Ordinary World: Starting with a divorce from Tian Runye

Du Zhengxian greeted him with a broad smile.

"Hello, Mr. Gao. I am Du Zhengxian from the former Xixian Cultural Center."

Old Gao nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the images. He stepped closer and examined them one by one.

Du Zhengxian quickly stayed by his side.

"Mr. Gao, these are all your heroic deeds in Yuanxi County. The older generation had a tough life. These revolutionary stories are the spiritual totem of our Yuanxi County, and an immortal testament to your leadership in leading the people of Yuanxi to resist aggression."

Old Gao did not reply.

His gaze lingered on a painting.

The scene depicts Old Gao leading his soldiers to intercept a Japanese convoy. The young Old Gao is at the forefront, raising his arms and shouting slogans. The Japanese soldiers in the scene are depicted as short and ugly, all with terrified expressions, fleeing in panic.

Old Gao stroked his chin and smacked his lips.

He didn't say anything.

The accompanying personnel could only force a smile and dared not utter a sound.

Du Zhengxian's smile seemed to freeze, he dared not let it fade, nor dared he laugh out loud.

a long time.

Old Gao suddenly turned around.

"Little Zhao."

The elderly people behind him made way for him, and Mr. Zhao squeezed his way to the front from the middle.

Old Gao stared at the screen for two seconds, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Xiao Zhao, I don't remember I was the one leading the charge, was I?"

Master Zhao puffed out his chest, his face full of pride.

"It's me! It's me!"

Upon hearing this, the local and county leaders standing nearby were taken aback at first, but then they all smiled apologetically.

Master Zhao walked up to the painting and pointed to the image of Old Gao in the picture.

"You were the first to jump down the hillside, but you stumbled as soon as you landed, and I beat you to it."

Old Gao laughed even harder.

"Haha! You little rascal, you have sharp eyes. You took down a Japanese soldier driver right away and even pulled a whole pack of cigarettes out of his pocket."

Everyone around laughed.

After laughing, Old Gao wiped his eyes and continued walking down the corridor, looking at the paintings one by one.

After looking at a few pictures, he stopped and looked at Du Zhengxian.

"Where did you collect these stories from?"

Du Zhengxian was about to speak.

Master Zhao spoke first.

"It was him, and it was her. They both found me."

Master Zhao pointed to Li Xiangqian and Du Lili behind Du Zhengxian.

Old Gao's gaze passed over Du Zhengxian and went to look behind him. Seeing this, Du Zhengxian quickly stepped aside.

Master Zhao's mouth opened like a floodgate, and he continued talking.

"I told them. I also told them about our grain transport. Like that time at Qiaojiahe."

Mr. Gao looked at the other exhibition materials, then looked at Li Xiangqian.

"Why wasn't the grain transport mission accomplished?"

Li Xiangqian scratched his head, organized his thoughts, and began to speak.

"Mr. Gao, the story of transporting grain is tragic and moving. But... it's really difficult to draw."

Old Gao was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.

Then he burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

"Oh, you young comrade! What's so hard about drawing this? I'm almost seventy years old, can't I stand seeing myself carrying grain naked?"

Everyone around burst into laughter. A dozen or so elderly people laughed so hard they were doubled over, patting each other on the shoulder. The county and prefectural leaders also joined in the laughter.

Standing at the back, Li Dengyun had been nervous ever since Li Xiangqian was questioned by Elder Gao. When he saw Li Xiangqian's stammering answer, he was first taken aback, but then he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Elder Gao and everyone else laughing.

Old Gao is truly a man of character. He's definitely a man from our Yuanxi region.

Li Dengyun looked down at the shoe and sighed inwardly.

Old Gao stopped laughing and said something else.

"I still have scars on my thigh from when the ice shards cut me."

After he finished speaking, he looked back at the screen, pointed at it, and continued speaking.

"Little Zhao, I remember you got a flower too."

Master Zhao nodded quickly.

"Yes, yes. Those Japanese soldiers weren't like the ones in the pictures. They were ruthless. If it weren't for Big Beard Liang dragging me under the car, I would have been dead forty years ago."

Old Gao nodded. He muttered something under his breath.

"Big Beard Liang"

He suddenly sighed.

"Sigh. He was one of the recruits I brought into the army. When he first arrived, he was as skinny as a stick."

He pondered for a moment.

"If Liang the Bearded were still alive, he would be over sixty years old this year."

After he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.

Some of the dozen or so elderly people lowered their heads, while others began to secretly wipe away their tears.

Mr. Gao led the elderly people through the exhibition again, his expression solemn.

The local and county officials also fell silent.

Old Gao stopped in his tracks.

He suddenly spoke.

"Liu the Lai"

An elderly man with a cane quickly responded.

"I'm here."

"I remember you injured your leg back then and had to leave the army early to go home. I think your family was from Liujiawan in Liucha Commune. Do you still live in Liujiawan now?"

"Yes. I still... I still live in Liujiawan." The old man paused for a moment before answering.

"Liujiawan is a poor place."

Old Gao looked at him.

"As people get older, they are more prone to health problems. The road from Liujiawan to the county town is not short."

Liu Dalaizi leaned on his crutch and lowered his head.

"My health is still...still quite good."

"How's life at home?"

Liu Da Laizi opened his mouth.

He looked back at Ma Guoxiong, as if he wanted to say something.

He swallowed his words back.

Upon seeing this, Gao Lao stared intently at the old man.

The corridor fell silent. The light from the bulbs shone on everyone's faces, making every wrinkle clearly visible.

Old Gao did not press Liu Dalaizi further.

His gaze slowly shifted and landed on Miao Kai behind him.

Miao Kai's face paled slightly.

He looked at Feng Shih-kuan beside him. Feng Shih-kuan immediately lowered his head.

Old Gao didn't linger on Miao Kai's face.

He turned back and looked at the group of elderly people.

"We're all old brothers here. You couldn't fool me when you were young."

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the corridor could hear him clearly.

"I'm getting old now. But in my eyes, you're still like naked recruits. I know exactly what kind of shit you're taking the moment you stick your butt out."

The elderly people lowered their heads even further.

"Little Zhao."

Old Gao suddenly looked at Master Zhao. This young Zhao was always a chatterbox when he was young, and he never stopped talking in his life.

"Tell me. How are you now?"

Master Zhao opened his mouth.

She slowly began to talk about her life.

At first, he was all smiles, rambling on about his days working as a boiler operator at school, how his wife had passed away three years ago, how his eldest son worked in a coal mine in another province and couldn't come home more than once a year, and how his youngest son was struggling to make ends meet by farming in Shigejie Commune.

As he spoke, his voice changed.

As she spoke, she burst into tears.

The other elderly people also began to wipe away tears.

Some people wiped with their sleeves, some wiped with the back of their hands, and some turned their faces to the side, their shoulders twitching.

The light bulbs in the corridor illuminated everyone brightly.

Miao Kai stood at the very back.

His face was so dark it looked like ink could be squeezed out of it.