Hearing Wu's words, Li Ping felt a slight surge of excitement. She hadn't expected her father to have remembered the poem she had written.
After all, her father never liked his children reading poetry or prose. He only let them read textbooks. Poetry and songs couldn't protect the country, nor could they put food on the table; reading them was useless.
After the initial excitement subsided, she remembered Su Yu's advice: before she had the strength to back her up, she couldn't truly love them. Otherwise, there were many things she wouldn't be able to do.
She said to Wu, "Why did you go back so early? I was planning to show you around the school."
"I'm busy in the military region, and the commander doesn't have time. But I've seen the school myself, and it's really beautiful. It's great to be a college student."
Li Ping said, "You can try to go to university in the future. Some colleagues from our school have gone to study there."
"How could I possibly do that?" Wu scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm not very bright; I get dizzy as soon as I look at a book."
"Then you should try to get into a military academy in the future." Once Li Ping brought up studying, the conversation flowed more easily. "I can help you summarize some study methods later. It will make things easier."
Wu scratched his head, feeling extremely grateful. He had always been considered slow-witted, and no one had any expectations of him. Even Commander Li's daughter, a college student, didn't look down on him and was willing to help him.
As the two were chatting, Li Guoliang returned to his office with his men. Seeing his daughter at the door, he recalled seeing her recite poetry the day before. He felt slightly uneasy.
Li Ping called out, "Dad."
Wu said warmly, "Commander, Comrade Li Ping arrived a long time ago."
Other leaders from the military region also saw Li Ping. Some of them who hadn't met Li Ping before smiled and said, "Commander Li, this must be your eldest daughter, the one who writes articles that are published in the newspaper."
Before Li Guoliang could answer, Wu boasted, "Comrade Li Ping even wrote her own poem about loving the motherland, and it's exceptionally well-written. She even performed it on stage yesterday. Comrade Li Ping is also a student council member."
"Wow, this is what a real college graduate looks like."
Everyone praised him politely.
Although Li Guoliang didn't show it on his face, he was secretly pleased. He pretended to be nonchalant and said, "It's alright. Aren't all college students like this? Go back and get busy."
Everyone knew it was a conversation between father and daughter, so they dispersed. Wu Qin quickly opened the office door and went to make tea for his superior. While making the tea, he asked, "Sir, where are you eating today, at the military region or back home?"
"Let's go back and eat."
"Oh, then I'll go to the kitchen. I don't need to save you any food today." With that, she quickly ran out.
Only Li Guoliang and his daughter remained in the office.
Li Ping sat upright in the chair. "Dad, I saw you yesterday. Why did you walk so fast? I even tried to catch up with you, wanting to show you around our school."
"The military region is busy." Li Guoliang was a man of few words. He could chat fluently with other comrades, but he was not so good at coaxing girls, especially this girl he hadn't spent much time with.
However, he didn't forget to praise her, "Yesterday's poem was well written. The emotions were very profound."
Li Ping smiled and said, "Because my parents were both revolutionary soldiers, I was able to write so profoundly. My only regret is that I couldn't experience so much with my parents and couldn't contribute to the revolution."
Because of her recent experiences, Li Ping is no longer as insecure as before; in fact, she has begun to feel confident. Therefore, she didn't feel flustered when Li Guoliang praised her. In fact, because she had set aside her feelings for her father and treated him as a stranger she wanted to please, she was able to quickly come up with words to flatter him. Just like Sister Su Yu, when someone praises her, she can even go along with it and praise that person in return.
Upon hearing Li Ping's words, Li Guoliang felt a sudden warmth in his heart. He then recalled that his daughter had been left with her father-in-law, while his other children had stayed in the revolutionary base area.
"Pingping, have you ever resented me and your mother?" Li Guoliang thought for a moment before finally asking this question.
Li Ping shook her head. "No, I've always known that my parents are amazing. When the White devils came to the village to arrest the families of Red Army soldiers, my grandparents hid me in the stove. I would rather die than let you down. No one in the village reported us. The adults all said you were great soldiers."
"Did the White devils go to the village?"
Li Guoliang asked in surprise. He hadn't heard anything about his hometown at all during those years.
“After the Japanese devils left, they came back often. Sometimes my grandma and grandpa would either hide me in the stove or hang me in the well. That way, no one could find me.”
Hearing these words, Li Guoliang felt a pang of sorrow. Over the years, he had experienced many separations and deaths, and witnessed countless tragic deaths of ordinary people. But the thought of his own daughter being hung in a well and stuffed into a stove at a young age to escape the enemy with bayonets still made him feel unbearably sad.
He stood up. "Let's go back."
"Dad, you're not working anymore?" Li Ping asked in surprise. "Am I bothering you? I just wanted to come and see you."
Li Guoliang said, "Let's quit our jobs and go shopping. I'll buy you some things and then we'll go to a restaurant and get some dishes to eat at home."
Li Ping said, "Dad, this isn't a good idea. What if Mom finds out? It'll be a waste. She scolded me for buying a dictionary last time."
"Ignore her," Li Guoliang said seriously.
When Wu returned, the father and daughter were just about to leave. Upon seeing Wu, Li Guoliang gave him two yuan and military ration coupons and meat coupons, telling him to go to the state-run restaurant and buy two meat dishes to take back.
Wu took the money and asked, "Commander, where are you and Comrade Li Ping going?"
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