Insufficient balance

  "Lao Huang, you said Bao Yulin seems like a traitor? I heard he has been kneeling for a whole night." The secretary asked Lao Huang through the glass window of his office.

  After Bao Yufeng and the others left, Bao Yulin didn't move from his spot, still kneeling in the same position facing west. The direction of Xiangshui Village was to the west, where the ancestral tomb of the Bao family was located. He didn't dare follow Bao Yufeng back home, he didn't know what consequences would await him if he did, but from his sister's words, he sensed that the home which had always given him a warm feeling no longer wanted him, and neither did Xiangshui Village; from now on, he was a man without a home. But Bao Yulin couldn't understand why nobody believed him? Must he spend the rest of his life carrying the reputation of a traitor, living under the strange gaze of others?

  Bao Yulin had never seen his own file, and the secrecy system did not allow it. He didn't know what was in his file. He couldn't understand why he was being treated this way when he had been captured against his will and the "anti-war declaration" incident had already been proven to be a Vietnamese conspiracy. Even his family members were saying such things about him? Bao Yulin knew that he hadn't betrayed his country. So, why would his sister say that he was a traitor, a national traitor? At the time, Bao Yulin endured the public security bureau's actions, after all, he had been captured before, and as a law enforcement agency, it was understandable to have stricter political requirements. But he hadn't betrayed his country, or else the army would have sentenced him to punishment. So how did these words get spread around? Now even his family members didn't believe in him, why was that? Throughout the whole night, Bao Yulin knelt upright like this, he just couldn't figure it out!

  "This is not easy to say, but since the file says so, there must be some reason. To be honest, if I hadn't seen his file, I wouldn't have believed it. He's a good kid, ah!" Old Huang shook his head. To be cautious, he and the secretary arrived at the Armed Forces Department early this morning to review Bao Yulin's file. He could see that the secretary wanted to keep Bao Yulin, but thinking about the political risks of keeping him, Old Huang believed that no unit would want Bao Yulin.

  "Why don't you go and tell him, we'll let the accountant pay him two months' salary later." The secretary didn't know how to face Bao Yulin either, especially in this situation, it was too cruel.

  "Ah..." Old Huang wanted to say something else, but stopped himself after all, the secretary was his superior: "Alright, I'll go talk to him, this young fellow is really pitiful." Old Huang shook his head and slowly walked out of the office, he needed to think about how to tell Bao Yulin.

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  "Baoyulin, get up, it's not good to keep kneeling like this, be more open-minded." Old Huang went downstairs and picked up a black armband, while comforting Baoyulin, he helped him tie the armband around his arm.

  Feeling Lao Huang's movements, seeing the black gauze wrapped around his own body, Bao Yulin suddenly shed tears. Ah, his father had passed away, and he himself had sent him into the cremation chamber. Why was heaven so unfair to him? Why did all these things happen to him? This was too unreasonable!

  "Come, sit down by the side first." Old Huang supported Bao Yulian's arm, he knew that after kneeling for a night, it was likely that Bao Yulian wouldn't be able to move for a while.

  "Little Bao, how to say this?" Looking at Bao Yulin sitting on the stone bench like a walking corpse, Old Huang felt a little unbearable in his heart. However, the organization's decision had to be told to Bao Yulin: "It's like this, yesterday we considered it and thought you're not suitable to continue working in our unit, so the organization has decided to dismiss you." Of course, Old Huang knew that what he said was very cruel, but he couldn't help it. As if worried about what Bao Yulin would say, Old Huang hastily continued: "Of course, everyone can see your work performance during this period of time, plus the situation at your home, so the organization has decided to give you an additional two months' salary as a form of assistance." When saying these words, Old Huang didn't dare look into Bao Yulin's eyes.

  Like a thunderclap on a clear day, Bao Yulin was shocked. He wasn't very fond of his job at the crematorium, but he couldn't understand why he was being let go today when he had just filled out a form yesterday. Last time it was the Public Security Bureau, this time it's even the crematorium, what is going on?

  Bao Yulin grabbed the collar of Old Huang's clothes: "Why is this?! Why does everyone treat me like this?! What did I do wrong?!" Bao Yulin's eyes were red. Honest people are not without temper, they just generally can endure it, but when they erupt, it's very frightening.

  Lao Huang was now scared, he used both hands to try and move away Bao Yulian's fingers, while loudly shouting: "What do you want to do? Let go of me quickly! Are you crazy?"

  Bao Yulin shook his head resolutely: "I'm telling you, if you don't give me a clear explanation, don't blame me for being impolite!"

  Bao Yulin's tone was very resolute. With such a big thing happening at home, everyone looked at him with hateful and strange eyes. Now, the originally settled job had also been ruined, how could he not be agitated?

