My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

Lu Qingshan gently patted his wife's back, his voice low but carrying an undeniable power.

"Xiulan, tomorrow... go back to the old house for me."

Lu Qingshan pointed to the package.

He looked into Lin Xiulan's eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"This matter must not be known to a third person."

Lin Xiulan's face was still wet with tears, and she was stunned when she heard these words.

She looked into Lu Qingshan's unfathomable eyes, which were devoid of their usual tenderness, and instead held a solemnity she had never seen before, as heavy as a mountain.

"Green Mountain..."

"listen to me."

Lu Qingshan interrupted her, lowering his voice so that only the two of them could hear him.

"That package contains something left behind by the bandits. It's very important, a hundred times more important than our factory, more important than everything we have now."

He didn't say what it was, nor did he offer any explanation.

But the weight of every word he uttered made Lin Xiulan feel suffocated.

"Go back to the old house, to the west room where we used to live. Lift the third blue brick at the corner of the kang (heated brick bed), and there's a hidden compartment underneath that's been hollowed out a long time ago."

"Put the things in, rebuild the bricks exactly as they were, and use the ash from the stove pit to fill all the gaps, making sure there isn't a single trace left."

"Remember, from beginning to end, it's just you alone. Don't let your parents know, and especially don't let your grandfather know."

He grasped Lin Xiulan's hand, her uninjured right hand, and gripped it so tightly that his knuckles tightened.

"Xiulan, this matter is more important than my life."

"I don't trust anyone but you."

Lin Xiulan's heart was struck hard by those last few words.

It was a profound and weighty trust, a complete entrustment.

She didn't ask any more questions.

She simply looked into her husband's eyes and nodded forcefully.

The tears in my eyes had stopped at some point.

Instead, there was an unprecedented determination.

……

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Lin Xiulan declined Scarface Liu's offer to escort her home, citing the need to go home to get a change of clothes, and left the hospital alone.

The streets were still damp and chilly from the rain in the early morning, and there were few pedestrians.

Lin Xiulan carried the rather heavy package and walked very quickly.

She carefully inserted a fire poker into the crack between the bricks and pried the blue bricks apart little by little.

"Creak—"

The blue bricks loosened, revealing dark, hidden compartments underneath.

A musty, earthy smell wafted over.

Lin Xiulan put the thing tightly wrapped in oilcloth inside.

The hidden compartment is small, just enough to hold it.

She covered the bricks back up as they were, then ran to the stove pit, scooped up the warm ashes with her hands, and carefully filled and smoothed the gaps.

This is a shared responsibility between the couple, one that cannot be shared with anyone else.

……

County Hospital, Special Care Ward.

When Lin Xiulan returned to the ward, still feeling chilly, the room was already packed with people.

Leading the group was the county party secretary of Hongshi County, a middle-aged man who appeared very refined.

Standing beside her were Wang Jianguo, the director of the Public Security Bureau, Li Aiguo, the director of the forest farm, and several other people whose names she didn't recognize but who were clearly officials.

Lu Qingshan was already half-reclined on the bed, his face still pale, but his spirits had improved a lot.

"My sister-in-law is back."

When the county party secretary saw Lin Xiulan, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"You are a role model for the families of heroes in Hongshi County! You must have stayed up all night, right? You've worked so hard!"

Lin Xiulan smiled somewhat awkwardly, walked to the bedside, and tucked the blanket around Lu Qingshan.

"Of course."

The county party secretary cleared his throat, looked at Lu Qingshan, and his voice became solemn.

"Comrade Lu Qingshan, I am here on behalf of the county party committee and the county government to visit you."

"Your deeds have astounded the entire county. Single-handedly, you assisted the public security authorities in eliminating five heavily armed foreign bandits, protecting the lives and property of the people!"

"I propose that we launch a county-wide campaign to learn from Comrade Lu Qingshan, a hero!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the cadres next to him immediately took the lead in applauding.

Li Aiguo stepped forward; this towering man had red-rimmed eyes.

He patted Lu Qingshan's shoulder, but then hesitated for a moment in mid-air, afraid of touching the wound.

"Qingshan, focus on recovering! Don't worry about anything at the forest farm!"

