Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

Old Sun spread the documents out on the table, one by one.

"Stealing state secrets carries a minimum sentence of three years and a maximum of life imprisonment." He paused, then added, "The evidence is conclusive; there's no escaping it."

Lin Jianguo stood to the side, his face flushed red.

"Section Chief Sun, he was forced into it! His mother is in their hands!"

Old Sun didn't look at him, but at He Yuzhu.

"Dean, the law doesn't concern itself with that. It only considers evidence and the outcome."

Lin Jianguo took a step forward, his voice sharp: "Then what are we supposed to say? Say he has impeccable revolutionary credentials? Say he worked for us for five years? Say he knelt down and begged us that night? Section Chief Sun, you have a mother too, put yourself in his shoes!"

Old Sun finally turned his face and looked at him.

"Jianguo, if we let him go today because his mother is in someone else's hands, tomorrow someone's father will be in someone else's hands, and the day after tomorrow someone's wife will be in someone else's hands. Tell me, do we even need to lock the gates of this research institute?"

Lin Jianguo was speechless, his face turning red and his lips trembling. He couldn't utter a single word.

He Yuzhu sat in the chair, looking at the stack of documents, at Lin Jianguo's flushed face, and at the gray sky outside the window.

"Old Sun, you can go out now."

Old Sun nodded and left.

Only two people remained in the room.

Lin Jianguo stood there, panting heavily. He Yuzhu didn't move or speak. Silence, like a wall, pressed down between the two.

Lin Jianguo couldn't hold back any longer.

"Dean, please say something! This can't be done. If he's convicted, his life is over."

He Yuzhu stood up and walked to the window.

"Then tell me, what should we do?"

Lin Jianguo was stunned.

He Yuzhu turned around.

"Let him go back? The blacksmith is still lurking in the shadows, and his mother is still in their hands. What will he do if those people come looking for him again? Steal again?"

Lin Jianguo opened his mouth.

He Yuzhu continued.

"Send him to jail? Three years, five years, and what happens after he gets out? Who would dare hire someone who stole state secrets? His life would be truly over."

Lin Jianguo's eyes reddened.

"That's still not allowed..."

He Yuzhu interrupted him.

"Jianguo, you're his team leader, and I know you care about him. But tell me, is there a third way?"

Lin Jianguo remained silent.

He Yuzhu walked up to him.

"If you have any questions, just say so. I'll listen to you."

Lin Jianguo lowered his head.

Silent for a long time.

Then he raised his head, looked at He Yuzhu, and a faint hope ignited in his eyes.

"Dean, do you... have a solution?"

He Yuzhu did not answer.

He remained silent for a long time. So long that the glimmer of hope on Lin Jianguo's face gradually cooled, turning into despair.

"Jianguo," He Yuzhu's voice was hoarse, "if there were a way to let him live, to let him live unharmed. But the price would be that he would never remember who he was, never remember the past five years, never remember you, never remember his mother. Would you... be willing?"

Lin Jianguo opened his mouth, but something seemed to be stuck in his throat. He couldn't make a sound.

He Yuzhu patted him on the shoulder, pushed open the door, and walked out.

He did not go directly to the safe house.

He walked alone to the rooftop of the research institute, letting the cold wind blow on him for half the night. The moonlight was bright, shining on the distant chimneys, the tin roof of the warehouse, and his face. He didn't know how long he stood there, until his legs went numb, before finally turning around and going downstairs.

At 11 p.m., he pushed open the door to the safe house.

Zhao Weiguo sat on the bed, and when he heard the door open, he looked up. His eyes were more sunken than a few days ago, his cheekbones were prominent, and he was so thin that he looked unrecognizable.

"Dean..."

He Yuzhu sat down next to him.

"We're investigating your mother's matter. It will take time."

Zhao Weiguo nodded.

"I know."

He Yuzhu remained silent for a while.

"Zhao Weiguo, I have a question for you."

Zhao Weiguo looked at him.

"Do you want to forget about these things?"

Zhao Weiguo was stunned for a moment.

"What?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"Forget it. Forget everything that happened in the last three months. Forget that you stole the blueprints. Forget that you saw the anvil. Forget that your mother was arrested. Forget it all."

Zhao Weiguo's eyes widened.

"Dean, this...how is this possible?"

He Yuzhu took a cup out of his pocket. The cup was half full of water, colorless and tasteless, and looked like ordinary boiled water.

"Drink it."

Zhao Weiguo looked at the glass of water, then at He Yuzhu. His hands began to tremble.

"Dean, what is this?"

He Yuzhu did not explain.

"If you drink it, you won't remember anything."

Zhao Weiguo's breathing became rapid. He stared at the glass of water for a long time.

"Dean..." His voice trembled, "If I drink this water,... will I still be myself?"

He Yuzhu fell silent.

