Su Xiaoliang and Su Xiaoshan were approved after political review and were going to join the army.
"Quick, the commune said they would depart the morning after tomorrow, we must prepare for a send-off!" Su Changjiu immediately had the cadres of the production team busy themselves.
"Understood, Team Leader, we guarantee a lively send-off," replied Yao Xiuhong, the head of the women's federation, busy agreeing. "I'll go mobilize the women in the production team right away."
Su Shouwen also immediately stated, "I'll notify the school to have the students organize a team, to bring out the gongs and drums to send off our People's Liberation Army soldiers."
Su Changjiu nodded, "This matter needs to be arranged quickly, let me see what else needs to be done."
The few people divided their tasks, and Su Changjiu himself went to notify the two families.
When Su Xiaoliang heard the news that he could join the army, tears of excitement fell on the spot.
At this time, young people generally had a dream of joining the army.
Being able to join the army was a very glorious thing. Although it was not enough to bring glory to ancestors, it brought honor to the military family.
Xiaoliang had wanted to join the army since he was a teenager.
He had signed up last year, but was not accepted because he was not old enough.
When recruitment began this year, he wanted to join the army, but he was worried that his father's issues would implicate him and he wouldn't pass the political review.
Because of this, Xiaoliang had been lying at home for several days, feeling listless and lacking energy.
Later, Su Taohua couldn't bear to see it and had to go to the old Su family.
Fortunately, Li Changming's problems, although not small, did not involve political issues.
After Chen Zi'an made some arrangements, he managed to help resolve the issue that had implicated Su Xiaoliang.
"Team Leader, you've really notified me, I can join the army?" Su Xiaoliang, after his excitement, remembered if there was a mistake.
After all, there were four or five people who had signed up to join the army from the production team.
"It's true, I've asked several times, you and Xiaoshan can both join the army."
Su Changjiu said with a smile in his eyes.
He had watched Xiaoliang grow up, and the boy was a good kid. Being able to join the army was considered a good future.
"Thank you, Team Leader, thank you, Team Leader!" Su Xiaoliang quickly thanked the Team Leader to express his gratitude.
"No need to thank me, I didn't do much. Instead, you should go and see your Uncle Manshan and thank them!" Su Changjiu advised Su Xiaoliang.
This matter could be handled so smoothly because of Chen Zi'an, but in the rush, it was definitely impossible to go to the county to thank Chen Zi'an, so he could only go to the old Su family to express his gratitude.
Su Xiaoliang took his words to heart and immediately said, "I know, I'll go visit them later to express my gratitude!"
After a pause, the excitement on Su Xiaoliang's face subsided considerably.
"Team Leader, I'm leaving. Only my sister and Xiaogang are left at home. I'm afraid they won't be able to take care of my mother properly! In the future, I'll have to ask you to take care of my mother more, don't let her be..."
Su Changjiu understood what Su Xiaoliang was saying. A divorced woman, no matter what, would be looked down upon by some people.
Xiaoliang was worried that after he left, people in the production team would bully them, the widowed mother and orphans who had no one to rely on.
"Xiaoliang, don't worry, the members of our production team are all simple and honest. It's been almost a year, and no one has said anything, and they definitely won't in the future!"
Su Changjiu was giving his guarantee, but Su Xiaoliang was not very confident in such a guarantee.
He had heard some gossip in the production team before, but since there were no extreme words, he pretended not to know.
But it would be different in the future. In a family without adult men, things would be hard to say.
When Su Taohua entered, she happened to hear the conversation between Su Changjiu and Su Xiaoliang.
She heard it, but she didn't want her son to be upset, so she pretended not to hear their conversation.
"Captain, why are you here?" Su Taohua asked.
"Good news, your Xiaoliang is going to join the army, I've come to deliver the good news." Su Changjiu said with great joy.
"Thank you, Team Leader, that's great. Thank you, Team Leader, for taking care of my Xiaoliang, which allowed him to have this opportunity." Su Taohua showed a smile and thanked Su Changjiu.
"Taohua, you are smart. I've told Xiaoliang, you two mother and son should discuss it!"
After saying this, Su Changjiu also said that he still had to go to Su Xiaoshan's house, and then left.
"Mom, I can join the army, I can finally join the army!" Su Xiaoliang held his mother's hand, overjoyed.
Looking at her son, who was overjoyed, Su Taohua felt a pang in her heart.
But her son was happy, so she couldn't show her sadness.
That night, she sat on the kang all night without sleeping.
