Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2685 A 35-Year Wait (Second Update, Please Subscribe)

Crowded, narrow.

Only those who have experienced it can understand what it feels like to have three generations of a family crammed into a home of less than 20 square meters.

A wooden bed frame was placed directly onto another wooden bed frame, and two nails were driven in to create a bunk bed. However, underneath the bunk bed was a box, which served as both a bed and a desk.

Lying on the bed, Sun Qifan stared blankly at the spider webs on the ceiling. Although the room was cramped, it was still home.

The courtyard was rather quiet around 9 a.m.

The courtyard housed a large and diverse population, with dozens of families crammed into one space. A few taps provided water, and makeshift coal sheds and kitchens were scattered everywhere. Half-rooms were crammed into the corridors wherever possible, making it barely habitable.

Just like the place he lives now, it's a makeshift structure under the corridor. He slept here before he left home, and now that he's back, it's still the same.

In the early morning, the courtyard was filled with all sorts of sounds. This was something he could never experience in the sparsely populated farms of the Northwest. This lively atmosphere and the bustling crowd were exactly what he had missed during his fourteen years there.

For the sake of this noisy, mundane family life, for the sake of this crowded place, she abandoned their marriage and their unborn child, and left him.

Silently smoking his pipe, Sun Qifan's eyes remained vacant; he had not yet recovered from his grief.

"Set sail..."

At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and Sun Xiuqi walked in. Looking at his grandson on the upper bunk, he grinned and said:

"How are you doing? You're back, have you settled in?"

"Um,"

Sun Qifan nodded, quickly got out of bed, and said:

"Grandpa, is something the matter?"

"Here's the thing, now that you're back, I'm thinking of partitioning off another room so you'll have somewhere to sleep and won't have to squeeze in here anymore."

Hearing his grandfather say this, Sun Qifan quickly replied:

"No need, no need, no need to spend that money."

"It won't cost much, just a few boards and newspapers. By the way, I'll go ask around on the street later. Who knows, I might find a job. Oh, and some of my former students live in the city. I'll see if I can ask them for help."

After saying this, Sun Xiuqi sighed and said:

"It's a pity you're a bit too old, otherwise, with your grades, you would definitely be able to get into university."

As he said this, Sun Xiuqi's eyes were full of regret and even more heartache. So many years had passed, and his child's life had been ruined.

"Grandpa, it doesn't matter what university it is. As long as I can come back and spend time with you and Grandma, that's enough. As for work... didn't the neighborhood committee say to wait and see? Maybe they'll hear back soon."

Just as they were saying this, a shout suddenly came from outside the door.

"Old Sun, Old Sun. Is Old Sun home?"

The sound grew closer, and then a woman wearing a white polyester short-sleeved shirt walked over, followed by two people. One of them, dressed in a white uniform, immediately spoke to Old Sun with a stern face:
"Old Sun, I've finally found you! I called you but you didn't answer."

"Director Liu, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, what's wrong with you..."

Before Sun Xiuqi could finish speaking, Director Liu said:

"Forget the formalities, this is Comrade Xu from the Public Security Bureau. He's here to see you. You'd better explain yourself properly if there's anything wrong. Oh, and..."

what?
"It's been so many years, what's there to explain now?"

Seeing this, Sun Qifan quickly stepped forward, but before he could speak, his grandfather grabbed his hand and said:
"Qifan, quick, quickly pour tea for Comrade Xu."

Looking at the grandfather and grandson in front of him, although he didn't know what was going on, Song Fan quickly explained:
"It's a misunderstanding, sir. Please don't misunderstand. Comrade Xu came with me. I came from abroad specifically to see Mr. Sun."

"From abroad?"

Director Liu exclaimed in surprise:

"Oh, they're foreign guests."

"From abroad..." It seemed like a casual remark, but it made Sun Xiuqi's heart tighten. He looked at the other person, and Song Fan was also looking at him. They... really did look alike.

The man in the photo, Sun Yibang, looks very much like the seventy- or eighty-year-old man in front of us. As for the man next to him, his appearance is so similar to that of Sun Yibang in the photo that they seem to be cut from the same mold.

"You, you are..."

Faced with their surprise, Song Fan asked with a serious expression.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Sun Xiuqi?"

Although the young man in front of him was wearing a shirt, Sun Xiuqi noticed that when the man spoke, his expression became solemn, his body straightened, and his tone changed.

"Yes, it is."

"Excuse me, is your wife Ms. Ji Jinru?"

"Yes, it is."

At this moment, an old woman with a full head of white hair came out of the house. As if she had realized something, she clenched her hands tightly, her eyes were filled with tears, and her lips trembled slightly.

"Sir, is there news from Yi Bang...?"

Sun Qifan seemed to realize this as well. He looked at the other person in disbelief, his eyes filled with a complex mix of joy and confusion.

