Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 175 Since we're already here, let's go see our old comrades.

He Yuyu's trip was a complete waste, though it wasn't entirely for nothing. On the way, he saw people selling tea, so he bought a few tea seedlings and asked how to make tea. He'll try it himself when he gets back.

After returning to China, He Yuzhu left the group. Anyway, he didn't have anything to report back to; he was just a bystander.

He even called his department to ask for leave. He was already in the south, so it wouldn't be right not to go and see Wu Qianli and the others.

They are now stationed near Quanzhou. Their first letter after returning to China was sent in 1955, when they shared with He Yuzhu that they had also been granted military ranks.

Perhaps because He Yuzhu hadn't replied, these guys got worried and sent another letter. He Daqing helped He Yuzhu reply to the letter, and then another letter came asking He Yuzhu to write a letter when he returned.

It's been a long time since this happened, and the He family had all forgotten about it. It wasn't until He Yuzhu went out this time saying he was going to the south that Chen Lanxiang remembered it and dug out the letter.

After receiving the letter, He Yuzhu looked at the concern and joy shared by his comrades in their words, and he really missed them; it had been six years since they last met.

Originally, he planned to look for an opportunity later, but he was very disappointed with this trip to Cambodia, so he decided to fulfill this wish.

I boarded the train in Nanning, and wow, what a journey! To get from Guangxi to Fujian, I had to take the Xiang-Gui Railway to Hengyang, then transfer to the Zhe-Gan Railway to Yingtan, then transfer to the Ying-Xia Railway to enter Fujian, and finally arrive in Xiamen.

It was a bit of a hassle, but the prospect of seeing his comrades-in-arms, with whom he had shared life and death, made He Yuzhu completely ignore the fatigue of the journey.

Upon arriving in Xiamen, He Yuzhu changed buses again, but there was no direct route to the military base. After getting off the bus, he also hitched a ride on an oxcart. The last leg of the journey was on foot, but he had more things with him: cigarettes, alcohol, candy, tea, and some canned goods. He carried a large bag full on his back and two other items in his hands.

Once he arrived at the military base, if he hadn't had a demobilization certificate, he wouldn't have been able to find out where Wu Qianli and the others were; his work permit and letter of introduction were useless.

He found it by following the mailing address, and it led him to the logistics department.

When people saw that he was a former soldier who had been demobilized from the Korean Peninsula, their enthusiasm for him was palpable.

They even sent a car to take him to Wu Qianli's base. He was going to call, but He Yuzhu said he wanted to give those guys a surprise, so he didn't.

When they arrived at the location, the soldiers on guard saw that it was a logistics vehicle and wondered why it was a jeep, which wasn't the usual time for delivering messages. They thought it couldn't be a supply vehicle.

However, upon seeing that there was a person in the car who wasn't wearing a military uniform, they immediately stopped him.

As He Yuzhu got out of the car, the soldier who had stopped him was about to ask a question when the duty sergeant behind him shouted, "Old company commander, what brings you here?"

He Yuzhu looked in the direction of the voice and recognized the man. He was a replenishment soldier from their company during their rest period in Hamhung after the Battle of Chosin Reservoir.

"Guo Eryong?"

"Company Commander, do you remember me? Do the battalion commander and the others know you're here?"

"do not know yet."

"Then I'll go tell them," Guo Eryong said, and started to run inside.

"Stop right there. You're still on guard duty. Just make a phone call."

"Yes."

The logistics driver, seeing that there was no need for him to deliver it himself, was about to say goodbye and leave.

He Yuzhu expressed his gratitude and gave the driver a pack of cigarettes. The driver was hesitant to accept it back, as they couldn't afford to smoke these cigarettes here. In the end, He Yuzhu insisted on giving them to him.

After waiting at the gate for a while, two men rushed out of the barracks. The big guy who ran faster shouted as he ran, "Zhu Zi, I missed you so much!"

Indeed, it was Yu Congrong. When He Yuzhu saw these familiar faces, his smile never stopped.

Yu Congrong ran up to him, picked him up, and swung him around. He was overjoyed to see his comrade-in-arms after so many years.

After putting He Yuzhu down, he punched He Yuzhu twice in the chest. He Yuzhu, of course, didn't hold back and punched him twice in return. Then the two of them gave each other a big hug.

"Old Yu, I've missed you guys so much!"

"Haha, us too. You've been really busy since you came back to China. It's been so long since you came to see us."

