Chapter 2775 - 2768: Memorial

"Alright. Uncle Qin, I won’t say words of thanks anymore—Yueyue and I will remember what you’ve done for us for the rest of our lives." An Hao patted his chest and said with deep feeling.

"We’re all family. Let’s go!" Qin Jian patted his shoulder and said.

It had already been more than a month since the earthquake. The roads had been cleared, and the officers and warriors were carrying out post‑disaster reconstruction work.

Seeing how the green hills and clear waters of the past had been utterly ravaged, the siblings of the He Family felt as though their hearts were being cut by knives. The laughter and joy of days gone by were no more, and even the familiar faces of the villagers had become far fewer.

This earthquake had taken away too many lives.

Coming back to this land again, everyone could not help but feel a stab of grief at every sight.

As soon as they entered the village, they saw two battalions of officers and soldiers stationed at the entrance. The battalion commander was standing under the blazing sun, directing the warriors as they helped the villagers rebuild their homes; each one of them was working with fiery enthusiasm.

All of a sudden, the battalion commander saw Qin Jian arriving. Thinking he’d misrecognized the man, he rubbed his eyes hard, and only then was he sure he hadn’t mistaken him.

He hurriedly called out to his signaler: "Xiaoliu, go and find Ning Chenyang for me!"

Then he ran over to Qin Jian, came to attention, and gave him a solemn military salute: "Greetings, Commander!"

"Hello! The warriors have all worked hard during this period!"

"Thank you for your concern, Commander! This place has suffered such a great disaster—every warrior feels deep sorrow in his heart. They’re turning grief into strength and doing everything they can to help the villagers rebuild their homes as soon as possible."

"Good! As the saying goes, you raise an army for a thousand days to use it for a single moment. The nation and the people have nurtured us; now is exactly the time for us to contribute to the people."

"Yes, sir!"

While the two were talking, Ning Chenyang came running over.

These past days in the disaster area, he had been tanned dark by the sun, and the skin on his body had peeled several times, but the masculine air about him had only grown stronger.

An Hao looked at her son, who had still been fair‑skinned just a month ago, and now was so dark that you wouldn’t be able to find him in a pile of coal briquettes; she couldn’t help but feel a surge of sorrow in her heart.

"Well done! Now you really look like a soldier! I believe you’ll definitely become a good soldier!" Qin Jian was very satisfied; he looked at Ning Chenyang with approval, nodding repeatedly.

"Thank you, Commander!" Ning Chenyang grinned, revealing two rows of bright white teeth.

"Ask your superior for an hour’s leave—we’re going to visit your Uncle He and Auntie." Qin Jian said.

Before Ning Chenyang could speak, the battalion commander spoke up: "Leave granted! I’ll give you two hours’ leave! Once everything’s taken care of, you are to return to the unit immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

The mountain path was rugged and took some effort to walk. But this was the custom of the people of He Family Manor: when a family member passed away, their ashes had to be buried in the fields of their own land.

The He Family’s land was halfway up the slope of the mountain, so the group had to climb up.

Along the way, they saw that many families had already raised new graves on their plots of land.

After walking for a while, they finally arrived before the graves of He Fusheng and Liang Xiuzhu. Seeing the two graves, the He Family siblings fell to their knees with a thud and were overwhelmed with grief.

Standing before the graves, Qin Jian joined the family in three solemn bows. He laid out the fruit they had bought and poured wine in front of the graves.

He gazed at the tombstones and said in a low voice, "Big Brother, Sister‑in‑law, you can rest in peace now. From today on, these two children will be under my and An Hao’s care. I will make sure they both make something of themselves, and I will not let down the hopes you placed on them."

......

After coming down from the mountain, it was just time for Ning Chenyang to return to his unit.