Actually, the military had notified my parents a long time ago. Since they didn't see me returning, my mom cried every day, and my dad came to the city to find me by car.
When he found me at the construction site, I was hauling cement, looking nothing like a human being. My dad cried and asked me to go back with him, saying we still had some land at home, which was better than hauling cement.
I told my dad that I wouldn't go back unless I made something of myself. He couldn't persuade me, so he had no choice but to go back alone.
However, without education or skills, how easy is it to become somebody? Gradually, my heart grew cold, and like everyone else, I worked outside when busy and hibernated in the village during the winter when the construction site was idle.
At the age of 23, I married a girl from the neighboring village. After our marriage, she also came out to work with me, and the next year, she gave birth to Xiao Bao.
