Bright Sword: The Flowers of War

Chapter 215 Li Yunlong's Visit

On November nights, the air in Wutai County is already noticeably cool.

A gentle evening breeze swept through, swirling up a few withered yellow leaves from the courtyard, rustling them on the ground and adding to the desolate atmosphere.

Su Yaoyang's family lived in a spacious three-courtyard house in the center of the county town.

At this moment, after dinner, Su Yaoyang and his two wives, Song Mei and Xiao Lu, were sitting at the stone table in the courtyard, enjoying the cool evening air and sipping tea.

Several windproof kerosene lamps were lit in the courtyard, their dim light casting long shadows of the three people onto the mottled wall, swaying gently with the flickering light.

Xiao Lu was carefully adding tea for Su Yaoyang and Song Mei. She was wearing a simple blue long-sleeved shirt and a black skirt, which made her look slender. Her eyes and brows showed the gentleness and contentment unique to a young woman.

Song Mei wore a well-fitting light red cheongsam, her hair neatly styled in a bun, making her look dashing and heroic.

She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, but her gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if she had something on her mind. She glanced at Su Yaoyang several times, but always seemed hesitant to speak.

Su Yaoyang naturally noticed his wife's unusual behavior. He put down his teacup, the bottom of which clinked softly against the stone table. He turned to look at Song Mei's slightly troubled expression and couldn't help but chuckle as he asked, "Wife, what's wrong? You've seemed preoccupied since dinner. Just say what's on your mind, why are you hiding it from me?"

Xiao Lu also noticed Song Mei's unusual behavior and asked with concern, "Yes, Sister Mei, is something bothering you at work? Or... are you feeling unwell?"

When Su Yaoyang asked her this, Song Mei's cheeks flushed slightly, as if she was a little embarrassed. She put down her teacup, gently bit her lower lip, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Yaoyang, actually... it's not a big deal. It's just... it's just that John, Commander John Miller, he... he asked me to do something."

"Oh? John?"

Su Yaoyang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. John Miller, the commander of the First Armored Regiment who had repeatedly distinguished himself under his command, rarely sought him or Song Mei out of concern for personal matters, except for military affairs. He couldn't help but wonder, "What did he ask you to do? Is there a problem with the equipment or logistics in the unit?"

In his view, John, this money-grubbing fellow, seemed to care little about anything other than fighting and making money.

Song Mei shook her head, her expression becoming even more peculiar, a mixture of suppressed amusement and helplessness: "It's not about the military... it's... it's his personal matter. He... he's taken a liking to a girl and wants... wants to ask me to act as a matchmaker and propose marriage to her."

"A marriage proposal?!" Su Yaoyang and Xiao Lu exclaimed almost simultaneously, their faces showing disbelief.

Su Yaoyang's eyes widened in disbelief, as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable. John Miller, that burly, clueless American, actually had a crush on a girl? And he even needed Song Mei, the director of a field hospital, to act as matchmaker? This was truly unbelievable!
"Who has he taken a fancy to? Is it some nurse in our hospital? Or... some blind girl in our county?" Su Yaoyang's curiosity was completely piqued, and he pressed for an answer. In his memory, the only women John seemed to interact with on a daily basis were the nurses at the field hospital.

Song Mei's expression became even more subtle. She took a deep breath and slowly uttered a name: "It's... Yu Mo."

"Yu Mo?"

The name, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirred ripples in Su Yaoyang's mind. Memories of the past surged like a tidal wave, pulling him back to the Nanjing of last year, a city engulfed in flames and littered with corpses…

That was the darkest and most desperate time when he had just traveled to this era, on the eve of the fall of Nanjing.

The dilapidated church, the refugees trembling in fear of the Japanese army's atrocities, the figures struggling to survive amidst the flames of war... and the courtesan Yu Mo, renowned for her allure and charm on the banks of the Qinhuai River, yet displaying astonishing courage and kindness in times of crisis.

Su Yaoyang clearly remembers that at that time, John Miller was just a down-on-his-luck "corpse collector".

