Before 1923, Imaddin and his family lived in Ramadi. Imaddin's home was on the shore of Lake Habaniya. There were seven people in the family. In addition to two brothers and one sister, Imaddin also had a younger sister.
Imad al-Din's family is very common in Persia. Although polygamy is allowed in Persia, in fact, for ordinary people, this tradition does not make much sense. Ordinary Persians cannot afford to marry too many wives, and monogamy is relatively common.
Imaddin's father and two brothers were both killed in the Syrian-Iraqi War. Some people say that Imaddin's father did not die, but followed Karim to Iran. However, this does not mean much to Imaddin. Since his father and brothers joined the army
After that, Imaddin never saw them again.
When the Lanfang army advanced deeper into Iraq, Imaddin's mother decided to escape with the others rather than avoid the legendary cruel Lanfang people.
The road to escape was difficult. Imaddin's mother died of illness on the way to escape, and his sister was separated later. Imaddin's only remaining relatives were his six-year-old sister.
Imaddin was only twelve years old, and the two children began their arduous journey as refugees.
When the wave of returning home began, Imaddin and his sister were relatively lucky in Najd. If Imaddin and his sister were in Iran, they would never have the chance to return to their hometown.
Population is a resource these days. Whether it is Najd or Iran, the demand for more people is better. In order to prevent the Persians who originally belonged to Lanfang Western Province from returning to their hometown, the Iranians even built concentration camps in Iran.
The Najd people were not so cruel. Because of their relationship with Lanfang, the Najd people allowed these Persians to return to their hometown, so Imaddin and his sister stayed on the border during this period.
It is said to be a border line, but it is actually a small town. There is no obvious boundary line in the town, and there are no high walls or barbed wire. People in Lanfang can take a shuttle bus to Gaochang every day. Imaddin’s dream is to board that bus with his sister.
Shuttle bus.
It's not possible without a car. The town where Imaddin stayed is more than 300 kilometers away from Gaochang. Even the nearest inhabited place is close to 200 kilometers away. In order to survive, Imaddin has sold his camels without the help of camels.
, Imaddin and his sister could not even leave the town.
It was from this small town that Imaddin's impression of the Lanfang people changed. Imaddin clearly remembered that before the Lanfang people came to the town, the town was surrounded by a refugee camp composed of shacks.
The sanitary conditions are poor, living supplies are insufficient, diseases are rampant, and violence occurs frequently. It was here that Imaddin’s mother died of illness. Then one morning, Imaddin’s sister went out to find food, but never came back. If it hadn’t been for the arrival of Lanfang people,
, Imaddin and his sister might have died silently and then been burned as rubbish.
Finally one day, the legendary blue-faced and fanged Lanfang people came to this small town in a strange-looking car, and then everything slowly changed. The first thing to change was the refugee camp. Under the command of the Lanfang soldiers, one by one
The messy shacks were demolished, and then beautiful tents were erected one after another. These tents all belong to Lanfang people. Although the refugee doors cannot be dismantled, you can live in them. This is really different from the shacks.
.
Accompanying the Lanfang people came a variety of food and basic medical care. Although they still didn't have enough to eat, no one had starved to death. If any refugees fell ill, they would receive timely assistance. Although
Many times the only means of rescue is the prayers of Lanfang's military chaplain, but for many patients, whether it is the Lord or God, as long as God still cares about the people on this land, then people have hope of living.
Imaddin once imagined in the dead of night that if the people from Lanfang had come earlier, maybe Imaddin's mother would not have died of illness.
When deciding to return to Ramadi, Imaddin consulted his sister's opinion.
Imaddin's sister has no objection to where she goes. For Imaddin's sister, the place where Imaddin is is home.
The only thing I have some doubts about is Lan Fang's faith.
The word Imaddin in Persian means the pillar of religion. From this name, we can see the expectations of Imaddin's parents for Imaddin. Imaddin's sister is worried that this name will cause trouble for Imaddin.
Imaddin was quite open-minded about this. After knowing his sister’s worries, Imaddin explained like this: Our parents have served the Lord all their lives, but the Lord has not allowed them to live a good life. Our mother has died of illness now, and no one knows about our father.
Wherever you are, if returning to Ramadi can help you grow up in peace, then I will have no problem serving God.
Okay, that’s no problem. In mid-September, Imaddin and his sister ended their wandering for nearly half a year and returned to the Western Province.
