Chapter Fifty-two Home

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  With three years of spare time, Bao Yufeng overcame countless difficulties and finally obtained a graduation certificate from the Chinese Department of Adult Education. No one could have imagined how much sweat and effort Bao Yufeng had put into this certificate. Especially in the first year, her mother's health was poor, and Bao Yufeng had just started working at the reception center. After finishing work every day, she would rush back to her rented room to take care of her mother, and then find time to study, but there were never enough hours in a day. She had no choice but to compress her sleep time. Sometimes she was so tired that she couldn't bear it, and she really wanted to give up and not learn anymore, since the money her brother sent back was already enough for them to live comfortably. But her mother's words made Bao Yufeng blush.

  Bao Yufeng clearly remembered that her mother had said to her: "Yufeng, now that I think about it, your younger brother is really a tough guy. Think back to those things he went through, how much injustice did he suffer? But he never once complained. Our old Bao family's children have backbone, no matter how difficult things get, they can bear it. Look at him now, every month he sends so much money back home, I reckon even the county head doesn't send as much money back as he does. Who knows how hard this child is working abroad? You should learn from your younger brother too. As people, we may not be able to compete in terms of face, but we must have dignity, don't let others look down on us! Our old Bao family's children are good, and our daughter is better than others."

  It was because of her mother's words that Bao Yu Feng made up her mind. The children of the old Bao family, whether boys or girls, had to fight for their place!

  Bao Yulin's mother said this when she knew her daughter wanted to give up the adult exam to take care of her. The old lady was clear in her mind that her daughter was not inferior to her son in terms of learning. However, at that time, the family situation was very simple, and they could only afford to send one child to school with the income from their land. Due to traditional ideas, they chose to let Bao Yulin attend high school, and his excellent sister stayed at home after graduating from junior high school.

  The mother knew clearly that Bao Yufeng, as the elder sister, did not say anything at that time but cried secretly many times behind her back. The mother had always felt guilty towards her daughter, but according to the situation in rural areas at that time, they could not make a different decision. If their daughter attended high school, it would be a problem for her to get married later on. Which good young man would want to marry a wife with higher knowledge and cultural level than himself?

  But things are different now. The daughter has eaten commercial grain. In the city, there are many high school students. Their own daughter is from a rural area, and if she doesn't excel in some way, it will be difficult for her to get married without being bullied. Moreover, although Bao Yufeng is working for the government now, it's still a job serving others. If she had a university degree, she might even sit in an office, which would bring glory to her mother's face.

  To alleviate the pressure on Bao Yufeng, her mother took charge for the first time in a major matter and suggested using the money sent back by Bao Yulin to go to the hospital for treatment. The old lady knew that only when she was physically well could she help her daughter, rather than becoming a burden to her.

  Her own efforts, her mother's care, and the encouragement of her leaders helped Bao Yufeng get through the most difficult 82 years. The next two years were much easier. Her mother's body was no longer a major concern, and she could handle household chores on her own. Bao Yufeng felt much more at ease. During this time, many people came to visit her, including Lin Xiaoqing, Zhang Xihang, Wang Xiaodong, Lu Kai, and others. Some of them were still in the army, while others had retired, but one thing they all had in common was that they had become heroes due to their military achievements and were now leaders at various levels.

  After a period of time, everyone gradually saw the essence of things. The military region also made a conclusion about Bao Yulin's case. Throughout the Sino-Vietnamese War, Bao Yulin's stance was firm, his contributions were outstanding, and his merits were obvious to all. For this reason, the military region awarded Bao Yulin first-class merit. After verifying the facts, the state timely commended and rewarded Bao Yulin's contributions, but some people who benefited from it felt that this was not enough to express their feelings.

  Lin Xiao Jing knew that if she could have remembered earlier and stood up to testify for Bao Yu Lin, then Bao Yu Lin might not have been demoted. It was very likely that he would have become a model soldier, an example for the whole army and people to learn from. At the very least, she felt guilty for not thinking of it in time and speaking out for Bao Yu Lin.

  Zhang Xihang has now been promoted to deputy group leader, recalling the bits and pieces of his time in the Vietnamese Hanoi prisoner-of-war camp. He suddenly feels that he has been too superficial in his views on people and things, and that his subjective thinking has led everyone astray, making Bao Yulin a target of public criticism. In this matter, he owes an apology to Bao Yulin.

