Free Web NovelChapter 288: Chapter 228: Days of Missing Little Black
A thin sheet of paper.
Cao Yi started, reading steadily.
"Mom, this is the fifteenth letter I’ve written to you.
"A few days ago, a squad leader passed away; he saved an infant but drowned. freewёbnoνel.com
"When he left, he left his family with a large debt, so these past few days, we’ve all been reflecting on how much money we’ve actually saved as soldiers.
"Writing to this point, I need to say sorry. Your son hasn’t saved much money. When I joined the army, I said I’d buy you a beautiful car and a luxury house in the future.
"If you can read this letter, I still only have a little over ten thousand yuan; I’m still far from that goal.
"Last month, I wrote a long letter, told my comrades, if I were to sacrifice myself in a fire, to cover my face because it would look horrible. But Instructor Cao from the squadron said the experts predicted there might be a big flood coming, so we went through flood training. Later, when I saw Squad Leader Wang, I suddenly felt that I might end up sacrificing myself in the water."
At this point, Cao Yi’s eyes reddened, and he began to choke up.
He’d never imagined a soldier, continually guessing his own way of dying.
"If I really do sacrifice myself... you"
Cao Yi’s voice trembled as he turned his head away.
His comrades squatted down, burying their heads in their knees, shaking, the "merry" atmosphere they had created a moment ago now as fragile as a piece of tissue paper that could be punctured with a finger.
"You... don’t be too sad.
"This was your son’s aspiration. This life of your son has already saved many, many people. When Dad passed away from stomach disease, people in the town said he hadn’t accumulated enough good deeds. But your son has accumulated a lot of merit for you and for brother; you will live well.
"If your son is gone, just think of me as if I’ve gone to a very, very far place to serve as a soldier. The money the government gives you each month is the salary your son sends you.
"Don’t save it for me; spend it on yourself.
"Comrades: If I die here, bury me here, don’t send me back to my hometown, and don’t let my mom come to see me. If she misses me, just let her visit the Revolutionary Martyrs’ Monument in the Riverside Park of the city. I’ve been there; it’s crowded, lively, old ladies dance there, she’ll feel a bit better.
"That’s all, time for training, putting down my pen."
After Cao Yi finished reading, he choked up again:
"Wait... there’s more."
"I’m back from training this afternoon, I chatted with Fang Huai, and he said that it’s difficult to be honored as a Martyr, it counts only if you die in a rescue operation.
"Seeing what I wrote, I feel so embarrassed; yet I don’t want to rewrite it.
"If I’m not honored as a Martyr when I die, please tear off the back part of this letter.
"But comrades, don’t make trouble for my sake; it doesn’t matter where I’m buried or what my treatment is. My mom is alone, we have a house in the town, it won’t cost much."
Upon hearing the last part, it reminded the soldiers of Little Black, who always said in every situation, "Eh, it doesn’t matter," and they broke into a melancholic laughter.
But Cao Yi, Fang Huai, and a few of the older soldiers sat on the ground, weeping uncontrollably.
They saw in a young soldier’s body, a noble and pure soul.
He was perhaps the most deserving to survive among everyone in the squadron.
"You are a hero, no need to be embarrassed anymore, Little Black, you are a hero," Cao Yi sobbed inconsolably.
"Yes, brother, you’re a hero, there’s no shame," they echoed.
...
Captain Zhang called to say that people from the Detachment and the funeral home would arrive precisely at 6 o’clock.
So, Cao Yi said, before six o’clock, each person had five minutes to say their goodbyes to Little Black individually, to speak the words they held in their heart. After that, once inside the memorial hall, try not to dwell on it too much.
Having the chance to touch the hand of a hero and speak with him, that was a privilege only for those in our own squadron.
Before everyone started moving toward Little Black, Fang Huai still managed to joke with a smile:
"Don’t make any wishes to Little Black about winning the lottery or anything, he’s one of our squadron’s guardian spirits, not the God of Wealth; just talk about what you want to say to him, that’ll be fine!"
Everyone laughed heartily.
Thus, from the second person onwards, everyone could feel that Little Black’s hand had been warmed by their touch.
No one wanted to miss the chance to warm a hero’s hand for five minutes. For nearly two hours, Little Black’s hand remained warm.
Quite a few people wanted to eavesdrop on what others were saying.
Because everyone knew, at this moment, each person was revealing the deepest secrets of their hearts.
Little Black was a medium, illuminating everyone’s innermost feelings with his hand as he prepared to leave.
...
6:10.
Before the early rays of the sun shone on the squadron.
Little Black’s body, covered with a national flag preserved by the Second Squadron, was laid to rest in a sleek, gleaming black hearse.
The Detachment was good to him, having the funeral home bring their best long hearse, freshly cleaned before arriving, affording him full honors.
In the front yard, there were representatives from every squadron who managed to arrive before six in response to the Detachment’s notification, as well as nearly half of the people from the government agency.
Among them, many who were acquainted with Little Black had tearful eyes, loudly speaking to the hearse that had yet to close its doors.
Little Black was already inside the long casket of the hearse, only loud shouting could make him hear.
At this moment, the people from the Second Squadron stood proudly at the gate, each having shared a long talk with hero Little Black.
At 6:15, as the hearse was about to start, Cao Yi stood at the gate and shouted:
"Open the water gates!! Sound the horns!!"
"Wu..."
"Di..."
"Ba..."
The horns of various duty vehicles from the Second Squadron, and those of surrounding vehicles, began to sound in a prolonged echo.
