The next day, Gao Liang walked out of the police station, glancing back repeatedly. His pitiable appearance and deep resentment stirred protective instincts in many, and some young women even went to Ouyang Wen to plead for him.
"Captain Wen, Gao Liang knows he was wrong. Can't you not send him down to the village?"
"That kid is just a bit reckless in his work. Don't worry, he won't be gone for long. He'll be back before Spring Festival."
Gao Liang put on a sorrowful face, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.
He had been assigned to a town in Jiangjin, ostensibly to support rural legal work, but in reality, to act as a liaison.
Feng Si had mentioned that after Hu Shilong's death, he had stayed in the mountains for a while. Later, unable to bear it, he returned to the city to find Hu Jia and told him about "Er Jiu Liu." Later, it was unclear what Hu Jia had investigated, but he had said, "That was a police pistol."
This period precisely corresponded to the years 1921 to 1923. Therefore, to find out what Hu Jia was doing during those two years, perhaps Feng Si could provide an answer.
And there was Li Yongqiang. He had been in contact with Li Zhenhui over the years. Perhaps Li Yongqiang knew about Hu Jia's whereabouts during those years.
Gao Liang's current mission was to find these two individuals and gather information on these matters.
"Sister Mu, it's almost Spring Festival in another month. Haven't you prepared any New Year's goods?"
Yu Yue had arrived again. She came here every few days, and an outsider might mistake her for Mu Chunya's own sister.
"No, I haven't. I'm alone, so what's there to prepare?"
"Then I'll bring you some sausages another day. Do you prefer plain, sweet, or spicy?"
Yu Yue said this, outwardly appearing normal, but her eyes were fixed on Mu Chunya.
According to Li Yang's findings, Mu Jixuan particularly liked spicy sausages. She deliberately said this to provoke Mu Chunya and see if she could elicit a shared memory.
As expected, Mu Chunya's hand trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. "Plain, please. I prefer things that are pure and original."
Yu Yue was extremely disappointed.
Mu Chunya was too tight-lipped. If she didn't bring up Mu Jixuan herself, this conversation couldn't continue.
Shortly after Yu Yue left, a man knocked on Mu Chunya's door. "Sister, how about I help you find a new place to live? That way, they won't bother you every day."
Mu Chunya glared at the man. "Why are you here again? A new place? I feel more at ease looking at her. Looking at you makes me angry."
Hu Jia gave a dry laugh. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect things to turn out this way either."
The visitor was Hu Jia. In fact, he had found Mu Chunya five days earlier.
That day, when Mu Chunya recognized him as the young man from five years ago, she didn't cry or make a scene. She simply walked into the room in silence.
Hu Jia could clearly discern surprise and disbelief in her eyes.
Before he could even finish his polite inquiry, Mu Chunya coldly said, "Come in."
Hu Jia knew she recognized him. But what he hadn't expected was that before he could even introduce himself after entering, Mu Chunya slapped him across the face.
He could have dodged, but at that moment, he froze and didn't.
Afterward, Hu Jia had pondered this. He eventually attributed it to the telepathic connection between them, a feeling akin to seeing one's own sister.
As Mu Chunya's slap landed, she began to cry, collapsing to the floor and burying her head in her hands, weeping.
"Sister?" Hu Jia was unsure if this was the correct way to address her, but he felt compelled to call her that.
The address seemed to touch Mu Chunya. She stood up, looking at the face that had been absent for five years, and asked, "Where did you go? Where have you been all these years?"
Through Mu Chunya's impassioned accusations, Hu Jia began to understand what he had missed.
He had missed his promise.
Mu Chunya said that about seven years ago, her younger brother Jixuan had brought Hu Jia home for the first time. They had known each other since that day.
Jixuan had said Hu Jia was an orphan, which made Mu Chunya very sympathetic. However, Hu Jia seemed very busy, always arriving after dark.
During that time, Mu Chunya felt as though she had gained two younger brothers. Jixuan used to be disobedient and had been a street punk, but Hu Jia was a well-behaved child, calling her affectionately and being considerate.
Hu Jia had said he loved Mu Chunya's spicy noodles the most.
From Mu Chunya's account, Hu Jia formed his own judgment. Those two years were a time when he was severely lacking in security and a sense of family.
His father had passed away, and his brother Ouyang Wen had had a falling out with him. Therefore, he cherished the care he received from an elder sister and perhaps found a sense of home in Mu Chunya.
Hu Jia thought that perhaps during those two years, he had considered this place his home.
Mu Chunya still had several pieces of clothing at the bottom of a chest, all bought for her by Hu Jia. Since Jixuan's death and Hu Jia's disappearance, Mu Chunya had never worn them again.
"You promised me you would take good care of Jixuan, but you didn't. Jixuan died, and they say he died right in front of you. I always thought you would give me an explanation, but after that, you vanished."
Mu Chunya's eyes welled up with tears. "What were you so afraid of? What were you hiding from? Why didn't you dare to see me? Was Jixuan's death related to you? And one last question, what exactly do you do?"
Given the dangerous nature of Hu Jia's activities at the time, neither he nor Mu Jixuan had told Mu Chunya what they were involved in.
Five questions, and Hu Jia could answer none of them.
Even with the last question, Hu Jia was unsure whether to answer honestly.
Hu Jia stood there blankly. Although he couldn't recall the events Mu Chunya mentioned, he could feel her affection for him from her demeanor and tone.
"It's not that I didn't want to come, but I couldn't find the way," he finally decided to reveal everything. He explained his amnesia but concealed the fact that he was a police officer and omitted any details about the shooting.
He wanted to protect her.
"I'm sorry. Every time I lost my memory, I knew this place, and I knew you. But I lost the memories of those two years we spent together, so..." Hu Jia felt remorseful, like a child who had made a mistake, hoping for forgiveness.
"So you forgot me? And you forgot Jixuan? You don't even know he's dead?"
As Hu Jia nodded, Mu Chunya seemed to lose all her strength. "So you've only returned this time to investigate the events of that year?"
Hu Jia nodded again.
"Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble again? Aren't you afraid of losing your life this time?"
Hu Jia shook his head.
Mu Chunya stared blankly for a while, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahaha, I waited so many years, and the person who came back is someone who forgot us."
"Sister..."
"Don't call me sister anymore. Since you've forgotten Jixuan, forgotten me, and forgotten those two years, I can't be your sister."
Mu Chunya's words pained Hu Jia.
"I also always wanted to know what exactly happened to Jixuan. If you want to investigate, then investigate. It will be the last thing you do for Jixuan."
"Sister, don't worry, I won't let Mu Jixuan die without justice. I will find the killer and avenge him."
Hu Jia's expression was sincere, but Mu Chunya didn't seem to care about his answer. She simply said, "You must also stay alive."