Chapter 4 Holding Your Hand

  "Rustle..."

  An American military jeep, in its most untamed state, charged into the camp with a sharp screeching sound of tires rubbing against the ground. The jeep drew an absolutely domineering circular trajectory on the hard ground, bringing with it the smell of burnt rubber, and came to a sudden stop right at the entrance of the courtyard, just when everyone thought it would crash into the corner of the barracks.

  A figure, one hundred and seventy-eight centimeters tall, holding a Thompson submachine gun in his hand, with two specially modified large-caliber self-defense pistols inserted upside down on his belt, carrying at least six hundred rounds of ammunition, six hand grenades, and a combat knife, yet still agile like a leopard, without even opening the car door, he lightly slid out from the lowered windshield window, silently landing on the ground.

  She saw that there were seven or eight people standing in front of the yard, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, but quickly returned to calm.

  Such a fully armed, from head to toe exuding a fierce and ferocious aura like a black panther, soldier was actually a woman! Frankly speaking, putting aside her intimidating aura, putting aside her overly familiar, making one's heart palpitate military skills, in terms of appearance and temperament, she was an outstanding beauty.

  Although she doesn't have the gentle and delicate charm, nor the classical elegance of a beauty, she possesses a robustness and vigor that belongs to a soldier. Even her military uniform can't suppress her chest, which has become overly ample due to excessive training, and her slender yet explosive waistline perfectly supports her pride and confidence as a soldier, along with her 178-centimeter tall and slender physique.

  She looked like a slender, beautiful, and slightly cold and strange sharp dagger, making people feel both delighted and involuntarily keeping a certain distance from her, lest they be cut by her overly sharp blade.

  When her pair of dim, deep-set eyes, without a hint of emotional fluctuation, lightly swept across everyone's face, almost everyone involuntarily turned their heads to avoid her scrutiny. Only Hu Yan, who had been standing outside the courtyard, quickly walked up to her and respectfully called out: "Elder sister!"

  "Hmm!" She nodded slightly, her eyes already jumping over the shoulders of several soldiers and falling directly on Lei Zhen, who was still holding his "son" and sitting stupidly in front of the barracks door.

  "How many days has he been sitting like this?"

  "Four days!"

  She nodded slightly, handing the submachine gun in her hand to Hu Yan, and took a tray from a steward with one hand, carrying food that had already cooled down but was still delicious, slowly walking to Lei Zhen's front.

  She gently stroked the icy corpse of her "son" with her hand, gazing at the man in front of her who seemed to have lost even the strength to stand up. In her calm eyes, as still as a stone statue, a faint ripple finally emerged. It was this faint ripple that made such a strong woman suddenly possess a maternal tenderness.

  She pulled Lei Zheng into her arms, letting his head gently rest on her chest, which still had a bulletproof vest on. She reached out to gently stroke Lei Zheng's short and hard hair, she really didn't expect that someone like Lei Zheng, who seemed so strong and invulnerable, would also show such weakness in the face of a loved one's death.

  She continued to stroke Lei Chen with her hands and gentleness, slowly soothing his heart until he fell into a peaceful sleep in her arms. She then said in a low voice: "Do you still remember the words I often told you? A lifetime is like a spring for all living things, one must live a life that is full of energy and passion to make it worthwhile! Whether as a king or a defeated general, only by being passionate can one forge their own path! This is actually what I expect from my man. I'm really happy, Lei Chen, you've done it, and even better than I expected! I must say, everything you've done makes me proud of you!"

  Lei Zhen's body trembled slightly in Malan's arms, holding the man who had suddenly gained a few more degrees of warmth. Looking at her son's corpse, Malan raised her head. Her voice gradually took on a fiery tone, and she spoke with an air of pride that seemed to say "even if I were alone among millions", "Yes, our son is dead, and my heart is not feeling well either. But think about it, our son followed us through the length and breadth of the land, experienced baptism by fire that others of his kind could hardly imagine, and accompanied us in creating miracle after miracle. In the final moments of his life, he found a true companion for himself, and had a continuation of their lives together. Although I couldn't agree with the choice he made in the end, he had lived, loved, hated, and was able to live a life that was full and intense, and die with a sense of freedom and abandon. For him, death was not an unfortunate event, but rather a kind of good fortune and happiness."

  "As old soldiers like us, we've long been accustomed to life and death separations. In fact, we all understand that when faced with such a death without any regrets, we should be happy for it! Why must we learn from those who live an ordinary life, pretending to shed a few worthless tears just to prove that they have truly grieved, just to prove their own existence and the people around them, the insignificant meaning and weight in this world?"

  Lei Zhen slowly raised his head, staring blankly at Ma Lan. After a long while, he gently rubbed his nose and said, "Hey, listening to you talk like that, it seems like if I continue sitting here like this, I won't even qualify as your man?"

  "Of course!"

  Marlan swept her gaze down, and the people around had already dispersed. A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on her face, a smile that only appeared when she was alone with Lei Zheng, greatly diluting the intimidating aura about her, bringing out an innocent look like a little girl. She reached out to lightly tap the tip of Lei Zheng's nose, smiling and saying: "My husband, sir, didn't you really notice that at least 70% of what I said earlier were things you once said to me, and I just repeated them verbatim?"

  "It seems like this is really going to happen!"

