Starting from 1950

Because of Xiaoyu, Su Yang temporarily put aside the matter of the fried noodle recipe.

He kept an eye on Xiaoyu's injuries all afternoon and into the evening.

The bullet hole on Xiaoyu's wing grew smaller and smaller under his gaze until, before he fell asleep at midnight, the wound had completely closed, leaving only a small pink scab.

The next day.

Sunlight streamed through the glass window covered with old newspapers, casting dappled shadows on the concrete floor.

Su Yang opened his eyes and the first thing he did was to look at Xiao Yu.

Xiaoyu was standing at the head of the bed. When she saw him wake up, she made a soft "gurgling" sound like a baby bird.

Su Yang waved to it, and Xiao Yu gently flapped its wings and landed on Su Yang through the blanket.

As if knowing Su Yang's thoughts, it proactively extended its left wing for him to see.

Su Yang sat cross-legged in bed, his fingertips gently stroking Xiao Yu's left wing as he carefully examined her.

Its feathers were neat and there wasn't a single scar under them. Apart from a few traces of blood on its wings, it looked nothing like it did yesterday.

"The effect of the soul link is stronger than expected..." Su Yang narrowed his eyes. This effect is so incredible; if it gets discovered, the consequences...

He immediately made up his mind that he couldn't tell anyone, not even Wu Xinxue!

"Oh my god, that scared me to death!"

Wu Xinxue woke up on the big bed. As usual, she opened her eyes and glanced at Su Yang first.

Because she wasn't fully awake, she was startled to see Xiaoyu standing on Su Yang's blanket.

Startled awake, she realized that there was now a new member in her family.

"How did this hairy beast recover so quickly? It can even stand up now?" she asked in surprise.

In fact, Xiaoyu was able to stand up yesterday evening, but Su Yang kept it pretending to be so inconsiderate in order to avoid causing a stir.

"Gah!" Xiaoyu yelled at her, her voice shrill, clearly displeased with her calling her a "flying beast."

Su Yang translated for her: "Its name is Xiaoyu."

"Okay, okay! My bad. Xiaoyu, is that alright? You bled so much yesterday, but you're all lively and energetic today. Are wild animals really that resilient?"

Wu Xinxue got up and dressed while grumbling.

It's just that she didn't examine Xiaoyu closely enough yesterday because she saw her covered in blood. Otherwise, if she had seen a bloody bullet hole yesterday but it had disappeared without a trace today, she might have been terrified.

......

Before the morning mist had dissipated, Su Yang and Wu Xinxue rode their bicycles to the flour factory. Compared to usual, Su Yang was carrying a bulging satchel today, and a snow-white, majestic falcon was perched on the handlebars of his bicycle.

The incident that happened in front of Building 3 yesterday has spread throughout the entire residential compound by the end of the afternoon.

From the residential compound to the factory area, this short distance, Xiaoyu stood in front, immediately attracting the attention of many workers on their way to work.

"My goodness! This is... a gyrfalcon!"

"Didn't Xiao Su kill and eat this bird yesterday?"

"That's really strange. He looked like he was about to die, but he's alive today?"

"Look, its wings are still bloody; maybe it's just a final burst of energy before death."

"No, look at its energy and spirit, it's really alive! Little Su is going to make a fortune! I heard from Old Xie that this is called 'Jade Claw,' and it's worth a courtyard house!"

"Oh my god! Really?"

To avoid causing a stir, Su Yang had deliberately prevented Xiao Yu from cleaning the bloodstains on her wings. However, seeing the crowd growing larger, he had an idea and gave Xiao Yu the order.

"flap!"

"It flew away! It flew away! It flew away!"

"Xiao Su, hurry and chase after them!"

"A courtyard house is gone..."

"Xiao Su, you should tie it up."

The workers were dumbfounded when they saw Xiaoyu flap her wings and disappear in the blink of an eye.

Many people were heartbroken and felt sorry for Su Yang.

