Chapter 277: An Iron Soldier, a Flesh‑Heart

2:14 a. m.

Ding Tengfei alone kept watch by his grandfather's side.

At this moment the old man had his mouth open, eyes closed, and his ears drawn in.

Faintly, one could hear intermittent inhalations, but hardly any exhalations.

"Tengfei, go get some sleep; you've been riding all day and you're tired, just have a few uncles and elders on watch night."

Ding Tengfei's mother, looking haggard, pushed the door open and came in; because she felt sorry for her son, she wanted him to rest.

But Ding Tengfei shook his head: "Mom, you rest; I want to stay with Dad longer."

His mother sighed: "Don't overthink that thing about your dad; he went to see a boss surnamed Yuan for money, he didn't run away."

"I know, my dad isn't that kind of person."

"Hmm."

His mother didn't know what else to say and silently left the room.

Ding Tengfei thus held his grandfather's twig‑like hand, silently staying by his side.

His mother had already told him about his father; though angry, it was of no help.

The year he served in the army tempered his temper considerably and taught him what responsibility and accountability mean.

Blind rage can't solve problems; since the matter has happened, all he can do is silently bear it.

The money owed to the workers must be repaid, as must the payments to the material supplier; the only valuable thing the family now has is the factory and the stock piled inside it.

Although these are insufficient to clear all debts, persistence will gradually reduce the liabilities.

The more adverse the situation, the more one must persist; the greater the difficulty, the more one must overcome it—this is what the troops taught him.

At that moment, all Ding Tengfei could do was stay beside his grandfather, honoring his father by caring for his grandfather in his final hours.

In the side room outside, uncles and elders smoked and played cards.

Local custom dictates that younger family members keep vigil for an elder who is about to pass.

To stay awake, playing cards and smoking became the only things they could do.

"Old K, double up, shuffle the cards, shuffle!"

"What round are we at? Last hand we played eight‑pips, this hand playing low nine‑pips?"

The side room was filled with smoke, and the sound of shuffling cards rang crisp and loud.

Outside, the tree branches swayed slightly, rustling softly.

The uncles and elders seemed to sense something, halted their actions, and all turned to look outside.

The pitch‑black night had no stars; it felt as if a wind suddenly rose, and the apparent temperature dropped a few degrees.

"Tengfei, why did you come out?"

"Dad left."

"What?"

"Dad just left."

Ding Tengfei stood outside the side room, his face showing no extra expression as he spoke.

The adults rushed into the bedroom, then someone hurried out, grabbed a bundle of firecrackers and came to the doorway.

"Where's the lighter? Where did my lighter go?"

"Third Uncle, let me."

Ding Tengfei took the firecrackers from his uncle's hand and pulled a lighter from his pocket to ignite them.

He stepped back, watched the firecrackers explode, and didn't blink a single time.

Before the firecrackers finished, the lights of the surrounding neighborhoods all lit up.

Every household sent someone dressed, carrying a stool, a bowl, and a thermos, marching toward here.

In the village, people help each other like this; when a family loses an elder, decades‑long neighbors from the surrounding area come to assist.

The next day, before dawn, the funeral troupe that had been arranged in advance arrived early.

The mourning hall was quickly set up, looking much like the funeral banquets Ding Tengfei remembered from before.

Watching with his own eyes the elder who had cherished and liked him since childhood being placed into a crystal coffin, Ding Tengfei felt oddly calm.

He neither cried nor felt sorrow; to observers he seemed to be watching something completely unrelated to himself.

"Good work, master; have a cigarette, have a cigarette."

"The tea has been poured, it's on the table."

The blare of a Chinese double‑reed horn, the electronic keyboard, and percussion rattled the eardrums, yet could not drown out the heart‑rending cries beside the crystal coffin.

Even though everyone knows an elder will eventually pass, when the time truly comes, few can bear it.

Ding Tengfei's mother also knelt nearby, crying so that no sound came out.

He was both mourning the elder and lamenting his family's tragic fate.

Ding Tengfei tried several times to pull his mother up from the ground, but never succeeded.

In the end, he could only helplessly give up and join the uncles in busily attending to the grieving relatives.

When a local elder dies, a banquet is held; wealthier families even set up a stage and hire a troupe to perform opera.

In the past, the Ding family could certainly afford it, but now some procedures must be simplified, though the essential banquet remains.

Hosting relatives, arranging seats, handing out cigarettes and toasting, inquiring about the funeral staff list and registering it; Ding Tengfei had been busy from last night until dusk without a single break.

Until all the mourning guests had left, the uncles were so exhausted they could barely stand, and they returned to the room for a brief rest.

Only then did Ding Tengfei sit on a padded rattan chair by the doorway, pull a cigarette from his pocket and light one for himself.

That rattan chair was his grandfather's favorite in life; the seat was slightly askew, and the backrest and armrests were wrapped in tape and paper.

