From the History of the Republic of China to Raising Children in the 1970s

4

Li Chengye nodded, "I had already applied for demobilization before I came back. I was arranged to work in the county steel plant and work as an official in the trade union." Li Chengye himself has a high school diploma and a high level of education. He was a company commander before and had studied in a military academy. Considering that his right hand was inconvenient, the leaders above spent some effort to arrange an office job for him, which was relatively easy.

"Okay, okay." Li's mother was relieved. Although she didn't want her son to continue taking risks, she didn't want him to work hard in the fields like other people in the village. This was her only son. That life was dedicated to the country, and now only her son was left.

"When do you report?"

"Just go there next Monday."

"Oh, that's great. This time we're going to work in the county, in the union of the steel plant. The benefits there should be good..."

While Li Chengye was talking to his mother, his eyes fell on the two children unconsciously. They were twins, and at first glance, there was not much difference between them, except that the older one had a red mole under his left eye, which made him look more like Li Chengye. They were premature babies, only four years old this year, and looked a little thin. However, the two little faces were clean and handsome, and they looked very much like the original owner. They probably didn't go out to sunbathe much during this period, and they were much whiter than other children in the village.

The two children seemed a little uncomfortable when being watched by Li Chengye. The older one could still hold on. He seemed to notice the same red mole on the two faces and was very curious. He stared at them intently. The younger one was more shy and had buried his head in his grandmother's arms.

Looking at the two children, Li Chengye thought of their mother. Normally, everyone should have returned by now. Why didn't he see anyone yet? He asked out loud.

"Mom, where is Xiuqin? Why hasn't she returned home yet?"

Mother Li's smiling face froze all of a sudden. Her lips trembled. She seemed to want to say something but swallowed it back. She glanced down and looked as if she didn't dare to look at Li Chengye. The atmosphere suddenly became solemn. Even Xiaoxi, who was curiously looking at Li Chengye just now, retracted her eyes.

"Mom, did something happen?" Li Chengye asked. It couldn't be that the original owner's mother chased the original owner's wife away. In his memory, Li's mother was a very gentle person. She was also very good to the original owner's wife and would never say anything insinuating. It couldn't be that his memory was embellished, right?

"Your wife...she...she has married someone else..." Mother Li was questioned by him. She gritted her teeth and said something, then suddenly raised her head and grabbed Li Chengye's right hand on the table with both hands, "Chengye, I'm sorry, it's my fault for not keeping an eye on your wife. Since the news of your sacrifice came back, she went back to her parents' home. Within a week, she found a family in the next county and married."

"It's my fault for not keeping an eye on your wife...I'm sorry..."

Mother Li was very emotional and held Li Chengye's hand tightly. At this time, Li Chengye was a little amused. You know, he had made a lot of mental preparations for himself before coming back, and it was not easy to convince himself. Since he had accepted the original owner's life, he must accept the other things he added. Unexpectedly, the daughter-in-law had already run away. This speed was also very fast. At that time, he was still lying in the hospital bed and his identity had not been confirmed.

But it was also normal. Although they had been married for five or six years, they had not spent much time together and their feelings were not very deep. Li Chengye was lucky in his heart. Although he felt a little sorry for the original owner, he was relieved.