Little Chen returned home and explained the situation, but Mrs. Tao was so worried about her son that she was beside herself with grief.

  Little Chen rode his horse carelessly, but this time he not only exhausted himself physically but also got a big scare. He was so frightened that he lost his soul and became disoriented. This was the first time in his life that Little Chen had encountered such an event. Although he was still young, Little Chen's courage was remarkable, as if he had been born from the dead. However, even he didn't expect to be scared out of his wits like this.

  If it were someone else, they wouldn't have been able to fight those two Japanese ghosts for so long. They would have probably been frightened to death or become disoriented and helpless. By noon, Little Chen finally returned to the old house in Qushui. Not far from Qushui County was a large mountain called Niutou Mountain, named after its resemblance to a cow's head.

  On Niutou Mountain was a remote village called Dachenzhuang, which was originally located at the foot of the mountain, close to Qushui County and with convenient transportation. However, due to the rampant banditry in those years, the villagers decided to relocate collectively after discussing what to do. As a result, Dachenzhuang moved deep into the mountains of Niutou Mountain.

  Because Dachen Village is located in the depths of Niu Tou Mountain, and the mountain road to Niu Tou Mountain is extremely rugged and difficult to walk, Dachen Village is also very remote and closed off. Therefore, this place has become an ideal refuge. Although Dachen Village is remote and closed off, it is a large village with hundreds of households and over a thousand people living there. Of course, among them are many families who have come from other places to escape the war.

  Xiao Chen rode his horse to the foot of Niu Tou Mountain, but because the mountain road was extremely narrow and rugged, Xiao Chen had no choice but to dismount and walk on foot, leading his horse. Along the way, Xiao Chen used all his strength, finally arriving at the entrance of his home. He quickly went forward and knocked on the door, saying, "Mother, I'm back!" The door opened with a creak, and a woman in her fifties came out from inside.

  This middle-aged woman was none other than Xiao Chen's mother, Tao Shi. Seeing that it was her son who had returned, she exclaimed in surprise and joy, "Son, you've finally come back! I thought I would die of worry!" Xiao Chen tied his horse to a large tree beside the door, and Tao Shi happily said, "Son, quickly go see Cui Hua. This girl's fate is too bitter; her father died just the other day, and she's all alone with no one to rely on. So I took her in, and we've been living together."

  Tao Shi continued to chatter nonstop, but Xiao Chen weakly said, "Mother, I'm really exhausted." After finishing speaking, his eyes turned black, and he fell to the ground unconscious. Tao Shi saw this and cried out in alarm, "Son, quickly wake up! Don't scare me!" At this time, a girl around ten years old came out from inside the room and asked, "Mother, what's wrong?" Tao Shi immediately wailed, "My son is dead! Cui Hua, quickly come see!" Cui Hua rushed over to take Xiao Chen's pulse and said, "Mother, Big Brother Xiao Chen isn't dead; he just fainted."

  Mrs. Tao immediately said; Cuihua, quickly help Xiang Chen to the bed, so Mrs. Tao and Cuihua supported Xiang Chen and put him on the bed. Mrs. Tao cried bitterly, Cuihua said; Auntie, I learned some medical skills from my father since childhood, just now I carefully checked his body, there is no wound on his body, he just fainted due to overwork, don't worry, auntie, as long as he sleeps for a while, he will be fine. Mrs. Tao heard this and stopped crying. Xiang Chen slept from the afternoon of the second day, all the way until dawn on the third day, Xiang Chen finally woke up. As soon as Xiang Chen woke up, he shouted; There are ghosts! There are ghosts! Mrs. Tao slapped her son's face, saying; Foolish child, what ghost is there in broad daylight? Open your eyes and take a good look, I am your mother! Xiang Chen then came to his senses, Xiang Chen said; You really are my mother. Mrs. Tao said; You child, how can you not recognize your own mother? At this time, Xiang Chen was like a child who had suffered great grievances, he buried his head in his mother's arms and cried loudly. At this time, Cuihua walked in and said; Brother Xiang Chen, as the saying goes, "a man has tears but does not easily shed them", why are you crying? Xiang Chen heard this and wiped away his tears, looking at Cuihua and saying; Aren't you Cuihua? Mrs. Tao said; That's right, she is Cuihua, her father passed away a few days ago, I saw that the girl was alone at home and felt sorry for her, so I brought Cuihua here and we live together as mother and daughter. Xiang Chen said; So that's how it is. Cuihua said; Brother Xiang Chen, are you hungry? I'll go cook some food for you to eat.

