บท 2: The Injured Li Family’s Third Son

In winter, the days are shorter than the nights, and people go to bed early to save candle or lamp oil. When it was completely dark, a group of people rode a tractor into the village. When the tractor stopped in front of Li's house, the loud sound caught the attention of the neighbors. The villagers came out one after another to see what was going on.

They started whispering when they saw two men in military uniforms helping a tall, slender man off a tractor.

"Yi? Isn't that the third son of the Li family?" One of them said with uncertainty.

As they entered the front yard, other villagers added, "It seems to be him. But why was he carried in?"

A villager climbed up the fence to take a closer look and gasped. Hearing his gasp, others asked, "What happened?"

"Heavens, I just saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage, and there was still a trace of blood on it. He was injured!" The villager said exaggeratedly, patting his chest.

"Are you sure?" the other asked, with a hint of joy in her voice.

"Hey, why do you sound happy? It's a pity he was injured, but you as the neighbor take pleasure in his adversity."

"Don't talk nonsense. I don't." She said and hurried back to her home.

After she left, another villager said, "This time, it's not just the Li family that needs to worry about him. It seems that the Lu family also needs to worry about him."

"Why did you say that?"

"Don't you know? Lu Jueyu and Li Chenmo got engaged two years ago. The two families have already chosen a date several months ago, which should be after the Chinese New Year. Now that he has suffered such an injury, I don't know if the Lu family will continue with the marriage."

"They won't be so unreasonable, will they? If they do call off the engagement, their reputation will be ruined."

"Do you think Lu Jueyu cares about her reputation? If she cared, she wouldn't do such a thing. Who doesn't know that she is arrogant, lazy, and spends money like water?"

Hearing his words, everyone nodded.

Just as they were immersed in gossip, Father Li was woken up by a knock on the door. It's so late, so if someone comes, there must be some urgent matter. Since Li's mother passed away, their family has been separated. So at this moment, Father Li is the only one staying in Li's house. As for the eldest and second sons, they have built their own houses and live with their own families.

Knock knock knock!

Hearing another knock on the door, Father Li said, "Coming, who is it?"

When he opened the door, he was stunned to see his third son being carried by his comrades. He looked at his bandaged legs and stomach.

"Father." Li Chenmo said with a weary smile.

After several days on the road, he was tired and looked miserable. He felt guilty for making his father worry when he saw his father looking at him with wide eyes full of shock. But at the moment there was nothing he could do. For him, being able to come back alive is already a blessing.

When he came back to his senses, Father Li quickly opened the door wider, stepped aside, and said, "Come in, come in."

"Hello, Uncle, where is Brother Chenmo's room?" a soldier asked.

"It's here."

Father Li hurriedly opened the door on the left and asked them to help his son lie on the Kang bed.

After they were done, they said to Father Li, "Uncle, it's getting late, so we will take our leave first."

Father Li was very grateful for their help and said, "It's getting late, so why don't you stay overnight? Uncle will cook some noodles for you."

They looked at Li Chenmo and saw him nodding. With the captain's permission, they said, "Then, we won't be polite. Sorry to disturb Uncle Li."

After hearing what they said, Father Li smiled and said, "No problem. Thank you for your help. You sit down first, I'm going to cook."

They went to the living room to get the chairs and sat in the room. They sat with their heads bowed, and the atmosphere was depressing. Sensing their feelings, Li Chenmo sighed.

"Have you all forgotten what I said?" he asked.

"No, Captain," they said in unison.

"So, what's with these faces?" he asked again.

They clamped their mouths and said nothing. After a long time, one of them finally said, "Captain, I'm sorry. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been injured and wouldn't have retired from the military."

After hearing his words, he started to sob. The others heard him cry and cried too.

"As a man, you can bleed, but you can't cry." Li Chenmo said with a frown.

Noticing his stern tone, they tried to stop their tears. When Father Li finished cooking the noodles, he saw that the group of burly men were crying like children, and he realized that something was wrong. He looked at his third son worriedly.

Li Chenmo said, "Let's eat first."

Hearing what he said, they went to get the food and brought him a bowl. The noodles are thick and made with white flour, so they have a good taste. Next to the vegetables were two slices of pork and an egg. The soldiers were stunned when they saw the meat and eggs. They didn't expect Father Li not only gave them a big bowl of noodles but also meat and eggs.

In this day and age, eggs, and meat are very precious. It is very common for people to eat meat once a year. While eggs are available at the state-run supply stores, they are expensive. Therefore, this bowl of noodles shows the sincerity and enthusiasm of Father Li.

Seeing that they were only staring at the noodles, Father Li urged them, "Eat it while it's hot, otherwise the noodles won't taste good if they turn soggy."