The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 272 Regret (Bonus Chapter 23 for AT)

It should be noted that Mr. Nanze and Lao Yu are both newbies who just joined the transmigrator team this time.

The two of them remained motionless not because they had strong hearts and were able to fall asleep quickly after experiencing a miraculous time travel.

Thus, he did not see Hu Biao's invitation to join the time traveler's chat group.

In reality, they were simply too busy to check their phones because of some unusual circumstances.

As for more details, let's take a step back and discuss each aspect separately. First, let's introduce Mr. Nanze...

I flipped open the pillow and saw a stack of photos underneath it.

This was the first thing Mr. Nanze did after opening his eyes and finding himself back in the modern world, in his own familiar second bedroom.

He did this to prove something.

Was that time travel in 1938 a real event, or just a bizarre dream?

But after seeing the photos, he immediately believed it.

Then, a second later, he did the second thing: without even putting on his shoes, he rushed into the bathroom and opened his mouth in front of the bathroom mirror.

Only after seeing that he had a full set of teeth, not a single one missing, did he finally let go of all his worries with lingering fear.

There was no other way! During hand-to-hand combat with the Japanese in Tengxian, he was hit in the mouth by a rifle butt, and all his front teeth were knocked out.

Getting the nickname "Gap-toothed" is one thing, but the other guys' nicknames aren't much better anyway, so it's not like I've really lost out.

The key issue is that for a period of time afterward, he had a severe lisp when he spoke, and it often took several attempts for others to understand him.

And when eating, I have to grind my food slowly with my back teeth like an old lady, which is really frustrating.

Unfortunately, during the battle at the hill, he was hit in the face by the butt of a Japanese soldier's rifle.

That's terrible, even his back molars were knocked out; if it can't be restored, Mr. Nanze will probably be worried to death.

It's not that I'm worried about getting dental implants, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars; it's that I'm afraid if those damn bastards find out, they'll laugh for at least a year.

After putting his worries aside, Mr. Nanze began to organize all the items he had brought back.

However, he soon found himself unable to continue this process after only a short time had passed.

First, the spoils he brought back this time were far less than those of Hu Biao and Annie. In terms of valuables, he only had two bloody gold teeth, which was enough to make a big gold chain for himself.

There's also a medal, an M35 helmet, a large knife, a gas mask, and some photos, but that's about it. It won't take long to sort them out.

Secondly, those photos were quite unusual; Mr. Nanze was completely taken aback when he saw the top photo.

Because it was a photo of him and his grandfather, Nanfeng, taken by a foreign reporter during a break in a battle at Taierzhuang.

Otherwise, could we ask the taciturn Lao Yu to take pictures with that weird camera that's been lying around all day?
Stop joking! That's not even suicide, it's more like genocide.

In the group photo, the old man, who was only eighteen or nineteen years old, had a youthful face and a rather thin figure. He even had an expression in his eyes that resembled that of a contemporary college student, one that was innocent and naive, as if he had not been through the harsh realities of society.

But the light in his eyes was unwavering, making him radiant.

In an instant, Mr. Nanze thought of his grandfather back in Bozhou in the modern world; he desperately wanted to make a phone call back and chat with his grandfather for a few minutes.

Only after picking up the phone did I realize that it was already past four in the morning.

Calling at this time would disturb the old man's rest, wouldn't it?
Realizing this, Mr. Nanze had no choice but to put down the phone and continue sorting through the other photos. In the process, looking at the familiar faces in the photos, all sorts of memories from his time travel came flooding back.

There was laughter, but even more tears.

The heartbreaking scenes of his brothers dying one by one in the midst of battle made Mr. Nanze's mood increasingly worse and heavier.

What should I do? Should I smoke a cigarette like Hu Biao did to calm down?
It's not impossible, but Mr. Nanze has a better way.

That means going to a foot massage parlor for a foot massage. If the 198 yuan option doesn't work, then the 298 yuan option will do. There's bound to be a package deal that will cheer this guy up.

After grabbing his car keys and phone, he sneaked out, not waking his wife at all. He walked into a foot massage parlor he frequented, and seeing the familiar decor, Mr. Nanze's mood miraculously improved by more than three-tenths.

When I asked the receptionist and learned that my favorite employee, No. 88, was on the night shift tonight and hadn't finished get off work or started her shift yet, my mood improved by at least 50%.

When they reached number 88, she gently washed his feet.

As she spoke, her words, faintly mentioning her gambling father, sick mother, and disobedient younger brother, carried a distinct aroma of tea.

Mr. Nanze's mood had completely recovered.

Of course he knew it was all fake, but did it matter?
Just then, his phone rang; seeing that it was his father calling, he quickly answered, but after saying only a few words, Mr. Nanze collapsed onto the soft sofa.

Because my dad said very heavily on the phone:

"The old man is dying, come back immediately to see him one last time; he looks very uncomfortable right now, but he must be thinking of you, that's why he won't close his eyes..."

******
After picking up his wife and children at home, Mr. Nanze drove back to his hometown as fast as he could.

Although he casually joined the chat group and added that deadbeat as a friend, he had no interest in chatting at all; he didn't even bother to reply to Hu Biao's messages.

Throughout the journey, his wife in the passenger seat kept comforting him, saying:

The old man was born in 1920, and he is 105 years old this year. No matter where you go, he is considered to be of advanced age. Even if he passes away, it is the law of nature, and his funeral will be held as a happy occasion.

The Nan family now has five generations living together, with over a hundred people. They are all very filial to the old man, and he would be very gratified when he passed away.

To be honest, Nanze understands all of the above principles.

However, I remembered that since I was a child, the old man had always been exceptionally kind and close to me.

The two even fought side by side for several days in 1938; he would have died once in Taierzhuang if his father hadn't risked his life to save him.

Mr. Nanze felt extremely distressed whenever he thought about these things.

After speeding along and committing several traffic violations, Nanze finally arrived back at his old house in the countryside of Bozhou a little after 10 a.m.

By this time, fifty or sixty members of the family had returned, and some of the elders, with red eyes, were already preparing some things in advance.

Upon seeing Mr. Nanze, his father quickly dragged him to the old man's room so that the old man could see him before he left.

After all, the doctor came, gave him an injection, and then shook his head and left. Rather than letting the old man suffer like this, it was better to leave sooner to avoid further suffering.

Surprisingly, the old man, who had been lying on the bed in pain and on the verge of death, opened his eyes and his eyes immediately lit up after Mr. Nanze entered the room.

But then, as if struck by a thought, he shook his head again.

After glancing at Mr. Nanze, she stared blankly at the rooftop, her eyes filled with longing, memories, reluctance, and resentment.

In short, it's extremely complicated; there's clearly something on their mind, some unfulfilled wish.

The rest of the family didn't understand the old man's reaction, but after spending time together in 1938, Mr. Nanze understood.

He conjured up a guess that was almost identical to the truth:

At the age of eighteen, in the prime of his youth, the old man abandoned his studies to join the army and fight the Japanese invaders; then he met Hu Biao and joined the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Although it was a near-death experience, killing the Japanese devils was truly exhilarating.

Those days must have been the most beautiful and precious period of his life.

However, after recovering from his injuries, due to various inexplicable reasons, the old man never saw Commander Hu again, nor the Subei Independent Regiment that he longed for.

His eyes lit up when he saw Mr. Nanze, but it was only because he thought of the old Commander Nan who looked a lot like his grandson.

Therefore, the reason why the old man still insists on not closing his eyes is because he regrets not being able to return to the team.

After thinking about all this, Mr. Nanze left the room and made a video call to Hu Biao...

(End of this chapter)