In June 1882, China's dispatch army in Ceylon finally received the order to return home. After the transport fleet sent the replacement troops to Ceylon, the old troops returned to China by ship.
On July 17, Lieutenant Qi Rui and other soldiers in Nanjing arrived at the Nanjing Port. Many parents came to greet them, and Lieutenant Qi Rui even saw some slightly familiar faces. Some families sent cars to pick them up, and Lieutenant Hu Xingzhi invited Lieutenant Qi Rui to take a ride with him. Lieutenant Qi Rui didn't dare to be so ostentatious, and he politely refused Lieutenant Hu Xingzhi's invitation. Some other young soldiers who didn't want to reveal their origins agreed on a gathering time, and everyone chose their own route home.
Most of these people went in the direction of several military compounds, and Lieutenant Qi Rui's home wasn't in the military area. He chose a bus and went straight to the government compound. Nanjing was already very hot in July, and Lieutenant Qi Rui, who had just returned from the South China Sea, didn't feel this at all. He even changed into a long-sleeved military uniform. The "dry and cool" weather in Nanjing reminded the lieutenant of his father Vézé's words that China had occupied most of the areas in the western Pacific that were suitable for human habitation. Compared to the climate in Ceylon, the heat in Guangdong was nothing.
Military discipline required soldiers to give way to the elderly, women, and children on any bus. Lieutenant Qi Rui was too lazy to get up, so he simply stood near the door. This handsome, fit, and well-dressed young soldier attracted the attention of several young women on the bus. Seeing the women wearing swimming rings, the lieutenant remembered that it was summer vacation, and everyone was going to swim.
It was indeed cool to be the center of attention, but the desire to go home overwhelmed everything. Even when he thought of the swimming pool, Lieutenant Qi Rui's first thought wasn't of the girls in swimsuits, but of his father Vézé teaching Qi Rui and his younger siblings how to swim. How are my parents now? Are they also tanned?
When they arrived at the destination, the lieutenant went straight to the gate with his bag. The guard recognized the lieutenant but did not dare to let him in. There were some places that no one could enter without a key card. Even though they knew that Vézé's eldest son would definitely be able to enter, the guards didn't dare to let him in before the formalities were completed. Those who dared to do so would not be rewarded by the leaders, but severely punished.
When the lieutenant saw his mother and younger siblings greeting him at the gate, he couldn't help but wave to his mother. In the blink of an eye, it had been two years since they last met. His mother looked more haggard than before. If it wasn't for the military's education that made Qi Rui instinctively not dare to break through the gate, he would have run straight for his mother.
In Qi Hongyi's eyes, war used to be the path to victory, hegemony, glory, and status. As a woman, the greatest wealth she had was her family. This family had stood at the pinnacle of glory and power through a war that changed the dynasty. Therefore, Qi Hongyi never knew that she would hate war so much. Every time she thought that her beloved eldest son was on the battlefield and could be injured or even killed at any time, Qi Hongyi felt as if her heart was grasped by an invisible hand, and she couldn't even breathe. Later, she gradually regained her calmness, not because her heart was cold, but because she had to learn how to not think about these things. Seeing her son return safely in a military uniform, Qi Hongyi did something she had never done in her life. Right at the gate, she held her son's hand and cried.
The guards were very familiar with the families of all the high-ranking officials in the courtyard. Their impression of this female professor of history from Nanjing University was that she was serious, calm, and didn't like to talk. When they saw the female professor reveal her motherly side, the guards didn't feel any contempt. Lieutenant Qi Rui's dark skin was enough to prove that he didn't enjoy a comfortable life in the army. When the mother and son reunited after a long time, they revealed their true feelings, which moved the guards and made them feel some respect.
Vézé's home was a three-story building. Ever since Wei Rui could remember, he didn't have many memories of his father Vézé staying at home during the day. Even if he did, Vézé would read or deal with documents in the study. When he returned home this time, Wei Rui felt that the house was a lot more deserted. Li Yifang worked in the postal service, so of course she wasn't at home on weekdays. When he asked his brother and sister, Qi Hongyi told his son that the three older children were in college and had gone for internships during the holidays. Only the two youngest children, who were still in high school, were at home.
Wei Rui also told his mother and siblings about his experiences in the war. He didn't want to talk about killing the enemy, so he only talked about the scenery of the Southern Sea and what he saw in other places. Qi Hongyi looked at his son's tanned skin and listened to him talk about the storms, the scorching sun, and the torrential rain. She thought about the hardships her son had gone through in that harsh environment. She couldn't help but tear up. No matter how old her son was, he was still a little baby in his mother's eyes.
What made Qi Hongyi feel gratified was that after experiencing the war, Wei Rui had matured a lot. If it was in the past, Wei Rui would always talk about all the things he encountered outside. But now, Wei Rui was no longer like that. He had already chosen the things he talked about, and when they talked, he chose topics that made others feel relaxed. At the very least, Wei Rui's younger siblings were very interested in these interesting stories. Wei Rui didn't talk about the truly difficult things. As for the situation on the battlefield, Wei Rui was forced to talk about it, but he only talked about it in a few sentences. It was as if the battlefield wasn't that big of a deal.
