Chapter 130: Chapter 129 Homecoming_1
The move, orchestrated by He Shancun, was completed, and of course, he matter-of-factly took over one of the bedrooms, while the other was occupied by Mr. Zhao, who had arrived later.
The two worked in such perfect harmony that Zhou Ning hardly had to lift a finger; instead, it was his belongings that were the sparsest, consisting of just two suitcases: one with bedding, the other with all his changes of clothes.
May 9, 2011
Early on Monday morning, Mr. Zhao drove his 80% new Tucson, bringing Zhou Ning to the rear courtyard of the technical division.
Before they even reached the upper floor, they could hear the bustling noise above; the two exchanged glances, and there was no mistaking it – it was obviously Doctor Lu and his team working on the lab.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, they indeed saw many familiar faces: Xia Momo, Mr. Qu, and Liu Yongxin were all present. All the empty boxes had been swiftly cleared away, and the doors to the forensic research office had been changed to ones that could be accessed with a card swipe. Witnessing such major activity, Zhou Ning was astoundingly surprised.
They had just spoken on the phone on Saturday, and by Monday the work was already completed; this had clearly been planned well in advance. Before Zhou Ning could greet his master, a call came from behind.
"Zhou Xiaozhou!"
Turning around, Zhou Ning saw Doctor Lu and Mr. Hu approaching from the direction of the stairs, with two others following behind them; one was Mr. Pang, and the other he had seen once before – it was Mr. Peng, the head of the technical division.
Zhou Ning quickly stood still and nodded to the group.
"Greetings to all the leaders, Doctor Lu, this... how did this get to be like this?"
Doctor Lu looked up with a smile, but before he could speak, Mr. Hu had already started talking.
"Don’t be so surprised. It didn’t cost the bureau a dime to use world-class equipment for technical capabilities. Mr. Peng and I couldn’t be happier; you’re complaining about the large scope of the project, just stop blowing cold here."
Zhou Ning was taken aback by the rebuff, but catching the wink from Doctor Lu beside him, it seemed he grasped the crux of the issue. Mr. Hu was saying this to avoid displeasing Mr. Peng; however, for him, it didn’t matter as long as he could do his work properly.
"Oh, I’m just a bit surprised," he replied.
Mr. Peng was already chuckling as he came over, taking Zhou Ning’s hand in his.
"The last time I saw forensic doctor Zhou was at the press conference; I was thinking even then that this young man brought pride to Qindao. You’ve arrived just in time, as I was just at the province for training these past few days. I didn’t expect to return to the news that the Xiaolong Mountain case was cracked – what a delightful surprise that truly got me excited. This laboratory was initially set up to complement the facial reconstruction software technology. Please cooperate well, because our city bureau is co-building with Qindao University, and having the chance to use it free in the early stages means we need to provide the corresponding data, right? Whatever technical support is needed from our side, just let Mr. Pang know, and we will fully cooperate."
Mr. Pang was grinning beside them, nodding along, while Mr. Hu waved his hand.
"Alright, don’t make it hard for Zhou here. This young man, just like Xu Da, is one to just buckle down and work hard. Making them speak diplomatically would really trouble them to death. Go ahead with your work, we old folks will be on our way. But Mr. Peng is right - if there’s a problem, speak up, and we’ll cooperate to our utmost ability."
As they laughed and left, Doctor Lu pulled Zhou Ning into the research office, knowing well his disposition.
"Alright, stop staring. Mr. Hu came today to arrange the collaboration. Don’t worry, it won’t affect your normal work. This area is now secure; you need to swipe a card to get in. How do you think we should distribute access? Should everyone be allowed in, or should it be limited to just a few?"
Zhou Ning thought for a moment, looking at the several cards in Doctor Lu’s hand.
"I’ll need three cards for my area. The rest, please give to Mr. Pang. After all, he’s the acting head of the forensic office. He’ll distribute them more appropriately. Additionally, we should also improve the software’s application for traffic accidents, like simulation animations, which we’ve discussed before."
Doctor Lu laughed.
"After the third round of software improvements, I was thinking of trying out some traffic cases. The previous animation simulations were too crude, but Mr. Xia has improved the original data for all the animations, and they look a lot better now, and more aesthetically pleasing too."
Zhou Ning glanced at Xia Momo. Her presence in the lab was indeed a surprise to him.
Seeing Zhou Ning’s reflexive glance, Doctor Lu leaned in closer and spoke in a lowered voice:
"Zhou Xiaozhou, don’t look like that. I know what you’re thinking. Mr. Xia’s arrival here isn’t just because you know her well. You only know she graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, but you don’t know that her major is precisely in the application of animation technology. This is exactly her area of expertise."
Zhou Ning was somewhat surprised; he had only heard that Xia Momo graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts but had never inquired about her major. It seemed he had been a bit presumptuous, but if this was her area of specialization, then she was indeed more suitable for the lab.
Reflecting on how he had always considered his grandfather’s urging, it appeared he might have taken it for granted. Putting his thoughts aside, Zhou Ning nodded apologetically.
"I overthought it. If Mr. Xia specialises in that field, that’s even better. Mr. Qu is the professional when it comes to computer operations, and as for my master, his involvement with the lab work is indeed more fitting. As long as we can provide sufficient field data and photos, we can start the corresponding analysis and testing."
Doctor Lu slapped his thigh, his face creasing into a big smile.
"Right, that’s the key! If the second phase can be finished quickly, it won’t delay our application for the software," he said.