  Looking at Bao Yulin's eyes, Old Huang was convinced. Don't look at Bao Yulin who usually doesn't talk much, because of his father's death, Bao Yulin can still kneel upright in such cold weather for a whole night, who knows if he will make any more crazy moves? Moreover, this matter is indeed a bit unfair to Bao Yulin.

  "Little Bao, don't get so worked up, we can't help it either. You also know that although our unit doesn't look like much, there are still organizational principles at play, and we have no way to keep you." Old Huang tried his best to make his tone sound calmer. Ever since he found out that Bao Yulin had been a soldier and had gone to the battlefield, he was worried about thoroughly angering Bao Yulin.

  "What organizational principle?! What's wrong with me, why doesn't anyone want me anywhere?! Why is this?!" Bao Yulin became even more agitated, unable to figure out what organizational principle he had violated.

  "Let go of me first, I'll tell you." Seeing Bao Yulin's menacing look, Old Huang yielded. He decided to make things clear with Bao Yulin, so as not to be bothered by him.

  "Alright, I let go, you tell me clearly." Bao Yulin released his hand, he really wanted to know why.

  Lao Huang took a deep breath, adjusted himself, and said in as calm a tone as possible: "Xiao Bao, you're a veteran, aren't you?"

  "Yes." Apparently, this is the root of all this.

  "That's right, you've been on the battlefield in Vietnam and have been captured, haven't you?"

  "That's right, but my situation has been investigated and I don't have any problems." Bao Yulin felt that the unit should have come to a conclusion about his capture, otherwise they wouldn't have let him return.

  Lao Huang shook his head and indeed, Bao Yulin didn't know what was written in his file, otherwise he wouldn't have been so excited.

  "We don't fully understand the situation, but recruitment requires political review. We found a record in your file that says: This comrade has many suspicious points during his captivity in Vietnam, but currently there is no evidence to prove it, and it is suggested that the unit using this comrade should be cautious to avoid unnecessary losses to the country. Therefore, after our research, we have decided not to hire you." Old Huang carefully wrote down the words from Bao Yulian's file, worried that Bao Yulian would cause trouble. He believed that the secretary would also remember these words firmly.

  "What?" Bao Yulin couldn't believe that the troops could be so irresponsible, writing something like this. This file would follow him for his whole life, did he really have to carry this black pot on his back for his entire life?

  "Hey, so you should understand us, we have no choice either!" Looking at Bao Yulin's expression, Old Huang knew that the crisis was over.

  After all, being under 20 years old, Bao Yulin didn't know how to deal with all of this either.

  "No wonder, no wonder my sister said I was a traitor, a national thief. It turns out it's like this." Bao Yulin muttered to himself, suddenly remembering something, he grabbed Old Huang's hand: "Old Huang, you've been working for so many years, you must know what to do about this matter, you have to believe me, I didn't betray my country!"

  Bao Yulin's sudden movement startled Old Huang, who was frightened. He shook his hand vigorously several times but couldn't shake off Bao Yulin's grip. All he could do was smile wryly to himself, thinking that being a leader had its advantages - when trouble arose, he could always pass it on to his subordinates.

  "It's no use telling me about this, if you want to resolve this matter, you still have to find the troops. Only when they confirm it and put the proof in your file can this matter be resolved, otherwise. No unit will take on this risk!" Old Huang of course knew that getting the troops to issue this proof was unlikely, but now there was only this one way. He also didn't want to see Bao Yulin have no home to return to, not even having the right to send off his father.

  "Right! Go back and find the troops!" Bao Yulin seemed to see a glimmer of light in the dark night, which was a glimmer of hope. If he could get such proof, he would be able to return to Shui Village, and he would be able to kowtow to his father's grave with dignity.

  Looking into Bao Yulin's eyes again, Lao Huang sighed in his heart, after all, he was a young man who had not been involved in the world for long.

  "We all know what happened yesterday, if you can find the troops to come and prove it, maybe you can still catch up with your father's seventh day." But Old Huang knew that this was impossible, but now he just wanted to get rid of Bao Yulin. As long as he left this gate, everything would be easy to handle.

  。。。。。。

  Twenty minutes later, Bao Yulin packed up his simple luggage, took the travel expenses, and set foot on the road to the Military Region Political Department. Bao Yulin had already made preparations for a desperate situation, no matter what, he had to be a clean and honest person.

  The crematorium gave Bao Yulian three months' salary, and after setting aside the necessary travel expenses, the rest of the money was sent back home by Bao Yulian. Worried that his sister would return it, Bao Yulian wrote clearly on the remittance note: I have not betrayed the country, nor have I disgraced the Bao family, please use this money with peace of mind, it is all clean!

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