One of the soldiers was holding a small, dark-colored box covered with a rightly folded red national flag. Behind the two soldiers were several soldiers, and beside them were people from the village and some aunts who were sobbing.
Later, she learned. They said that her mother had sacrificed, and she was sleeping in that little dark box.
The peach blossoms petals fell like rain, and the sky was gray and misty; the sky drizzled down to her face; it felt cold, very cold, making her heart feel empty, very empty.
They all said that her mother had sacrificed, sacrificed, meant that her mother was dead.
What is death?
At the age of two or three, she had already experienced the death of her father, so she knew what death means…
“When they sent her back, the sprouts of the willow trees by the pool were green, and the peach blossoms were just at the end stage of their bloom. That was when I knew my mother died.” Ye Jian said softly because she knew Director Cai wanted to say a word first, then only she would continue after him. Sentences strung together into a line, then, he could know whether this girl was his old friend’s daughter.
Director Cai, who was leaning on the back of the chair, sat up unconsciously, feeling a little bit of water gleamed in his deep eyes, “All of our comrades like to call her “Red Plum.” Red Plum always has the army in her heart, and the army always has her in our hearts.”
“Is it because her name has the word “Xue” (TLN: Snow)?” Ye Jian, who raised her hand and wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes, knew that her heart was beating a little fast as if it was about to jump out her throat.
With every word she said, she watched Director Cai more seriously, unwilling to miss the slightest expression on the middle-aged man’s face.
She thought to herself, I really met my mother’s old friend, her former comrade.
Director Cai’s eyes had tears, nostalgia, sorrow, and recollection of past memories. “Yes, she has “Xue” in her name, like a red plum blooming in the snow. So, her code name was “Red Plum.” Red plum blossomed in the snow.”
As he spoke, his voice became hoarse, “Martyr Sun Xueqing. She was my old friend and my former comrade.”
No mistakes, there can be no mistakes, Ye Jian must be her daughter.
Red Plum, oh, Red Plum, I didn’t expect your daughter to be so big already, and she is like you. Just like you, she’s in her uniform, ready to serve our motherland, and become a female soldier in the army who does not lose out to the male soldiers!
You, you must be very proud of her there.
Director Cai completely believed that the girl in front of him was the daughter of his old friend. His serious eyes became silkless warmth, and he slowly talked about the past, “I knew she had a daughter. All the comrades in the team knew about it, but more than ten years ago, we asked about you before, but we received a reply from the town saying that the daughter of comrade Sun Xueqing died in an accident. We also asked a retired comrade to inquire about you and got the same reply.”
“They all said that you went out to play in the water at noon in summer and accidentally fell into the pond and drowned. The comrades in the same batch as Red Plum believed it, and we all believed that you “died early” due to drowning that summer.”
But the result? No, she did not drown!
Red Plum’s daughter is still alive! And I’ve run into her!
At this time, Director Cai completely believed that the young female soldier in front of him was the daughter of his comrade Sun Xueqing.
Ye Jian never knew that her mother’s comrades had come to inquire about her, but she was just a child then; how could she know? She had barely survived in the hands of Sun Dongqing at that time, and she was forced to become cowardly and weak by Ye Ying, plus Ye Zhifan, after receiving Old Mrs. Ye’s instructions deliberately raised her up badly, so she didn’t even know what happened outside.