"This trip is also a business trip to the south, and I took leave to come here."

"I'll stay a few more days, otherwise I won't do it. I'll try my best."

"Wanli, what are you standing there for? You always talk about your brother Zhuzi, why are you acting like a fool now that he's here?"

Unexpectedly, Wu Wanli stood at attention, saluted He Yuzhu, and shouted, "Good morning, Company Commander! Welcome back to the unit!"

"At ease!" He Yuzhu returned the salute and shouted.

Wu Qianli lowered his hand and rested for a moment.

He Yuzhu stepped forward and punched him lightly: "You little brat, I'm not a company commander anymore, you don't need to do this. It's been years, you've grown taller."

Wu Wanli grinned at He Yuzhu, who was more than half a head taller than him, and thought to himself, "Who's taller than you?"

"He's really gone a bit naive. He used to be such a chatterbox. Now he's a platoon leader?" He Yuzhu asked Yu Congrong.

"Yeah, it was 1955. He's changed a lot since he became a platoon leader."

"And you, still the company commander? No one's even mentioned a promotion?"

"There's no more fighting, I can't lift it anymore."

"Yes, but I would rather there had never been that war."

"Ah."

Everyone fell silent.

"Come on, come on, hurry up and go inside. What are you doing standing at the gate? Wanli, why don't you help your brother Zhu carry your bag?"

As Yu Congrong spoke, he picked up the largest bag that He Yuzhu had placed on the ground, while Wu Qianli carried two smaller bags.

"Wow, what are you carrying? It's so heavy," Yu Congrong said.

"You'll know in a minute."

"Looks like you brought a lot of good stuff. Let's go, let's head to the company headquarters first."

The group strode into the military camp. When they arrived at the company headquarters, Yu Congrong introduced the political instructor. He Yuzhu didn't recognize him because Mei Sheng had gone to the camp, and their company was no longer there. This instructor must have come later.

"Comrade He, hello, hello! Your name is renowned. Every time I go to the battalion or regiment, you are always mentioned whenever the topic of fighting comes up."

"Hello to you too!" He Yuzhu said politely.

"You guys chat, I'll go do something else." Seeing that he couldn't talk to anyone, the instructor made an excuse to leave.

"Was what he just said true?" After the instructor left, He Yuzhu looked at Yu Congrong.

Yu Congrong nodded and said, "With your combat record, not to mention the regiment, no one in the division or the army can surpass you. Everyone feels sorry for you. Why did you transfer to civilian work?"

"The war is over!" He Yuzhu said.

"Yes, it's over." There was a hint of melancholy in Yu Congrong's voice. Being a soldier in peacetime is the hardest thing.

"Brother Zhu, sit down, sit down, I'll get you some water." Wu Wanli pulled He Yuzhu to sit down and then went to get some water.

"What have you been busy with these past few years?" Yu Congrong asked.

"Just running around aimlessly, mainly chasing after Russian bears."

"Hey, you're something else, running off abroad again."

"As for work, I just got back from Cambodia."

"You're awesome!" Yu Congrong gave a thumbs up.

"Brother Zhu, what's it like outside?" Wu Wanli asked, standing to the side after pouring the water.

"That's just how it is. There are people better than us and people worse than us. After all, we were at war for the first few decades."

"It really is."

The group chatted for a while longer, and He Yuzhu told them everything he could. Suddenly, a loud voice came from outside: "Zhuzi, Zhuzi, where are you, kid?"

He Yuzhu got up and walked out. He recognized the voice all too well; it was Xiong Jie.

"Pillar!"

"Old Bear!"

The two hugged each other as soon as they met, patting each other's backs loudly.

"I missed you so much! Couldn't you have come to see us sooner?"

"I'd like to, but I don't have the time."

"Stay a few more days."

"it is good."

As soon as the two separated, another figure walked over and gave them a bear hug as well.

"Pillar."

"Company commander."

"You've grown taller and stronger. Looks like you're doing quite well."

“It’s okay, it’s okay!”

"Hahaha, you'd better join us for a good drink tonight, we've already asked our superiors for leave."

"no problem."

Mei Sheng wasn't as reserved today either; after the two parted, he gave He Yuzhu a big hug.

"Pillar."

"Instructor."

"Everyone misses you."

"I" "No need to say anything, we all know, we all know, your work is also very important."

Mei Sheng gently patted He Yuzhu's back.

"Let's go inside and talk. We've got a lot to chat about today," Xiong Jie said casually after the two parted ways.

