Chapter 773: Chapter 180: Honoring the Loyal Souls Today [Ten Thousand Words!]
Such a large sum of money, I really don’t know how they managed to raise it.
Moreover, Fang Che’s speech was about the legacy of heroes and a source of honor...
It left everyone without a reason to refuse.
And obviously, Fang Che didn’t want to give everyone a chance to refuse, so instead of exchanging pleasantries, he opted to cut through the drama and get straight to business.
"Besides, today’s opportunity is rare, and I have a few words I want to say to everyone."
Fang Che said sincerely: "Although it’s a bit hard to bring up, but... consider it as speaking on behalf of our fallen brothers."
"Everyone has their own lives; with the man of the house gone, losing the pillar of support, the feelings and sentiments, I can understand; here, I won’t say anything grandiose... just say..."
"Ahem, naturally, if the family support is sufficient, and it’s hard to let go of many years of affection, and you prefer to live alone till old age or... of course, we would respect that even more... ahem."
"If there are other thoughts... and given how tough times are..."
Fang Che said seriously, albeit with a red face: "We can only give our blessings."
"The honor of a hero, the sacrifice of heroic souls, we hope... it won’t become your burden."
"I hope you can understand my words."
As soon as he started, everyone knew what he was about to say; persuading widows to remarry, indeed, as Fang Che mentioned, was difficult to voice.
Seeing Mr. Fang stutter awkwardly on stage, with his face red from embarrassment, people initially wanted to laugh.
But the more they listened, the heavier their hearts became.
Many women could empathize and were nearly brought to tears.
God knows how tough it is for a single woman with kids in such difficult times. Some nights, it’s all about endless tears.
There are some things that women really can’t do.
Many times, life’s pressures make it hard to breathe, yet always thinking, my man was a hero, how could I bring shame to the family?
Or thinking inside: I’ll wait until the kids grow up, wait until they grow up more...
And the result is, years of youth just wasted away.
Slowly, you lose interest, the kids have grown up, can support the family, life becomes less difficult, and the feelings fade... until they grow old.
The honor of a hero, these words, can indeed weigh down a woman for a lifetime!
"If... if there are any thoughts, we will fully support and bless it, when the time comes..."
Fang Che sincerely stated: "The living members of our Guardian Hall will attend, will congratulate, and will also prepare a dowry..."
He whispered: "I know, my words might sound unpleasant, or in the eyes of many in the world, such things are not accepted... perhaps a bit rebellious, maybe I’ll be scolded by everyone when the word gets out, but... I still said it."
"Because following people like us... it truly is too hard. Every day is filled with fear, when a man leaves home in the morning, he never knows if he can return in the evening... such days, every day, is torture."
"...so we understand, we bless, we’ve proposed it, we won’t regret it."
"I believe, all our heroic soul seniors, brothers... will understand too."
"Our principle is... we do not encourage remarriage, nor do we force remarriage, everything should take its natural course, but if there really is such a thought, we will understand, we will bless, we’ll do everything we should do."
He revealed a warm smile: "That’s all I have to say. Next, we’ve prepared some performances for everyone, and the brothers from the Guardian Hall, shall also perform."
"Wishing our families can enjoy themselves today, fulfill long-cherished wishes, soothe their hearts, and show a smile."
Fang Che stood upright and bowed deeply.
The applause was thunderous.
Everyone had tears in their eyes, clapping vigorously.
That afternoon, everyone in the Guardian Hall, including Yuan Jingjiang and Fang Che, became attendants, moving among the crowd, talking with everyone they met.
The stage was set with performances and opera.
Downstairs, food, drinks, and delicious treats were served...
Countless elders kept wiping tears from their eyes, mumbling: "So good, so good."
The names of heroic souls on the wall seemed to reveal a warm and contented smile.
Lame Hong Er even went up to perform an act; regardless of how it was, the cheers and applause below were like thunder.
Then everyone suddenly egged on Mr. Fang to perform. An utterly baffled Fang Che was pushed on stage, about to mimic someone’s Swordsmanship or Blade Technique, but the crowd was not having it, insisting Mr. Fang sing a song instead...
"Sing one! Sing one!"
Mr. Fang’s even more baffled expression provided laughter for a year.
Finally, out of options, Mr. Fang opened his voice and sang a song of Jianghu across four directions. At the first note, the audience was nearly sprayed.
The accompaniment instruments by the opera troupe got thrown off balance by Mr. Fang’s voice, singing off-key from the first word, delivering a song that’s out of tune.
The instruments turned into a disaster scene.
No one expected such a handsome and dashing man to be tone-deaf by birth.
That wasn’t the worst of it.
The problem was, halfway through the song, he was still really into it...
The crowd below was leaning and stumbling, exploding into laughter like thunder...
"Oh my..."
An old lady nearly laughed her teeth out: "I have to say, after hearing Mr. Fang sing tonight, I never want to hear this song again for the rest of my life..."
This sentence truly voiced the feelings of everyone present.
