Brother Tian was lying there. There were some small scab wounds on his face, but otherwise he was clean. Some of the tears in his combat uniform were also sewn up with needles and threads.
It was a very fine stitch, and the person who mended it for him had good needlework skills. Maybe his wife or mother.
"I'm thinking, let him wear these clothes, he will be satisfied. Comrade, since you all call him Brother Tian, I won't call him leader... Comrade, my son is really not a deserter. .”
Old man Tian, who had been a soldier, spoke earnestly beside him, his voice a little hoarse.
"Yeah, I know... we all know it." Han Qingyu took a long breath with red eyes, then nodded, folded the note in his hand and put it away.
Thin footsteps appeared behind him.
Brother Tian's mother and wife appeared outside the door, stood at the doorframes on both sides, and looked at the three Han Qingyu in the room with some uneasiness. Both of their eyes were red and swollen, and their faces were pale.
I didn’t even have time to say hello.
"Pap, tap, tap..."
The little girl who had corralled the sheep even forgot to put down the bamboo pole she was holding on to shepherd the sheep. She just ran over with it, ran to the door and stopped, raised her head, turned her little head, and took a closer look at the silent relatives and friends. The brothers I just met... their eyes were a little blank.
Her mother took her hand and pulled her to her side.
There were many things that they couldn't bear to say in front of their children. Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei each called out "sister-in-law" and then stopped... and looked at each other. Wu Shi walked over, took out the radio from his backpack and turned it on. Then he squatted down in front of Xiao Zhifan and said as gently as he could:
"Have you heard of this?"
Xiao Zhifan glanced at the radio in his hand and shook his head.
"This sounds great. I'll take you outside to listen." Wu Shi stood up as he spoke, stretched out a hand and opened his palm.
There was light in the little girl's eyes, full of expectation, but she was sensible. She hesitated and turned around, first asking the adults for their opinions with her eyes.
"Go, girl." Grandparents and mother said.
"Okay." Xiao Zhifan's eyes lit up, and she obediently put her palm into Wu Shi's palm.
The two figures, one big and one small, left the house and walked together towards the grassy slope on the side. They found rocks and sat down on the left and right.
Wu Shi casually inserted the sick gun into the grass beside him.
Xiao Zhifan looked interesting and imitated everyone else. She stood up and erected her bamboo pole in the grass next to her.
The breeze blew the cloth strips on the bamboo poles.
Xiao Zhifan sat down again, tilted her head, and looked at Wu Shi's hand curiously and expectantly.
Wu Shi held the radio in one hand and tuned it in the other. The chirping noise was high and low, and suddenly disappeared, and a child's voice sang:
"Twinkle twinkle little stars, how I wonder where you are,
Hanging in the sky and shining brightly, like many little eyes..."
It seems that this thing is really magical. Xiao Zhifan's shining eyes were full of wonder and envy, and she listened carefully and attentively. Wu Shi tilted his head and looked for a while, thought for a while, and started to demonstrate, saying: "Here, open like this, close like this... turn like this... open the battery here."
Han Qingyu, Wen Jifei and the Tian family looked away from the grassy slope.
"Brother Tian, when are you going to go up the mountain?" Han Qingyu asked, using the saying from his hometown.
"Just tomorrow. It's hot right now..." Old Man Tian paused and said, "I'm about to reach my age, so I have a coffin ready... It's okay, don't worry, I'm a strong farmer... ...Knowing that he was a man who went to war, it is already rare that he can come back to his hometown and be buried."
Because of these words, Han Qingyu opened his mouth and choked. After a moment, he nodded and said, "Then we will stay one night and represent the army and ourselves to send Brother Tian off. Do you think that's okay?"
"It's done, it's done." All three members of the Tian family said in succession.
…………
At dinner, Wu Shi taught and gave the radio and spare batteries to Xiao Zhifan.
Yang Qingbai also came, and happened to have some money with him, so he handed the money to the Tian family and asked about the situation at home.
The Tian family refused to take it.
Old man Tian said: "There is really no need for this. You are still young, and you and your family have to spend more. Tian Jiao, a soldier, earns money in front of him, and he has been sending it home these years."
"Yes, the family is actually not lacking. Even in our village, everyone lives like this, and there is nothing to spend. He also gives me jewelry every year, and I don't even have time to wear it..."
My sister-in-law wanted to help and refuse, but as she spoke, tears fell again and she could not continue.
"That's also our heartfelt wish. We have to accept it no matter what, Uncle Tian, sister-in-law." Yang Qingbai changed the title back and put down the money.
"Yes, it should be. If you don't accept it, we will feel even more uncomfortable." Wen Jifei said helpfully, and then said: "Afterwards, there will be a pension from the army. You must not make life miserable, you …”
At this point, Wen Jifei suddenly stopped, hesitated, and turned to look at Han Qingyu.
