When Weiran walked out of Pingquan High-speed Railway Station, it was already past two o'clock in the afternoon of the next day.
Although the homes of Chen Qi and Zhao Shengli were both within the boundaries of Hebei Province, there was a large capital city between them. In order to rush over as quickly as possible, he had no choice but to rush back to the capital to return the car to Chen Guangling, and then live there again.
After one night, I got on the high-speed train heading here.
Standing in the square in front of the high-speed rail station, Wei Ran looked around. At the end of his sight were the rolling mountains. A little closer, he could also see the city's buildings. As for what he saw in front of him, it was no different from other cities. He was holding a playing card.
The unlicensed car drivers who solicit customers are more enthusiastic than the other.
Wei Ran randomly found a driver who looked about the same age as himself. Wei Ran took out his cigarette case and handed the driver a cigarette.
"Hey! Hua Zi! Where are you going, brother?" The young driver took the cigarette and put it in his ear, his attitude becoming more and more enthusiastic.
"Can I go to this address?" Wei Ran handed the other party a piece of paper with the address written on it.
The driver took the note and looked at it, "I can go! This place is not very close, it must be more than 20 kilometers away."
"How about I rent your car and not take anyone with me?" Weiran took out another cigarette and handed it to the other party, then took out the kerosene lighter he got from the desert and helped him light it, "Or I can rent it all day long.
OK."
"Let's go! Brother, let's get in the car first!"
The young driver was afraid that someone else would steal such a big deal, so he enthusiastically helped Wei Ran carry the suitcase full of gifts and walked to the roadside in the distance.
Seeing this, Wei Ran did not refuse and followed him into a van with peace of mind.
The young driver first put the luggage into the car, then took out a bottle of cold mineral water from the foam box and handed it to Wei Ran. Then he tentatively said, "Brother, if you charter a car to go to that address, how about 220?"
?”
"What if I rent your car for the whole day?" Wei Ran asked with great interest.
"400!" The young driver gritted his teeth and said, "As long as we don't leave Pingquan, 400 a day is fine, but the gas money..."
"800, you have to figure out how to pay for gas." Wei Ran got into the car as he spoke, "If there's no problem, just drive!"
"No problem! No problem!"
The young driver immediately opened the cab door and said happily, "For this price, even if you want to go to the capital to see the flag raising, I will take you there!"
"No, just don't abandon me halfway." Wei Ran reminded with a grin.
"That's not possible! That's still a human being!"
The young driver had already started the engine while talking, and then handed Weiran a business card, "If you need a car in Pingquan in the future, call me. I'm taking advantage of you this time. Next time you use the car, just 500 a day."
.”
"Liu Yanghe?" Wei Ran looked at the name on the business card and couldn't help but asked with a smile, "This name is interesting."
The young driver said helplessly, "My father and mother are very obsessed with Li Guyi, so they gave me such a name."
"That's a pretty good name." Wei Ran didn't joke about the other person's name, but instead talked about this city that he had never been to.
It can be seen that this black driver, who is about the same age as himself, is extremely familiar with his hometown. Along the way, from the birthplace of Khitan to their local special mutton soup, and even various local legends, he kept talking all the way.
With such a chatty driver, time flew by quickly. The scenery outside the car window also changed from the city to the mountains.
Finally, when the van crossed an old-looking bridge and then passed through a tunnel that was only a few dozen meters long, a small village surrounded by mountains appeared directly in front of it.
"Brother, this is the village, where to go next?" the driver Liu Yanghe asked, slightly reducing the speed of the car.
"Let's go to the village first"
Wei Ran thought for a while and continued, "When we enter the village later, please help us ask where an old man named Zhao Shengli is."
"Okay!" The driver agreed happily and increased the speed again.
As he got closer, Wei Ran gradually noticed that there were many fruit trees planted around the village, and at the end of the village, he could also see the signboard of a fruit canning factory.
When the car drove into the village, the driver Liu Yanghe stepped on the brakes, took a cigarette and met an old man who was playing chess at the door. After asking, he immediately got into the car and started to turn around. At the same time, he did not forget to explain, "
We've been there, the old man you're looking for is their old local branch secretary, his home is opposite the cannery at the entrance of the village, and next to the village committee compound."
