissue. He forced a smile and said, "Little Tao, you're all alone in Songshan now. In the future, treat me as your family. I am your father's comrade-in-arms, and we are good brothers who have gone through life and death together. I understand what your father was thinking. Because we were too close, and he was my superior in the army, he was afraid that I would look down on him if he accepted my help. At the same time, he was also worried that he would implicate me and affect my future in the army because of his problems. So he was unwilling to accept my help until the day he died. He didn't even want to see me again.
"However, I will always remember his kindness in saving my life and helping me achieve my goal. If your father hadn't jumped on me to save me on the battlefield, I would have died in a foreign country. If he hadn't taken the initiative to take responsibility for his mistakes, I would have returned home with a punishment. It can be said that all the honors I received later on, including my current status, are all thanks to your father. "
Just as he said this, someone knocked on the door. A very gentle voice asked, "Secretary Zhou, are you done talking to Little Lu? It's already a quarter past twelve. The food in the village is almost cold. The comrades in the county and the village are asking if you can go down to eat now. "
Zhou Yihong glared at the door a little angrily. He raised his wrist and looked at his watch. He stood up and said, "Little Tao, come with me to eat first. You'll come back to the county with me tonight. By the way, do you know how to cook? "
Lu Tao was very surprised that he suddenly asked if he knew how to cook, but he still answered respectfully, "I know how to cook. I've been independent since I was very young. I knew how to cook when I was in junior high. After I started working, I often cooked in the dormitory. "
Zhou Yihong happily patted his shoulder and said, "Okay, I won't be going to the county banquet tonight. I'll go to your house for dinner."
As he said this, he seemed to suddenly think of something. He looked at the door and said in a low voice, "Why don't you invite Little Ying to your house for dinner tonight? You can call her first and ask her to help you buy some food in the afternoon. Tell her that there will be guests over for dinner tonight. Then you can invite her to dinner. But you can't tell her that I'm going to dinner. Otherwise, she might refuse. "
Lu Tao saw his eager expression and suddenly understood. No wonder he suddenly asked to go to his house for dinner. It turned out that he wanted to secretly meet He Ying.
After understanding this, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward. He couldn't help but look up at Zhou Yihong. He thought to himself, You're a hero who risked your life on the battlefield and a high ranking official of the party. How could you be corrupted to this point? In order to see your lover, you have to use the descendant of your savior as a matchmaker. Don't you feel embarrassed at all?
However, although he was cursing in his heart, Lu Tao didn't dare to show it on his face. He reluctantly nodded and agreed.
A few minutes later, Lu Tao and Zhou Yihong walked out of the office together. In order to show his close relationship with Lu Tao, Zhou Yihong deliberately slowed down at the door. He walked side by side with Lu Tao and affectionately held his hand. He smiled and said to Luo Qiulin, Fu Lei, and the others, "Little Lu is the son of one of my closest comrades. I haven't seen him for a few years. I just happened to see him on the side of the road, so I specially invited him over to talk about old times and ask about his family situation. I didn't expect that we would forget the time and make everyone wait for us with hungry stomachs. I'm sorry!"
Luo Qiulin and the others didn't expect that Secretary Zhou, who was always serious and reserved, would be so affectionate to Lu Tao. He even showed a rare smile. They couldn't help but be surprised. They all turned their eyes to Lu Tao and kept looking at him. These surprised, envious, and jealous gazes made Lu Tao very uncomfortable. He gently shook off Zhou Yihong's hand and said in a low voice, "Secretary Zhou, I have to go to the bathroom first. I'll excuse myself for now."
Zhou Yihong nodded and said, "Okay, you go to the bathroom first. After you're done, come directly to the dining area."
A few minutes later, Lu Tao came out of the bathroom in the stairwell. He walked to the door of a large office that was temporarily converted into a cafeteria on the west side of the first floor. Just as he was about to walk in, he saw Li Weijun standing at the door and shouted, "Lu Tao, what are you doing here? Who invited you here? "
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