Chapter 45 Recalling the Past: This family wasn't just about the older brother...

"I'm sorry, Comrade Chen Mubai may have already made a glorious sacrifice."

With a loud crash, the kettle in the man's hand fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

Chen Yongliang suddenly staggered a few steps, his body swaying, and he barely managed to reach out and steady himself on the table.

Chen Mianmian jumped out from behind the sideboard, shoved the man hard, then turned around to support her father, staring intently into his eyes, and said emotionally, "You're talking nonsense! How could something like this happen to my brother when he was perfectly fine?"

"I don't believe it!"

Another person said, "Whether you believe it or not, military families should be aware of this."

"Chengzi, shut up." The taller soldier glared at his companion.

He forced a smile, a hint of regret and sympathy in his eyes, but his tone was stiff and perfunctory as he said, "The specific details involve military secrets, which I cannot disclose. In short, please accept my condolences."

"We raised this money ourselves. You should live your lives well from now on. The organization may also provide other compensation."

After saying this, they stood up, saluted, and said goodbye; they were going to the next place.

Two equally tall figures came and went in a hurry.

Chen Mianmian was unwilling to believe it and wanted to chase after them to find out what was going on, but Chen Yongliang raised his hand to stop her, saying, "Don't go and delay their work."

With trembling hands, he grabbed the edge of the table, slowly sat back down in his chair, and said, feigning composure, "Go back to the next room and do your homework. Dad's fine."

"Dad, I'm not leaving! I don't believe anything could have happened to my brother!" Chen Mian said stubbornly, her head hanging low. "He's incredibly skilled in kung fu!"

Chen Yongliang only repeated mechanically in a low, hoarse voice, "Go, be good."

He waited until his daughter left the main room before covering his face with his hands and letting out a long sigh of frustration. "Sigh..."

What kind of mess is this? What kind of calamity is God committing?

He lived his whole life honestly and diligently, always doing good deeds and never arguing with anyone. Is this how God rewards him?

Chen Yongliang's eyes were bloodshot, his lips twitched uncontrollably, and his mouth was dry.

He licked his dry lips, tasting a hint of salt, and realized that tears were already streaming down his face...

A moment later, Chen Yongliang seemed to remember something, wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, got up and went into the kitchen, where he saw his wife sitting blankly in front of the stove.

The water in the pot had boiled, bubbling and steaming, filling the kitchen with a misty haze that blurred the lines between reality and illusion.

He stiffly squatted down on the ground, his rough hands tenderly cupping his wife's beautiful face, wiping away the lingering tears from the corners of her eyes with his fingertips.

"Good Huijun, don't cry..."

Lin Huijun snapped out of her daze, threw herself into her husband's arms, and burst into tears, "Why? Why my son of all people? He's so young, just over eighteen!"

She couldn't understand it; wasn't it supposed to be a peaceful era now?

Joining the army isn't just about daily training at the military base, is it?

What major event has occurred that necessitates the sacrifice of one's son?

What a glorious thing to say, and what a fitting tribute to those who have gone through this difficult time.

She was just an ordinary mother; she couldn't have done anything so great or glorious.

She just...she just wanted her son to come back alive...

She didn't want any glory; she just wanted her son to stand safely before her.

Lin Huijun suddenly looked up and asked her husband with some fear, "Did I do something wrong? Is that why God is punishing me like this?"

"I'll go pray to Buddha right now and beg Him to give my son back, okay?"

Lin Huijun muttered to herself, struggling to get up, but her husband gently pressed her down. The man awkwardly comforted his wife, "You're not wrong, and neither am I."

"It's not our problem."

Lin Huijun's hair was disheveled, her eyes were red, and she asked in a hoarse voice, "Whose fault is that? Who killed my son?"

"I'm going to confront him and make him give my son back!"

Chen Yongliang thought of his deceased parents and brothers, his expression becoming somewhat dazed. After meeting his wife's family, he thought that such a separation of flesh and blood would never happen to him again.

After a long while, he didn't know how to comfort his wife anymore, so he could only stiffly open his arms and hug her tightly.

Trying to draw a sliver of warmth.

Chen Yongliang seemed lost in some kind of memory, repeatedly whispering, "Huijun said it wasn't my problem. It wasn't my problem."

But a bold idea popped into Lin Huijun's head. She nudged her husband and said, "Do you think these two people might be con artists?"

Chen Yongliang's thoughts were pulled back, and he was still somewhat stunned.

After his wife repeated what she had just said, he thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "They don't seem like it. They're both quite upright people, and they're even wearing military uniforms."

"What if?"

Chen Yongliang was puzzled: "They came and went in such a hurry, what could they possibly be trying to fool us about?"

Lin Huijun couldn't explain why, but she just felt that something was amiss.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him, Chen Yongliang had no choice but to agree in a low voice: "Okay, then I'll go to the county tomorrow to ask around and see if this is true or false."

"Yes, yes, I'll go with you. They must have made a mistake."

