Lovers are of one heart

Fengyue nodded repeatedly: "Let him in quickly."

As Ji Yuxing entered the room, his gaze lingered on Chai Feixue's face for a moment before he noticed the small swaddle blanket placed beside Fengyue's bed, and the child sleeping peacefully inside it.

She looks just like Zhang Chenglin.

This was Ji Yuxing's first thought when he saw Zhang Qizhong.

"Is he... alright now?"

Upon seeing Ji Yuxing, Fengyue had many questions she wanted to ask, but in the end, she didn't dare to ask them. She only asked this one question, which was within her tolerance whether the answer was good or bad.

Ji Yuxing's lips moved, suppressing all the discomfort and grief in his heart, and finally he said, "It's all good. He has won one battle after another in Hebei, Shandong and Beiping. Now he is a hero to many people."

For some reason, Ji Yuxing still didn't tell the truth.

Perhaps the atmosphere was just too warm and happy, and Ji Yuxing couldn't bear to break this rare tranquility.

After hearing Ji Yuxing's words, Fengyue's heart finally settled back into place, and she looked down at Sui Sui with a smile in her eyes.

Before long, Ji Yuxing and Ji Ruqiong left the room together and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Ji Ruqiong wasn't very good at cooking before, and even when she did, it was barely edible.

These past few months, I've been following Chai Feixue and Fengyue around, researching delicious food every day, and my cooking skills are comparable to those of a master chef.

In the kitchen, Ji Ruqiong was chopping vegetables, while Ji Yuxing stood beside her, occasionally handing her some seasonings and helping her out.

"Has Fengyue named the child yet?" Ji Yuxing peeled a scallion and handed it to Ji Ruqiong, suddenly asking this question.

"Qi Zhong, Zhang Qi Zhong." Ji Ruqiong roughly chopped the scallions according to the method Chai Feixue had taught her, and added, "May the land of China be peaceful and prosperous, and may the country be safe and the people live in peace."

Ji Yuxing's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Ji Ruqiong speak up again: "Fengyue said it was Brother Lin's New Year's wish."

"Good."

After a long silence, Ji Yuxing smiled slightly and said this.

But as he spoke, he couldn't help but feel saddened.

So why is it that we can't have a fulfilling life together?

"Is Brother Lin really... well?" Ji Ruqiong put the chopped vegetables into the pot, her eyes darting away, and said in a low voice as if she were talking to herself, "They say lovers are connected by heart, but the way Brother Lin was that day didn't seem like he was doing well."

Ji Ruqiong always believed her brother's words, and that he was just saying it casually.

But Ji Yuxing didn't speak for a long time. When I turned to look at him, I saw the lingering sorrow and grief in his eyes.

Ji Ruqiong's heart skipped a beat, and after a long pause, she finally asked the question she was reluctant to accept: "Brother Lin, he..."

"Sacrificed."

Before Ji Ruqiong could finish her question, Ji Yuxing interrupted her.

“A scout reported that Dai Zining was arrested by the Japanese army at her home on the morning of September 30th.” Ji Yuxing’s voice became hoarse as he spoke. “She was executed by firing squad at around 2 p.m. the next day in the prison at the Japanese army’s headquarters in Beiping.”

“Around 2 o’clock…” Ji Ruqiong repeated his words, then suddenly asked, “Do you know when Sui Sui was born?”

Seeing Ji Yuxing's somewhat confused look, he added, "Sui Sui is Qi Zhong's nickname."

"Hmm?" Ji Yuxing nodded, then looked up at her, waiting for her answer.

"14:01 on October 1st." Ji Ruqiong had tears in her eyes, but she tried hard not to let them fall. "Lin Ge's birthday is April 1st. I even said that this father and son are really destined to be together."

“Many things in his life ended in regret.” Ji Yuxing turned to the side so that Ji Ruqiong wouldn’t see his reddened eyes: “It was as if it were his destiny, something he couldn’t escape.”

"So, if Brother Lin gets arrested, won't anyone go to rescue him?" Ji Ruqiong frowned, her tone indignant.

“Dai Zining was taken directly back to Shanghai by the people A-Lin had arranged beforehand, and she didn’t wake up for two days after arriving in Shanghai.” Ji Yuxing sighed: “When Xu Xuanming arrived at Dai Zining’s house, he only took Xin Jie away, and didn’t find a single other person alive.”

"After Xin Jie woke up, he discussed with Xu Xuanming and Huo Shangzhi for a long time how to rescue A Lin. However, because A Lin had led a group to raid the Japanese warehouse a few days earlier, the Japanese strengthened their defenses in all parts of Beiping, and the headquarters was heavily guarded inside and out."

"Xu Xuanming led his men to investigate several times without success. Before they could come up with a better plan, Yamano Jiro had already made his move."

"What about the body?" Ji Ruqiong asked urgently. "Mr. Sheng values ​​Brother Lin so much, surely the body has been recovered by now?"

Ji Ruqiong looked on with anticipation, but Ji Yuxing shook his head and said, "Mr. Sheng doesn't know about this yet. The spies only told me about it. After that, Xin Jie and his men couldn't find A Lin's body either."

Ji Ruqiong remained silent for a long time.

"Ah Qiong," Chai Feixue waited in the room for a long time but Ji Ruqiong didn't call her for dinner, so she came over to check on her.

Seeing Ji Ruqiong and Ji Yuxing standing there talking, he laughed and said, "Can't you two siblings finish your meal before you talk? You're really making Fengyue and Suisui hungry. When Alin comes back, he'll question you two."

