Chapter 74 - 74 70 Big Cousin

Words : 2030 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

74: Chapter 70 Big Cousin 74: Chapter 70 Big Cousin By the first watch of the night, seeking pink, seeking official subscription~ ————————— At five-thirty in the early morning, amidst the misty, curling fog, a tall and upright young soldier with a military green duffel bag strode into Dalin Village. Everything familiar before his eyes made his expression grow more eager, and he unconsciously quickened his pace to a light jog toward home. A middle-aged man carrying a basket was coming from the opposite direction. The young soldier quickly stopped: “Uncle, you’re up so early collecting manure?” The middle-aged man looked over the soldier with confusion. After a moment, he smacked his forehead: “Oh dear, it’s Qiliang, isn’t it? I heard you’re getting married? What a joyous occasion.” “Uncle, it’s an engagement, not a wedding. Will you come to my house for a drink tonight?” “Sure, sure, you’d best hurry home. Your grandparents and your parents will be so happy to see you.” After bidding farewell to the middle-aged man and taking just a few steps, Qiliang encountered an elderly man and quickly stopped to greet him: “Grandpa, you’re up so early. Where are you headed?” After a painstaking scrutiny, the old man finally recognized him: “Oh my, I barely recognized you, Qiliang. You’ve grown so tall? And strong too, the army sure does toughen people up!” “Grandpa, come over to my house tonight for a drink.” “Alright, alright.” “...” Along the way, he kept running into this person or that. By the time he reached his home, a quarter of an hour had passed. “Creak,” he pushed open the courtyard door and excitedly shouted, “Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, I’m back!” “Bang!” “Bang!” “Bang!” Three doors opened almost simultaneously. Old Master Zhao and his wife, along with Zhao Yushan and his wife and Zhao Qihui, rushed out excitedly, “Brother, didn’t you say you would arrive in the evening?” Zhao Qihui asked, puzzled. “The army truck left in the evening, so I returned my train ticket and came back with the truck. A comrade kindly dropped me off at the Red Flag Commune, and then took a detour.” Zhao Qiliang said while tightly embracing each family member. It had been a year and a half since he had seen them. Heaven knows how much he had missed them. Life in the army was fulfilling, yet, his family was his eternal concern. Since the moment he sent the telegram, he had been unable to stop imagining their reunion. Yet now that the moment was here, he found that no words could express the excitement and eagerness he felt! Old Master and Old Lady Zhao and the couple Yushan were also too excited for words. Since he was little, this was the first time their son (grandson) had been away from home for so long. They remembered when he first left home, how they missed him so much they couldn’t sleep night after night. They got used to it eventually, but whenever they saw boys of his age, their hearts would still ache. Now that he was in front of them, the elders felt that no amount of hugging or kissing was enough. Zhao Qihui stood aside with mixed feelings as she watched the others. She couldn’t quite describe the feeling – if Zhao Yuanbao hadn’t sacrificed himself, he could have been here too, right? The day she was straightforwardly refused by Zhou Mikang to join the army, she even thought of ending it all—to join Yuanbao in that other world. Yet when it came time to act on those thoughts, she hesitated. Her brother had gone to serve in the military, and her grandparents and parents only had her left. If she did something foolish, how would they cope? Death didn’t scare her, but the thought of harming her family meant she would never rest in peace! Due to these concerns, her thoughts of death faded more and more. Now, she was finally able to accept living without Zhao Yuanbao. Forgetting him wasn’t possible. What she needed to do was to bury him deep in her heart and live a good life, so her family wouldn’t worry about her any longer. But today, seeing her brother in his military uniform, those suppressed memories uncontrollably surged to the forefront, and tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably. “Fool!” In a trance, she found herself in a warm embrace, a deep and honest baritone voice by her ear: “Xiao Hui, Yuanbao isn’t worth your tears, truly, he isn’t...” Zhao Qihui’s body shook, and she pushed Zhao Qiliang away fiercely, her eyes angry and defiant: “Brother, how can you speak like that? He was your best friend!” Zhao Qiliang, with pain in his heart, gently stroked his sister’s head and sighed: “Look how scared you’ve made Grandma and Grandpa and our parents. Come on, let’s go inside and talk. Let’s not stand around in the courtyard anymore.” Zhao Qihui’s gaze shifted to Old Master Zhao, Old Lady Zhao, and the couple Zhao Yushan. Indeed, the elders all looked at her with concern, just like when they first received the news of Zhao Yuanbao’s sacrifice, the way they looked at her. So, she forced a smile, “Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, Brother has been sitting on a bus all night. He must be tired. Let him go inside and rest.” “Yes, yes, go inside and rest.” Li Aiyuan subtly moved behind her daughter, half embracing her as they entered the inner room. “Xiao Hui, chat with your brother. Mom will cook.” “I’ll help you, it will be quicker.” “I’ll go spread out the cow dung in the courtyard.” “I’ll go give Dad a hand.” In perfect unison, the family all left, giving the siblings some private