This child is becoming more and more like his father! Qi Hongyi thought. In the evening, Li Yifang returned home first. The house was finally a little livelier. Qi Hongyi could see that Wei Rui had been looking forward to seeing his father, Vézé. This made Qi Hongyi feel a trace of jealousy. If it was in the past, Wei Rui would have preferred to be with his mother, Qi Hongyi.
Vézé finally returned home when it was getting dark. It seemed that the secretary had already informed Vézé of Wei Rui's return. Vézé wasn't surprised to see his son, but Wei Rui was at a loss. When he saw his father, Vézé, walk into the living room with his usual calm, Wei Rui jumped up as if there were springs on his buttocks. He paused for a moment, then finally stood at attention and saluted Vézé. At the same time, he said loudly, "Father, I'm back!"
Qi Hongyi found it hard to describe Vézé's expression at this moment. It was a mixture of gratification and joy, but also a kind of scrutiny, sizing up, and judgment. Vézé was like a father looking at his son who had been away from home for a long time, or like a commander looking at a young soldier. After a while, Vézé's father's emotions finally won out. He asked, "Have you eaten?"
"Yes!" Wei Rui clearly wanted to have a good chat with his father. His reply was crisp and clear.
"I've also eaten. Let's go to the study and talk for a while." Vézé smiled.
Wei Rui's younger siblings also wanted to go to the study and listen to their father and brother's conversation. Qi Hongyi and Li Yifang knew that this wasn't appropriate and quickly stopped them.
Talking with his father was completely different from talking with his mother. Wei Rui talked a lot, while Vézé listened quietly at first. When Wei Rui finished talking about work and the war, Vézé asked, "What do you have in mind for your next step?"
Wei Rui probed, "I want to go to Canada to fight."
"Haha." Vézé laughed. After laughing for a while, he asked his son, "Did you hear that fighting in Canada will allow you to get promoted quickly?"
Wei Rui didn't expect his father to directly point out his thoughts. He was stunned for a moment before he said a little embarrassedly, "Father, when you were my age, you already commanded thousands of troops."
Vézé could understand his son's desire to make a name for himself. He smiled and said, "If you become a battalion commander, you will be able to command three to four hundred men. At that time, my army might not be able to win against your three to four hundred men."
"I can't compare to father, nor can I compare to those uncles." Wei Rui hurriedly said.
Vézé shook his head. "You can't compare to the current us. We've gone through too many wars and accumulated too much experience to get to where we are today. When we were 22 years old, you were really stronger than we were back then. After all, we have taught you all the lessons we have learned. If you aren't stronger than we were back then, wouldn't all our efforts in building up the army be a failure? "
Being acknowledged by his father, Wei Rui was also quite happy. He said in a modest manner, "But I feel like I have something that is lacking compared to you, father. It's precisely because you have that thing that you are stronger than me."
"Maybe you're talking about courage." Vézé tried to dispel his son's doubts.
Wei Rui's eyes lit up. He nodded repeatedly. "Yes! It's courage! "
Vézé changed his sitting posture slightly before saying, "Courage is something that is acquired. The physical basis of courage is the human body's instinctive fear. When you are on the battlefield and hear the sound of gunfire, your body will naturally tense up. You will feel fear when you think about the possibility of being killed by gunfire. This is a very instinctive reaction. It's very normal, and there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Courage is being able to stand up and face the enemy that you are afraid of after deeply experiencing the fear that the enemy has caused you. Facing the enemy and using the abilities that you have learned and trained to fight against the enemy. If you can do this, you are a qualified soldier. If you can lead the troops into battle and give orders that are advantageous to the situation, you are a qualified commander. If you feel that there is a gap between you and us, that's probably it. "
Wei Rui's hands subconsciously clenched into fists. He said in his heart, "That's right! I always feel that there is a problem with my command. It's not about winning or not, but when I reflect, the orders I give are either too early or too late, and the number of troops I send is either too little or too early … "
Listening to his son ramble on about the course of the battle, Vézé instinctively wanted to interrupt him. Listening to a platoon commander reflect on the battle and himself was torture for Vézé. Even though it was his own son who was speaking, the feeling did not change. This had nothing to do with Vézé's love for his son. Moreover, Vézé himself could not relate to this kind of statement. Even if he did, it would be a very negative evaluation.
Fortunately, Wei Rui did not dwell too much on the details. Vézé could tell that Wei Rui was only disappointed at his own incompetence.
After Wei Rui roughly finished, Vézé said, "When you made the choice, did you give it your all?"
"But I should have been able to …" Wei Rui stopped mid-sentence. After a while, Wei Rui admitted honestly, "I could only do so much."
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