"Shufen, I can't wait any longer..."

He was the only one left in the Duan family. If he continued to wait, the Duan family line would end.

Zhang Shufen's eyes were slightly red. At this point, what else did she not understand?

They were both waiting; during that time of war, neither of them truly gave up on the other.

But it was a missed opportunity, a missed opportunity for life.

Zhang Shufen suddenly smiled, but the smile was full of bitterness.

She said, "My husband treats me very well."

Duan Jiancheng also said, "My wife is a very gentle person. If you can meet, you will surely become very good friends."

She said, "Well, so we probably didn't choose the wrong path."

"But, Comrade Jiancheng, we've already gone through this, do we really want our grandchildren to suffer the same fate?"

"In those chaotic times, we all carried the mission of serving China, and separation was inevitable. But now, in this peaceful and prosperous era..."

Duan Jiancheng sighed: "I'll think of a way."

Zhang Shufen: "Your Duan family owes us a wedding."

"We'll do it after the New Year."

"This time, I can't break my promise."

"good."

The old lady stood up, took her cane, and slowly turned around.

"Although this sentence may seem useless now, I still want to say it."

"Feel sorry."

Zhang Shufen: "It's not your fault, and I don't blame you. It's our fault for not being born in the right era."

——

Duan Jiancheng felt a lump in his throat, and it seemed that he had nowhere to confide his many thoughts.

The old lady smiled and picked up her wine glass: "Would you do me the honor of having a drink?"

Duan Jiancheng then picked up the wine in front of him, but without waiting for Zhang Shufen, he drank it all by himself.

Seeing this, Zhang Shufen just smiled and then drank the wine in her glass in one gulp, but tears streamed down her face.

She waited for him for more than two years. Back then, due to the circumstances, in order to preserve evidence of the enemy's crimes, she had to force her entire family to immigrate. Even after arriving abroad, without anyone to protect her, it was extremely difficult for her to expose the evidence of the enemy's crimes in China. As a result, the Zhang family was almost wiped out.

What sustained her through that time was not anyone else, but news of Duan Jiancheng.

She repeatedly sent people back to China to inquire, but no matter how many people went, there was no news.

However, a few years later, she couldn't withstand the pressure and married her current husband. Her husband treated her very well and helped her with her future and career, which allowed her to expose those ugly and shameful crimes.

It's fair to say that without her husband, she wouldn't be alive today.

She should also apologize to Duan Jiancheng.

As dusk fell, both Zhang Shufen and Duan Jiancheng were somewhat drunk.

The old lady even had a slight blush on her face. She said, "I'm sorry. If I had been able to come back and visit during those years of peace and stability, perhaps none of this would have happened."

Duan Jiancheng turned his head to the side; despite his advanced age, he couldn't hold back his tears.

He wiped away his tears and extended a slightly trembling hand: "Let's not talk about that anymore, let's drink..."

"Comrade Duan Jiancheng, those years lying in bed must have been very difficult, right?"

Duan Jiancheng looked at Zhang Shufen, and the nearly eighty-year-old woman in front of him seemed to overlap with the person he remembered from back then.

Kyoto was very beautiful before it was ravaged by war.

Each of them was full of enthusiasm. They came from all over the country to study in Kyoto. When school started, it was Zhang Shufen who picked him up.

"A history major, right?"

"May I have your name?"

"Jiancheng, your name is quite interesting."

"My name is Zhang Shufen, and I am a sophomore majoring in journalism."

"From now on, you can call me Senior Sister Shufen. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me anytime."

Later, the country ceased to be a country, and the family ceased to be a family. One by one, those around him fell. Letter after letter reached Duan Jiancheng, only to learn that his eldest brother and second sister had died under enemy fire. Then came letter after letter, from his father, mother, third brother, third sister, fourth brother...

Duan Jiancheng began to fear receiving letters and studied desperately every day. In the following year, he overcame all opposition and switched from studying history to studying physics.

Everyone was against it, but what did Senior Sister Shufen say?

“Jiancheng, I know your beliefs, and I will support you no matter what you do.”

"The road ahead is long and arduous, but I am willing to walk with you."

Later, they lost all their schools, their homes, and even their country.

Duan Jiancheng followed in the footsteps of his father and brothers, abandoning his literary pursuits for military service, just before his departure for war.

That evening, under the crabapple tree, was the last time they ever saw each other.

"Comrade Jiancheng, we part today. I don't know when we will meet again. If in the future China is at peace and prosperous, we will still be here to fulfill the promise you made."

"Agreement?"

Zhang Shufen smiled shyly, then took off the necklace around her neck; it was a gold safety buckle.

"With this token as proof, and with heaven and earth as witness, Zhang Shufen and Duan Jiancheng today make a pact to last a hundred years."

"Comrade Jiancheng, from this day forward, I am your fiancée."

"No matter how difficult the battlefield is, I will wait for you to come back alive and marry me."

"Comrade Jiancheng, when the harsh winter is over, I hope we can meet under the red flag."

They embraced in the twilight, and he promised to dedicate himself to the country and his heart to Miss Zhang.

Finally, Duan Jiancheng couldn't hold back his emotions, and the little old man sat there crying sadly.

After an unknown amount of time, Duan Jiancheng finally regained his composure: "Please excuse my poor performance."

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