Lin Xiuyun recognized Zhou Xiaowei at a glance. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried over.
“Comrade Zhou Xiaowei, it really is you! Do you remember sending an urgent telegram for a young woman half a year ago?”
“A telegram?”
Zhou Xiaowei paused, and the events of that night instantly came back to him.
He remembered!
That night, while he was on his way to Dongshan to deliver a message, he had run into a group of people chasing a young woman.
In desperation, the woman had asked him to send a telegram for her. The next day, he had taken the message and address she gave him to the Qingshan Township post and telecommunications office and sent an urgent telegram.
“It was… you?” Zhou Xiaowei asked, hardly able to believe it.
“It was me!” Lin Xiuyun nodded repeatedly, her eyes immediately turning red.
“If it hadn’t been for you, I would have been finished… After my father received the telegram, he rescued me that very night, and those evildoers received the punishment they deserved.”
She wiped the corner of her eye, her voice filled with emotion. “My father originally wanted to come and thank you in person, but he’s been tied up with official business, so he sent my brother to accompany me instead.
“To find you, we checked every one of the seven people named Zhou Xiaowei at the Qingshan Township police station. We went to each of their homes to confirm their identities, but none of them was you. We’ve finally found you today!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Zhengtang stepped forward and gave Zhou Xiaowei a solemn, perfectly executed military salute.
“Comrade Zhou Xiaowei, on behalf of my entire family, I thank you! You didn’t just save my sister—you saved our whole family!”
Zhou Xiaowei had never received such a grand gesture and immediately became flustered. He waved his hands hurriedly, his face turning bright red.
“It was nothing, nothing at all. I was just lending a hand. I’d forgotten all about it ages ago.”
He was telling the truth. At the time, he had simply felt compelled to help when he saw someone in trouble. He had never considered it a big deal, and he had never mentioned it to his family.
Standing nearby, Zhou Zhiguo now understood. His seemingly carefree son had actually done something so remarkable out there—and had even saved someone from the military!
Zhou Zhiguo turned to Zhou Xiaowei, his voice carrying both pride and mild reproach.
“You rascal, why have you never told us about this?”
“It was just a little thing, nothing worth mentioning.” Zhou Xiaowei scratched his head, looking bashful and sheepish.
Li Zhengtang then carried two large bundles down from the jeep and placed them on the table.
“Uncle, Brother Xiaowei, we didn’t bring anything valuable this time—just a small token of our gratitude. Please accept it.”
Zhou Zhiguo hurriedly waved him off. “No, no, we can’t accept this! It was only a small favor. How could we take your things?”
“Uncle, please don’t be so polite.” Li Zhengtang was firm. “This is a token of appreciation from our whole family. If you don’t accept it, we’ll feel terribly guilty.”
At the gate, a group of half-grown children continued circling the jeep, their eyes fixed on the two large bundles on the table in the main room. They swallowed hungrily.
Outside the courtyard, Zhou Xiaoying and Zhou Xiaomei were pretending to enjoy the shade beneath a tree, but their eyes remained glued to the gate of Zhou Zhiguo’s home. They strained their ears, listening intently to every sound coming from inside.
“Big Sis, look at how capable our eldest uncle’s family is. They even know people in the military!” Zhou Xiaomei clenched her teeth, her heart sour with envy.
Zhou Xiaoying was just as green with envy, though she stubbornly said, “What’s so great about that? He just got lucky!”
Zhou Xiaomei curled her lips and murmured, “From now on, Grandma will definitely start treating our eldest uncle’s family better too. When we were coming back from the fields just now, I saw Grandma there as well…”
Zhou Xiaoying gave a cold snort, a flash of jealousy flickering in her eyes. “So what if she treats them well? It’s not like we’re jealous!”
Her words sounded carefree enough, but inside, she was already consumed with envy.
The sisters hurried home and told Huang Meili everything they had seen and heard.
Huang Meili rolled her eyes, her voice dripping with disdain. “It’s nothing special! If you don’t have any ability of your own, knowing someone won’t do you any good!”
The news that someone from the army had come to Zhou Zhiguo’s home quickly spread throughout Wangjia Village.
The villagers discussed it among themselves, most of them speaking with envy and resentment.
Aunt Zhou returned from the vegetable garden and told Zhou Zhijun and his son about it. “…Xiaowei looks carefree all day long, but who would’ve thought he’d done such a great deed!”
Old Man Zhou was so delighted that his eyes narrowed into slits. He praised Xiaowei repeatedly. “Xiaowei has a kind heart, and he’s very thoughtful too!”
“Xiaowei is upright and kind. Of course he’d step in when he came across something like that!”
Chuntao remembered how a local hoodlum had blocked her on the road, and how Zhou Xiaowei had come to her rescue, sparing her from trouble.
She knew very well that Zhou Xiaowei had feelings for her. All she could do was silently hope that he would soon meet the girl he truly liked.
Zhou Zhijun kept his head down, shoveling food into his mouth, as though he hadn’t heard a word of their discussion.
Only after finishing the last bite did he set down his bowl and chopsticks and say in a steady voice, “There isn’t a coward among the Zhou family!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xiaowei pushed open the main gate and came in, a smile on his face.
“Second Uncle!”
“Second Uncle, come eat at our place! They’re soldiers from the People’s Liberation Army, and you used to serve too. You’ll have plenty to talk about!”
Zhou Zhijun had always been a tough, reserved man who disliked such superficial socializing. He put down his bowl and chopsticks, his brow drawing together slightly.