"Okay," everyone responded.

During the conversation, He Yuzhu learned why these people had arrived a little late—they were waiting for Xiong Jie, who was now the battalion commander of another battalion. He had originally planned to return to the peninsula, which was why he had come with Wu Qianli and the others.

As a result, after returning to China, he went straight south. The regiment felt it was a waste to have so many generals crammed into one battalion, so they transferred him away.

The others haven't changed much. Mei Sheng also submitted a transfer application, but it wasn't approved by his superiors because of his eyes. They did send him to a big hospital for treatment, but it didn't help much.

In recent years, they started by engaging in military-civilian construction in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas.

Then an order came and we were brought here, and every day it was just training, training, and more training.

He Yuzhu spoke in slightly more detail this time than before, mainly because Mei Sheng is not easily fooled and likes to nitpick the details, of course, all of which are things he can talk about.

When the group heard that He Yuzhu had gone to university, and a foreign university at that, and that his degree was a level higher than that of a regular university student, they were stunned.

Mei Sheng was envious; he also wanted to continue studying and teaching.

"Instructor, how are your wife and my niece doing now?" Among these people, only Mei Sheng was married, so He Yuzhu could only ask him.

"It's alright," Mei Sheng said, clearly not speaking his mind.

“What do you mean it’s okay? How good can it be for a woman to stay at home with a child?” Wu Qianli said.

"Instructor, give me your home address. I'll visit you when I have time," He Yuzhu said.

"No need, everything's fine at home."

“Don’t listen to him. I know he won’t give it to you, he won’t give it to you,” Wu Qianli said.

“When I leave, you all give me your addresses.”

"What are you doing? All of us are doing fine at home," Xiong Jie said.

"Good my ass, the two brothers from the Wu family are both here, only their elderly parents are left at home."

"You, Old Xiong, are about the same, as are Old Yu."

The group fell silent.

"Keep him. Anyway, Zhu Zi is very capable, so we might as well use him." Wu Qianli said through gritted teeth.

“Then let’s keep it,” Xiong Jie and Yu Congrong said.

“Don’t look at me, you all stayed, of course I’m going to stay too.” This time Mei Sheng didn’t hold back.

"now it's right."

"Zhu Zi, you're in charge of cooking tonight. It's been so long since I've had your cooking. I've been missing it terribly. You promised to cook a big feast for us when you came back," Xiong Jie said.

"Can't you let him rest for a bit? He's been in the car for so long," Mei Sheng said.

"It's alright, I'm in great shape," He Yuzhu said.

“Then you do it. You’re a higher-ranking person than me now, so it’s your turn to treat us to a good meal,” Wu Qianli said.

"That's right, a division-level officer, isn't that the same level as our regimental commander?"

“Deputy Regiment Commander,” He Yuzhu corrected.

"If you get promoted, you'll become a regimental commander."

"Hahahaha." Everyone burst into laughter; they were just looking for an excuse.

Then He Yuzhu started taking out the cigarettes, alcohol, candy, and tea he had brought.

"Wow, what kind of place did you rob? You have more stuff than our service center?"

"I bought them along the way, a little bit at each place."

“So much, it must have cost a lot of money. We’ll chip in and pay you back later,” Mei Sheng said.

"If that's what you mean, then I'm not doing this anymore. Is this little bit of money worth more than our life-or-death friendship?"

“But this is too much,” Xiong Jie said.

"Mm." Wu Qianli nodded.

“Unlike you guys, who only get a small allowance each month, I get over a hundred yuan a month.”

"That's a bit higher than us, so we'll take advantage of the big spenders." Seeing He Yuzhu say this, Wu Qianli couldn't say anything else, so he could only say that.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Yu Congrong opened a pack of cigarettes and gave one to each person.

He Yuzhu finally smiled; this little thing was nothing to him.

That evening, He Yuzhu showed off his skills, preparing Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, and two Shanghai dishes. Of course, it was his first time making them, and Mei Sheng almost cried while eating them.

Due to limited resources in the military, the meals were mostly vegetarian, but fortunately, there was no shortage of green vegetables in the area.

At the start, He Yuzhu didn't even ask for drinks to be poured. He said directly, "Let's eat first, otherwise I'm afraid you'll regret it tomorrow."

Without any ceremony, the group first enjoyed a feast of dishes, and after eating until they were about half full, they started drinking.

After a few rounds of drinks, He Yuzhu announced his engagement, which made the group of old bachelors envious, and they kept toasting him.