Her son had grown up and was going to join the army. Her younger son was still young and couldn't handle things. In the future, she would have to support the family herself.
The people she could rely on were fewer and fewer, and her children would eventually leave. How should she live then?
This was a question Su Taohua had never considered since her divorce, but now she had to consider it.
She had once thought that even if her children grew up, her husband would still be by her side, but how would she live in the future?
She had been strong her whole life, but no one knew that behind her strength, she was still a woman, with a touch of softness.
The next morning.
When Su Taohua got up, Su Xiaoliang was already in the yard.
He was carrying a water bucket, planning to fetch water.
"Leave it to Mom," Su Taohua quickly tried to take the carrying pole from her son's shoulder.
"Mom, let me do it. I'll be leaving home tomorrow, and I don't know when I'll be back."
Su Taohua couldn't help but feel a sting in her eyes, and tears almost fell.
"Mom isn't seventy or eighty and can't carry water anymore." Su Taohua turned to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Mom, you must take good care of yourself. If there's anything Xiaogang can do, leave it to Xiaogang. Boys need to be independent."
He had thought about joining the army before, but now that he was really leaving, he felt a hundred worries about his family.
He knew that his mother hadn't slept all night yesterday, and he couldn't sleep either!
"Mom knows, don't worry, Mom isn't as fragile as you think!" Su Taohua said with a smile, "Isn't there your sister? Your sister is now a worker at the chicken farm. Although not like workers in the city, she can still help Mom a little. As for you, when you go to the army, you must work hard, be worthy of the cultivation of the Party and the country, and protect yourself well."
As she said this, Su Taohua felt like she had thousands of words to say, but in the end, she only managed to utter this one piece of advice.
"I know, Mom. Don't worry, I'll work hard when I get to the army, and I'll bring you honor, so that no one can say your son is useless!"
"You rascal, you're leaving tomorrow, is there anything you want to eat? Mom will make it for you!" Su Taohua didn't want to continue talking about such a heavy topic.
Su Xiaoliang smiled and said, "Mom, make me some cornmeal pancakes tonight, I'll take them on the road. I don't want anything else."
There wasn't much grain at home.
There were four people in their family, but not many strong laborers, and the work points were few. If it weren't for Xiaomei going to the chicken farm, they would probably be in debt.
Su Taohua's heart ached more as she listened to her son's words.
This child was considerate of the family's poor conditions and dared not make many requests.
"Xiaoliang, don't worry about not having enough to eat at home. When you go to the army, the production team will take care of our family." Su Taohua tried hard to squeeze out a smile to comfort her son.
"When I go to the army, our family will be equivalent to having one person with full work points. Mom, you don't have to work so hard anymore."
This year, his mother worked desperately like a man just to earn more work points for the family, so that they could live a slightly easier life.
His mother had it too hard!
When he went to the army, the production team would give him work points.
This would make the family's situation much easier.
"You child, Mom knows. Hurry up and fetch water, Mom will go cook for you."
After Su Taohua finished speaking, she hid in the kitchen.
That noon, Su Taohua made pulled noodles.
Su Xiaoliang filled both the large and small water tanks at home and tidied up the family's private plot before returning home. He found that lunch was white flour pulled noodles.
"Mom, why are you making white flour? We only have this much white flour at home, save it for you, little brother, and Xiaomei." Su Xiaoliang said with heartache.
"Son, you are going to join the army, so Mom is making you long pulled noodles, wishing you long-lasting happiness. You must eat this bowl of noodles." Su Taohua looked at Su Xiaoliang with love.
Her son cared about her as a mother, and she, as a mother, also cared about her son!
This day, Su Taohua was busy.
She carefully packed her son's luggage for tomorrow and made food for him on the road.
Even though she knew her son would be able to eat and wear warm clothes in the army, she still felt uneasy.
In the evening, she even took her son to the old Su family to express her gratitude.
Su Taohua was a person who knew etiquette. When she went to the old Su family, she brought ten eggs and a bag of chicken biscuits.
Grandma Su enthusiastically invited Su Taohua and her son to stay for dinner, but Su Taohua declined.
Grandpa Su then said that he had some words to instruct Su Xiaoliang, and that Xiaoliang's grandfather had passed away early, so he, as a great-uncle, had to give him some more advice.
Su Taohua then agreed to let Su Xiaoliang stay, but she herself resolutely went home.
Grandpa Su and the others said many words of encouragement to Su Xiaoliang, mostly telling him to perform well in the army.
Su Xiaoliang wanted to speak but stopped. He wanted to ask the old Su family to take care of his family, but he didn't know how to ask.
