022
Time passed by unknowingly and it was June. Xiao Li and his friend had been traveling outside for more than a month.
Over the past month, Xiao Li has visited many places and met many relatives of his comrades. They were not immersed in grief, but on the contrary, they faced life very positively.
Seeing that everyone was doing well, Xiao Li seemed to be encouraged. He felt that he was too pretentious and had too many thoughts. As he reflected on it, his mental state actually got better and better.
The place they arrived at today was Yuanquan County, which was the last stop for the two.
At this moment, Xiao Li was holding a small bag in his hand, standing at the entrance of a small alley east of the county town, hesitant to move forward.
This is a dilapidated alley. It's not long, only about 700 to 800 meters from north to south. On both sides of the alley are courtyards made of thick loess rammed earth, one after another.
The courtyards are of the same height and size, with more than a dozen households on one side, neatly arranged. You can't see the houses inside, only large and spacious wooden doors, the kind with double leaves.
It was around six o'clock in the afternoon. People in the alley were gradually going home from get off work. Wisps of smoke rose from the courtyards of their homes, adding a touch of humanity and a breath of life to the alley that was quiet during the day.
"Comrade, who are you looking for?" An old man in a Zhongshan suit came out from the yard.
Xiao Li had been standing at the entrance of the alley for a while. The alley was bustling with people, and many people saw Xiao Li standing at the entrance of the alley.
The people in the alley were very familiar with each other, and most of them were curious about the stranger who suddenly appeared at the entrance of the alley.
"Uncle, may I ask if Xie Siqiu's family lives here?"
Xie Qiusi was a soldier of the 4th Regiment of the 27th Reinforced Army of the 9th Corps, codenamed Mad Wolf.
"Xie Siqiu! You must be Siqiu's comrade-in-arms, right?" The old man's eyes instantly turned red when he heard who Xiaoli was looking for. "Siqiu's mother is at home. I'll take you there."
"Siqiu's mother~Siqiu's mother~Come out quickly, someone is coming to your house! Siqiu's comrades are coming!" Although the old man is old, his lung capacity is really not small. When he shouted, almost everyone in the alley heard it, and everyone came out of their homes.
"Old Liu, what are you yelling about? Are you calling for help?" As the voice fell, an old lady with gray hair, wearing a blue linen shirt and looking very capable walked out of a small courtyard in the middle of the alley.
"Hey, isn't this someone from your family?" Old Man Liu pointed at Xiao Li beside him with a smile, "This PLA comrade is looking for Xie Siqiu's family. I think he must be Siqiu's comrade-in-arms."
Before Xiao Li could say hello, he saw the old lady who was so imposing just now, her eyes reddened as she looked at him straight, as if she wanted to see the shadow of someone in him.
"Look, I almost recognized the wrong person." The old lady said embarrassedly.
How she wished she could see her son when she went out. He smiled and said to her: Mom, the army made a mistake. Your son is still alive and well.
Unfortunately, it was just a dream.
"Auntie, I'm Xie Siqiu's comrade-in-arms. My name is Xiao Li." Xiao Li handed the small cloth bag to the other party. "This is the bloody soil I grabbed from where Xie Siqiu stood after his death."
"I'm sorry, I didn't find his body..."
Xiao Li bent down towards the old lady. He had a lot to say, but he didn't know how to say it.
To put it bluntly, he is just a coward.
"Straighten up, kid. We don't blame you. Our Siqiu was a martyr who sacrificed his life for our country. We are his family, and we are proud of him."
"But Xie Siqiu was beaten to death by me because he was saving someone!"
"Don't mention that heartless Xie Siqiu! I'll be furious if you mention him again!" The old lady's unfinished words were interrupted. She walked up to Xiao Li, tears in her eyes, and took Xiao Li's hand, who was about to speak but hesitated, and said, "Son, you must always look forward. You still have a long way to go. Don't dwell on the past."
She was old, and could see the remorse and sadness in Xiao Li's eyes. She didn't want a young child to live with guilt, so she held back her tears and said, "We are living very well now. The government gave us compensation after Siqiu passed away. Siqiu's wife has a formal job, and when our children grow up, the job can be passed on to them. Our eldest son is also responsible for our retirement. We are living a very good life now."
The old lady took the small cloth bag from Xiao Li's hand, her thoughts drifting a little. She gently stroked it with her hand and said calmly, "Son, thank you for sending Si Qiu home. It's getting late, and my daughter-in-law will be home for dinner soon. I won't keep you here any longer, so she won't see you in your military uniform and think of Si Qiu."
"Okay, take care of yourself." Xiao Li choked up as he handed the old lady an envelope with two hundred yuan in it. "Take this and buy some food for the child."
"Okay." Perhaps to comfort Xiao Li, the old lady accepted it without any hesitation, then waved her hand: "Go, child. Go back and live a good life, and don't come again. We are all fine..."
"Thank you." Faced with such an open-minded and cheerful old man who dared to face all the misfortunes and setbacks in life, Xiao Li felt that he was simply terrible. He turned around and left, choking with sobs.
From now on, he will no longer have such wild thoughts. He will live a good life, face everything with an optimistic and open-minded attitude, and enjoy the beauty of life.
