What utter dejection, what chilling despair.
The four walls were densely covered with military medals and commendations...
More than a dozen tables nearby filled all the remaining space.
On the tables and beneath them lay letters upon letters.
Every single one had been opened.
Grandma Shi entered the room, set Zuo Xiaoduo down, and looked up at the enormous photograph. "Old man, I'm home," she said softly. "Wait a little. I have something to take care of first, then I'll cook. Once the food's ready, I'll warm your wine."
She spoke as though her husband were still alive, as though she were a wife returning from buying groceries-nothing could have been more ordinary or domestic.
What stood before her seemed not to be a photograph, but a living person.
Zuo Xiaoduo could not help feeling his nose sting. Standing before the enormous photograph, he bent deeply at the waist and bowed.
A hero's soul endured forever.
"Zuo Xiaoduo."
Grandma Shi turned to look at Zuo Xiaoduo. Watching him bow in respect, her eyes finally gained a trace of warmth. "Do you know who I am? Do you know what this place is?"
Zuo Xiaoduo answered respectfully, "You're Grandma Shi, Vice Principal Shi Yunfeng's wife. This is Principal Shi's home."
Grandma Shi gave a faint smile. "To think a new student would actually know of Shi Yunfeng. You must have done quite a bit of homework."
Zuo Xiaoduo said fervently, "Principal Shi was one of the greatest men of our age, a magnificent man with an awe-inspiring loyal heart, a true man with bones of ringing iron! Though we juniors have little knowledge or experience, we have still heard of such a hero."
Something flickered in Grandma Shi's eyes. "Don't you think Principal Shi was a beast in fine clothes, a