Chapter 657 - 320: You Have Your Connections, I Have My Uncle Zhao! (Part 2)

Hearing this, Kangle immediately realized there must be more to this story.

A remittance slip of three thousand yuan.

It can be said that it thoroughly cut off ties with bribery.

Three thousand? Isn’t that an insult!

Kangle thought so, and then the elder added leisurely:

"Oh, if I remember correctly, Commander Zhao is also from Shandong, so he’s kind of like a half-same town person with you."

"Shandong? Where in Shandong?"

"Mount xx."

Kangle sat upright across from Zhao Yimeng, recalling the elder’s words, feeling quite emotional.

Indeed, you can have the wrong name, but never the wrong nickname.

Zhao Yimeng remained silent, not saying a word.

Kangle didn’t speak either, just quietly observing the person in front of him.

To speak truthfully, Zhao Yimeng’s appearance is the classic image of a soldier.

But probably because he hasn’t slept well in a long time, his serious face shows some fatigue.

Underneath the starry eyebrows and sword-like eyes, there is a hint of sadness, the red in his eyes clearly visible.

Could it be the impact of that remittance slip?

Just as Kangle was thinking this, Zhao Yimeng unexpectedly began to speak:

"From your accent, you are also from Shandong?"

Kangle agreed with a smile, "Yes, I’m also from Shandong, in Shanyin County."

"Oh, that’s not far from xx, I grew up on Mount xx."

Probably aided by their similar hometown accents, Zhao Yimeng started to say more.

The atmosphere in the office became increasingly harmonious.

"Before I came, an elder told me that Commander Zhao, you received a remittance slip?"

The originally harmonious atmosphere suddenly halted at that moment.

Commander Zhao reverted to his taciturn self, and Kangle wisely sipped his tea.

Just as Kangle was about to finish a pot of tea, Zhao Yimeng began to speak again.

"Since we’re from the same hometown and you’re a reporter for the military, take a look at this..."

He pulled a letter out from a drawer, then handed it to Kangle.

Kangle glanced at the address on the envelope, noticing the remittance slip came from a county in Shanxi.

Upon opening the envelope, there were a few very brief lines:

Monzi, why did you send money to Auntie again? Auntie has money, don’t worry.

"This money was sent to the mother of my comrade-in-arms, but every time I send it over, it’s always returned, never accepted even once..."

Zhao Yimeng’s voice was low, and the regret and pain in his words were heart-wrenching for the listener.

Another bout of silence ensued.

Zhao Yimeng composed himself, looked at Kangle, and gave a weary smile: "I wonder if you’re interested in hearing me tell a story."

Kangle nodded eagerly: "Of course, please go ahead."

At this moment, he was filled with excitement!

The seemingly impossible-to-interview cold-faced Commander Zhao, and now he had done it!

Aside from anything else, the firsthand information he gathered from this interview, and from Commander Zhao no less, was enough to add a layer of prestige to his credentials!

Commander Zhao slowly got up, and Kangle followed to the southeast corner of the office.

On that wall hung two photos, old and somewhat yellowed.

Zhao Yimeng, with a look of remembrance in his eyes, pointed to the photo on the left and said:

"The story I want to tell has him as half the protagonist."

"His name is Wang Wenxi, from a small town in Shanxi Jinnan. He was originally the platoon leader of our second platoon before sacrificing himself on the battlefield. At that time, I was the instructor of our company."

Before Kangle could study the photo seriously, Zhao Yimeng pointed to the photo on the right:

"This photo is of his family taken in front of his tombstone. The kindly old woman is his mother, the young one beside her is his wife, and the two with slightly immature faces in front are one his daughter, the other his son."

Hmm?

Before Kangle could think further, Zhao Yimeng began to narrate that story beautifully.

——

You should have some idea, I come from a military family.

At that time, after graduating from military school, I was working in a propaganda department like you.

Later, at the strong request of my mother, I was transferred to serve as an instructor in the second company.

To be honest, I didn’t want to go at all.

Then, I was working as a photographer in the propaganda department, a pretty good job.

But I was restless at the time, and didn’t perform well in my job, plus I didn’t handle my relationships with colleagues well.

So when everyone learned that I was leaving the propaganda department and being transferred to the company, while their faces remained calm, internally they all were quite pleased.

I took a train to a southern city.

Upon seeing it for the first time, I was deeply afraid.

It was a small city, where not even tap water was available to the residents.

But I soon discovered I feared too early.

At that time, due to border tensions, all military vehicles were requisitioned.

The squad leader urged us to quickly pack our luggage, as we had to catch a tractor soon.

If it got too late, and the local’s tractor returned to the village, we’d have to advance cross-country.

When the tractor arrived at the place, my legs were already numb, trembling as I stood up, thinking I could finally rest now that we’d arrived.

But the squad leader blew the assembly whistle again.

Tired and thirsty, we rode on an ox cart into the sunset, finally arriving at the company.

In the remote mountains, desolate and uninhabited.

Back then, the second company wasn’t near the border, but it was a hundred li away from the living area.

Looking at the desolation around me, the only thought in my mind was, thank goodness I didn’t bring my camera with me on this trip, otherwise, carrying that dozens of kilos of iron, I definitely wouldn’t have made it to the company.

Before I set off, I left most of my luggage with logistics, who would have it delivered to the second company for me.

I carried a small suitcase with me, containing a big packet of Soft Zhonghua cigarettes, and a few bottles of foreign wine.