No matter how his father tried to persuade him in earlier years, his grandfather couldn't bear to replace it, saying it held sentimental value.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, Ding Tengfei just stared blankly at the distant intersection.

I don't know why, but he didn't seem as sad as imagined.

He felt he was quite heartless; his beloved grandfather had passed, his mother and several uncles and aunts were crying their eyes out, yet he didn't shed a single tear.

Holding a cigarette, the spark flared like a sudden firefly, briefly bright then quickly dimming.

Ding Tengfei exhaled a thick puff of smoke and couldn't help self-mocking: "They say soldiers are made of iron; after just one year in the army, how did I also become cold-hearted?"

At that moment, a familiar figure on an electric scooter appeared in his view, rushing over in a panic.

Lu Yang spent the whole day outside searching for Ding Tengfei's father's whereabouts, but came up empty.

Moreover, up to now he still couldn't be completely certain whether the person who jumped to his death in his previous life was Ding Tengfei's father.

Because it's said that after the Yuanbao bubble burst, more than one family ruined jumped from buildings or into rivers, so without confirmation he couldn't directly tell Ding Tengfei.

Coming back in the evening, he had intended to drop by and check on the old man's health; but from afar he saw the erected shelter and the wreath placed at the doorway.

"Ding Tengfei......"

Lu Yang took off his helmet and walked over, seeing his somewhat haggard appearance, he asked with concern: "You, are you okay?"

Ding Tengfei sat on the recliner, looked up at Lu Yang: "I'm not......"

He had wanted to force a smile to feign strength, intending to say I'm fine.

But the tears burst forth like a broken dam, unstoppable.

Ding Tengfei flung his arms around Lu Yang, wailing heartbroken: "I have no grandfather left, my grandfather is gone. Lu Yang, my heart aches so much, I'm in agony......."

Lu Yang felt his trembling body, gently patted his back, and said nothing.

He could imagine how much torment Ding Tengfei's inner self endured that day.

His father's matter remained unresolved, yet his grandfather had already passed first.

Though only nineteen, he had to forcibly hold up the family, becoming the pillar of a man.

He couldn't show cowardice in front of outsiders, nor dare let his mother see his fragile, broken side,

Because only if he held firm could his mother hold firm, and the family not fall apart.

Soldiers shed skin and flesh, not tears.

Ding Tengfei spent a year internalizing the uniform, constantly reminding himself that soldiers are forged of iron, the elite among the elite, steel among steel.

But he forgot that iron-clad soldiers have hearts of flesh.

Thereafter, Lu Yang stayed here.

On one hand to care for Ding Tengfei, on the other hand this place also lacked manpower to help.

On the military side, Gao Feng also called him, saying that after learning of the situation, the Regiment Commander personally contacted the Local Armed Forces Department, hoping they could provide assistance.

So the next day, personnel from the Armed Forces Department sent a special representative to visit, gave some token, and simultaneously promised to bring the wrongdoers to justice.

Moreover, Lu Yang learned over the phone that the total amount of fraud by Yuanbao Liquor Industry reached as high as 120 million.

The number of victim families is countless, among them several retired veterans and military dependents were also swindled.

The military attached great importance to this matter, and the police have also issued a wanted notice with a bounty.

Although all departments are actively coordinating, Lu Yang and Gao Feng both know the chance of recovering this money is minuscule.

Because before the bubble burst, they surely had already secretly moved the funds; furthermore, illegal fundraising is a financial crime, so even if the culprits are eventually caught, the money will likely have been squandered.

On the other end of the phone, Gao Feng's voice filled with worry: "No matter what, you must keep an eye on Ding Tengfei for me; absolutely cannot let him do something foolish. What I worry about most now is that he will act on impulse and not return to the unit."

"He barely managed to make a name for himself in the unit, barely achieved some results; if he just gave up halfway, the loss would be too great!"

Lu Yang understood his concern: "No way, I've talked with him; he knows his path ahead, and also realizes that even if discharged, it wouldn't change anything."

Gao Feng nodded: "It's best if you figure these things out; if anything comes up, call more, communicate more—my phone is on 24/7. Give me an account, I and the Instructor have pooled some money; later you can help withdraw it and give it to his family."

"Although it's not much, it's also our gesture toward the old man, and a bit of help for his family."

"Okay, I'll send you the account later......"

Lu Yang didn't refuse, because Ding Tengfei's family indeed needed this help at the moment.

No matter how much help can be given, it's a gesture of goodwill; this is the benefit of having the military as a safety net.

As long as you call out "comrade," whenever you encounter difficulty, they will do their best to lend a hand.

Just as the phone hung up, Lu Yang heard a noisy commotion outside.

Just as he was going downstairs, a minivan happened to block the entrance to Ding Tengfei's grandfather's house.

And today just happens to be the day of the old man's funeral......