Courtyard House: A Veteran Returns Home and Becomes a Father

After the meeting, Jiang Chao and a group of high-ranking military officials walked out. Jiang Chao looked at the official surnamed Su in front of him, his heart filled with doubt. Why did he suddenly speak up for Su Mo?

Jiang Chao quickly caught up with the man and stopped him. "Deputy Chief of the General Staff Su Xuewu, I'm curious, why are you speaking up for Su Mo?"

Su Xuewu was taken aback for a moment, a fleeting sadness flashing in his eyes, before he said:

"I have a son named Su Mo. Back when Lao Xia and I were working as local gangsters in Shanghai, we were accidentally exposed and had to move. My youngest son has been with me all these years. Lao Xia's daughter and my youngest son went to buy candied hawthorns together and got separated at the train station. Maybe he is also named Su Mo, so I wanted to help him out."

Jiang Chao was taken aback, then casually asked, "Do you think Su Mo is your biological son?"

Su Xuewu gave a wry smile.

"I've seen his information; he's two years older than my son."

Jiang Chao then sighed, "Don't worry, we'll definitely find it."

Neither Jiang Chao nor Su Xuewu knew that Su Mo had changed his age to join the army.

Two months passed quickly.

1955, October.

Two years have passed since the smoke of war on the Korean battlefield dissipated, but the air in the special care ward of the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army in Beijing is still filled with a tense and solemn atmosphere.

The three-story intensive care unit was surrounded by heavily armed guards, and the windows were reinforced with fine steel bars, making it difficult for even a fly to get in. Inside ward 001, it was eerily quiet, with only the dripping sound of the nutrient solution in the bottle, as if counting down the days for the sleeping patient.

The young man lying in the hospital bed is named Su Mo.

In the archives of the military's top brass, this name is a mythical figure—on the Korean battlefield, he single-handedly destroyed the US command post, single-handedly turned the tide of the Battle of Seoul, and forcefully shifted the balance of victory in our favor.

Yet this steel warrior was caught in the blast of an unknown explosion during his final battle and fell into a coma that lasted two years.

His body, which once carried a machine gun and charged into battle, is now just skin and bones.

His skin was sallow and dry, clinging tightly to his shoulder blades, forming a grotesque bulge;

His eye sockets were sunken like dry wells, and his long eyelashes drooped lifelessly.

His arms were so thin they looked as if they would break at the slightest touch, with only a hideous scar on his wrist bearing the marks of the battles he had fought back then.

He was covered in tubes, and nutrient solution was slowly injected into his body through transparent tubes to maintain his vital signs.

Strangely, no matter how top neuroscientists at home and abroad examined the patients, their conclusions were remarkably consistent:

His heart rate, blood pressure, and even cell activity were stronger than those of a healthy person, but his brain was in a deep dormancy, and his soul was as if locked in a bottomless abyss.

"Continue to increase the nutritional dosage, monitor 24 hours a day, and record any subtle changes!"

The old hospital director's solemn voice came from outside the door. Ever since Su Mo's finger twitched inexplicably last week, the security level of the entire ward has been raised to the maximum. Nurses check on patients every hour, and the instrument data is synchronized to the military command center in real time.

No one dared to gamble that this legendary hero might suddenly wake up, and even less dared to gamble that he might fall into eternal slumber.

Darkness, endless darkness.

Su Mo felt like he was floating in chaos, his consciousness like a crumpled piece of paper, scattering and then coming together again.

Sometimes, he would return to his manor in the Jiangnan countryside.

The afternoon sun was warm and gentle. The rattan chair swayed gently, the fragrance of Longjing tea lingered in the air, and the slow, leisurely chatter of the butler, Old Chen, filled the air, along with the laughter of children playing on the distant field ridges. He tried to reach for the teacup on the table, but his arm felt as heavy as lead, and he couldn't move it at all.

The scene changed abruptly the next second!

The air was thick with the roar of artillery fire, and the smoke was choking. The deafening explosions filled his ears, bullets whizzed past his scalp, and the shouts and screams of his comrades mingled together, piercing his eardrums. He saw Li Dapao, carrying a satchel charge, rushing towards the enemy bunker. He turned back and smiled at him, but the smile was quickly swallowed by a burst of fire.

"cannon!"

He tried to rush over, but was held back by a tremendous force.

A tearing pain shot through my back, as if I were being pierced by a red-hot iron. Scalding blood flowed down my spine, staining my uniform and blurring my vision.

Wang Erniu roared and lunged forward, trying to drag him behind cover, but a shell exploded nearby, and shrapnel and debris rained down on him.

He saw Wang Erniu's body being thrown into the air, a bloody hole in his chest, his eyes wide open, still staring in his direction. (Dream, Erniu didn't cry.)

"No--!"

A silent scream exploded deep within consciousness, shaking even the chaos itself.

Su Mo felt himself falling, plummeting into a cold vortex, surrounded by the unwilling wails of his comrades and the arrogant grins of the enemy. He tried to grasp something, but only touched nothingness; despair overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

Just then, a faint light pierced the darkness!

The light, as thin as a steel needle and scorching hot, pierced his consciousness. Like a spring in the desert, a spark in the dead of winter, it reignited a flame in his dying will.

My eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, like an iron gate that had been welded shut.

He mustered all his remaining willpower and desperately tried to open his eyes. His muscles were stiff and unresponsive, and his nerves were like rusty gears, each turn accompanied by excruciating pain.

