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

Ningzhou, Nanshan Martyrs' Cemetery.

The thin autumn mist had not yet completely dissipated, and the entire mountain range was shrouded in a solemn and almost sacred tranquility. The surrounding pines and cypresses, washed by the rain, were even more verdant, like silent guards protecting this sleeping soul.

Liu Ming pushed open the car door.

He didn't let Tank and the others follow, and even his inseparable companions Xi Wanqing and Nangong Yao were left in the car at the foot of the mountain.

He wanted to take a walk alone, to walk along the bluestone steps that he had wandered through countless times in his dreams.

Footsteps echoed through the empty valley.

Liu Ming was carrying a bulging black travel bag in one hand, and in the other hand, she was tightly clutching a pack of Hongmei cigarettes that cost two yuan a pack and had long been extinct in the market. It was her father's only hobby.

When he stepped onto the last step and stood in front of the white marble tombstone, he was completely stunned.

The scene in front of the tombstone was not as desolate as he had imagined.

in contrast.

There were layers upon layers of flowers, including pure white lilies, golden daisies, and some unnamed wildflowers in full bloom, glistening with dew.

The sea of ​​flowers almost completely submerged the base of the tombstone.

Many of the bouquets had small notes underneath them, some saying "May the noble spirit of Liu Qingtian's father live on forever," and others saying "Thank you to the Liu family for standing up for us ordinary people." There was even a thank-you letter under a stone, signed "All the relocated residents of Chengnan, Qingyun County."

Liu Ming stood in front of the flower bushes.

Looking at his father's gentle, refined smile in the photo, yet revealing an unyielding stubbornness, his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Dad, I've come to see you."

Liu Ming's voice was soft, yet it carried a profound weight that could transcend life and death.

He slowly squatted down and took out a bottle of unlabeled baijiu from his travel bag. It was a pure grain liquor that he had specially sought out from a brewing master in his hometown, brewed using the most ancient techniques.

He unscrewed the bottle cap, and the spicy yet mellow aroma of the liquor instantly filled the cool air.

"Glug, glug."

Liu Ming first sprinkled the mixture in a circle on the ground, his movements extremely slow and solemn, as if he were giving a farewell gift to a comrade-in-arms who was going on a long journey.

Then, he took out three delicate white porcelain cups, lined them up in front of the tombstone, filled them with wine, and the liquid was clear.

"The first toast is to your integrity."

Liu Ming picked up his glass, gestured slightly to the photo, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy liquor poured down his throat, like a fire exploding in his chest, burning his nose and making it sting.

"Back then, in that office, facing Luo Binwang's threats and inducements, you didn't back down an inch. You risked your life to protect that list and the backbone of China."

"I didn't understand before. I thought you were too stubborn and didn't care about the family."

"Now I understand, in this world, someone has to stand up, even if they can live better on their knees."

Liu Ming put down his cup and poured a second one.

"The second toast is to your ideals."

This time, he didn't drink. Instead, he gently placed the glass on the edge of the tombstone, letting the breeze create ripples on the surface of the wine.

"When you were alive, you always said, 'When will ordinary people no longer have to worry about heating fees and lose sleep all night? When will our factories in Kyushu no longer have to be at the mercy of foreigners?'"

"Dad, look down the mountain."

Liu Ming stood up. He pointed to the distant city of Ningzhou, its skyscrapers gleaming in the morning light, and then to the seemingly endless super factory in the High-tech Zone.

"The Pangu nuclear fusion reactor is now connected to the grid. Electricity is cheaper now than boiled water was back then."

"Our 'Longyuan' chips have been sold all over the world. Those foreign devils who used to hold us back are now lining up in the city begging us to sell them to them."

"This prosperous era is exactly as you imagined back then, no, it's even better than you imagined."

A proud smile appeared on Liu Ming's lips, the kind of expression a son would have when he handed in a perfect answer to his father.

Then, he poured a third cup.

