Chapter 70: Firm Faith

Shuihe Village. Village office. The conference room of the Eighth Route Army supplementary regimental headquarters. Yu Genshan, political commissar, chief of staff, Huang Zhongde, Han Dagang, and staff officer Wu sat around the conference table for a meeting.

"Report!" A soldier walks into the conference room with a rifle in hand.

Staff Officer Wu: "What's the matter?" Didn't you see the leader in a meeting? ”

The warrior stood up and saluted, stammered, and said:

"Report to the head of the regiment, a young woman came outside, outside, and a girl of three or four years old, saying that she came all the way from the county seat, and came to find Company Commander Fang, she, she said she, she is the wife of Company Commander Fang, and the little girl is, Company Commander Fang and her daughter."

"What?!" Yu Genshan's eyes widened in surprise: "Fang Jiren's wife came to him with a child? Did you hear me wrong? Well? ”

"No, no. Commander, I must have heard you right. That's what the woman really said, she's just outside the gate, don't believe you to ask yourself. ”

The people in the meeting were taken aback.

Political Commissar: "Look, look, there are more and more strange things happening to Fang Jiren." ”

Huang Zhongde: "Hmph! The question of whether Fang Jiren is friend or foe has not yet been examined, and now this has popped up again, and his wife and children have come to the door to find his husband and father. Francis's identity is too complicated, and there are more and more problems, which is really more and more chaotic and troublesome. ”

Han Dagang: "No, I've never heard of Fang Jiren getting married?" Didn't even hear he had children? ”

Huang Zhongde: "Yes. Regiment commander, political commissar, I just read the file of Francis after joining the army a few days ago, and he clearly wrote in black and white on his resume that he was unmarried, why is his wife coming to the door with the child now? ”

Chief of Staff: "Yes, I've read it too, it's written that it's unmarried, how, how ......"

Staff Officer Wu: "Ahem, let's be muttering nonsense here, won't it be clear if we call Fang Jiren's wife and children in and ask?" ”

Chief of Staff: "Yes, you go and bring the woman in." ”

"Yes!" The soldier turned around with his gun and walked quickly out of the conference room.

Everyone looked at each other, staring at each other, you look at me, I look at you, and they were speechless for a while.

The soldier walked into the conference room of the regiment headquarters with Tian Yuanxiu and his daughter Niuniu, who were carrying a wicker box in her right hand and a flower cloth bag in her left arm.

Tian Yuanxiu put down the wicker box, stood in front of everyone and bowed slightly:

"Greetings, chiefs."

"Greetings, chiefs." Niuniu also bowed and said hello as Tian Yuanxiu looked.

Everyone opened their eyes wide and looked at the young, beautiful, dignified and elegant Tian Yuanxiu and the beautiful and cute little girl standing in front of them in surprise.

Han Dagang greeted warmly: "Come, come here, sit here." ”

Tian Yuanxiu pulled the child to sit on the bench, and the child snuggled up to Tian Yuanxiu's side.

Staff Officer Wu picked up the teapot on the table and poured a bowl of water and put it in front of Tian Yuanxiu:

"Come, let's have a bowl of water first. It was hard to walk with the child. ”

"Thank you." Tian Yuanxiu picked up the water bowl and drank two sips: "Niuniu, drink saliva." ”

Niu Niu obediently opened her mouth to drink water.

The political commissar spread his hands at Niu Niu who had finished drinking the water, smiled kindly and greeted:

"Niuniu, come, come to Uncle."

Niuniu blinked her big beautiful eyes and watched the political commissar timidly lean into Tian Yuanxiu's arms.

Tian Yuanxiu gently stroked Niuniu's hair and said softly:

"Niuniu is not afraid, Niuniu is good, go, go to Uncle."

Niuniu walked up to the political commissar shyly and said in a milky voice, "Hello, uncle." ”

The political commissar stretched out his hands and gently picked up Niu Niu and put it on his lap and whispered:

"Niuniu is good, Niuniu is so good. Tell Uncle, how old is Niuniu this year? ”

"Niu Niu is three years old. How old is Uncle? ”

"Uncle is three years old, too."

"Uncle is not three years old, Uncle is a liar, Uncle is naughty and not well-behaved, Niu Niu doesn't like it."

Everyone laughed happily as they listened to the conversation between the old and the young.

"I like it, I don't want to be angry, Uncle is teasing you." Niuniu, tell Uncle, how did you and your mother get here? ”

"Mom and I came here to find Dad."

