The masses cheered, the Korean War is finally over, our China is poor and white, lack of materials, we have defeated the world's number one imperialist United States and its shameless minions, the victory is not easy to come by, this good news came too timely, so that Yang Shugen's wedding added a bit of festive color.

Outside the township government compound where there were songs and laughter, a young man in a faded yellow military uniform was hurrying with his bags on his back, he was Liang Pan, a volunteer soldier who had returned from the Korean battlefield.

Everyone else was honorably discharged from the army, returned to their hometowns in fine clothes, and had a retirement fee of 300 catties of sorghum rice, but these honors and materials had nothing to do with Liang Pan, because he was a prisoner of war and returned with shame.

During the Korean War, Liang Pan's unit went deep into South Korea, the back road was cut off by the US army, the team was scattered, the soldiers climbed the ice and snow, suffered heavy casualties, and finally unfortunately were captured and imprisoned in the prisoner of war camp on Jeju Island, during which they organized many indomitable struggles, and some prisoners were kidnapped by Taiwan's Chiang bandits, but there were also many people who swore to die and did not want to go to Taiwan, Liang Pan was one of them.

The armistice agreement was signed, the two sides released the prisoners, and what was waiting for these people was not flowers and warmth, but examination and screening, it was said that some cadres in the prisoners of war had to be sentenced to prison terms, and Liang Pan was an ordinary soldier, who was not much implicated, and was sent back to his hometown after passing the examination.

Liang Pangui's heart was like an arrow, he came to the outside of Liangjiazhuang, breathed a breath of hometown air, his heart was relaxed, he was about to see his father and mother, he was a little nervous.

An old man with a dung basket walked over at the entrance of the village and looked at Liang Pan: "Isn't this the eldest son of Maocai's family?" ”

Liang Pan said: "Uncle, it's me." ”

The old man looked at him with a strange look, and left.

Liang Pan walked home quickly, came to his house and knocked on the door: "Dad, mother, I'm back." ”

The gate opened, and inside was Aunt Zhang, a poor peasant in the village.

"Yo, when did Liang Pan come back?" The second aunt is very polite.

Liang Pan's gaze looked past the second aunt to the yard, a group of children were playing, none of them were his own family.

"Where's my father?" Liang Pan vaguely felt bad.

"Your mother lives at the end of the village, and this house has been distributed to my family in the village." The second aunt was a little embarrassed.

Liang Pan's heart was cold, and he hurriedly came to the end of the village, at the door of an adobe house, his mother was grinding, her gray hair was fluttering in the wind, her movements were slow and difficult, and she sighed when she took a step.

"Mother!" Liang Pan threw down his pouch and threw himself on his knees.

Liang Qiaoshi was stunned for a moment before he realized that it was his son who came back from the battlefield, and immediately fell to the ground and held his breath.

Liang Pan hurriedly helped his mother up, pinched the person on the back, took out the kettle and fed a few mouthfuls of water, Liang Qiaoshi woke up slowly, looked at the sturdy son, thought of the husband who did not know life and death, mixed with joy and sorrow, and finally a cry burst out of his throat, and the sadness, grievances, resentment, and pain that had been held for several years were all condensed in this sound, although Liang Pan didn't know how much his mother had suffered, but the mother and son were connected, and this sad cry made his tears flow down.

"Mother, I'm back, no one will dare to bully you in the future." Liang Pan's words made Liang Qiaoshi feel that he finally had something to rely on.

Behind a big tree not far away, two members of the children's league with red tassel guns were vigilantly watching the reunion of the Liang family's mother and son, and one said: "The landlord's mother-in-law's son is back, we have to report to the village committee quickly." ”

Another child said, "You go and report, I'll stay and continue to monitor." ”

Liang Pan didn't know that her family had been monitored by the village, but Liang Qiaoshi was clear, she pulled her son into the house, closed the door, observed the outside from the crack in the door, and confirmed that there was no one around, so she told her son about the things at home one by one, and the town was turned against the town.

"Son, it's good that you're back, you are a revolutionary soldier, they don't look at the face of the monk and look at the face of the Buddha, and they won't bully us in the future." Liang Qiaoshi said with relief.

Liang Pan felt a sour feeling in his heart, he was a prisoner of war of the Volunteer Army, the shame of the country, and what face did he have.

The village chief brought two militiamen from afar, Liang Pan stepped forward to answer, the village chief did not embarrass him, only explained a few words to be safe and secure in the future, accept the education of the poor and middle peasants, and don't think about crooked ways.

Liang Pan sent the village chief away, went out and pushed up the stone mill, he was full of strength and sadness, and he could only vent on this heavy grinding plate.

……

After the end of the Korean War, Khrushchev came to power, the first five-year plan began to be implemented, new China was in ruins, thriving, Jiangbei was full of construction sites, the Chenguang Machinery Factory and the Hongqi Iron and Steel Plant had already appeared, equipment and machines were all shipped from the Soviet Union, the expert group guided the workers to install and debug, mingled with the Chinese people, got along well, learned Russian in schools in various units, everyone was proud of speaking Russian, and proud of knowing the big brother of the Soviet Union.

At the Fourth Plenary Session of the Seventh CPC Central Committee, Vice President Gao Gang was criticized and exposed, and Rao Shushi, director of the Central Organization Department and deputy secretary general of the CPC Central Committee, was also criticized for conspiracy to split the Party Central Committee and usurp the supreme power of the Party and the state.

The high-level struggle of the central government belongs to the fight of immortals, and has nothing to do with the ordinary people, but the provincial and ministerial-level senior cadres are inevitably involved, and Zheng Zeru, secretary of the Jiangdong Provincial Party Committee, belongs to Rao Shushi's faction, and Rao Shushi was defeated, and he was very nervous.

