Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Past Events

After this conversation, Lao Doufu no longer wants me to accompany him to meet Lin Li. Although life is gradually getting back to normal, it also makes me feel a little lost.Soon, the final exam is over, and next year will be our last year before the senior high school entrance examination, so the school organized make-up classes.In this way, our "journey into the mountains" seemed even more hopeless.During this period, I also thought about returning a letter to my father, but I was worried that the post office could not deliver it. If it was returned, it would be very troublesome.

Just when I was about to give up, one day, Qin Hai found me sweating profusely, which showed that he was very anxious.The sun was very poisonous that day, and we hadn’t seen each other for several months. He didn’t say a word of greetings, and he opened his mouth out of breath and said, “I found the village chief.” Seeing that I was confused, he took a few breaths and said, “I found you guys.” It turns out that Xiuxi Village is the head of the village." Hearing him say this, I immediately thought of the village chief who stuttered when he spoke. He was the one who took me to the scene of Xiuxiling. It was the last time we saw each other. The village head is a kind man. I didn't expect to meet him. I was both happy and sad.

He bought two bottles of iced soda, handed me a bottle, and then took a gulp down his neck, hiccupped for a long time, then seemed to feel better, and said, "You should remember him, right?" "Of course I remember. I was already nine years old when I left the village. I haven't forgotten any of the people in the village. By the way, how did you know the village chief?" "Actually, I didn't expect to meet him. The person who helped me find out the news was your village chief. After your village chief heard about it, he wanted to see you and your grandfather no matter what."

This is really a coincidence. I never thought that Qin Hai's inquiries would lead to the old village head.But why did the old village chief want to see my grandfather? I am a little confused.With my grandfather's identity and rank, he can't see him whenever he wants. Besides, the village chief has no relationship with my grandfather. If he says something he shouldn't say and makes my grandfather angry, it will be troublesome. Seeing my hesitation, Qin Hai said: "I know you must find it abrupt, but your village chief insists on this, so I can't persuade you. Whether you want to see him or not is up to you. If you really find it difficult, I will send him back. However, people in your village must say that you are a white-eyed wolf."

Qin Hai was quite right. If I persisted in not seeing him, I would definitely give someone a blame.Some things are easy to say, which really makes me in a dilemma: "My grandpa hates the people in Xiuxi Village. At home, he doesn't want us to mention anyone in the village. If I tell my grandpa, I will be scolded." .” Qin Hai didn't think so, and said: "Don't think too much about it, the problem is easy to solve. You go back and ask your family members for their opinions. If they want to see you, there's nothing you can do. What if they agree?" I thought about it, and it seemed that this was the only way to go, so I agreed.

When I got home in the evening, I waited until the family sat around for dinner.After observing Grandpa's state, he saw that the old man was in a good mood, so he tentatively asked, "Grandpa, have you met people from our village?" When grandpa eats, his waist is straight, the bowl is brought to his mouth, and he never bends down to eat. Hearing my question, he put down the bowl in his hand and said with some vigilance: "Why are you asking this?" "It's okay, I just want to ask, after all, I have lived in that village for many years..." "Did you see someone from your village? Your little friend from childhood?" As expected of an old soldier who is used to the scene, grandpa didn't greet me at all, and directly revealed the flaws.

I blushed immediately, and my mother smoothed things over and said, "Don't talk nonsense while eating..." "You let him finish talking, who are you looking at?" Grandpa asked me seriously. "I... I saw the village head, and he said he wanted to see you." I couldn't play any tricks in front of my grandpa, I could only tell the truth. To my surprise, Grandpa did not refuse, nor did he show any disgusting emotions.After thinking about it for a while, he said to me: "You can contact the village chief to find out when he will come over. I will arrange a reception here."

I was stunned for a moment, I really didn't expect that grandpa would agree.So I quickly got in touch with Qin Hai and made an appointment with the village chief to meet in two days.After telling Grandpa the specific time arranged, he didn't speak, and I didn't ask again. Two days later, the village chief came to my house with some souvenirs.The village head is only in his early fifties, not tall, dark and thin and short, he still stammers as always, he can speak a sentence for a long time, every time I talk to him, I want to laugh.After he left Xiuxi Village, he went to Guiyang to work in a local oil factory.In all fairness, the village head is that kind of good old man, and his relationship with the villagers has always been very good.When I met him this time, it was like seeing a relative, and I exchanged pleasantries for a while.

"You...you...you've grown...so tall?" The village head rolled his eyes before saying this neatly. "How many years have passed? I'm about to enter high school." "well……" "Village chief, why do you think of coming to see me?" "No... no... not only to see... to see you, but also... and... your grandpa." "What are you talking about? You haven't seen him before. Why do you want to visit my grandpa?" This time, the village chief laughed and said nothing.At this time, the door rang, and grandpa pushed the door and entered.

