Chapter 490 Farewell

The next morning, the open space in front of the auditorium was filled with people, from officers to soldiers, from family members to children, everyone had a solemn look on their faces.

Lin Anan met the commander of the Northwest Military Region for the first time. He was a white-haired old man who was in his twilight years and suffering from illness.

The commander was supported by his guards, and the military medals on his chest made crackling sounds as he observed a moment of silence.

He looked at the portrait of the Chairman hanging above the podium, tears streaming from his cloudy eyes: "Old buddy... why are you still ahead of me..."

When the memorial service began, the whole audience stood in silence. The moment the military bugle call "Funeral Music" sounded, Lin Anan saw Mr. Tan raising his hand to wipe his eyes. Everyone in the Intelligence Analysis Department bowed their heads and shed tears. Even Li Ran, who was usually the most lively, was in tears.

Chu Minglan and Chu Mingyu stood quietly in the circle of military families. Both of them had swollen eyes from crying, but they dared not make a sound and kept their lips tightly pursed.

Lin's mother hugged Zhuangzhuang, her tears dripping onto the child's clothes, she couldn't even control herself.

The mournful music echoed over the auditorium of the Northwest Military Region.

At the front of the team, the old commander of the military region stepped forward first.

The old man looked at the portrait on the rostrum, took off his military cap, bowed deeply, and staggered when he stood up. The guard wanted to help him, but was stopped by him.

"Farewell, Chairman! Have a pleasant journey!"

All the soldiers saluted solemnly, without any deviation in their movements.

"Everyone bow three times to the Chairman's portrait!"

All the military families bent over together, letting their tears flow, and their tears fell on the land that nurtured them.

The drizzle began to fall and wet the poplar tree in front of the auditorium.

At the end of the memorial service, the old commander stood in front of the portrait for a long time.

"My old friend, crops are growing in the Gobi Desert in the northwest now, but you still haven't had a chance to take a look..."

On the way home, the rain wet everyone's clothes and hats, but no one held an umbrella.

When they got home, they saw the words "Strive to Save the Danger" hanging quietly on the wall of the main hall. Lin Zihuai was the first one who couldn't hold back and burst into tears.

As soon as he took the lead, Chu Mingyu also burst into tears, "Brother Zihuai, I'm so sad..."

Chu Minglan also pouted. Lin Anan quickly hugged the little girl and patted her back gently. "It's okay. Cry if you want to. It's not shameful."

Lin Zihuai's crying was like a flood that had been opened. This young man, who was usually full of vigor and vitality on the stage, was now squatting on the doorstep, his shoulders shaking violently.

"Sister-in-law...Did Chairman Grandpa also go to the sky to be a star?" Chu Mingyu looked at Lin Anan as if asking for help.

He remembered his sister-in-law telling him that his grandparents, dad and mom had not left him, they just turned into stars in the sky and were silently protecting him.

"Yes, from now on, the brightest star in the sky will be Chairman Mao. He has not left, and he will light the way for all of us. Just like he did in his life..."

Chu Minglan buried her face in Lin Anan's shoulder, her warm tears soaked her clothes, but she never made a sound.

Lin's mother walked tremblingly to the inscription "Strive to save the crisis" and wiped the dust on the wall with her sleeve.

The sunlight shines through the rain, adding a golden edge to the vigorous strokes, and the red seal at the signature looks like a burning fire.

"This calligraphy... was written by the Chairman himself..." Lin's mother's voice was trembling, "At that time, I was sure that following the Chairman would be the right thing to do..."

Du Juan was the one who controlled her emotions the most steadily. She waited until everyone had cried enough, brought a basin of hot water, wrung out the towels, and said, "Wipe your faces and cheer up."

"Yes, stop crying."

Outside the window, the rain stopped.

Drops of water rolled on the leaves of the poplar trees, sparkling in the setting sun.

Chu Mingyu suddenly pointed out the window, "Sister-in-law! Look!"

I saw Fu Ge'er from next door bringing a few children to write "Long Live Chairman Mao" on the wall of their yard with chalk. The youngest child couldn't reach it so he stepped on the bricks.

Lin Anan opened the window and saw that after the children finished writing, they lined up to salute the inscriptions on the wall. Their red scarves were particularly bright in the sunshine after the rain.

Lin Anan rubbed Chu Mingyu's head gently.

At this moment, she suddenly understood that grief is not the end, but the starting point of inheritance - these children are like the stubborn poplar trees in the northwest Gobi Desert. The spirit left by the Chairman will eventually grow into a new forest in the blood of the next generation.

A week later at midnight, Chu Mingzhou and others returned.

He sat in the passenger seat of the main vehicle, with the brim of his military cap pulled down low to hide the red bloodshot under his eyes.

The military vehicle stopped in front of the Chu family’s door, dropped Chu Mingzhou off and drove away.

Hearing the sound, Tuanzi rushed out with a "woof", but when he saw Chu Mingzhou, he suddenly stopped and rubbed his trouser leg with his tail.

"Ming Zhou!" Lin Anan's eyes lit up when she saw that it was her husband who came back.

Lin's mother also followed out holding Zhuangzhuang.

Chu Mingzhou's eyes softened and he reached out to take his son. "Why has Zhuangzhuang changed?"

Zhuangzhuang frowned and stared at the stubble on his face, his little fists clenched tightly, and suddenly he burst into tears.

"Why are you crying, boy?" Chu Mingzhou lowered his head and rubbed his son's face, his stubble making him hide.

Lin Anan patted him and hurried to pick up her son, "Go in and wash him quickly, don't prick him."

Mother Lin walked towards the kitchen with a smile, "We are waiting for Zihuai. We haven't started dinner yet. Mingzhou is back just in time."

Chu Minglan and Chu Mingyu were very happy to see that their elder brother had returned.

However, the two little ones were always sensible and knew that their eldest brother had to wash up first, so they just asked a few questions in a low voice and then went back to the main hall to sit down obediently.

"Is everything okay in Tang City?"

"Well, Tang City has finished its work, and disaster relief is in progress. Don't worry."

As the night deepened, lights came on in the courtyard.

By the time Lin Zihuai and Du Juan arrived, Chu Mingzhou had also packed up.

The whole family sat at the dining table, neatly arranged.

There were four dishes and a soup on the table, and the portions were generous.

When Chu Mingzhou picked up the bowl, Lin Anan noticed that his hand holding the chopsticks was trembling slightly.

Lin Anan asked him softly what was wrong?

Chu Mingzhou didn't want to worry his family, so he just said that he was a little tired from directing the dredging and building of temporary resettlement sites in Tang City in recent days.

"Mingzhou is back. I feel relieved." Mother Lin put a piece of food into Chu Mingzhou's bowl and said with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work during this period, Mom."

"I don't have any hardship, you guys are the ones who have hardship."

When the meal was almost over, Chu Mingzhou mentioned the commendation. "General Zheng said that the commendation ceremony will be held in the military district auditorium the day after tomorrow morning. Let us prepare for it."

Lin Anan nodded, "Okay, I understand."

When Mother Lin heard about the award ceremony, she became interested and asked, "Do we have to hold a celebration banquet as well?"

Chu Mingzhou pondered for a moment and shook his head. "Let's skip the celebration banquet. The Chairman just left..." His voice was low and heavy. "I suggest that the money from the banquet be donated to Tang City for disaster relief. The comrades who participated in the military exercise have no objection."

Mother Lin was startled, and responded repeatedly, "Of course, Mom was thinking wrongly. We shouldn't hold a celebration banquet at this critical moment. We should donate the money to our fellow citizens in Tang City. That's right."