Chapter 57

Lu Jingzhe had been gone for a long time. Xia Qingning felt a little uneasy. Although he was a little cold, he was very measured. If he was going to visit someone or do something, he wouldn’t keep it from everyone.

He wasn’t in a good mood this time he came back, especially after entering the village. Several times, Xia Qingning noticed that his expression was off. But he remained silent, and she was afraid that he would be unhappy if she asked him rashly, so she didn’t say anything.

Seeing that he hadn’t come back for a long time, Xia Qingning decided to go out and look for him. As she was leaving the courtyard, Guo Yumei stopped her and asked where she was going.

Guo Yumei wasn’t an outsider, so Xia Qingning told her her worries.

Guo Yumei listened and thought for a moment. Her expression suddenly became enlightened. She said to Xia Qingning:

“Oh, he should be there.” Then she looked at Xia Qingning: “I’ll take you to see.”

Xia Qingning was curious about the “there” she mentioned, but she didn’t ask Guo Yumei where it was. She just followed her out.

The mountain roads in the countryside were very difficult to navigate. The roads were narrow and winding. As they walked, Guo Yumei kept reminding her daughter to watch her step. When they encountered branches blocking the way, she would immediately clear them.

She completely forgot that her daughter had lived in this barren mountain village since she was little. She didn’t know how many times she had walked this road.

Xia Qingning followed behind Guo Yumei, telling her not to bother clearing the way. She was used to it. Guo Yumei happily agreed, but her hands didn’t stop working.

As they walked, Guo Yumei was breaking off the branches that were blocking the way. She said casually:

“Sigh, Jingzhe was so pitiful when he was little. If he hadn’t married you, he probably wouldn’t have wanted to come back here for the rest of his life.”

Although it was a casual remark, Xia Qingning heard something unusual in it. She quickly asked what happened.

“You were still young then, you might not remember. Your father…” Then she realized that the term was no longer appropriate. Guo Yumei corrected herself and continued:

“Your father’s background wasn’t good back then. He often had to undergo re-education. When I went to his house, I always saw Su Damei, holding her two little ones and crying.”

Although she only said a few words, Guo Yumei didn’t show much emotion as she spoke. But Xia Qingning was shocked. Before she could process the content of those words, she heard Guo Yumei continue:

“I remember one time, it was late at night. A group of people suddenly rushed into their house and dragged Lu Gege out of bed.

When we arrived, everything in their house was smashed. Su Damei was holding Lidong and followed them.

Jingzhe, who was left alone, was only wearing a single layer of clothing and was barefoot, standing on the field ridge. He didn’t dare to cry or shout. When I found him, he was so cold that he couldn’t even speak. His hair and eyebrows were covered in frost. I wrapped him in a blanket for a long time before his body warmed up and he regained consciousness. His first words were to ask me if his parents were alright.

He was only eight or nine years old then! Seeing his mother take his brother away and leave him behind, I can’t imagine how desperate he must have felt.”

Guo Yumei couldn’t help but shake her head as she spoke. She sighed:

“Sigh! Thinking about that time, it was truly a sin!”

Xia Qingning had never known that Lu Jingzhe had gone through all this. Firstly, the book didn’t describe his childhood experiences. Secondly, he was several years older than the original owner, and she didn’t have memories from that time.

“Jingzhe was a smart child from a young age. He was also tough. But after several incidents, he suddenly stopped talking much.

At that time, we saw how pitiful their family was, so we asked Su Damei to bring her two children to our house to stay for a while. Lidong came, but Jingzhe wouldn’t come no matter what.

He screamed, he fought, he smashed things. Which child wouldn’t be scared? He wouldn’t come to take shelter. He was just worried about his mother and wanted to stay with her. Sigh, their house was in trouble, and everything was taken away. They didn’t have any food. One time, I went over to deliver some steamed buns, and I saw them eating clay.

Sigh, every time I think about it, I cry. Can children even eat clay? It can kill you! Someone died from eating that before.

They must have been so hungry that they couldn’t help themselves. They were also afraid that if they got close to others, they would implicate them. So they…

Su Damei was also a pitiful woman. She was such a kind and loyal person. She should have enjoyed a good life back in the city, but she suddenly passed away. Jingzhe loved his mother the most. After she passed away, I don’t know how he survived.”

After hearing these words, Xia Qingning felt as if her legs were filled with lead. Her steps became heavier and heavier. She didn’t expect Lu Jingzhe’s childhood to be like this. Thinking back to the time she applied medicine to his wound, it seemed like he didn’t feel much pain. Perhaps he had suffered so much growing up that he was used to pain and didn’t feel it anymore.

They turned a bend on a mountain slope. Guo Yumei pointed to the area below and said to Xia Qingning:

“Look, he’s there.” Then she turned to Xia Qingning and said: “Do you remember? That’s where they lived when they were in the village.”

Xia Qingning looked in the direction she pointed, and sure enough, she saw the familiar figure. He was wearing a neat military uniform, standing alone and calmly in the mountains and fields. Against the green background, he was as green and upright as a pine tree.

The house in front of him was in ruins because it had been empty for so long. Only the desolate walls and ruins remained. Plants had grown over them, as if they wanted to erase all traces of human life.

“I’ll go back now. You stay here and watch him.” Guo Yumei was very understanding. She knew that it was inconvenient to disturb him at this time, so she left her daughter to watch him. She felt at ease. She turned around and was about to go back. As she left, she said in a very soft voice, as if to herself:

“Daughter, you’re lucky to marry Jingzhe. He’s better than Lidong.”

After Guo Yumei left, Xia Qingning didn’t go down either. She knew that he needed his own space, so she just stood in the distance, quietly watching him.

Just like those years, he stood under the sentry post, silently guarding our territory.

After hearing Guo Yumei’s words, Xia Qingning felt as if she had gotten to know Lu Jingzhe again. No wonder he was so cold and didn’t like being close to people. If it were anyone else, they would have suffered irreparable psychological and physical trauma after going through such a childhood.

But he had never mentioned it, never complained. He walked alone, bravely and silently.

At that moment, she suddenly understood why Lu Jingzhe had specially changed into his military uniform:

Those things he couldn’t let go of, couldn’t protect, couldn’t change… the knots that had formed in his heart, they must have been redeemed under this military uniform.

She didn’t know how long she had been standing there, but Lu Jingzhe finally turned around. Those past events were left behind. He walked forward with firm steps, as he had always done. The sky was still the same.

He had just turned a corner at the crossroads when he saw Xia Qingning standing there. The beautiful girl seemed to have descended from heaven, appearing in front of him without warning. Her hair was as black as ink, her eyes as bright as stars. She was smiling at him.

Lu Jingzhe was stunned. He asked with a puzzled look:

“Why are you here?”

Xia Qingning’s smile was warm and bright, as if she wanted to dispel all his gloom. She replied softly:

“I came to take you home.”