Hearing this, Wei Ran didn't say anything. He happily took out his mobile phone and scanned the QR code to pay the agreed fare first. "You have to wait for me later, maybe I have to go back at night."
"Okay, it won't be a problem just waiting until night."
Liu Yanghe shook his phone and said, "I may find a place to have a meal in this village later. I won't drive away, so just call me when you find me."
The two made an agreement, and the car stopped at the entrance of a farmyard opposite the cannery.
This farmyard is much larger than Chen Qi's yard, and the door is clean and tidy. You can even see a leafy hawthorn tree through the large open iron gate.
There is another courtyard immediately behind this courtyard, and the village committee's signboard is hung on both sides of the open door.
Taking a long breath, Wei Ran opened the car door, pulled the suitcase full of gifts and walked to the entrance of the courtyard. However, before he knocked on the big red iron door, he heard a loud and powerful voice inside.
He criticized, "You worthless guy, why are your ideological consciousness so low! What age are you in? Why do you still beat your wife? Then women can hold up half the sky! Tell me about you! What else can you do besides talking back?
?”
"I..."
Wei Ran couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. He didn't even need to look. Just from that voice and those words, he knew that the Zhao Shengli he was looking for must be in this courtyard!
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Not in a hurry to go in or knock on the door, Wei Ran simply took a few steps back, sat on the suitcase and listened to the excitement with interest.
From the angry scolding, Wei Ran also got a general idea. The general idea was that a man beat his wife because of drinking. The wife was wronged and went to the old party secretary. The old party secretary then took the beating.
He was called over to criticize and try to persuade him to make peace. But in the end, the old branch secretary asked the domestic violence man to write a confession and a letter of guarantee as a punishment, which made him want to laugh.
After a while, a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties walked out of the yard with a frustrated look. Behind him, there was a middle-aged woman with a slap mark on her face, but
Looking at her happy face and her revengeful expression, one could tell that someone had clearly made the decision for her just now.
Behind the couple, a short, skinny old man, dragging a cane, limped after him and shouted angrily, "Liu Laosan, write your review before dark."
It’s over, 500 words, not even a single gesture! Let your wife sign it before sending it over.”
"What? 500 words? Do you still need to sign?" The expression on the middle-aged man's face became more and more aggrieved.
"It's okay if you don't want to write."
The limping old man laughed and said, "Let your wife write it! After you finish writing it, while waiting for dinner, you go to the village committee and use the loudspeaker to recite it to everyone!"
"I'd better write it myself"
The middle-aged man glanced at his wife, and with a grimace, he got on the electric tricycle on the side of the road. He waited for his wife to get on and sit down, and then he drove into the village without a trace.
"Why haven't I seen this young man like you?" The old man on crutches looked at Wei Ran, who had a dull expression next to him, "Whose girl are you talking about as friends?"
"You...are you...Zhao Shengli...the old man?"
Wei Ran couldn't help but look at the other person's left leg, which was obviously missing the sole of his foot. He endured the panic in his heart and stammered, "Where's your... Where's your foot? Where's your foot?"
"Young! Do you still know me?"
Zhao Shengli shook his left leg and said with a careless smile, "My feet are gone a long time ago, hey?! You have such teeth, why are you crying? Did I scare you?"
"No! No!" Wei Ran wiped the corners of his eyes carelessly, "Mr. Zhao, I...can I go to your house for a drink?"
"Well, it's a good time to catch up. I've just made some tea! Come in quickly!"
Zhao Shengli greeted him enthusiastically, and did not continue to ask about Wei Ran's origins. Instead, he was concerned about other questions, "My child, have you encountered any difficulties? Have you eaten? Where do you live? Talk to grandpa.
, let me see how I can help you."
“I didn’t encounter any difficulties”
As Wei Ran said this, he felt more and more uncomfortable in his heart. He never expected that the scout who once ran over mountains and ridges so hard that he couldn't catch up even if he vomited blood would now...
"Then he must be tired."
