Chapter 1279

Yushan Town is composed of four villages—East, South, West, and North—along with a vegetable team, a fruit tree team, and the street.

The Yushan Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative is in the center of town, right by the national highway.

Wang Yousheng's home is in Yuxi Village; driving along the national highway, you reach the town's supply and marketing cooperative.

Then you turn right at the fork in the road in front of the cooperative and follow the low hillside westward.

After about seven or eight hundred meters, you reach the Yuxi Village brigade headquarters.

Wang Yousheng's mourning hall is set up at the brigade headquarters, and the farewell ceremony will also be held here.

At this moment, the brigade headquarters' courtyard and the area outside are full of people. When Zhou Andong arrived, it caused quite a stir.

He is from Tanghezi, but Tanghezi is also under the jurisdiction of Yushan Town.

It can be said that in Yushan Town, whenever Zhou Andong is mentioned, especially when facing outsiders, everyone's face shows pride.

Zhou Andong and Yao Jun each held a bouquet of artificial flowers. They had wanted to buy fresh flowers, but they couldn't be bought in this season, so they could only buy artificial ones.

"Why would Zhou Andong come here?"

"I heard that Zhou Andong and Wang Yousheng were classmates."

"So that's it."

"Who is that person next to Zhou Andong?"

"Yao Jun, the boss of Jin Dun Security. You don't even know him?"

"Damn, so he's Yao Jun."

Now, Yao Jun's fame is second only to Zhou Andong's; he is truly a household name, and in both the underworld and the legitimate world, everyone has to give him some face.

"Dongzi, Dajun!"

Old classmate Kan Kan Xingjiang walked out of the mourning hall; he was wearing a black suit with a white flower pinned to his chest.

(If you've forgotten, please see Chapter 607)

"How did you guys know?" Kan Kan Xingjiang shook hands with Zhou Andong and Yao Jun respectively.

"The hearse passed by the winery gate, and we saw it." Zhou Andong's voice was a bit low: "I still remember that after the final exam of the first semester of junior high, Yousheng found me and said he wanted to join the army.

At that time, we agreed that when he returned as an officer, we would get together again. But I never expected that this parting would last eleven years, and when we met again, he had fallen asleep forever."

Kan Kan Xingjiang's eyes were a bit moist: "Let's go, let's go inside and see."

Zhou Andong and Yao Jun entered the brigade headquarters' gate; the mourning hall was set up in a small hall inside.

Wang Yousheng's mother was not in good mental health, so she wasn't there, but his father and younger brother were, as well as his wife.

In addition, there were military leaders, as well as more than ten company commanders and platoon leaders, who were likely all Wang Yousheng's comrades-in-arms.

Zhou Andong walked in, looking at Wang Yousheng, who was wearing his military uniform and covered by the military flag as if he were asleep, and felt a bit choked up inside.

"Wang Yousheng, you broke your promise." Zhou Andong placed the flowers in his hand beside Wang Yousheng's remains, then he and Yao Jun bowed to Wang Yousheng.

"Uncle!" Kan Kan Xingjiang introduced them to Wang Yousheng's father: "This is Zhou Andong, the chairman of the Jiangzhou Yugong Group. And this one is the boss of Jin Dun Security. We are all Yousheng's classmates."

Zhou Andong walked over: "Uncle, do you still recognize me?"

Wang Yousheng's father had ankylosing spondylitis, and his back was severely hunched; he had to struggle to lift his head to see people.

"I recognize you, how could I not recognize you."

Zhou Andong nodded and looked at Wang Yousheng's wife, Chen Ju.

This woman was chubby and not exactly beautiful, but she was very pleasant to look at.

"Sister-in-law, my name is Zhou Andong. I don't know if Yousheng ever mentioned me to you."

Chen Ju's eyes were red and swollen; hearing Zhou Andong's words, she nodded vigorously, and then tears immediately streamed down her face.

"Every time he saw your news, he would always excitedly point and say, 'Zhou Andong is my brother.' We agreed that when I return as an officer, we would have a good drink.

