Striving for Science C59

"Then, then how do we get back?" The little soldier was only fourteen or fifteen years old, just at the age when he was curious about everything. When he heard his squad leader say they were going back, he immediately retracted his wandering gaze and stood at attention.

"If there's a car, we'll take the car. If there's a boat, we'll take the boat. We'll definitely be able to go back." The squad leader stood up straight and bowed to Shen Chang'an: "Little comrade, thank you. We should go back now."

Shen Chang'an paused slightly, "May you all soon return to your hometowns and reunite with your loved ones. If there's a next life... I hope you'll have peace and happiness in the next life, and no longer encounter disasters or wars."

As his voice faded, the five young men, their clothes tattered and worn, slowly floated up. They saw themselves rising higher and higher, and they saw the capital bathed in sunlight.

Tall buildings, crisscrossing roads, and countless cars, once considered rare objects, were all there.

Things they hadn't dared to dream of in their sleep had become reality here.

The four soldiers, unaware that they had already perished in battle, gradually recalled their memories. They hadn't gotten lost; they had died with the enemy.

They died, and a new China was born. The people all lived happy lives.

Thinking about this, they felt a sense of peace.

In Sichuan Province, over a thousand kilometers from the capital, a batch of martyrs' ashes had just been returned. The yellowed roster of soldiers leaving Sichuan listed the names of these martyrs.

Before dawn, these urns draped with the national flag were buried in the Martyrs' Cemetery.

These martyrs had lain in a foreign land for eighty years, and finally, they had a day to return home.

Outside the cemetery, dozens of veterans stood or sat together. Their eyes were dim, their teeth had fallen out, and their hair had turned white, but their longing for their comrades had not faded.

A veteran, now ninety-six years old, gently stroked the names on the Martyrs' Monument with the help of his grandchildren, "Old buddies, you're home."

"Zhao Zhu'er, Qian Erwa, Zhou Dong, Li Changgen, Zheng Qiang, Pei Qingsheng..." The old soldier's voice was hoarse, but he carefully identified the names on the monument. His hands, covered in age spots, gently traced each name, "Heroes, you're home."

"Go home."

He still remembered the slogan they used to chant.

"As long as the enemy doesn't withdraw from our territory, the Sichuan Army won't return home."

"If we win, we'll return in triumph. If we don't win, we'll return in our coffins."

"Old buddies, we won. It's time to return in triumph."

By the end, the old soldier's voice was so hoarse he could barely speak. Tears streamed down his face, and he leaned against the Martyrs' Monument, sobbing uncontrollably.

"A toast with hometown wine, in the next life, we'll be brothers again." Another veteran took out a bottle of old wine he had treasured for years and, with trembling hands, placed it in front of the tombstone. "We promised to come back together, but you all lied and slipped away, leaving us in a foreign land. All these years have passed, and we've come to pick you up."

"Souls, return to your homeland."

"Come back and enjoy the old wine and fragrant meat of your homeland. In the next life, may you live a life free from worries."

Wiping away the tears from his eyes, the old soldier looked up. Through his blurry vision, he seemed to see his former comrades, young and lively, walking towards them, calling out to each other.

They were still the same young men they were back then, except they were now wearing new suits, with new belts around their waists and polished leather shoes.

"We're back."

"We're all back."

The old soldier rubbed his eyes, which were still overflowing with tears. "It's good you're back. It's good you're all back."

A gentle breeze blew, and there was no trace of their comrades left.

But he believed their spirits had found peace.

***

After the five war heroes disappeared, Shen Chang'an looked at Dao Nian, then at Shen Tu who was with them, and rubbed his slightly sore eyes. "Did you guys see the people standing in front of me just now?"

Shen Tu turned to look at Dao Nian, who slowly shook his head twice.

"This might be unbelievable to you, but sometimes the truth is just that magical." Shen Chang'an pushed Dao Nian towards the parking lot. "How about we talk about it in the car?"

"Okay."

Back in the car, Shen Tu drove silently. To allow Shen Chang'an to talk privately with his teacher, he thoughtfully raised the partition between the front and back seats.

"I saw five people just now, right in front of us." Shen Chang'an emphasized. "My mind is fine, and I'm perfectly sane."

After recounting what happened, Shen Chang'an said, "I know you're a materialist, and out of respect, I shouldn't be acting this way in front of you, but..." He paused for a moment before continuing, "But facing those five martyrs, I couldn't ignore them."

After saying this, Shen Chang'an thought Dao Nian would be shocked, questioning him, or arguing about whether ghosts exist in the world. But to his surprise, Dao Nian remained calm, as if Shen Chang'an had just been talking about what he had for breakfast.

"You... don't have anything to say to me?" Dao Nian didn't react much. Shen Chang'an felt relieved, but also a strange sense of disappointment. This reaction was too calm. Back then, when his worldview shattered, he couldn't sleep for a whole night.

"Say what?" Dao Nian thought for a moment. "Say what kind of gifts to bring when visiting elders?"

"You don't need to worry about that, I've already prepared everything." Shen Chang'an said, "Those grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunts don't really care about material things."

Because they were all TOP people, they were more strict about their spiritual pursuits.

"I've also prepared some things casually." Dao Nian nodded. "If that's the case, there's nothing to talk about."

Shen Chang'an: "..."

