Chapter 101
“Dignity lies only at the tip of the sword, and truth lies only within the range of cannons.”
If this sentence was enough to make the young boys and girls in the audience—who had been dazed, drowsy, listless, and whispering to each other—suddenly fall silent and then perk up, truly beginning to pay attention to the speech given by this senior sister whose class year they had forgotten…
…then for a career soldier like Regimental Commander Yan, it was as if it had pierced through his skull and reached straight into his soul.
Throughout the rest of the speech, Regimental Commander Yan heard every word Qiao Wei said clearly and understood the meaning of every sentence.
She told the young boys and girls that the road ahead would inevitably be tortuous; for the country, it was a process of groping forward, and for individuals, it was even more likely to be filled with hardship and suffering. She told them not to lose faith regardless of the circumstances, to remember that they were the group of people in this country who possessed knowledge, and not to let themselves be drowned in hardship and forget what they had learned. She encouraged them never to give up learning, no matter when, where, or in what situation they found themselves.
“If you go far away, leaving your parents behind, and can only carry the bare minimum of luggage.”
“Then, take the thoughts of great men and your textbooks with you.”
She described a beautiful future to the young boys and girls—a prosperous and powerful country.
A country where, if American planes flew to their doorstep, the pilots would dare to ram into them.
A country where knowledge changes lives and changes the world.
He could understand every sentence, but her voice felt so ethereal.
Regimental Commander Yan sat in the center of the front row, looking straight up at his wife, feeling that everyone else was a blur, and only she was shining.
It was only when thunderous applause rang in his ears that Regimental Commander Yan came back to his senses, and he joined in the clapping.
Little Zhang sat next to him, clapping until his palms were red, yet still feeling it wasn’t enough. He had been in the army for several years, yet he was just as excited as the young boys and girls on the playground.
The school leaders on the stage were also shaken by this speech.
After the speech, the principal was supposed to say a few words, but he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he choked up. In the end, a thousand words were reduced to just one sentence: “Students! Study hard!”
There was another round of applause.
Under everyone’s witness, the principal on the podium stamped the official seal into the inkpad again and again, and finally pressed it firmly onto the graduation certificate.
Amidst the thunderous applause, the former student Qiao Wei received her high school graduation certificate.
The sense of ceremony was too much. It was equivalent to Qiao Wei having her own exclusive graduation ceremony.
This made the transmigrator feel a bit numb, and she could only respectfully and gratefully accept her graduation certificate from the principal.
Although, Qiao Wei thought, that guy would surely like it. Let’s just consider it satisfying him.
But she glanced down and was surprised to find that his expression was deep and somber; he didn’t even have the joy, anticipation, and excitement he had before coming.
However, she knew this man too well. As their eyes met across the distance, the instantaneous spark of electricity made her understand.
Qiao Wei pursed her lips and could only look up, pretending to look at the sky.
What else could she do? They were in public.
When saying goodbye, Regimental Commander Yan shook hands with the principal and Teacher Zhang again and again, solemnly thanking them for giving Qiao Wei this opportunity to speak.
This time, it wasn’t fake official politeness; his gratitude came from the heart.
The principal sighed with emotion: “I should be the one thanking Qiao Wei.”
It was already difficult for the school to hold classes normally. But today, he felt the atmosphere of the past from the students once again.
The educator almost teared up.
On the way back, Little Zhang kept expressing his amazement: “Oh my, oh my, I really couldn’t have imagined it…”
Although he had read Qiao Wei’s articles and rationally knew that Regimental Commander Yan’s wife was now a writer, emotionally—because of his work, he had interacted with Qiao Wei more than others—his impression of her past self was clearer. His current perception and his past impression could not be completely reconciled.
Today, when he said he wanted to listen to his sister-in-law’s speech, it had to be said that it actually contained an element of teasing.
But he never expected that Qiao Wei’s speech would not only make his blood boil but also fill him with yearning and longing for the future.
“I shouldn’t have learned to drive!” He slapped the steering wheel and said, “I should have learned to fly planes! If the Americans’ planes dare to come and circle our doorstep, I’ll be the first to ram into them!”
