Could I Ask You About My Son?

"Hey, Qingzi's dad." Zhang Jiexia passed over a wrung-out hot towel, leaned close, and whispered, "Have you heard of the Daie God?" "What? What Daie God?" Han Youshan, who had spent the whole day out in the fields helping the village neighbors thresh rice, wiped his neck as he turned his head, asking in confusion. The towel, laden with sweat and dirt, sloshed in the washbasin as it was wrung out, sending a few broken blades of grass floating to the surface. "They say it's a god in heaven called the Daie God," Zhang Jiexia whispered rapidly as she carried the basin away to change the water. "It's on the Great Spikes' side. It can stand in the sky." "Hey, you—how could that thing be a god? That thing eats people!" Hearing that it was related to the Great Spikes, Han Youshan instantly grew anxious. "I know, I've seen it on television! But while you were in the fields today, a preacher came by the entrance of the village, saying that the Great Spikes are actually gods." "What?!" "Great Spike gods," Zhang Jiexia said. "He also said it's because us humans are too wicked that the gods sent down this punishment. He said that Daie God has already manifested in many places across the world, but Azure has been hiding it from us. What's more, Azure can't do anything to the Daie God either. In short, only those who believe in it will ultimately receive its blessing and absolution... meaning, they'll be spared." "And so?" Han Youshan grabbed his wife's arm and asked warily, "Did anyone in our village believe it?" "...Yes. After hearing him, quite a few people signed up. Because—you didn't see it—that preacher brought out big photos of the Daie God standing in the sky, several of them! And he could jump more than five meters high in a single leap, and he lifted the Big Li family's large stone millstone casually with just one hand!" "Then what about you... You didn't believe it too, did you?!" Anxiety flared in Han Youshan's eyes. Without realizing it, he tightened his grip, making Zhang Jiexia's wrist ache. "I... I just casually said that I... I believed too." Zhang Jiexia's voice faltered for a moment, then she stiffened her neck and said agitatedly, "Wasn't I just doing it for our Qingzi, trying to seek some blessing? In times like these, with no word from him out there, do you know how terrified I am every single day?" With that, the mother's tears began to fall. "I know." Han Youshan's grip and tone softened at the same time. He raised a hand to pat his wife's back and said, "But Qingzi's mom, you have to understand, our Qingzi is in the army! Do you get what that means? It means our Qingzi belongs to the government. The government says the Great Spikes are invading aliens, and that we have to fight them. Leaving aside not reporting this to the authorities when it happened, how... how could you go and believe in the Great Spikes?! If the army finds out, what will happen to Qingzi?!" "I... oh no, I didn't think of that at the time." Zhang Jiexia panicked instantly, on the verge of tears. "What do we do now?! I... I signed my name and pressed my thumbprint." "..." By their old way of thinking, pressing a thumbprint was a serious matter. Han Youshan hesitated, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Has the man left?" "Probably not. When I came back just now, he was still in the Big Li family's courtyard," Zhang Jiexia said dazedly. "All right, you stay home and don't run off anywhere. I'll go find him, get it back, and tear it up," Han Youshan said, tossing aside the towel in his hand. "I'll just say we want to think it over and won't believe for now." "Okay." Zhang Jiexia nodded numbly, watching her husband's back as he walked out... Only when Han Youshan reached the courtyard did she suddenly snap to her senses and call out in anxious worry, "Qingzi's dad!" "Yeah?" Han Youshan turned back. "That man is really formidable! And they say he was personally chosen by the Daie God! If he doesn't agree, whatever you do, don't clash with him head-on..." Only now did Zhang Jiexia seem to come completely to her senses, realizing just how eerie and terrifying a person preaching faith in the Great Spikes truly was. She was filled with immense regret and helplessness. Right then, patter-patter-patter-patter—a flurry of hurried footsteps drew near, bursting into the Han family courtyard. It was the young wife from their neighbor, the Ma family. The moment she saw Han Youshan and Zhang Jiexia, her voice shot up in panic. "Something happened! Something terrible happened!" "What happened?!" Han Youshan grew tense as well. "He's—he's been killed!" "What?! Who died?" "The person personally chosen by the Daie God was beaten to death!" Ma's daughter-in-law paused, raising a hand to sheepishly point toward the Han family's house like a thief, before gesturing as she described, "Your family's Master Longchi slapped him—smack—right to death!" Han Youshan was speechless. Zhang Jiexia was speechless. In truth, what had actually happened was roughly like this: After Zhang Jiexia returned home, the preacher had not left, but continued preaching in the village. Then, at some point, the old monk had arrived and sat nearby listening. Not long after, Village Head Wang had hurried frantically over to the Big Li family's home. Probably considering, just like the Han family, that his son was in the army, Village Head Wang approached the preacher to ask for the return of the paper with his wife's thumbprint. Plucking up his courage, he demanded that the man leave, warning that if he didn't, he would report him to the authorities. When words failed after a few exchanges, the preacher's expression shifted immediately. He accused Village Head Wang of offending the Daie God and declared he would punish him. Turning fierce, he