China News Service, Huzhou, July 27th (Shi Zinan, Lu Xiaofen talking about Yang Su) In the midsummer season, whenever the first ray of sunshine in the morning shines on the first floor steps of the main room, the 99-year-old mayor of Si'an, Changxing County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province. Hu Axin, a villager in Chaojie Village, will sit on a bamboo chair and look into the distance in deep thought.

　　"I'm going to the mountains." After hearing what his son Hu Xuejian said, Hu Axin, whose ears were not very sensitive, suddenly sobered up and told his son to deal with it carefully.

　　Hu Xuejian, 62, took over from his father 19 years ago the task of sweeping the tombs of female soldiers of the New Fourth Army.

　　There is no blood relationship, and I don't know who the name is. From 1944 to the present, for nearly 80 years, Hu Axin and his son, because of a promise, silently guarded a tomb of the unknown soldier, from blue silk to white hair.

Photo by Lu Xiaofen on Hu Xuejian's way up the mountain 

　　In March 1938, members of the "Changxing People's Anti-Japanese Volunteer Guerrilla", mainly the villagers of Changchaojie Village, attacked the Japanese army stronghold of Dayun Temple at night, and fired the first shot of the Changxing people against the Japanese invaders.

Changchaojie Village, hidden in the deep mountains and hidden, became the base for Changxing to join the army and participate in the war during the war.

　　According to the memory of Hu Zhengsheng, an old man in Changchaojie Village, in order to help the wounded and sick local people, Hu Axin, who was only 18 years old at the time, went over Mopanling and invited a man from Ningbo to open a clinic. The address is located in Hu Axin's home.

　　After the New Fourth Army was stationed in Changxing, Hu A's new home was responsible for the rescue mission of rescuing the wounded and sick of the New Fourth Army.

Hu Xuejian said that his father seldom talked about his youth, and he learned from vague remarks that he was in charge of transporting medicinal materials during the war.

　　"In order to avoid the enemy, you can't go to the county town to buy medicine, you can only drive your mules to the north over a few hills to go to Jiangsu." Hu Xinzhang, an old man in Changchaojie Village, told reporters that Hu Axin would pass by the rear quarters of the New Fourth Army on his way. She delivers medicine and occasionally sleeps over, so she has a deep bond with the soldiers.

Hu Xuejian removes weeds for the tomb of the Unknown Female Soldier of the New Fourth Army Photo by Lu Xiaofen 

　　One winter night in 1944, a female soldier of the New Fourth Army who settled in Changchaojie village died due to ineffective rescue.

"We must help bury and sacrifice this soldier." The wartime situation was urgent, and there was no time to explain more, so the fellow soldiers left a word and hurried on their way.

　　"As long as I live for one day, I will protect it for one day." Hu Axin, who was not yet married at the time, agreed without hesitation, and buried the female soldier next to his grandmother's tomb. First, the location was safe, and second, it was convenient for future sacrifices.

　　"Since I can remember, I have followed my father up the mountain for sacrifice and sweeping. I always thought this tomb was the ancestor's." Hu Xuejian said that until one summer 19 years ago, it rained heavily for several days, and his father was worried that the cemetery would be washed away and insisted on going up the mountain.

The rainy road was slippery, and Hu Xuejian, who was worried, followed him up the mountain.

　　Hu Xuejian still remembered that the rain had soaked for many days at that time, the gravel of the ancient road was easy to slip, and Hu Axin fell and slipped 3 meters halfway. He is a soldier of the New Fourth Army, you will take care of him in the future, and this promise must be kept from generation to generation."

　　A promise, Hu Axin has been sticking to.

And this kind of protection, Hu Xuejian also continued.

　　Go straight out of the house and turn right for about 300 meters. The Mopan Ridge, which is half Chashan and half Bamboo Mountain, is green and ethereal, and the tomb of the female warrior halfway up the mountain is meticulously surrounded by large stones.

　　"Last year, the tomb was newly repaired, and new tombstones were made. Now there are more people coming to sacrifice and sweep, and the story of the New Fourth Army should be known to more people." After walking around the tomb, Hu Xuejian skillfully began to clean the sporadic weeds and fallen leaves.

　　Hu Xuejian has not graduated from junior high school, so he is not good at expressing himself, but he often has some "big words" in his mouth: responsibility, inheritance, generation-to-generation, integrity.

　　In the past two years, because of a bad stomach, Hu Xuejian often went to Hangzhou to see a doctor, and the most reluctant thing was this promise.

Hu Xuejian's son Hu Kai knows his father's inner concerns, and often takes his children up the mountain with his father.

　　He knew very well that, as the third generation, he would eventually take over the guardianship.

"This is a commitment and inheritance." Hu Kai said.

(Finish)