Chapter 254 230: Big Shot

Xu Changshan entered the mine area, gazing at the familiar mine shaft in the distance, unable to help but reminisce about the years of transformation here.Back then, the mine area was bustling with activity everywhere. When it was time to get off work, the miners would come out from underground covered in coal dust, and the first thing they did was take a bath and drink.

When Xu Changshan came here, his medical skills became known, and the honest coworkers would voluntarily help him with heavy labor and took care of him. Later, they unanimously recommended him to the infirmary. It can be said that Xu Changshan was not subjected to oppression or difficulty in the mine area.

Because there were no vehicles or pedestrians on the road for a long time, a lot of weeds had grown. After advancing a hundred meters, they reached what used to be the command center.

In front of the command center was a sign for a provincial key cultural relics protection unit, with a brief introduction of the place. It turned out that during the Huaihai Campaign, it was used as a temporary operation center by the Liberation Army and is currently still a base for patriotic education.

The building is more than a hundred years old, primarily constructed of stone, and despite enduring a century of wind and rain, it still stands strong, although the windows and doors have been replaced later with aluminum alloy, like patches of metal that seem incongruent.

Xu Changshan introduced that this small building was where the mine area leaders used to work.

Xu Chun arrived at the nearby notice board, where some photos were still kept, but because they were exposed outdoors for a long time, they had mostly turned white, blurry to the extent that the images on them couldn't be made out.

As Xu Changshan was introducing the past to his grandson, a black Maybach S680 drove in.

Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "They said no one's allowed in, yet here comes a car."

Xu Changshan patted his shoulder: "Ignore them, let's go take a look at the mine shaft."

The car stopped next to the small building. The driver first got out of the car, then opened the car door, and an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face emerged from the car, dressed modestly and standing straight-backed.

He stood in front of the car looking at the small building, and seeing the grandfather and grandson approaching, he took the initiative to greet them: "Old sir, are you a local?"

Xu Changshan smiled: "I worked here in the seventies."

The white-haired elder said, "The seventies, that makes you an old worker."

Xu Changshan nodded, "Yes, an old worker, you worked in the mine in the past too?"

The white-haired elder shook his head: "I'm not from here, but my father fought here back then."

"That makes him an old revolutionary."

"Yes, he is an old revolutionary."

The two elders, who seemed of similar age, began chatting one line at a time. The elder's surname was Qiao, and he was two years older than Xu Changshan. This trip was to see the place where his father lived and fought.

Xu Chunliang particularly noticed the elder's license plate, which was from the Capital City, indicating that the elder was either wealthy or distinguished.

Xu Changshan introduced Xu Chunliang to Elder Qiao: "My grandson."

Elder Qiao smiled and said, "A fine young man, and rare for being so filial. Few young people today are willing to accompany the elderly."

Xu Changshan boasted with pride: "My grandson is especially filial and capable, even though he's young, he's already a deputy section-level cadre."

Xu Chunliang felt a bit embarrassed, thinking his internal appointment as a deputy section-level was not worth mentioning, and even a glance at the Maybach could guess that Elder Qiao was of unusual status.

Elder Qiao smiled and said, "The world now belongs to these young people." The driver followed behind them, and Xu Chunliang did not turn back but could tell from the sound of the driver's footsteps that he must be a well-trained expert, making him increasingly curious about the elder's identity.

Elder Qiao also realized this and turned to say, "Xiaowu, you don't need to follow, I'll wander around with this Mr. Xu."

The driver stopped his steps: "Yes!"

Xu Changshan glanced back at the driver and said to Elder Qiao, "You must be a high-ranking official?"

"Oh? How could you tell?"

"That car of yours is not cheap."

Elder Qiao laughed heartily and said: "The car? It's my grandson's, how could I afford it, I'm living off my retirement pension. I retired from a deputy director-general level position, maybe considered an official in Dongzhou, but living in the Capital City, a deputy director-general might not be as good as your grandson's deputy section-level."

Xu Changshan laughed along: "I've heard a saying before."

Elder Qiao humorously responded, "You don't realize how junior your official position is until you reach the Capital City, how bad your car is until Yangcheng, how timid you are until Northeast, how early you got married until Mountain City, or how rustic you are until Hu Hai."

Xu Changshan nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's the one."

Listening from the side, Xu Chunliang thought there's one missing: you don't realize how unhealthy you are until Qiong Island! Elder Qiao must have known, but omitted it deliberately for decency.

Ahead, a dilapidated pillbox stood among the wild grass, which was also a leftover building from the Japanese occupation period.

Xu Changshan, having worked here before, acted as a temporary guide for them. He explained how the bunker faced several attempts at demolition during the 1960s and 1970s. However, the structure was too solid to tear down even though the wooden parts at the top had already been destroyed.

Elder Qiao commented that such complete bunkers were rare now and should be preserved so future generations could see them as evidence of the East Asian Ghosts invading our great lands.