To be honest, Imaddin really wanted to go back to Ramadi. Now the place is no longer called Ramadi, but Lakeside Town. Even if he can't live there, he can still take a look at his former home. However, Lanfang soldiers are not satisfied with Yimaddin.
According to Maddin's wish, Imaddin and his sister went to Baling, which was the former Beirut.
After arriving in Baling, the Baling government placed Imaddin and his sister in a temporary town.
This is a small town in the desert. There are no lakes, no oasis, and no farmland. There is only one intermittent well that can provide some domestic water.
How will we live in the future? Maddin is a bit desperate.
Don't worry, since the Lanfang government has brought you back, it will definitely not let you starve to death. The person who answered Imaddin was the mayor who had just taken office. The mayor was a Lanfang retired soldier named Cheng. Although Cheng did not have a
However, no one dared to look down upon Cheng. Imaddin heard the soldiers who sent him and his sister call Cheng the old squad leader and respected Cheng very much.
Of course, perhaps what frightened Imaddin even more was the pistol on Cheng's waist. Imaddin had seen Lanfang soldiers use this weapon. In the refugee camp in Najd, Lanfang soldiers used this pistol to kill nearly a hundred people.
The bad guys in the refugee camp.
Cheng spoke in Chinese. Because he had experience in dealing with the Lanfang people in the refugee camp, Imaddin could only understand part of it. When Cheng spoke, there was a person beside Cheng who translated word for word, which was not the case.
There will be no miscommunication.
This is our future home. Our task is to plant trees. We don’t have to worry about water and saplings. In a few days, a drilling team will come to help us dig wells, and then someone will send saplings. We don’t have to worry about food and supplies.
In the next six months, these will be the responsibility of the Lanfang government. Our only task is to plant trees. Plant as many trees as possible. During the period before the saplings have been shipped, you have to start learning Chinese. The translation will only be done after
Stay here for three months. After three months, if there are still people who cannot speak Chinese, they will be deported. So be careful, you are not really accepted by the Lanfang government yet. If you want to become a real Lanfang
People, in addition to being able to speak Chinese, each of you must plant a hundred trees within a year. Pay attention to this number, it is a number that is necessary to survive. Cheng was talking non-stop in the small square in the center of the town, but Imaddin was a little absent-minded.
There was only one sentence echoing in Imaddin's mind: You have not been truly accepted by Lanfang.
This made Imaddin feel very scared. Imaddin did not want to live a homeless life anymore, and he could not lose his sister, his only relative.
So, how can we make Lanfang truly accept us? Imaddin unconsciously asked the most critical question.
Imaddin's question caught Cheng's attention, not because of the question itself, but because of Imaddin's pronunciation of Lanfang, which was very standard.
This is a good question. If you can speak other Chinese characters as standardly as you just said Lanfang, then you are qualified to join Lanfang. It is not easy to become a glorious Lanfang person, boy.
, you still need to work hard. Cheng Rao is a bit pleasant.
I will definitely work hard. Imaddin is determined.
Okay, today is Sunday, now is the time for worship. You can choose to go to church or to the mosque. There is only one principle, and that is no force. I don’t care what your previous canons were, but in our Lanfang, no one
It is not allowed to force others to believe in religion. This is a serious crime that will result in beheading. You must keep this in mind. After Cheng finished speaking, he seemed to remember something. He pointed to the church next to the small square and said: If you go to the church to pray, you will have unexpected surprises.
Today, Father Henry has prepared some apples. If you go to church, each person can receive one.
After Cheng finished speaking, he turned around and entered the church.
At the door of the church, the only priest in the town was looking at the residents of the town with expectant eyes. There was a table next to the priest, and everything on it was filled with red apples.
Cheng said non-intervention, but in fact, the people in the town have no choice, because in this town, there is only one church and no mosque. If the people in the town want to go to the mosque to participate in religious ceremonies, then they have to
Just build one yourself.
This is probably unrealistic. The Persian Church these days has little financial resources and no wealthy donors to provide donations. It cannot compare with the Catholic Church, which has a large family and a large business.
Seeing Cheng taking away the biggest and reddest apple, everyone was a little moved, but long-term habits kept them silent.
Thinking of what Cheng said just now, Imaddin was finally the first to stand up: I will serve God from today on.
Just when Imaddin stood up, Imaddin's sister followed him without any hesitation.
God bless you, child, you deserve it. The priest picked up a big, red apple and gave it to Imaddin, and then handed one to Imaddin's sister.
I also serve God. Immediately, people came forward.
In the face of survival, faith is really not important.