The East is Dawn

"Huh? Gone? How did it go? Didn't she just have a baby a few days ago? Master Zhou was so happy that he held a banquet for three days straight. My wife even went to drink with him and said that Young Master Zhou was beaming from ear to ear while holding the baby."

The woman in the blue cloth shirt slammed her wooden spoon into the bowl of tofu pudding, splashing out a few drops of white liquid.

"Yes, the baby is only five days old, it's pitiful."

Another woman, wearing a blue headscarf, sighed, glanced around, and said in a low voice, "Who knows how it disappeared? These rich families are all so chaotic."

The cobblestone path in the market was still damp with dew from the previous night, and the early spring wind carried a slight chill, making one's nose feel tight.

Fengyue listened to what those people were saying, picked up Suisui, and quickly left the market.

The moss on the stone path was slippery, but she walked with exceptional steadiness. Sui Sui was comfortably bounced around, her little hands clutching her collar, humming a tuneless melody.

She didn't have much interaction with Zhou Qi, the eldest son of the Zhou family, or Lu Jinheben. If there was any connection, it was only because she had met Zhuang Eryi twice.

As they passed the old locust tree at the alley entrance, tiny green buds had already sprouted from its branches. Fengyue stared at the tree for a while, lost in thought, no one knew what she was thinking.

She and Sui Sui had just returned home when Zhuang Eryi arrived shortly after.

"Fengyue..." Zhuang Eryi's voice was choked with sobs. Seeing her was like grasping at a lifeline, but he didn't dare to get too close. He just stood outside the threshold, twisting his handkerchief with his fingers. "Can I... stay here with you for a while?"

Fengyue nodded and handed over the freshly poured hot water: "Come in and sit down, it's windy outside."

Fengyue knew she was in a bad mood and wanted to find a place to curl up and be quiet for a while, so she let her stay there and didn't disturb her.

She was much better at dinner time and was even able to play with Sui Sui.

She always knew the details of the past that Feng Yue was unaware of.

Lu Jinhe and Liang Weisheng loved each other for many years, but Lu Jinhe eventually married Zhou Qi in accordance with her family's arrangement.

Although Zhou Qi has always loved her, she can never let go of the person in her heart.

After hearing the news of Liang Weisheng's sacrifice last year, she was depressed and gloomy. Knowing that she was pregnant, she managed to endure for more than three months until she gave birth to Zhou Zimu.

After giving birth to Zhou Zimu, Zhou Qi tried everything to help her recover, but nothing worked.

Her body had long been worn down by the daily sorrow, and there was no cure.

Zhuang Eryi held Sui Sui in her arms, and couldn't help but think of Lu Jinhe. Tears streamed down her delicate little face, which startled little Sui Sui.

Little Sui Sui was held in her arms, and after a long while, she reached out her little hand and, imitating her mother's gesture of wiping away her tears, wiped Zhuang Er Yi's eyes.

Zhuang Eryi stopped crying almost instantly and looked up at him in disbelief.

Fengyue brought in the fruit and saw Suisui's actions; her eyes and brows were filled with undisguised joy.

Zhuang Eryi also saw Fengyue, hurriedly wiping away her tears, her face full of disbelief: "He's only six months old! How can he be so cute!"

Hearing her words, Feng Yue couldn't help but laugh and say, "He takes after his father."

When Zhuang Eryi looked at her again, there was a hint of emotion in his eyes that Feng Yue couldn't understand.

But Zhuang Eryi nodded: "Perhaps, but Zhang Chenglin wasn't as smart as Sui Sui when he was a child."

"Maybe Sui Sui will take after her mother."

Zhuang Eryi looked at the smile in Fengyue's eyes and didn't say anything more. He just lowered his head and wiped Sui Sui's drool. The temperature of his fingertips was a little warmer than before.

*

A few days later, the temperature had fully warmed up, and in March, a new cycle of spring began with the lush greenery and birdsong of the four seasons.

Fengyue moved Sui Sui's cradle to the yard so he could bask in the warm spring sun. Sui Sui lay in the cradle, his little hands clutching a falling peach blossom, giggling as crisply as a spring wind chime.

Fengyue wrote a letter to Chai Feixue, who was far away in the Northeast, asking about her recent situation. She wondered how Chai Feixue was doing now, as she was also experiencing morning sickness.

Fengyue waited a long time but did not receive a reply from Chai Feixue. Fengyue thought that she might have forgotten about her after returning to the Northeast.

Around the end of March, Fengyue still hadn't received a reply from Chai Feixue, but instead received a letter from Ji Ruqiong from Shanghai.

As soon as Ji Ruqiong saw her, she burst into tears. Feng Yue was stunned by her crying and could only try to comfort her helplessly.

Ji Ruqiong cried so hard that she fell asleep on Fengyue's shoulder. It took Fengyue a lot of effort to get her to the bed in the guest room.

Then they prepared a wet cloth to cover her eyes.

Ji Ruqiong woke up during dinner, and although Fengyue had covered her eyes with a wet cloth, her eyes were still swollen.

It's clear how heartbroken she was that afternoon.

"What's wrong?" Fengyue couldn't help but ask her at the dinner table, "Why are you crying so sadly?"