Xu Changshan pointed to the nearby well frame and said, "This wooden well frame has been here since the 1930s, nearly a hundred years now, and it's still standing strong. Regardless of who built it, the construction quality was indeed robust back then."

Elder Qiao gazed at the well frame and said, "Wood like this is also hard to find now."

Xu Changshan reflected on the destruction of the current environment, rampant deforestation, and severe ecological damage. For instance, good medicinal herbs were no longer found in the forests near Dongzhou.

It was then Elder Qiao inquired about Xu Changshan's profession. Upon learning that Xu Changshan was an experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctor, he expressed his admiration. Elder Qiao said he once dreamed of becoming a doctor to heal and save lives, but unfortunately, he never realized that dream.

The road ahead was overgrown with weeds, making it difficult to traverse. Xu Chunliang was worried about the two elderly men who might find walking inconvenient and suggested they should head back.

Elder Qiao said, "I've heard from my father that several of his comrades died here; they're supposedly buried somewhere nearby."

Xu Changshan replied, "You mean the Tomb of the Seven Heroes? Let me take you there." Elder Qiao was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

The old path was already buried under weeds; Xu Chunliang reminded the two elderly men to be cautious. Xu Changshan pointed ahead at a group of plane trees and said, "See that patch of plane trees? Behind it, there's a cypress grove, and the Tomb of the Seven Heroes is within it."

Xu Chunliang took the initiative to scout the path ahead, with the two elderly men following behind. Given their age, sweat began to appear on their foreheads.

After passing through the plane trees, there was a small river behind. The bridge had collapsed, but fortunately, the river had long since dried up. Xu Chunliang carefully helped the two elderly men across and finally reached the cypress grove his grandfather mentioned.

Within the grove stood a concrete tomb, the Tomb of the Seven Heroes that Elder Qiao had sought. The tombstone bore the engraved names of the seven heroes.

Elder Qiao wiped the dust off the tombstone with his sleeve, his expression solemn and respectful. He whispered, "Uncle Li, Uncle Qin, Uncle Zhao, Uncle Yang, Uncle Qian, Uncle Chen, Uncle Wang, I'm here on behalf of my father to visit you. All these years, he has always been thinking of you. Your families are all doing well, so rest assured."

In his heart, Xu Chunliang thought, with all seven heroes having families, why didn't they come to pay respects? But then he realized, considering Elder Qiao's age, the heroes' descendants would be at least in the third or fourth generation, and probably few remembered this matter.

Elder Qiao said, "Uncles, I came in a hurry this time and didn't bring any wine. I can only pay my respects by cleaning the tomb, but I will surely return soon."

Xu Changshan opened a burlap sack, which contained two bottles of wine. He had originally intended to bring them to Old Lu, but Old Lu had unexpectedly passed away, so the wine was unused and came in handy now.

Elder Qiao pursed his lips, nodded in gratitude to Xu Changshan, unscrewed the wine bottles, poured the wine in front of the tomb, and bowed respectfully towards the Tomb of the Seven Heroes.

Xu Changshan also bowed in respect with him. Without these heroes, there would be no happiness today.

With his grandfather leading by example, Xu Chunliang naturally followed suit. However, he felt that the seven heroes had not received the treatment they deserved, relating it to the local community not giving it enough attention.

The three of them returned to the car by the afternoon, and the two elderly men were somewhat weary. Xu Changshan bid farewell to Elder Qiao.

Elder Qiao asked where they were headed. Upon hearing they were returning to Dongzhou, he invited them into his car since he was also going back to Dongzhou and could conveniently give them a ride.

Initially, Xu Changshan wanted to decline, but with Elder Qiao's warm invitation, he had no choice but to accept and get in the car.

Driver Xiaowu helped them put the burlap sack into the trunk, and Xu Chunliang sat in the front passenger seat while the two elderly men chatted in the back.

Xu Chunliang found that riding in a luxury car felt indeed different, thinking that he should get one to drive someday. However, as they say, BMW is to be driven and Mercedes to be chauffeured. Those who drive this class of Mercedes are mostly drivers.

Xu Chunliang smiled at Driver Xiaowu and asked, "How much does this car cost?"

Xiaowu replied, "Over three million."

Xu Chunliang said, "That's enough to buy an apartment in Dongzhou City Center."

Xiaowu said, "Is housing in Dongzhou that expensive now?"

Xu Chunliang said, "About thirty thousand per square meter in the city center."

Xiaowu asked, "Do you have a place?"

Xu Chunliang laughed, "No, I'm living off my parents with my grandfather."

Xiaowu also laughed, "It seems you have a really good relationship with your grandfather."

They entered Dongzhou City right at the peak hour of traffic congestion.

Xu Changshan wanted to find a spot where they could get off, but Elder Qiao insisted on sending the grandfather and grandson right to their doorstep. Just as they approached the entrance of Huichun Hall, a delivery rider on an electric scooter suddenly crashed into the car door.

Everyone inside the car was startled. Xiaowu pushed the door open and jumped out swiftly, grabbing the fleeing delivery rider: "How are you riding?"