space. “Brother...” After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Qihui looked eagerly at Zhao Qiliang, “You said Yuanbao wasn’t worth the way I treated him. What did you mean by that?” “Xiao Hui, I’ll only tell you this. Remember not to let it slip. Yuanbao fell for a female soldier in the army. Later, that female soldier’s boyfriend found out and came to settle the score. In terms of ability, the boyfriend was no match for Yuanbao, but the guy brought two friends, and they ended up injuring Yuanbao. On the way back to the army base, he heard someone shouting for help, so Yuanbao ran over. After helping the person out of the water, he went under himself. If he hadn’t been injured, it wouldn’t have ended like that. It was because of this incident that there was a disagreement among the leaders about whether to honor him as a martyr. In the end, it was because the parents of the child he saved went to thank him personally that the leaders decided to grant him the title of a martyr.” Could the truth be like this? Zhao Qihui stared blankly at Zhao Qiliang, her mind a muddled mess, unable to comprehend how Brother Yuanbao she grew up with could fall for someone else in such a short time. She knew her brother wouldn’t deceive her, nor would he slander Zhao Yuanbao to comfort her. That meant the Brother Yuanbao she held in her memory, the one she even thought of dying to prove her loyalty to, turned out to be such a heartless Chen Shimei? Zhao Qiliang sighed again, “Xiao Hui, I know it’s hard for you to accept this. I hesitated about telling you, but seeing you this morning, I thought that keeping it from you would be unfair. You’re still so young. You’ll definitely meet a man who truly likes you and cherishes you. I don’t want you to miss out on a full life because of that guy who’s not worth it. So, knowing it would make you sad, I still had to tell you the truth. However, Yuanbao’s parents have had a hard time. Let’s keep this between us. In the future, we’ll continue to treat them as we always have. I believe my sister is the strongest!” Zhao Qihui tilted her head back, trying hard not to let the tears in her eyes fall. Yes, she was strong. She had gotten through difficult times before, and now, she would do so even more effortlessly. “Brother, I really want to join the army!” She looked determinedly at Zhao Qiliang. “I didn’t get selected as a medical soldier this time, but next time, for the regular military selections, I still want to try.” “Brother supports you, but your age...” Zhao Qiliang furrowed his brows slightly, “Why don’t you consider military school? I’ve heard they’re going to restore the college entrance examination this year. That’s another path, and they’re not so strict about age.” Zhao Qihui’s face fell, “Brother, I didn’t pass the medical soldier test; do you think letting me take the college entrance exam is realistic?” “But if you want to join the army, this is the only path you can take. As long as you’re willing to work hard, I believe you can pass. If not this year, then next year. I’ll send you books, and if you have any questions, you can ask Liu Guanglin. Later, I’ll talk to him and try to persuade him to apply as well so you can study together and he can tutor you.” “Okay, I’ll listen to you, Brother.” Zhao Qihui’s eyes brightened, and a smile finally appeared on her face. “Brother, I like being a soldier, and it’s not because of Zhao Yuanbao.” “I know, Brother is reassured.” Zhao Qiliang understood that his sister was assuring him that her determination was not because of someone else, but for herself. “Brother, lie down and take a rest. I’ll go see if there are any of my old school books left.” Zhao Qihui said as she opened the door, and Li Aiyuan, who was eavesdropping by the door, couldn’t dodge in time and stumbled into her daughter’s arms. “Hehe...” She laughed awkwardly, “Mom was just going in to get some things.” “I know.” Zhao Qihui didn’t expose her, just smiled at her, returned to her room, and closed the door. In that moment, her tears flowed like a fountain... How could years of affection be let go just because of a few words from her brother? How could she let go of someone she had loved so deeply, who had betrayed her in such a short time? He liked a female soldier, so she would make herself a proud female soldier. She would show him through her actions that she would always be the best one! At ten o’clock in the morning, Zhao Qihui accompanied Zhao Qiliang to Zhao Yulan’s house in Dalin Village. Standing just over 1.8 meters tall, with a straight back, thick brows and big eyes, deep-set eye sockets, a tall nose, and dark skin... Chuxia saw Zhao Qiliang for the first time and couldn’t help but silently compliment him; he was indeed a handsome man. No wonder Xiaoqiong couldn’t forget him. “Chuxia, don’t recognize your big cousin anymore?” Zhao Qiliang teased, ruffling Chuxia’s hair. “You used to love to cling to your big cousin and have him hold you. What, after more than a year, do you feel distant?” Clinging to her big cousin, letting... letting her big cousin... hold her? Hearing this remark, Chuxia felt a shiver, unable to imagine what it looked like for a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl to be in the arms of an eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy. No wonder, no wonder Luo Xiaoqiong always probed her attitude towards Zhao Qiliang without declaring her feelings for him. It turned out she had such fondness for her big cousin. How could anyone not misunderstand?(To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

Chapter 74 - 74 70 Big Cousin

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