  Lei Zhen let out a soft sigh, "At least I didn't cry like you did back then, like a tearful person. But if you hadn't cried and I hadn't hugged you, I, Lei Zhen, might still be a bachelor to this day!"

  "You..."

  Malan shook her head and let out a series of sighs, but her eyes were filled with tenderness. The two strong hands pulled each other closer together. This couple, who were also siblings and comrades-in-arms, sat back-to-back on the doorstep, quietly feeling each other's powerful heartbeat, absorbing from each other a strange sense of safety, courage, and comfort.

  When the dark sky enveloped the entire sky, a bright meteor streaked across the distant horizon and fell towards the distant north. Lei Zhen gazed at the slanted mark it left in the air, sank into thought for a long time, and said: "Now that we have established our regime, there are eyes watching us everywhere, waiting for us to trip up so they can trample us mercilessly and make sure we never get back on our feet! When China is truly at peace and no longer has bandits daring to challenge us, I want to personally escort my son home!"

  Marlan nodded, gazing at the weapons and ammunition pouches on her body that had suddenly become heavy in this environment. She nodded again and whispered: "I believe that day is not far away!"

  ……

  In a desolate mountain range, there lies a bleak and barren little village. Due to the extremely inconvenient transportation, if it weren't for necessary matters, absolutely no one would be willing to walk tens of miles on mountain roads to come to such a godforsaken place.

  A man in his fifties wearing a very ordinary old military uniform slowly walked into this small mountain village.

  The villagers looked at this sudden visitor with strange and vigilant eyes, and secretly guessed the purpose of his arrival.

  Even the villagers who lived in isolation here could feel a strong pressure that was far beyond their understanding from the man's face, which was as hard as marble and had a metallic texture, and his tightly pursed thick lips.

  The man didn't take the initiative to ask anyone or chat, he just walked slowly around this small mountain village, sizing up this isolated mountain village with a complex gaze, and sizing up every elderly villager who passed by him. When he arrived at a dilapidated ruin with only a few sections of wall left, overgrown with weeds, his fingers lightly swept across the broken wall that still had scorch marks, and in his eyes, there was finally a hint of irrepressible sorrow.

  He walked straight through the small mountain village, where all the villagers were pointing and guessing, to a small hill behind the village.

  Standing on this small mound, looking around, everywhere are raised graves. It is said that more than 30 years ago, the Japanese devils swept through this remote mountain village, and those buried here were all villagers who were brutally slaughtered in that disaster. Because many villagers fell under the Japanese sword, almost no one came to sweep or pay their respects again. Just like someone once said, where there are more flowers blooming, there are more battlefields and places of death piled with corpses! Over time, these graves have grown thick with weeds, hiding among the waist-high grass, making them even more silent.

  A few rotten branches prove that someone once tried to set up a tombstone here. However, these too rough things cannot withstand the erosion of time and have long been completely submerged by weeds.

  He stood in the grave without a tombstone, nor any signs or symbols, and pulled out a toy gun made of corn stalks from his pocket. He played with this toy that was not suitable for his age for a long time. After a long while, he carefully placed the toy gun made of corn stalks at the most eye-catching position on the slope. Then he silently left the land that had accumulated too much sorrow and carried too many historical marks.

  He walked out of this isolated mountain village. When he looked back again, he casually put the jacket that had been draped over his arm back onto himself.

  In an instant, the jacket covered with medals pierced the eyes of all the villagers. The golden eagle medal on his collar silently told everyone about his extraordinary story. The village chief, who had once been a soldier and returned to this small mountain village after being injured and discharged, widened his eyes and after a long time, he covered his mouth and let out an exclamation: "My god! That guy is a general!"

  Standing next to the village chief was a villager from the village who looked about the same age as that man. The farmer's livelihood depends on the hard work of turning over the soil with force, heavy workload, and heavy living pressure, which has already been deeply etched on this man's face, and bent his waist as a man.

  The villager was also stunned, staring blankly at the general who had finally turned around and walked away with big strides. He stared blankly at the general's straight and proud figure, as if he could hold up the sky with his own arms.

  The villager's lips kept trembling, and after a long, long time, he suddenly shouted in an unusual voice: "I know him, I recognize his back, he is Langwa, the wolf child who grew up drinking wolf milk in our village, and climbed mountains to touch bird nests with me!"

  Childhood playmates, with the same age and the same origin, but different choices and different life experiences have already determined that they will play different roles in the long river of history, with completely different potential and energy.

  He walked slowly like this, and in those years, he used such a pace to bring the perseverance and vitality of a man, with a belly full of hatred, step by step out of this small mountain village!

  That year, he walked into the great Shanghai with such a pace, as an ordinary citizen, participated in the shocking Sino-Japanese Battle of Shanghai, and slowly grew up in the flames of war, gradually understanding the mission that a soldier should shoulder!

  As he walked in this manner, crossing over a mountain ridge, and isolating everyone's line of sight to the other side of the mountain, he saw a woman standing under a large tree, quietly waiting for his return with an urn in her arms. At her feet, a young and healthy wolf stuck out its tongue at him intimately, also considered as a greeting.

  He took a deep breath and suddenly pointed to a direction in the mountains, saying to the woman beside him: "Do you know? There is my second home, where my second mother is buried!"