According to the current situation, it seems that the Tian family should be taken to the Azure Life Base together. However, he doesn't know what Brother Tian himself and his family think about this.
It is difficult for Chinese Asians to leave their homeland, and most of the Tian family will not be very willing.
Han Qingyu shook his head and whispered: "Brother Tian doesn't want to."
He remembered the conversation with Tian Jiao outside the camp that morning. At that time, Brother Tian once said casually that he was unwilling to take his family to live in the blue... He said that because the family was a daughter, he could risk his life to chop off the big point, but he hoped that his daughter would never know the existence of this thing. That's it. Study hard, grow up well, get married and live a good life.
In the current situation, we can only respect Brother Tian's own thoughts for the time being and wait and see later. Han Qingyu gave a general description to the Tian family, saying that the army had such a place to accept the families of martyrs... The three Tian family members discussed it together, and as expected, rejected it.
This matter is settled for now.
After a while, Old Man Tian suddenly poured a full cup of home-brewed rice wine for Han Qingyu and the four of them, and then picked up the cup himself.
He seemed a little hesitant, but very serious.
"Well, I have something to ask you." Old Man Tian said.
"You asked." Yang Qingbai said immediately.
"Yes, Uncle Tian, if you have anything to do, just tell us, and we will do it if we can." Seeing the old man's somewhat embarrassed look, Wen Jifei said quickly.
"Okay, then let me ask... do you need veterans for your secret force to fight terror?"
Old Man Tian's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked at the four Han Qingyu uneasily but firmly.
"..." The four people present were stunned for a moment. They thought that Mr. Tian was in trouble and wanted their help, and they were ready to do whatever they could, no matter how difficult it was... But they never expected that the person in front of them would do anything they could. An old man, a veteran, would ask such a question.
The old man didn't seem to understand what his son meant by the secret troops fighting terror. He probably just regarded them as powerful enemies... people. Maybe Tian Jiao told him a little bit, but he didn't say anything specific.
So, this old man, veteran...he wanted to avenge his son with his own hands.
From the look in his eyes, Old Man Tian could see that they were about to refuse, and he said in a panic: "Isn't this the time when the war is about to start? The place where the war is about to start is probably close to me... It's just like before, anything can happen. It's just a temporary change, right? I'll go into a temporary battle, and you can have whatever you want, right? I've really been a soldier, I'm serious and courageous, I can go to the battlefield... It's true, I still have military medals... …”
Wen Jifei tried his best to take a few breaths, raised his head and interrupted: "I'm sorry, Uncle Tian, you are too old now... Look, isn't this a pity? If only a few years earlier, our army would have had one more Good soldier."
"But I'm in good health. I also have two brothers in Tianjiao at home, but unfortunately they went out to work a few days ago. At this moment, I'm asking someone to bring a message for them to come back..."
"I'm sorry, Uncle Tian, the army has a system. No." Han Qingyu answered in a harsh tone.
After hearing him say this, I also knew that he was the leader of this group of people. Old Man Tian's expression collapsed. He hesitated and then lowered his head to drink the wine. He raised his head and tried to smile.
…………
At night, we went back to the helicopter and set up a tent to sleep all night. The next morning, early in the morning, Han Qingyu and others returned to Tian's house.
Old Man Tian was holding a wooden stick in his hand, with a severed hatchet tied to the end. He was standing in the yard... and was demonstrating the technical moves of the bayonet fight back then.
Seeing a few of them appear, the old man quickly made a quick and powerful back-up thrust... His twisted waist stiffened, Old Man Tian grunted, and turned around... He took a few more steps to run quickly, and then supported himself with one hand and stood up. Fly directly out from the courtyard fence.
A "Hey ha" sound was heard outside the wall, followed by a stabbing shot...
Han Qingyu saw all of this, but he could only pretend that he didn't see it.
…
Brother Tian went up the mountain and was laid to rest. Han Qingyu took off his epaulettes and placed them in his earthen grave.
When going down the mountain, Xiao Zhifan walked among Han Qingyu and others, raised his head and said, "Mom said that dad is leaving, and he will be a soldier from now on, right?"
Han Qingyu tilted his head a few times and said, "Yes... I have to keep doing it."
"Then dad, is he great? Last time he came back, everyone said he was very powerful."
"It's awesome."
"It's so awesome that we all have to call him monitor."
"Well, if he leaves this time, will he not be able to come back to see me for a long time?"
"..."
"Yes, but he will definitely remember to write letters home and send things. When Zhifan receives letters, school bags, and hairpins... you will know that it is because your father misses you again. He, I hope you dress beautifully, have enough food, study well, and grow up well."
"Yes." Xiao Zhifan nodded vigorously.
...The helicopter circled and climbed.
On the grassy slope, the young and old of the Tian family stood together, raising their heads and waving constantly.
