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In his past life, Nie Zhenbang was a cripple, entirely immersed in the numbness of alcohol and never thought about these matters. In this life, he has been constantly striving and working hard, seemingly forgetting again. If today, Dong Wan hadn’t mentioned these things, Nie Zhenbang might not have necessarily thought of them.

Thoughts surged like a tide, it seemed like Nie Zhenbang had returned to his childhood days, back to the times of practicing Shape-Intent Fist in his yard in freezing winters and sweltering summers. It seemed like he remembered again, when he would slack off during training, how his little hand would be smacked with a ruler by his grandpa. It seemed as if he saw again, his grandma shielding him and scolding grandpa. It seemed as he witnessed again, his grandma, grandpa and mother perishing in the great disaster, protecting him.

At this moment, there were tears in Nie Zhenbang’s eyes. Suddenly, a crisp slap echoed in the living room.

Seeing Nie Zhenbang slap himself, both Dong Wan and An Na were taken aback. An Na even held onto Nie Zhenbang’s arm, anxiously asking, “Brother Zhenbang, what’s wrong with you? Don’t scare me, okay?”

Dong Wan also gently asked, “Zhenbang, what’s wrong? Why did you suddenly hit yourself?”

This was the difference between a girl and a mature woman. An Na, the young girl, first thought about the act of hitting, while Dong Wan pondered the deeper meaning behind it.

Nie Zhenbang, laughing in this moment, said, “It’s nothing, it’s just… I feel, I have really been unfilial. It’s been such a long time, from when I entered Jingcheng at sixteen, a full eight years. Yet, I have never visited my grandparents and my mother. I’ve been unfilial; I deserve this slap. Eight years, the amount of time it took to win the War of Resistance Against Japan. And I forgot something so important. Don’t you think I deserve to be hit?”

For a while, the atmosphere in the living room became heavy. Dong Wan didn’t know what to say regarding Nie Zhenbang’s words. However, it was An Na who spoke up at this moment, “Brother Zhenbang, don’t blame yourself. If grandma, grandpa, and mother knew that you were wholeheartedly serving the people and striving for our country to thrive, I believe they wouldn’t complain. They all love Brother Zhenbang and will surely forgive you. Just like how Grandpa has forgiven An Na.”

At this moment, Dong Wan’s hand rested on Nie Zhenbang’s shoulder, soothing him in a low voice, “Zhenbang, don’t take on too much mental burden. As the saying goes, loyalty and filial piety can’t coexist. You have both heart and mind for the people and the country. I think your grandparents and mother, looking down from the afterlife, would feel proud and honored for you.”

Nie Zhenbang’s emotions weren’t so great at the moment. Retiring to his room, he rested until evening, only getting up once Liu Kun and the others had arrived at the Wang Dynasty and called him up.

Inside the banquet hall on the third floor of Wang Dynasty, after Nie Zhenbang had hosted the group for a Chinese meal, he returned to his room. Likely sensing Nie Zhenbang’s dampened mood, Liu Kun, Zhao Xinglong and the others tactfully bid their farewells.

Early the following morning,

Nie Zhenbang was neatly dressed and up early. After performing a set of Shape-Intent Fist in the gym, the three women were all awake. With Nie Zhenbang’s mood off last night, Li Lixue, Dong Wan, and Yang Anna had not disturbed him.

Seeing the three of them up, Nie Zhenbang also walked out of the gym with a smile, pointing at the dining table and saying, “I’ve prepared breakfast for you all. Let’s go eat.”

Yang Anna was visibly excited about this. Being 21 years old, she still had the straightforwardness of a young girl.

The four of them together left the building and took Dong Wan’s Land Rover. Although the military license wasn’t a top-tier one, it seemed to be enough. Dong Wan had always been very low-key.

The distance between Tang City and Jingcheng was less than 200 kilometers. With the military license, the journey to Tang City was unhindered.

This time, Nie Zhenbang opted not to drive. As the scenery outside the window gradually became familiar, Nie Zhenbang felt a bit nervous. It was as if he was experiencing the nervousness of being home again.

Eight years. A full eight years had passed and the changes in Tang City had made Nie Zhenbang feel a bit unfamiliar. The original low, decrepit houses had been replaced with new buildings.

Following his memory, the car entered the old town area of Tang City. Under Nie Zhenbang’s guidance, they stopped by the narrow alley near the Tang City Mechanical Factory No.2. The aged factory building appeared a bit dilapidated.