“Right, Regimental Commander? Regimental Commander? Regimental Commander, why aren’t you saying anything?” Little Zhang glanced strangely at Regimental Commander Yan in the passenger seat.
He was even a bit dissatisfied; his sister-in-law had spoken so brilliantly today, yet the Regimental Commander didn’t praise her at all, acting so cold and indifferent.
Regimental Commander Yan gave a perfunctory “Hmm.”
He glanced at the rearview mirror.
In the mirror, Qiao Wei, who was sitting in the back seat, was stroking Yan Xiang’s little head. As if by telepathy, she lifted her eyes and also glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
Her eyes were affectionate, different from the firm look she had while speaking on stage; she was smiling yet not quite, revealing a bit of craftiness.
She saw right through him.
Regimental Commander Yan felt the back of his neck getting hot.
His whole body was hot.
He just wanted to get home quickly.
“Is Xiangxiang tired?” Little Zhang said again, “Why isn’t Xiangxiang saying anything?”
Although he knew that Yan Xiang was a particularly well-behaved and quiet child, he was really too quiet today. Why was he like his father? A strange father and son.
“Yan Xiang? Are you tired?” The father finally remembered to show some concern for his son.
“No,” Yan Xiang said, “I’m thinking about what Mom said—missiles, planes, cannons—are they really that powerful?”
Qiao Wei stroked his head and told him: “They aren’t that powerful yet, so we have to rely on those big brothers and sisters, and little friends like you, to study hard so that when you grow up, you can build them. Catch up with Britain and surpass America, and defeat all imperialist paper tigers.”
Yan Xiang said: “I don’t want to go to Kindergarten anymore; I want to go to school.”
Everyone in the car laughed.
Little Zhang said: “You little bean, if you go to school now, you’ll be bullied by those little brats until you cry.”
Regimental Commander Yan said: “Wanting to learn is a good thing, but you must be down-to-earth. Wait until you are old enough.”
Qiao Wei also said: “You are still young.”
In reality, she knew that schools were gradually becoming places where one couldn’t learn much.
But it didn’t matter. She kicked the cardboard box at her feet.
Regimental Commander Yan finally asked: “What is that?”
This person had been distracted, but he finally noticed it.
This was something Qiao Wei had asked Teacher Zhang to do before she came. Originally, she only wanted to get her graduation certificate, but after getting in touch with Teacher Zhang, she suddenly thought she could ask the teacher for help.
At this time, the Xinhua Bookstore had not yet taken on the business of supplementary teaching materials, and school textbooks were very difficult to buy outside; one could only go through school channels.
Qiao Wei had previously borrowed textbooks from Regimental Commander Zhao’s family for Yan Xiang to look at. But their whole family were elementary school students, so they only had elementary school textbooks, and they were falling apart with missing pages.
Before returning them, Qiao Wei had even used calendar paper to make book covers for them; otherwise, they would have been impossible to look at.
Sister Yang had even felt a bit of heartache over the paper; calendar paper was stiff and was best used for cutting shoe patterns. It was a pity to use it to cover books.
Qiao Wei had never had a chance to find middle school textbooks, and there was no middle school in Xiahekou. She had originally thought about looking for a set from a middle school in the county when she had a chance later, but she didn’t know anyone and would have to pull some strings.
This time, being forced by Regimental Commander Yan to contact her alma mater, it just happened to save her the trouble of pulling strings, and she directly asked the original owner’s former homeroom teacher.
The school didn’t have much else, but it had plenty of old textbooks. Teacher Zhang had gotten her a complete set for junior high and high school.
“Textbooks,” Qiao Wei said. “Teacher Zhang helped me get them. Later, Xiangxiang can read them, and you can read them too. Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you can travel the world without fear.”
Little Zhang suddenly realized.
No wonder the Regimental Commander wasn’t talking much. The pressure of marrying an educated wife was really great; he even had to be forced to study.
It was a bit scary.
He looked at Regimental Commander Yan with sympathy.
Regimental Commander Yan: “?”
Back home, Regimental Commander Yan took off his coat and said to Yan Xiang: “Xiangxiang, go find the child at Sister Ma’s house…”
Qiao Wei kicked him directly.
Regimental Commander Yan also remembered the last time Yan Xiang was talking nonsense at Regimental Commander Zhao’s house, so he changed his words.