"He...he's still alive..."

Sun Xiuqi's tone was full of uncertainty, and at this point Song Fan no longer needed to confirm his identity, but he still needed to confirm it further.

Finally, after confirming his enlistment information and seeing his photo, he looked at the elderly couple in front of him, their eyes filled with expectation.

But he still saluted with extremely slow movements, and then said:
"Mr. Sun, Ms. Ji, I'm so sorry we couldn't bring you good news..." As soon as he finished speaking, tears streamed down Sun Xiuqi and his wife's faces.

"Your son, Sergeant Sun Yibang, was killed in action in Toulon, France on September 3, 1944."

After saying that, he slowly lowered his hand and took out a letter from the briefcase at his feet—a death notice that was thirty-five years overdue.

The white envelope had turned yellow; it was a death notice that hadn't been sent thirty-five years ago, but had finally been delivered.

When Sun Xiuqi received the letter, his hands trembled and his lips quivered slightly. He didn't even know how to open the letter, so in the end, Sun Qifan tore open the envelope.

Then he saw the contents of the letter.
To: Mr. Sun Xiuqi, it is with deep regret that we inform you that your son, Sergeant Sun Yibang, was killed in action on September 3, 1944, during Operation Dragoon in Toulon, France. His sacrifice was the highest dedication in service to the country.

We extend our deepest condolences. Further details will be provided by the Office of Casualties. Please contact us for further information.

Allied Search Team Commander: Li Yi'an

The death notices issued back then were all personally signed by Li Yi'an.

As he read the letter, tears instantly welled up in Sun Qifan's eyes. His lips trembled slightly as he said:

"dad……"

A son shouldn't have torn up his father's death notice, and now, thirty-five years later, the posthumous child has grown up. After waiting thirty-five years, all he received was a thin death notice.

Sun Xiuqi had already returned to the ground. He held his wife tightly. For the past 35 years, he had harbored many fantasies, imagining that one day, their son would return to their side.

Even after the resumption of family visits, he imagined that perhaps one day his son would return, just like those who came to visit their relatives.

His son was in an Allied search team, and later they both went to SEA...

However, this death notice shattered all illusions.

Seeing this scene before him, Xu Shengli felt a mix of emotions. As a former soldier, he couldn't help but sigh.

Thirty-five years have passed... and finally, it's here.

Just then, he heard Mr. Sun let out a long sigh. He patted his wife's hand and said:
"Alright, alright, Jinru, we've finally made it. Qifan, go to your mother's workplace and find her. She's waited for your father for so many years, and she's the one who's most heartbroken..."

Finally, the letter, 35 years late, has finally reached the hands of their loved ones.

Thirty-five years ago, when they received their death notices, they would be heartbroken and weep uncontrollably. But now, thirty-five years later, when they receive these death notices, they feel more relieved.

Thirty-five years of waiting, thirty-five years of anticipation. All of this came to an end with the arrival of a death notice.

After the initial heartbreak, they felt relieved.

Liang Mei was picked up by her son's workplace. She held onto the bicycle seat tightly with both hands the whole way.

She thought a lot, but she didn't think about the hardships of raising the child and taking care of her in-laws.

Instead, it was the scene from when she first met him more than 30 years ago. At that time, she was a young girl, and he was a spirited young man.

After learning that he had chosen to join the army, she married him without hesitation, because she knew that in that war, soldiers would almost always die.

A 35-year wait.

35 years of anticipation.

35 years of tears.

At this moment, everyone seemed to have let go.

Sensing the silence behind him, Sun Qifan asked.

"Mother, what kind of person is my father?"

This was the first time in all these years that he had asked this question. In fact, he had even hated him, but now he just wanted to know about his father, whom he had never met.

"He was tall and handsome, just like you. You don't know, back then, many girls in school had a crush on him, and some even wrote him love letters..."

Liang Mei's memory seemed to take her back to more than 30 years ago, to the day they first met.

She had a smile on her face, but her eyes were filled with tears.

And so, she talked to her son about his and their little moments along the way.

Sometimes laughter would come from her mouth, and sometimes tears would flow from her eyes.

Only the hands gripping the seat tightly were trembling, and even the shoulders were shaking.

Finally, I'm home.

The gate of the courtyard was crowded with people, all of whom had heard the news and come to see what was going on.

When Liang Mei returned, everyone turned their attention to her and her son, their gazes filled with curiosity and sympathy.

Of course, there are still doubts.

Most people are just confused, since this whole thing sounds a bit too far-fetched. Having overseas connections in your family is something to be envied.

Then, the family will naturally be able to live a good life.

But what about the Sun family?

But they took a different approach. A foreign guest, not a relative, came to their door, bringing news of their son's death.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, no one can say for sure.

(End of this chapter)