Chapter 3 Going Home

  Ji Longfeng thought of four-year-old Feifei, with two small braids, and a smile on her face with two dimples. He couldn't help but feel affectionate towards her. He said to Lin Qiaorou: "You've been working hard these days, when I'm fully recovered, I'll take you and the kids out for a good time, how about that?"

  Lin Qiaoru stretched out a hand and gently stroked his face, which looked haggard from not shaving for several days, saying: "It doesn't matter if you can't play, just hope you get better soon! I... Ice@Fire! Chinese... I don't have anything. Feifei asks neighbor Zhang Ayi every day when her father will come back, she misses you so much!"

  Lin Qiaoru is a very traditional woman, also very intelligent, knowing that men have their own affairs, she generally won't ask too much. Just like now, Gu Longfei was shot and almost lost his life, she wouldn't take the initiative to ask what happened. It's not that she doesn't care about him, but she knows that such a big thing, if her man is willing to tell her, he will take the initiative to tell her himself. If he doesn't want to talk about it, he must have his own difficulties and troubles, and he doesn't want to increase the burden on herself and their family.

  Gu Longfei was very satisfied with this, but his memory had a problem at this time. He only remembered that he was living in Hankou in 1941, his home was No. 12 Luojia Road, and he had a wife and daughter. What profession he was engaged in, who he knew, etc., he didn't know at all. As for those people who wanted to get rid of him as a traitor, he didn't even know where they came from! If Lin Qiaoru asked about this matter now, he simply didn't know how to answer.

  The American doctor's technique was good, and the medicine used was very effective. Gu Longfei was only 27 years old, strong and healthy, and recovered extremely quickly. After lying in the hospital for half a month, he could already get out of bed and move around. During his stay in the hospital, many people came to visit Gu Longfei, including neighbors, friends, colleagues, and a few mysterious individuals who behaved differently from one another. They arrived at different times, but their expressions were all stern, they spoke little, and the gifts they brought were almost identical - a bouquet of flowers with a note inside wishing him good health, without any signature!

  Gǔ Lóng Fēi slowly 'got to know' his neighbors, friends and colleagues, and in his memory, he restored their existence. But strangely, those few mysterious people, Gǔ Lóng Fēi couldn't remember who they were no matter what, and he even couldn't help but ask Lin Qiū Rú, "Who are these people?" Lin Qiū Rú shook her head, saying she had never seen them before either, and couldn't tell where they came from.

  Qiu Long couldn't recall ever knowing these mysterious figures, and it was rare for him to pay attention to them. What made him happy was that through these people visiting him in the hospital, he not only learned how many lovely neighbors and friends he had here, but also found out that he worked at a foreign firm as a translator for the boss, Mr. Davis. His colleagues told him that Boss Davis had gone back to Holland on business, but had left a verbal message and a considerable amount of money, telling him to take good care of himself and rest well, saying that once his injuries healed, they would go hunting together in the woods outside the city.

  David Strang liked hunting, he was a very kind old man, under his influence, including Gu Longfei and several others, all fell in love with this outdoor activity. On rest days, the group would bring along double-barreled shotguns, lead German Shepherds, take a ferry out of town, and head to a pine forest ten miles away, where they could encounter pheasants, rabbits, and other prey; if lucky, they might even spot deer or wild boar, and occasionally stumble upon tigers and other ferocious beasts.

  This activity, not only did they love it themselves, but also got strong support from their families, because their luck was always good, and everyone's marksmanship was excellent, especially Gu Longfei and Boss Davis, who were almost godly shooters. So as long as there weren't many prey around, everyone would give them the first opportunity. The two of them did not disappoint, whenever the sound of their guns rang out, there would definitely be prey falling down, so they rarely returned empty-handed. When they brought back all sorts of wild game, it was time for a feast at home, because no matter what, the taste of wild meat was much better than domesticated fowl. So as soon as Gu Longfei put on his hunting gear and slung his rifle over his shoulder, his daughter Feifei would excitedly bid him farewell, because she knew that tonight they would be eating meat filled with exotic flavors again!

  Jiulong flew to the hospital for another week, the wound has grown new meat scab, the body is no longer seriously injured, and took some anti-inflammatory drugs, discharged from the hospital back home to recuperate. The conditions of the hospital are good, but they can't compare with the comfort and freedom at home, let alone there is a lovely girl waiting for him at home.

  He lived in a quadrangle house on Wanjie Road. When he pushed the door and entered, he saw his daughter Feifei sitting on a small stool, watching Zhang Aunt washing clothes in the courtyard. Feifei heard the movement outside the door, turned her head to see her father who had not returned home for a long time, was stunned for a moment, then flew into her father's arms like a swallow. Her head was buried in her father's chest, and her small braids were shaking left and right like a dog's tail. A few loose hairs also entered Gulongfei's nostrils, making him sneeze several times!

  Feifei saw her father sneeze and asked with concern: "Dad, your illness hasn't healed yet, hurry back to the hospital and let the doctor give you an injection. Although it's a bit painful, it will be fine soon, I'm not lying to you!" She had just been sick recently and after going to the hospital, someone in white gave her an injection and she quickly recovered, so she thought that as long as she was sick, letting the doctor give her an injection would make her better. Moreover, she also knew that her father had been hospitalized for treatment, thinking he hadn't fully recovered yet, so she told him to go back.