This silence was heavier than any words.

Zhao Weiguo's tears fell, landing on the rim of the cup. He asked again, his voice even softer.

"Dean, my mother... will she remember me?"

He Yuzhu held his hand tightly.

"I will save her. Don't worry."

Zhao Weiguo looked up at He Yuzhu's face, which had never looked so tired. Moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating He Yuzhu's profile, and he noticed the deep wrinkles at the corners of the dean's eyes.

Zhao Weiguo suddenly smiled. There was something indescribable in his smile.

"Dean, I believe you."

He raised the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

After drinking the water, Zhao Weiguo's eyes began to glaze over. He looked at He Yuzhu, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Then his eyelids slowly drooped, his body slumped, and he fell onto the bed.

He Yuzhu sat there, looking at his face.

Young, thin, with prominent cheekbones and tear stains still visible at the corners of his eyes.

He recalled the first time he met Zhao Weiguo. Zhao had just graduated from technical school and was assigned to the research institute. Standing behind Lin Jianguo, he was very reserved, answering questions with single sentences, not daring to even lift his head. He was only nineteen years old then.

2 years.

He Yuzhu pulled the blanket up and covered him properly. He stood up, walked to the door, and glanced back.

Zhao Weiguo was sleeping soundly. His breathing was even, and his face was expressionless.

A clean and tidy face.

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and went out.

Zhao Weiguo woke up the next afternoon.

He sat on the bed, looking around blankly. Lin Jianguo, who was sitting beside him, stood up when he saw that he was awake.

"Defend the country?"

Zhao Weiguo stared at him for several seconds.

"Team Leader Lin?"

Lin Jianguo nodded.

Do you remember who I am?

Zhao Weiguo thought for a moment.

"Team Leader Lin. We... are at the research institute."

Lin Jianguo was stunned for a moment.

What do you remember?

Zhao Weiguo frowned.

"I...I think I slept for a long time. What are you doing here?"

Lin Jianguo looked at him, his eyes a little red.

"It's okay. You've been working too hard, you're exhausted. You'll be fine after a few days of rest."

Zhao Weiguo nodded.

"Then...when can I go back to work?"

Lin Jianguo remained silent.

A month later, Zhao Weiguo was discharged from the hospital.

He was transferred to the logistics department to manage the warehouse. His daily tasks included checking inventory, keeping accounts, and dealing with all sorts of bottles and jars. People at the research institute would ask him if he was feeling better. He said he was, but sometimes he couldn't remember things.

Lin Jianguo would occasionally pass by the warehouse and go in to check on him.

He remained as reserved as ever, answering questions with only a few words, never daring to lift his head.

Once, Lin Jianguo stood at the warehouse entrance and saw him counting things there. He was counting very carefully, stroke by stroke. He picked up a beaker, turned it over and over, and frowned. On the bottom of the beaker was a line of very small characters, written in marker—"For Wei Guoyong".

That was something Zhao Weiguo secretly wrote on when he first came to the research institute, afraid that his beaker would be mixed up with someone else's.

Zhao Weiguo stared at the line of words for a long time. He felt it looked familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen it before. He picked up a rag and vigorously wiped the words until they were completely blurred into a blob.

Then, he put the beaker into the "qualified" basket.

Lin Jianguo stood at the door, watching this scene, unable to utter a single word.

He suddenly remembered the question He Yuzhu had asked him that night.

"Are you willing?"

He didn't know the answer.

Lin Jianguo turned and left.

He Yuzhu stood by the office window, looking at the night outside.

The voice in my head rang.

[Hidden Quest: Clean House Completed]

[Mission Reward Points: +800,000]

[Current total points: 57,380,000 + 800,000 = 58,180,000]

58,180,000.

A cold, hard number.

He Yuzhu stared at the number, but Zhao Weiguo's words were still on his mind: "Dean, after drinking this water, will I still be myself?"

800,000 points bought a person's entire two-year memory.

Did they make a profit or a loss in this deal?

He abruptly closed his eyes, not wanting to see anymore.

There was a knock on the door.

Old Sun pushed open the door and came in, holding a document in his hand. His expression was the same as always, as if nothing had happened that night a month ago.

"A new mission. Nationwide construction is underway, and steel is in dire need. The higher-ups hope that the Chengshan Research Institute can contribute further in steel technology."

He Yuzhu took it and glanced at it.

Official document with a red header. Printed in lead type. Stamped with a large, bright red seal.

He put the document down.

Outside the window, the moon was bright. The moonlight shone on Old Sun's profile and also on the document.

Steel is running low.

Food supplies are running low.

Everything is in dire need.

But what does a person's insignificant five years of memories amount to in this critical era?

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

Old Sun didn't say anything.

The two of them stood there, looking at the very bright moon outside the window.