After thanking everyone, Zhang Xudong introduced the Third Grandpa to Mr. Zheng. When Mr. Zheng heard that this was the village leader, he immediately took the green satchel he was carrying. While taking things out, he said:
"Captain, this is Brother Zhang's martyr certificate, reissued in 1955. After you've read it, give it to your sister-in-law for safekeeping.
This document is for posthumously conferring the title of martyr on Brother Zhang. After you review it, I will submit it to the county for filing."
After that, he took out a passbook and handed it to grandma, saying, "Sister-in-law, this is the supplementary pension. Please keep it."
Without even opening it to see how much money was inside, Grandma Zhang handed it back: "Brother Dajiang, go donate it to the country on behalf of your eldest brother.
Although he never had the chance to see this country, I know he would have loved it very much. Let him make his final contribution to this country!"
After saying that, she no longer cared about the passbook and said to her third grandfather, "Third grandfather, no paper figurines, no loud fireworks, no mourning clothes tomorrow. If you want to attend the funeral, just wear plain clothes.
Just have someone build a long box, put these two objects in it, and bury it. People in their organization don't like that."
Third Grandpa was unwilling to do so. "Sister-in-law, isn't this too simple and sloppy?"
"That's all. It's just to give people something to think about. Don't use those things that blind the living. What's the point of having them when the people are gone?"
After Grandma finished speaking to Third Grandpa, she turned to Zhang Xudong and said, "Dongzi, go up the mountain this afternoon and kill a wild boar or a wild sheep or something and give it to your Third Grandpa. Then we'll prepare the big pot in the team and feed the whole village."
"Oh, I understand, grandma." Zhang Xudong agreed quickly. He didn't dare to act like a troublemaker at this time.
After deciding on the plan, Third Grandfather discussed it with the elders and then assigned the tasks: those who were supposed to determine the acupuncture points did so, those who were skilled in carpentry nailed the boxes, and those who were skilled in stonemasonry carved the tablets.
Everyone went about their business, and Mr. and Mrs. Zheng talked with Grandma Zhang about the past.
"Sister-in-law, with all your education, why don't you go out and work? Why do you stay in this small mountain village all your life?" asked Mr. Zheng.
"I'm waiting here for Brother Hui to come back. I'm afraid if I leave here, what if Brother Hui comes back and can't find me?"
"Although I've known for a long time that if Brother Hui is still alive, even if he's far away, as long as he has a breath left, he will crawl back. He hasn't been seen for several years, I'm afraid he's gone."
"But I just want to wait for him here, wait for that one in a million."
"Sister, come with us to Nandu! You are old and young, and we are worried about you staying here!" said Grandma Zheng.
"Meizhu! Look, there are the graves of Hui's parents and my son. Tomorrow, there will be my lover's grave too. They are all here, where can I go?
I'm not going anywhere, I'm just here.
I will watch over them and make sure they don't lose their way home."
Grandma pointed in the direction of the Zhang family's ancestral tomb and said to Grandma Zheng.
At noon, Zhang Xudong cooked a pot of rice mixed with sorghum. He also took a pound of bacon, chopped it up, and mixed it with potatoes, beans, and vegetables to make a stew.
After making a simple but affordable lunch, Zhang Xudong left his third grandfather to accompany the guests.
"Captain, I'm older than you. Can I call you brother?" After dinner, Mr. Zheng chatted with Mr. Sanye for a while.
"Okay, why not? Having a brother like you, I would laugh in my dreams." Third Grandpa said exaggeratedly.
“Brother, on the way here, I saw the crops in your fields, and they are different from the crops in other places.
In most places, crops are planted one by one, so densely packed that there is no room for air to pass through. Although there are many seedlings, they are all thin, yellow, and wilted.
On your land by the river, the crops are planted with spacing between them, and the rows are spaced well apart. Although there aren't as many seedlings, it looks green and vibrant.
"Brother, we all have Dongzi to thank for this. Last year, our superiors told us to follow the advice of foreign experts and plant deeper and denser crops.
As a result, not only was the yield low, but the crops were mostly barren, and we couldn't even deliver the required grain. Otherwise, how could we, the farmers, have no food to eat?
A few days ago, Dongzi said that those foreign experts were leaving, and that the higher-ups no longer respected their advice, suggesting that we thin out the seedlings. The reason given to the higher-ups was to compare and see which method produced the highest yield.
"Don't tell me, this is not going to work. Now that people can go into the fields, they carry water and water the corn seedlings one by one. It saves water and labor. The effect is obvious.
Just like a thirsty and listless person who suddenly feels refreshed after drinking enough water.
This year's corn yield is promising, and the members are motivated to work harder."
"Brother, let's do it this way. Don't make any comparisons. Do this to all the fields. Amateurs giving orders to experts is just blind command.
They have already begun to withdraw. Big Brother Bear Country has changed. They not only want us to be their younger brothers, but also want us to obey them in everything and lose our hard-earned freedom and democracy.
"Can we agree to this? Can our 400 million compatriots agree to this?
When we refused, they deployed hundreds of thousands of troops on the border to oppress us.
They withdrew all their aid workers and forced us to repay their loans and aid materials, pressuring us financially.
We have survived all the hardships and difficulties, so why should we be afraid of these?
Although we are poor now, we have the courage to tighten our belts and pay them back. We are not afraid of anything, we just need to work hard, and good days will come.
After chatting for a while, Grandma Zhang asked Mr. Zheng and his wife and Captain He to return to the county town, after all, it was not easy to rest here.
……………………………………
The next day, the Xiangyang Production Team held a simple yet solemn funeral. It was simple because there were no suonas, no fluttering paper money, and no white sails.
It was grand because everyone who could walk from Xiangyang Production Team came.
After the funeral, the villagers went back home. Grandma Zhang stroked the newly erected stone tablet and said to Zhang Xudong and his sister:
"Zhang Xudong, Zhang Xiyan, you must remember why your grandfather and your father ended up lying here so early.
One of them used his life to exchange for the early arrival of victory; the other used his life to protect the fruits of victory from being destroyed.
From now on, no matter how great your abilities, you will have to follow their wishes. If you dare to do anything that goes against the wishes of your ancestors, you will never appear before them, even after you die."
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