The village head immediately stood up and greeted respectfully: "Commander He." Grandpa nodded and asked, "Xiao Chen, I heard you were looking for me?" I couldn't help being taken aback. Although I have lived in the village for nine years, I don't know what the village head's surname is, but my grandfather does.How did he know?As far as I know, the two have never met, and I suddenly became suspicious. The village head smiled and stammered his answer to grandpa.Unexpectedly, Grandpa suddenly frowned and asked, "You should be able to speak Chinese very well all these years, why are you still pretending to stammer?"

"I can't change it... I can't go back..." This sentence shocked me again. What does it mean to "speak Chinese very well"?Isn't the village head Chinese?Now, my brain started to hurt again. "Go and chat in my room." After saying this, grandpa walked into his study first.The village chief took a look at me, followed me in, closed the door, and left me in the living room. I had no idea what they were talking about inside, but the conversation went on till dark.I didn't expect that grandpa and him really had something to say, no wonder he insisted on seeing my grandpa, but what were they talking about?How did the village head know my grandfather?These questions have been lingering in my mind for a long time, and I can't figure it out.But it looks like they're not going to tell me. During dinner at night, Grandpa opened a bottle of Moutai to entertain the village head.After dinner, grandpa personally sent him out of the house.During this period, I didn't say a word, and when my mother saw the village chief when she came back from get off work, she just exchanged a few words and didn't talk much. After the village chief left, grandpa sat on the sofa in the living room without saying a word for a long time, with a sad face on his face.I know that whenever Grandpa starts to look like this, it's best not to disturb him. I walked back to my room on tiptoe, spread out my homework, and started to do my homework, but my mind was full of random thoughts, and I didn't write a word for a long time.Suddenly, I heard a soft sigh, turned my head and looked, and grandpa was standing at the door of my room. Grandpa rarely came to my room, and I was sure at the time that the village head must have said something very strange.Grandpa entered the room thoughtfully, closed the door and said, "Xiao Bing, Grandpa is usually strict with you, do you think it is right or wrong?" I stood up and replied, "That's right. Grandpa is a soldier, so of course he hopes that I can become an excellent soldier. This is something spoiled children can't understand." Grandpa sighed: "Maybe I was too strict with you. In fact, among children of your age, you are considered sensible. To be honest, this is very similar to your father." I didn't speak because I didn't know what to say.Grandpa said: "However, your brother's character is more impulsive, not like your father at all, do you understand why?" Looking at me and shaking his head, Grandpa continued, "Because he is not your real elder brother at all. He is Jianjun's child, actually your uncle and brother, but after your uncle's accident, he has been raised by your parents. Thinking about your father's age, how could he give birth to a child of your elder brother's age. " Grandpa's words rang in my ears like a thunderclap, making me dizzy.I really didn't think about this level-my brother was already sixteen years old when the accident happened, and my father was only in his early thirties. He couldn't have given birth to my brother when he was a teenager. This is the time when he married my mother It doesn't match either. People are like this, it is very easy to ignore the situation that exists in front of them. Of course, this also has something to do with my young age at the time.Suddenly, I vaguely felt that grandpa might tell me some very secret things today, and I suddenly became extremely nervous. Grandpa said again: "Your uncle and your father are both good, they are both very good scouts. I arranged the two of them in Xiuxi Village, and they didn't disgrace me, let alone discredit their troops. You should know these things, because this is your right. Your father is a hero, he took the risk alone, although he paid his own life, but I am proud of him." Speaking of this, there seemed to be tears in Grandpa's eyes flashing. I had the courage to ask, "Grandpa, can I ask, what happened to our family?" Grandpa nodded thoughtfully: "Of course. I am also at this age, who knows how long this secret can be hidden? Of course you should know all this. However, starting today, you are no longer an ordinary student. From the moment you know this secret, you are a soldier, no matter what, you must keep this secret, including the closest people around you. This is the iron discipline of the army, if there is any violation, the military law will be followed." Grandpa When I said these eight words, my expression was extremely serious, and I nodded involuntarily.I know that at this moment, in his eyes, he should see my uncle or my father, not a little grandson who is still in the second year of junior high school. "This matter has to start with your old man. He is a barefoot doctor. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, he once joined the guerrillas and fought against the invading Japanese army in Yunnan. Because he knows medical skills, besides fighting , he also made Chinese herbal medicine to heal the wounded anti-Japanese soldiers and civilians. It happened when he joined the guerrillas. At that time, some places in Yunnan were occupied by the Japanese army. To the west of Wuliang Mountain, the most elite Japanese army had the title of King of Jungle Warfare There was a reorganized team of about 1,200 people in the 56th Division of the People's Liberation Army, and a large-scale massacre was carried out there. At that time, your grandfather's guerrilla team got the news and assembled all the troops to rescue the local villagers. You know, this is to go head-to-head with the most elite troops of the Japanese army with those old-fashioned weapons. In fact, they are going to die. Kilometers away, we arrived at the village that was massacred by the Japanese army, that is...Xiuxi Village." Speaking of this, my grandfather glanced at me and continued, "However, when they arrived, they found that the whole village was quiet, without any Signs of the massacre, your grandfather and the others also saw peasant women and children standing at the entrance of the village grazing sheep. The guerrillas thought that the Japanese army coerced the villagers to create a false appearance and let them throw themselves into the trap, but after a series of reconnaissance, they did not find any abnormalities. So, the guerrillas entered Xiuxi Village. It turned out that there were no Japanese troops to harass Xiuxi Village. In those days, it was simply a paradise. The guerrilla leader at that time thought that the news was wrong, so he was stationed for two days before preparing to leave. Yes, but because of Wuliang Mountain, your old man was going to get some Chinese herbal medicines for emergencies, so that day he went into the mountain with a basket of medicinal materials on his back, and there were two guerrilla fighters with him. After entering the mountain, it was very Something will happen soon, because they discovered a thatched cottage in Wuliang Mountain, where fifteen people lived, including ten children and five adults, and these people were actually Japanese..." Having said this, Grandpa paused again, and then said: "After that, two big pythons suddenly attacked the guerrilla fighters. According to the old man's later recollection, the size of the two pythons was unprecedented, and he lost his mind. , turned around and fled. Soon, he found himself lost in the mountains and forests, and stumbled to a spring. Next to the spring was a stele with five golden characters engraved on it - "Fountain of Youth". It was by this spring that your old man found the bodies of three Japanese soldiers who had not been completely buried in the ground. At this moment, your grandfather realized that it was not that the people from the 56th Division did not come, but that they had been killed by all of them after they came. Afterwards, he dug anywhere around the spring, and he was able to dig out corpses, which shows how many soldiers were buried there. However, how were these soldiers killed and why were they buried in the Fountain of Youth? You may ask these questions The old man didn’t know, and he was almost scared to death. Fortunately, the guerrillas followed the guides in the village to find him, but all the guerrillas disappeared afterwards.” I asked puzzledly: "So, where is the old man? Is he still there?" Grandpa's face became gloomy: "He's the only one left. Your great-grandfather got his life, and then he took the opportunity to run away. Do you know why he survived?" I shook my head, feeling very strange.Seeing this, grandpa continued, "Because your grandpa happened to go to the mountains to gather medicine with a basket on his back, and was considered by the local villagers to be a medicine picker, so he escaped." I don't understand: "The medicine picker can escape, why is that?" "Because the herb pickers are the most taboo people in the local villagers." "Is there still people who are taboo about medicine pickers?" I thought it was new, but I was not more interested in this, so I asked again, "Then my uncle and my father are in the village to investigate the truth of this matter?" Grandpa didn't answer my question directly, and continued: "This is not just about our own family. This is a very serious mass murder incident. Even your grandpa doesn't know how his comrades in arms and Japanese soldiers were killed. Killed. The fifty-sixth division of the Japanese army mobilized the most elite troops into Wuliang Mountain. It must not be a military operation for no reason. They must also be looking for a little-known secret. Grandpa got the news and immediately decided to investigate the matter thoroughly. However, because of the tense fighting in Yunnan, especially the deployment of a large number of Chinese troops along the Nu River, this matter was shelved and no investigation has been carried out. The founding of New China Finally, this case fell on me, but I still couldn't find out the result, so I handed over the task to your uncle and father. My two sons are very good. Facing the fear of the unknown, they They didn't flinch, although one was crazy and the other was uncertain, but they were the bravest soldiers." I listened, both proud and sad.It seems that my previous inference was correct, my father is not an ordinary villager living there at all, he and my uncle both went to perform missions, and I am proud of them.What is sad is that my father disappeared so inexplicably, and it is obviously unreasonable for Grandpa to transfer his child to perform such a dangerous task. This makes me hard to understand and feels very sad.Just at this moment, Grandpa sighed softly and said, "Can you understand the decision Grandpa made?" I hesitated for a moment and didn't speak.I don't want to lie to grandpa, but I don't dare to express my dissatisfaction.Grandpa's expression became stubborn and serious at this moment, and he said firmly: "We are a military family. As long as it is the blood of our family, from the moment of birth, it is doomed to bleed and sacrifice for the