Zhao Shengli greeted Wei Ran into the yard and then into the house, took out a clean white porcelain cup, poured a bowl of warm hawthorn leaf tea and said enthusiastically, "Drink some water and rest! Come to my place.
Just like when you go to your own home, if you are hungry, just tell grandpa that when my old lady comes back, I will cook you something to eat."
Wei Ran opened his mouth, held back what he said and looked around. The room was very simple, but also very clean. The only decoration was a map of China that occupied half of the wall.
A slightly smaller portrait of the chairman, and there are still several photo frames hanging on the remaining walls.
In those photo frames, apart from the photos of him, Chen Qi, Squad Leader Lin and others, the most eye-catching thing was a colorful photo of more than a dozen people.
In this group photo, the elderly Zhao Shengli and a rich old lady are sitting on chairs side by side. There are several middle-aged people and a few young people standing around. Zhao Shengli and the old lady are holding each other in their arms.
There were two small babies. On both sides of them, there were several half-grown children.
"Old man, I..." Wei Ran paused, "Do you remember Chen Qi? Hygienist Chen Qi."
"Clang!"
The enamel tea jar in Zhao Shengli's hand fell to the ground, and the warm tea and a few brown hawthorn leaves splashed out, pouring on Wei Ran's shoes and getting Zhao Shengli's empty trousers wet.
"Are you Chen Qi's grandson?" Zhao Shengli asked in surprise.
"No" Wei Ran bent down and picked up the enamel pole, "I have no blood relationship with him, I..."
"Is he okay?" Zhao Shengli asked. Seeing Wei Ran fell silent, he couldn't help but ask, "He..."
"Mr. Chen is still alive."
Wei Ran came back to his senses, fearing that the other party would misunderstand, so he quickly explained, "He has a son named Chen Kaixuan. The old man said that you gave him the name."
"Chen Kaixuan! Chen Kaixuan! Haha! I know! I know Chen Kaixuan!"
Zhao Shengli clapped his legs and laughed, "That is indeed the name I gave him! Can Chen Qi still move now?"
"Yes." Wei Ran paused, "He just... doesn't live a happy life."
"Not very happy?" Zhao Shengli thought for a while, "Is his son unfilial?"
"Filial, very filial, and his family's living conditions look good."
"well..."
Zhao Shengli sighed suddenly, and after a moment of silence he said, "Yes...he must be unhappy in his life. My child, how did you find yourself here?"
"I..."
Wei Ran was silent for a moment, "Old man, I am studying history. I accidentally found Mr. Chen and you through some information some time ago, and saw your experiences on the battlefield. I just wanted to go see him and then see you.
There is no other purpose, I just want to see if you are doing well."
"Okay, you're having a good time!"
Zhao Shengli patted the leg that was missing the sole of his foot and said with a satisfied look on his face, "How wonderful life is now. We have enough food and clothing, and we don't have to fight. The village also built a road. Last fall, even the poor county's hat
They’ve all been picked! There are a lot of fruit trees planted in our village, and a cannery was built a few years ago!”
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Old man..."
Wei Ran tried to ask something, but found that he had been preparing all the way, and had prepared a lot of words, but none of them came out.
He thought that Zhao Shengli would still be the same vigorous scout even when he was old, but he didn't expect that one of his legs was missing the sole of his foot. He thought that Zhao Shengli would be as depressed as Chen Qi, but he didn't expect that Zhao Shengli would still be so sunny, cheerful and positive.
up.
The only thing he expected was probably the sentence "Why is your consciousness so low?".
But...he didn't know why, but he couldn't laugh at all, and he couldn't feel happy. Instead, he felt more and more uncomfortable.
After a long silence, Wei Ran finally opened the suitcase in a panic and took out the various gifts he had prepared.
"You kid, what are you doing?" Zhao Shengli stopped Wei Ran in confusion.
"Mr. Chen Qi asked me to bring it to you," Wei Ran lied.
Zhao Shengli hesitated for a moment, and finally slowly let go of his hand.
"Old man, can you tell me the story of you and Chen Qi?" Wei Ran asked tentatively.
"The story of Chen Qi and me?"
Zhao Shengli sat down again, and after a moment of silence he said with a hearty smile, "We don't have any stories to tell. We just fought for a few years and came back after the war. I almost forgot about the things on the battlefield.