Unlike the vitality of the new district, the old city area, especially the old industrial area, seems somewhat desolate and bleak. The streets are very quiet, with many elderly people gathering in parks by the side of the road for their own amusement.

Nie Zhenbang got out of the car and before he could speak, Yang Anna said in surprise, “Zhenbang, is this where you used to live? It’s quite poor.”

“Anna, this was built later. During the big earthquake, all of us orphans were temporarily living in tents. Many children were adopted. Later, I was also proposed to be adopted. But I didn’t leave, and the factory where my mother worked arranged for me to return here. Back then, it was just a room of about ten square meters. I lived alone in a yard shared with other families from the factory,” Nie Zhenbang explained peacefully.

Standing at the mouth of the alley, it seemed that Nie Zhenbang had already remembered the times when he played here as a child. After his grandparents and mother met with accidents, Nie Zhenbang became an orphan and became the object of ridicule by children in the factory district. Fortunately, Nie Zhenbang had great fighting prowess, and no one dared to provoke him. However, this also meant that Nie Zhenbang had very few friends as a child. After a moment of silence, Nie Zhenbang got back into the car and said to Dong Wan beside him, “Let’s go. We’re headed to the cemetery.”

Tang City Earthquake Cemetery

This is a major cemetery for burials following the entire Tang City earthquake, which claimed the lives of more than 240,000 people. The victims were placed in eight cemeteries in Tang City. Thanks to the specific names, addresses and units provided by the factory, Nie Zhenbang’s grandparents and mother were able to be buried here. His grandparents lie in a shared tomb, and his mother’s tomb is next to it.

As a group, they walked into the cemetery, following a cement path lined with lush pine and cypress trees. The path winds its way up the hills, where numerous tombstones were erected, lending an air of solemnity and reverence. Even Anna, who is usually playful, had quieted down.

The cemetery always exuded a heavy air. Each person held a bunch of fresh flowers in their hand. Dong Wan had also prepared some fruit offerings.

After passing two hills and arriving in between, this was the final resting place for Nie Zhenbang’s relatives.

Standing before the tombstone, he looked at the photo on it which was smeared with dirt. This was a photo salvaged from the ruins of their home.

Vaguely, one could still make out what Nie Zhenbang’s mother looked like when she was young — she had delicate features with large, bright, and crystal-clear eyes. The photo was a bust shot of her standing at an angle, two braids resting on her shoulders, wearing a military cap on her head and a smile on her face.

This pose seemed to be a common way for people of that era to take photos. This was the only photo they found.

Standing in front of the tombstone, Nie Zhenbang knelt down and with a choked voice, said, “Mom, Grandma, Grandpa, I’m late! I’m sorry! I am an unfilial son and grandson. I’m late to visit you.”

As he spoke, Nie Zhenbang took off the dragon pendant hanging around his neck, the object he valued most since childhood. At this point in time, the pendant, though now only representing its monetary value to Nie Zhenbang, was still worn around his neck.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang solemnly placed the dragon pendant in front of the tombstone and sobbed, “Mom, can you see? This is the jade pendant Dad gave you. I’ve found Dad. I asked him, he didn’t abandon you or us. Less than a month after you left, he went to Yanbei to find you. Unfortunately, he could not find us anymore. Mom, can you now rest in peace?”

Standing beside him, Dong Wan, Anna, and Li Lixue were all silent. Just as Anna was about to speak, she was stopped by Dong Wan. Nie Zhenbang had to let it all out; this man bore too much, too heavily. Only in this situation, in front of his own closest relatives, could he completely bare his soul.

“Mom, I have also entered officialdom now. I will always remember your teachings — to be upright in character and honest in conduct, to serve the people. I will remember, I always will. Mom, please be assured, I won’t let you down,” Nie Zhenbang said quietly, as if he were muttering to himself or truly conversing with someone.

After Nie Zhenbang had said all he wanted to say, under Dong Wan’s lead, the three women suddenly knelt down. Dong Wan also said in a low voice, “Grandma, Grandpa, Mother-in-law, we’ve come to see you, too.”

Dong Wan’s words suggested that she already considered herself a member of the Nie family. Li Lixue also repeated the same lines. Yang Anna, however, was a bit embarrassed at this point. But under Dong Wan’s gaze, she also repeated the words.

At this point, Nie Zhenbang also said softly, “Mom, can you see it? I brought my girlfriend home to see you today.”

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