"Su Yang, will Xiao Yu come back?" Wu Xinxue asked with a hint of doubt.

She had been watching Su Yang and Xiao Yu's interactions from yesterday to today, and she subconsciously felt that Xiao Yu wouldn't just leave like that.

Su Yang chuckled and nodded to her.

"Sister Xinxue, it's our turn now. Let's go in quickly, or we'll be late."

......

After a day of rest, the atmosphere in the factory was less tense, but the allocated grain would take another one or two hours to arrive.

The workers chatted leisurely as they cleaned, mostly discussing how Su Yang had lost a courtyard house at the factory gate that morning.

Even Zhou Zheng heard about it and went to Su Yang specifically to comfort him.

Su Yang didn't explain it to him.

Because of the "Soul Link" skill, he could clearly feel Xiaoyu soaring in the sky above Tiexi District.

He planned to let Xiaoyu hide outside for a few days and then bring her back, which would barely cover up the fact that Xiaoyu had recovered overnight.

"Factory manager, let's talk about work-related matters."

Su Yang took the initiative to change the subject, taking out the prepared items from his bag and placing them on the table.

There were several books that recorded the medicinal effects of eggshells and pine needles; the dozen or so eggs that Wu Xinxue bought from the neighbors in the family compound yesterday afternoon, and the eggshells that were now peeled after being boiled; and a small bag of pine needles that were pulled from wild pine trees.

"What are you doing...?"

Zhou Zheng was completely confused.

Su Yang handed over a piece of paper and said with a smile, "Take a look at this."

"What are you up to, kid? Huh? What do these eggshells have to do with fried noodles? And what about these pine needles?"

Zhou Zheng took the formula from Su Yang with a puzzled look, but the more he looked at it, the more his brows furrowed.

He casually picked up a copy of the "Compendium of Materia Medica," flipped through a few pages, glanced at the eggshells and pine needles, and finally fixed his gaze on Su Yang's face. "What are you up to this time, kid? Stop talking nonsense and just say it!"

Su Yang took a deep breath. He knew that Zhou Zheng was not a pedantic person, but at this time, my country's scientific research was in its infancy, and the focus was on industry and people's livelihood. It was probably impossible for any scientists to study the nutritional value of eggshells and pine needles.

He picked up the note written by Dr. Hu and pointed to the neat handwriting: "Factory manager, look, this formula isn't something I just came up with randomly. You've heard of Dr. Hu Xingyuan, right? The legendary doctor Hu from Guang Sheng Tang."

"Hu Xingyuan?" Zhou Zheng's eyes narrowed. "Of course I know him. He's a famous doctor in Shenzhou. When we conquered Shenzhou, many of our wounded soldiers were treated by him and his apprentices."

Su Yang recounted in detail how he had been turned away at the library the day before, sought advice at Guang Sheng Tang, and received a book from Dr. Hu, who also wrote these annotations.

"Dr. Hu said that the membrane inside the eggshell is called 'phoenix coat' in ancient medical books. It can reduce inflammation, supplement calcium, and treat stomach pain. Pine needles are even better. They are praised in 'Qianjin Fang' and 'Shennong Bencao Jing'. They can treat rheumatism, replenish qi and blood, and most importantly, they are rich in various... well, the stuff that can help people see clearly at night and reduce the chances of getting angular cheilitis."

"Can it cure chicken blindness?" Zhou Zheng pressed.

Su Yang paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "That's right, it's called chicken blindness, but the scientific name should be 'night blindness'."

Zhou Zheng was deeply shaken upon hearing this.

He wasn't a doctor, but he knew all too well the ailments that soldiers often suffered from due to malnutrition.

Solitude is not considered an illness by soldiers, but stomach problems are almost universal, to varying degrees, and can greatly weaken combat effectiveness.

Our army is particularly adept at night fighting, and night blindness is fatal during nighttime marches and battles.