Upon hearing Feng Yue's words, Ji Ruqiong swayed, and large tears began to fall uncontrollably again.

He spoke haltingly, "The Japanese... coveted... my family's property. My second uncle... sided with the Japanese. A month ago, the Japanese broke into my house, my parents, and my sister-in-law..."

Ji Ruqiong didn't say anything more, but Feng Yue already understood. It was like a thunderclap in her mind, and her heart felt like it had been hit by something, the pain almost unbearable.

Fengyue's chopsticks clattered to the ground, her fingertips icy cold.

She remembered the letter she had written, and the words in it about spring and children, realizing that there was no recipient for it anymore.

Ji Ruqiong was still crying, adding intermittently, "At that time... when the news came... my brother was in Chengdu when he was in Shanghai. I... I barely managed to hold onto the news. My brother found out the day he returned to Shanghai."

Fengyue gently stroked her back to help her catch her breath. She slowly said, "My brother became completely despondent. He wouldn't eat or talk to anyone. A few days later, he was hospitalized and kept alive by IV fluids. I stayed with him in the hospital for a month. The doctor gave me seven critical condition notices. He almost died in such a beautiful spring..."

Feng Yue listened to her words, slightly lost in thought. He and Chai Feixue had grown up together since childhood, and had loved each other deeply and remained steadfast in their love for so many years. How happy he must have been when he found out Chai Feixue was pregnant during the New Year... Why did it have to be at this time?

Out of the corner of her eye, Ji Ruqiong saw Feng Yue lost in thought and knew that she might be thinking about Chai Feixue's influence on Ji Yuxing.

But she didn't know that Ji Yuxing was not only affected by Chai Feixue, but also by Zhang Chenglin.

Zhang Chenglin sacrificed his life in the autumn of 1937, and Chai Feixue passed away in the spring of 1938. The two most important people in his life left him one after the other within half a year.

He would live the rest of his life under the shadow of hatred.

They will never experience even the slightest bit of fulfillment and happiness in their lives.

The peach blossoms outside the window were in full bloom, their pink and white petals swept by the wind and falling onto the windowsill. It was a warm and cozy spring scene, yet it sent a chill down my spine.

Those who survived could only glean a little warmth from the ruins, carefully protecting it to get through the long, cold winter.

Feng Yue left Ji Ruqiong at her home for three days, then gave her an important task and sent her back to Shanghai.

When Ji Ruqiong left with the mission of Fengyue, she was still uneasy, unsure whether the plan would work.

But now that things have come to this, she can only listen to the wind and moon; success or failure, she has no choice but to fight with her back against the wall.

Ji Ruqiong returned to Shanghai. First, she applied to Sheng Dongsheng, and then after much persuasion, she finally managed to get Ji Yuxing onto the train to Shandong.

Ji Yuxing was still in a bad state. He was listless all day long and couldn't get a full night's sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with images of Zhang Chenglin and Chai Feixue.

Ji Ruqiong took him to his residence in Zaozhuang, and Fengyue brought Suisui over without saying a word.

Fengyue's idea was simple: to have Ji Ruqiong and Suisui keep him company and distract him, which would be much better.

At least it prevents him from being trapped in the nightmares of the past all the time.

In the first few days, Ji Yuxing felt even more heartbroken whenever he saw Sui Sui, but he could never cry in front of her, for fear of upsetting her.

Later, as he spent more time with Sui Sui, he gradually began to relax, letting go of everything he had been thinking about and pursuing in the past, and focusing only on Sui Sui, who was right beside him.

He gradually got much better.

Ji Ruqiong went from crying every day by Fengyue's side to slowly starting to smile.

As the saying goes, no matter how empty or quiet a home may be, it will always become much more lively and warm with children.

Ji Yuxing and Ji Ruqiong stayed in Shandong for more than three months. During these three months, Sui Sui learned to say "Daddy" and "Mommy" and also a vague "Dudu (Auntie)". She was also able to take a few steps on her own.

When news of the Ji family's affairs reached Zheng Mingzhe and He Zhonghua, the two of them made a special trip from Shanghai and the South to accompany Ji Yuxing for a while. Not long after He Zhonghua returned to Shanghai, he got engaged to a girl named Huo Yao, and the wedding date was set for the following year when the peach blossoms would bloom in March.

Xin Jie continued to visit Sui Sui about three times a month. His frequency was so consistent that Feng Yue had no choice but to believe that he was coming on Zhang Chenglin's orders.

As for why Zhang Chenglin never went home, Fengyue was initially upset and had many doubts. However, as the situation in the south became increasingly chaotic and Ji Yuxing was injured at home, they told her, "Because Ji Yuxing was idle, Mr. Sheng arranged all the affairs to be handled by Zhang Chenglin." Fengyue gradually came to believe it.

When the lotus flowers in the small pond outside were about to bloom, Ji Yuxing did not forget his mission and responsibility. He returned to Mr. Sheng's side and went back to shoulder his responsibilities in the chaotic world.

Fengyue was quite happy when he left, firstly because he had finally returned to his former self, and secondly because with him back, Sheng Dongsheng could arrange fewer things for Zhang Chenglin, giving him a chance to catch his breath in the chaos of the world.