“I’ll pass. You can entertain the guests.”
The smile on Zhou Xiaowei’s face stiffened, but he stepped forward and urged him again. “Come on, Second Uncle! You served in the army before. If you go, it’ll make the occasion seem more important, won’t it?”
Old Man Zhou chimed in from the side, tapping the bowl of his tobacco pipe. “Go on, Second Son. They’re family. Xiaowei did a good deed, so as his elders, we should show our faces too. Don’t let people think our Zhou family doesn’t know proper etiquette.”
Zhou Zhijun fell silent for a moment. Memories of his glorious years in the army flashed through his mind. Then he looked at the hopeful expression on Zhou Xiaowei’s face, rose to his feet, and brushed the dust from his clothes.
“All right. I’ll go sit with them for a while.”
In the center of the main room at Zhou Zhiguo’s house, a square table had already been set with seven or eight dishes. There was a generous assortment of meat and vegetables.
Zhou Zhiguo and the two guests were already seated, but they had not yet begun eating.
When they saw Zhou Zhijun enter, they quickly rose to welcome him.
“Second Brother, you’re here! This is Comrade Li Zhengtang from the People’s Liberation Army, and this is Comrade Lin Xiuyun,” Zhou Zhiguo said hurriedly, introducing them.
Zhou Xiaowei stepped forward and pointed excitedly at Zhou Zhijun as he introduced him. “This is my second uncle! He used to serve in the army’s elite assault company and was even one of the backbone members of his unit!” His voice was filled with undisguised pride.
At those words, Li Zhengtang instantly straightened and gave Zhou Zhijun a crisp military salute. In a loud voice, he called out, “Hello, Squad Leader!”
Soldiers naturally felt an instant bond with one another. After that single salute, the two men, who had been strangers moments earlier, suddenly seemed much closer.
Once they had taken their seats, Lin Xiuyun noticed that Wang Haiying and Zhou Xiaobao were nowhere to be seen. She turned to Zhou Zhiguo and asked, “Where are Auntie and your little brother? Have them come over and eat with us.”
In rural households of that era, when honored guests came to visit, women and children were not allowed to eat at the same table. It was a custom—and also a consequence of poverty.
“Don’t worry about them. There are dishes in the kitchen. They can eat in there,” Zhou Zhiguo said with a hearty laugh.
Lin Xiuyun knew the rules in the countryside and could only let the matter drop.
“You’ve come such a long way, but we don’t have anything good to serve you.”
An apologetic smile crossed Zhou Zhiguo’s face. “It’s all food we grew ourselves. Don’t turn up your noses at it—go on and try some!”
As he spoke, he brought out a bottle of erguotou that Zhou Hongxia had bought for him the last time she came home.
He normally couldn’t bear to drink it. Only when such distinguished guests came to his house was he willing to open it.
Seeing this, Li Zhengtang hurriedly rose to decline. “Uncle, the army has regulations against drinking alcohol. Thank you for your kindness.”
Zhou Zhiguo was about to urge him again, but Zhou Zhijun stopped him with a glance.
Since Li Zhengtang was not drinking, Zhou Zhijun, a veteran himself, naturally would not break the rule in such company either.
“If you’re not drinking, then eat more!” Zhou Zhiguo urged them warmly.
The group ate and chatted at the same time. With Zhou Zhijun there, Li Zhengtang seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and the two began talking about all sorts of experiences from their days in the army.
Following Zhou Xiaowei’s way of addressing him, Li Zhengtang respectfully said, “Second Uncle, the elite assault company has always been the army’s top unit. The fact that you were able to join it back then is truly impressive!”
Zhou Zhijun’s expression remained calm. He lifted his bowl and took a small sip before slowly replying, “I simply fought for it when I was young. There’s nothing particularly impressive about it.
“Training was hard in those days. I just gritted my teeth and endured it with sheer determination.”
He raised his eyes to look at Li Zhengtang. “No matter what position you hold, the army values discipline and responsibility. You do your duty and complete your missions properly.”
“Second Uncle, you’re absolutely right. That’s exactly how we hold ourselves to the same standard in the army,” Li Zhengtang quickly agreed with a nod.
The corners of Zhou Zhijun’s mouth lifted slightly, and his tone softened. “The army is a great furnace for tempering people. Young men like you have plenty of room to make something of yourselves there!”
After a pause, his gaze shifted toward Zhou Xiaowei. “Xiaowei only did a small favor. You really don’t need to keep it in mind.”
Hearing this, Li Zhengtang stood once more, his expression solemn. “Second Uncle, our whole family will always remember this kindness.
“My father originally intended to come in person, but he simply couldn’t get away, so he sent me in his place.”
Zhou Zhijun gently waved a hand. “The army and the people are as close as fish and water. Helping each other is only natural. There’s no need to be so formal.”
Li Zhengtang was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Second Uncle, what years were you in the army?”
“I enlisted in ’64 and left the service in ’67,” Zhou Zhijun replied calmly.
“Which unit were you with back then, and where were you stationed?”
“I served in the Independent Regiment’s Assault Company under the Border City Military District,” Zhou Zhijun answered impassively.
“Really?” The surprise in Li Zhengtang’s eyes instantly intensified, and the question burst from him almost involuntarily. “Do you know a man named Lin Yaowu?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhou Zhijun’s hand tightened around his chopsticks and abruptly froze. His pupils contracted, and a violent wave of emotion flashed deep in his eyes!
