Chapter 20: "Traitor! You're not worthy of being my brother!"

  Yamei crept quietly to Old Yang's back, raised the chopping knife, and was about to chop down when suddenly one foot stepped on a glasses snake that darted out from the grass. The glasses snake bit Yamei's ankle fiercely, and Yamei couldn't help but let out a scream.

  Lao Yang heard the voice and didn't have time to tie his pants, he hastily raised his machine gun and aimed at Yamei, shouting: "Who's there?"

  Old Yang took a closer look and found that in front of him, a girl dressed in Tujia ethnic minority clothing was lying on the ground. A poisonous snake was spitting venom at Ya Mei. At this time, Old Cao and Huang Xintian also rushed over after hearing the sound. Old Yang hastily tied up his pants, pulled out his dagger, and wanted to go forward to kill the snake, but was stopped by Huang Xintian who stretched out his hand.

  Huang Xintian whispered to Yamei, "Don't move!" Then he blew a few strange whistles, and the glasses snake quickly burrowed into the grass and disappeared.

  Lao Yang and Lao Cao were both shocked.

  Old Cao sincerely praised: "This old Huang still has these two skills!"

  Huang Xintian squatted beside Yamei and examined the wound on her ankle.

  Old Yang lowered his head to tidy up his clothes, Old Cao looked at Old Yang with a strange gaze, then looked at Ya Mei, and said to Old Yang with a sly smile: "Old Yang, what are you doing going to the young lady's side?"

  Old Yang was furious: "What kind of person have you made me out to be? I didn't see her. Damn, you've scared the piss back into me."

  Old Yang said and then burrowed into the grass thicket again.

  Huang Xintian drew out his dagger and said to Yamei, "Endure it a bit."

  Huang Xintian used a dagger to cut open the wound on Yamei's body, then twisted open the military canteen on his back and poured water into the wound to clean it. He squeezed the wound with both hands, causing Yamei to cry out in pain. Huang Xintian looked at Yamei and quickly stopped squeezing. He bent down and put his mouth to the wound, sucking hard and then spitting it out, repeating this several times. Yamei looked at Huang Xintian with gratitude.

  Lao Yang emerged from the grass and stood beside Lao Cao, watching Huang Xintian's every move.

  Old Yang: "Old Huang, if I were bitten by a snake, could you save me like this?"

  Huang Xintian ignored Old Yang.

  The team has stopped, and Sun's advisor ran over, asking reproachfully: "What happened?"

  Old Yang and Old Cao stood at attention. Old Yang: "Report! A Tujia girl was bitten by a venomous snake, Old Huang is rescuing her."

  At this time, Huang Xintian had already drilled into the grass thicket.

  Sun Zimou looked at Yamei with a vigilant gaze: "Sister, what are you doing alone in the mountains?"

  Yamei weakly replied: "Can't you see? I'm gathering herbs."

  She slung the bamboo basket over her back and tried to stand up, but fell down again, weak and limp.

  At this time, Huang Xintian came out of the bushes, holding a few herbs, pulling off the stems and leaves, rinsing them with water from his canteen, and stuffing them into Yamei's mouth, saying: "Chew it up!"

  Ya Mei obediently chewed on the leaves in her mouth.

  Sun Zimou's face was stern: "Huang Xintian, this is not the time to save people, hurry up and follow the team."

  Huang Xintian seemed not to have heard and stretched out his hand towards Yamei saying: "Spit it out!"

  Ya Mei spat out the dregs in her mouth into Huang Xintian's hand, and Huang Xintian applied the crushed dregs around Ya Mei's wound. He then opened his first-aid kit, took out a piece of gauze, and bandaged Ya Mei's wound.

  Ya Mei looked at Huang Xintian's every move with gratitude.

  Sun's advisor was getting impatient: "Huang squad leader, hurry up and finish the bandaging, don't delay any further."

  Huang Xintian carefully bandaged Ya Mei's wound, without lifting his head, saying: "She was bitten by a snake, now she is dizzy and weak all over, unable to walk. I cannot leave her alone here, this goes against the beliefs of our Tujia people!"

  "Are you planning on staying behind to take care of her?"

  Huang Xintian was a good bandage, stubbornly saying: "I can carry her on my back!"

  As he spoke, Huang Xintian carried Ya Mei on his back.

  Sun Zimou looked up at the sky and said with some worry: "It seems we won't make it to the campsite before dark. Little sister, where do you live?"

  "Right ahead, not far from here."

  Sun Zhenmou said to Huang Xintian: "You carry her and walk ahead."

  "Yes."

  Huang Xintian carried Ya Mei and walked towards the front of the team.

