This village is nothing like the one we just passed. The houses are built haphazardly, and you can't even see the main road anymore. There are only two brick houses in the whole village, which is not as good as the first village.
I found my direction and kept going. It was already past 10 a.m., and I didn't know if I could get to the post office by 11 a.m. I didn't know when they started work, and I was worried that the post office might be closed by then, which would be a problem. Thinking of this, I quickened my pace.
As Zhang Hongmei left the village, she wondered, "These three villages are not far from each other, so why is there such a big difference?" The richest village is probably not, or not entirely, due to the current cadres. The previous village cadres or those of the previous generations were all quite capable and visionary.
But I still prefer my own village, Liujiatun. It has mountains and water, so in years of famine, the food is much better than in other plains. Even in normal years, the food supply is better than in other villages.
She could vaguely see a two-story building ahead, which she guessed was the county town. It was almost 11:00 PM; hopefully the post office wouldn't close until midnight. Zhang Hongmei quickened her pace. Looking at the increasing number of houses on both sides of the road, she realized the county town was relatively developed, at least compared to the villages she had passed through. In Zhang Hongmei's eyes, it was incredibly backward.
Finally, we arrived at the post office. Luckily, it wasn't closed. "Comrade, I'd like to make a phone call."
"You've just arrived, and we're about to close. Come back at 2 PM." The staff member replied curtly.
"Comrade, please do me a favor. I am Zhang Hongmei from Liujiatun. I just arrived in the county town. The army called to say that my parents have both sacrificed their lives. I just wanted to call and ask about the situation."
The woman who had been speaking harshly softened her tone, saying, "Okay, it's late. Give me the number, I'll call you."
"Thank you so much." Zhang Hongmei handed over the note and waited for the call to connect.
"Hello, is this the xxx unit? Yes, we are from FS County. Please connect us to the 3rd Battalion Commander. Hello, I am a staff member of the FS County Post Office. A child named Zhang Hongmei is looking for Battalion Commander Zhao." The staff member handed the microphone to Zhang Hongmei, indicating that she should speak.
"Hello, is this the 3rd Battalion Commander? I am Zhang Aiguo and Cui Lin's daughter. I want to know about my parents' sacrifice."
About ten minutes later, Zhang Hongmei handed the microphone to the staff member, her heart heavy. She mustered her spirits and asked, "Thank you, comrade. How much is it in total?"
"Just give me three yuan and fifty cents. Don't be sad, little girl. People can't come back to life. You should be proud of them. They died gloriously. They sacrificed themselves to protect their country. The people of the whole country will never forget them."
"Thank you, kind auntie. This is three yuan and fifty cents. I'm so proud of them. You can go home now, I need to go back." Zhang Hongmei turned and left the post office. She wandered aimlessly through the streets, her mind a jumble of thoughts. Battalion Commander Zhao had told her about the armed conflict at the border. Her parents had been fighting, but the enemy had detonated pre-planted explosives, leaving only five men in the entire company. He also said that because of the long distance, they couldn't bring the bodies back, so they cremated her parents and sent their ashes back to their hometown. Their comrade and friend, Yu Chenglong, had been out with her parents' belongings and ashes for four days, and she should wait patiently. Yu Chenglong would also contact the local armed forces department to arrange compensation for her parents and living expenses for Zhang Hongmei.
Battalion Commander Zhao didn't say much, only that one of the letters was written by him and contained detailed information. Zhang Hongmei always felt that Battalion Commander Zhao's words had a hidden meaning; otherwise, wouldn't someone who died for their country write a letter explaining their situation? She hoped she was just overthinking it, and that this was indeed the case.
Zhang Hongmei was exhausted and hungry, but she really had no appetite, so she turned back. She had originally planned to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some fabric or cotton to cover her tracks, but after hearing the results, she lost all interest. Lost in thought as she walked, she unknowingly left the county town. The surrounding white expanse made Zhang Hongmei even more confused. It wasn't that she was a conspiracy theorist, nor was she suffering from paranoia, but something just felt wrong. Zhang Aiguo had gone to the battlefield, so shouldn't Cui Lin, as a field medic, have accompanied the small unit on patrol and inspections? According to Battalion Commander Zhao, the couple had died a heroic death, but no matter how she thought about it, it didn't make sense.
The journey there took nearly two hours, but the return trip was 20 minutes faster due to the favorable wind. Zhang Hongmei only drank a cup of spring water on the way, and by the time she reached the township government compound, she was starving. Entering the compound, she saw the township head's office was still closed; was the meeting still ongoing? The oxcarts were still there. She was utterly exhausted and longed to lie down, but Liu Maocai hadn't come out yet. With no other option, she sat on one of the village's oxcarts.
I was drenched in sweat from walking all the way here, and now sitting outside, it feels like I'm carrying ice on my back. I couldn't help but shiver. How long is this going to go on?
"Young lady, yes, I'm calling you. It's cold outside, would you like to come in and sit down?" A woman in her forties or fifties waved to Zhang Hongmei.
Hearing someone speak, Zhang Hongmei looked up and saw that she was the only little girl in the courtyard. Realizing the person was definitely calling her and kindly inviting her inside to warm up, she immediately stood up. "Auntie, thank you, I'm so cold." She followed the middle-aged woman into an office where a stove was burning, and a green kettle was bubbling and steaming.
"Sit down quickly, let me pour you a bowl of water. Silly girl, why don't you find a warm room to sit in? You're just sitting here like an idiot. It would be terrible if you caught a cold." The old woman nagged as she poured hot water for Zhang Hongmei.
“
"Auntie, what should I call you?" Zhang Hongmei asked, taking the water and holding it in her hands.
"My surname is Li, and I live in Kanggezhuang. I work for the Women's Federation in the township. You can just call me Aunt Li. Young lady, which village are you from? What brings you to the township?"
“Aunt Li, I’m from Liujiatun. I came here with our village chief today and went to the county post office to make a phone call.”
"Wang Jianguo, really! There's a phone in the village, why send a little girl to the county? Why not just collect the money? What a stubborn fool. By the way, who are you calling?"
“The army called a couple of days ago to say that my parents had both sacrificed their lives. I just wanted to call and ask what happened, but the last time I tried to relay the message, it didn’t get through. Luckily, we have the army’s phone number at home, otherwise I really wouldn’t have been able to do anything.” Zhang Hongmei sat there with her head down, holding a bowl of hot water. Her sadness affected Li Juying. Li Juying pulled up a chair and sat down next to Zhang Hongmei, patting her on the shoulder.
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