Brothers

On a moonlit night in the winter 12 years ago, my comrade A'an bought a bunch of seafood barbecue and a 750ml bottle of Yedao Deer Tortoise Wine. He dragged me to the beach and said that he would have a "farewell wine" with me, because the second Today, both of us will return to work locally at the same time.

The night in Hainan is very windy. In a corner near the bay, we chose a slightly flat reef. The turbulent waves beat the rocks from time to time, making the familiar sound of waves one after another, endless. We sat on the floor opposite each other, watching the moon by the sea, and drinking a toast. Thinking about it now, the mood of "a toast to invite the moon" is pleasant and sad. In fact, A'an is not strong enough to drink, and he doesn't usually drink. But with me, he always has to accompany me for a drink. That night, A'an was drunk. We held each other, swaying and shaking, walking deep and shallow on the beach. Although I am a little bit drunk, the scene of "being intoxicated and not knowing the way back" is still in my mind.

A'an, named Chen De'an. He is the best brother of my twelve-year military career. He is simple and kind, naive, and a man of temperament. Just like me, I laughed, not good at words, and more or less stubborn and arrogant. The only difference is that he likes fishing and I am addicted to drinking.

Live in the same courtyard. At first he didn't know him well, he never called me to go fishing, but every time I returned from fishing, he always gave me a catty or two. Said the last sentence with a smile: wild, make some soup for the kids to drink! After going back and forth, he became my "drinking friend" and I became his "fishing friend". In fact, his drinking is the same as my fishing. But together, we have the joy of "everything is ecstatic when we meet our confidants". This kind of sentiment is not understood by others.

He has great fishing skills and a great addiction. When he goes out early in the morning, he always sits to the west of the sun. On weekends, he drove me on a motorcycle and drove me through village after village, looking for the remote and secluded wild ponds, cold and calm reservoirs, and calm bays. At the end of the day, you can always harvest several catties of wild fish. He regarded fishing as a matter of self-cultivation. He said that fishing is happier than eating fish. So every time you return to the camp, the first thing is to divide the fish. The comrades-in-arms and warehouse workers in the family area took their containers and came to share the joy of his harvest.

The days passed by lightly and lightly, and it was twelve years since he changed his career in an instant. When I have free time, I will think of the trivial anecdotes about A'an and I in Hainan Island. This is not just thinking lightly, not just thinking about it when knocking on a chess piece and falling out of the lantern, but thinking hysterically. In fact, during the first two years of changing jobs, we were in contact. Soon we talked a few words and greeted us over the phone or QQ. As time passed, we slowly lost contact, and heard that he had gone to work in a mysterious unit. Last year, when he returned to Hainan Island, he heard from his comrades in arms that he had settled in the South China Sea and was very happy. A'an's hometown is a remote rural village in Zhanjiang, and his fathers all depended on ploughing the fields to support their families. A'an was able to get out of the mountains and settle in an economically developed area. In his words, it was a blessing from previous cultivation.

In May of this year, I was on a business trip to Foshan. After many twists and turns, the coveted wish came true. "Where are you? I'll drive over immediately." When I dialed A'an, the extremely fast speech and familiar voice made me feel his eagerness and expectation. In the hotel where I stayed, the first sentence of meeting, we said in unison: Are your scars still there? We all laughed casually. The "scar mark" is something that burns our mind and body. Thinking of that now, I still have lingering fears. It was a weekend, I still went fishing, and went out early and returned late. Luckily that day, I harvested at least seven or eight catties of grouper. Ah An was ecstatic all the way, I always felt that the wheels were barely on the ground. Along the way, I remind. A'an smiled, what are you afraid of? Special forces background. At a corner, something went wrong. The road slippery fast, coupled with the haste, people turn their backs. My left knee and his right wrist left a lifetime mark. Since then, this matter has become a joke between us.

A'an is blessed, but very haggard. After chatting with me for a while, he actually fell asleep on my bed all the way back. The snoring lingering in every corner of the room and his face made me feel vaguely.

That night, he took a bottle of high-end foreign wine from the car and said proudly to me, brother, I haven't drunk alcohol after leaving the army. This bottle of wine has been stored for 6 years. I will accompany you twice today. A'an still speaks so casually and straightforwardly.

After drinking for three rounds, I asked him by the way, how is your father's body? Unexpectedly, at this question, A'an actually covered his face with his hands, and started crying like a child who had been wronged by heaven. Suddenly, my excitement and joy were destroyed by his crying, as if my mind was dulled a lot, and I couldn’t find a word to comfort him for a while. I just kept calling him to drink, drink and not talk about those. Sad business. After crying for about two minutes, he calmed down when he saw my unbelievable hand pounding his eyes. Drinking and chatting are still old topics. A'an finally poured out her depression in a calm and relaxed atmosphere. That year, because the old father was seriously ill, the brothers were unwilling to stay together, and the wives were chattering all day long, which made the family restless. A'an brought the old man back to his home from the countryside. As a special police officer, A'an often travels on business. Tonight, if it weren't for you to come, I would not come out, because I have to take care of my father. Hearing this, a little guilt suddenly rose in my heart, but at the same time, I felt a strong spirit and the power to dissolve suffering from A'an. He was still drunk that night, but he was always sober.

Early the next morning, kapok blowing in the wind can be seen everywhere in the streets of Foshan. The little flower balls are beautifully scattered on our heads, bodies and surrounding green areas. When leaving, A'an said to me with a smile: The most ruthless thing in the world is not people, but time; the most precious thing is not money, but emotion. When I reacted, he said, let's go and take care of the elderly.