Chapter Forty-Four

  The sky above the sea was also overcast, with thick rain clouds pressing down on our heads.

  People on deck today are all dressed in neat military uniforms, standing in rows of white straight lines.

  The white coffins in front of the team are also a series of white straight lines.

  Fortunately, I met Yu Su's wife, who only held the certificate and didn't even wear a wedding dress. She was very thin and cried so much that she had no strength left, leaning weakly on Yu Su's mother's body.

  The sea breeze blew her long hair, and the strands brushed against her cheeks, stuck to her tears. Her swollen face was stuck with strands of black hair.

  Lucky tears flowed and couldn't stop, even if he didn't want his comrades to see him crying at this last farewell.

  But the tear glands were like opened floodgates and couldn't be controlled at all.

  The national flag has been placed on the coffin, and they will carry these heroes of the country back to the sea.

  Good fortune propped up her own body, no longer daring to look at the woman who was like a sunflower in the wind, she had already shaken and was about to be blown away by the sea breeze.

  The sea churned up huge waves, white foam splashed against the ship's side, and water sprayed everywhere. In an instant, those coffins carrying restless souls disappeared with the big waves.

  Lucky ears echoed with those women's shrill cries, as if returning to that sunny afternoon, gunfire, blood, Yu Su...

  Such a voice has been lingering around good fortune, at night, in dreams. In the daytime, by one's ear.

  Good fortune has thoroughly fallen into this huge whirlpool.

  He started having trouble falling asleep and couldn't concentrate.

  During the day he was dazed and confused, but at night he became clear-headed, as if it were dawn after a good sleep.

  The signal at sea is still poor, and Guo Xi's phone can sometimes get through, but sometimes it can't.

  Luckily, you send messages every day, must send, in this way, unknowingly when the signal is good, I received it.

  Gong Xi thought good fortune was thinking of him, he didn't know something big had happened in Nanhai.

  This tragic event was kept secret. Miyoshi's father did not receive an internal report from the military until two months later, after the maneuvers had ended.

  Jiuzai only then realized that good fortune was afraid of him, fearing he would also suddenly die like Yu Su.

  Afterwards, Kouji told Kiyomi that at the time, he was always afraid, as if anyone or anything could disappear in an instant.

  He is afraid of more and more things, he even fears the shadow of tree branches blown by the wind outside the window.

  It's been two months since he returned to Beijing, was awarded the First Class Merit, and had a bean added to his shoulder badge, making him a full Colonel.

  However, the whirlpool in his heart was getting bigger and bigger. He still couldn't fall asleep. After taking tranquilizers, he still couldn't sleep. The dosage was gradually increasing, but the medicine could only make him sleep, not dispel those dreams. In his dreams, Yu Su was always blurry and flesh-like, while Lu Zixing often stood with half of her body, playing basketball with herself.

  The gunfire in my dream was louder than that at noon that day, often exploding inside my head, like tofu brains all scrambled.

  Yantai warship re-entered the sea, Wu Zuoyu was transferred from Dalian to Nansha.

  Good fortune wanted Wu Zuo Yu to leave, but his hand grasping the phone couldn't press down on that green button.

  Finally just sent a message to Wu Zuoyu: Old Wu, come to Beijing, we two brothers have a companion.

  Wu Zuoyou replied: After I've dealt with these dwarfs, I'll ask for a transfer back to Beijing and we can have a drink together.

  Luckily, my body is getting worse and worse. Every day I have a headache, and there's always a buzzing sound in my ears. Gradually, I've lost my appetite, and sometimes when I see some red sauce dishes, I vomit violently.

  When Gong Xi returned, she had already undergone a session of psychological therapy.

  Jiayu was both angry and heartbroken.

  "How could you dare to hide such a big thing from me! You're so ill! And yet you didn't even let me know." Tears of heartache fell from Gong Xi's eyes.

  "It's nothing, just rest for a while." Luckily, he had just thrown up what he had eaten and was feeling weak and powerless. He said a few words, then closed his eyes to rest for a bit.

  "Give it and take the medicine." Gong Xi handed over the water and medicine in front of Xingyun.

  "Didn't we just eat?"

  "Is that so? But didn't you spit it all out?" Gong Xi coaxed patiently: "Come on, be good and take the medicine again. I'll go cook some sweet dumplings for you to eat."

  Xìngyù furrowed his brow and coquettishly said to Gōng Xǐ: "I don't want to eat, it's bitter. Later if I vomit it out, it'll be even more bitter."

  Gong Xi looked at the lucky white face, pouting with a small mouth, both cute and heart-wrenching, and couldn't help but kiss those pursed lips.

  Xìngyùn said: "Actually I don't need to go see a doctor anymore."

  "What's wrong?" Gong Xi asked him.

  "Because you're holding me, I feel much more at peace."

  Jiayu hugged Lucky's arm tightly and then even more tightly hugged Lucky in her arms.

  "Alright, then I'll hold you like this for a lifetime, so that your heart can be at peace."

