freenovelworld Chapter 385 The Soul Returns Home!
Chapter 385 The Soul Returns Home!
The military approved the family visit leave for Zhong Yuemin, Zhang Haiyang, and Ning Wei, granting them a generous month and a half.
This is not only to allow them to rest and recuperate, but also, to some extent, a silent compensation and consolation for their "merits and demerits canceled out" in the Old Street incident.
Instead of rushing back to Beijing to enjoy their rare vacation, the three volunteered to escort the ashes of their fallen comrades, Wang Tiezhu and Man Tun, back to their hometown in Yimeng, Shandong.
They were brothers who had fought side by side in the trenches. Seeing them off on their final journey was a responsibility, but even more so, a matter of deep affection.
The journey was long and winding, with trains roaring and long-distance buses bumping along.
As they set foot on the soil of Linyi, the old revolutionary base area of Yimeng, the closer they got to Wang Tiezhu and Mantun's hometown, the heavier their hearts became.
After contacting the local county government and civil affairs department, everything was handled according to the standards for martyrs.
The county also attached great importance to the matter, organizing a simple welcoming ceremony, followed by the funeral arrangements according to local customs.
Wang Tiezhu's home is in a remote mountain village, consisting of a few low mud-brick houses, and the dirt ground in the yard is uneven and full of potholes.
Besides his elderly and ailing parents, the family consisted of a haggard-looking wife and two innocent-looking children. The older boy, about ten years old, wore patched clothes and timidly hid behind his mother.
The little girl, who had just learned to walk, was being held in her grandmother's arms, giggling at them, oblivious to what was happening.
When the urn covered with a red flag was solemnly handed to Wang Tiezhu's father's calloused, trembling hands, the suppressed sobs finally broke through the dam.
The elderly mother collapsed to the ground, pounding the floor and crying out her son's childhood name in heart-wrenching sobs.
Wang Tiezhu's wife clutched the urn tightly, tears streaming silently down her face like broken beads. The immense grief seemed to crush her frail body.
The two children were terrified by the scene and started crying loudly...
Zhong Yuemin, Zhang Haiyang, and Ning Wei, dressed in crisp military uniforms, stood to one side, silently saluting.
Witnessing this most tragic scene in human history, seeing this family teetering on the brink of collapse because their pillar of support had fallen, the three men who had never flinched amidst gunfire now had tears in their eyes, their throats feeling as if something was tightly choked up.
I feel terribly uncomfortable!
Aside from the one-time death benefit paid by the military, the amount was not high in those days due to the country's weak economy.
Before leaving, Zhong Yuemin quietly found Wang Tiezhu's wife and stuffed a thick envelope into her hand.
"Sister-in-law, this... is some money that we've pooled together. Please keep it safe. It will come in handy for raising the children and taking care of the elderly."
Zhong Yuemin's voice was a little hoarse. He lied and said that the money was his own and that he didn't lack money. He took out two thousand yuan without hesitation.
In 1979, this was an absolute fortune.
Wang Tiezhu's wife was stunned. Looking at the thick envelope, she quickly refused it.
"No... we can't accept this, we can't accept this. The military has already given it to us, this..."
"Sister-in-law, you must accept it!"
Zhong Yuemin's tone was firm, and without further ado, he pressed the envelope into her hand.
"Tiezhu is our brother, and his family is our family. If you don't accept his family, you're disrespecting us brothers."
"From now on, when the children go to school or the elderly need medical care, where won't we need money? Please consider this our way of doing what we can for Tiezhu!"
Zhong Yuemin's words were sincere and carried an undeniable force.
Looking at the sincere and sorrowful eyes of Zhong Yuemin and the other two, and then at her bewildered daughter in her arms and her timid son behind her, Wang Tiezhu's wife...
Finally, tears welled up again. He clutched the envelope tightly, choked back sobs, and nodded.
Zhang Haiyang and Ning Wei watched from the side without saying anything, knowing full well that Yuemin was not short of money.
When we left Wang Tiezhu's house, it was already past four in the afternoon. The setting sun had painted the distant mountains a dark red.
Looking back, those few low, mud-brick houses appeared particularly lonely and imposing in the twilight.
"Oh shit……"
Zhang Haiyang fiercely wiped his face, removing the tears from the corners of his eyes, and cursed, though it was unclear who he was cursing at.
After bidding farewell to Wang Tiezhu, Zhong Yuemin and his two companions were not at ease. Carrying a full sack of ashes, they continued their journey deeper into the Yimeng Mountains.
Mantun's hometown is hidden in the heart of the Yimeng Mountains, far more remote than the village where Wang Tiezhu's family lived.
Here, let alone cars, even donkey carts and oxcarts have to be extremely careful on the rugged and treacherous narrow paths that can only accommodate one vehicle at a time. The outside of the wheels is a bottomless ravine, a sight that makes one's heart tremble with fear.
Recalling how Mantun would occasionally mention his hometown, he would always smile sheepishly and say that before joining the army, he had rarely left the mountains and had only been to the county town a handful of times.
He spends most of his time in the village tending his small plot of land, almost completely isolated from the outside world.
Wipe your butt with pebbles and ask the instructor if the Japanese have been driven away.
At the time, I thought his words sounded like those of a simpleton, almost foolish. Now, seeing this mountainous, isolated environment with my own eyes…
Only then did the three of them truly understand the meaning behind the words "isolated from the world".
Led by a local township official familiar with the route, the group trekked through mountains and rivers, their backs soaked with sweat. Compared to this, a 10-kilometer cross-country run with weights during a military training exercise was nothing.
Finally, as dusk approached, we arrived at the small village nestled in the mountains.
Mantun's home was a few low mud-brick houses with thatched roofs, which looked even more dilapidated and impoverished than Wang Tiezhu's home.
Hearing the noise, the people inside came out to greet them.
Leading the way were Mantun's elderly parents, their faces etched with the marks of hardship and poverty, their backs hunched.
Following behind their parents were Mantun's younger siblings, all of whom were quite young; the oldest boy looked to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old.
However, what instantly brought tears to the eyes of Zhong Yuemin, Zhang Haiyang, and Ning Wei, almost causing them to burst into tears on the spot, was that
This family, from the parents to the younger siblings, were all wearing faded but neatly made military uniforms.
They were all too familiar with these military uniforms.
It was when the army was issuing new uniforms that the group of them, thinking about Mantun's family's financial difficulties and the large number of her younger siblings, decided to pack up their own spare uniforms, along with Mantun's, and send them back to their hometown.
At the time, Mantun reluctantly declined, saying it was not allowed, but Zhong Yuemin and the others insisted on sending it out.
Unexpectedly, these military uniforms have now become the most presentable, and perhaps only, garment without patches, belonging to the Mantun family.
They wore these garments on every family member in order to welcome the souls of their sacrificed son and brother back to their hometown.