The Old Man

Brother Tian lay there. Aside from a few scabbing scratches on his face, he was clean. The tears in the combat uniform he wore had also been neatly mended with needle and thread. The stitches were fine and close. Whoever had mended it possessed skilled hands—likely his wife or his mother. "I figured we should send him off in this uniform. It'll make his heart rest easy. Comrades, since you all call him Brother Tian, I won't bother calling you officers... Comrades, my son—he really wasn't a deserter." Standing nearby, Old Man Tian, who had once been a soldier himself, spoke with earnest emotion, his voice turning raspy. "Yes, we know... We all know." With reddened eyes, Han Qingyu let out a long breath, nodded, and folded the slip of paper before tucking it away. Faint footsteps sounded behind them. Brother Tian's mother and wife appeared outside the door, pausing on either side of the doorframe and looking somewhat uncomfortably at Han Qingyu and the others inside. Both women had swollen, red eyes and pale faces. Before anyone could exchange greetings— *Pitter-patter...* The little girl, who had just finished penning the sheep, had forgotten even to put down her bamboo herding staff. She ran over holding it high, stopped at the doorway, looked up, and turned her little head, carefully examining her silent relatives and the older brothers she had only just met... A touch of confusion lingered in her eyes. Her mother took her by the hand, drawing her to her side. There were many things none of them had the heart to say in front of a child. Han Qingyu and Wen Jifei each managed a muffled "Sister-in-law" before catching in their throats... They exchanged glances. Nearby, Wu Xu walked over, took a radio from his pack, switched it on, and crouched before Little Zhifan, speaking as gently as he could. "Have you ever heard one of these?" Little Zhifan glanced at the radio in his hand and shook her head. "It sounds very nice. I'll take you outside to listen." With that, Wu Xu stood up and extended an open hand. A light sparkled in the girl's eyes, brimming with anticipation, but she was a sensible child. After a brief hesitation, she turned around to look at the adults first, asking for permission with her eyes. "Go on, child," her grandfather, grandmother, and mother all urged gently. "Okay." Little Zhifan's eyes brightened, and she obediently placed her small palm into Wu Xu's hand. Side by side, one tall and one small, their silhouettes walked out of the house, strolled along the grassy slope beside it, found a boulder, and sat down on either side. Finding the Binggu Spear in the way, Wu Xu casually planted it into the grass beside him. Little Zhifan found this amusing. Mimicking him, she scrambled up and stuck her own bamboo staff upright into the turf. The breeze fluttered the strips of cloth tied to the staff. Little Zhifan sat back down, tilted her head, and leaned forward, gazing at Wu Xu's hands with curiosity and eager expectation. Holding the radio in one hand, Wu Xu tuned the frequency dial with the other. A hiss of static rose and fell, then abruptly cut out, replaced by a child's voice singing: "Twinkle, twinkle, shining bright, The sky is full of stars tonight, Hanging high and gleaming light, Like tiny eyes that watch the night..." As if she found the contraption truly miraculous, Little Zhifan's shining eyes showed both wonder and admiration as she listened with rapt attention. Wu Xu watched her for a moment, thought it over, and began demonstrating while speaking: "Here... you turn it on like this, turn it off like this... turn this dial... open this latch to put in the batteries." Han Qingyu, Wen Jifei, and the Tian family pulled their gazes back from the grassy slope. "Brother Tian... when are you planning to take him up the mountain?" Han Qingyu asked, using the traditional phrased expression of his hometown for burial. "Tomorrow. The weather is hot right now..." Old Man Tian paused, then added, "Conveniently, I'm getting on in years myself, so I'd already had a coffin made and ready... It's fine, don't worry about us. We farming folk are tough... We knew he went off to the battlefield. To have him return to his ancestral home to be laid to rest is already a blessing." At those words, Han Qingyu choked up, unable to speak. Taking a moment to compose himself, he finally nodded. "Then the few of us will stay the night, to see Brother Tian off on behalf of the army and ourselves. Would that be all right with you?" "Of course, of course," all three members of the Tian family replied in unison. *** At dinner, Wu Xu, having finished teaching Little Zhifan, gave her both the radio and the spare batteries. Yang Qingbai had also arrived. Having some cash on him, he pressed the money into the family's hands and asked how things were going for them at home. The Tian family pushed it back, refusing to accept. Old Man Tian said, "You really don't need to do this. You boys are still young; you and your own families need the money even more. Tian Jiao earned pay as a soldier, and all these years, he sent it back home." "Yes, the household isn't lacking for anything. Out here in our village, everyone lives like this, and there isn't much to spend money on anyway. He even had jewelry made for me every year, though I never had the time to wear it..." Brother Tian's wife had spoken up to help refuse the money as well, but as she spoke, tears began to fall once more, choking off her words. "It's our small token of respect. You must take it no matter what, Uncle Tian, Sister-in-law." Yang Qingbai switched to more familiar address and firmly pressed the money into their hands. "Yes, it's only right. If you don't take it, we'll feel even worse," Wen Jifei chimed in. "The military will also be issuing a pension later on. Please don't scrimp and live too hard, you..." At