Nominal: Energy sector enters Handong, breaking the deadlock

"Old hero, alright, let's rest for twenty minutes!" Song Yunhui said respectfully.

Sha Ruijin did not object, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then stood up. "Comrades, let's rest for a while, we'll continue later!"

Tian Guofu tidied up the documents, staring at the black screen.

Unexpectedly, Chen Yanshi was first stopped by Liang Qunfeng, and now that Qi Zhenwu had spoken, he felt even more uncomfortable.

What fresh ideas could an old soldier invited from a remote mountain village possibly have?

It's nothing more than fighting, sacrificing, and what's the difference between that and what Chen Yanshi said?

After hearing these things so many times, they just become meaningless.

Chen Yanshi spoke first. If it were the same thing, Chen Yanshi would definitely carry more weight, so who would have any expectations?

But Zhou Tiejun valued it, and Song Yunhui also valued it, so he could only applaud along.

Thinking of Qi Tongwei, who was by Qi Zhenwu's side, Tian Guofu felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Qi Tongwei got up and walked over, bending down to straighten the old man's military uniform. "Old hero, let's rest for a bit."

"What are you resting for?" Qi Zhenwu said in a low voice. "Xiao Qi, come here, I have something to ask you."

"Old hero, please speak."

"Go inside and say, 'It's windy outside.'"

Qi Tongwei looked back at the equipment, said a few more words to Hu Longshan, and then helped the old man into the house next door.

The room was small, with a wooden bed, a wardrobe, an old desk, and a few yellowed photos hanging on the wall.

Qi Zhenwu sat on the edge of the bed, raised his hand and pointed to the chair next to him, "Sit, don't stand."

Qi Tongwei sat down, his back still straight.

The old man picked up his water glass, took a sip, and sized him up for a few seconds.

"Little Qi, although we're not related, we share the same surname, Qi. We might have been family five hundred years ago."

"Let me ask you something. Why did that Chen Yanshi seem to get along with you earlier?"

Qi Tongwei did not answer immediately, not expecting Qi Zhenwu to be so accurate.

The rooster crowed twice outside the courtyard wall.

"Do you have a deep-seated hatred for each other?" Qi Zhenwu then asked.

"There's no deep-seated hatred," Qi Tongwei raised his head. "It's just a past event."

"What old story?"

"Back when I was studying at Handong University, Chen Yanshi's daughter, Chen Yang, was in the same class as me," Qi Tongwei recalled. "We dated, but Chen Yanshi objected. After graduation, Chen Yang went to Beijing, while I was assigned to a judicial office. I think it was probably all arranged by Chen Yanshi. Liang Qunfeng is my father-in-law."

Qi Zhenwu did not rush to comment after listening.

A piece of plaster had fallen off the wall inside the house, revealing the gray brick surface.

I touched my leg; it's been hurting a lot lately, probably because of the bullet inside.

"It is common for the older generation to interfere in the affairs of young people."

But the way he looked at you just now wasn't just about opposing the marriage.

I think he's prejudiced against you!

Qi Tongwei rested his hand on his knee and tapped his fingers together lightly. "Old Chen has a problem with me. Besides Chen Yang, there might be other reasons."

"Xiao Qi, have you done something wrong?" This question was direct.

Qi Tongwei looked up at the old man, then nodded. "Yes, I did something wrong."

Tell me about it.

"Back then, in order to transfer jobs, I took some wrong turns and did some wrong things. I proposed to my current wife, Liang Lu." Qi Tongwei didn't elaborate, "Looking back now, it was definitely a mistake."

Qi Zhenwu put down the cup. "Making mistakes is not terrible."

Qi Tongwei nodded.

The old man raised his hand and pointed to his chest, "What I fear is admitting fault verbally but not in my heart."

What I fear even more is admitting my mistake today and then repeating it tomorrow.

Qi Tongwei quickly chimed in, "You're right."

"Don't rush to say whether you're right or wrong." Qi Zhenwu stared at him. "I'm asking you, have you really changed?"

Qi Tongwei straightened his back even more.

He had heard this question on many occasions, but no one had ever asked it so directly.

There were no materials, no punishment, no organizational conclusion, only an old man in his eighties sitting in the old house asking him, "Have you really changed?"

"I'm making changes."

"Not finished yet?"

"There are always things in life that can't be changed." Qi Tongwei pointed to his police uniform. "But now, when I do things, I first ask myself if I can live up to the uniform I wear and the power I hold."

Qi Zhenwu looked at him for a while, then raised his hand and patted his arm. "Kid, you can actually listen to this."

Qi Tongwei breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, old hero."

"Don't thank me." Qi Zhenwu waved his hand. "I'm not backing you up or speaking up for you. I've never been a high-ranking official, and I don't have much power. Whether a person has a problem or not depends on how they conduct themselves in the future."

At that moment, Qi Tongwei understood. "I'll remember this."

Qi Zhenwu leaned against the headboard, gazing at the old photos on the wall.

In the photo, a group of young people stand on a hillside, their clothes worn and their hands holding rifles.

Some people were missing half a sleeve, some had strips of cloth wrapped around their foreheads, and everyone was huddled around a flag.

"You guys were talking outside for ages, about ranks, promotions, who should go up and who should go down," Qi Zhenwu said. "I don't understand these things, and I don't want to get involved."

Qi Tongwei didn't really understand either; he thought it was just a struggle.

I thought he wasn't qualified to participate in such a meeting, but he was made an exception today.

"Back when I was fighting the Japanese, I never asked myself what rank I'd get after the war." Qi Zhenwu raised his hand to touch the photo. "Back then, the squad leader would only say one thing: 'Obey orders, charge forward.' Some people were scared, their legs were shaking, but when the order came down, they still had to go."

The old man spoke slowly, taking a break after speaking a little, and then continuing.

"Once, the Japanese blocked the entrance to the village. There was a boy named Zhao in our company, only seventeen years old, carrying a bag of grain. He couldn't run very fast. The squad leader told him to go first, but he refused, saying that there were villagers behind him."

"Later, he delivered the grain to the village and never came back."

A knock came at the door.

Qi Zhenwu ignored him.

"In war, everyone knows bullets don't have eyes. But someone always has to step forward. Only when someone charges ahead can those behind have a chance to survive."

His finger landed on a young man in the photo.

"This is our old squad leader, Zhao Shouyi. He was injured in the leg during the charge, but he crawled to the front of the position. Before he left, he told me, 'Don't worry about the credit. If the army wins, the people can live a good life. That's more important than anything else. We can't fall behind anymore, or we'll be attacked.'"

Qi Tongwei listened, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Old hero, have you never regretted anything in your life?"

"Regret what? Regret not getting a better position for myself, not being able to give my family a better life." Qi Zhenwu raised his head. "Little Qi, what kind of person do you take me for?"

Qi Tongwei quickly shook his head, "That's not what I meant."

"Young man, think before you speak. You need to have some wisdom," Qi Zhenwu said sincerely, entirely because he had heard that Qi Tongwei had been shot three times during a drug raid. "We join the army to protect our country. Wherever the organization assigns us, we go. If the country is at war, we will be called back. Obey the Party's command, be able to fight and win battles, and have excellent conduct. I, Qi Zhenwu, will remember these three sentences for the rest of my life."