The special program welcoming the remains of the Chinese People's Volunteers martyrs home was scheduled to air in the evening.
However, news had been released in the afternoon.
Ting Yu would have a new song featured in the special program.
This prompted many people to tune in to their televisions right after dinner.
The news was still on.
The content of the news all centered around the arrangements for welcoming the Volunteer Army martyrs back home.
Deep in the mountains,
there was a small village called Xujia Village.
The village had just over twenty households.
Due to the holiday, the younger generation had all returned.
The atmosphere was completely different from the usual scene where only the elderly and children remained.
Families were gathered, enjoying their evening meals.
In some households, children happily clamored for gifts from their parents.
In others, children who had returned from working outside shared amusing stories of the outside world with their parents.
Amidst this scene of warm light and cheerful family gatherings,
one house remained unlit.
Qi Xiujuan.
She was ninety years old this year.
She had a habit: every evening after dinner, she would go and sit on a rock at the village entrance for a while.
Not for long, just about half an hour.
Afterward, she would return home.
Qi Xiujuan had no children and was a lonely elderly person in the village. At her age, her mobility had gradually become impaired. Fortunately, her neighbors were very caring and took turns helping her cook meals at mealtimes, and the village chief regularly brought her daily necessities.
The village chief had also applied for welfare benefits for her.
She was well taken care of in terms of food and warmth.
"Has Xu Yuanshan returned?" she asked softly when she saw an eighteen or nineteen-year-old young man walking in from outside the village.
"Grandma Qi, Xu Yuanshan hasn't returned yet," the young man, Zhu Ming, was a university student from the village.
From childhood, his parents had told him that whenever Grandma Qi asked if Xu Yuanshan had returned, he should tell her he hadn't. That way, she wouldn't become agitated.
According to the older generation, Xu Yuanshan was an orphan adopted by the former village chief and was also Qi Xiujuan's husband. In those times, it wasn't uncommon for people to marry at nineteen. He had gone to fight in the Volunteer Army shortly after getting married.
Qi Xiujuan had been waiting for him in the village.
Every day, she would look at the village entrance to see if Xu Yuanshan had returned.
She had waited until now.
In her youth, someone had told her that Xu Yuanshan had likely been martyred.
She had locked herself in her house and cried for three full days.
After she recovered,
Qi Xiujuan still went to the village entrance to wait for Xu Yuanshan every day.
Whether it was sunny or rainy, she would come to look. Sometimes she would stay for one or two hours, sometimes for half the day.
As soon as someone entered the village from outside, she would ask, "Has Xu Yuanshan returned?"
If anyone said Xu Yuanshan wouldn't be returning, her demeanor would change drastically.
Over time, everyone developed a silent understanding.
Whenever she asked, they would all uniformly reply, "Xu Yuanshan hasn't returned yet."
Hearing this, she wouldn't react and would continue waiting.
The village was very considerate of her.
After all, everyone knew that Xu Yuanshan had sacrificed his life to defend the country. He was a hero, and they should take good care of his wife.
In fact, the government had approached her several times, suggesting she move to a nursing home, but she had refused.
"I want to wait for Xu Yuanshan," was the only thing Qi Xiujuan would say.
Because her emotions fluctuated significantly, they eventually had no choice but to let her continue living in the village, repaired her house, applied for monthly subsidies, and asked the village chief to pay extra attention to her.
"Grandma Qi, come with me quickly, the program is about to start!"
The village chief, Zeng Changchun, was a young man in his thirties and the village's first university student. After graduating, he didn't venture out but instead used his agricultural knowledge to return and build the village that had nurtured him.
"It's Changchun, my child. I'm waiting for Xu Yuanshan." Qi Xiujuan showed a rare smile.
Zeng Changchun was someone she had watched grow up and was the person she interacted with the most in the village.
"Grandma Qi, the person you're waiting for, he has returned. Go and see him, welcome him back."
Zeng Changchun was somewhat emotional.
His voice even trembled as he spoke.
He knew that Qi Xiujuan knew better than anyone that her husband had been martyred.
Her daily waiting at the village entrance was merely an emotional anchor.
Qi Xiujuan wasn't truly deranged. She had once said that if she didn't vent her emotions, she would go mad.
This was also why Zeng Changchun dared to let her watch the program.
She knew and understood everything. She was simply cherishing her husband in her own way, so as not to forget him at some point.
"Really?" At this moment, Qi Xiujuan's cloudy old eyes held a hint of shy tenderness.
"Of course. The program is about to begin. I'll watch it with you."
Zeng Changchun quickly helped her up and led her towards his home.
Before going to Zeng Changchun's house, Qi Xiujuan returned to her own home.
From a rusty tin box, she took out a wooden hairpin and tucked it into her hair.
It was carved for her from a tree branch by Xu Yuanshan on the night he left.
To welcome him back, she naturally had to wear something he had given her.
...
After the news ended,
the special program to welcome the Volunteer Army martyrs home began.
When Zeng Changchun and the others returned, the program hadn't started yet.
He settled Qi Xiujuan down and poured her a cup of warm water.
"Grandma Qi, please don't get too excited. The program will begin shortly," he said softly, noticing how tightly she gripped the teacup.
"Mhm, mhm," Qi Xiujuan nodded repeatedly, her eyes never leaving the television screen.
"Iron will remains, the mountains and rivers are now at peace. Salute to the loyal martyrs of the Volunteer Army!"
Amidst a narration, the special program honoring the martyrs commenced.
When she saw the plane carrying the martyrs' remains soaring through the air, her eyes welled up with glistening tears.
The program continued.
Qi Xiujuan's eyesight wasn't very good. She moved her stool closer to the television and watched intently.
After the welcoming ceremony,
the screen displayed the list of names.
Qi Xiujuan leaned in closer.
"...
May we wield our sharpened swords, our youth unburdened for family and country,
Among thousands, you and I, transforming into sparks of the prairie fire..."
The background music was soft, serving only to accentuate the scene.
Qi Xiujuan was illiterate.
But she recognized the three characters "Xu Yuanshan."
The village chief had taught her.
She could write them fluently.
Some time had passed.
She still hadn't seen the three characters she knew.
Qi Xiujuan began to grow anxious.
"May the prosperous world be as you wished,
All things flourish in spring, and you are forever young.
Do not forget the path taken, live up to a thousand aspirations..."
As the song was about to conclude,
at that moment, Qi Xiujuan's eyes widened suddenly!
On the scrolling screen, she saw the name she had longed for.
Xu Yuanshan!
The village chief, Zeng Changchun, noticed it before her and quickly pressed the pause button on the remote.
Qi Xiujuan moved even closer.
She reached out and gently caressed the screen.
"Xu... Yuan... Shan..."
She carefully confirmed the name again and again, afraid of misreading it.
Once confirmed, Qi Xiujuan smiled.
Her smile held the bashfulness of a young girl.
"Xiujuan..." she seemed to hear someone calling her.
With misty eyes, she turned to look.
It was a young man, dressed in a military uniform, looking at her with a smile.
Through her tear-blurred vision, that figure straightened his back and gave her a salute.
"You're back. It's good that you're back." Qi Xiujuan looked at the person she had longed for, a brilliant smile on her face.
I've waited for you for so many years.
You're finally back.
It's good that you're back.
Now that you're back, you won't be cold outside...