Yu Mo, on the other hand, was the leader of the women of the night who sought refuge. There seemed to be no particular connection between them, at least from his observation at the time.

Unexpectedly, a year later, everything had changed. John Miller had transformed from an unknown "corpse collector" into the commander of his distinguished armored regiment, a tough and ruthless man who struck fear into the hearts of the enemy on the battlefield. Yu Mo, on the other hand, had shed her former glory and become a field hospital nurse dedicated to saving lives.

What he didn't expect was that these two people, with completely different identities, experiences, and even nationalities, would actually have a romantic entanglement! Moreover, it was John, the dignified commander of an armored regiment, who took the initiative to fall for a woman who used to work in a brothel!
This...this is really...too unexpected for him!
Su Yaoyang was momentarily lost in thought, his mind flashing back to fragments of his time in Nanjing, and the figures of John and Yu Mo. He tried to find any trace of affection between them from those scattered memories, but to no avail.

Looking at Su Yaoyang, who was deep in thought with a complicated expression, Xiao Lu asked with some confusion, "Young Master, what's wrong? Sister Yu Mo and Commander John don't seem to have much contact usually, so how did they suddenly become friends?"

Su Yaoyang snapped out of his daze, glanced at Xiao Lu, then at Song Mei, whose expression was also somewhat complicated, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "I don't know how they got together, but John and Yu Mo must have crossed paths last year."

However, since Yu Mo and the other girls came from brothels, they rarely interacted with others, and I was also very busy... I had little contact with them after arriving in Shanxi, so I don't know much about their affairs.

After listening to Su Yaoyang's story, Xiao Lu's face showed surprise and sympathy. She hadn't expected that Yu Mo, who usually worked quietly in the field hospital and seemed somewhat aloof and arrogant, had such a difficult and unfortunate past.

"So... Commander John knows about Sister Yu Mo's past?" Xiao Lu asked softly.

Song Mei nodded and continued, "Yes, John knows everything. He said he doesn't care about Yu Mo's past; he only likes the Yu Mo of today. He also said that back in Nanjing, he felt that Yu Mo was a special and wonderful girl, but at the time... the circumstances were special, and he didn't have the chance to express it."

Now, he hopes to give himself a chance, and also give Yu Mo a chance.

As Su Yaoyang listened to Song Mei relay John's words, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for John, this American. In this era, for a high-ranking military officer to disregard societal prejudices, fall in love with a woman from a humble background, and dare to openly pursue her, required immense courage and sincerity.

"So... what's Yu Mo's attitude?" Su Yaoyang asked. He was more concerned about the woman's thoughts. After all, these things are about mutual consent; forced relationships are never happy.

Song Mei sighed, a hint of helplessness on her face: "Yu Mo... she refused. She said she wasn't good enough for Commander John, and that her past would cause him trouble. She said she just wanted to focus on her work at the hospital and didn't want to think about these things. Commander John is very troubled by this, which is why he asked me to come... hoping that through me he could persuade Yu Mo, and also... also hoping that you, the supreme commander, could put in a good word for him, or... at least not object."

Upon hearing this, Su Yaoyang couldn't help but chuckle. John, who usually commands tanks into battle without batting an eye, was surprisingly helpless when it came to matters of the heart, even resorting to invoking his boss's influence.

"What am I objecting to?" Su Yaoyang shook his head with a smile. "Freedom of marriage and freedom of love. As long as they are mutually in love, what do I have to object to? However..." He changed the subject, and his expression became serious. "The key to this matter is Yu Mo's own wishes. If she really has no feelings for John, or if she has any reservations because of her past experiences, then we cannot force her. Feelings cannot be forced."

Song Mei nodded: "That's what I thought too. So, I just agreed to John's request to sound out Yu Mo's feelings and convey his intentions to her. As for Yu Mo's final choice, that's up to her."

She paused, then said with some concern, "However, Yaoyang, you know that Yu Mo's background... is somewhat special. If she really gets together with John, won't there be some gossip in the army? Won't it affect Commander John's prestige?"

