This man exudes the unique aura of a soldier, and an ordinary person would not be so bold as to wander around the mountains in the middle of the night.
Su Shizhong frowned. "What did you say? How could someone like me, who spends all day running around in the mountains, be a soldier? Are you so heartbroken that you've lost your mind?"
Yang Guohua was certain: "My intuition is right. You must have been a soldier before. What's your name?"
He felt he could trust the person in front of him if he had served in the military.
Su Shizhong shook his head, looking somewhat confused: "I don't know my full name, I only remember that my surname is Su. Everyone calls me Comrade Old Su, you can call me that too, brother."
Yang Guohua looked puzzled: "How could a person not know their own name? You've already called me brother, shouldn't you tell me the truth?"
Su Shizhong pointed to his head, a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "I really don't remember. I don't know where my home is. I only remember waking up by the river, taking an oxcart, and then walking for a long, long time before I got here. I saw sheep on the mountain and was so hungry that I wanted to kill and roast them. Luckily, I didn't, or you wouldn't be able to see me now. The village headman saw that I knew nothing, so he left me here to herd sheep. I've been herding sheep for almost ten years, and I still don't remember anything from before."
Upon hearing this, Yang Guohua stared intently at Su Shizhong for a while. Seeing his open and honest gaze, he thought that this man must have been seriously injured and lost his memory.
Su Shizhong noticed that Yang Guohua always looked at him with a threatening gaze and didn't say anything, and for some reason, he felt a little scared.
He had a vague feeling that he had seen that look somewhere before, but he just couldn't remember where.
He coughed lightly, breaking the awkward silence: "Have you seen enough? I've explained my situation. It's your turn."
Yang Guohua said in a low voice, "I want to see if my two sons are buried there."
From the moment he heard the news, he refused to believe that his two underage sons were gone.
Why did he die after only a few months in the countryside?
Last year, they were still lively and energetic, running alongside him in the army, sometimes even being mischievous and making him furious. How could they be separated by death in the blink of an eye?
He simply couldn't accept this fact, let alone his parents and wife who had poured even more effort into their two children.
Su Shizhong looked reluctant and said softly, "I'll help you identify any special marks on them. There's no need to dig up the graves. I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it if you see them."
No sooner had they finished speaking than a firm voice came from behind them: "Comrade, we must dig."
Upon hearing Grandma Yang's voice, Yang Guohua turned around abruptly and saw Grandpa Yang and Wang Jingyi supporting Grandma Yang as they walked up with faltering steps.
He was both surprised and anxious: "Why are you here?"
Wang Jingyi's tone carried a hint of stubbornness: "What are you doing here? We're here for the same reason."
Yang Guohua sighed inwardly. He was the only one in the family who could barely hold on. Of the three people in front of him, two were elderly and one was already in poor health. Old Su had just said that even he himself might not be able to bear seeing them, so how could the three of them possibly stand up to it?
Wang Jingyi gently released Grandma Yang's hand, walked up to Yang Guohua, her eyes reddening and her voice choked with emotion: "They are also my sons. I want to see them too. No matter how frightening they look, I want to see them."
Grandpa Yang and Grandma Yang nodded firmly and said in unison, "We are too."
They knew in their hearts when they came that they probably wouldn't be able to leave alive.
When they see their two grandsons, they will have their son and daughter-in-law bury them next to the grandsons, so that the family can have each other's company.
Yang Guohua gritted his teeth and looked at Su Shizhong, "Thank you for your trouble."
In the past few days, my parents have become visibly haggard and have lost all their energy. To put it bluntly, they probably don't have many days left to live.
Seeing that the family was determined to dig up the grave, Su Shizhong said no more, turned around and went down the mountain to the brigade leader's house, where he explained the situation to the truth.
The captain didn't say anything, went inside, took the key to the tools and handed it to Su Shizhong.
Su Shizhong carried two hoes up the mountain, and he and Yang Guohua each dug a grave.
Su Shizhong dug faster than Yang Guohua. When he saw the mat, he stopped and said in a low voice, "When the two children were buried, there was no coffin. They were just wrapped in their mats."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
