CH 83.2

Chapter 83.2 – Parents, Teacher

Later, Su Enqi would come over from time to time to discuss with Lu Tinghan.

In any case, he was a man who had been a general for more than 30 years. He analyzed the clues and explained them. Lu Tinghan was busy with command, and it was impossible to spend too much energy on this aspect. Su Enqi also contacted other soldiers to let them know about the Empire and Elton.

With his help, the progress of the research work was accelerated a lot.

One day, after Lu Tinghan and Su Enqi finished discussing matters, as Su Enqi was preparing to leave, he suddenly stopped: “What is that?”

On the living room table, there was an old mobile phone.

This mobile phone was brought by Shi Yuan from Fengyang City at Lu Tinghan’s home, they didn’t know whose it belonged to. This was an old mobile phone, and Shi Yuan had never found a suitable charger, so it had not been turned on.

Lu Tinghan asked, “Do you know whose this is?”

Su Enqi took a few steps forward, picked up the mobile phone, and carefully looked at each scratch: “Well, there is a cross-shaped scratch on the back of this, which is very familiar to me. This belongs to Colonel Lu.”

Lu Tinghan raised his eyebrows.

Shi Yuan asked next to him: “Is there a charger that can be used?”

“I have it at home,” Su Enqi said, “It’s an old thing like mine. I’ll bring it over next time.”

Su Enqi left.

At night, Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan lay together.

Shi Yuan was very happy: “Great, now your father’s cell phone can be turned on.”

Lu Tinghan turned over a page of the book and said, “It’s all in the past, it doesn’t matter.”

“It’s still good to be able to see it,” Shi Yuan said.

“Based on what I know about him, there will be nothing else in the phone except official information.”

Shi Yuan bent his tail. He remembered the jellyfish and the Deer Outside the High Forest, as well as Lu Tinghan’s salute to them.

Two days later, the “Echo” channel sounded again, and the Empire’s correspondent 0293 broadcast the coordinates and requested a response.

The current was so noisy that it was ear-splitting, and the Alliance was still unable to communicate with him.

The next broadcast would be in half a month.

In the evening of that day, the city’s electricity was cut off, and only the hospital and the military region were lit in the dim light.

Su Enqi brought an old-fashioned charger and talked about “Deep Dive” with Lu Tinghan in the study. Towards the end of the night, Su Enqi left, while Shi Yuan was tinkering with the old phone, and finally saw the boot screen for the first time.

The phone was too old and badly worn. The boot animation was stuck for five minutes before entering the main menu.

Shi Yuan said to Lu Tinghan who was sitting beside him on the bed, “Look! It’s open!”

Lu Tinghan held him in one hand and took the mobile phone in the other.

The phone lag was very serious, every time you pressed a button, it’d take two or three seconds to respond.

This was Lu Zhun’s personal mobile phone. He opened the address book and saw the names of many familiar officers. There were not many call records. There had been only four or five pages in the past two years. Probably, Lu Zhun and they had no private topics to talk about.

Lu Zhun also saved the numbers of Lu Tinghan and Yu Qingmei.

He had never called Lu Tinghan, and he had only seven or eight calls with Yu Qingmei, the longest was 10 minutes and the shortest was 3 minutes.

Irresponsible husband and father, and overly rational wife and mother. They were together only because one wanted sex and the other wanted to do their reproductive responsibilities for the society. They were not in harmony and were only a bit closer than strangers.

Lu Tinghan opened the memo and notes.

As he expected, it was full of information and notes, as well as a lot of anatomical drawings of monsters. Most people wouldn’t store business-related things in their personal mobile phones. Lu Zhun was obviously different—the father and son were a bit similar in this regard, both were devoted to the war.

But in the end, there was still a difference.

There were no documents in Lu Tinghan’s private mobile phone, only a bunch of junk games downloaded by Shi Yuan, and his sunset, cities, sudoku games, and sketches. Shi Yuan’s camera skills were terrible, and many photos were out of focus and blurred. A nickname of “long-tailed purring monster” was secretly saved in the address book, but it was not discovered by Shi Yuan.