Can't we talk about the possibility and scientific nature of ghosts?

***

After passing through layers of strict security checks, the car carrying Shen Chang'an and Dao Nian finally entered the compound. The compound was still the same as Shen Chang'an remembered: blue tiles, red walls, familiar faces at the gatehouse, and some new ones.

"Comrade, please show your ID." The young guard at the gatehouse saluted Shen Chang'an.

"Chang'an?" Another guard walked out from the gate, saw Shen Chang'an, and smiled at him. "You're back?" Seeing the bags he was carrying, and the two strangers behind him also carrying various things, especially the one in the wheelchair, whose entire wheelchair was piled with stuff, the guard went through the usual procedure of checking the items they brought back. "You've lost... gained weight in the past year."

The guard couldn't lie and say Shen Chang'an had lost weight, so he said, "The teachers were just talking about you the other day, and you're back." The guard helped Shen Chang'an carry his things. "You really are a kid, you've been gone for half a year and didn't come back to see them. Don't talk back when the teachers scold you later."

"Don't worry, brother Lu, they wouldn't dare scold me too harshly." Shen Chang'an took a gift box from the big bag Dao Nian was carrying and handed it to the guard. "Brother Lu, this is a local product I brought from where I work. There's nothing particularly precious there, but the agricultural products are natural and delicious."

"Alright, I'll have my wife make some for you when you get back." The guard escorted Shen Chang'an to the inner courtyard gate, pushing it open for him. "Go on in, the teachers are playing chess in the courtyard."

The guard set down the things, gave Shen Chang'an an encouraging smile, and quickly returned to his post. The young guard who had stopped Shen Chang'an for his ID card asked curiously, "Brother Lu, who was that young comrade just now?"

"He grew up under the watchful eyes of the old experts in the courtyard. You're new here, so you don't know. These old experts in the courtyard have no descendants, so they raised him like their own."

"Then what's his family background? How come he's so impressive?"

"What background? He's just a poor kid." Brother Lu had started working here on the same day Shen Chang'an was brought to this courtyard. He still remembered that day, a cold winter day when Shen Chang'an was brought here, wearing somewhat rustic clothes, his thin face hidden under a scarf and hat, looking rather pitiful.

Later, he learned that the boy's parents had both passed away, and his grandmother in the countryside had abused him. An old leader personally decided not to send him to an orphanage, but to bring him to this courtyard to be raised.

He watched the boy grow up day by day, watched him become more and more outstanding. Now that he's gone, the old experts' voices when they scold people are not as spirited as before.

"Then who are the two people who went in with him?" The young gatekeeper was curious. "Are they also related to the people in this courtyard?"

"Then I don't know. If they can come in, it must be fine."

***

Shen Chang'an had just stepped through the door when he heard arguing, along with the sound of chess pieces hitting the board.

The sound wasn't like someone playing chess, it was more like someone smashing the chessboard.

Shen Chang'an, Dao Nian, and Shen Tu, three living people standing at the gate, yet no one paid them any attention.

"Grandpa Wang, Grandma Zhao, Grandma Chen, Grandpa Yang..." Shen Chang'an called out without pausing, his voice reaching all the old people who were arguing heatedly. They all turned their heads to look.

"Chang'an?" Grandma Zhao took her feet off the stool, adjusted her shawl, and quickly walked to Shen Chang'an, examining him from head to toe. Just when Shen Tu thought they were going to have a heartfelt embrace, the old lady slapped Shen Chang'an on the shoulder.

A loud "slap" echoed, making Shen Tu wince. He turned to look at his master, who slightly furrowed his brows.

"You little rascal, I told you not to go, not to go, but you just had to go. What kind of work couldn't you do with us? You had to run so far away." Grandma Zhao said, "How are you getting along with food and lodging there? Is your work going smoothly? Last time you said in the video that you got some kind of bonus?"

With his shoulder stinging from Grandma Zhao's slap, Shen Chang'an didn't dare dodge. He tried his best to appease the old lady, then introduced Dao Nian to her, "I've been taken care of by my friend while I was in Wuming City. This is my friend..."

"Just call me Xiao Nian." Dao Nian raised his hand and shook Grandma Zhao's hand. "I apologize for the intrusion. Please forgive us."

"Hea-heav..." Grandpa Yang, who was usually quiet, trembled uncontrollably when he saw Dao Nian. He even instinctively stood up, respectfully.

Dao Nian glanced at him indifferently, then shifted his gaze away. "It's our first meeting, so I brought some small gifts. I hope the teachers won't mind."

Dao Nian said something else, but Grandpa Yang's mind was in a whirl. He just stared blankly at Dao Nian, wondering why he was there.

Was it because some human here conducted research that went against the will of Heavenly Dao, and thus they were to be punished by Heavenly Dao?

Or did Heavenly Dao discover his disguise as a human and wanted to capture him and bring him to justice?

But as the Heavenly Dao, who controls the life and death of all under heaven, what he wanted to do was merely a matter of blinking an eye and raising a hand. Why would he need to make the trip himself?

"Grandpa Yang, what's wrong?" Shen Chang'an shoved the gift box into Grandpa Yang's hand. "Spacing out again?"

Grandpa Yang looked at Shen Chang'an, slowly coming back to his senses.

And, how could Chang'an be with the Heavenly Dao Lord?!