One day in 2008, on a rural road in Hengnan County, Hunan Province, several people wearing government uniforms supported an old man with gray hair and walked slowly on the road.

One day in 2008, on a rural road in Hengnan County, Hunan Province, several people wearing uniforms of government workers supported an old man with gray hair and walked slowly on the road.

This road is not long, but to this old man, it seems to be thousands of miles away, and it is both familiar and unfamiliar.

The old man’s name is Xie Chunsheng, and he is a Taiwanese veteran. This is the third time he has returned to the mainland to visit relatives, but he failed to find his home the previous two times.

Returning to the mainland this time, Xie Chunsheng knew that this was probably the last time he would come back in his lifetime, because he was already 86 years old.

After returning to the mainland with excitement, Xie Chunsheng found the relevant departments and asked them to help find his mother and sister, who had been separated for 71 years.

Fortunately, with the help of relevant departments, Xie Chunsheng really found his home this time. What made him extremely excited was that his 106-year-old mother was still alive.

In 1922, Xie Chunsheng was born into a peasant family in Hengnan County, Hunan Province. In his childhood memories, Xie Chunsheng was most impressed by poverty and hunger.

Due to poverty, Xie Chunsheng began to do farm work at home when he was very young, helping his mother sow and spread fertilizer, and helping his father collect firewood and herd cattle...

When he was a little older, Xie Chunsheng began to work for the landlord's family again. Working part-time jobs, herding cattle and raising sheep. His young back can be seen everywhere in the fields.

After the " July 7th Incident" broke out, the Japanese army set foot on the border of Hunan. The small mountain village where Xie Chunsheng was located was not spared. The local people lived in dire straits.

Xie Chunsheng, who was only 15 years old, witnessed many Japanese atrocities, and deep in his heart he also had the idea of ​​fighting against the Japanese invaders.

At the beginning, whenever the Japs entered the village, his father asked Xie Chunsheng to hide in the cellar with his mother and sister, while he stayed outside to deal with the Japs.

Whenever the Japanese soldiers left, his father taught him that he must be a man and protect his mother and sister in the future. Xie Chunsheng kept these words of his father firmly in his heart.

Until that day, the Japanese came to raid as usual. Xie Chunsheng was hiding in the cellar with his mother and sister, but heard the sounds of fighting coming from outside.

Xie Chunsheng tried to climb out, but his mother grabbed his arm tightly. Mother lay on the crack of the door and watched for a while, then climbed out after confirming that no one was outside.

As the heartbreaking cries came, Xie Chunsheng and his sister hurriedly got out of the cellar.

The tragic death of his father penetrated Xie Chunsheng's heart at that moment. His clenched fists were stabbed by nails and he could not feel anything in his palms.

The backbone of the family was lost. Xie Chunsheng’s mother could only take her two children to flee. They begged while trying to find a place without war.

On the way to escape, Xie Chunsheng saw the tragic deaths of countless Chinese compatriots. His hatred of the Japanese devils had reached the edge of explosion.

Soon after, Xie Chunsheng saw the Kuomintang army recruiting soldiers, so he also signed up to join the army and decided to go into battle to kill the enemy and avenge his father.

However, the mother has lost her husband, and now her only son is going to join the army. In the war years, life and death only last for a moment, so she disagrees whether it is life or death.

At night, Xie Chunsheng tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. When he closed his eyes, all he could see were the blood-stained houses in the village and the tragic death of his father. He wanted to join the army even more.

Xie Chunsheng had no choice but to work hard on his mother's ideological work. He said that in the current national crisis, he should join the army and be loyal to the country.

Just like that, my mother still couldn't resist Xie Chunsheng's idea, so she had to send him to the army with tears in her eyes.

After staying in the recruit camp for more than half a month, Xie Chunsheng began to embark on the battlefield. While following the veterans into battle, he learned combat experience.

After the battle to defend Shanghai began, Xie Chunsheng also followed the large troops to the front line.Seeing his comrades around him fall one by one, Xie Chunsheng truly realized the cruelty of war. He had no time to be afraid and could only grow up quickly.

After the battle entered a fierce stage, the position was lost due to differences in weapons and equipment.

Until later, Xie Chunsheng once recalled: "The commander was very angry at the time and ordered that the position must be retaken that night."