It’s clean.”
"Mr. Chen...has been waiting for them to come back."
"I can't come back." Zhao Shengli subconsciously looked at the group photo hanging on the wall, "They are all left there, my feet are also left there, and Chen Qi's soul is probably also left there."
"You...why didn't you go see Chen Qi?" Wei Ran asked with a hard heart, "He's been waiting every day."
"What's there to see?" Zhao Shengli sighed heavily, "I'm just afraid of this. I'm just afraid that he'll look at my legs and get distracted, so I don't want to see him."
"He just can't think about it..."
Wei Ran put down his tea cup, handed him a cigarette, and helped light it while saying, "When I went to see him, he was sitting at the entrance of the alley. I heard that he sat there every day, and he kept waiting.
It’s here.”
"Don't blame him" In the swirling smoke, Zhao Shengli looked at the ceiling of Zhihu Lake, but he just muttered "Don't blame him" over and over again.
"Old man"
Wei Ran sat up straight and waited for the other party to look over before he said, "Mr. Chen asked me to bring you a message."
"Bring a message? What message?" Zhao Shengli asked curiously.
Wei Ran looked at the direction of the door and waited until a well-built old lady with silver hair walked into the main room. Then he deliberately raised his voice and asked seriously, "He asked me to ask you, what else?"
Do you want to use him to introduce you to your wife?"
"What the hell?! Old man! Who wants to introduce you to your wife?!"
Before he finished speaking, the old lady who had just entered the house opened the door and walked in. She also grabbed the cigarette from Zhao Shengli's mouth and said, "Smoking secretly again! Why do you act like a chicken and forget to eat?"
Where's the record?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Sun Xiufang! Give me the cigarette! Someone is here!" Zhao Shengli looked at the old lady who was at least a head taller than him with some embarrassment.
Hearing this, the old lady noticed Wei Ran who had already hid several steps back. She immediately threw away the cigarette butt in her hand, stamped it out and praised with a smile, "This young man! He looks really straight! Come on!"
Sit down quickly! Old man, whose family does this child belong to?"
"Chen Qi, Chen Qi, do you remember?" Zhao Shengli stretched out his sweatshirt with a fertilizer advertisement printed on it and asked as if nothing was wrong.
"Chen Qi?" The old lady reacted for a while, obviously not matching the name with the person.
"The health worker Chen Qi who worked with me and your fourth uncle in the past, when I first went to your house in 1952, he also came with me. In 1954, we got married, and he even solemnized the marriage for us! What the hell are you doing?
What memory?"
"Oh! Oh my God!"
The old lady with a strong Northeastern accent slapped her thigh hard and asked excitedly, "My child, are you Chen Qi's eldest grandson?"
"no"
Zhao Shengli quickly pulled the old lady to sit down, "I am just a student. I found Chen Qi through some information. I was kind enough to go see Chen Qi, and you came here specifically to see me. Don't scare the child with your blathering.
.”
"Grandma, your fourth uncle...is he Sun Yannian?"
Wei Ran asked tentatively. He still remembered that squad leader Sun said he wanted to introduce his niece to Zhao Shengli. Looking at the old couple, it was obvious that the marriage was done.
"Do you still know about my fourth uncle?" the old lady asked in surprise. Even Zhao Shengli looked at Wei Ran in surprise.
"I know" Wei Ran nodded, but still didn't know what to say.
Hearing this, the old lady rummaged through the cabinets and found a bunch of dried hawthorns, and a bunch of walnuts, which she placed on the edge of the kang. She also took out a can of Coke from the refrigerator in the main room and handed it to Wei Ran, while enthusiastically
He greeted Wei Ran to eat whatever he wanted, and asked Zhao Shengli next to him, "Old man, tell me who was going to introduce you to a wife just now?"
"It's Mr. Chen Qichen"
Wei Ran explained helpfully, "He asked me to ask Mr. Zhao if he still needs to introduce his wife."
"Why is this person so bad!"
The old lady clapped her legs and laughed, obviously remembering some interesting past events, but then she asked, "How is he doing now? Is he still a doctor?"
