All that remains in the main room is the tenderness and bitterness accumulated over the years.
The brothers separated by yin and yang finally face each other from afar in such a way that no one knows but is extremely real.
The old man burst into tears and kept looking at the young Wang Lei, as if he wanted to see all the years of longing at once.
"I knew you would definitely come back to see me."
The old man's voice was filled with a lifetime of obsession and choking, and he spoke slowly.
Telling about the past things that have been buried in my heart for hundreds of years and have never been told to others.
"In the first month after you left, my mother stood at the entrance of the village watching every day. Whenever she saw a stranger, she would immediately run out to look. People fleeing from the front line passed by the village and brought back news, saying that the Shanghai war had made the sky dark and the mountains and fields were full of dead people. The young people who left the mountains would never come back out of ten."
Wang Lei stood opposite, his fingertips trembling slightly, his eyes completely red.
He never knew that his short separation would become a lifelong torture for his parents.
"Everyone in the village advised my parents not to wait, saying that there was a high chance that you would be gone."
"But my parents don't believe it."
The old man's voice trembled slightly.
"They tidied up the thatched hut you lived in, and left your little bed, your old hoe, and your bamboo basket as they were, year after year."
"My mother burned incense and prayed every day, and sat in front of the lamp and cried every night. Her eyes were blinded by crying in those years. In the end, she couldn't see clearly. She often touched your old clothes and read your name over and over again."
"Dad was in poor health and suffered from the war years. He struggled to hold on to support his family and wait for you to come back. He has never left this mountain in his life. His biggest wish in his life is to wait for his eldest son to come home."
"The year they left, they all left with regrets."
The old man closed his eyes, tears rolling down from the corners of his wrinkled eyes.
"Before she died, my mother grabbed my hand and told me that I must wait for you. She said that you are a soft-hearted child. You must remember the way home. You were just trapped by the war.
She said, no matter how many years I wait, I have to wait. I can't forget you, and I can't let you become a lonely soul that no one cares about.
Before he left, dad also told me that the roots of the Wang family must not be cut off, and your name must not be forgotten. You left for the country and are the heroes of our Wang family."
Wang Lei froze in place, trembling all over, and hot tears fell silently.
He went to the battlefield at the age of fifteen and never regretted it. He protected the homes of tens of millions of people, except for his own home.
"I'm sorry"
The young man was hoarse and choked with sobs. His voice floated softly in the main room, and only a few people could hear it.
"Brother, I'm sorry that I couldn't come back to accompany you. I'm sorry that I made my parents wait for me all my life."
The old man shook his head slowly, looking at his brother in the void with gentle eyes, smiling old and relieved.
"I don't blame you, brother. Ever since I was a child, everyone has told me that you are here to protect your family and the country. You are not abandoning your family. You are abandoning your small family and taking care of Wan's family."
You used your life to block troubled times and suffering.
In exchange for our village's stability every year, you have exchanged for us a life of peace.
My parents will be proud of you until they die. I will also be proud of you throughout my life."
The old man waved his hand in the direction of Wang Lei
"Brother, look, look at Wang Chong now. There is no war, no famine, and no fleeing.
Everyone in the village has enough food and warm clothes, children can study, and the elderly can spend their old age in peace.
The mountains and rivers are beautiful, there is peace every year, thousands of homes are brightly lit, and the world is stable.
This is the world you worked so hard for.
Wang Lei looked at his elderly brother, listening to his gentle words, and the obsession that had accumulated for a hundred years gradually disintegrated.
As a young man, he was fearless and sacrificed his life for his country. He had no regrets after nine deaths.
His sacrifice was not in vain.
He kept the mountains and rivers safe and protected the tranquility of his homeland.
Although his parents regretted his life, they were always proud of him.
His younger brother stayed alone for a hundred years, missed him all his life, and never forgot him.
So what if the world is nameless?
The family will be remembered, the mountains and rivers will be remembered, and the prosperous times will be remembered.
That's enough.