"Mumu is so smart, she'll definitely be alright." Lin Huijun tried to cheer herself up.

Chen Yongliang remembered the money the two men had left behind, paused, and said, "They also left some money. Let's take that money with us tomorrow and return it to the organization."

"good."

"We won't take money that isn't ours."

"Even if it really is... the money our son earned by risking his life, we don't need it."

That night, all four members of the family tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

The next day, before dawn, Lin Huijun and her husband rode their bicycles to the county.

Chen Mian and her sister didn't go to school either. They ate a quick bite at noon and just sat there blankly by the door.

I waited from dawn till dusk before my parents finally returned.

The two looked as if they had suddenly aged several years, their bodies hunched over as they supported each other.

Chen Mian jogged a few steps, stepped forward to help her mother into the main room and sit down. A few stray hairs brushed against the corner of her eye, and when she looked up, she saw a strand of white hair at her mother's temple.

Her lips trembled slightly, as if she couldn't bear it, but she gritted her teeth and asked, "Dad, Mom, what did the county leaders say about my brother?"

Lin Huijun shook her head, unwilling to bring it up again.

Chen Yongliang sighed: "The leaders don't know either. They just said they would help us find people in the army to inquire further."

As long as there's no official notification from the military, Mu Bai might still be alive.

Lin Huijun suddenly murmured to herself, "I'm going to the temple tomorrow to pray to the Bodhisattva for protection."

"My son is definitely still alive..."

For some reason, the villagers soon found out about it.

Everyone is lamenting that Chen Mubai sacrificed himself at such a young age; he was such a smart person.

If I hadn't joined the army, I would be happily studying at university now.

Some nosy people even came to our house specifically to ask.

Chen Mian chased him out with a broom.

Only Li Huandi from next door, taking advantage of Chen Mian's absence, came to persuade Lin Huijun to have another son as soon as possible.

Li Huandi held Lin Huijun's hand and earnestly advised, "Sister-in-law, I'm not just saying this to be sarcastic. I was also very sad when my husband, Lao Wang, died. I cried to everyone I met about how miserable my life was."

I stopped crying after that; everyone has their own destiny.

You have to live your life eventually, you can't keep crying like this, or you'll cry your eyes out.

Besides, we women still need a son to rely on, otherwise if our two daughters are bullied after they get married, they won't have a family to support them.

Listen to my advice: while you're still young, hurry up and have another son with your husband, Mr. Chen.

Otherwise you'll regret it when you're old...

Li Huandi earnestly advised, "What I'm telling you is from the bottom of my heart, so please don't tell anyone else."

Lin Huijun lowered her head and remained silent, pulling her hand back to continue her needlework. She hadn't finished embroidering the insoles she was preparing for her son, so she had no time to think about these things.

However, during dinner that evening, she accidentally let it slip, and her two daughters found out.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mian immediately grabbed a broom from the corner and headed to confront Li Huandi, and no one could stop her.

She carried her broom all the way to Li Huandi's house.

Upon reaching the gate, Chen Mian kicked it open and shouted, "Li Huandi, come out here! What do you want? What were you trying to achieve by saying those things to my mother?"

"Are you even a normal person? If you can't speak properly, then shut your mouth and stop polluting the air."

Li Huandi, sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), was startled. Her eyes darted around, and she guiltily tried to explain, "I didn't do anything. I just casually offered a few words of comfort."

"You child, how can you be so disrespectful? You came in without even saying goodbye."

Chen Mian lifted the curtain and went in, and seeing Li Huandi's face made her angry.

With both old and new grudges combined, she suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the other person's collar, pulled her off the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and dragged her all the way to her own doorstep.

"Let go!"

"I'm telling you this now: if anyone dares to gossip about me to my family again, I'll show them what I'm capable of!"

Chen Mian said firmly, "My brother is not dead, he will come back."

She paused, then added, "Even if... even if he really does die tragically, I will be our family's son from now on, and no outsiders need to worry about me."

“Especially you, did you hear that? I usually call you Aunt Li, you'd better act like an elder and stop gossiping.” Chen Mian released her right hand and stared at the woman as she asked.

Li Huandi coughed twice, then quickly got up from the ground, took a few steps back, and said sarcastically, "You're just a young girl, you'll get married sooner or later, do you want to stay at your parents' house for the rest of your life?"

Chen Mian: "Then I'll find a son-in-law to live with me!"

"So you're not going to go to school either?"

Chen Mian continued, "No matter where I go in the future, whether I enjoy a life of luxury or live a life of poverty, I will take my parents and sister with me."

This family isn't something that can be supported by just her brother alone; she can too...

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The author says: I didn't mean to promote feudal superstition; it was just a way for people of that era to comfort themselves.

Just a heads up, the plot in the next few chapters is quite important, and I'll try my best to make it exciting.

Once Little Cotton returns to Xinjiang after the Chinese New Year, she'll start working hard on her career!