A flicker of panic crossed Ji Ruqiong's eyes, then she shoved the plate of food into Ji Yuxing's hands: "Don't just stand there like a block of wood, serve the food!"

Without saying a word, Ji Yuxing picked up the plate and left.

Ji Ruqiong served Fengyue a separate portion and took it away.

After finishing his meal, Ji Yuxing didn't stay long. He went back to his home with Chai Feixue. After all, his parents lived in Shandong, and he couldn't just come back and not visit them.

It's fine that Chai Feixue and Ji Ruqiong are at his house with Fengyue while Zhang Chenglin is away, but it's very strange that he's here.

Before leaving, Chai Feixue repeatedly instructed Ji Ruqiong to keep a close eye on Fengyue and Suisui and not to be distracted for even a moment.

Even Fengyue found it funny because of the tension.

——

As arranged by the organization, on the same day that Ji Yuxing returned to Zaozhuang, Sheng Dongsheng also came to Zaozhuang from Shanghai.

Two days later, Ji Yuxing went to the oil shop in the east of the city to meet him.

The battle outside was still fierce, and Sheng Dongsheng was also extremely worried. When he saw Ji Yuxing, his furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.

“I’ve lost contact with Zhang Chenglin for the past few days. He sent someone to take his wife back to Shanghai, but I haven’t been able to reach him since.” Sheng Dongsheng frowned again. “Old Xu and Old Huo haven’t come back for several days either.”

“I originally planned to ask after Madam woke up, but since I came to Shandong first, I’m just asking if you’ve been in contact with him recently.”

Sheng Dongsheng placed his last hope on Ji Yuxing, hoping to hear some comforting good news from him.

"Zhang Chenglin... sacrificed his life."

As soon as Ji Yuxing finished speaking, Sheng Dongsheng's hand, which was on the table, trembled and bumped into the teacup beside him.

"What happened?"

Looking at Sheng Dongsheng's increasingly anxious expression, Ji Yuxing repeated what he had said to Ji Ruqiong a couple of days ago.

Sheng Dongsheng remained silent for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice: "I'll have Lao Xu and Lao Huo send people to search again. Heroes always have to return to their roots."

After those words, the air froze once more. The two sat facing each other in silence, neither knowing who they were thinking of.

"But there is still good news." Just before leaving, Ji Yuxing suddenly spoke, pulling Sheng Dongsheng back to reality.

Sheng Dongsheng looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

But he is now completely overwhelmed by the grief of "Zhang Chenglin's sacrifice" and can't think of any good news to be happy about.

"You know that Ah Lin brought a girl home from Huayuelou in Shandong six months ago, right?" Ji Yuxing asked first.

“Hmm,” Sheng Dongsheng nodded, then added, remembering something, “Your name is Fengyue, right? He mentioned it to me once before, saying that her background might not be so simple, and that he should be careful.”

“Yes.” Ji Yuxing nodded. “On the day Alin sacrificed himself, Fengyue gave birth to Alin and his child. The child is at Alin’s house now. If it’s convenient for you, you can go and see him.”

Sheng Dongsheng's dull eyes suddenly lit up. "Help me make the arrangements, I'll go tomorrow."

"Okay." Ji Yuxing smiled, finally feeling a little more at ease.

The next morning around 10 a.m., Sheng Dongsheng appeared at Zhang Chenglin's door as promised, where Ji Yuxing was already waiting to greet him.

The men following behind Sheng Dongsheng carried many bags and packages, all gifts from Sheng Dongsheng, which showed his rare joy at this moment.

Ji Yuxing and Sheng Dongsheng walked inside together. After entering the gate, Ji Yuxing lowered his voice and reminded them, "We haven't told Fengyue about Alin's sacrifice yet."

Sheng Dongsheng nodded upon hearing this: "Yes."

Feng Yue didn't know Sheng Dongsheng personally; she had only met him once at the Puyu Chamber of Commerce's leadership transition meeting. However, Ji Yuxing had Chai Feixue inform her beforehand that he was a very important person to Zhang Chenglin. Therefore, Feng Yue maintained impeccable manners upon meeting Sheng Dongsheng.

Sheng Dongsheng never had any complaints about her from beginning to end.

But for some reason, Fengyue always felt that the way he looked at Zhang Qizhong was very sorrowful, as if he were looking at a child and missing a deceased person.

After visiting the child, Sheng Dongsheng asked Ji Yuxing what the child's name was when he left.

Ji Yuxing replied, "Qi Zhong, Zhang Qi Zhong."

Sheng Dongsheng paused in his steps, looking puzzled, and turned back to ask, "Does it mean anything?"

When Ji Yuxing spoke again, he smiled and said, "I pray that the land of China will be peaceful and prosperous, and that the country will be safe and the people at peace."

“That’s good,” Sheng Dongsheng smiled. “This child will eventually achieve great things, just like his father.”

“Sometimes,” Ji Yuxing didn’t respond to his words, but lowered his voice, “it’s also very happy for a family to be together.”

Sheng Dongsheng turned and glanced at him, his eyes unreadable, but he didn't say anything.

Sheng Dongsheng was about to leave Zaozhuang to inspect the defense deployments in various parts of Shandong. Zhang Chenglin was not there, so only Ji Yuxing could accompany him.

Ji Yuxing had already been back for quite some time, so he didn't refuse Sheng Dongsheng's offer.

They left in such a hurry that Ji Yuxing didn't even have time to say goodbye to Chai Feixue.

Chai Feixue made him two new pairs of shoes, but she didn't have a chance to give them to him.