Aunt Hu was naturally hoping the distillery would go out of business, but she was still startled by Hu Sanqiang's remarks. After all, murder and arson were serious crimes, and she didn't have the guts to do them yet.
“Sanqiang, you can’t talk nonsense like that. If you set the distillery on fire and someone finds out, they’ll report you to the police and you’ll be arrested and put in jail. Even if the distillery burns down, we still won’t have any money. I can’t watch you go to jail.”
"But Mother, I'm afraid you'll feel resentful."
"Just bear with it, it's not like you'll die." She was already imagining the distillery burning down; just thinking about it gave her a thrill. Even if they didn't burn it down, maybe some other ruthless monsters would. Those villagers who made money probably wouldn't be smug for long.
“Sanqiang, just because we don’t burn it doesn’t mean others won’t. There are still several families in our village that haven’t joined yet. That stubborn old brigade leader won’t allow any of us to join, and there are definitely other envious people out there. We’ll just wait for them to go to the distillery.”
"Okay, Mom. Let's just wait and see what happens."
"Um."
Xue Family in Beijing
Mr. and Mrs. Xue received another letter from Xue Yanchen, but this time the return address was changed to the military region.
They immediately opened the letter and read it, and were both very happy to learn that Xue Yanchen had returned to the army.
"This is wonderful news! They've actually gone back!" Mrs. Xue said happily.
Mr. Xue was still looking at the letter. "He and Zhao Jun went on a mission. Because of the mission's confidentiality, it wasn't appropriate for others to know. So, the higher-ups chose to let them retire on the surface while secretly carrying out the mission, just to cover their tracks. They successfully completed their mission and even received commendations from the military region upon their return."
“When he was discharged from the army, I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle the blow of being forced to leave, since he was so enthusiastic when he joined the army. But when I saw that he didn’t react much, he said that he faced his mistakes calmly and accepted the punishment from the team. I thought it was a matter of principle, but it turns out he was not discharged at all.”
"That's good, he can continue fighting in the army again. If he had really been discharged, I don't know if he could have handled it."
Mr. Xue said, "You weren't too keen on him joining the army back then, but now I see you're quite supportive of him."
“Sigh, back then it was because you were so young when you were seriously injured in the war and had a lingering health problem that I was scared. He’s our only son, how could I just watch him go into danger again? Now I’ve come to terms with it. My son likes this profession, and if I don’t let him join the army, it will be torture for him.”
"Yes, I used to think the same way you do. I've experienced it myself and I didn't want my child to suffer like that. But then I thought, whose child isn't a child, a precious treasure to their parents?"
But our country needs people to protect it. If you're afraid and I'm afraid, and everyone protects their own children and prevents them from joining the army, then the country will be left without protectors. Without the collective, where will our individual families come from? Thinking back, I was so short-sighted back then.
"It's not your fault. After all, we saw how much you suffered when you were injured. During that time, I could feel that you were tormented by the pain and wishing you were dead. Fortunately, you pulled through."
As Xue's mother recalled the past, she couldn't help but feel heartbroken. She secretly prayed that her son would always be safe and sound, and never suffer the same hardships as Xue's father.
Mr. Xue, remembering the aftereffects of his old injuries, asked Mrs. Xue, "Don't you think I'm feeling better now? I feel like I'm coughing less, and the tightness in my chest that I used to feel is much better now. It's so wonderful to be able to breathe freely again after all this time. Maybe one day I'll be completely healed."
“You’re right, I’ve noticed it too. Not only has your cough decreased, but your voice is also louder and stronger than before. Sometimes when you speak quickly, you don’t even pant. It’s really strange. The doctors have been helpless with your condition, saying that the organ damage is irreversible and can never be recovered in this lifetime. This is a miracle.”
"As long as we believe in miracles, miracles should happen."
After a moment of reflection, Mr. Xue's thoughts turned to another question: "Minghui, do you remember when Yanchen mentioned Xiaoluo's family situation to us? You said he's back in the army now, and he and Xiaoluo... The current policies are very strict for soldiers."
"You mean they broke up? No way, Yanchen would never abandon someone after starting something. Our son is definitely not that kind of person. When he was on the mission, he knew he would return to the army and date Jingyan. He must have thought about the problems they would face later."
He's never dated a girl before, but this time I can tell he's serious; he wouldn't play with Jingyan's feelings. Besides, wasn't he quite resolute in his last statement—that he wouldn't marry anyone but Jingyan? Do you really think he'd dump her? Hey, did he mention this in his letter? Did you see the end?
Mr. Xue was a little embarrassed, so he quickly continued reading the letter.
“I just saw him say he went back to his unit. I haven’t seen much yet. Don’t worry, I’ll keep watching.”
"Look! Look!"
She was very reluctant to part with her future daughter-in-law, Luo Jingyan. She herself was also reading the letter, and the two of them kept reading, almost skimming through it. They skipped over the parts where Luo Jingyan's name was not mentioned. Xue's father read to the end first.
After reading the entire letter, his feelings and expression were somewhat complicated.
“Minghui, Yanchen is still our son. He won’t do anything irresponsible. Although the current policy doesn’t allow people with criminal records to marry soldiers, and Xiaoluo is very understanding of Yanchen and doesn’t want him to ruin his future for her sake, our son still sticks to his original decision and hasn’t wavered in the slightest.”
They decided to apply for marriage with the military region later, and if that didn't work out, they would try other methods.
Mrs. Xue sighed, "The son of a division commander in the army wanted to marry the daughter of a 'black five categories' (a term referring to people from certain ethnic groups who are considered 'black five categories' or 'undesirable elements'), but the policy didn't allow it, so he had to give up on that girl. However, no matter what Yanchen chooses, I will support them. We didn't expect Yanchen to go back to the army, but we had already made plans for their future. Life is full of uncertainties, as long as they are happy, that's enough."
"Yes, Yanchen must have carefully considered his options before making this choice. However, it's not like there's no hope at all. Don't forget that our son has the title of 'King of Soldiers' in the army, which is much better than that division commander's son. We hope the military leaders will value talent and give them a break."
Minghui, my chronic illness was said to be incurable, but it has improved. We should believe that they can also turn the impossible into possible.
Mrs. Xue nodded: "I can accept either outcome. Of course, I also hope that Yanchen can marry the girl he loves and also protect his career."
"Hey, should we still keep this from Mom?"
"Let's not tell them yet. It will take them some time before they get married. If Mom finds out, she'll worry again. Yanchen needs to prepare their marriage application, and Jingyan needs to take care of her parents and younger brother in the countryside. If Mom tries to force them to get married, it will definitely disrupt their plans."
"Alright then, let's keep it from the old lady for now."
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