  Cuihua brought over a rolling pin and rolled out some noodles, Cuihua made them well and served them on the table. Xiaochen took one look and started wolfing them down, Xiaochen ate three bowls of noodles in a row, only then did he feel his body had a bit of energy back. Taoshi said: "Son, you just said you saw a ghost, what's going on?" Xiaochen asked: "Mother, does this world really have ghosts or not?" Taoshi said: "I don't know either, I've only heard old people mention it before, but as for whether they actually exist or not, I haven't seen one with my own eyes." Cuihua asked: "Xiaochen, did you really see a ghost?" Xiaochen nodded and said: "Yes, this time I didn't just see a ghost, what I saw was a Japanese ghost!" Taoshi heard this and laughed, saying: "Son, since you were young you've been following the wandering swordsman to learn martial arts, later on you even joined the Eighth Route Army. Heigang is not only cunning but also values loyalty, he treats you like his own brother, so I'm very at ease with you following him. Son, relying on your skills, how many big and small battles have you fought alongside Heigang? You've killed so many Japanese devils before, why would you be afraid of them now?" Xiaochen said: "Mother, you're wrong, it's not the Japanese devils but a Japanese ghost!" Cuihua heard this and unhappily said: "What's the difference between Japanese devils and Japanese ghosts? Aren't they all the same thing?" Xiaochen said: "They're different." Taoshi asked: "How are they different?" Xiaochen said: "The Japanese ghost I'm talking about isn't a Japanese devil, but rather the vengeful spirit of a dead Japanese devil!" Taoshi and Cuihua were both shocked to hear this. Cuihua said: "Xiaochen, what did you just say? You saw the vengeful spirit of a dead Japanese devil?" Xiaochen nodded and said: "That's right, I not only saw the Japanese ghost but also had a big fight with them. Luckily my martial arts skills are high, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see you two again."

  Here is the translation:

  Tao Shi said with a frightened tone, "Ah, what do those Japanese ghosts look like?" Then Xiao Chen told them everything that had happened from start to finish. However, Xiao Chen didn't mention the fact that the two Japanese male and female ghosts were together in an improper relationship. Tao Shi and Cui Hua were so scared that they trembled all over, and Tao Shi said, "Those Japanese devils have done so many cruel and evil things in our China, and now they've become ghosts to harm us Chinese people after they died. Don't be afraid, son, we have the great merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva to protect us." Xiao Chen scratched his head and said, "Mom, He Zhengwei said that those are all superstitions, and there's no such thing as ghosts or gods in this world." Tao Shi said, "Foolish child, you say there's no ghosts or gods, but then how did you see those two Japanese ghosts?" Xiao Chen said, "I don't know about that either."

  Mrs. Tao said, "Don't waste any more time, let's go!" and she dragged Little Chen away by force. Little Chen couldn't resist his mother, so he reluctantly followed her to the Chen family ancestral hall. Mrs. Tao said, "Cuihua, you come too, and we'll also offer incense to Guanyin Bodhisattva." Cuihua nodded, and the three of them headed towards the Chen family ancestral hall. Before long, they arrived at the hall inside the ancestral temple. In the center of the main hall, a statue was enshrined - it was the merciful and compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva who saved people from suffering and difficulties. Mrs. Tao quickly lit two incense sticks and inserted them into the incense burner. Then, she ignited the incense. The three of them knelt on the ground, with Mrs. Tao reciting a prayer in a low voice. After finishing her prayer, the three of them kowtowed to Guanyin Bodhisattva's statue three times. When they stood up, Mrs. Tao said, "Son, don't be afraid. The Japanese devils have committed so many atrocities in our China that they deserve to die for their crimes. We've already offered incense and kowtowed to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and she will surely protect us Chinese people."