  "Ah, yes, my illness has relapsed again. I should go to the hospital to see a doctor, but I don't want to leave Fei Fei behind. What should I do?"

  Feifei blinked her eyes, and in her small heart, a huge problem was brewing. It had been a long time since she saw her dad, and now that he was finally back home, it was her turn to play with him; but then her dad fell ill again and had to go see the doctor - what could be done? However, she was very clever and knew how to prioritize things, so she quickly came up with a solution, saying: "I think you're reluctant to leave me, but you still need to go get treatment. How about this: after you recover, you can come back and play with me, okay?"

  Jiulong Fei saw that Feifei had grown up just like an adult and didn't want to continue deceiving her, so he picked her up in one swift motion and laughed loudly: "Daddy was fooling you, my illness got better long ago!" Feifei pretended to be angry, asking why he deceived her while hugging his neck tightly, pressing her soft little face against his beard, not afraid of getting scratched.

  Auntie Zhang was over fifty, with a robust body. She wasn't a local, her family originally lived in the outskirts of Shanghai. After the Japanese invasion, her husband and children were all consumed by the war, she escaped alone to Hankou, seeking refuge with her uncle. Her uncle lived next door to Gu Longfei, he was also alone, having passed away from illness last year, leaving Auntie Zhang to live alone once more. Fortunately, her uncle had left behind a considerable inheritance, enough to ensure she could live without worrying about food and clothing. Auntie Zhang was very kind, often visiting the Gu family, getting along especially well with Lin Qiaoru, and since losing her own child, she adored FeiFei even more. At first, she would come over under some pretext, but soon she came every day, spending most of her time playing with FeiFei, eventually becoming the Gu family's free but absolutely reliable nanny.

  After Gu Longfei was hospitalized, Lin Qiaorou went to the hospital and entrusted Feifei to Zhang Shu. She knew that Zhang Shu was a kind-hearted person who treated Feifei well, so she felt very relieved in her heart. Zhang Shu indeed took good care of Feifei. She worried that Feifei would not be used to staying at her own home, so she moved over to live at Gu Longfei's house. During the day, she cooked meals for Feifei and played with her. At night, she hugged Feifei tightly and told her stories of legends passed down from ancestors until Feifei slowly closed her eyes in her arms and fell asleep with a gentle and even breathing sound. Only then did Zhang Shu sigh and miss her deceased family members.

  Aunt Zhang was drawing water from the well to prepare dinner when she saw Gu Longfei and Lin Qiaorui return. She quickly put down the bucket and came forward, wiping her hands on her clothes a few times before taking the things from Lin Qiaorui's hands. Seeing Gu Longfei's handsome face full of energy, she said with relief: "Young master, your illness has greatly improved? That's great! The other day, you looked really scary, I didn't expect you to recover so well, it seems that Western doctors are indeed skilled!" She had been calling them young master and miss since the first time she saw Gu Longfei and Lin Qiaorui. Gu Longfei and Lin Qiaorui laughed and asked why she called them that. She said with a straight face that Gu Longfei's features were handsome, his skin was fair, and Lin Qiaorui looked like a fairy, so weren't they the young master and miss of a wealthy family? Gu Longfei and Lin Qiaorui exchanged a smile and didn't refuse, so she continued to call them that.

  Lin Qiaoru said with a hint of apology: "Auntie Zhang, thank you so much for taking care of Feifei these days. If it weren't for your help, we really wouldn't know what to do!" After she walked into the house, she found that everything was spotless and felt even more guilty.

  "Miss, what are you talking about? Isn't this being too polite? I'm also alone at home, and coming here has Fei Fei to accompany me, it's me who should be grateful! Thank you for not looking down on me and treating me like one of your own family members. I'm glad to have arrived just in time!" Zhang Aunt put down the things in her hands on a long stool and started busying herself with cooking. She thought that Young Master had been hospitalized for so long, he must not have eaten well, and it just so happened that she bought a chicken this morning, she would stew it later to help him nourish his body.

  After the dragonfly flew into the house, it played with Feifei for a while, then put her down and let her play by herself. Feifei shook her head, pouting and said: "Daddy, every time you come back, you always bring me snacks, but today there's nothing, I'm not coming anymore!..." She was still a child after all, and soon forgot that Daddy had gone to the hospital this time, throwing a tantrum wanting things.

  Every day after work, Gu Longfei would buy something for his dear daughter at the store and bring it back home. Sometimes it was sweets, sometimes a stuffed animal toy, etc. He loved seeing the joyful expression on her face when she received the gift. This habit had been going on for years without interruption, but this time he really forgot. He awkwardly patted his pockets and told his daughter to wait until after dinner, then he would take her out shopping and let her pick something herself. Only then was Fei satisfied, skipping into the kitchen to watch Zhang's wife cook.

  The dragonfly in his pocket didn't find the gift for Feifei, but instead found a folded piece of paper. He curiously took it out and opened it to find a line of words: "Body recovered, continue mission!" There was no greeting or signature, and he had no idea when or who put it in his pocket.