"Oh? Niu Niu came to Daddy. Who's your dad? ”

"My father's name is Francis. Mom, give me my portrait of Daddy. ”

Tian Yuanxiu took out the sketch portrait from the flower cloth pocket, unfolded it and handed it to Niuniu. Niuniu took the portrait with both hands and held it up in front of the political commissar: "Uncle, look, this is my father." ”

The commissar carefully looked at the portrait of Francis, which was very realistically painted, and asked as he looked at it:

"Oh, that's your dad. Niu Niu, have you met your dad? ”

"No, Niuniu hasn't seen her dad yet. Uncle, I want Daddy. Uncle, where is my dad? Uncle can help Niu Niu find her father. As she spoke, tears welled up in Niuniu's dark eyes.

The political commissar took the portrait from Niuniu's hand and put it on the table, and then lovingly took Niuniu in his arms and whispered: "Oh, oh - Niuniu doesn't cry, Niuniu is good." Uncle must help Niuniu find her father. ”

Niuniu sobbed and opened her arms around the political commissar's neck, snuggled tightly into the political commissar's arms and closed her eyes sleepily, crystal tears rolling down her pink face. The political commissar gently patted Niu Niu's soft back. Everyone leaned over to look at the portrait of Francis on the table, and nodded speechlessly. Tian Yuanxiu sat on the side and wept silently with a sad expression.

The political commissar patted Niu Niu in his arms and asked, "Girl, what is going on?" Take your time. Can you introduce yourself first? ”

"Yes." Tian Yuanxiu wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said:

"My name is Tian Yuanxiu, I am an art teacher at the National Model High School in Lin'an County, and now the school has been closed for more than two months, and the salary has been suspended, and my life with my children is in trouble. As a last resort, I had to bring my children to my husband Francis. ”

Yu Genshan: "Miss Xiaotian, why did you come to Shuihe Village to find it?" Who told you that Francis was here? ”

"I met an old man in the county seat, and he told me that Fang Jiren is now the company commander of the Eighth Route Army, and he saw him in Shengcang Village during the Devil's Sweep, and said that if you can't find him in Shengcang Village, you will go to Shuihe Village to find him, so I found him."

Han Dagang: "Miss Xiaotian, why don't you go to Fang Jiren's house in the county seat to look for it?" "I went to Fang Jiren's house in the county seat to look for it, and his father said that Fang Jiren had not been for a long time

Have you been home, but I don't know where he is now? Chief, is he here? ”

Yu Genshan: "Miss Xiaotian, Fang Jiren is not here, he is already gone." He left after the Devil's Sweep, and we don't know where he is now. ”

"Huh? What can I do about this? So where can I find him? ”

Huang Zhongde: "Miss Xiaotian, don't worry, we'll help you find it." But how can you prove that Francis is your husband? This portrait is not enough to prove it. ”

Tian Yuanxiu took out a few Chinese medicine formulas from Hua Buti pocket and put them on the table:

"This is the Chinese medicine prescription that Fang Jiren prescribed to me before, you should all know his words, right? Did you know that there are two black moles under Francis' navel? ”

Yu Genshan picked up the Chinese medicine formula and looked at it and said, "Yes, this is Fang Jiren's word, I recognize it." However, I don't know if he has a black mole under his navel. ”

Han Dagang: "Yes, I know that. When I was a child, the two of us often went to the Tongyu River and Yueming Lake in the summer to catch fish and shrimp, and I saw it. ”

Huang Zhongde: "Miss Xiaotian, do you know anything else about Fang Jiren?" For example, things in his family, or things in the past when he was a child. ”

"I don't know much about his family. But he told me that when he was young, he played with a boy named Da Gangzi almost every day, and that boy seemed to be, as if his name was Han Dagang. They often climbed trees together to dig birds' eggs, and also went to Yufeng Mountain to catch pheasants. ”

Everyone's eyes turned to Han Dagang, who smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

The chief of staff asked with concern: "Miss Xiaotian, you are not close to the county with your child, have you encountered devils and traitor spies along the way?" ”

"Alas! I took my daughter out of the county seat to go to Shengcang Village first, but I didn't find Fang Jiren, so I came to Shuihe Village again. Along the way, we encountered several small units of devils and traitor agents, and when we were still far away, I picked up the child and quickly ran into the cornfield to hide, and when the enemy had passed, I came out and continued to walk. Gunfire in the distance is often heard. Alas! It took a few days to reach Shuihe Village, and I pity that this child is so young, and he will suffer from this ordeal and danger. I thought I would be safe here, I would be able to see my husband, my children would be able to see my father, but I didn't expect him to be gone again, where did he go? ”

Yu Genshan said comfortingly: "Miss Xiaotian, don't worry, we will find Fang Jiren, and he will return here." You stay first, and we'll send someone to find him, and you'll be waiting for him here." All right? ”

The commissar gently patted the back of Niu Niu, who was already asleep, and whispered:

"Well, that's a good idea, let's stay for a while. Miss Oda, when did you and Francis meet? How did you meet? ”