At 4 o'clock in the morning the next day, Xie Chunsheng and his comrades quietly climbed up the mountain and experienced After five hours of hard work, the position was finally regained at 9 a.m.

However, the intensity of this battle has far exceeded expectations. Xie Chunsheng's regiment was reduced by more than half, and the remaining people were injured to varying degrees.

From 1937 to 1945, for eight years, Xie Chunsheng participated in hundreds of battles, large and small.

It was not until 1945, after the Japanese army announced their unconditional surrender, that the eight-year arduous war of resistance finally came to an end.

For countless days and nights, Xie Chunsheng missed his mother and sister. At this time, he was ready to return to his hometown to find his relatives.

However, the civil war broke out not long after, and Xie Chunsheng couldn't leave even if he wanted to, because if his escape was discovered, he would be dealt with by military law.

After the civil war, Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan, taking many Kuomintang troops with him. As a member of the army, Xie Chunsheng also went to Taiwan. Since then, the distance between him and his relatives has become farther and farther.

Chiang Kai-shek

At first, Xie Chunsheng thought he would be able to come back soon, but what he didn't expect was that after decades of absence, his memory of home became increasingly blurry.

Farewell for 71 Years

The once prosperous young man finally turned into an old man with the passage of time. However, Xie Chunsheng's desire to go home has always been lingering in his heart. go. After

arrived in Taiwan, due to historical reasons, Xie Chunsheng was unable to write letters to his family. He could only obey the arrangement, marry a wife and have children locally.

It was not until the 1980s that cross-strait relations began to ease. With excitement, Xie Chunsheng finally embarked on the road to find his relatives.

However, everything has changed in the past few decades, and the mud and tile houses of the past have all turned into high-rise buildings. Xie Chunsheng's journey to find his relatives has been extremely difficult.

At that time, Xie Chunsheng also thought about whether his mother was still alive in that era of war and chaos? But in his heart, there was only one thought, that is, to find his relatives, see his mother again, and tell him about his unfilial piety.

Until 2008, the 86-year-old Xie Chunsheng still couldn't let go of his mother and sister. After many twists and turns, he decided to go to his hometown again, and this may be the last time in his lifetime to find relatives.

Perhaps God paid off, and Xie Chunsheng was found this time. With the help of relevant departments, Xie Chunsheng learned that his mother was still alive.

couldn't hide his excitement. Accompanied by staff from relevant departments, Xie Chunsheng finally returned to his hometown after an absence of nearly 71 years.

At this time, Wang Xiuying was already 106 years old. She could only lie in bed most of the time, but she still retained the last trace of consciousness and firmly believed that her son would definitely come back.

For 71 years, what Wang Xiuying did most often was to sit on the small bench at the entrance of the hospital, waiting silently for her son, sometimes even sitting there for a whole day.

At this moment, when Xie Chunsheng saw his mother lying on the bed, he burst into tears. He knelt on the bedside and shouted: "Mom, open your eyes and look at me. Your Chunsheng is back..." ..."

Perhaps she heard her son's cry. Wang Xiuying, who was already on her deathbed, slowly opened her eyes and moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something?

The hand held tightly by his son seemed to have gained some strength. But because she was too old and her life had entered a countdown, she finally slowly closed her eyes and two lines of muddy tears flowed down.

I believe that when she heard her son calling, the mother was satisfied in her heart. After all, she still saw her son in her lifetime.

However, for Xie Chunsheng, this result is cruel. I finally found my mother, but I couldn't stay with her for a while.

After 71 years, the mother and son finally met again. Everyone present shed tears when they saw this scene, but Wang Xiuying passed away after letting go of all the worries in her heart.

written at the end

"When I was a child, homesickness was like a small stamp. I was here, my mother was there..."

This was written by the writer Yu Guangzhong in Taiwan in 1971, the same year that Yu Guangzhong left his hometown. The 20th year.

When seeing this poem, so many Taiwanese veterans shed tears. Their homesickness was just as described in the poem!

War is always cruel, and after encountering a war, it is always the innocent people who suffer. Just imagine if there hadn't been that war, Xie Chunsheng's tragedy would not have happened.

We only hope that in the future, there will never be another war in this world, so that all people can live in a peaceful environment, and all children can grow up happily at the knees of their parents.