Chapter 286: Completely Misunderstood

The sudden gunshot silenced the scene.

Da Kui, who was closest, was shaken so badly that he clutched his ears, and his mind buzzed.

The Junior Company Commander and several other militia were stunned, taking a long time to react.

They had thought Lu Cheng, being young, was a soft target, that he would stall and naturally retreat when faced with difficulty.

They didn't expect him to be armed; in broad daylight, he even fired a shot.

Lu Cheng holstered his gun and let out a casual breath.

One could say the gun is the truth; after that shot, everyone present was instantly intimidated.

Before firing, he was a bit worried the gun wouldn't fire loudly, which would have been embarrassing, since the handgun sent by Lei Zhan'ge was his first use, and the bullet was a later addition, but fortunately it didn't jam.

But after his shot rang out, the two militia instinctively drew their rifles.

The Junior Company Commander made no move to stop them, mainly because he couldn't lose face.

Fortunately, the Big Team Leader who was there rushed forward to smooth things over: "What are you doing? Put the gun away. Pointing a gun at the police, aren't you afraid of being arrested?"

The two militia reholstered their guns, and the Junior Company Commander, taking advantage of the situation, said.

"Comrade, we're not interfering with law enforcement. This isn't Tan Kaiping's farm management, so how can you just take him away?"

Lu Cheng replied bluntly: "It's true that it falls under your farm's management, but the case involving Tan Kaiping concerns machinery of our Directly Affiliated Factory of the Railway Department, so the Railway Bureau has the authority to investigate and interrogate.

Moreover, your farm has no judicial authority!"

The Junior Company Commander had nothing to say, cursing inwardly, "Damn it, this Railway Bureau leans on its own judicial department, while other units are stubbornly powerless to intervene."

The Junior Company Commander chuckled twice: "Well, I, as a Junior Company Commander, can't make the decision. Maybe we should wait for the Factory Director to return, otherwise we have no way to report back."

Lu Cheng seemed to understand; talking sweetly to them was useless, so his tone had to become firm.

"I'll take the person away first; you go straight to your Factory Director and tell him that if there's any problem, he should go to the Railway Bureau."

As he spoke, Lu Cheng pulled handcuffs from his lower back and tossed them to Chang Jinbu: "Handcuff the person and load them into the car."

A performance must be complete; the handcuff step can't be omitted.

Watching Tan Kaiping being handcuffed and shoved into the vehicle, the Junior Company Commander suddenly grew anxious.

"Comrade, let's discuss it again; if it really can't work, I'll interrogate first on my side, then you can interrogate later."

Lu Cheng remained firm: "No discussion!"

After dropping that line, he ordered the others to board quickly; Lu Cheng also shut the door and floored the accelerator, speeding away from the Farm.

The splashing dust coated the Junior Company Commander: "Pah, damn it, that old Tan smuggles machines and even dares to hide it. When he returns, I'll finish him off!"

……

Lu Cheng hammered the accelerator all the way, even though everyone's rear ends ached from the jolts, he didn't slow down.

Until they followed the dirt road to a fork that was about to turn onto the main road, Tan Kaiping suddenly shouted.

"Stop the car!"

Lu Cheng, unconcerned, replied: "Chief Engineer Tan, we can't stop now; if the Farm backs out again, we'll have to deal with it longer."

This time Tan Kaiping was indeed badly beaten, but the grievances he suffered were worth it.

Tan Kaiping shouted again, his voice laced with anger.

"I told you to stop the car!"

Lu Cheng didn't understand why he was suddenly so furious.

But Lu Cheng still respected him, so he pressed the brakes and stopped at the side of the dirt road.

"Chief Engineer Tan, you want to pee, right? Perfect, I've been holding it too."

The car door opened, Lu Cheng was about to undo his belt, when the alighting Tan Kaiping suddenly used his handcuffed hands to push Lu Cheng into the vehicle.

Tan Kaiping looked terrifying; his mouth still oozed blood from the beating, his face extremely ferocious.

Lu Cheng, caught off guard, said: "Chief Engineer Tan, you…"

Tan Kaiping huffed a few breaths and cut him off: "I'll tell you, you can frame me for any crime, make me confess anything, but you must never touch my family."

At that moment, Tan Kaiping, like a wild beast, pressed tightly against Lu Cheng.

In his fifties, he was obviously frail like a withered tree that would fall with a gust of wind; Lu Cheng only needed a little force to knock him to the ground.

Yet when his family was mentioned, that frail body surged with explosive power.

When he heard Tan Kaiping's words, Lu Cheng realized he had been misunderstood.

Earlier, being watched by the Farm's people, he couldn't explain much.

No wonder Tan Kaiping was beaten so badly earlier; he was determined to go back with Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng had thought it was out of trust, but it turned out Tan Kaiping was worried about his family, and the plan backfired.

"Chief Engineer Tan, you're mistaken. Your spouse and child are safe now; I've arranged for them to stay at the Capital City procurement station, and they're waiting for you to return."

Hearing Lu Cheng's words, Tan Kaiping still didn't believe him; the experiences of recent years had made him distrustful.

"Do you think I'd believe you? Bring my family over, what peace of mind does that give you?

You even accuse me of smuggling factory machines and want to frame me for some crime; I'll admit that, but you must not harm my family, otherwise, even if you kill me, I won't confess."

Lu Cheng knew Tan Kaiping was too agitated now; saying anything was useless.

He silently took out a key, unlocked the handcuffs, and at that moment Tan Kaiping's gaze shifted from anger to doubt.

Lu Cheng gave no further explanation and drove to the procurement station.

After Lu Cheng left, Chief Engineer Tan's spouse and child waited at the gate until a familiar jeep rolled up from afar, and the mother and child immediately gathered around.

When the door opened, Tan Kaiping saw his wife and child; he could hardly believe it, glanced again at Lu Cheng, his face still puzzled.

Lu Cheng didn't lie; he truly saw the family he'd been longing for day and night.

Lu Cheng knew that after years apart the family would have much to say, so he waved, leading Da Kui and the others to a side spot.

Tan Kaiping nodded gratefully at him; no matter what, Lu Cheng giving him a glimpse of his family was enough, and even death would leave no regrets.

Looking at the old woman standing before him, Tan Kaiping shakily extended his hand, his fingers stopping at her graying temples.

"You are old."

Chief Engineer Tan's spouse's hands also trembled; she wanted to reach out to tidy Tan Kaiping's clothes, but the garments were tattered and covered in mud and ash, and there was no need to tidy them.

She could only cup Tan Kaiping's gaunt face with both hands, her eyes already filled with tears, her voice trembling.

"You are old too."

There were no extra words—just a few simple sentences, yet they contained the deepest sincerity.

"Dad," Xiaoli finally spoke.

That single word "Dad" made Tan Kaiping's heart tremble; the family clutched their heads and wept bitterly, as if to pour out all the years of grievance and longing in tears.

Having been able to see his family once, Tan Kaiping's wish was fulfilled, and he did not want to make Lu Cheng overly troubled.

He released his son, said a few words to his spouse, and then walked toward Lu Cheng, who was standing a short distance away smoking.

"Thank you, young Comrade, I can go with you now. Whatever crime you want me to confess, I will obey you."