When he was getting on that bus, he was still talking about it. He said to let you treat him to a drink, and it had to be Jiangzhou Yugong liquor. If you didn't let him drink, he would pester you at your house and not leave."

Zhou Andong's eyes immediately became moist; he took a deep breath: "Sister-in-law, do you have any other family?"

Chen Ju shook her head: "Only an elderly mother, but she passed away half a year ago."

Zhou Andong nodded: "Then don't go back; stay in Jiangzhou. With us brothers looking after you, you and the child won't go hungry."

"Right!" Kan Kan Xingjiang said: "Don't go back, just stay in Jiangzhou."

Immediately after, Kan Kan Xingjiang introduced the military leaders to Zhou Andong and Yao Jun.

The military leaders were no strangers to Zhou Andong's big name.

"Comrade Zhou Andong, hello, hello."

This military leader was very polite.

Zhou Andong shook hands with the military leader: "Is Wang Yousheng going to be buried in the Martyrs' Cemetery?"

"Yes!" the military leader said: "The farewell ceremony is at eleven o'clock, then he will be sent to the funeral home for cremation, and after cremation, we will go directly to the Martyrs' Cemetery."

Zhou Andong asked: "Why not hold the farewell ceremony at the funeral home?"

The military leader said: "Comrade Yousheng hasn't been home for more than ten years, so the regiment leaders discussed letting him come home to take a look first."

"The leaders are very thoughtful." Zhou Andong really didn't expect the military leaders to be so considerate: "Since the burial is today, I will wait a while and send Yousheng on his final journey."

Jian Qiu and Tang Tang Wenjuan were both pregnant, so Zhou Andong didn't let them get out.

Soldiers don't have so many taboos, but Zhou Andong, a commoner, couldn't be without them.

Soon, the town leaders all arrived, and naturally, they were very polite upon seeing Zhou Andong.

But on an occasion like this, they didn't chat too much.

At eleven o'clock, the farewell ceremony began, and town leaders, including villagers, came in to take one last look at Wang Yousheng.

At eleven-thirty, the farewell ceremony ended, and four soldiers carried the coffin out and placed it on the hearse.

Zhou Andong and Yao Jun got into their own car and followed the hearse to the county funeral home.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the cremation was completed, and they headed straight for the Jiangzhou Martyrs' Cemetery.

In the car, Jian Qiu asked: "Are you still going to school today?"

Zhou Andong waved his hand: "By the time we get back from the cemetery, it will probably be dark. Let's go tomorrow."

When they arrived at the Jiangzhou Cemetery, it was already past three o'clock, and with snowflakes drifting in the sky, it was already getting a bit dark.

Four soldiers carried the coffin toward the mountain, and Zhou Andong frowned as he looked at the desolate and dilapidated cemetery.

"The people lying here are all martyrs, heroes who gave their lives for the country and sacrificed for the people. How is it that no one manages it, and it's become this dilapidated?"

"Probably because there's no money," Yao Jun said. "If there were money, the city wouldn't be able to ignore this place."

That military leader looked at the cemetery in front of him, and his expression was very unpleasant.

He is a soldier; if he were to sacrifice one day and be buried in a place like this, he wouldn't even know if his sacrifice was worth it.

"Huh!" Yao Jun looked up into the distance: "How can there be someone over there?"

It's snowing in the sky, and this place is so desolate; who would run here for no reason?

Zhou Andong looked up and felt that the person's back was very familiar, and then a figure flashed through his mind. He then took a step and ran toward the mountain.

"Where are you going?" Yao Jun shouted, and seeing that Zhou Andong didn't answer him, he chased after him.

Zhou Andong's running speed became faster and faster, and when he got close, he finally recognized him.

This figure was the old soldier he had met at the Beijing railway station yesterday.

At this moment, the old soldier was squatting in front of a tombstone, holding a wine bottle and pouring wine onto the ground.

"Brothers, I've come to see you. This is also my last time coming. When we meet again, it will be in the underworld."