Su Mingqiang's tears dripped onto the snow, melting into small pits.
Chen Mo gently squatted down and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Mingqiang, this isn't your fault. The problem between Li Jinhua and Zhang Haiyang lies with Zhang Haiyang, not you."
"But I rushed into the school with a knife... I could have chosen legal recourse..."
Su Mingqiang shook his head in anguish.
"People lose their rationality when they are in extreme pain; this is human nature."
Chen Mo's voice was firm yet gentle.
"The important thing is that you have now learned to approach problems in a more mature way."
Su Mingqiang took a deep breath and wiped away his tears.
"Jinhua... I hope you can see me now... I've found a new meaning in life at the vegetable farm... I've met a wonderful girl..."
As he said those words, Zhou Xiaobai's smiling face appeared in his mind, bringing a touch of warmth.
"We've come today to say a proper goodbye to you."
Chen Mo guided the ceremony.
"Mingqiang, you can say anything you want to say to Li Jinhua."
Su Mingqiang nodded and took a letter out of the wooden box.
"I wrote her a letter... telling her everything that had happened this past year..."
He placed the letter in front of the tombstone and then took out a small cloth bag.
"These are her favorite jasmine seeds... I want to plant them here..."
Chen Mo handed him a small shovel, and Su Mingqiang carefully dug a small hole next to the tombstone, put the seeds in, and gently covered them with soil.
"Golden Flowers...I hope these flowers can stay with you in my place..."
His voice was soft yet firm.
"I will live on... carrying the memories of you... but no longer bound by the past..."
Chen Mo nodded and began to guide him through the psychological therapy of the "empty chair technique".
They placed a folding chair next to the tombstone, imagining Li Jinhua sitting there.
Tell her what you most want to say.
Chen Mo gave a soft prompt.
Su Mingqiang took a deep breath and spoke to the empty chair.
"Jin Hua, I forgive you... and please forgive me too... We both made mistakes, and we both paid the price... Now, it's time to let go..."
After saying these words, he felt the heavy pressure on his chest seem to ease a little.
Chen Mo continued to guide him.
Tell her how you will remember her.
“I will... come to see you every year on this day... I will take good care of myself... If one day I have a child, I will tell him/her that there was once an aunt named Li Jinhua, who was very beautiful and kind…”
The ceremony lasted for nearly two hours.
Su Mingqiang poured out all the emotions he had suppressed for a year, sometimes crying and sometimes smiling.
As he gently affixed Li Jinhua's photo to the tombstone, a breeze blew by, as if in response to him.
Goodbye, Jin Hua...
Su Mingqiang gave the photo a final, gentle kiss and then fixed it to the tombstone.
Thank you for being a part of my life...
When leaving the cemetery, Su Mingqiang's steps were much lighter than when he arrived.
Although the boulder on his chest had not completely disappeared, it was no longer pressing down on him and making it hard to breathe.
How are you feeling?
Chen Mo asked.
Su Mingqiang thought for a moment.
"It's like... finally accomplishing something very important. There's a void in my heart, but it doesn't hurt as much anymore."
"This emptiness will gradually be filled by new experiences."
Chen Mo said with a smile.
"I heard you get along well with that Researcher Zhou from the Academy of Agricultural Sciences?"
Su Mingqiang's ears turned red.
"She...is very special. Intelligent, strong, and with an almost obsessive passion for agriculture."
"She sounds like a nice girl."
Chen Mo said meaningfully.
Don't be afraid of new beginnings because of the past.
...
The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the Little New Year.
Su Jianguo got up early and was chopping firewood in the yard. The axe made a crisp "crack" sound when it fell, and wood chips flew everywhere.
"Jianguo, stop chopping! Come inside and eat!"
Wang Xiulan poked her head out of the kitchen and called out, still holding a rolling pin covered in flour.
Su Jianguo wiped the sweat from his forehead and was about to respond when he suddenly heard the roar of a car engine in the distance.
He frowned, put down the axe, and walked towards the courtyard gate.
A military green jeep drove up, kicking up dust, followed by two black sedans.
The convoy stopped in front of the Su family's house.
Su Jianguo squinted and saw a familiar figure jump out of the first jeep.
Xia Mengsheng.
"Uncle Su!"
Xia Mengsheng jogged over, his face beaming with undisguised excitement.
"My dad's here!"
"Your dad?"
Su Jianguo didn't react for a moment.
Just then, the door of the black sedan in the middle opened, and a middle-aged man in military uniform with a general's star on his shoulder stepped out.
He was tall and straight, with a resolute face and sharp eyes like an eagle, exuding an aura of authority without anger.
Su Jianguo recognized him; this was Xia Weiguo, the commander of the Beijing Military Region and Xia Mengsheng's father!
"Commander Xia?"
Su Jianguo stammered, unconsciously patting the sawdust off his body, then, feeling it wasn't enough, quickly wiped his hands on his pants.
Xia Weiguo strode over, followed by two guards and a well-dressed middle-aged woman, who was clearly Xia Mengsheng's mother.
"Mr. Su, I apologize for disturbing you."
Xia Weiguo stretched out his hand, his voice loud and forceful.
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