74: Chapter 74 Family Letters, Last Will and Testament
Netizens watched the conversation between the two.
They, too, could hear the lack of confidence in the Cart Driver's words.
They dared not imagine what he must have gone through for an ordinary person to lose all confidence in victory.
If such a mindset were to spread among everyone, wouldn't the fall of the nation be just a moment away?
Wang Ye didn't know what to say either.
Fortunately, the Cart Driver's mindset was decent.
After all, no matter what, one still had to live well and continue with life.
He then chatted with Wang Ye about the interesting things he had encountered while traveling north and south over the years.
Through these stories, a different world took shape in Wang Ye's mind.
So, this was how people lived in this era.
Even when faced with such difficulties, they were still struggling to live on.
Two days passed in a flash, and they finally arrived in Raozhou.
However, they had only just entered Raozhou.
Raozhou was not small, and as soon as they entered, Wang Ye asked passersby where the location on the handkerchief was.
After asking several passersby, someone who knew the place pointed him in the right direction.
He needed to continue heading south.
"Did you find the way?" the Cart Driver asked with a smile as he saw Wang Ye return.
"I found it."
"Do you want me to continue taking you there? I'm heading that way too," the Cart Driver asked kindly.
After all, Wang Ye had paid quite a bit of money, and at first, he had wanted to rip Wang Ye off.
But after chatting for two days, he felt a bit guilty.
"Sure, then I'll have to trouble Uncle Fang."
Wang Ye's eyes lit up when he heard the man's offer.
If there was a carriage, it would definitely be much better than walking there himself.
He didn't want to experience the feeling of walking again.
Walking dozens of miles a day was simply agonizing.
After experiencing the carriage, there was no way he wanted to continue traveling on foot.
It was not only tiring but also slow.
He was afraid that the game would end before he even reached his destination.
And so, the two of them continued heading further south together.
"Uncle Fang, have you been here before?"
"I have, many years ago."
"Right, what are you doing here? Going home?" the Cart Driver asked with a smile while on the carriage.
"No, I'm here to deliver something for a comrade-in-arms."
"Deliver something."
Hearing Wang Ye's words, the Cart Driver suddenly realized something.
"Is he… gone?"
"Yes, before the battle, he handed this to me and said to give it to his family."
As Wang Ye spoke, he took the handkerchief out from his chest.
Seeing the handkerchief, Wang Ye thought of Li Yan again.
Without realizing it, so many days had passed.
He wondered how that lonely grave was doing now.
The Cart Driver didn't know what to say upon hearing this.
In this day and age, people were dying everywhere, and the most deaths occurred on the battlefield.
"My condolences. How can there be no deaths in war? In this day and age, too many people are dying."
The Cart Driver sighed.
"He was even younger than me, it's just a pity he died there," Wang Ye recounted.
Once he started talking about this, he couldn't stop.
It seemed as though he wanted to pour out all the frustration in his heart.
Inside the livestream room, the audience heard Wang Ye's account.
Many viewers couldn't help but shed tears.
Most of them had been watching from the very beginning; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it felt like they had experienced it themselves.
"Sigh, just like the uncle said, how can there be no deaths in war? But if it were possible for no one to die, that would certainly be best."
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are part of human nature, but the deaths caused by war are the result of human greed."
"Our lives now are already very good; there is no war, and as long as one is willing to work, one can live quite well."
"That's right, even if one doesn't work, one won't starve to death. This kind of life is already very good. There aren't that many chosen ones; in the face of war, everyone is helpless."
"Those who advocate for war all day long should be thrown to the front lines to experience it for themselves."
"Without having experienced war, one doesn't know its cruelty, but this is a wall one must not hit."
Most of the Netizens were still quite clear-headed.
In today's age of transparent information, seeking knowledge is much easier than in ancient times.
As long as one is willing to understand, everyone knows that since ancient times, war has only brought suffering.
Those whose lives are unsatisfactory are actually in the minority.
Time flew by, and after another two days of travel, Wang Ye finally found the address on the handkerchief.
He arrived at a village.
The Cart Driver had already left.
He had his own life to lead and wouldn't waste too much time with Wang Ye.
Walking into the village, Wang Ye asked for directions along the way.
He arrived at an alley.
The alley looked a bit dilapidated, but it was very clean and tidy.
He knocked on the courtyard door, and a crisp female voice came from inside.
Immediately after, the door opened.
Inside the door was a girl wearing a coarse cloth shirt.
The girl's skin was a bit dark, and she had large, sparkling eyes.
When she saw Wang Ye, she was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head shyly and asked in a low voice, "Big brother, who are you?"
Wang Ye saw the girl, who was about ten years old, and immediately replied, "I'm here to deliver something."
"Deliver something?"
Hearing this, the girl looked up, her eyes filled with a trace of confusion.
"Yes."
Wang Ye said, taking out the handkerchief from his pocket.
When the girl saw the handkerchief, she was instantly stunned.
She was very familiar with this handkerchief.
She remembered that she had stuffed it into her brother's hand before he left to become a soldier.
Before he left, she had told her brother, "Take this handkerchief with you. When you miss home while you're away, you can see this handkerchief and think of me and Mom."
Now, this handkerchief appeared in the hands of a stranger.
But he had not returned.
In that instant, she understood what had happened.
However, in her heart, she was unwilling to believe it.
"Where did you get this handkerchief?"
Her voice trembled.
At this moment, how she wished that this handkerchief had been found by the stranger in front of her, rather than having been handed to him by her brother to be brought back.
But she knew clearly in her heart that her brother would never casually throw away things given by her and Mom; he would cherish them.
"This is what Brother Li Yan asked me to give to you all."
Wang Ye saw the girl's reddened eyes and felt a tightness in his chest.
It was as if a sense of gloom was stuck in his heart.
"He… he…"
As the girl spoke, her tears couldn't be stopped, falling in large drops.
She couldn't ask that question.
Although she had the answer in her heart, she didn't want to hear the person in front of her say it.
Wang Ye watched, feeling uncomfortable.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say "my condolences," but he couldn't get the words out.
He had seen scenes of people delivering letters to the families of fallen soldiers before.
But now, it was his turn to do it.
Looking at the tearful and sorrowful appearance of Li Yan's family member in front of him, his heart was also full of sorrow.
Inside the livestream room, all the viewers were silent.
They saw the girl shedding tears, wanting to know the truth but afraid to ask.
They also felt heavy-hearted.
They empathized, thinking about how sad they would be if they were to see a loved one's personal effects and learn of their passing.
Wang Ye didn't speak, and the girl continued to cry.
She covered her mouth, refusing to let out a sound.
The beacon fires have burned for three months; a letter from home is worth ten thousand pieces of gold.
But at this moment, this letter from home had become a final will.