Who is that woman? Hualing saw her, at the hospital...
Qi Taiguo paused in thought, then remembered, his eyes dimmed slightly.
Cheng Su noticed this, her heart sank a little, so there really is such a woman!
"That person isnât really anyone special, but itâs okay to tell you." Qi Taiguo, seeing her somber expression, said, "Sheâs the widow of a comrade."
Cheng Su was startled.
A flash of pain and regret crossed Qi Taiguoâs eyes, seeing this, Cheng Su said, "If you donât want to talk about it, then donât. I wonât ask. I trust you!"
Qi Taiguo smiled a little, patted her back, and said, "Thereâs nothing that canât be said. Since you have doubts, I should clarify it, so you donât let your imagination run wild and feel uneasy."
Cheng Su opened her mouth, and he pressed her lips down.
"I had only been a soldier for less than four years when I was sent to fight in the Vietnam War. At that time, we had a platoon leader named Zheng Guixiang. In our eyes, he was a cheerful old bachelor, over thirty and still unmarried, quite pitiful. Do you remember I told you before that I also attended a mixer?"
Cheng Su nodded, she remembered, how could she not remember.
"That girl was Yao Xiaoyu. Didnât I have you already? So how could I possibly accept her red star? It was quite awkward back then, so our platoon leader accepted the red star and confessed to Little Yu on the spot." Qi Taiguo recalled, smiling slightly, and said, "Although the platoon leader wasnât very handsome, he was a good person, honest, considerate, and naturally, Little Yu got together with him!"
After Zheng Guixiang and Little Yu got married, they quickly had a son. When they went to fight in the Vietnam War, Little Yu was pregnant with another one.
"In those days, there was no family planning, so when we set off, Little Yuâs belly was already showing!" Qi Taiguo said lightly, "The Vietnam War..."
He pursed his lips, finding it hard to continue. How could he say that because of his impulse, the platoon leader took a bullet for him and ultimately died in battle?
Qi Taiguo pounded his chest, looking at the tentâs top, and said, "At that time, I was too young, full of vigor, too conceited, charging forward like a reckless calf, regardless. Seeing my brothers falling one by one made me angry, indignant, driven by the urge to sacrifice, I charged ahead. An old soldier, who wasnât completely dead, shot a burst of bullets at me, and it was the platoon leader who knocked me down."
Cheng Suxin tightened in her chest, her eyes reddened, she hadnât expected it to be like this.
Qi Taiguoâs eyes also filled with tears, and he said, "Platoon Leader Zheng covered my back with his life."
"Taiguo..." Cheng Su grabbed his hand and said, "Donât say anymore!"
The story is too painful, every mention is like cutting into the heart.
"Before the platoon leader died, he even said to me: âYou rascal, Guo, you mustnât expose your back so carelessly in the future, because not many people can watch your back anymore!â" Qi Taiguo shed a tear from the corner of his eye and said, "From then on, I swore, never to let the comrades and brothers who cover my back sacrifice themselves."
Cheng Su lowered herself, holding his head tightly, letting him rest against her neck.
In a place she couldnât see, Qi Taiguoâs tears flowed freely and continually. After so many years, thinking of it still filled him with regret, unable to tell anyone, unable to admit his reckless failure.
Because of him, a brave soldierâs life was lost.
And his today was exchanged with the life of the platoon leader, it was Zheng Guixiangâs life that made Qi Taiguoâs achievements possible.