Qiao Wei pushed him aside: “Get lost!”
Regimental Commander Yan rubbed the bridge of his nose and argued: “Boys should go out and run around more; it’s healthy!”
Qiao Wei rolled her eyes at him, brought the box over, and opened it: “Xiangxiang, come here.”
There were subjects of all kinds—a whole box full.
“Read the junior high ones first, then the high school ones,” Qiao Wei said. “When you’ve finished reading them all, tell Mom which subject you are more interested in, okay?”
Even a genius must have input before they can have output.
You can’t make a genius start from boiling water and observing apples falling.
Even to build a tall building, you have to lay the foundation first.
This method was good; it had to be her!
Regimental Commander Yan was happy. Because Yan Xiang really loved to read; once he started reading, he could read for a long time, quietly, without caring about his surroundings.
“Xiangxiang, study hard! When you finish reading, Dad will give you candy!” The impulsive father started making wild promises again.
Reading and eating candy were Yan Xiang’s favorites, and he happily nodded in agreement.
“Can you stop spoiling the child!” Mom wasn’t having it.
They had to protect the child’s teeth.
But Mom was weak and powerless, and was pulled by Dad into the west room.
He even slammed the door shut.
Yan Xiang got the junior high math book, and after just taking a brief look, he felt it was very interesting.
These formulas were more attractive to him than fairy tales about princes and princesses.
It was just that the wooden door in the west room kept making noises for some reason—creaking and thumping. Yan Xiang read for a while, and the sound from that door got even louder.
The little child had no choice but to get up and close the door to the east room.
There we go, the world was much quieter, and the formulas were so interesting.
At the end of November, Lu Manman and Captain Li held their wedding.
In these years when food was scarce, there wasn’t much of a banquet. Everyone gathered in the new room, handed out wedding candies, and that was the ceremony.
However, the bride was, after all, the daughter of the director of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, wearing a red turtleneck sweater paired with a red double-breasted cashmere coat.
Bright red inside, bright red outside.
It made many of the young ladies who came to attend the wedding so envious that their eyes turned red. It was said that the cashmere coat was bought from Shanghai. Apart from the Lu family, who else could get their hands on such a thing?
Envy was useless.
Captain Li was a soldier serving away from home, and his relatives and elders were not by his side; like them, weddings were hosted by leaders. He asked Regimental Commander Yan to officiate his wedding.
When everyone saw them, they thought, “Wow, this officiant and the groom are both handsome.”
The bride’s dowry was also generous; her family had provided quite a lot.
Just the quilts, thin and thick, amounted to several sets.
The wedding candies were also more decent than other people’s; there was even chocolate in them, which the children snatched up crazily. The younger adults also quietly hid the chocolate, reluctant to eat it.
In short, it was a marriage that was a perfect match of talent and beauty, making people envious.
After the wedding was over and most of the guests had dispersed, the bride pulled the officiant’s wife into the room to whisper.
“This is for you.” Lu Manman took out a cashmere coat from the cupboard that was exactly the same style as the one she was wearing, but hers was date-red, and this one was black. “Don’t give me money, why give money! Don’t be a stranger with me.”
Qiao Wei chided her: “What are you doing?”
Lu Manman shoved it to her: “Just take it.”
“Actually, the camel-colored one is the best looking,” she said with a bit of regret. “But it was too hard to get, and in the end, I only managed to get you this black one. It would have been better if it were camel-colored. Instead, this red one of mine wasn’t that hard to get.”
“Of course. Only a bride would wear that,” Qiao Wei said with a smile. “Those of us who have been married for many years would be embarrassed to wear red. Black is also good-looking; I like black.”
Black is a versatile match. It was too rare for people in a small town to get such a cashmere coat from Shanghai. Only the director of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative would have this ability.
Qiao Wei went back and said to Regimental Commander Yan: “It’s too expensive. I tried to give her money, but she wouldn’t take it.”
Regimental Commander Yan, however, said: “It’s fine.”
Not long after, Captain Li was promoted to Battalion Commander, replacing the battalion commander who had been dismissed, and became the youngest battalion commander in the Military District.
Those voices questioning whether a captain was qualified to apply for military family housing died down.
