Chapter 5: Unforgettable Past
As night fell, an elderly woman pushed open the door of the old shop. However, what she saw immediately made her very angry. "Old Wan, you dare to drink? Do you want to die?"
On the rocking chair in front of the woman, Lao Wan no longer had the smiling face he had at noon. His face was livid now, and he was holding a bottle of liquor in his hand, and he reeked of alcohol. On the stool next to him, Qin Ge sat there properly, but with his messy hair and blood-crusted nose, he looked a little embarrassed.
"Xiao Qin, what's wrong with you? Were you beaten?" The woman didn't bother to pay attention to Lao Wan. She ran to Qin Ge, stroked his face and asked.
Qin Ge forced out an ugly smile, "No, I bumped into it myself."
"Hmph, what a joke, how could it have happened like that? I was the one who beat you!" When Lao Wan, who was standing nearby, heard Qin Ge lie, he jumped up from the rocking chair and pointed at him.
"Lao Wan, you have become more capable, right? Ah! Today you drank and beat Xiao Qin, are you tired of living?" The old woman stood up and pointed at Lao Wan's nose and cursed.
If it were any other time, Lao Wan might have backed off when his wife acted like this, but today was different. He pointed at Qin Ge and said, "Ask this little bastard what he did? Ah! He wants to be that damn commander! Ah, is that easy to be? Rather than letting him die outside, it's better for me to kill him now. At least, others will know where he is buried!"
After Lao Wan yelled these words, the old woman took a step back tremblingly and sighed deeply, "Lao Wan, it's been so many years, it's time to forget..."
"Forget, how can I forget? Can you just forget it?" Lao Wan's voice suddenly choked up, and he roared in tears, "Ah, it's all my fault. If I had broken his legs when he was about to die, I could still support him for the rest of his life. But now? It's been more than ten years, and I don't even know where his body is. How can I forget him! And him!"
Lao Wan pointed at the confused Qin Ge with his trembling hands and shouted, "Ah, we've been together for more than a month and just developed feelings for each other, and now you tell me you want to be that crappy commander? Isn't this a sin? Even if a cat or a dog dies, people will be sad, and now a living person is going to die, how can I just ignore it? It's good enough that I don't beat him to death!" After Lao Wan finished speaking, he let out a series of violent coughs, then sat weakly in the rocking chair, looking at the sky with lifeless eyes.
"Ah... What a sin..." The old woman sighed as she looked at the calmed-down Old Wan, then turned to Qin Ge and said, "Xiao Qin, don't blame your Uncle Wan. Speaking of this matter... Hey... Come with me."
Qin Ge stood up quickly and followed the old woman into the inner room. Passing the house where the old couple usually lived, they walked to a door. The old woman opened the door with a heavy expression and turned on the light, revealing the inside.
The room was similar to the one Qin Ge was living in now, and the decoration inside was also simple, with a bed, a set of tables and chairs, and a wardrobe. However, on the table, there was a photo frame with a black and white photo in it.
The old woman walked in, went to the table, took the black and white photo in her hand, and said to Qin Ge who was following behind her, "This is my eldest son. He was also a commander. But since he left, there has been nothing but a photo and a few letters sent back. The next time we heard about him was in a suicide note sent by the Maritime Administration. They said it was written by my son, because every commander would prepare a suicide note in advance. After reaching the sea, they didn't know what kind of danger would happen, so they would be prepared. But the body is gone. I heard that he was buried in the sea with his ship girl..."
As the old woman spoke, tears gradually flowed down her face. Qin Ge stood behind the old woman and didn't know what to say for a moment. He could only stroke the old woman's back slowly to calm her down.
After a while, the old woman calmed down and smiled. "But he was an excellent commander. He once wrote back saying that he had saved a whole ship of people. At that time, Lao Wan was very proud among the neighbors. They said his son was so good that his tail was so high up in the sky. And, he once wrote back..."
Qin Ge listened to the old woman's words beside her, responding from time to time, with mixed feelings in his heart. Looking at the old woman with gray hair on her temples , he couldn't help but want to say, "I'm not going."
But at that moment, the librarian's words rang in his ears, "Now that you have found what you are looking for, you must not lose it, otherwise if you want to find it again, you don't know how much time it will take."
Yes, I have been confused for long enough. Now that I have found the goal, I must not give it up.
Time passed very slowly tonight. It was only around nine o'clock when Qin Ge finished washing and returned to his room. While he was packing his things, he was thinking about how to say goodbye to the old couple. At this time, there was a knock on the door.
"I'm coming." Qin Ge opened the door and saw Lao Wan standing at his door with a stern face.
When he opened the door, Lao Wan glanced into the room and then said to Qin Ge, "Why, are you packing up so soon? Are you planning to leave overnight?"
"How could that be possible?" Qin Ge said with a smile.
"What a joke!" Lao Wan rolled his eyes at Qin Ge, then sighed, "Can you drink?"
"Yes... a little..." Qin Ge said hesitantly. After all, alcohol is prohibited in military academies, but is it appropriate for soldiers not to drink? So...
"If you can, you'll be fine. Why are you so hesitant?" Lao Wan scolded, then softened his tone, "Your aunt prepared a few dishes. Come have a drink with me."
"Okay!" Qin Ge quickly closed the door and followed Lao Wan to the center of the yard. As expected, the old lady had already prepared several of her specialties, and on the table, there was a bottle of unfinished wine.
"Sit down!" After sitting down, Lao Wan said to Qin Ge who was still standing next to the table.
"Yes!" Qin Ge quickly sat down, opened the wine on the table, and poured a glass for Lao Wan and himself.
"When are you planning to leave tomorrow?" Lao Wan looked at the wine Qin Ge poured for him and said with a long sigh.
"Morning, Mr. Wan, you know, there are only ships going to Shenhua City in the morning." Qin Ge said to Mr. Wan.
"Lao Wan!" Lao Wan rolled his eyes at Qin Ge, "I really want to break your legs."
"I will come back alive! " Qin Ge looked at Lao Wan and said firmly.
"Get lost! You know I don't want to hear this!" Lao Wan slammed the table and yelled. Finally, he picked up the wine glass and said to Qin Ge, "I don't want you to come back. I just want you to be alive!"
"Well, I will definitely survive! I will definitely live well!" Qin Ge picked up the wine glass and clinked it heavily with Lao Wan, and then they both drank it all in one gulp.
Maybe because Lao Wan drank a lot of wine in the afternoon, he fell drunk on the table after drinking with Qin Ge for a while. Qin Ge could only shake his head and supported Lao Wan to send him back to the room.
Coming out of the inner room, Qin Ge smiled and drank the remaining wine in one gulp. He then cleaned up the table and returned to the room to continue packing his luggage...
