That night, the office lights stayed on all night.
Political Commissar Wang sat at the table, going through all the clues one by one.
He pieced together these fragmented pieces of information, scrutinized them repeatedly, and tried to find hidden connections.
The sky outside the window gradually brightened, and the east began to show a pale, fish-belly white.
His eyes were bloodshot, yet he remained tense and showed no signs of sleepiness.
On the other side, Xu Xinghe slept through the night amidst the sound of rain, and when she woke up, the sky had cleared.
Sunlight streamed through the window into the room, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of rain.
After washing up, she went to check on the medicinal herbs. Yesterday's heavy rain had made things even worse for the already poor herbs.
She immediately picked up the cloth bag and headed towards the military canteen, intending to get some more wood ash to try and save the situation.
As soon as she entered the cafeteria, she sensed that something was wrong.
The usually lively atmosphere was unusually quiet today. The soldiers ate with their heads down, without a trace of a smile on their faces. Their expressions were sorrowful, and their low spirits were so profound that it was hard to breathe.
Even the sound of bowls and chopsticks clattering together carried a sense of oppression.
Xu Xinghe felt a sense of unease. Just then, she saw a familiar military wife walking by and quickly went up to her to ask, "Aunt Zhang, what's wrong? Why is everyone so downcast? Did something happen yesterday?"
Aunt Zhang sighed, her face full of regret, and lowered her voice, "Xinghe, you don't know, do you? Yesterday it rained so hard, and they went up the mountain to reinforce the slope. A young man accidentally slipped and fell... The landslide wasn't very long, but there was a sharp rock at the bottom of the slope that hit him on the head. The rain was too heavy at the time, and no one noticed in time. By the time they found him, he was already gone."
She shook her head and sighed, "What a pity, that boy is not even twenty years old yet. I heard he was getting married next month, and he had already arranged a bride in the city. How could this happen..."
Aunt Zhang turned and left with a sigh, leaving Xu Xinghe standing there, feeling as if something was blocking her heart, making her feel particularly uncomfortable.
Although she didn't know who had died, she could imagine what the young soldier looked like.
Perhaps it's the young man who greets you with a smile every time he passes by the medicinal herb field.
Perhaps she was a soldier who would let her go first while queuing in the cafeteria.
A vibrant life came to an abrupt end, without even having the chance to enjoy its beauty, forever lost in yesterday's torrential rain.
Xu Xinghe took the ashes and returned to the courtyard, silently working to save the medicinal herbs.
There's nothing she can do now; the only thing she can do is live her life well.
...
The continuous rain has made the air feel extremely stuffy.
The bodies of the fallen soldiers had been soaked in the rain, and although they had undergone some simple treatment, they still couldn't be preserved.
After discussions with the family, the military decided to keep the funeral procession open for three days, leaving only one day for relatives and friends to say goodbye, and then proceed directly to the burial so that the martyr could rest in peace as soon as possible.
The next morning, Aunt Mei rushed into the courtyard, her face heavy with unconcealed sorrow. "Xinghe, we're burying that child today, in Hongwei Village. Everyone who has nothing to do is going to see him off. Do you want to come along? It'll be a way of sending him off on his final journey."
Xu Xinghe nodded without hesitation and replied, "Let's go, we'll go together."
She changed into a plain dress and followed Aunt Mei, joining the flow of people heading to Hongwei Village.
People joined us along the way, all silent, their steps heavy.
Upon arriving at Hongwei Village, Xu Xinghe was astonished by the scene before him.
The entire village seemed to be shrouded in a solemn white, with men, women, and children all dressed in mourning clothes, white cloths wrapped around their arms, and their faces full of grief.
Soldiers are heroes who protect the peace of the area, and the villagers respect them from the bottom of their hearts!
Now, this young soldier sacrificed his life to protect everyone and to reinforce the mountain. The villagers all regard him as their own family, and their grief is heartfelt.
The mourning hall was set up in an open space at the entrance of the village, with a simple shed made of canvas, inside which a coffin covered with a military flag was placed.
Xu Xinghe followed the crowd to the outside of the mourning hall, and could hear heart-wrenching cries coming from inside.
The elderly couple knelt before the coffin, weeping and wailing, their voices hoarse as they called out their son's name over and over again, each cry heartbreaking to hear.
The surrounding villagers also shed tears, their cries rising and falling, growing louder and louder, as if they were using their earth-shattering sobs to express their grief and reluctance to part.
Aunt Mei picked a white wildflower from the roadside and handed it to Xu Xinghe. "Take this. We'll give it to him when we go in later. It's a small token of our appreciation."
Xu Xinghe took the wildflower; the petals still held the morning dew, and the cool touch made her feel even more bittersweet.
The villagers lined up and entered the mourning hall one by one to offer flowers, and she slowly moved forward with the line.
When it was her turn, she finally saw the young soldier's face clearly in the coffin.
At that moment, Xu Xinghe felt as if her heart was being clenched tightly, and her eyes instantly turned red.
She recognized him.
Recently, whenever Political Commissar Wang needed to contact her, it was often this young soldier who would knock on the door.
He wasn't very tall, and his face still had a touch of childishness. Every time he saw her, he would give her an exceptionally bright smile, call out "Comrade Xu" in a clear voice, and then hand her a notice or letter.
She always thought he was still young, like a younger brother who hadn't grown up, but she never imagined that such a young life would end here forever.
Xu Xinghe recalled his smiling face and his light steps as he ran towards her. Her nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She carefully placed the wildflowers in her hand on his chest, on the spot covered by the military flag.
She didn't say much, but simply bowed deeply, saying, "May you have a safe journey."
After she stood up, she saw the soldier's mother looking at each person who offered flowers with tears in her eyes, her eyes full of reluctance.
Xu Xinghe felt even more distressed. She quietly stepped aside and watched as more and more people entered the mourning hall. She watched the small wildflower quietly accompany the young martyr among the many flowers.
After offering flowers, the funeral procession slowly headed towards the hillside behind the village.
Paper money fluttered in the air, swirling under the gloomy sky, as if bidding farewell to a young life.
The sounds of gongs and drums were no longer celebratory, but rather carried a tragic and desolate quality, echoing through the mountains and mingling with the suppressed cries of the villagers.
Xu Xinghe followed behind the group, stepping onto the muddy mountain path.
She looked at the coffin being carried by the crowd. The person who was alive yesterday had become a corpse in the coffin today, and in the end, only a small mound of earth was left to be buried by the yellow soil.
Upon arriving at the mountain, they began burying the coffin.
When the soil was being filled in, the soldier's parents cried so hard they nearly fainted, but the villagers held them back tightly.
Xu Xinghe stood on the periphery of the crowd, watching as shovelfuls of yellow earth covered the coffin and the bright red military flag was gradually buried. Tears welled up in her eyes again.
The farewell ceremony only came to an end when the last shovelful of soil was dropped, forming a small mound.
"Xinghe, let's go." Aunt Mei gently tugged at her arm, her voice full of regret. "This child will rest in peace."
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