Zhou Ning nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Mr. Qu and Xia Momo walked over, standing beside Liu Yongxin. Liu Yongxin wore an expression of pride; after all, having his apprentice bring honor to him was a matter of great pride. They were all wearing the standard white lab coats of the lab, with two working cards hanging around their necks. The three of them smiled at Zhou Ning.
"All the adjustments have been made, and the custom spiral X-ray machine has been adjusted too, it works very well, connecting to a computer, seeing the real-time imaging. This is much more convenient than taking photographs and is even more accurate."
Zhou Ning realized then, it seemed that their desire to establish this lab wasn’t a recent whim.
"The customized machine, is it domestically produced?"
"Of course, it’s domestically produced. We provided the design, and we found a very established company to manufacture it. That way we control the technology, we know where to save costs, and the company even agreed to manufacture a series of equipment for us subsequently."
Zhou Ning nodded, Doctor Lu made these things seem effortlessly done, he said as Doctor Lu waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, once things here are done, I should withdraw too. Oh, by the way, the laptop I prepared for you has already been delivered to your assistant, Mr. Sun. Be sure to respond to the questions in the group promptly."
Zhou Ning smiled. This last line was what Doctor Lu really cared about. Because of the dream that had been affecting him these past few days, he hadn’t been paying attention to the messages in the QQ work group. But by seeing the constant 99+ notifications, he knew everyone was still busy. He had also not responded yet to the detail that Doctor Lu mentioned on Saturday.
"Okay, I’ll start replying one by one tonight. I need to arrange things with my family these next two days; after all, my grandfather doesn’t want to come live with me for the time being."
Doctor Lu’s face showed understanding.
"Old age, they all hope to be in their own homes where they can eat comfortably and have people to talk to. Coming here with you, even though the environment is nice, without acquaintances, it’s no different from being in prison. Don’t make it difficult for him. But you should still buy a car; it’ll be more convenient for traveling back and forth."
Zhou Ning had thought about this; he couldn’t always have Mr. Zhao drive him around. That guy was mysterious, although he was coming to live with him for a couple of days, Zhou Ning could guess a thing or two about his family situation. Besides, he had money at hand.
"Alright."
Doctor Lu left, and the personnel gradually dispersed. Xia Momo and Mr. Qu were still busy, for even after the equipment was set up, it still needed some adjustment. In contrast, Liu Yongxin was leisurely watching the hustle and bustle with a cup of tea in hand.
Without much chitchat, Zhou Ning turned and went downstairs, just as he entered the office he saw Mr. Zhao and Mr. Sun looking at his laptop.
With just one glance, he knew that this gadget wasn’t cheap. Zhou Ning didn’t go over but instead called Xu Dayuan. Even though he had just seen Mr. Hu, he didn’t dare to inquire about the report of Luo Suqin’s case, because it involved foreign media and the image of Qindao City.
"Xu Da, busy?"
"Hmm, you want to ask about the report result for the Luo Suqin case?"
Zhou Ning felt a little embarrassed, as soon as he opened his mouth Xu Dayuan had already bluntly mentioned the issue.
"I just saw Mr. Hu come over. We’ve established a lab in collaboration with Qindao University, Mr. Qu, and Mr. Xia will be retained in the lab for auxiliary work on cases, aiming to complete the data collection for phase II of the experiments."
"Oh, don’t worry, the report was already out on Sunday night. It was truthful, and the wills of Zhang Min’an and Luo Suqin were also announced. Of course, it was only mentioned briefly and no video was released.
As for Zhongtian News, the Foreign Ministry has already made a condemnation and demanded a public apology. Such wild speculation and defamation are unacceptable, and while the other party has offered an apology, their attitude has been quite ambiguous."
Zhou Ning let out a breath; these diplomatic maneuvers he found uninteresting.
"Xu Da, I want to know how Zhang Guoqing was dealt with? And about Luo Suqin and Zhang Min’an’s ashes, after all... the wills had arrangements. Zhang Guoqing can’t possibly fulfill their last wishes, and I want to help them do that."
Xu Dayuan sighed.
"Southwest University has already been in contact. Whether Zhang Guoqing will be suspended afterwards, I don’t know, but his chances of promotion are gone. As for the money he embezzled, since the party concerned is no longer alive, it’s impossible to recover it. However, the last wishes can be fulfilled.. I’ve arranged with the lawyer, the cremation is set for Saturday, and we will go to Xiaolong Mountain on Sunday."
....
On May 15, 2011, the day was overcast, with a warm and sultry wind brushing against the skin, seemingly bearing the tenderness of early summer.
The car reached the top of the mountain, and Zhou Ning and Mr. Zhao each held an urn with ashes as they stepped out.
Mr. Guan, the editor-in-chief, and two lawyers stood off to one side, both of them recording, as, after all, the clients who had requested their last wishes be fulfilled were no longer present, but procedures had to be followed.
Xu Dayuan and He Shancun stood on the other side, with He Shancun having listened to the story of Zhang Min’an and Luo Suqin along the way, continuously shaking his head in lament.
Zhou Ning opened the urn, took a look at the lush Xiaolong Mountain.
He gently scattered the ashes into the valley. As the breeze blew, the ashes dispersed into the air, falling into every corner of the valley. Just then, from the cloudy sky, fine drops of rain began to fall. Mr. Guan looked up and sighed, his eyes already reddening.
"It’s good this way. They loved so bitterly in this life, but finally, they can be together, nourishing this piece of mountainscape. What could be a better fate than this, unregretted!"