  Wang Xiaodong is still in the army, and he has become a deputy regimental staff officer. With his background and experience, he still has great potential for development in the army. It's hard to predict what will happen in the future. Looking back on the time spent in the POW camp in Hanoi, those few days locked in solitary confinement would have been impossible to survive if not for Bao Yulin secretly bringing him water and food. Ironically, before the military region made its final judgment, Wang Xiaodong had always thought of Bao Yulin as a traitor, and he even used his own confrontation with Bao Yulin as an achievement in his speeches. Now it seems that if not for Bao Yulin, Wang Xiaodong might not have had the chance to return and give speeches again.

  Lu Kai has retired and become the captain of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Police Team. He recalled that he almost killed Bao Yulin in the prisoner-of-war camp, which made him feel frightened afterwards. If it weren't for Bao Yulin, not to mention whether he and his comrades could escape, let alone their current achievements.

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  Anyway, one after another, Bao Yufeng received many heroes of the Sino-Vietnamese War. Gradually, even the county leaders felt numb, but there was one thing that all the county leaders agreed on. As a family member of the hero, love the house and the crow, Bao Yufeng was respected by these people. If they gathered their energy together, it would be an unstoppable force. In addition, Bao Yufeng himself was willing to work hard and eventually obtained a university degree. Recommended by Lu, the director of the Panshi County Armed Forces Department and a member of the county standing committee, Bao Yufeng was transferred to work in the secretariat of the Panshi County Party Committee.

  The fact that Bao Yulian went missing was indeed on file at the Public Security Bureau. However, everyone knew that every month, Bao Yulian would send money back from abroad. But after all, this was Bao Yu's business, and as long as she didn't say anything, no one wanted to bring it up. After all, everyone understood the situation at the time. To have driven someone to such a point and still be able to survive was already extremely difficult and precious; if they were to use this as an excuse to make things difficult for Bao Yu, it would seem too inhumane.

  Bao Yufeng was always thinking about how to contact her brother, but over the years, Bao Yulin only sent money home on time and never left an address. Bao Yufeng didn't know how to contact Bao Yulin either, she could only determine that her brother was still alive through the monthly remittances. Every month, when they received the remittance slip from Bao Yulin, it was the happiest day for Bao Yufeng and her mother. Bao Yufeng would excitedly bring the remittance slip home and share every detail on it with her mother.

  Everyone thought that Bao Yufeng was probably one of the richest people in Panshi County. Someone at the county bank secretly calculated an account, and Bao Yufeng's foreign exchange deposit was nearly $150,000. This is a huge fortune. But no one knew that every time Bao Yufeng was only responsible for putting the received money into the bank, and even she didn't know the password of the deposit book. Bao Yufeng's mother said that as long as Bao Yulin was still alive, he would come back sooner or later, and this money had to be kept for him until he came back. The lives of the two women depended entirely on Bao Yufeng's salary.

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  In February 1986, the United Front Work Department of Panshi County received an unexpected team from Hong Kong. The composition of this team from Hong Kong was complex, including members from the Hong Kong Social Welfare Department, the Hong Kong Holy Infant Orphanage, and a five-year-old child.

  Director Ling of the United Front Department was meeting a Catholic nun for the first time. He was surprised, as it should be the Religious Affairs Administration Bureau that handles affairs related to churches, so why did they end up at the United Front Department?

  "What's the matter?" Anyway, in this county without a Foreign Affairs Office, dealing with compatriots from Hong Kong and Macau as well as overseas Chinese had all fallen on the United Front Department. After some pleasantries, Director Ling asked. After all, the Sino-British Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong had already been signed, and Hong Kong was no longer a strange place.

  Here is the translation:

  "It was like this, our Hong Kong social welfare department had a branch organization called the Hong Kong International Refugee Office. In February 1980, we accepted a Vietnamese refugee who gave birth to a child in Hong Kong. Not long after the child was born, the woman passed away. We then sent the child to the Hong Kong Catholic Church's St. Joseph's Home for the Aged and the Abandoned. The woman left behind two wills, according to her wishes, we opened the first will when the child was 5 years old and found that it was a document revealing the child's father's identity. According to the mother's wishes, she hoped that her child could return to the mainland to be with his father and receive education after turning 5, so we sent the child back."