  Two big men sleep on a small bed in the dormitory, it's a bit crowded.

  Two hearts also closely leaned together.

  Gong Xi's work in Macau is not yet finished, and his 10-day holiday will soon be over.

  "Be good and accept the treatment, I'll go to America to deal with some aftermath, and come back soon." Gong Xi took an early flight, he didn't let Xing Yun get out of bed, only kissing his lips again and again before reluctantly leaving.

  Although people have left, their hearts are still hanging on that person. Gong Xi felt that the parting at this moment was ten times, a hundred times more unbearable than usual.

  The trip to the United States was arranged hastily, and two people who were originally supposed to go together still had work on hand.

  Gong Xi said: "I'll go first and wait for you in Los Angeles."

  Gong Xi hurriedly walked through the security check and only then did he habitually glance at his watch, which had stopped! This watch was the one he and Lucky had bought in Hong Kong, and he had been wearing it for over four years, taking good care of it all along.

  Gong Xi looked at the suddenly stopped watch, feeling a bit inexplicable. Her heart couldn't help but panic, could it be? Had something unexpected happened to Xing Yun? Her hand involuntarily reached up to touch the jade pendant hanging around her neck.

  That was a lucky family heirloom, which Gong Xi always wore around her neck. Gong Xi always felt that the jade was like another lucky companion in front of her chest.

  Today he stretched out his hand again and pulled on that red cord to touch those jade pendants.

  All I felt was that slippery thing sliding down my hand and landing crisply on the marble floor.

  "Ah!" Palace Joy's cry of surprise rang out with the sound of jade shattering.

  A patch of green in front of your feet.

  Gong Xi was completely stunned, and hastily squatted on the ground to gather up the jade fragments that had already been crushed into powder.

  "Lucky, lucky, lucky..."

  Tears of joy glistened and fell one by one onto those broken jade pieces.

  Suddenly, as if he had thought of something.

  Rushed out of security check like crazy.

  "I'm going to Beijing, Beijing, the nearest flight."

  Jiawen's face was full of sweat beads, and his forehead had bulging veins, which also shocked the ticket-selling girl.

  "Excuse me, sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

  A dignified middle-aged woman walked over from the side and asked in a soft voice.

  "I need to fly to Beijing immediately. I have something important."

  Jiāo Xǐ arrived at Beijing International Airport and saw on the TV in the airport lobby that a news program was being broadcast.

  "A flight that took off from Macau Airport at 9:13 Beijing time today exploded in the air above Los Angeles, USA. All 232 passengers and 8 crew members on board were killed. The cause of the accident is currently under investigation."

  The female announcer's voice echoed in her ears, and Gong Xi was stunned there.

  It took a long time to come back to my senses, and I quickly pulled out my phone and first called the supervisor stationed in Australia to report my safety. Then I called Lucky and told him that I was at Beijing Airport and would go find him soon.

  Ji Xi habitually glanced at his watch again, huh?

  Look up at the airport's electronic clock again, is the time the same?! And the second hand on the watch is now jumping happily.

  Ji Gong told Yong Yun about this matter, and Yong Yun was also surprised.

  Logically speaking, they are soldiers and should be the least superstitious people, but... how can this be explained?

  "Never mind, whatever happens, happens. Just be safe and sound, that's all that matters. I was so scared to death."

  That fearful feeling came back again, and fortunately, she couldn't help but shudder.

  Gong Xi patted the lucky back, comforting: "It's okay, it's okay, you see, you saved my life again. If that piece of jade hadn't shattered, I would have really gotten on the plane."

  Xingyun thought for a moment and said: "No, I have to invite another piece of jade."

  "Huh? No way, this kind of thing can't be trusted." It wasn't something that Xingyun had worn since he was young, and Gong Xi didn't want to wear it either. Moreover, the idea that wearing a piece of jade could keep him safe was something he really didn't believe in.

  "No, no. Please sit down, please sit down."

  Luckily, he didn't care how much Gong Xi opposed it. The next day, he took Gong Xi to Tan Zhe Temple and had a jade Guanyin Buddha blessed. Still feeling uneasy, they rushed to Yonghe Temple again.

  "They say Tibetan Buddhism is more spiritual."

  Finally, she asked for a string of fragrant Buddhist beads and had them put on her wrist.

  Gong Xi frowned, he is now wearing a Guanyin pendant around his neck and a Lama bead on his hand, I don't know when the time comes, will they really fight because of competing for credit?

  This kid is so lucky, and he's also mentally ill now, so as long as he can be at peace, that's all that matters.

  All wear, all wear.

  That night, he didn't sleep a wink, and under the moonlight, he gazed at Gong Xi. Human life is too fragile; in an instant, all sorts of uncertainties can snatch it away.

  He saw the news of the plane crash, in high school, a big plane was like a toy for kids, it exploded instantly, the middle of the plane suddenly blew up, the orange-red flame was just like the fireball when a shell explodes, and the black smoke was just like the black smoke that day on the warship.

  The Grim Reaper accompanied these flames and smoke, swinging his scythe wildly.