"This third cup... is a toast to the bond between father and son in this lifetime."

He drank it all in one gulp, the bitterness and spiciness mingling on his taste buds.

He remembered his childhood, how his father would always pick him up from school on that old, worn-out bicycle, and how those warm, large hands would pat him on the shoulder and say:

"Xiao Ming, the men of the Liu family must have spines made of iron."

Liu Ming fell silent. He took out the pack of Hongmei cigarettes from his pocket, which he had bought at a high price from an old smoker. He unpacked it, took out a cigarette, lit it, and with practiced ease, leaned the cigarette against the crack in the tombstone.

A wisp of smoke rose gently in the breeze, and behind the hazy smoke, the father's smile in the photo seemed even more kind and gratified.

"Luo Binwang is gone, he was shot."

"The Zhao family has also fallen apart; now they're all working as sewing machines in Qincheng Prison."

"Dad, I've collected all your debts, one by one. With interest, not a single one of them escaped."

Liu Ming sat down on the stone steps next to the tombstone, just like when she was a child sitting on her father's lap listening to stories.

"Actually, I get quite tired sometimes."

Liu Ming murmured softly, her tone revealing a weariness that she only showed in front of her family.

"The waters in the city are too deep. Those old ministers are all more cunning than a hornet's nest. They're always scheming and plotting. I don't think it's as satisfying as when I fight my way in and out of the jungle seven times."

"However, Wanqing and Yaoyao are both doing well, and Xiaoxiao is also a sensible girl now. They manage the house very well and gave me a chubby son."

"Her name is Liu Nian. Nian means 'to recite' or 'recite' in Chinese."

"That kid looks just like you, especially his stubbornness. Yesterday, he tried to touch my gun, and I scolded him. He just glared at me all night and didn't say a word."

Liu Ming smiled and shook his head. He looked at the cigarette that was still burning slowly, his gaze gradually becoming distant.

"Dad, I know you're watching me from over there."

"Are you trying to scold me, saying that I'm not doing my job after becoming a consultant? That I'm indulging in pleasure?"

"Hey, don't worry."

Liu Ming's gaze suddenly changed, and that wildness and sharpness that belonged to the "God of War who protects the country" reappeared in his eyes.

"I've been sharpening this knife for a while now."

"As long as the sky over Kyushu remains dark, as long as anyone dares to secretly plot against this land."

"I, Liu Ming, can wipe them out anytime I want."

The wind seemed to have picked up, ruffling Liu Ming's graying temples.

In this silent martyrs' cemetery, it seems as if countless voices are responding in unison—the deepest admonitions from the heroic souls buried here to him, their descendant.

Liu Ming sat there for a long time.

As the sun gradually sets, its golden rays fall upon the tombstone, making the four characters "Revolutionary Martyr" shine brightly.

He seemed to have crossed the barrier of time and space, and saw his father's back as he walked resolutely towards the rooftop on that rainy night ten years ago, wearing that faded white shirt.

How utterly lonely! And how tragically magnificent!

"Dad, before it was just you alone, but now it's all of us in Kyushu."

Liu Ming stood up, patted the dust off his trousers, and took one last look at his father's face in the photo.

He raised his right hand, fingers together, palm facing inward, and gave the slowest and most solemn military salute of his life to the tombstone.

"Comrade Liu Jianguo, your son Liu Ming reports for duty."

"Mission successfully completed."

"Please...rest assured."

After saying that, Liu Ming resolutely turned around and strode down the mountain steps.

At the foot of the mountain, a woman of unparalleled beauty stood in the gentle breeze, quietly waiting for her hero to return home.

"Are you done talking?"

Xi Wanqing asked softly.

"Um."

Liu Ming took her hand and then put his arm around Nangong Yao and Lin Xiaoxiao's shoulders.

He glanced back at the cemetery hidden among thousands of pines and cypresses, and a relieved yet wild smile appeared on his lips.

"Walk."

"go home."