"Once you've recovered, I think it'll be time to drop the 'deputy' from your position as deputy head of the transportation department! No, go straight to the field headquarters and be my assistant!"

Li Aiguo knew that Lu Qingshan's left arm was seriously injured and that he would probably be unable to do heavy work in the future.

This is arranging a safe way out for him.

Wang Jianguo also spoke up, his voice loud and clear, carrying an undeniable certainty.

"Xiao Lu! I have reported your deeds to the city government in detail, and the city government has then reported them to the provincial government!"

"The provincial leaders are shocked! They say your deeds are a model of individual heroism in our province since the founding of the People's Republic of China! The commendation document will be issued soon!"

The county party secretary personally visited him and promised to commend him throughout the county.

The forest farm director promised him a promotion on the spot.

The police chief went directly to the provincial level, demanding a huge reward.

Any one of these three honors would be enough to elevate an ordinary person to great heights.

Now, they are like three mountains of gold, pressing down on Lu Qingshan at the same time.

Lying in his hospital bed, Lu Qingshan listened to these words and merely managed a weak smile.

"I've caused trouble for...the government."

His voice was hoarse, carrying the weakness of someone recovering from a serious injury.

"It's all what I should do."

The county party secretary was even more pleased with his humble demeanor.

"Good! That's exactly what you should do!"

He waved his hand dismissively and said to his secretary who had followed him, "Xiao Wang, write this down! The county will allocate two thousand yuan as a reward for Comrade Lu Qingshan's act of bravery!"

"Furthermore, all taxes for Xiushan Industry this year will be waived! Subsequent production and operations will proceed smoothly!"

"Notify the hospital again that all of Comrade Lu Qingshan's medical expenses will be covered by the county government! The best medicine and the best doctors must be used!"

Everyone present gasped in shock.

A cash reward of 2,000 yuan!

Businesses are exempt from taxes for the entire year!

All expenses are included!

This is a huge undertaking!

The county party secretary offered a few more words of comfort, then left with a group of cadres.

Before leaving, he specifically instructed Wang Jianguo and Li Aiguo.

"Old Wang, Old Li, you two stay behind. You need to personally oversee the cleanup work for the hero!"

Soon, only Lu Qingshan and his wife, Wang Jianguo, and Li Aiguo remained in the ward.

Li Aiguo sighed and sat down on the chair by the bed.

"Qingshan, you're too bold, kid."

"Well done! That's how you deal with those scum!"

As he spoke, he glanced again at Lu Qingshan's left arm, which was slinged across his chest, his eyes filled with heartache and regret.

"Don't worry about your arm. With your uncle here, I guarantee you'll never have to worry about food or drink again."

Lu Qingshan shook his head.

"Uncle Li, I'm fine."

His gaze turned to Wang Jianguo, who had been silent since the beginning.

The expression on Wang Jianguo's face was completely different from when he was in front of everyone.

It was a complex expression, a mixture of worry, solemnity, and even a hint of apprehension.

Li Aiguo sensed something was wrong. He looked at Wang Jianguo and then at Lu Qingshan.

"Old Wang, what's wrong? Is there something else?"

Wang Jianguo did not answer immediately. He walked to the door of the ward, looked outside, and made sure that no one was in the corridor before gently closing the door.

Li Aiguo's heart was in his throat.

Wang Jianguo walked to Lu Qingshan's bedside and stared intently at him.

"Xiao Lu, the commendation is settled. It's a very high-level award, personally approved by the Party Secretary. No one can overturn it."

Lu Qingshan looked at him quietly without saying a word.

Wang Jianguo paused for a moment, seemingly organizing his thoughts, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"but……"

His tone shifted, and the air in the entire ward seemed to grow colder.

"People from the provincial department have arrived."

"They're not here to hand out awards; they're people from the Provincial Criminal Investigation Department and the Technical Division."

Wang Jianguo looked at Lu Qingshan and said, word by word.

"They conducted a technical examination of the weapons that were seized."

"The identification results show that the submachine gun and the grenades are not standard equipment in our country. Instead, they are active-duty munitions that were brought in from overseas battlefields through special channels."

"They... specifically requested to know the detailed origin of this batch of weapons."

"and……"

Wang Jianguo took a deep breath and said the most crucial sentence.

I want to meet you in person.