The third installment in the Youth trilogy, Classmates and Comrades, is a moving saga spanning twenty-four years. Set from 2006 to 2030, it tells the touching story of a group of young people from Qingjiang County who go from classmates to comrades and spend their lives honoring a promise.
The novel centers on the brotherly bond between four boys, Tang Zhongyuan, Wang Wuchang, Xiao Qunzhong, and Xiao Mingshui, interwoven with their pure and profound friendships with classmates Lin Fei'er, Shen Hongmei, Xia Qian, and others. After graduating from middle school in 2006, the four boys choose to enlist and serve their country, forging bonds of comradeship in the military that will last a lifetime. In 2018, during a flood rescue, Tang Zhongyuan dies heroically while saving civilians. He is only 26. With his dying breath, he entrusts his wife and daughter to his three comrades, beginning a legacy of care that will span more than a decade.
Wang Wuchang, Xiao Qunzhong, and Xiao Mingshui honor their brother's dying wish, quietly looking after his widow, Gong Lina, and young daughter, Tang Xiaomei. In 2019, when Gong Lina falls seriously ill and her family is pushed to the brink, the three men step in to help, joining forces with their former classmates Lin Fei'er, Shen Hongmei, Xia Qian, and others. Their actions show that "classmates are family, and comrades are brothers." Surrounded by everyone's love, Tang Xiaomei grows up healthy and carries on her father's legacy by entering a military medical school. She eventually becomes an outstanding military doctor and, in 2030, marries her comrade Chen Hao, carrying the spirit of two generations forward.
Through delicate prose, the novel depicts a group of loyal people who keep their promises, showing how the bonds between classmates and comrades deepen over the years into a kinship that transcends blood...