"I guess I'm no longer a doctor, but I have two children, and the children are quite filial." Wei Ran relaxed and explained, "It's just... I'm just not happy."
"He must still be thinking about that broken hilltop," Zhao Shengli said firmly, "That's not his fault at all."
"Old man," Wei Ran asked tentatively, "That mountain top...what happened?"
"It's a war, what else could happen?"
Zhao Shengli poured himself a cup of tea and said, "Old lady, go get something to eat. This kid must have come all the way here and hasn't eaten yet."
"I'm going to prepare now!" Before Mrs. Sun could finish her words, she left the room in a hurry.
It wasn't until he watched the old lady walk into the side room and start busy cooking that Zhao Shengli explained, "The battle lasted for more than a week, and there were more than a hundred people in the company, so he carried me off the top of the mountain alone.
Came down.
At that time, he was carrying me on his back and holding my feet in his hands, and he ran for a whole day and a night before he took me to the hospital. But when he came back, the top of the mountain had been shaved off by American bombs.
Already.
After that, he fell into a mental illness, as if he had lost his soul. He always felt that he had become a deserter and that he was not qualified as a health worker and could not save everyone, but how could he be blamed for this?
Him?"
Zhao Shengli sighed when he said this, "The war was finally over, and I thought that I could go home, and that my wife and children could live a peaceful life while they were on the bed, so he probably looked away.
Tell me, what is the purpose of this war? Isn’t it just a plan to wipe out Ansheng’s life? If the living people can’t think about it, how uncomfortable will it be for those who didn’t survive?”
Wei Ran also sighed, "It would be great if Mr. Chen could think like you do..."
"I couldn't think about it at first."
Zhao Shengli said sadly, "Then one day, I dreamed of our squad leader, and he told me to live well and watch the future for them to see if they still need to fight.
After that, I looked away, even if it was for those who could not come back, I had to live well and live happily."
Having said this, Zhao Shengli said with some pride, "Don't think I'm missing a foot, but actually it doesn't delay anything. When I was young, I worked as an electrician, and even served as a militia company commander for a while.
What about time! This life is worth it!"
"Old man, is that your child in this photo?" Wei Ran stood up and asked, pointing to the colorful photo on the wall.
"No, they are all my children!"
Zhao Shengli allowed Wei Ran to help him up, pointed at the photos and introduced each one one by one, "This is the boss, Zhao Kaixuan, who now opens a restaurant in Chengde. He has the same name as Chen Qi's son.
This is my second daughter, Lin Li, she married to Fengtian, and she also had a grandson two years ago."
"Her surname is Lin?" Wei Ran was stunned.
"President Lin's daughter"
Zhao Shengli explained briefly, "Before Squad Leader Lin died, his wife was seriously ill. Later, I took this girl home."
"What about this?" Wei Ran asked, pointing to the third middle-aged man in the photo and the only middle-aged man wearing military uniform.
"This is my youngest son Heping. He was only born in 1967."
Zhao Shengli explained with a smile, "He has stayed in the army. Where is the army that fights missiles? We must have had that thing back then, which could knock American devils to the ground and fight them!"
Having said this, Zhao Shengli pointed to a young man wearing navy camouflage in the group photo, and introduced him with pride, "This is Heping's son, my youngest grandson Guowei, who also joined the military a few years ago.
As for the Navy! During Navy Day last year, their army even invited me to visit their ship!
At that time, he told me that he had also gone to Somalia to fight some pirates! I thought, wasn't that just bandit suppression? I've done this job before! That little brat even laughed at me after hearing this!"
"It's about suppressing bandits." Wei Ran wiped the corners of his eyes and continued to ask, "Where are these little guys?"
"Those are all my great-grandchildren!" Zhao Shengli took out his reading glasses from his pocket and put them on, and introduced the children and grandchildren in the photo to Wei Ran one by one, without treating him as an outsider at all.
As an observer, a smile gradually appeared on Wei Ran's face. He could see that Zhao Shengli, who was no longer young, was obviously more obsessed with having children and grandchildren than recalling the war more than half a century ago.
...the country is peaceful and the people are safe.