After Xiao Li's figure completely disappeared at the entrance of the alley, the old lady who had been calm all the time suddenly sat down and burst into tears, holding the small cloth bag in her hand.
No! They are not having a good time at all!
But life goes on, people have to look forward, and they still have to live.
The crying echoed throughout the alley and could not be calmed for a long time...
After Xiao Li left, he went straight to a small park not far away and found Xiao Ming who was waiting for him.
When Xiao Ming saw him coming back, he jumped up from his chair and asked, "Brother, where are we going next time?"
After more than a month of running around, Xiao Ming is no longer the chubby white bun he used to be. He has lost a lot of weight now, and his old clothes are loose on him, making him look like a child who stole adult clothes.
Spending a long time together made him no longer afraid of Xiao Li. On the contrary, he felt proud of having an almighty brother and even developed a tendency to become like a brother complex.
Every time Xiao Li saw him discussing himself with strangers, he felt that this child seemed to be developing in a strange direction, which was very embarrassing.
Looking at the little fat boy who is no longer afraid of him, Xiao Li finally understood why some people say: Traveling is a journey that gathers all kinds of contradictory problems in life. If you want to understand someone, go out and travel together.
Although the Xiaoli brothers weren't part of a traveling group, this same principle applies to them. These two unfamiliar brothers, constantly on the road, eat together, sleep together, and respond to emergencies together, this close proximity deepens their mutual understanding and appreciation, leading to a rapid growth in their bond.
Xiao Li picked up the luggage on the chair and said to Xiao Ming, "Go home."
………………………………
This trip was quite fruitful and the relationship between the two brothers improved a lot.
At dinner, the family of five sat together to eat. Grandpa Xiao was so happy to see his brothers getting along so well that he poured himself a glass of wine.
"Lizi, come here." Old Master Xiao poured a glass of wine for Xiao Li as well. He smiled and said, "I'm really grateful to you for your kindness today."
Li Cuihua rolled her eyes at him and said, "I don't know who it is. He goes out to drink secretly every day and thinks I don't know what's going on."
Mr. Xiao is old, and for his health, Li Cuihua usually takes away the wine from him and doesn't let him drink it except during the New Year and other festivals. But he is a wine lover, and when he feels craving for wine, he can only go to the old comrades in the compound to secretly ask for a few sips.
Just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.
"Grandpa, I'll toast you." Xiao Li picked up the wine glass, rushed towards Grandpa Xiao and drank it all in one gulp.
“Good wine!”
Seeing his expression, Mr. Xiao was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling and laughed out loud: "If your father were here, it would be nice for our family to have a reunion dinner."
Li Cuihua said with regret, "It's a pity that Xinghua can't leave the army."
"Xiao Li, you are old now, and it's time to consider some things. Grandma wants to ask you something, so don't be embarrassed to answer."
Xiao Li put down the wine glass in his hand, sat down seriously, and said with a serious face, "Grandma, if you have anything to say, just tell me directly. I will tell you obediently."
"When you came back a while ago, grandma was so happy that she forgot to ask you," the old lady said in a low voice, coughed lightly, and said, "You've been away for more than ten years. Have you met a girl you like?"
As soon as Li Cuihua said this, everyone at the table looked at Xiao Li.
Xiao Li: Grandma, what are you doing? Don't think I don't know. You were trying to arrange a blind date for me a while ago, but why did you suddenly change your mind today...
"No." Xiao Li actually had Wang Xuemei's face in his mind, but he also knew that it was impossible for him and her to be together, so he answered the old lady's question without any expression on his face.
Li Cuihua looked at Xiao Li carefully and found that he had no expression. After thinking about it, she felt that Xiao Li's environment in recent years was too difficult and he probably didn't have a girl he liked.
So I believed Xiao Li's nonsense that he didn't like girls.
"Since you don't have a girl you like, do you want grandma to find one for you?" When it comes to finding a partner for Xiao Li, the old lady is so enthusiastic that she doesn't even want to eat, let alone find a girl to take home immediately.
Xiao Li is already 24 years old this year, and Wang Han, as his mother, is extremely anxious. Seeing Xiao Li's calm demeanor, she feels she has to give him a hug: "Kids your age in the compound are all doing housework now. Tell us what kind of girls you like. Mom and your grandma will help you find one in the next few days. We'll try to get married during your vacation."
"Yes, yes, you tell us what you like and we will make it for you."
Xiao Li pretended to think about the problem for a long time before saying, "I can control myself."
Hearing this request, Li Cuihua's eyes lit up. She coughed and asked, "Reiko, what do you think about finding a woman who is older than you?"
"It's...it's okay." Xiao Li was a little nervous.
Actually, I quite like older women, but it depends on who the object is.
"Okay, Reiko, just stay home and wait to be the groom. I'll take care of the rest of the milk!"
Li Cuihua recently met an old sister. The two old ladies with different personalities got along very well and in a short period of time they developed into old best friends.
When she heard that her elder sister had a granddaughter who was not married yet, she became interested. However, the child seemed to be older than her son Xiao Li, so she wanted to ask Xiao Li in a roundabout way what kind of girl he liked. Since Xiao Li could accept a girl older than himself, she could talk to her elder sister.
Xiao Li: ...Grandma, should I get married or you?
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