Starting from 1950

"Knock knock knock!"

Su Yang's heartbeat quickened with the knocking.

But after waiting for a while, there was no movement from inside the house.

He looked down and realized that the door was locked.

Su Yang had long since lost his key on the battlefield. His gaze unconsciously swept towards the inconspicuous coal bag in the corner.

I moved the heavy bag aside, my fingers groping through the cold brick seams and coal dust. The familiar metallic touch returned, and the spare key wrapped in cloth was still there.

Su Yang let out a soft sigh, brushed the coal dust off the key, and inserted it into the lock.

There are three keys to the house: one for him, one for Wu Xinxue, and the third one is kept here in case someone forgets their key and can't get in.

"Click".

Pushing open the door, a faint, cheap scent of soap wafted out – the scent of Wu Xinxue.

The room was furnished just as it had a month ago. His small bed was spotless, clearly showing that Wu Xinxue tidied it up even when he wasn't home.

The kettle on the stove was boiling, and steam was bubbling and puffing against the lid.

Su Yang picked up the kettle, intending to pour hot water into the thermos, when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.

"Su Yang!!"

He subconsciously turned his head to look at the doorway.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Standing at the door was a girl wearing a bulky blue cotton-padded coat and a gray scarf. Who else could it be but Wu Xinxue?

She had lost a lot of weight, her cheeks were red from the cold wind, and her eyes were swollen like peaches. At this moment, she was staring intently at Su Yang, tears welling up in her eyes, a mixture of uncontrollable anger and the ecstatic joy of regaining what she had lost.

"Sister Xinxue..." Su Yang said somewhat guiltily.

Before he could take a step, Wu Xinxue had already rushed over and hugged him!

"You little brat! You heartless bastard! Where did you run off to?! Do you know how worried I was?! How dare you! How dare you run off to that godforsaken place all by yourself! How could you leave me all alone!" Wu Xinxue cried and cursed, her fists raining down on Su Yang's back.

Su Yang let her hit him and carefully put the boiled kettle back on the stove.

"Are you hurt? Let me see! Quick! Take off your clothes!"

She cried for a while, then suddenly remembered something, forcefully pulled open Su Yang's collar, and started to unbutton his shirt.

"Oh! Sister Xinxue! No! No... close the door first!"

Su Yang couldn't refuse, so he could only close the door and let her push him onto the bed, take off his cotton-padded clothes, and examine his body.

Upon seeing the small scars on Su Yang's hands, arms, and back, Wu Xinxue's tears flowed even more freely.

"Sister Xinxue, I'm fine, really fine, it's just a minor injury... Look, I'm back safe and sound." Su Yang forced a smile to reassure Wu Xinxue.

Wu Xinxue wiped away her tears, helped Su Yang get dressed, and as if afraid he would run away, she held his hand tightly and said, "Come! Tell me what happened in the past month, from beginning to end, don't miss a single word."

Su Yang took a deep breath and began to speak.

From meeting Chief Lan in Andong, to encountering danger with Xiaoyu, to crossing the river to search for him.

How to use Chief Lan's name to infiltrate the 352nd Regiment, how to use Xiaoyu to scout the enemy and win the first battle, how to cooperate in annihilating the enemy in Yelangyu, how to join forces with the 114th Division in Gariling, how to experience the bloody battle in Junyuli and capture countless spoils.

He also described how he rushed to the aid of San Suoli, witnessed the earth-shattering bloody battle and the final glorious victory... He tried to filter out the most bloody and cruel details, focusing on describing the bravery of his comrades, the ingenuity of their tactics, and the rich supplies they finally captured.

"...The 2nd Infantry Division was completely wiped out by us, the Turkish Brigade is finished too, and the 1st Cavalry Division, that elite force, was routed and lost most of its armor and weapons...The tanks, artillery, and vehicles we captured, the spoils of war are piled up like mountains..." Su Yang's voice was filled with excitement.

Wu Xinxue listened with her head down, her fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

When she hears Su Yang describe the critical moments on the battlefield, her body involuntarily tenses up.

When she heard him say that he was dodging enemy fire, she would suddenly look up and scan him with her eyes.

When she heard about the final victory and the spoils, her tightly pursed lips relaxed slightly, and a hint of barely perceptible pride flashed in her eyes.

"So," Wu Xinxue's voice trembled with lingering fear after Su Yang finished speaking, "you relied on Xiaoyu and your shooting skills, which you learned from who-knows-where, to... play the hero in a hail of bullets?"

She raised her head, looking directly at Su Yang. "Do you know how I felt when I heard you were missing, and then that you might be on the battlefield? I felt like the sky had fallen! You're my only family! If you... how... how am I supposed to live?"

She choked up again, unable to continue, and just sniffed hard to force back the tears that welled up.

"Sister Xinxue, I'm sorry..." Su Yang's heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle, and a wave of guilt washed over him. "I know I was wrong. I just acted impulsively... thinking about fighting the enemy and helping... without thinking that much. From now on... I promise I'll listen to you and never run around again!" He made his promise urgently.

Looking at Su Yang's face, still bearing the marks of battle, Wu Xinxue sighed heavily, as if she were about to expel all her worries and fears.

"Never mind..." she waved her hand in a hoarse voice, "It's good that he's back, it's good that he's back."

She stood up, walked to the stove, picked up the fire tongs and poked at the coal to make the fire burn brighter. The orange-red flames illuminated her softened profile.

"Are you hungry? I'll make you some noodles." Wu Xinxue smiled gently, just like before.

"Okay!" Su Yang said quickly.

He knew he had passed this hurdle.

......

Dinner was hand-pulled noodles made by Wu Xinxue.

At the dinner table, she chattered on about what had happened at the factory over the past month: who got married, who was recognized as an advanced worker, the factory received new production orders, and everyone was worried about Su Yang after hearing he had gone to the battlefield…

Su Yang listened quietly without interrupting, simply savoring the long-lost feeling of ordinary life.

"By the way! While you were gone for a month, there were quite a few more rats in the factory."

After the meal, Wu Xinxue was clearing away the dishes, humming a cheerful tune. Only after finishing the song did she remember the incident.

"Wow! Then my return is just in time, I can earn money to buy meat again!" Su Yang laughed.

Wu Xinxue's beautiful eyebrows curved into a smile, then she suddenly slapped her forehead. "Hey! Su Yang, where's Xiaoyu all this time? Where is she?"

Seeing this, Su Yang smiled and opened the door.

"Gah!"

"Wow! Xiaoyu! Long time no see! You seem to have gained a lot of weight!"

Holding Xiaoyu in her arms, feeling its heavy weight and warm feathers, Wu Xinxue's eyes welled up with tears again.

This magnificent gyrfalcon was Su Yang's closest companion on the battlefield, and in a way, it was also the reason she was able to see Su Yang again.

"Gah!" Little Jade seemed to sense her emotions, gently nuzzling her cheek with its beak and letting out a soft chirp.