Wang Lei The heartstrings that had been tense for a hundred years completely relaxed.
All the sadness in the young man's eyes faded away, leaving only tenderness, peace and completeness.
He looked at his aging brother in front of him and spoke softly with a gentle voice.
"I have seen it, I have seen it all. The prosperous age is very good, my hometown is very good, and you are very good. I have no regrets in this life."
The lonely soul that has been wandering for hundreds of years, its obsessions are gone and the dust has settled.
Wen Ning stood quietly aside, his eyes clear and gentle.
Lu Ming's eyes were already red and he lowered his eyes silently.
Feng Dema pursed his lips and said nothing, feeling sour and hot in his heart.
Meng Jiang stood in the corner, sighing softly, with gentle eyebrows.
When the old man heard his words, a relieved smile slowly bloomed on his face.
The waiting that spanned a hundred years and the reunion that spanned life and death came to a successful end at this moment.
The old man gently rubbed Bluestone in his palm and murmured in a low voice.
"Brother, go in peace. I will look after the prosperous mountains and rivers for you, and guard the thoughts of the Wang family for you.
It will be passed down from generation to generation, and there will always be people who remember that a hundred years ago, Wang Chong had a fifteen-year-old boy named Wang Lei who died for his country to protect the country."
Wang Lei stood where he was, the young man's figure becoming more transparent and lighter. The obsessions that had haunted him for many years were all smoothed away by the wind of his homeland, the words of his relatives, and the stability of the prosperous age.
He really has no regrets.
At this moment, a gentle push came from outside the courtyard door, accompanied by a gentle warning.
"Dad, are you okay? The doctor has specifically told you that you must not be emotional as you are old, as it is not good for your health."
It's the old man who just left the main room.
He held his little grandson Dog Leftover and guarded the door anxiously. The room had been silent for a long time just now. He was worried that his elderly father would be too sad and hurt and couldn't help but open the door and come in to visit.
The old man walked quickly to the wicker chair, looked down at his father's expression carefully, and saw that although the old man's face was stained with tears, his eyebrows were calm and his breath was stable, and his hanging heart finally fell to the ground.
"You were crying alone in the room just now. I'm really worried."
He persuaded in a low voice
It's been a hundred years since those old things happened, so don't worry about it anymore."
The old man slowly raised his eyes and looked at his old son. His old eyes were filled with a gentle smile, and he shook his head gently.
"Don't bother, I have been waiting all my life, and today, it is finally complete."
Others could not understand the profound meaning of this sentence. Only the old man knew that the person he was waiting for was back.
He raised his skinny fingers and pointed at the old man standing next to him. With a hint of pride, he introduced Wang Lei.
"This is my son, his name is Wang Jianguo"
Wang Jianguo was slightly startled when he heard this, and looked at his father with some doubts. He didn't understand why the old man suddenly mentioned his name and spoke in the direction of no one.
The old man's finger gently turned again and landed on the little boy with his little face raised.
Young Dog Leftover clutched his grandfather's trouser legs and looked at his great-grandpa curiously with his dark eyes.
"This is my great-grandson, his nickname is Dog Leftover, his nickname is Wang Huaijin"
"Huai Jin holds Yu, I named him specially"
The old man explained softly, still looking at Wang Lei
"Huai Jin, cherish the beauty in your heart, keep your heart, remember your family and country."
Standing in the main room, Wang Lei's heart moved, and his eyes fell on the little child.
Dog Leftover.
The nickname is exactly the same as when I was young.
It turns out that my younger brother passed down this name, not randomly, but to remember him and the boy named Dog Leftover.
Wang Jianguo stood aside and asked in a low voice
"Dad, who are you talking to?"
The old man just smiled lightly and did not explain.
Young Dog Leftover, also known as Wang Huaijin, tilted his head and spoke abruptly.
"Grandpa, who are you talking to?"
The old man stretched out his hand and gently touched the child's head, still holding the warm Bluestone in his palm.
"I'm talking to a great elder in our family."
The little boy nodded in understanding.