The information was all old, and it was also backed up in the military department. Lu Tinghan browsed it quickly and found nothing special.

This was a cold mobile phone. In it, you wouldn’t see Lu Zhun’s hobbies and habits. There was no way to know what he liked to do, what he liked to watch and eat, who he was close to, and whether he had his own complaints and grievances.

You couldn’t see his real personality.

Colonel Lu Zhun died honorably, and he was still remembered to this day, but Lu Zhun left nothing behind.

Shi Yuan watched from the side and said, “Your father is really… very conscientious.”

“Consistently so.” Lu Tinghan closed the notes and opened the photo album again.

A few photos were taken of the wasteland.

Shi Yuan looked at it for a few seconds and said, “This camera technique is worse than mine.”

Lu Tinghan gave approval: “Indeed.”

There was an encrypted folder in the album, and a password was required.

Shi Yuan suggested: “Try your birthday? Or Professor Yu’s birthday?”

Judging from the results of his observation of humans, many people would do this.

“He won’t set this kind of password.” Lu Tinghan pondered for a moment, and tried the date of the National Day of the Alliance, the date of the establishment of Fengyang City, and Lu Zhun’s enlistment time.

The final answer was the day when Lu Zhun was appointed colonel: [0211]

…what normal person would set this kind of password!

Shi Yuan remembered that Lu Tinghan had told the short story of “The Lu family does not accept defeat”. This strange desire and obsession to win or lose was really a family tradition.

There was only one photo and one video in the encrypted folder.

The photo was the wedding photo of Lu Zhun and Yu Qingmei. Lu Zhun was wearing a suit, Yu Qingmei was… also wearing a women’s suit.

The two of them were very close, Lu Zhun was smiling brightly, while Yu Qingmei had a slightly imperceptible smile. She was actually extremely beautiful, with a face like a white peony flower.

Lu Tinghan said: “She never wore a skirt and refused to customize a wedding dress, saying it was a waste of resources and time. I heard Uncle Cai mentioned that she didn’t even want to take wedding photos, so Lu Zhun dragged her to go.”

Shi Yuan tilted his head: “One day, will we take wedding photos?”

Lu Tinghan was taken aback for a moment, and said with a smile: “Of course, definitely.”

They clicked on the video with their heads next to each other.

At first it was shaky, and only the white floor could be seen. Then a voice of a strange man came: “…do you really want me to record it? Lu Zhun, I have to remind you that my camera skills are similar to yours!”

Lu Zhun said, “It doesn’t matter as long as you can see people. If I am rejected, you will delete the video. Who knows what will happen.”

“No way – is it really possible for her to refuse?”

Lu Zhun seemed to laugh: “Who can know what she’s thinking? I wouldn’t even be surprised if she told me she was looking for a better man to procreate with for the sake of the future of humanity.”

“You are not good enough? The requirements are too high!”

“Then it depends on whether I am her honey or arsenic.”

The camera swayed for another while, and finally, they saw someone.

Wearing a military uniform and holding a large bouquet of flowers, Lu Zhun walked towards the research center building.

The photographer did not follow up and stepped back a dozen steps, leaving enough space for them.

Lu Zhun came from a squatting position. After waiting for a quarter of an hour, as soon as the woman in the white robe came out, she was stopped by the gorgeous red flowers.

Yu Qingmei raised her eyebrows and looked at Lu Zhun: “What are you doing?”

Her tone was cold, as if she was saying: “Your lab report is wrong”.

“Can’t I come and see you?” Lu Zhun smiled and said, “It’s this expression every time. Tell me, is there any girl who doesn’t like flowers?”

“A very standard stereotype. I suggest you study social psychology to get rid of this idea,” Yu Qingmei said, “You need this.”

She didn’t pick up the flowers, walked straight forward, and was stopped after just two steps.

She turned her head: “Lu Zhun, you…”

“What about this one? Do you like it?” Lu Zhun asked.

He magically conjured a black diamond ring box in his right hand.

Yu Qingmei: “……”

She moved slightly.

Before she could react, Lu Zhun had already held the diamond ring box and knelt down on one knee.

