Xu Demin straightened his back. Hot blood surged through his limbs, and even his numb legs and icy hands came back to life.
The interrogator looked at Xu Demin, his expression unchanged.
"You could help build the country anywhere. Why choose Tonggu?"
He pressed on.
"Because they need people here! Nobody else wants to come. If there's no one here, how can we build anything?" Xu Demin answered without hesitation.
The officer opposite him fell silent, an unusual occurrence. A faint change seemed to cross his face.
"Comrade Xu Demin, do you resent Tonggu?" he asked, looking at him with utter seriousness.
"I have nothing but gratitude for Tonggu."
Xu Demin meant it. Only after coming here had he realized he liked the place.
The people were honest and kind, with straightforward outlooks. The little town below the mountain was peaceful, without the bustle of a big city. Xu Demin liked excitement, but he enjoyed this sense of calm even more.
The local food suited his taste perfectly. He had gained ten jin over the past year, and even his supervisor said he had filled out quite a bit. He had been told to watch his weight, or it would be hard to find someone to introduce him to.
More than that, in Tonggu, he could truly learn and put what he learned toward his ideals. Unlike work that felt abstract and out of reach, this let him see ore dug from the ground and shipped away.
Whenever he imagined the ore he had mined becoming tools in people's hands, steel bars supporting buildings, and weapons defending the country... excitement filled his heart.
That conviction was what kept his passion burning.
The interrogator looked at him, and he looked right back.
He no longer seemed afraid.
He had done nothing