Across the street, the commercial and residential buildings nearby, filled with onlookers at their windows, sighed deeply as they saw the hearse parked in the courtyard of the place they associated with safety.
At that moment, eight water guns began to produce mist, alternately forming four water gates at the entrance.
"Salute! Farewell, hero!"
Everyone raised a hand, bidding farewell to the hero.
Water gates open to let in, water gates open to let out; this romance belongs to firefighters alone.
The water gates may release you, but the red door will not.
Once you pass through the red door, your spirit resides within it forever.
...
In the funeral home’s main hall, General Luo personally announced the order: Little Black was posthumously awarded the First-Class Merit and honored as a martyr.
Little Black’s mother, truly a kind-hearted woman, incessantly urged everyone to rest during the vigil. She stayed by the casket with her eldest son, both of them keeping watch.
To avoid embarrassing her younger son who cared about face, she refrained from crying out loud but wiped away her tears in secret beside the casket. When the Detachment leaders spoke about Zhou Yong’s wish to be buried there, she, too, touching the casket and weeping, agreed.
However, at the moment Zhou Yong was laid to rest, she could no longer hold back her disguise and burst into wailing:
"My son!"
That cry caused everyone present to shout out, "Mom," in unison.
...
The days that followed were a long period of yearning for Little Black.
When the City Television Station broadcasted the news memorializing Little Black, the Squadron organized everyone to watch together.
Little Black was often mentioned, casually or not; during those times, when waiting in the front yard for mealtime, it was common to brag about his deeds.
There were discussions about if someone else had gone that day, it’s likely not even a single hair would have been saved from death’s door.
Deep down, everyone had their own better plan for that day’s rescue but nobody wanted to talk about it.
Don’t talk about it. Speaking up would only lead to regret for not reminding Little Black to take this piece of equipment or that.
The actions Little Black took at the time were the best possible plan.
From time to time, people would also ask Fang Huai how he was caring for Little White.
Because Little White had stopped eating for a few days.
However, Fang Huai could only respond with a smile, saying:
"Do you think I’m like you guys? Unreliable? When I promise something, I’ll make sure it’s done!"
...
A week later, Fang Huai asked his parents to visit the two girls he had saved.
They had both survived and were in the hospital, staying there for treatment.
Fang Huai hesitantly shared his thoughts about having them adopt the two little girls, expressing his wish for his parents to have a couple more granddaughters.
Zhang Mei and Fang Kaiyang were somewhat taken aback, but Fang Huai’s suggestion seemed to open a new door for them. After hanging up the phone and pondering for a day, they agreed. ƒrēewebnovel.com
But two days later, his mother called saying the girls’ grandparents were still alive, they had an aunt as well, and the girls had inheritance rights to their parents’ property. The children’s aunt did not agree with their adoption and said she wanted to raise them herself.
Having resolved his concerns, Fang Huai laughed and asked: "Are you two just pretending, not wanting to take on this burden, and deliberately tricking me?"
Fang Kaiyang took over the phone and bellowed: "Nonsense! Those two girls are so sweet; I absolutely adore them! What can we do if they don’t agree? Their grandparents, with a son and a daughter, have four grandchildren. We are just envious..."
He changed the subject.
"How are things going between you and Little Yang? We’re planning to visit her parents soon!"
"Hello? Hello! Can’t hear you clearly!"
Fang Huai cursed under his breath and hung up the phone.
Too idle, his old folks were just too idle; this time, they seemed to have stumbled upon a New World.
Since he turned 19, they’ve been pushing for marriage; sure enough, with money and leisure, people either want sons or grandsons.
He’ll have to find more tasks for them to do.
Damn, if Chen Shuang found out about his situation with Yang Shaoqing, he wouldn’t fight him to the end, would he?
From brother to uncle...
And Uncle Chen, Aunt Yang...
He liked Yang Shaoqing, but tricking, no, winning over her family was something he had never done in either of his lifetimes.
Well, there was still plenty of time, and the legal marriage age continued to protect him firmly.
...
April 25th.
Friday, car-fleet day.
The arrival of the Firefighting Dog Team stirred up both the front and back courtyards of the Second Squadron.
Under Special Duty, there were actually three units.
The First Squadron, the Second Squadron, and the Search and Rescue Dog Team.
Each month, the Special Duty Dog Team would come to the Second Squadron for collaborative search and rescue training exercises.
Really, it wasn’t entirely about training.
The mother dogs raised by the Squadron were also let out to frolic with the police dogs.
The police dogs were mostly males.
Canine animals have social hierarchies, like wolves, where male dogs hold leadership roles, possess stronger territorial instincts, and higher confidence. Hence, the nature of male dogs is more suitable for training.
Moreover, police dogs are usually not neutered, a practice aimed at maintaining their natural aggression, which is then controlled through the strict training provided by instructors.
All search and rescue dogs in the Special Duty Dog Team are male, a complete brotherhood.
And the few at the Second Squadron were all females, usually kept in a huge cage by the cafeteria side yard, where they also moved about, and were only let out for a while during mealtime.
These mother dogs were breeds like German Shepherds, Labradors, Malinois, and Kunming Dogs.
These are the common breeds for firefighting police dogs, notable for their search and rescue abilities and obedience.
So, the mother dogs at the Second Squadron were the optimal mating partners for the male police dogs, and even if they produced hybrids, there was a good chance they’d be kept as police dogs.
When the police dogs arrived, the mother dogs could come out for some fresh air and play to their heart’s content.
The police dogs were even happier; to them, the Second Squadron was like a canine amusement palace.
Yet, during the playful moments, there was one member of the Second Squadron who was far from pleased.
