One night in 1984, two young men in emerald green uniforms bit their fingers under kapok and made a solemn pact.
"Whoever can go back alive will be the son of the parents of the victims and serve the old man for a lifetime!"
Hu Xinglong and Fang Haiying nodded at the same time, and their eyes were full of determination.
Twenty-one-year-old Hu Xinglong buried his bones in the battlefield forever, while twenty-year-old Fang Haiying survived.
Fang Haiying kept in mind his agreement with Hu Xinglong, and after the war, he came to his hometown to perform filial piety to his parents.
In the process of fulfilling his promises, Fang Haiying gave up the great future in the army.
Who could make Fang Haiying pay so much? It all started decades ago.
Kapok under the convention
Hu Xinglong and Fang Haiying, both from Tongling County, Anhui Province, joined the army in October 1983 in response to a state call.
Far from home, Xiangyin is the best bridge between people, because they are all from Tongling, Anhui, and Hu Xinglong and Fang Haiying quickly became acquainted.
The year he joined the army, Hu Xinglong was only nineteen years old, still a half-grown child who had not dried up, and Fang Haiying was a year younger than him.
In Hu Xinglong's eyes, Fang Haiying is just like his own brother, so he takes care of Fang Haiying everywhere in his life.
When Hu Xinglong and Fang Haiying joined the army, the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam was in full swing.
In April 1984, Hu Xinglong and Fang Haiying's unit was transferred to the Laoshan Front to perform important combat tasks.
For young people who join the army, it is a great honor to be able to go to the front line and serve the country.
Hu Xinglong and Fang Haiying were no exception, and when they received the combat task, the two were very excited, and even some could not sleep.
However, the old mountain front line is very dangerous, the artillery fire on the battlefield never has eyes, and once there is an accident, it is possible to die on the spot.
One day, Hu Xinglong learned that the next day the troops were going to go to the flank of Laoshan to engage in a life-and-death struggle with the enemy.
That night, Hu Xinglong lost sleep, and the uncertainty of the war inevitably caused him to have a deep fear.
This fear did not come from life and death, but from the relatives in his hometown who were waiting for him to return home.
Hu Xinglong called the sea eagle above, and the two young men walked shoulder to shoulder under a kapok tree not far from the camp.
"Sea Hawk, you're going to go to war tomorrow, are you afraid?"
"I'm not afraid! Fighting for the country is our glory, Brother Xinglong, are you afraid? ”
"I'm not afraid of fighting, but I'm afraid I'm going to die on the battlefield, and I have my elderly parents and young sister at home, who's going to take care of them?"
As soon as these words were uttered, Fang Haiying's face also showed a confused look.
The warrior is the shield and backbone of the country, but the warrior is also the treasure held in the palm of his parents.
If they do die on the battlefield, who will take care of their distant parents in their place?
"Let's make a pact." "What convention? Xinglong brother you say though. ”
"Whoever is fortunate enough to return alive will go to the home of the victim as a son and serve the old man for a lifetime." Hu Xinglong's words were loud.
Fang Haiying agreed without saying a word, and the two young people faced Kapok and made a lifelong commitment.
In order to ensure that the other side will keep their promises, Hu Xinglong and Fang Haiying raised their right hands and dripped blood for the alliance.
"My 15-year-old little sister Guilan has not yet decided to marry, entrusted to you." Hu Xinglong grabbed Fang Haiying's hand and said earnestly.
"If I can go back alive, as long as my little sister agrees, I will marry her and take care of your parents forever." Fang Haiying's voice revealed firmness.
After taking the oath, Hu Xinglong and Fang Haiying helped each other back to the barracks, and the two almost stayed up all night.
Not long after, Hu Xinglong was besieged by the enemy on the battlefield, he resisted until the last moment, after firing the last bullet, Hu Xinglong jumped off a cliff and was martyred.
This year, Hu Xinglong was only twenty-one years old, and his heroic fighting posture remained on the battlefield forever.
In order to honor Hu Xinglong, the army posthumously honored him with first-class merit.
Fang Haiying survived the battle, and he was awarded the third class merit in the battle, with unlimited scenery and a brilliant future.
Just when the army was preparing to send Fang Haiying to the military academy for further study, Fang Haiying refused, and at the same time, he rejected the army's decision to raise cadres.
He told the military chief that he was going to retire from the army to fulfill a very important promise.
Door-to-door son: Comrade-in-arms fathers are not allowed to call fathers
In August 1985, Fang Haiying resolutely chose to go home to change careers, and after returning to Tongling County, Anhui Province, he first went home to visit his parents.
As soon as he entered the house, Fang Haiying did not have time to greet his parents and talked about his various experiences on the battlefield.
