Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

The desolate mountain behind Sishui Town is shrouded in a chilling mist all year round.

Liu Ming trudged through the damp fallen leaves, making her way up the mountainside, followed by Tank carrying two bundles of joss paper and a bottle of strong liquor.

He hadn't dared to return to this place for five years.

It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he dared not. He was afraid that his bloody smell would disturb the peace of the two elders, and even more afraid that he wouldn't have the face to stand in front of those two low mounds before he got Luo Binwang's head.

"Boss, it's over there." Tank stopped and pointed.

Following the direction of the finger, Liu Ming felt as if her heart had been squeezed tightly, the pain so intense that even her breath tasted of blood.

Two solitary graves nestled among piles of rubble. The wild grass on the grave mounds had grown to waist height, swaying withered yellow in the autumn wind, resembling two faces mocking Liu Ming's unfilial piety.

Liu Ming walked over quickly, stumbled, and knelt down directly in front of the tombstone, which was damaged by the rain.

"Dad...Mom...I'm home."

His voice was so hoarse it was unbelievable, like two rusty iron pieces grinding against each other.

Tank's eyes reddened at the sight of this desolate scene. He put down what he was holding, rolled up his sleeves, and tried to charge forward.

"Boss, this grass is growing too wildly. Let me do it. I'm good at this."

"Don't move." Liu Ming didn't turn around, but just growled softly.

He stretched out his hand, fingers spread wide, and plunged it fiercely into the clump of tough, withered grass, pulling hard. The grass roots, still damp and cold, were uprooted, and the edges of the blades, like sharp blades, instantly cut several gashes in his calloused hand, drawing blood, but he didn't even flinch.

Tank was stamping his feet in frustration. "Boss, with your current status, how can you do this kind of rough work? Let me do it! These bastards from Sishui Town live at the foot of the mountain and have never once come up to weed for this old man!"

"They're not qualified." Liu Ming continued weeding without turning her head, her movements almost self-destructive and obsessive. "The old couple are afraid of getting dirty; I don't trust outsiders' hands. Tank, you can just hand me the wine."

"Okay, whatever you say." Tank sighed, squatted down beside him, and tore open the packaging of the joss paper.

A dozen minutes later, the grave, which had been overgrown with weeds, was finally cleared clean. Liu Ming sat on the wet mud, took out a clean white silk handkerchief from her bosom, and wiped away the blurred words on the tombstone bit by bit.

"Boss, the wine is ready." Tank handed over the bottle of Lao Baigan, then silently retreated ten meters away, guarding the only mountain path at the entrance of the alley like an iron tower.

Liu Ming unscrewed the cap, and the pungent aroma of the wine instantly filled the air. He placed two porcelain bowls in front of the grave, filled them, and then slowly poured one bowl of wine onto the soil.

"Dad, this is your favorite brand. Before, we didn't have enough money, so we could only buy it for you in bulk. Now that your son has money, you can drink as much as you want."

He tilted his head back and took a big gulp, coughing violently from the spiciness, tears streaming down his face and into his collar.

"I've completed the path you didn't finish back then." Liu Ming stared at her father's photo on the tombstone, her voice soft but carrying a strength that could comfort the departed soul.

"That old beast Luo Binwang is now lying on the floor of Qincheng Prison, waiting to die. I've submitted all the evidence you gathered back then. I didn't spare a single big tiger in the entire Jiangnan Province; they were all sacrificed to make an example of you. Dad, shouldn't you swallow this insult?"

Liu Ming paused, then looked at the smaller grave next to her, her eyes instantly becoming extremely gentle, even carrying a childlike attachment.

"Mom, I've become an official. A vice minister, a proper vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission. Now everyone in China knows that your son is successful. Those relatives who used to look down on us and throw dirty water at our house are now kneeling at the entrance of the hutongs in Beijing, begging me to give them a job."

"If you were still here, you would definitely scold me, telling me not to be so arrogant and to be more humble."

Liu Ming chuckled self-deprecatingly, then poured another bowl of wine. "But I can't help it. I just want to show them that your son hasn't disgraced the Liu family."

"Oh, right, I also met two girls. Do you remember Nangong Yao? That crazy girl I used to hang out with, she's now the world's richest woman. And the other one is Xi Wanqing, her personality is quite like yours, a bit stubborn, but with a really good heart. Mom, I wish you could meet them in person."

The mountain wind suddenly picked up in the distance, making the surrounding dead trees rustle.

Liu Ming seemed oblivious to the cold, rambling on and on, from his beginnings in Qingyun County to the battles in Ningzhou, and his unwavering stance at the international negotiating table. These achievements, which seemed earth-shattering to outsiders, sounded to him like a primary school student reporting his test results to his parents after school.

"Boss, it's almost time. The clouds are closing in; it looks like it's going to rain heavily soon," Tank whispered a reminder from a distance.

Liu Ming nodded and stood up, supporting himself on his knees. He straightened his wind-blown black suit, stood solemnly between the two graves, and took a deep breath of the earthy, fragrant air of his hometown.

"Tank, come here."

Tank strode over. "Boss, what's the order?"

"Stay here and guard this place for me. I'm going to rebuild the tomb for my parents." Liu Ming's eyes were firm. "I won't use any outside construction teams; I'll build it myself. The tomb foundation will be made from a single piece of white marble from the Qilian Mountains. I want to make up for all the blessings my parents didn't get to enjoy in their lives, even after they die. Also, I've bought this entire mountain. From now on, this will be the Liu family's private forbidden land. Let's see who dares to disturb us then."

"Understood, I'll contact the brothers right away and seal off the perimeter." Tank deftly pulled out his walkie-talkie.

Liu Ming knelt down again, facing the tombstone, and slammed her forehead heavily against the hard floor tiles.

Once, twice, three times.

The dull thud echoed across the barren mountain, each impact seemingly shattering the grievances and bitterness that had accumulated over a decade.

When he raised his head for the last time, there was a faint trace of blood on his forehead, but his eyes were clearer than ever before.

"Dad, Mom, your son has made something of himself."

This murmur was carried away by the autumn wind and dissipated into the yellow ashes of the paper.

Tank put away his walkie-talkie, walked over, and helped Liu Ming up. "Boss, it's raining. Shall we go?"

Liu Ming looked at the gradually blurring tombstone and gently shook her head.

"Wait a little longer."

"Wait for what?" Tank was taken aback.

"Once this rain washes away the old soil on this mountain," Liu Ming said quietly, "starting tomorrow, this place will be new."

"Okay, then I'll stay here with you and get soaked for a while."

"tank."

"Um?"

"Thanks."

"Boss, you're being too polite. We're brothers, we don't need to talk about this." Tank chuckled, opening a large black umbrella to shield Liu Ming's head.

The two stood in the wind and rain, resembling two eternal stone sculptures.

"Boss, after we get back to Beijing, shouldn't we take down that last big tiger?"

"Almost there, the bait has been cast, let's see when he takes the bait."

"That's great, I've been looking forward to that day."

"Let's go, get back in the car."

"Okay."