The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 274 Returning to the team
Around 5 p.m., Mr. Nanze spotted a Wuling minivan with a Beijing license plate driving towards him at an intersection outside his old house in the countryside of Bozhou.

Without a doubt, it must be Hu Biao and his men who have arrived.

After honking the horn twice, Mr. Nanze quickly got out of the car to greet him.

After all, the guy agreed without hesitation after receiving the call and immediately drove over, so he would naturally remember this favor.

To Mr. Nanze's surprise, when the car stopped not far in front of him...

Hu Biao got out of the passenger seat, looking rather pale and unsteady on his feet; on the other hand, Annie, who peeked out from the driver's seat, and Mo Yang, who looked very energetic.

Seeing this, Mr. Nanze quickly asked with concern:
"You damn bastard, wait! Old Hu, are you sick? Why do you look so pale?"

"No, I'm just a little carsick. Let me get off and rest for a bit," Hu Biao replied somewhat insincerely.

Otherwise! He could also tell Mr. Nanze that ever since the two of them left the small shop and got on the highway, Annie had complained that her speed of 100 kilometers per hour was too slow.

After finding a service area, we switched places, and she took over driving.

And then, it was all over! Annie had practically floored the gas pedal the whole way, sending the old van speeding up to 140 kilometers per hour.

To be fair, a speed of 140 km/h isn't considered too fast.

But don't forget, this is a secondhand minivan. Once it reaches 100 km/h, not only does it rattle and clang all over, but the vehicle also becomes extremely erratic.

This caused Hu Biao to be extremely worried that if Annie turned the steering wheel even slightly, this poor, secondhand minivan would overturn.

Unfortunately, this was the first time I was driving a car of this price, a beat-up car that didn't even cost as much as one wheel of my Bentley Continental.

After overtaking Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi cars one after another, Annie felt an even greater sense of accomplishment than driving her own car.

During this process, although Hu Biao was in the passenger seat, he was gripping the overhead handle tightly with one hand and shouting, "No rush, Grandpa Nanfeng should be able to hold on for a while longer."

But Annie's car never slowed down.

After a long and nerve-wracking journey, Hu Biao finally arrived here, looking as if he had been repeatedly violated.

The only saving grace is that the speed limit on this highway is basically 120 km/h, but as long as you don't exceed the speed limit by 20%, it's not considered a violation.

So, since they drove at 140 km/h the whole way, they shouldn't have too many traffic violations when they check back.

After smoking a cigarette and catching his breath, Hu Biao asked Mr. Nanze, "Have you prepared those things yet?"

“Ready.” Mr. Nanze said, handing over a bag he was carrying.

The bag contained two sets of uniforms belonging to a lieutenant colonel in the National Revolutionary Army's Central Army, as well as some props such as M35 helmets, boots, belts, and pistols.

To find these items, Mr. Nanze traveled almost all over the Bozhou area, visiting the largest film and television companies, and it took him a great deal of effort to finally obtain them.

However, Mr. Nanze's efforts were well worth it.

Because after he took over, the small restaurant owner who looked dejected just a minute ago transformed into Commander Hu, whose face was full of determination.

Anne also transformed from a fashionable young woman into a beautiful female soldier.

More importantly, when Hu Biao and Annie, led by Mr. Nanze, entered the old man's room amidst the clatter of riding boots.

As if sensing something, the old man, who had been lying on the bed with a pained expression, refused to leave.

He suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head to look in the direction of the door, and when he saw the person who came in, his eyes were filled with indescribable joy.

But reason told him that the people he had always cared about could not possibly appear before him in this way or in this way.

He was about to say "Commander Hu, Commander An" but dared not utter it.

I was afraid that after shouting it out, I would find out that it was all just my imagination.

This continued until Hu Biao and Annie stood by the bedside, at which point the former said with a serious expression, "Lieutenant Nanfeng, why don't you salute your superior? Don't you want to go back to the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment?"

Even after 87 years, the voice and tone of voice sounded exactly the same to Nanfeng as before—so familiar and comforting. Just that one voice was enough to make him let go of all his worries.

Suddenly, he didn't know where the strength came from, but the old man sat up straight on the hospital bed without anyone else's help.

With chest out and stomach in, he gave Hu Biao and Annie a standard military salute with impeccable posture.

He gathered his strength in his dantian and roared in an exceptionally loud voice that could be heard outside the courtyard: "Nanfeng, former Second Lieutenant of the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment, greets Commander Hu and Commander An, and requests to rejoin the unit."

After shouting that sentence, the old man's body trembled violently from excessive emotion; his eyes were filled with an indescribable pleading look because he was so afraid of being rejected.

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao returned the greeting solemnly and replied, "Return to the team immediately."

These simple four words, once heard, completely eased the pain that had been plaguing the old man's face.

Their smiles, full of fulfilled wishes, make them seem to radiate light.

While maintaining his salute, he slowly closed his eyes, and his breathing ceased. He passed away with a smile, without any regrets.

No! He's not dead.

He simply went to another world and reunited with his brothers in the Northern Jiangsu Independent Regiment.

Meanwhile, the Nan family members, who had remained silent until now, suddenly knelt down before the old man amidst loud weeping after realizing what had happened.

In the blink of an eye, the room and courtyard were filled with kneeling people, as these younger generations bid farewell to the old man in this way.

Among the crowd kneeling on the ground, only Hu Biao and Annie stood upright, solemnly raising their hands in salute, bidding farewell to their former comrades in this way...

******
After eating a meal of white rice, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

Hu Biao thanked Mr. Nan Ze for offering to provide two rooms in town for the two of them to rest, as he needed to continue operating his shop the next day.

He packed a white bag for 800 yuan as a token of his and Annie's goodwill, and then returned to the capital city that very night.

Of course! On the way back, Hu Biao made up an excuse that he didn't want his sister to have to work hard, insisting on driving himself.

Throughout the journey, Annie talked and chatted with him in the passenger seat, even though the two of them mostly just chatted idly.

Often, while chatting, the topic would suddenly veer off to who-knows-where, but it still played a significant role.

Having Hu Biao drive all night not only didn't make him feel sleepy at all, but even after seeing Nanfeng off, his previously low mood improved.

Finally, at 3 a.m., Hu Biao took Annie home.

The girl had already told Hu Biao on the way that she wouldn't be going to the Deyuelou shop the next day; because she wanted to find a reliable hairstylist to re-extend her hair.

When I travel through time again, I'll just cut it off again.

At this point in time, Hu Biao no longer had time to sleep.

After returning to my rented room and taking a cold shower to cheer myself up, I started running to the market to buy the ingredients I needed for the day.

As for the batch bought yesterday, since Deyuelou never sells leftover ingredients, it was all disposed of by Siyan and Sister Lin.

At nine o'clock in the morning, Hu Biao, having thought of something, called his landlord.

He told the landlord about his idea to further expand his business and rent the storefront of the children's clothing store next door.

Unexpectedly, Hu Biao had met the landlady yesterday morning; however, on the phone, she said that she was currently traveling and would not be back for three to five days, and everything would have to wait until she returned.

Hearing this, Hu Biao could only wait for the other party to return before saying anything more.

However, hiring can be done in advance, since Boss Hu is a man of principle and wouldn't mind paying a few extra days' wages...

(End of this chapter)