In the end, Fang Haiying told his parents that he was going to Hu Xinglong's house to fulfill the things he had promised Hu Xinglong.
Fang Haiying's father was also a soldier, and he knew that the comradeship was thicker than the sky and deeper than the sea, so he understood Fang Haiying very well.
But Fang Haiying's mother did not understand, she did not understand why Fang Haiying would give up her great future for the sake of a vain sentence, and even take her own life.
Fang Haiying recalled the scene on the eve of the battle and Hu Xinglong swearing an oath under the kapok tree, and tears were already filling his eyes.
"You gave birth to four of our brothers, and only one less of me was raised." Fang Haiying said with some desperation.
Fang Haiying's mother was shocked by her son's persistence, and she no longer blocked Fang Haiying from going to Hu Xinglong's house to fulfill her filial piety.
Hu Xinglong's hometown is in Laoxing Village, Taiping Township, Tongling County, which is far from the county seat, and Fang Haiying inquired for a while before finding the way to Hu Xinglong's home.
While passing through a cotton field, local villagers told Fang Haiying that it was Hu Xinglong's mother Su Yungen and father Hu Shaodong who were working in the field.
Hu Xinglong's family consisted of five people, his sister had been married long before he joined the army, and his younger sister Hu Guilan was only sixteen years old, which was the age of innocence.
Fang Haiying looked at the Hu family's parents who were working in the fields from a distance, and their vision gradually blurred, and tears flowed uncontrollably from their eyes.
He quickly ran to the cotton field and knelt down in front of Hu Xinglong's mother, Su Yungen, with a thud.
"Mother, my name is Fang Haiying, Xinglong is gone, I am your son, I will take care of you for Xinglong for a lifetime..."
Su Yungen and Hu Shaodong had not yet come out of the shadow of their son's death, and when they first saw the young man in military uniform, they thought that their son had returned.
Su Yungen fell to the ground crying for a moment, and Fang Haiying rushed to help her and explain to her the agreement he had made with Hu Xinglong.
"Child, Xinglong always mentioned you in the letter, just come and see the uncle and aunt who are suffering, we can't afford to be a son!"
Although Hu Xinglong's parents did not allow Fang Haiying to come and give them filial piety, Fang Haiying's idea was very firm.
This was the promise he and Hu Xinglong made under the kapok tree, and as long as he was alive, he had to do it.
On the fourth day that Fang Haiying arrived at Hu's house, Hu Guilan received news that she could join the army in the army.
Fang Haiying asked Hu Guilan to go to the army for training, and the old man in the family was taken care of by him.
In the past few days in the Hu family, Fang Haiying learned that the economic conditions of the Hu family were not good, and the family only had more than three acres of responsible land.
The Hu family's annual income from farming is not even a thousand yuan, and in addition, they can only rely on selling garlic and eggs to support their family.
Fang Haiying was not dissuaded by reality, he knew that Hu Xinglong and Hu Shaodong would make tofu, so he planned to learn this craft and open a tofu shop in the market.
"I want to learn the craft of Xinglong, go to the market to open a tofu shop, and ask my father to teach me how to make tofu." Fang Haiying said loudly at Hu Shaodong's door.
Hu Shaodong has been in a bad mood since Hu Xinglong's death, and since Fang Haiying came to the Hu family, he has not given Fang Haiying a good look.
Fang Haiying saw that Hu Shaodong did not say a word, thinking that Hu Shaodong acquiesced to his learning of the craft, he said that he would do it and immediately sorted out the tools.
Just at this moment, Hu Shaodong brushed the floor and closed the door, locking up Fang Haiying's tools and other relics left by Hu Xinglong, and not allowing Fang Haiying to get close.
Su Yungen couldn't look down, pulled Fang Haiying aside, and quietly told him the inside story.
"Child, I am happy that you call my mother, but don't call him dad again, the more you call him, the more painful it is..." Su Yungen's face was a little helpless.
Fang Haiying suddenly understood that it was just his wishful thinking to come and give Hu Shaodong and Su Yungen a son, in fact, Hu Shaodong had not accepted him at all.
Fang Haiying did not give up, and he secretly swore in his heart: no matter how difficult it is, he will move Hu Shaodong and be his intimate son.
Take care of the Hu family and get married
Fang Haiying understood that if he wanted to truly enter Hu Shaodong's heart, he needed to pay for many years.
After all, he and Hu Shaodong were not related by blood, and no matter what he did, he could not replace Hu Xinglong's position in his heart.
However, Fang Haiying did not think of replacing Hu Xinglong, he only wanted to fulfill his promise and help Hu Xinglong take care of the two old men and his sister.
