After five years in the military, I returned to find the same home, but I was a stranger in it. My younger brothers’ restless youth and my father’s late-night sighs pierced my hardened chest like needles. Then, on a stormy night, I caught my second brother meeting secretly with the village Party secretary’s daughter; my third brother quietly packed away his things to head south for work; and my father tremblingly brought out all his savings
Suddenly, I understood. This family didn’t need a model soldier. It needed a man strong enough to weather the storm.
Very practical and down to earth!