Chapter 798

Sister Lu also smiled. It seemed to be to ease the atmosphere, but in reality, before she even arrived, she already had a rough judgment in her heart... The Lu Qiao before her eyes was definitely not an impostor sent by the enemy.

Enemies come to destroy, not to engage in construction.

In fact, she was more inclined to believe that Lu Qiao had undergone a drastic change in temperament due to that emotional entanglement.

After all, no matter who was in Lu Qiao's position, having experienced Liang Aishu saving Shen Yun but not saving her, it would be impossible to have no hard feelings afterward.

Even Sister Lu herself, when looking back on it, felt a bit angry on her behalf.

According to the accounts of Liang Aishu and Shen Yun, Liang Aishu actually had every opportunity to save Lu Qiao, but he claimed at the time that his mind went blank. By the time he reacted, Qin Hengzhi—that is, Regiment Commander Qin—had already jumped into the water and brought Lu Qiao to shore.

Sister Lu also has a daughter of her own. Although she is only in elementary school, the moment she thought about her daughter encountering such a man in the future, she felt like pushing Liang Aishu into the lake herself, just to let him taste the feeling of drowning.

Therefore, she said gently, "Please continue."

Lu Qiao nodded and continued, "This has to do with my memory. Although I can't claim to have a photographic memory, I'm not far off. As for why I didn't show it before... after all, it's already '78 now, and I can express my own views on studying... Our generation's fate has had its ups and downs... I later returned home without even finishing middle school. The military factory wasn't holding recruitment exams, and I didn't want to go to the local authorities. I was foolish back then, with my heart set on marrying Liang Aishu. But after that heartbreaking experience, I finally understood that pinning one's entire future on a man is truly the height of stupidity."

Having said this, Lu Qiao sighed softly, her expression somewhat melancholy. Then, she changed the subject, seemingly unwilling to delve deeper into it: "I really don't know who that retired old worker is; I would only recognize him if I saw him. But you can go ask Duan Xiaoxiang. She was scolded by that old man at the time and had no choice but to queue obediently. I just followed the line forward. My eyesight has always been very good, so naturally, I saw the content of Duan Xiaoxiang's telegram. But I couldn't say it was me who saw it at the time... that wouldn't be enough as evidence, but she did indeed do that thing, so I could only lie and say it was a friend."

"After Duan Xiaoxiang's matter was resolved, I had almost no hope of staying. Because she ran to the neighborhood office to report me, saying that I hadn't handled the dispute well, that it was a failure, and that I harbored malicious intent. But later, I still entered the neighborhood office... It wasn't necessarily because of the dispute at Grandma Li's house; it was very likely that Director Hu appreciated my attitude of not trying to smooth things over and daring to rebuke people to their faces."

Sister Lu nodded secretly.

They had privately looked into Old Hu, and that man indeed greatly appreciated Lu Qiao's style of daring to think, daring to act, and not being afraid of offending people.

Working in a neighborhood office requires exactly this kind of talent. Simply trying to smooth things over cannot solve problems, and punishing both sides equally is also not advisable.

Old Hu had always believed that insisting on hiring Lu Qiao despite Duan Xiaoxiang's complaints was one of the most correct decisions he had ever made in his life.

At this moment, another male comrade suddenly spoke up: "Student Xiao Lu, may I ask a presumptuous question? Back at the Li family's house, how did you think to check the swallow's nest?"

Lu Qiao had handled too many disputes to investigate every single one in detail; doing so would have a bad influence... especially since the 516 Military Factory was a military unit, where it was easy to shake morale and disrupt unity.

Moreover, judging from the information fed back by the investigation team, Lu Qiao had an excellent grassroots foundation and was someone who truly kept her feet on the ground and was dedicated to doing practical things for the masses.

During the investigation, everyone felt this deeply, but what needed to be asked still had to be asked... For example, regarding the Li family's issue, how was it such a coincidence that Lu Qiao took a ladder, climbed up, and discovered a gold ring in the swallow's nest?

Lu Qiao recalled it slightly, then answered candidly: "How I thought about it then, if you asked me to recount it perfectly now, I certainly couldn't. But I was standing at the doorway at the time, and if I hadn't reacted quickly, the swallow's droppings would have landed on my head. Logically speaking, even then, I shouldn't have moved a ladder to look at a swallow's nest... after all, there were people inside and outside the courtyard, and as a female comrade, it was somewhat inconvenient. But at that moment, a flash of inspiration hit me. I remembered that small birds like swallows like shiny things, and I had heard similar folk stories from my grandmother, so I climbed up on impulse. As for the result, you all know it..."

The male comrade who asked the question listened and gave Lu Qiao a gentle, kind smile.

What a coincidence; he had also heard similar stories from his grandmother when he was a child, probably much the same as the one he had heard.

Afterward, the conversation continued like casual chatting. Lu Qiao answered every question; she remembered some details very clearly, while others she could no longer recall the psychological state of at the time... This was normal.

Lu Qiao suddenly asked with a smile: "In two years, you might still remember the content of today, but can you recall the subtle changes in your own heart at any given moment?"

Sister Lu also laughed: "That's certainly impossible to remember."

She didn't dare say she remembered everything at all times; if Lu Qiao were to make an issue of today's events two years later, it would be hard to wrap up.

Moreover, as long as it was proven that Lu Qiao had no problems, this person's future would only get better and better. Procedures had to be followed, but they had asked everything they should have, and even unknowingly asked things they shouldn't have.

Fortunately, Lu Qiao was open and didn't take it to heart.

Lu Qiao sighed lightly: "The reason for today's conversation might have to do with the stark contrast before and after I fell into the water. Even Shen Yun said I seemed like a different person."

Lu Qiao smiled, looking at everyone, her tone calm yet seemingly carrying strength: "When you are at the final moment of your life slipping away, watching your fiancé holding your best friend sitting on the bank, coldly watching you struggle in the water... once it's gone, it's gone. All the love, hate, and grievances will vanish like smoke. But I was saved by Representative Qin, I lived. You tell me, does this count as a rebirth?"

Before the other two male comrades could speak, Sister Lu nodded earnestly: "Yes, it does."

That male comrade glanced at Sister Lu, thinking to himself: She seems a bit biased toward Lu Qiao... This is the biggest taboo in an investigation.

But then again, could they really say, "Even so, you should still keep your heart the same"?

If they really said that, they'd probably be waiting to get beaten up.

Such things actually don't need investigation; people are fickle. Having an epiphany, suddenly seeing the light, and becoming clear-headed—these are all characteristics of human nature.

Lu Qiao seemed very moved as she said: "In these two years, my family, colleagues, and friends basically haven't mentioned Liang Aishu and Shen Yun in front of me. But after chatting with you, I discovered that even if they are mentioned, it's nothing. The past is truly in the past."

Sister Lu closed the notebook in her hand and gently capped her fountain pen.