After this day, Fang Haiying began to work at the Tongling Power Plant, and every holiday he reported to the Hu family on time to help the old couple do some housework within their ability.
Whether it is washing and cooking or cutting pig grass with pesticides, Fang Haiying is very good at it, and under his care, the Life of the Hu family began to flourish.
Fang Haiying insisted on it for several years, others were diligent and fast, and Su Yungen was very satisfied with him.
In Su Yungen's heart, Fang Haiying was as intimate as his son Hu Xinglong, but Hu Shaodong was still reluctant to accept him.
Hu Shaodong has old cold legs, and when it is cold, he falls ill, not only does his legs hurt to death, but sometimes even walking becomes a problem.
In the fourth year of Hu Guilan's army, that is, the fourth year that Fang Haiying gave the Hu family "son", Hu Shaodong fell ill again.
That year's winter was particularly cold, Hu Shaodong lay on the bed and hummed, Fang Haiying took care of the old man all winter, and even Hu Shaodong went to the toilet by himself.
Hu Shaodong was very useful in his heart, but on the surface he was still tense, and the attitude of the other sea eagle was still lukewarm.
After Hu Guilan retired from the army, he went home and told Su Yungen that he had entrusted himself to Fang Haiying before his brother died.
Su Yungen was very happy to hear about this, Fang Haiying had been in the Hu family for so many years, and had already entered Su Yungen's heart.
If Fang Haiying can really marry Hu Guilan, then can't she stay in the Hu family forever to take care of her?
Su Yungen hurriedly told Hu Shaodong about this matter, and Hu Shaodong snorted softly, "I already knew, wait until I am in a better mood!" ”
After another two years, Hu Shaodong still did not go to Fang Haiying to marry Hu Guilan.
After observation, Su Yungen had long been sure that Fang Haiying and Hu Guilan were in love with each other.
Not long after, the sea eagles in front of them were injured a little when they participated in the flood fight and rescue, and Hu Guilan was worried so much that his love was all written on his face.
And Fang Haiying also cared for this "sister" who was a few years younger than himself, and the two looked very right.
Su Yungen couldn't hold back, and personally went to find Fang Haiying, knocking on the side to inquire about his relationship with Hu Guilan.
"Mom, the promise to take care of the second elder is the first, my marriage to Guilan is secondary, the uncle is not happy about how we are good to get married, and then we don't have a house." Fang Haiying generously admitted that they were in love.
On May 1, 1994, Fang Haiying and Hu Guilan finally walked into the marriage hall hand in hand, and on that day, Hu Shaodong showed a long-lost smile on his face.
The next year, Hu Guilan gave birth to Fang Haiying's son, Xiaoying, and the birth of Xiaoying finally made Hu Shaodong's mood gradually improve.
Fang Haiying, who had worked hard in the Hu family for ten years, finally touched the atrium of his father-in-law's heart at this time.
In 2008, Mr. and Mrs. Fang Haiying bought a new house, and Hu Shaodong was also very satisfied with the new house.
Fang Haiying thought of Hu Shaodong's relics of Hu Xinglong, which had not been discarded for more than twenty years, and thought of a good way to untie Hu Shaodong's heart knot.
On the grounds that the property did not allow residents to do old furniture, he asked Hu Shaodong to burn all of Hu Xinglong's relics.
"We took his relics to Kasa Hat Mountain and burned them, and sprinkled them under the pine cypress, and that pine tree is Xinglong, and you can touch it."
Hu Shaodong nodded with tears in his eyes, and the qi that had been in his heart for many years seemed to have finally found an exit.
In 2008, during the Qingming Festival, Fang Haiying accompanied Hu Shaodong to burn relics on Kasa Hat Mountain, and as a wisp of light smoke rose, Fang Haiying and Hu Shaodong opened their hearts and embraced each other.
After that, Su Yungen and Hu Shaodong both moved to the new house bought by Fang Haiying and his wife, and Hu Shaodong took on the responsibility of taking care of his grandson.
What makes Hu Shaodong happy is that Xiaoying, like Hu Xinglong, is very clever, and through Xiaoying, he seems to see his son who has died for many years.
Today, Hu Shaodong has truly untied the knot, and the life of Fang Haiying and his wife is getting better and better.
The little eagle has also grown into a 27-year-old boy, and Hu Shaodong is very confused every time he sees the little eagle.
If Xinglong were still alive, his 27-year-old might be like this...
On the 2022 Qingming Festival, Fang Haiying's family visited Hu Xinglong in front of the tombstone, and they never forgot Hu Xinglong.
"Rest in peace, good brother!" Fang Haiying put a bouquet of chrysanthemums in front of Hu Xinglong's tombstone and said silently.