  After the three of them finished worshiping Guanyin Bodhisattva, they left the temple and returned home. Mrs. Tao said: "Son, how do you think Cuihua is?" Xiao Chen asked: "What's so special about her?" Mrs. Tao said: "Don't try to fool me, if you like Cuihua, I'll choose a good day for your wedding." Xiao Chen was anxious and said: "Mother, Cuihua is indeed beautiful and kind-hearted, and I really like her." Mrs. Tao was delighted and said: "Then it's settled, I'll choose a good day for your wedding." Xiao Chen quickly said: "Mother, listen to me, once when we were marching through Liujiagou, all the villagers were killed by the Japanese devils, and the women were raped and then stabbed with bayonets, their internal organs and intestines spilled out everywhere, it was a horrific scene. The Japanese devils even killed newborn babies with bayonets, they are a group of inhumane beasts. There are still so many villagers waiting for us to rescue them, if I stay at home and marry Cuihua, then I won't be able to go fight the Japanese devils again. How can I explain this to He Zhengwei and my comrades? Will I still have the face to see them?"

  Cuihua said: "Old lady, Little Chen is right. I think that as long as one is a man, he should take up arms to fight the little devils. And Little Chen is a soldier, so he cannot shirk his responsibility and must go to the front line to fight the little devils." Tao Shi immediately grabbed her son's hand and cried: "Little Chen, I only have you as my child, and you are the only descendant of our Chen family. If something were to happen to you, how could I live on?" Little Chen quickly said: "Mother, what's wrong with you? You just said that if I followed He Zhengwei, you would be at ease. Why are you crying now?" Tao Shi said: "It's true that He Zhengwei is a clever and resourceful person who treats you like his own brother, but guns don't have eyes, after all." Little Chen said: "Mother, don't worry. Our He Zhengwei is a master strategist. The little devils can't even get close to us without him knowing. Every time, he makes me stay by his side because he's afraid I'll be in danger. And with my skills, those little devils can't kill me." Tao Shi finally stopped crying when she heard this. Little Chen took out a few silver dollars from his pocket and said: "Mother, before I left, our Jiang Team Leader gave me two silver dollars. These three silver dollars are what I saved from my military pay by being frugal. Here are five silver dollars in total. Mother, you can use them sparingly."

  Here is the translation:

  Tao Shi hastily took over the five big silver dollars and excitedly said, "I didn't expect my son to have such a good fortune now. Since he can send so much money home at once..." Little Chen said, "Mother, look what you're saying! I'm your son!" Tao Shi heard this and happily said, "That's great! My son really does have a good fortune!"

  Little Chen said, "Mother, quickly make me some food. After I eat, I'll hurry back to the troops." Tao Shi was surprised and said, "Oh? Why are you in such a rush? Why don't you stay home for a few more days?" Little Chen said, "No, I need to tell He Zhengwei about the two Japanese devils I met. He's got a lot of ideas and will know how to deal with those two Japanese devils."

  Cui Hua said, "Okay, little brother, I'll go make you some food now." Little Chen nodded, and after eating, he wiped his mouth and said, "Mother, Cui Hua, I'm leaving. You must remember that if nothing happens, don't leave Cow Head Mountain. It's chaotic outside."

  Tao Shi said, "Son, don't worry. With these five big silver dollars, we can buy more grain and come back. After we bring the grain back, my daughter-in-law and I won't go anywhere. We'll just stay home every day." Little Chen looked at Cui Hua, grabbed her hand, and excitedly said, "Cui Hua, we grew up together since childhood. You must take good care of my mother. He Zhengwei says that in four or five years, the Japanese devils will be driven out of China. When that time comes, I'll come back to marry you."

  Cui Hua also looked at Little Chen with deep affection and said, "Little brother, don't worry. I'll take good care of your mother." Little Chen came to the big tree outside, untied his horse's reins, and said, "Mother, Cui Hua, I'm leaving!" Tao Shi again had tears in her eyes and said, "Son, be careful! Don't make me a white-haired person sending off a black-haired person!"

  Little Chen held his mother's hand and laughed, saying, "Mother, what are you talking about? I haven't even let you hold your grandson yet. How could I die? My life is very big. The Japanese devils' bullets can't kill me."