This is indeed a real problem. In this era, people's ideas are still relatively conservative. A commander of an armored regiment with outstanding military achievements marrying a woman who used to be a prostitute will inevitably attract some criticism.

Su Yaoyang pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "There will definitely be rumors. But a clear conscience fears no accusation. As long as John and Yu Mo truly love each other and can face things honestly, I believe they can overcome these difficulties."

Moreover, our militia is not like those old armies that value family background. We value a person's character and ability more. Although Yu Mo came from a humble background, her performance in Nanjing and her work in the field hospital proved that she is a kind and brave young woman.

John's attraction to her shows that he is a man of great loyalty and integrity, who doesn't judge people by worldly standards. I think it would be a good thing if two people like that could come together.

He looked at Song Mei and said with a smile, "So, Mei'er, if Yu Mo also has feelings for John, but is too hesitant to accept them because of too many concerns, then you might as well give her some guidance and help them out. Helping others find happiness is a good deed, after all."

Upon hearing Su Yaoyang's words, Song Mei smiled with relief: "Yes, I know what to do. I will have a good talk with Yu Mo."

Xiao Lu listened from the side and said softly, "I hope Sister Yu Mo can be brave and seize her own happiness. I think Commander John is a good person and someone I can entrust my life to."

"Hey... don't make any definitive statements yet." Su Yaoyang waved his hand: "No matter how good John is, he will eventually have to go back to America. If Miss Yu Mo goes with him, won't she also have to go back to America with him in the future?"
A young woman abandons her hometown to travel thousands of miles with a foreigner, but being all alone and without any relatives or friends may not necessarily be a good thing.

Therefore, you must make this clear to Yu Mo beforehand, otherwise it won't be good if she complains about it later.

"Okay... I'll explain it to him."

At this point, Su Yaoyang suddenly remembered something else, "By the way... has Old Li been discharged from the hospital? How are things going with that nurse surnamed Wu?"

Hearing this, Song Mei gave her husband a playful glare, "You, and you call yourself someone's superior?"

Old Li was discharged from the hospital three days ago, and I've already arranged things between him and Xiao Wu. They'll be getting married in ten days. If you, as their boss, don't even show up then, that would be really unreasonable.

Don't forget, Old Li and you knew each other back in Nanjing. Now he's willingly lowered himself to be your subordinate; you can't let him down.

"Hahaha... Don't worry, it won't happen."

Su Yaoyang laughed: "I will definitely give them a generous gift when the time comes. By the way... I remember Old Li was born in the Year of the Rat, right?"

"I don't know... what's wrong?"

"It's nothing... Alright... It's getting late, let's get some rest."

"Um……"

After saying that, the man took his two wives into the house...

Nothing in the night

The next morning, Su Yaoyang was still sound asleep when Xiao Lu woke him up.

"Young Master... wake up... someone is looking for you outside."

"Who is it?"

Su Yaoyang, who had just woken up, was a little puzzled. He hadn't had anything important happen in the past few days, so why was there someone so inconsiderate disturbing his peaceful sleep so early in the morning?

"People from the Eighth Route Army have arrived."

"Eighth Route Army...who is that?" Su Yaoyang asked groggily, struggling to open his eyes.

"I heard it's an officer named Li Yunlong. He just entered the city and will be at our house in a little while."

"Li Yunlong?" Upon hearing this name, Su Yaoyang's sleepiness vanished almost instantly.

"Why is this guy here? What's he doing here?"

Su Yaoyang was puzzled. Although he had been in Shanxi for quite some time, he had not had much contact with Li Yunlong. Although he had sent some supplies, including medicine, to the Eighth Route Army through Li Yunlong, his relationship with Li Yunlong was just so-so, neither too good nor too bad. Why did this guy come here in person now?

However, since they have come, it is only right and proper that he personally greets them.

Soon, after washing up, he went to the front hall to greet the guests...

(End of this chapter)