motherland. There are no cowards in our family. They are all iron-blooded soldiers." At this point, he stared at me for a long time before continuing, "At the beginning, when your father was sent to Xiuxi Village, it was actually a kind of cover-up for his identity. I didn't expect that he would marry I lost your mother, to be honest, I was really unhappy at the time. However, looking back now, thanks to this, at least the He family has a descendant. " I blurted out: "But my brother is still there, just being..." Grandpa's face became more and more gloomy: "Don't mention your brother, he is a traitor to our family, a real traitor." I grew up with my brother, used to playing behind his ass and being protected by him.My brother and I have a very deep relationship. After my brother was arrested, I haven’t seen him for so many years, and I have been thinking about him all the time. I didn’t expect to hear about him suddenly this time, and he was said to be a traitor.I am very aware of Grandpa's temper. He is a very upright and rigid soldier. He cannot frame anyone, especially his own grandson.Could it be that my brother's arrest was actually related to grandpa? Thinking that it was soldiers and not people from the public security system who arrested my brother, I couldn't help but ask myself, could there be so many secrets buried in this seemingly simple military home? Grandpa straightened his mind and continued, "During the ensuing investigation, your father and your uncle discovered another astonishing situation. The corpses of 1,200 Japanese soldiers buried around the Fountain of Youth were all gone after a few years. Flying on the wings, not even a single skeleton was found. However, after careful investigation of the scene, a chilling thing was found, just under the pile of rubble, which was a huge and sharp tooth." I couldn't help but interjected: "Could it be left by the giant python?" Grandpa said: "It doesn't look like it. The teeth of pythons all have barbs, and these teeth are like daggers, long and straight. From this, it can be deduced that this tooth must belong to some kind of giant, and the corpse at the scene may be They've all been eaten by it." Thinking of that scene, I couldn't help getting goosebumps all over my body.Suddenly, I thought of an object I saw when I was young, and said: "So, my brother may have known the existence of this thing long ago, because I saw him play with a very sharp bone knife. I thought it was a bone knife at the time, but I heard If you say that, this should be a tooth, because it is exactly the same as what you described." Grandpa's face changed slightly: "So, more than one tooth was found. At that time, the tooth that was found was sent for laboratory analysis, but so far, it has not been deduced from the composition of the tooth which type it belongs to. Animals, so the giant python you saw back then was just a relatively large reptile. The real monster has not been discovered at all." I said: "But, there is a big hole under that sycamore tree, I think there must be a secret inside." "I agree with your judgment. The fact is that there are indeed unusual conditions there, but it has nothing to do with that tooth. Later, rumors spread that dragons emerged from Wuliang Mountain. This is all nonsense. In the ensuing investigation , your uncle lost his way in the mountains once, and when he was discovered again, he was already insane, he always muttered to himself that he saw a strange person, but no matter how many people we mobilized to investigate that section of the mountain range, no strange person was found." Until now, there is an important situation that Grandpa has not explained clearly, and that is about the villagers in Xiuxiling. Who are they?They are obviously not a group of ordinary people.And the Japanese in that group of mountains also appeared strangely. As for those Japanese soldiers, they probably ran after them, but what kind of force did they encounter that caused the death of these soldiers?Why on earth did their bodies disappear? Grandpa didn't seem to intend to explain the details of these things to me, but what he said next shocked me: "Your brother is a deserter. Our family will never allow deserters. This is the principle that soldiers must abide by. I suspect that he might come to you, so if you get any news about this, you must report it to me immediately, otherwise, you will be a traitor to our family just like my brother." I felt a little suffocated for a moment, and seeing my grandpa getting ready to leave the house, I hurriedly asked, "Grandpa, did you tell me so many unbelievable truths today just to let me know that my brother is a traitor?" Grandpa snorted: "I won't tell you, Xiaojun will definitely let you know about this, so I will say hello to you in advance. No matter how much you pay, this task must continue, and you will have to return to that place sooner or later go." In fact, there are many soldiers like grandpa in the army.They have fought all their lives and regard honor as more important than their lives. They don't care how much sacrifice they make for this, because this sacrifice itself is a great honor to them.The shroud of horse leather itself is an interpretation of ideals, which I have always understood.To be honest, I'm not afraid of going back to that place, especially after I received my father's letter. What I'm thinking about all day is actually going back to that beautiful but strange mountain to find the great secret.Unlike my grandfather, I don't think about his greatness. I just need to find my father and solve the unknown mystery. After my grandfather left my house, he said: "Remember the five words 'Fountain of Youth', it is the eternal battlefield of our family, unless the truth is revealed."