I was born in a small village in Henan, and my ancestors made a living by farming. Day after day, year after year, as if going to work in the fields is an unchangeable destiny.
Since I was a child, my father has loved to urge me to study, especially caring about my grades. I always had excellent grades in elementary school, and a wall of my home was plastered with my awards, which made my father very proud. When I was in junior high school, my father insisted on sending me to study in the county. He wanted me to get out of the village and go to the county school for a better education. In the third year of junior high school, my father had high expectations of me, thinking that it would be easy for me to enter the county no. 1 middle school.
At first, my grades were still at the middle and upper levels of the class, but then there were more courses, and I gradually felt that I was struggling to learn, and my grades began to decline. I simply began to hang out with my friends, sleeping in class, and skipping classes more often. The grades deteriorated, and I didn't dare to tell the truth to my family until the middle school exam was smashed, and I couldn't hide it anymore. On the day of the results, I especially hoped that my father would scold me a few times, and even hit me a few times, but he was silent for a long time. My tears couldn't stop flowing out, I felt that I had failed my father, wasted the family's money, and stubbornly said that I would not go to school and would go to work.
That afternoon, my father never spoke, but just kept his head down and did farm work. Full of guilt, I also tried to help. The sun was about to set, and when the grass on more than an acre was removed, several blisters were grinding on my hands. My father came over and touched the new bubble on my hand with his calloused hands, his eyes full of love, and he whispered, "Baby, go to school." Dad doesn't want you to be like me in the future, with your back to the sky every day—" He tried to look up, but I knew he had tears in his eyes. That was the first time I saw my father cry. In the sunset, the silver filaments in his hair shone brightly, my father was old, and I seemed to have grown up a lot...
Later, I was admitted to the undergraduate school as I wished, and signed up for the army during college, becoming a rocket soldier. From home to the conscription site, the drive takes more than eight hours. Before leaving, my father insisted on sending me off, and he said happily: "Daughter," when you arrive in the army, you must listen to the words of the leaders, unite your comrades-in-arms, do a good job, and strive to go home with a military merit badge!" I nodded solemnly.
The recruits got out of the company, and I was assigned to the clerical post by the unit. Recruits are directly clerks, things are complicated, tasks are heavy, all aspects must be considered thoughtful, do not dare to slack off in the slightest, I often study, work at the same time, overtime is a common thing. At the end of the year, I was rated as an "excellent conscript" and received my first military merit badge since joining the army. The medals and certificates were delivered home, and my father, who had never drunk alcohol on weekdays, even made an exception to have a few drinks and asked my mother to call me on the video. In the mobile phone screen, he was full of spring breeze, holding a golden medallion, loving it, and several times he put it on his chest to draw, and his face was full of pride. Seeing this scene, I was amused by my father. I saw my father gently put the medal back into the box, and then pasted the certificate of "excellent conscript" on the wall of the hall. That night, he said a lot of things, telling me not to be proud, to continue to work hard, to work in the commander of the unit, and to send more medals home.
When I got my first military merit badge, I was full of confidence. My father's advice to me made me have higher self-requirements for the next work. But later, due to the adjustment of foreign studies and post majors, I either missed the merit appraisal award, or because I first arrived at a new professional and new position, my ability needed to be improved, and then I only received one commendation. This was a far cry from what I was asking of myself and what my father expected, and I felt both lost and anxious. For a while, I couldn't eat well, I didn't sleep well, I had a lot of acne on my face, I had mouth ulcers one after another, and my temper became more and more impatient. Once I communicated with my family, I confided in them.
"Girl, don't be discouraged. The plot is in man, and the success is in heaven. Honor is something outside the body, let's do our best. What's more, you've been rewarded twice, and in my and your mom's heart, my girlfriend is the best! Listening to my father's affirmation and encouragement, the haze in my heart dispelled most of it.
He went on to say, "The body is the capital of the revolution, and you must pay attention to rest in the army and not get too tired." You do a good job, be healthy, safe, and better than any medal, and I and your mother can rest assured..."
At that moment, I understood more and more that my father's expectations were not only to hope that I would achieve achievements and honors, but also to hope that my children would have a self-motivated heart; not only the motivation for my daughter to move forward, but also the warmth that soothed my tired soul.
Source: Rocket Soldier Newspaper
Supervisor | Rocket Force Political Work Department
Hosted by | Propaganda and cultural center
Issue | Issue 5687
Producer: Mao Xunzheng
Editor-in-charge: Yang Xinlong
Announcer: Qiu Ming
Email: [email protected]