Chapter Sixty-Five: There is Such a Young Man

"So many people?"
Liu Yang frowned. "We should have come out earlier. All the good spots have been taken by others."
"Shall we go squeeze in somewhere?"
Qiu Yue suggested, "That table over there looks like it can still fit the four of us."
"Then we'll send you to negotiate!"
Yu Jia said with a suppressed smile, patting Qiu Yue on the shoulder.
"Leave it to me."
Qiu Yue walked over in long strides and began chatting with the girls at that table.
After a while, Qiu Yue triumphantly beckoned to Ye Yan'an and the others.
"Let's go, let's go! Hurry over!"
Liu Yang pulled Ye Yan'an and Yu Jia along.
The four girls had just taken their seats when the News Simulcast broadcasting on the television ended.
Everyone raised their heads to look at the screen, even the students who were in the middle of eating.
"Have you guys heard? Grandpa Ye's program isn't being filmed in Hehe County anymore."
Qiu Yue said.
As soon as these words were spoken, Ye Yan'an's expression changed instantly.
She grabbed Qiu Yue's arm and asked, "How can that be? Why is it no longer in Hehe County?"
Qiu Yue explained, "It seems Grandpa Ye went somewhere else. I saw it on the television station's official website."
Hearing this, Ye Yan'an finally relaxed.
After another moment, accompanied by a specially produced opening sequence, a new episode of *Retracing the Red Road* began.
Although several hundred people were gathered in the entire cafeteria, not a single person spoke loudly; everyone was communicating in soft whispers.
Sun Ting walked into the frame with a smiling face.
"Hello, dear audience and friends. Welcome to a new episode of *Retracing the Red Road*. I am your host, Sun Ting."
Sun Ting spoke with poise and elegance, "I believe you all have seen the announcement and know that Grandpa Ye and I are currently not in Hehe County."
"We are at the Southern Theater Command. Grandpa Ye was invited here to appreciate the magnificent rivers and mountains, and to witness the mighty armed forces of the Dragon Kingdom."
Inside the major chat rooms:
"The Southern Theater Command!"
"Could Grandpa Ye be planning to visit all five major theater commands?"
"This is great, it allows Grandpa Ye to hand over the heavy burdens on his shoulders with peace of mind!"
"The strength of our Dragon Kingdom today is no longer what it used to be!"
Everyone quickly typed and communicated.
"Next, let us welcome Grandpa Ye with warm applause!"
Not only in the broadcasting studio, but also in the cafeteria of the Harbin Institute of Technology, enthusiastic applause erupted.
Ye Yan'an's two little hands were clapped red, and her face was flushed as well.
Seeing her grandfather so deeply loved and respected by people, she felt a sense of reflected glory.
Ye Yuan stepped into the frame.
However, this time, everyone instantly noticed that something was amiss.
"Grandpa Ye doesn't seem very happy."
"Did something happen?"
"Grandpa Ye has never shown an expression like this before. Who could have upset him?"
Everyone discussed it animatedly.
Ye Yan'an also frowned deeply, completely unaware of what had happened.
"I suppose you have all noticed that Grandpa Ye is not in a very good mood. As for what exactly has happened, let's ask Grandpa Ye to tell everyone himself."
Sun Ting said softly.
The camera focused on Ye Yuan.
Everyone was waiting for Ye Yuan to explain the ins and outs of the matter.
Yet Ye Yuan did not speak of this immediately. Instead, he said softly, "Let me tell you all a story."
"There was a young man born into a very special family. However, because of his background, he never felt he was entitled to any privileges."
"He studied hard and improved himself, hoping to become someone who could stand on his own two feet, someone like his father."
"Later, the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea broke out. He begged his father to allow him to go to the front lines, but his father refused."
"He did not give up. Instead, he reasoned with his father using both emotion and logic. In the end, he moved his father, who agreed that he could follow the grand army, but with one prerequisite."
"He could go, but without any halos or titles. He would have to go simply as an ordinary private to experience and feel the war. He agreed."
"Aside from the commander and a few designated individuals, no one knew his identity. He worked at the grass-roots level. The battlefield was dangerous, but he took joy in it, as if he had found the value of his life."
"Later, the US military located the command post and dispatched aircraft to bomb it. To protect and rescue critical confidential documents, he ultimately sacrificed his life in the enemy's artillery fire."
"It wasn't until after his sacrifice that his name and identity became known to the world."
Although Ye Yuan did not name names, everyone older instantly guessed who the person in Ye Yuan's story was.
Those who did not know the inside story asked the people around them, eager to find out who Grandpa Ye was talking about.
"The son of a great leader died just like that in artillery fire. He could have lived a life of luxury and peace, but for the country, for his ideals and ambitions, he still crossed the Yalu River without a second thought."
"When the great leader learned of this, he only left behind a single sentence."
"'War always brings death. The Chinese People's Volunteers have already sacrificed the lives of so many political instructors; their sacrifice is glorious. He was an ordinary soldier; do not treat it as a major event just because he is my son.'"
The entire hall was incomparably quiet.
Pair after pair of eyes looked at Ye Yuan.
Because they thought of how Ye Yuan's own two children had also successively sacrificed their lives on the battlefield.
Ye Yuan was the one who could empathize the most deeply.
"However..."
Ye Yuan's tone shifted, and he spoke slowly, "Just today, at the railway station of the Southern Theater Command, I met a 'Young Marshal'. What a magnificent presence, how full of pomp and glory!"
"A wet-behind-the-ears kid actually dares to call himself a 'Young Marshal'. With such courage, I suppose he could remain completely calm even when facing the enemy's airplanes and artillery."
Those able to enter the studio were naturally locals, so upon hearing Ye Yuan mention the "Young Marshal", everyone immediately knew who this "Young Marshal" actually was.
Inside the chat room, those in the know were popularizing the facts for others.
"This 'Young Marshal' is named Cao Yue. He commits all kinds of atrocities and acts with utter lawlessness. Everyone in our city turns pale at the mention of him!"
"So arrogant? Does no one care?"
"His father is the commander of a group army under the Southern Theater Command. Who would dare care?"
"No wonder."
Once Cao Yue's identity was exposed to the public, everyone finally understood why Ye Yuan had worn such an expression when he first appeared.
Ye Yuan was an old revolutionary.
His faith was supremely lofty and pure.
Ye Yuan's anger was born of frustration at seeing people fail to live up to expectations, and sorrow over their misfortune.
It was the anger of seeing the faith he had guarded his entire life being defiled by others!