Song Haoran expected to see something from Luo Qiu’s gaze.
But to his disappointment, Luo Qiu looked at the old photos saved on the phone but didn’t have any special expressions. Instead, he asked curiously, “Mr. Song, do you need me to find out more about the person in the photo after I return to China?”
Song Haoran was taken aback. He smiled and followed the narration, “Yes, I’m always grateful to have more people help me on this. Even if it’s like finding a needle in a haystack, I have to try.”
He hadn’t thought that Luo Qiu would have such an idea. At first, he even planned to take the opportunity to find out the information he wanted based on Luo Qiu’s expression. With that, he could deduce Luo Qiu’s origin too.
He had a strange feeling of intimacy with this young guy. It was an intimacy that he couldn’t explain clearly. It seemingly resulted from the “Sun God Emblem,” having strengthened his faculties, intuition, etc.
Simply put, it was the sixth sense.
I might have walked down that street, entered the flower shop, and met Luo Qiu because of the sixth sense.
But, it seems that even this increasingly ‘precise’ sixth sense can still make mistakes.
Song Haoran noticed certain features which Luo Qiu shared similarities with his father, especially the eyebrows. But, the world has a large population. It was plausible to find two similarly looking people even without the same genetics.
Song Haoran was a little disappointed with this. His father Song Tianyou’s lifelong wish was to find his brother. But this wish seemed so far away.
“I have never seen this person, nor have I heard of this person before. But…” Boss Luo was silent for a moment before leaving his seat.
“But?”
“Please wait a minute.”
When Luo Qiu came back again, he also held a phone in his hand. Just like how Song Haoran showed him the old photo, he did the same.
Song Haoran took Luo Qiu’s phone and looked at a photo in the phone’s album. It was also an old photo but colorized. It seemed the photo was kept in excellent quality.
In the photo, there was a man wearing a police uniform with an unwavering gaze. Song Haoran looked at the man’s appearance and opened his lips slightly, “This is…”
“He is my father, Luo Qi.” Then, Luo Qiu said slowly, “Mr. Song, would you mind hearing me tell a story?”
Immediately, Song Haoran’s heart twitched slightly as if he had realized something. His expression turned serious, and he disregarded the playful tune.
He even sat up straight, swallowed his saliva, and said solemnly, “I’m all ears.”
“Not long ago, I went back to my hometown for a funeral.” Luo Qiu looked at a bunch of sunflowers on the window sill of the apartment and said slowly, “It’s an old lady in the family. Before she died, she told me that my father was adopted.”
Song Haoran’s eyes jumped suddenly, thinking of Luo Qiu’s last name.
“However, my grandparents passed away a long time ago.” Luo Qiu shook his head. “The people who knew the inside story are no longer there, so I have no way to know the truth through any normal means.”
Song Haoran couldn’t help but interject, “Could it be that your father, Mr. Luo Qi, doesn’t know it himself?”
Luo Qiu whispered, “My father died in the line of duty four years ago.”
Song Haoran was shocked by the news. He crouched slightly. Then, he took a deep breath and seemed to be more focused. He then said expectantly, “Can you tell me about your father’s story?”
“My grandparents told me when I was young that my father was a naughty child.” A smile appeared on the corner of Luo Qiu’s mouth. He recalled, “Since he was a child, he has been the leader of the children in the village. He is the only one who bullies others. The other children can’t even snatch a piece of fruit candy from him.”
“He finished his education in the elementary school run by the township.”
“At the age of sixteen, someone came from the army to enlist. He signed up, but after looking at the enlistment standards, he found that his body weight wasn’t enough.”
“Later, he quietly went up the mountain and chopped a lot of bananas and came back. My grandmother said the bananas weren’t ripe yet, but he ate a lot of them by himself and bulged his stomach. Later, he went to measure his weight again, and he barely qualified.”
“I heard that life in the army is difficult. One winter, my grandma and grandpa saved money and took a train to visit him. It was before the New Year. Grandpa said that it was snowing while he was standing on guard. He was wearing a dark green military coat, carrying a gun, his lips were white, and his eyebrows were a layer of frost. Grandma said that the first sentence he said during the meeting was: This coat is the same as a quilt, and it isn’t too cold. But, my grandfather told me that his legs were trembling.”
“Because it was in a bitter cold place, he learned to eat spicy food. This habit continued until he left the army. I used to have some spicy sauce chicken at home, which he made himself. When I was a child, I didn’t understand. Looking at the red sauce, my mother told me that it was ketchup. When I said I wanted to eat it, he smirked and stuffed a spoon of it directly into my mouth.” At this point, Luo Qiu suddenly paused and said slowly, “Huh, my father is special.”
Song Haoran couldn’t help but smile.
Luo Qiu fell into silence again. It took tens of seconds before he continued to speak, “They were married 24 years ago, and they only had me two years after their marriage. I was born a year later.”
“Why does he want to be a police officer? He told me that it was because the policeman is handsome and cool. Later, I learned that it was because my mother had a special interest in the police profession.”
“At that time, he had just started his career. He was poor and rode a second-hand motorcycle to work every day.”
“In fact, he offended a lot of people. I remember when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school, I was caught by some guys at the school gate one day after school.”
“My father said that he gradually started to like his profession. He said that he felt great in his heart to receive others’ gratitude.”
“I learned a few military combat techniques from him, but he said that I’m not on par, not even the overall look. Then, he secretly took me to the shooting range during the summer vacation.”
“He has a group of brothers whom he can depend his life on.”
“My mother passed away earlier. After that, he started to come back home lesser. I don’t know when it happens, but I have a stepmother. Strictly speaking, she is probably my only relative now.”
“I remember that the day when the high school was preparing for a school celebration, I was inexplicably voted by a group of people to perform. I didn’t feel so happy, but I thought I should tell my father. When school was over, my stepmother suddenly appeared in front of me. She told me that he died an hour ago, and the rescue efforts were in vain.”
“How could that be?”
“We just ate dinner together last night. I still remember the taste of it.” Luo Qiu looked at the sunflower in front of the window sill, gradually lost his focus, and stopped speaking for a long time.
…
“Your father. What happened?” Song Haoran hesitated for a moment but still broke the silence.
“I heard that a criminal gang from another province came to commit crimes. They were armed with weapons, and they robbed the banknote transport vehicle. Later, on the highway, he was shot in the heart while trying to cover a colleague.” Luo Qiu’s voice returned to calm.
“Where are the robbers?” Song Haoran narrowed his eyes. “Do you know their names?”
Luo Qiu shook his head and said, “Some died while some were arrested. I heard the last person involved died in prison a few years ago. I have forgotten his name.”
“Really.” Song Haoran nodded without expressing much.
He put his phone and Luo Qiu’s phone together. Two different old photos were like two people from different time and space, meeting at this time.
Luo Qiu said suddenly, “I haven’t met Mr. Song Tianyin before.”
Song Haoran took a deep breath and said, “Perhaps, we can try running a test for it? The result will be quite soon. Don’t worry. I will pay for it.”
Luo Qiu asked, “Wouldn’t Mr. Song feel like the whole ordeal is too coincidental?”
Song Haoran smiled and said, “There are still many mysteries in this world, not to mention this coincidence? There are 7 billion people in the world who have won the lottery.”
He took a deep breath again and said thoughtfully, “Perhaps, this is a miracle.”
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