  In the middle of the team, Zhou Guangren was escorting Yoshimura and saw Huang Xintian walking over with Ya Mei on his back. He joked: "Old Huang, you're having a great time! Are you tired from talking?"

  When Huang Xintian walked by, Yoshimura inadvertently glanced at Yamei and was shocked. Yamei secretly signaled to Yoshimura.

  Old Yang looked at Huang Xintian's back as he carried Ya Mei and felt a little jealous: "This pumpkin head, picked up a big girl for nothing."

  Lao Cao was also envious: "Those who capture prisoners, capture prisoners; those who carry their daughters on their backs, carry their daughters on their backs. It's really making people jealous!"

  Old Yang was very annoyed: "Damn it, all the good things have been snatched away by them."

  Huang Xintian carried Ya Mei on his back at the front of the team, and the two chatted as they walked.

  Huang Xintian: "Are you Tujia?"

  Yamei: "Yes."

  Huang Xintian: "I am also a Tujia person. My name is Huang Xintian, what's yours?"

  Ya Mei: "Call me Qian Ermei."

  Huang Xintian: "Oh, Tan Ermei."

  Yamei: "Xintian Ge, was that ghost caught by you guys?"

  Huang Xintian: "Yes, still a Japanese official."

  Ya Mei said with hatred: "I hate Japanese devils the most. My parents were killed by Japanese devils. Why are you still keeping him?"

  Huang Xintian: "We don't kill prisoners."

  Ya Mei: "The devils are worse than poisonous snakes."

  "Yes."

  Yamei: "By the way, Shinoda-san, why didn't you let that officer hit the snake?"

  Huang Xintian smiled: "You're still one of our Tujia people, and you don't even understand this. Snakes are auspicious, beautiful, and benevolent incarnations for us Tujia people."

  "What's so good about it? Does being good include biting people?"

  " 'Snake bites three times in a grudge', it must be you who stepped on it."

  Yamei suddenly found another snake on the tree trunk and shouted: "Snake!"

  Huang Xintian took a glance and smiled: "That's just a snake's shed skin, why are you so timid?"

  Ya Mei pouted: "Once bitten by a snake!"

  Huang Xintian: "Snakes shed their skin several times a year. Each time they shed their skin, it marks the beginning of a new life."

  Ya Mei: "Shedding skin can start a new life, how great!"

  Huang Xintian: "Your parents are gone, so who do you live with?"

  Ya Mei: "Uncle Peng, it was he who saved me."

  "Are we almost there?"

  "Right there!" Yamei pointed to a cluster of three thatched cottages halfway up the mountain.

  Ya Mei tightly hugged Huang Xintian's neck and leaned her head on his shoulder, making Huang Xintian feel a bit embarrassed.

  At this time, Old Man Peng was standing outside the house, looking around, and suddenly saw a team coming, so scared that he hurriedly hid in the house and closed the door.

  Ya Mei shouted "Dad!" on Huang Xintian's back.

  Mr. Peng nervously opened the door and came out, saw Ya Mei being carried by someone, and quickly ran over.

  Old Peng anxiously asked: "Second sister, what's wrong with you?"

  Huang Xintian: "The snake is venomous."

  Old Peng hurriedly invited everyone into the house.

  The warriors sat on the ground outside the thatched hut, and Old Yang arranged for sentries.

  Peng Lao Die reapplied medicine for Ya Mei, then the two of them started cooking for the warriors.

  In Peng Lao's thatched cottage, Sun and Zhou began interrogating Yoshimura, with Qin, Huang, and Old Cao sitting beside them. Yoshimura had been untied and sat on the ground, his head wrapped in gauze.

  Old Peng carried in a water jug and poured water for everyone. Sun the advisor smiled and said, "Father, we've troubled you!"

  Old Peng: "Don't say that, officer! You're fighting the devils for us ordinary people, aren't you? This time the devils attacked Changsha and so many brothers died. The villagers took three days to bury them all, and they were all young kids!"

  Mr. Peng poured out the water and sighed as he walked out.

  Sun Zimou threw Kijima's documents and Yumi's letter on the table, then picked up Kijima's family photo and took a look.

  Yoshimura sat there with his head hung low, and Son Dae-hyun looked at him with a confident smile and asked in Japanese, "Yoshimura, your 'War Array Manual' says 'Never be taken alive as a prisoner', now that you've been captured, what do you have to say?"

  Yoshimura hung his head in shame and muttered softly: "Let me die."

  Sun Zimou sneered: "Want to die? Alright, are you planning to commit seppuku?" He turned his head and nodded at Zhou Guangren, "Give him the knife!"

