Chapter 2153 - 871: I’ll Be the Referee! (Part 4)

Korosov sat in his office, looking at the photographs just sent back from the Golan Heights. In the photo, an elderly Syrian man and an elderly Israeli man stood face-to-face at the bridge, both crying. He looked for a long time, then put the photo down.

Dmitry stood in front of him. "General, Sergei's lawyer is here. They request to see the client."

Korosov raised his head. "A lawyer? Who hired them?"

"A law firm in Moscow. They say they're commissioned by the family."

Korosov laughed. "Family? What family does he have? A daughter in Chechnya, fourteen years old, who doesn't even know where Moscow is. Where would the family come from?"

Dmitry said nothing.

"Check. Check the accounts of that law firm. Who paid, from where it was paid, and through how many hands. Find out and let me know."

Dmitry nodded and turned to leave.

"Wait." Korosov called him back. "How about Grisha, has he finished writing?"

"Finished. Signed."

Korosov nodded. "Let him go. Send him to Chechnya to see his daughter."

Dmitry hesitated for a moment. "General, after Grisha sees Anna—"

"Afterward?" Korosov looked at him, "He can go wherever he wants afterward. If he wants to return to Moscow, then back to Moscow; if he wants to go to Mexico, then to Mexico; if he wants to stay in Chechnya, then he stays in Chechnya. He's not a criminal, he's a witness. Witnesses don't need to be detained."

Dmitry left.

Korosov picked up the photograph again and looked at it once more. The two old men were still standing at the bridge, still crying.

He put the photo into a drawer and locked it.

That same evening, in Chechnya, Shangji Village

Grisha stood in front of the row of stone houses behind the school, looking at the room on the easternmost side. The door was open, and Anna sat on the doorstep, holding a piece of chocolate. The chocolate was new, the wrapping paper was golden, still unopened.

He walked over and sat down beside her.

"Where's your dad?"

Anna didn't look at him. "Taken away by men from Moscow."

Grisha nodded. "I know."

Anna lowered her head. "Will he come back?"

Grisha didn't reply.

Anna unwrapped the chocolate, broke it in half, and handed half to Grisha. Grisha took it and put it in his mouth. It was very sweet, almost sickeningly so.

"Uncle Grisha, is my dad a bad person?"

Grisha chewed on the chocolate. "Yes."

Anna also put the chocolate in her mouth. "Then why is he good to me?"

Grisha looked at her. "Because you are his daughter."

Anna chewed for a long time. The chocolate melted, and the sweetness spread in her mouth, reaching all the way to her throat.

"Uncle Grisha, where are you going?"

Grisha looked at the barren mountains in the distance. "I don't know."

Anna stood up and brushed the dust off her pants. "Why don't you stay? This village needs a teacher. The children can't speak Russian, can't write their names, can't even count to ten."

Grisha also stood up. "I don't know how to teach."

Anna laughed. "You've been with my dad for twenty-three years. If you can be with such a bad person for so long, what's so hard about teaching a few kids to count?" 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Grisha looked at her smiling face. That face was just like her dad's. Big, ethereal, everything looked like it was seen through a mist. But when she smiled, the mist cleared.

"I'll try."

Anna turned and walked into the house. At the doorway, she stopped. "Uncle Grisha, will my dad come back?"

Grisha was silent for a long time. "He will."

Anna went inside. The door remained open.

Grisha stood at the doorway, looking at the distant mountains. The sun was about to set, painting the mountain tops gold. The wind blew from the north, carrying the scent of snow, and also the scent of spring.

The snow was almost all melted.

...