Su Laoda saw Su Xiaoliang's thoughts and said very sincerely, "Xiaoliang, don't worry, we know your concerns. You are going to defend the country, and if there is anything at home, we will help!"
"Uncle, with your words, I am relieved. Xiaogang is naughty and young, I am really worried, but I have wanted to defend the country since I was a child, and I am unwilling to stay in the production team for a lifetime. Now that I am leaving, I feel selfish. Thank you, Grandpa and Uncles!" Su Xiaoliang bowed respectfully to the Su family members to express his thanks.
"You child, what are you doing? We are all family, why are you being so polite?" Su Laosan quickly pulled Su Xiaoliang.
"Third Uncle, without your family, I wouldn't have been able to join the army this time. Without your family, my mother's life this year wouldn't be like this."
Openly and secretly, the old Su family had helped their family a lot. A person must have a grateful heart!
"Grandpa, Uncles, what I'm most worried about is my mother, especially since my father will be back in a couple of years, and there will probably be more trouble."
This was Su Xiaoliang's real concern.
After his father was sent to reform through labor, he had secretly visited him once.
But it was only then that he learned that his father, after such a long period of reform through labor, had not repented at all, but instead harbored much resentment.
He couldn't help but worry, what if his father returned to the production team and bullied his mother?
The men of the old Su family looked at each other. They hadn't thought of this.
After a moment, Su Laoda asked, "Xiaoliang, there's something Uncle has to ask you. Your mother is still young. If there's a suitable person, would you mind her finding someone else?"
Xiaoliang clearly hadn't thought of this question and was stunned for a moment!
After a long time, Xiaoliang said with difficulty, "If there is a suitable person, I have no objections."
Su Laoda felt that the best way to solve the problem once and for all was to have Su Taohua find another suitable person.
Even if Li Changming came out, he wouldn't be able to cause trouble.
The next morning, Hongxin Production Team was filled with gongs and drums, very lively.
The production team's tractor took the two young men to the commune. Su Laosan used the production team's tractor. Su Changjiu personally went with them.
As the tractor chugged further and further away, Su Taohua remained strong.
Amidst the resounding gongs and drums, she smiled and sent her son off.
Su Xiaoliang rushed all the way, and it was already afternoon when he boarded the train.
On the train, when he opened the package that Su Taohua had stuffed into him before he left, he found that the package did not contain cornmeal pancakes.
In the small cloth bag were a lunchbox of dumplings, a large bag of oil cakes, and eight eggs.
Holding these, Su Xiaoliang finally couldn't help but shed tears.
And Su Taohua, after sending off her son, seemed to have collapsed and couldn't get out of bed.
In the afternoon, Liang Xiu came to talk to her, and Su Taohua only then reluctantly got up.
"Sister Taohua, look at you like this, Xiaoliang will definitely not be at ease even if he goes to the army."
Su Taohua squeezed out a smile and said, "I just feel empty now that the child is gone, I'll be fine after lying down for a day."
"How can lying down for a day solve anything? Sister Taohua, my mother is preparing clothes for Xiaotian at home and asked me to come and help design a style."
Su Xiaotian, the divine helper, also said with a smile, "Aunt Taohua, the clothes you make are the most beautiful. In Hongxin Production Team, your clothes are the best looking."
Su Taohua couldn't help but smile when Su Xiaotian said that, "No wonder everyone likes Xiaotian. She really knows how to talk!"
"Sister Taohua, let's go. Xiaogang is also at our house right now, playing with Xiao Si and Xiao Wu."
"Liang Xiu, you are all like this, what can I say!" Su Taohua couldn't help but understand Liang Xiu's intentions.
She also truly felt that she had collapsed. With Xiaoliang gone, he wouldn't be back for at least a year and a half, or even three to five years, he might not be back.
Thinking of this, Su Taohua's tears couldn't help but fall again.
"Since you don't know what to say, then don't say it. Sister Taohua, you have to stand up so that the child can leave with peace of mind!"
"He doesn't know I'm worried about him!" Su Taohua wiped away her tears and said, "I just think that when the child leaves, I don't know when he'll be back."
"Sister Taohua, we have to look forward. Your child has gone to the army, maybe in a few years he will have a good future. Staying here, working on the earth for a lifetime, doesn't make much sense, does it?"
"I understand the logic of what you're saying, but a mother's heart will still worry!" Su Taohua squeezed out a smile.
"Sister Taohua, let me tell you another good piece of news." Liang Xiu suddenly lowered her voice and said.