  Zhou Guangren pulled out his dagger and threw it at Yoshimura.

  Sun Zhenmou: "Let's also experience the spirit of Bushido."

  Yoshimura slowly picked up the dagger and hesitated before stabbing it into his own abdomen.

  At this time, Yamei walked in with a roasted sweet potato, and upon seeing this scene, the sweet potato fell to the ground. Yoshimura looked up and saw Yamei, stunned for a moment, and his hand holding the dagger came down unnaturally.

  Ya Mei hastily picked up the sweet potatoes from the ground and put them on the table.

  Sun Zimou picked up Yoshimura's family photo: "Is it not regrettable to die like this? Is this your daughter? Who is the girl next to you?"

  "It's my sister." Yoshimura said subconsciously after glancing at Yumi.

  Sun's advisor handed the photo to Zhou Guangren and picked up Ya Mei's letter from the table: "Your sister is called Ya Mei?"

  Yoshimura lowered his head: "Yes."

  "Your parents, wife and daughter are all waiting for your return, can't you just die like this? It's too irresponsible! Unacceptable!"

  Yoshimura gritted his teeth and raised the dagger again to stab himself in the abdomen.

  "Son Sanbo: 'The Pacific War has already broken out, Britain and the US have entered the war, Japan's defeat is only a matter of time. Don't you want to return to Japan and reunite with your family at that time?'"

  Yoshimura stopped again with the dagger in his hand and lowered his head without a word.

  "Hey, Staff Officer, I think you don't want to die either. If not, you would have taken your own life already. Don't make a meaningless sacrifice, think of the family back home waiting for your return."

  Yoshimura suddenly burst into tears and put down his dagger: "Please return the photo to me!"

  Sun Zhanmou nodded at Zhou Guangren, and Zhou Guangren returned the photo to Yoshimura.

  Yoshimura put the photo back in his breast pocket and bowed slightly: "Thank you!"

  Sun advisor handed a sweet potato to Yoshimura, who took it and began eating voraciously.

  Ya Mei stood by and watched Kijima, suddenly she found Sun's advisor staring at her, and hastily walked towards the door in a fluster.

  Sun's advisor handed over the "troop deployment diagram" to Yoshimura.

  Ya Mei was about to leave when she heard Sun Zanmou say to Yoshimura: "Mark out the position of your artillery formation."

  Huang Xintian saw Ya Mei leave and also stood up and walked out.

  Smoke is rising slowly from the kitchen roof.

  Old Yang sat on the threshold of the kitchen, holding a wine gourd and drinking wine, humming Qin Opera: "...empty room, cold quilt, solitary sleep, what can be done..."

  Ya Mei walked out of the house, passing by Old Yang's side. Old Yang's eyes were fixed on Ya Mei as he continued to sing: "...the sound of crying fills the sky, the sound of resentment echoes in the Buddha...who will remember me when my heart is broken..."

  Yamai went around to the back of the house and looked through the window, seeing Yoshimura marking on a map. Yamai bit her lower lip tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

  Huang Xintian walked out of the thatched cottage and said to Old Yang: "Sun's strategy really works, just a few words and that devil surrendered."

  Yamei felt even more distressed upon hearing Huang Xintian's words.

  Old Yang took a sip of wine and said disdainfully, "It's all officials who don't want to die, what the hell is this warrior's way, it's all nonsense to fool soldiers, when it comes to themselves, no one wants to die."

  Huang Xintian looked around and searched for Yamei everywhere.

  Yoshimura handed the map with the marked location to Sun's advisor and continued eating sweet potatoes, while Sun's advisor carefully examined the map.

  Yoshimura took a bite of the sweet potato and suddenly felt nostalgic: "It's so delicious! Every year around this time, my mom would boil a pot of sweet potatoes, then our whole family would sit together, peel off the skin while it was still hot, slice them up, and dry them to make dried sweet potato. I really miss those times!"

  Lao Cao asked Zhou Guangren: "What is this Japanese devil chattering about?"

  "He is homesick."

  Lao Cao: "Ask him what he did before joining the army?"

  Zhou Guangren asked in Japanese again.

  Yoshimura: "Farmer."

  Zhou Guangren was astonished: "You can farm?"

  Yoshimura nodded: "Yes."

  Yoshimura saw Zhou Guangren's suspicious eyes and put down the sweet potato, raising his right arm to mimic plowing with an ox.

  Lao Cao understood: "He will drive cattle and plow fields!"

  Yoshimura nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes."

  Everyone burst out laughing, and Yoshimura laughed too.