He took a deep breath, smiled, and said, “If it were anyone else, I would definitely not be so nervous. But, Yu Qingmei, you are special. At first, I was just attracted by your appearance. Gradually, I realized that I had never met a woman like you. Your calmness, reason and conversation, your knowledge, and your passion for research all attracted me.”

“If you were anyone else, I’m 100 percent sure you’d say yes to me. But you are not. I can’t even guess your reaction. You said that falling in love is nothing more than hormones teasing the brain, blinding the eyes, and the most important thing is reproduction… I don’t agree with this idea, but I still came, with a bouquet that you don’t like, and a diamond ring that you think is rubbish, to ask you very formally, sincerely, and nervously—”

“Yu Qingmei, I love you. Will you marry me?”

The wind blew slowly, blowing Yu Qingmei’s white robe and long hair.

She froze for a rare moment, her eloquence lost, and she couldn’t find the right words even though she had learned a lot.

Five seconds later, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and smiled: “…I’m certainly willing.”

Her smile melted the ice and snow, and she looked stunningly beautiful.

Her eyebrows were gentle and joyful.

Lu Zhun’s eyes widened.

He said, “I, I thought…”

“Hormones teasing the brain?” Yu Qingmei said, “At least not today. Today, I am willing to admit that this is ‘love’, so why don’t you help me put on the ring?”

She took the bouquet, and Lu Zhun put on the ring for her with trembling hands.

Then he stood up—

They kissed.

The video ended here.

“Wow!” Shi Yuan said, “It feels quite romantic.”

Lu Tinghan did not reply. Shi Yuan turned his head and saw Lu Tinghan staring at the screen, as if he wanted to say something.

Shi Yuan asked, “What’s the matter?”

“…nothing.” Lu Tinghan shook his head and closed the album. “I’m just a bit surprised and emotional.”

Of course, he should be surprised.

—Yu Qingmei was cold by nature and was busy with research. Lu Zhun did his duty and couldn’t take care of his family. Both of them were not good at maintaining a relationship. After getting married and giving birth, the relationship died and existed in name only. No one was exempted from worldly disputes.

But no matter what happened later…

On that night, Lu Zhun loved the person in front of him sincerely and passionately; and Yu Qingmei was willing to put aside her reason for him for the time being and believe in an illusory relationship.

Lu Tinghan didn’t care about their marital status, whether they looked compatible or separated, or whether the mirror was broken or not, they were buried in the past, and it had nothing to do with him. But when he learned that there was indeed something called love between them, he still felt relieved.

At least at that moment, they loved each other more deeply than everything in this world.

The battery of the old mobile phone was dying and then completely died.

The screen went dark, reflecting the faces of Lu Tinghan and Shi Yuan.

At night, they hugged each other and slept.

Lu Tinghan whispered in Shi Yuan’s ear: “Thank you for taking this phone with you.”

Shi Yuan was quite happy: “I told you it was useful!”

“Hmm,” Lu Tinghan said, “There will always be a beautiful side to things. I hope that in the end, they can both find peace.”

*

Three days later, Su Enqi came to discuss the distribution of the Empire’s cities and the possible future deployment of the air force.

The discussion did not take long, and after 40 minutes, Su Enqi was ready to go back.

Lu Tinghan sent him to the door as usual.

The old man hunched over, trying to maintain the neat pace of the past, but to no avail, he was burdened with too much time and past events. More than 30 years of fighting, all kinds of achievements, and all kinds of disputes; the signed child labor bill, the fatal softness, the doted adopted son, the neglected biological child, and the amazing talented student who had been beside him for many years and finally left him…

His merits and demerits, along with those of Lu Tinghan, would be judged by future generations.

It was the same for others.

Lu Tinghan looked at his back.

He shouted: “Teacher Su.”

Su Enqi paused.

Lu Tinghan spoke a little louder: “Teacher Su.”

The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear and blue. Su Enqi paused for a long, long time, and finally whispered: “…you brat.”

It should be regarded as a response.

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**TN

Broken Mirror – separated, divorced, broke up

Sorry for the inconsistent updates, my lower back hurts these days. IDK what’s wrong with me, am I getting old? *criesinthecorner*