The secretary's building on Fenglin Road was lit up all night, the ashtray on the desk was full of cigarette butts, and the room was even more smoky.

Mrs. Pan Xin came up with a pot of hot tea, rubbed her husband's shoulders with concern, and asked, "Why, can't you write?" ”

Zheng Zeru dropped the pen, patted his head and said: "After careful consideration of the words, I still can't put pen to paper, I can't put pen to paper." ”

Pan Xin said: "Showing your attitude to the central government is to draw a line with Rao Shushi. ”

Zheng Zeru lit another cigarette and said with a wry smile: "How can it be so simple as you said, the knowledge in this is great, the internal struggle of the party has always been bloody and cruel, and the slightest carelessness will bury the political life and even the physical life, it doesn't matter if I die, what will you and your children do in the future?" ”

Touching Pan Xin's slightly bulging belly with pity, the crystallization of love between Secretary Zheng and Pan Xin is about to be born, this is Zheng Zeru's third child, he still remembers that the first child was born in 1930, and he was found disabled shortly after birth, and he was forced to sell it by his wife Hongyu at the time.

The second child was born in Hongyu, born in 1938 in the underground air-raid shelter of Beitai City Hall at the height of the Anti-Japanese War, named Wang Beitai, this child is also sixteen years old, it's time to go to high school, I haven't cared much about the two Hongyu girls, every time I dream back at midnight, I will always feel guilty.

Thinking of the child, Zheng Zeru's fighting spirit was strong again, he redrafted, wrote thousands of words, ruthlessly reported and exposed some of Rao Shushi's behaviors during his tenure as the first secretary of the East China Bureau, and also carried out self-criticism and deep reflection on himself.

After the letter was sent to the central government, Zheng Zeru became nervous, like a prisoner waiting for a verdict.

Fortunately, Zheng Zeru was not dealt with in any way, and he was still the secretary of his provincial party committee, he was relieved and in a good mood, and through his friend Ye Xuefeng in Beijing, he inquired about the situation and learned that he had passed the test this time thanks to an unexpected person.

This person is Xu Tingge.

It turned out that during the suppression of the rebellion, the East China Bureau did not keep in line with the central government under the leadership of Rao Shushi, and killed too few people, which aroused the strong dissatisfaction of the chairman, and the specific operator of the suppression of the rebellion in Jiangdong Province was Xu Tingge, who killed people in a bold way, shot dozens or hundreds of people a day, and never relented, and his vigorous and resolute methods left a deep impression on people, believing that Jiangdong and the central government maintained a high degree of unity, so Zheng Zeru's work was still satisfied.

Zheng Zeru passed the storm in the "Gao Rao Incident", and two months later, his third child was also born in the First Provincial Hospital, a healthy boy, Zheng Zeru named his son "Zheng Jiefu". ”

The child was crying in his arms, Zheng Zeru skillfully coaxed, and the nurse quipped: "Secretary Zheng, it's not the first time you've been a father." ”

Zheng Zeru sighed: "Yes, I was a father during the war years, but it's a pity that ......"

The nurse knew that she had poked the secretary's sadness, so she quickly stopped mentioning it.

Zheng Zeru didn't want to say anything, and after going back, he arranged for the staff to send 200 yuan and a few pieces of his old clothes to Beitai's home.

……

It's another year in the blink of an eye.

After graduating from Fudan University, Chen Nan did not go back to the provincial capital to work according to his father's wishes, but took Tang Yan's path and was assigned to work on the news front as an intern reporter.

Tang Yan is the editor-in-chief of the newspaper and the deputy director of the Municipal Propaganda Department, she is still unmarried, she is in a high position, strong in principle, known as the iron-masked lady, and the comrades in the unit dare not joke with her, except for Chen Nan.

Maybe it's because Chen Nan is Chen Zikun's son, Tang Yan takes good care of this junior, and also guides her in life and work.

At lunch that day, Chen Nan said: "Aunt Tang, I want to join the party, why haven't I written it for half a year since I handed in the application?" ”

Tang Yan put down her chopsticks and said, "Xiaonan, which party do you want to join?" ”

"Of course it's our party." Chen Nan looked ignorant.

Tang Yan smiled: "It's not that my aunt doesn't approve you to join the party, it's just that there are other considerations in the organization, and your role in staying outside the party is greater." ”

Chen Nan was still puzzled.

Tang Yan said: "Ling Zun is a member of the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Kuomintang, and your uncle is an old member of the Democratic League. ”

Chen Nan thought about it, and suddenly understood something: "I understand, I am in Cao Ying, and my heart is in Han." ”

Tang Yan smiled: "What nonsense are you talking about, the relationship between our party and the ** party is long-term coexistence, mutual supervision, treating each other with all sincerity, sharing weal and woe, where did Cao Ying come from, where did the Han family come from?" ”

Chen Nan also smiled: "Okay, Aunt Tang, whichever party you say let me join, I will join whichever party, in short, wherever the party directs, I will fight." ”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, Chen Nan went over to open the door, and two men in civilian clothes stood outside, and said very kindly: "Is this Vice Minister Tang's house?" ”

Chen Nandao: "Yes, which unit are you from?" ”

One of the men showed his work card: "We are from the city government, please invite Vice Minister Tang to a meeting." ”

Tang Yan came out of the house and asked, "What's the matter?" ”

The man said, "It was Deputy Mayor Pan who sent us, and there are some things that require your assistance in the investigation." ”

Tang Yan didn't say a word, followed the two men to the car on the side of the road, turned back to Chen Nan and said, "I can't finish the soup at noon, and I will drink it again when it is hot at night." ”

"Got it, Aunt Tang." Chen Nanmu sent Tang Yan into the black car, and then entered the door, he didn't know at this moment that this was the last time he saw Tang Yan.