  Ya Mei saw Yoshimura eating sweet potatoes and chatting with everyone through the window, her eyes spewing out flames of anger.

  Huang Xintian saw Yamei and hurried over: "Second sister!"

  Ya Mei hastily wiped away her tears, put on a smiling face, and turned around: "Brother!"

  Huang Xintian asked with concern: "Is the wound still painful?"

  Ya Mei: "Thanks to your medicine, I'm much better, but it still hurts a bit."

  At this time, a warrior pushed Yoshimura out of the house and locked him in a thatched hut next door, standing guard at the entrance.

  Ya Mei kept watching as Yoshimura was pushed into the thatched hut. To Huang Xintian, "Brother, can you help me change my dressing later?"

  Huang Xintian: "Good!"

  Old Peng walked into the house and asked Sun's advisor in puzzlement: "Why is he still here?"

  "Grandfather, we can't kill him, he's still useful," said Sun Zi Muo with a smile as he put down the map.

  In the mountain forest at night, the cold wind was howling, and Iwai led the soldiers to advance with difficulty in the dense forest, Nagayama leading the way ahead.

  Iwai suddenly grabbed Nagayama's collar and cursed in Chinese: "Bastard! What kind of place is this?"

  "Team... team leader, I... here... Taigong... I... also lost... lost way..."

  Kuroda suddenly saw smoke rising from the distant mountains and hastily said to Iwai: "Captain, look!"

  Iwai Matsu opens Changshan, points his military knife at the place where the smoke is rising and orders the soldiers: "Quick! Over there!"

  The troops advanced quickly towards where the smoke was rising.

  In Peng Lao's thatched cottage, Qin Zhiyong, Zhou Guangren, Old Yang, Old Cao and Huang Xintian were lying on the grass mat.

  Sun's advisor was still looking at the "troop deployment map" under the kerosene lamp.

  Zhou Guangren sat up and said to Qin Zhiyong: "Squad leader, do you think people in the future will know that we suffered from wind and rain, and fought in a hail of bullets?"

  Qin Zhiyong: "I will know."

  "Will you remember us?"

  Qin Zhiyong impatiently said: "I'll remember, go to sleep quickly."

  Zhou Guangren was somewhat excited: "Sun Zongcai, you've read a lot of books, what do you think the future will be like?"

  Sun Zongcai put down the map, smiled and said: "In the future, farmers will have their own land, residents will have their own houses, everyone is equal, there is no war, children can all go to school."

  Lao Cao also sat up excitedly: "Isn't that a day like a fairy's?"

  Zhou Guangren sighed endlessly: "I really want to see the day when the War of Resistance is won! But when can we hold on until then?"

  Director Sun: "Once we drive those Japanese devils back to their old home, that kind of day will soon arrive."

  "Can we catch up with them by then?" asked Zhou Guangren.

  Old Yang chimed in with a sarcastic tone: "As long as you're alive, you can catch up, spare me the drama!"

  Zhou Guangren glared at Old Yang discontentedly: "Old Yang, speak with some integrity, what makes you think I'm being arrogant?"

  Old Yang also sat up and pointed at Zhou Guangren: "As soon as you encounter the devils, you're like a headless fly, bumping around everywhere, and the bullets are specifically aimed at people like you."

  Zhou Guangren angrily said: "Old Yang, I won't die before you."

  Several people burst out laughing.

  Qin Zhiyong did not smile. He sat up and said solemnly, "When the war of resistance is won, those who are still alive must tell the dead about the victory."

  Lao Cao: "How can I tell?"

  Qin Zhiyong obviously didn't think it through.

  Huang Xintian also sat up at this time: "Listening to our local old Tusi said: The dead people all turned into mud and dust, merged into the mountains and rivers, as long as you stand on the top of the high mountain, shout out what you want to say, the dead can hear."

  "Old Yang, don't worry, when the time comes, I'll find the highest mountain peak and shout loudly: Old Yang, we've won! We've won! You can rest in peace!"

  "Get out of here!" Old Yang cursed with a smile.

  Old Cao, who was scratching his foot, burst out laughing.

  Zhou Guangren: "Right, and also Old Cao, I won't forget you either."

  Lao Cao threw his shoes at Zhou Guangren.

  Sun's advisor also burst out laughing: "Looks like no one wants to die! Qin, have you dispatched the sentries?"

  "Got it."

  Sun's advisor: "Have someone go check again."

  Huang Xintian volunteered: "I'll go."

  As he spoke, Huang Xintian picked up his gun and walked out of the thatched cottage.

  Lao Yang and Lao Cao exchanged a sly glance with each other.

