Twenty years! A full twenty years! We've searched almost every corner of this area, down to the last clue. Commander Lin was just ahead of us. From that time until now, he's never left, always guarding this place, but he's never formed a cavalry unit again. We veterans all know that what happened to those kids really hurt him.
Yeah, they're still not giving up. So many people, neither alive nor dead, they can't possibly fly or disappear, can they?
But who could have imagined that they really did burrow underground? How did they end up right at their doorstep? For so many years, no one discovered them, leaving them to languish in the cold underground. How unbearable must they have been?”
As he spoke, the old man's eyes reddened again.
"Those kids, that Da Jiangzi, said that once the county town is liberated, they'll bring his parents out, right outside the army base, and have them find him a wife so he can give his parents a grandson."
Erwazi, he just met a girl from his mother's side of the family. We've all met her. She's a very cheerful girl who blushes when she talks. She even told us that being a soldier is an honor, and that she'll send her children to the army after she has them.
Lin Yong was the first among them to get married. His child was four or five years old and a mischievous boy. Every time he came back from visiting his family, he would talk for days about how his child had been naughty. He would either raid the chicken coop and scare away the hens that were laying eggs, or raid bird nests and steal bird eggs, only to be pecked by the birds. Or he would secretly take corn kernels to hit sparrows, or grab a handful of oil and put it on his head, making the elders in the family very angry, but they couldn't bear to punish him.
He was showing off so much back then, he was so proud of himself, all those guys were incredibly envious.
"Dog Egg, he just got married. He came back from visiting relatives and told us the good news: his wife is pregnant, and he'll be a father next time he goes back."
The more the old man spoke, the more choked up he became. The memories from twenty years ago seemed to be right before his eyes, still vivid.
The surroundings were quiet. Some people left, and those who remained listened quietly. Many of them were secretly shedding tears as they listened.
"Old man..."
"Grandpa, don't be sad. Although your uncles are no longer here, they were all honorable. This is their glory, and it must have been their wish as well."
As you said, they like being soldiers. Although it's not about going to the front lines to fight the enemy with real guns, it's about protecting the county town, protecting the grandparents, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters, and other families from being destroyed by bad people. This is also part of protecting the country, and it's how they show their commitment to protecting the country.
At that time, they made a choice: to sacrifice their own families for the greater good. They were soldiers with backbone and would not desert, so they chose to fight the enemy to the death.
I think that even if they were given another chance, knowing full well the odds were against them, knowing they might never go home, never see their parents and loved ones again, never have the chance to be filial and cherish their parents, they would still make the same choice to protect the parents and loved ones of many others.
With a youthful face, he earnestly advised the old man, who listened and nodded repeatedly.
Jian Dan was shocked. Where did this child learn to say such things?
I immediately felt relieved.
As expected of the eldest grandson of the Qin family, some things are like an invisible inheritance, subtly and gradually integrated into their bones and blood.
Accumulate knowledge and experience before unleashing its full potential.
"Yes, yes, that makes sense. I understand. We've served in the army together for so many years, I understand this point. If I were in your shoes, I would make the same choice."
But those children, just thinking about how they're only in their early twenties, still in the prime of their lives, buried underground for so many years, unknown to anyone, makes my heart ache. How much their parents would suffer if they knew!
Many people's eyes welled up with tears again.
I don't know when, but all the people who were in front of me have also come down.
"Old man, are you also from the cavalry battalion?"
Lin Zhengde took a few more steps closer, examining him carefully. His gaze lingered on the man's empty trouser leg, and he immediately choked up.
"Xu Dadan! Master Xu!"
He then picked her up.
"What's wrong? Weren't you going back to your hometown?"
The old man grinned.
"Hey, there's no one left in my hometown, and I didn't want to be too far away from you, so I found a village nearby, thinking that if anything big happens here, I'll know. So here I am, waiting."
Lin Zhengde wiped his face, then pulled the old man to face the crowd.
"Fellow villagers, this is Xu Dahu, a veteran who fought alongside these 353 martyrs many times. He was unable to fight with them due to a leg injury and was later discharged from the army. Like us, he has never forgotten our martyrs. He came here as soon as he received the news today to join us in remembering our comrades."
Many people's eyes reddened again, and old man Xu Dahu was especially moved, tears streaming down his face as he waved his hands.
"Don't say it, don't say it. Finding them means they're home. It's good to be home, it's good to be home. It's a good thing."
We'll never have to live in that dark, underground place again.
"Commander, no, old leader, I... we need a gatekeeper for this martyrs' cemetery. Do you think I'd be suitable? I'm getting old, and I'd like to spend the rest of my time close to them, keeping them company."
......
As we were preparing to leave, several people rushed over, one of them supporting an elderly woman with bound feet and snow-white hair. She appeared somewhat deranged; if it weren't for the people pulling and supporting her, she probably wouldn't have been able to stand, her hands flailing aimlessly.
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