lunged at Village Head Wang, as fast as a leopard. The villagers were scared out of their wits. Then—smack—a palm came swinging across horizontally. "Just one slap, and he died right on the spot." "And your family's old monk just stood there like nothing happened, saying, 'Amitābha, you beast.'" Ma's daughter-in-law's eyes were full of panic. It was hard to tell whether she feared retribution for the old monk killing someone chosen by the Daie God, or had suddenly realized just how terrifyingly formidable the Han family's old monk was. "..." Han Youshan and Zhang Jiexia exchanged looks. "I'll go take a look," Han Youshan said, striving to remain calm after a few seconds. "Yes... You, let's bring the Master back." Zhang Jiexia's eyes held deep worry. "Right." When Han Youshan stepped out the door, he was actually carrying great determination and a sense of responsibility. On one hand, the old monk's identity had suddenly become very suspicious and unsettling. On the other hand, he had no idea how this situation would unfold. Yet at least one thing was certain: he could not leave the old monk to face it alone... Given the old man's mental state, he might not even remember what he had done after a little while. When Han Youshan ran to the Big Li family's courtyard... A squad of super-human soldiers wearing Azure combat uniforms—just like those seen on television—was collecting the preacher's body. The villagers huddled to the side, not daring to utter a sound. The old monk stood quietly among the crowd of villagers, watching as well. Yet whenever the soldiers glanced at him, their eyes were filled with respect and reverence. "Greetings," a tall officer said, immediately stepping forward to salute and greet Han Youshan upon seeing his arrival. "Ah, h-hello." Han Youshan felt completely at a loss, not knowing whether to salute back or do something else, his face flustered. "Don't worry, we will handle all the follow-up matters," the officer said. He turned to glance at the old monk, then turned back and continued, "However, our Jiang... er, Master Longchi, we still need to trouble you to look after him." "Oh, that's no problem, that's only right." Han Youshan suddenly caught the tall officer's slip—"our Jiang..." Plucking up some courage, Han Youshan asked in a low voice, "But what... what kind of person was our Master Longchi in the past?" "..." The officer hesitated, turned to exchange glances with his comrades, and turned back to whisper, "An Azure General." A General?! A General of Azure?! Han Youshan was struck dumb. The villagers standing nearby were all stunned. No matter how limited their worldview was, having watched television and listened to the radio, they could broadly understand that this was a monumental figure. The tall officer turned and swept his gaze over the people present. Concerning this matter, higher-ups had never explicitly stated that it was forbidden to talk about. It was just that previously, people subconsciously felt it was better left unsaid. Moreover, lacking direct contact, they had never had the chance to speak with the Han family. Now he had said it. "Then... can he beat that Daie God? That man just said the Daie God is invincible in heaven and earth..." Village Head Wang, standing to the side, broke the silence, asking with extreme caution. "He... Someone can beat it," the officer said firmly. "Who?!" "Is it the person on television who slashed the airship, our Huaxia's Legion Commander?" "Then when is he going to slash it?" "Will they show it on television again? This time?" The villagers surged forward all at once, craning their necks and asking with fervent anticipation. Such was the simple, helpless logic of mountain folk: now that they had crossed the Daie God... they naturally would no longer believe in it, and wished even more for it to be hacked to death, shattering the preacher's lies and dispelling the fear in their hearts. The officer did not answer. Han Youshan, after all, had interacted with officials from the People's Armed Forces Department. He immediately reasoned to himself that this was probably classified, or that the Azure leader before him didn't actually know either... He thought it over, shifted the topic, and took the chance to voice what weighed heavily on his mind. "Um, Comrade Azure Officer." Sensing that he had a request, the officer promptly said, "Please, speak." "Right." Han Youshan smiled awkwardly. "You see, I have a son in the army... There's been no word from him for a long time. Officer, if it's convenient, could you help me ask around about him?" "In which unit? What's his name?" The officer thought the son might be in Azure. Even if not, for General Jiang's sake, he would help if he could. "Special forces," Han Youshan said excitedly. "His name is Han Qingyu." "Oh... What did you say his name is?" The tall officer and the dozen-odd soldiers behind him froze simultaneously, completely dazed. "Han Qingyu. Han as in the surname Han, Qing as in green stone or green snake, and Yu as in Yu the Great, not 'yu' as in rain..." Han Youshan tried his best to explain the characters. "How... how old is he?" the officer interrupted numbly. "Twenty-three, almost twenty-four." "..." The tall officer turned back to exchange wide-eyed glances with his comrades. Ninety-nine percent sure it was him... former Azure, currently Stream Vanguard, Major The Qing. "Officer? Officer?" Han Youshan called out softly twice. "Ah, yes!" The officer turned back, looking at the simple mountain villager before him—Major The Qing's father. "So, can you look into it?" "...I... I'll try." Could this even be spoken aloud?! The tall officer thought to himself. Higher-ups hadn't even informed them about this beforehand—it was almost certainly top secret, so it probably still couldn't be revealed.