It failed the first time.

Twice, her eyelids only twitched.

Three times, a tiny force finally pried open a crack!

"call……"

He gasped, the piercing light rushing into his eyes, making him want to close them.

But that glimmer of light was too precious. He clenched his teeth tightly (even though his body hadn't reacted yet) and used all his strength to stretch his eyes wider.

The ceiling was stark white, IV drip bottles hung in the air, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of Lysol.

Is this... a hospital?

I'm alive?

Su Mo's mind felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer, countless fragments of memories swirling wildly: the gunfire of the battlefield, the sacrifice of his comrades, the excruciating pain in his back, and the earth-shattering explosion...

He tried to move his fingers, but only felt a faint tingling sensation in his fingertips. His body felt like a rusty machine, completely unresponsive. A deep-seated weakness spread through his limbs, making even breathing difficult.

He tried to speak, but only a hoarse "hoarse" sound came from his throat, like a broken bellows being forcibly pulled, dry and harsh.

"Squeak—"

The door to the ward was gently pushed open, interrupting his thoughts.

Nurse Lin Xiaoyan walked in carrying a tray, her face showing her usual calm. For the past two years, she had changed Su Mo's IV fluids three times a day, wiped his body, turned him over, and recorded his data. She had long been accustomed to the presence of this "living dead" hero.

She walked to the bedside, skillfully picked up the empty IV bottle, and prepared to replace it with a new nutrient solution. Her gaze inadvertently swept across Su Mo's face, and her movements suddenly stopped.

What happened?

She rubbed her eyes, thinking she was seeing things.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Xiaoyan's pupils suddenly contracted, and all the blood in her body rushed to her head!

Those eyes, which had been closed for more than two years, were now slightly opening a crack!

A jet-black eye slowly moved within the slit of the eye, filled with confusion and pain, yet it truly existed!

"Clang—!"

The tray slipped from Lin Xiaoyan's hands and fell to the ground. The sound of shattering glass was particularly jarring in the quiet ward, and the nutrient solution spilled all over the floor, flowing down the floorboards.

She covered her mouth and bit her lip hard to keep from screaming. Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, a mixture of fear, excitement, and disbelief streaming down her cheeks.

It's true! He's awake! The hero who had been asleep for over two years has really woken up!

"She's awake! She's awake!"

Lin Xiaoyan suddenly realized what was happening, and could no longer contain her joy and excitement. She turned and rushed towards the door, her voice hoarse and trembling with sobs, yet incredibly powerful:

"Doctor! Someone come quick! Patient number 001 is awake! Su Mo is awake!"

Her voice was like a thunderclap, exploding loudly in the quiet corridor!

"What?!"

"Who did you say woke up? Su Mo?"

"Holy crap! Really?"

The corridor erupted in chaos! The guards who had been standing at the door suddenly stood up straight, their eyes filled with shock; the nurses in the next office rushed out like madmen when they heard the noise; the doctor on duty dropped the patient's medical record book and ran towards room 001.

Footsteps, shouts, and the sounds of tables and chairs being moved mingled together, breaking the silence that had prevailed in the special care ward for the past two years.

A few seconds later, the door to ward 001 was suddenly kicked open!

Professor Li, an elderly military doctor with graying hair, rushed in with a group of doctors and nurses, each with an expression of disbelief and excitement. Professor Li had personally participated in Su Mo's rescue years ago, and for the past two years, he had never given up. Seeing Su Mo, who was lying on the hospital bed with his eyes slightly open, tears instantly streamed down his face.

"Quickly! Get the cardiac monitor on!"

"Measure the pupillary light reflex!"

"Get your adrenaline pumping, be ready!"

What's your blood pressure? What's your heart rate?

The doctors and nurses performed their duties and quickly began the examination. Professor Li rushed to the bedside, picked up a flashlight with trembling hands, and carefully shone it into Su Mo's eyes.

The blinding light made Su Mo instinctively want to close his eyes, but his body's reaction remained sluggish. He could clearly see the group of people in white coats in front of him, and the excitement and concern on their faces cleared his muddled mind slightly.

The data on the instrument began to fluctuate violently. The previously stable heart rate suddenly accelerated, and the blood pressure also slowly rose. A clear fluctuating curve appeared on the electroencephalogram.

"A miracle! This is absolutely a miracle in medical history!" Professor Li's voice choked with emotion as he looked at the data on the instruments. "After more than two years, he has finally woken up!"

Su Mo's consciousness gradually became clear amidst the noise.

Looking at the busy crowd around him, listening to the beeping of the medical equipment, and feeling the weakness and pain in his body, he had only one thought in his mind:

I, Su Mo, am back.

But what followed was deeper confusion and doubt.

How are my comrades? Have we completed the mission?

He tried to ask, but only a "hoarse" sound came out of his throat. He tried to move his fingers again, and this time, he finally felt a faint sensation in his fingertips, as if an electric current was running through them.

Just then, the ward door was pushed open again, and a group of people in military uniforms strode in, led by the former commander.

Seeing Su Mo open his eyes in the hospital bed, the old commander's eyes reddened. He quickly walked to the bedside and said in a hoarse voice, "Su Mo, welcome back."

Su Mo's eyes slowly moved, looking at the old commander with a hint of familiarity and a hint of confusion in them.