The six men drank ten bottles of baijiu. Except for Mei Sheng, who was a little more restrained, the others were all knocked out and taken back to the barracks to sleep by He Yuzhu.

The next morning, when the group saw that he was acting as if nothing had happened, they all stopped drinking with him and never tried again.

Then the group took He Yuzhu to see the soldiers' training. He Yuzhu just watched without asking any questions, which made them very happy.

Because their information also has a security classification.

He Yuzhu knew exactly what the training was about at a glance, but he didn't say it out loud, since he wasn't a member of the military anymore.

After looking around, Wu Qianli was given a day off to take He Yuzhu out for a stroll. Since this area is by the sea, they said that He Yuzhu had never seen the sea before and had to go see it.

As for the others, it was only because their superiors couldn't leave that they were allowed to have a drink.

After Hai saw it, He Yuzhu asked Wu Wanli to take him to see the tea gardens here, since this place produces Tieguanyin tea.

After buying several kilograms of tea, He Yuzhu also picked up a few tea seedlings.

He Yuzhu stayed for three days, but the people were too busy, so he took his leave.

Leaving was much more painful than arriving; who knows how many years it will be before we see each other again.

"If you leave the army, remember to let me know. If you can't make it in civilian life, come find me in Beijing."

“You think you can do everything you want? You think you can assign us jobs? I’m telling you, we can’t make mistakes,” Wu Qianli said.

“Am I that kind of person? As long as you can transfer your demobilization records to Beijing, I’ll find a way to make sure you have jobs.”

"Alright, we're not from Beijing, so even if we're demobilized, we won't end up there. Besides, we all have families, so we'll definitely go back to our hometowns."

"Who can predict what will happen in the future? Remember what I said, my family will not move."

“Okay, we’ve got it all. Be careful on the road,” Mei Sheng said.

"Let's go." He Yuzhu saluted, and after everyone returned the salute, he turned and walked towards the military vehicle.

Because he had just seen that Wu Wanli's eyes were already filled with tears.

The group watched the car disappear from sight before Wu Qianli said, "Let's go back."

"I really hate to part with it," Yu Congrong said.

"We'll meet again," Mei Sheng said.

"Yes, now that the war is over, there will always be opportunities to meet."

He Yuzhu had a military vehicle take him to the long-distance bus station. He bought a ticket to Wuyishan. He was already in Fujian, how could he not go and see the Da Hong Pao tea trees? He didn't know when he would be able to come back again.

When he arrived at Wuyi Mountain, he asked around all the way before he finally saw the mother trees, which were growing on the cliffs. Although they are now protected, they are not as strictly protected as before.

As for tea, since it wasn't harvesting season, there wasn't any available. He Yuzhu ended up exchanging some grain with the local villagers for some.

Of course, they also received a few very small saplings in exchange.

After descending Wuyi Mountain, He Yuzhu did not return to Beijing. Instead, he headed east and first visited Wu Qianli's home. He left some food and daily necessities, of course, secretly, and instructed Wu's parents not to tell anyone. Finally, he left his address, saying that they could contact him if needed.

He then went to Shanghai and found Mei Sheng's home. Mei Sheng's daughter was already in junior high school, and there was also a six or seven-year-old boy in the family. It seems that Mei Sheng did not forget to carry on the family line when he returned home to visit his relatives.

He Yuzhu showed his identification, and only then did Mei Sheng's wife believe that he was Mei Sheng's comrade-in-arms, because no one had ever said this before, and Mei Sheng had never mentioned in his letters that there were any comrades-in-arms who were not in the army.

He Yuzhu left behind some food and daily necessities; you need everything to make a living.

He Yuzhu said he had just gone to the army base and they sent it over, so Sister Mei didn't suspect anything.

They insisted that He Yuzhu stay for dinner, so he had no choice but to eat. The meal was very simple, indicating that he was not having an easy time.

Finally, He Yuzhu left his address, saying that he could contact him if needed.

Aunt Mei took it as a polite gesture, since the two places were quite far apart, but she still accepted it.

He Yuzhu didn't run away from Xiong Jie and Yu Congrong's home; he didn't have time. He just mailed some things over, signed by their son.

After leaving Shanghai, He Yuzhu took the train all the way back to Beijing. After getting off the train, he found a tricycle and took it back to Nanluoguxiang.

　Thank you to readers Sangeng and Shu10096 for the generous donations! Thank you for your support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)