  Huang Xintian walked out of the thatched cottage and suddenly saw a black shadow flash in front of him.

  "Which one?" Huang Xintian asked cautiously.

  A faint call came from the darkness: "Xintian brother, it's me..."

  "Huang Xintian followed the sound and looked over: 'Second sister, you haven't slept yet?'"

  Yamei walked out of the darkness and smiled: "Xintian brother, the wound hurts a bit, can't sleep, can you take a look?"

  Under the moonlight, Ya Mei looked at Huang Xintian with a shy expression. Huang Xintian was somewhat flustered: "G-good."

  Yamei pulled Huang Xintian's hand and walked towards the bushes.

  In the thatched cottage, Zhou Guangren was still asking relentlessly: "Sun Zongcai, if you die without seeing victory, will you regret it?"

  Sun's advisor sank into thought for a long time, his face solemnly saying: "A tile cannot leave the well mouth broken, soldiers can't avoid death on the battlefield, born in troubled times, as a soldier, ultimately can't escape one death, as long as future generations can live a good life, the Chinese nation will no longer be bullied by powerful countries, I die without regret!"

  Everyone listened and fell into silence.

  Outside, Ya Mei dragged Huang Xintian to a dark place and took advantage of his unpreparedness to strike the back of his head with a palm. Huang Xintian fell to the ground with a thud. Ya Mei removed the gun from Huang Xintian's back and pulled out the hunting knife from his body, raising it high and slashing at Huang Xintian. At this time, Huang Xintian, who was in a daze, murmured: "Second sister..."

  Ya Mei listened, the knife that was raised slowly fell back down. She let out a soft sigh, picked up the knife and left Huang Xintian, crouching to come to the thatched hut where Yoshimura was being held captive, silently stabbing to death the sentry at the door.

  Yamai immediately walked into the thatched hut and saw Kijimura, who was bound hand and foot, sitting on the ground. Hearing the sound, he looked up in surprise: "Yamai!"

  Ya Mei pounced into Yoshimura's arms: "Brother——"

  Yoshimura was also excited: "I know my good sister must still be alive!"

  Yamai was excited and nodded, seeing Yoshimura being tied up. Yamai quickly used a knife to cut the ropes on Yoshimura's body, but Yoshimura refused.

  "Kijima: 'No! Yami, you go ahead and leave me behind.'"

  Ya Mei was surprised: "Why?"

  Yoshimura sighed: "Ya Mei, even if brother escapes back, according to military law, it's a capital offense... As a prisoner of war, he might still be able to survive until the end of the war..."

  "What?"

  Outside the thatched cottage, Old Peng carried a medicine jar out of the kitchen, his feet tripped over the corpse of the sentry and almost fell, but he tightly hugged the medicine jar, looked down and was shocked, when suddenly voices came from inside the thatched cottage.

  Yoshimura: "...... Yumi, why don't you come with us too? Now that America has entered the war, Japan's defeat is only a matter of time. When the war ends, we can all go back together... Ah..."

  Yoshimura suddenly let out a mournful cry, and Yasumi thrust her hunting knife deep into Yoshimura's chest.

  "Traitor! You're not worthy of being my brother!"

  Yoshimura smiled wryly: "Yami, you...you're still alive...that's good...I've finally found you..."

  Yoshimura tilted his head to one side and closed his eyes.

  Yamei was sobbing quietly when she suddenly heard the sound of a clay pot shattering on the ground behind her. She turned around to see Old Man Peng standing there.

  Old Peng was shocked: "Second sister - you -"

  Ya Mei was like a madman, pulling out the hunting knife from Jiji Village and rushing towards Old Man Peng with the knife raised. Old Man Peng turned around and ran...

  Sun's advisor still sat under the oil lamp, looking at the map, while everyone else had fallen asleep.

  He suddenly put down the map, as if he had thought of something, and muttered to himself: "Yamemi - the younger sister of Yoshimura in the photo, seems to have seen her somewhere, so familiar!"

  Zhou Guangren turned over and said casually: "Like Qin Ermei!"

  "Right! Like her! Could it be——"

  The scene just now flashed in Sun's mind:

  Tan Er Mei saw Yoshimura about to commit suicide, and the sweet potato in her hand fell to the ground...

  Yoshimura looked at Ting Er Mei: "It's my sister..."

  "Old Huang hasn't returned yet? Something's wrong, everyone get up quickly!"

  Everyone sat up inexplicably.

  Suddenly, the door was kicked open and Peng Lao Die stumbled in, tripping and falling to the ground. Everyone rushed over to him and saw that a hunting knife had been stabbed into his back.

  Everyone in the room was shocked...