Starting from 1950

"Su Yang! Did you get that jacket from the battlefield? It looks really sharp!"

"Su Yang! Did you kill any enemies on the battlefield? How many? Were you wounded?"

"Su Yang! There are more rats in the factory after you left. The section chief was talking about it in the meeting this morning."

"Su Yang, I heard from Lao Yu that you used a heavy machine gun to make an MD plane smoke? Is he just bragging?"

Everyone was talking at once.

Su Yang was somewhat flattered; he hadn't realized he was that important.

But it felt really good to be remembered; it warmed his heart.

"Alright! Everyone's back. We can talk later. Su Yang! Come with me to see the section chief!" Yu Feng dismissed the security guards with a dark face, grabbed Su Yang's arm, and dragged him toward the office building.

"Brother Yu, what are you doing?" Su Yang easily broke free from Yu Feng's hand.

Yu Feng glared at him and said irritably, "What do you expect me to do? Of course, you're going to the section chief's office to apologize!"

After saying that, he grabbed Su Yang's arm again, as if afraid that he would suddenly run away like last time by the river.

Su Yang had no choice but to be "escorted" away by him.

"Report!"

Upon arriving at the location, Yu Feng called out loudly from the doorway.

"Come in!" came Zhang Zhenguo's familiar, slightly hoarse voice from inside.

Yu Feng pushed open the door, shoved Su Yang forward, and stood in the doorway himself, looking as if he had accomplished a major mission: "Section Chief, Su Yang is back!"

After saying that, he turned and ran out.

Zhang Zhenguo was writing something on the table when he heard the sound and looked up.

He looked a bit more haggard than before Su Yang left, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's.

When his gaze fell on Su Yang, he was first taken aback, then a complex expression welled up inside him—surprise and concern, but ultimately all of this was covered by a deliberately stern expression.

He put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands over his stomach, and stared at Su Yang without saying a word for more than ten seconds.

The air in the office seemed to freeze, with only the faint hissing sound of the kettle on the stove.

"Heh," Zhang Zhenguo finally let out a cryptic chuckle, "So, the great hero Su, who was masturbating, finally decided to come back?"

Su Yang was stung by the tone, but knowing he was in the wrong, he didn't dare to respond. He just lowered his head slightly and stared at the tips of his cotton shoes.

"You've got some nerve!" Zhang Zhenguo slammed his hand on the table, making the pen holder jump. "You disappeared without a word! If Commander Luo hadn't sent word to the factory manager later, we would have almost thought you... died on Jiang's side!"

His voice grew louder and louder. At first, he was just pretending to be angry, but he got angrier and angrier as he spoke: "That's a battlefield! A hail of bullets! Do you think this is child's play? How old are you? Huh?! Twelve years old! You haven't even grown your hair yet, and you dare to charge forward with a gun? If anything really happens to you, how will your sister live?!"

Zhang Zhenguo's questions came like a barrage of bullets. Su Yang listened to his reproachful yet concerned words, not daring to raise his head, and whispered, "Uncle Zhang, I was wrong... I didn't think that much at the time... I just thought..."

"What are you thinking? Want to be a hero?" Zhang Zhenguo interrupted him, his tone still stern, but his anger seemed to have subsided somewhat. "Aren't there enough heroes who have sacrificed their lives on the battlefield? You're lucky you came back unharmed; that's a stroke of good fortune!"

"Yes, yes, you're right..."

Su Yang knew there was no point in explaining now, so he simply nodded in agreement with Zhang Zhenguo's words.

After scolding him for a while, seeing his good attitude in admitting his mistake, Zhang Zhenguo sighed heavily and rubbed his temples: "It's good that you're back. It's better that you're alright. Go talk to the factory manager yourself. You ran away so easily. He's criticized me several times this past month!"

"Yes, I know," Su Yang quickly replied with a smile.

"Get out of here! Get back to work, the rats in the factory are running rampant again." Zhang Zhenguo waved his hand.

Su Yang breathed a sigh of relief. He had been working at Limin Flour Factory for almost a year, and Zhang Zhenguo had always taken good care of him. Even if Zhang Zhenguo were to hit him, he would have to stand at attention.

Fortunately, he passed this hurdle and quickly walked out of the door.

At the doorway, Yu Feng was still standing there, straining his ears to listen to what was happening inside.

After Su Yang came out, she glared at him with annoyance.

Yu Feng wasn't annoyed. He asked with a smile, "So? Did the section chief ask you to write a self-criticism? How many words?"

"Hehe! I'm sorry to disappoint you, Brother Yu!" Su Yang said.

"Hmph! I knew the section chief would be biased!"

The two exchanged a few words, then caught sight of a rat swaggering past them along the wall.

Yu Feng's expression turned serious as he said, "Why didn't you bring a slingshot to the factory? How are you going to kill rats without a slingshot?"

"Catching rats is easy, isn't it?" Su Yang chuckled, mentally ordering Xiao Yu to come over.

"You'd better go back and get it right away... Oh my god! What the hell!"

A white streak, like a blade of light, descended from the sky and hurtled towards the rat at the base of the wall.

"Squeak!" Xiaoyu had already caught the mouse and came to Su Yang to show off her achievement.

Yu Feng stared blankly for a while before he reacted, then slapped his thigh:

"Isn't this the gyrfalcon you found before? Didn't it fly away?"

Su Yang smiled and said, "Xiao Yu didn't leave; she's just been recuperating."

Yu Feng suddenly remembered that a month ago by the river, Su Yang said that his little jade was lost, and that's why he ran to the other side of the river and disappeared for so long. Could it be that he was looking for this gyrfalcon?

"Gah!" Xiaoyu had already pecked the mouse to death and was eating the meat in big mouthfuls.

Su Yang stroked Xiao Yu's glossy feathers and said to Yu Feng, "Brother Yu, Xiao Yu is a master at catching mice. From now on, she can help me catch mice at the factory. Please ask the security guards not to hurt her with a gun."

"Oh... okay!"

Yu Feng's gaze was still somewhat dazed. He looked at Xiao Yu and then at Su Yang, thinking to himself, "Why does this kid always do things that are different from others?"

Su Yang watched as Xiao Yu finished eating the mouse, then took out a handkerchief to wipe its paws and beak before letting it stand on his shoulder.

"Brother Yu, I got a scolding from the factory manager. Don't forget about Xiaoyu's matter."

Su Yang arrived at the factory director's office.

He had prepared himself for Zhou Zheng's wrath and fury.

Unexpectedly, from the moment he entered the room, Zhou Zheng did not have a dark face like Zhang Zhenguo, and even personally poured him a cup of tea.

However, Zhou Zheng spent more time looking at Xiao Yu than at Su Yang.

"Old Luo has already told me about your situation."

Zhou Zheng suddenly stood up straight and gave Su Yang a military salute.

"Factory manager! What...what are you doing?"

Su Yang was startled and quickly stood up from his chair.

"Su Yang, thank you for saving the lives of so many soldiers in the 352nd Regiment. Thank you for everything you did on the battlefield," Zhou Zheng said in a deep voice.

Su Yang was somewhat flattered. "Factory Director, please don't say that. I am also a member of the 352nd Regiment, and even more so, a part of this country."

"Good! Well said!"

Zhou Zheng patted Su Yang on the shoulder and laughed heartily, "I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"