  An official from the Hong Kong social welfare department explained. At the time of accepting refugees in Hong Kong, the refugee office had taken on the role of executor of the will, but this was their first encounter with such a will. Considering that the Sino-British Joint Declaration had already been signed, the Social Welfare Department decided to execute the will.

  "Is this really happening? What kind of person is his father?" Minister Ling was also at a loss. This situation was probably something he had never encountered before. Why would someone from Hong Kong not stay there, but instead come to the mainland for education? He carefully read through the will left behind by Wu Honglian.

  Minister Ling did not expect that Wu Hongyuan and her sister had been studying in China since they were young, and in her opinion, the quality of education and educational level in China are very high. For the sake of her children's future, she hopes that they can return to China for their education.

  Wu Hongying detailedly recorded the identity and home address of Bao Yulin in his will. These materials were all found by Wu Hongying from Bao Yulin's file. The officials from the Social Welfare Department of Hong Kong had been to the military district before, and the answer they got was that Bao Yulin had retired and returned to his hometown, so they came to look for him. The Civil Affairs Department saw that it was dealing with a Hong Kong person, and directly pushed it to the United Front Work Department.

  Now, Minister Ling was in a dilemma. After all, there was no precedent for such a thing, and he didn't know how to handle it. He was also very embarrassed, but one thing was certain: if this were true (he believed it wouldn't be fake), they would have to let the family reunite no matter what.

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  Fortunately, there was a piece of information about a retired soldier, so Director Lü from the county armed forces department was called over.

  As soon as Minister Lü heard that it was about Bao Yulian, he naturally remembered clearly. In the past few years, he had to receive several batches of people who came to find Bao Yulian every year, almost all of whom were prisoners of war in Hanoi at that time. Many times, these people didn't even dare to see Bao YuFeng and her mother, but only entrusted Minister Lü to pass on their thoughts to Bao Yulian's mother. Now that it was mentioned about Bao Yulian, Minister Lü naturally understood clearly.

  "Bao Yulin's case I know, he is a first-class meritorious general. During the Sino-Vietnamese War of Self-Defense, he was captured and in the prisoner-of-war camp, to cover for his comrades' escape, he was unfortunately captured again. After returning home, due to unclear circumstances at that time, Comrade Bao Yulin suffered a lot of grievances. Later in 1981, Comrade Bao Yulin went missing. Until now there is no news about him, but his sister Bao Yufeng is currently working in the secretarial department of our county committee." Minister Lv said these words like he was telling a familiar story.

  "God, what are we to do?" The nun of the Holy Infant Orphanage made the sign of the cross, according to Catholic doctrine, children should be raised by their relatives.

  "Excuse me, can we meet Bao Yulin's sister? If she is willing to adopt and educate Wu Sigu, we hope the child can stay with his close relatives." After saying this, Ah Jie thought for a moment: "Of course, if Bao Yulin's sister is not willing, we will take Wu Sigu back to Hong Kong." Ah Jie was considering that at this stage, the general living standard in Panshi Town made it difficult for Wu Sigu to receive good education, and his identity background was complicated, so she said this.

  "I need to understand this situation, please wait a moment." Minister Ling arranged. After all, the Hong Kong issue is one of his key work priorities, but in the face of such a situation, he still cannot make a clear statement.

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  Bao Yufeng received the notification after Minister Ling had asked for instructions from his superiors. When she arrived at the United Front Department, at first glance, she saw that the little boy standing next to her mother was just like her younger brother when he was a child. There was no need for identification, and Bao Yufeng could confirm that this was indeed her brother's child.

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  Bao Si Guo (of course, he had to change his surname) became the only child in Pan Shi Town who registered for preschool with a passport. However, he could feel the enthusiasm from his aunt and grandmother. For the first time, the child felt like he was home, although at this point his Mandarin was not as fluent as his English.

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  Bao Yulin's letter home from Lebanon was forwarded several times before it finally reached Bao Yufeng. When she saw the familiar greeting and signature, she even forgot to pick up her nephew who was in preschool. After waiting for so many years, she had finally received news of her brother.

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