that point, Wen Jifei stopped abruptly, hesitated, and glanced at Han Qingyu. Under normal circumstances, the Tian family should probably have been relocated together to an Azure living base. But he didn't know what Brother Tian himself or his family thought about that. People of Huaxia were deeply attached to their ancestral soil; the Tian family was unlikely to want to leave. Han Qingyu shook his head and murmured, "Brother Tian didn't want that." He remembered his conversation with Tian Jiao outside the tent that morning. Back then, Brother Tian had mentioned offhandedly that he was adamantly opposed to bringing his family into Azure... He had said that because he had a daughter, he himself was willing to risk his life hacking Great Spikes, but he hoped his daughter would live her whole life without ever knowing such things existed. He wanted her to study hard, grow up well, get married, and live a peaceful life. Given the circumstances, they had to respect Brother Tian's wishes for now and see how things developed later. Han Qingyu gave the Tian family a general overview, mentioning that the military maintained a settlement for the families of fallen soldiers... The three members of the Tian family huddled to discuss it and, unsurprisingly, declined. For the time being, that matter was settled. A little later, Old Man Tian suddenly poured full cups of homemade rice wine for all four of them, then raised his own cup. He seemed hesitant, yet carried himself with solemn gravity. "Well... there's something I'd like to ask," Old Man Tian began. "Please ask," Yang Qingbai answered immediately. "Right, Uncle Tian, whatever it is, just tell us. If it's within our power, we'll certainly do it," Wen Jifei added quickly, seeing the old man's troubled look. "All right, then I'll ask... In this secret unit of yours, fighting terrorists—do you take veterans?" Old Man Tian's eyes were bloodshot, his gaze uneasy yet resolute as he looked at the four young men. "..." All four of them froze instantly. They had assumed Old Man Tian was facing some hardship and needed their help, and they had prepared themselves to accept no matter how difficult it might be... But never had they imagined that this old man, this veteran, would ask such a question. The old man clearly didn't understand what his son had meant by fighting terrorists in a secret unit; he likely thought of them merely as formidable enemies... formidable humans. Perhaps Tian Jiao had told him a little, but nothing specific. And so, this old man, this veteran... wanted to avenge his son with his own two hands. From their expressions and eyes, Old Man Tian could tell they were going to refuse. Panicked, he hurried to speak again. "Isn't it wartime right now? And where the fighting's happening can't be too far from here... Just like in the old days, there's always room for temporary exceptions, right? If I volunteer for duty on the spot, you can take me if you want to, right? I really served as a soldier. I've got real guts, I can go to the battlefield... Really, I even have merit medals..." Wen Jifei took several deep breaths, looked up, and interrupted gently, "I'm sorry, Uncle Tian. You're just far too advanced in years... You see, isn't that a shame? If it were just a few years earlier, our army would have gained another fine soldier." "But my body is still sturdy! And Tian Jiao has two brothers at home; they just happened to go away for work a few days ago. Right now I'm sending word for them to rush back..." "I'm sorry, Uncle Tian. The military has regulations. It's not allowed," Han Qingyu cut in, his tone firm. Hearing him speak, and knowing he was the leader of the group, Old Man Tian's expression crumbled. After a moment's hesitation, he lowered his head and downed the wine, then looked back up, forcing a smile. *** That night, they returned to the helicopter, pitched their tents, and slept until morning. When Han Qingyu and the others returned to the Tian household at dawn— Old Man Tian stood in the courtyard holding a wooden pole tipped with a broken-bladed brush cutter... meticulously running through the bayonet drills from his soldiering days. Seeing them appear, the old man quickly executed a fierce, powerful reverse parry-and-thrust... His twisting waist stiffened, and with a muffled grunt, he forced his body through the movement... followed by several rapid strides, vaulting cleanly over the courtyard's earthen wall with the support of one hand. Beyond the wall came a sharp shout of "Hei-ha!" followed by a continuous, direct thrust... Han Qingyu and the others saw it all, but they could only pretend they hadn't seen a thing. *** Brother Tian was carried up the mountain and laid to rest in peace. Han Qingyu removed his epaulets and placed them inside the earthen grave. On the way down the mountain, Little Zhifan walked between Han Qingyu and his companions. Tilting her head up, she asked, "Mama said Papa has to leave, and that he's going to be a soldier forever now. Is that true?" Han Qingyu and the others turned their heads slightly. "Yes... forever." "Is Papa really amazing? Last time he came back, everyone said he was exceptionally amazing." "He is." "Very amazing. Even we had to call him Squad Leader." "Mm. Now that he's gone this time, does that mean he won't be able to come back to see me for a very long time?" "..." "Yes. But he'll definitely remember to write letters and send things home. Whenever you get a letter, a schoolbag, or a hairpin, Zhifan... you must remember that it means Papa is missing you again. He wants you to wear pretty clothes, eat until you're full, study hard, and grow up well." "Mm." Little Zhifan nodded vigorously. ...The helicopter circled and climbed into the sky. On the grassy slope, young and old of the Tian family stood together, heads raised, waving their hands without pause.