Extra seventeen
Mr. Ke and Liu Ting stayed on the South Island for three days. Perhaps the Kyoto side received the news, because starting from the third day, the South Island troops kept receiving calls looking for Mr. Ke.
Commander Kang had no choice but to send people back and forth to notify them. Kyoto didn't specify what they were supposed to do; they just kept calling.
Old Ke has now been reinstated, and I've heard there's a hint that he might be promoted. Commander Kang also wants to move up, but the two of them haven't reached the same rank yet.
Tang Shengkai hasn't been to the military base these past few days. Although Cuicui has taken the two elderly people in, he can tell that she's not particularly affectionate towards them. Perhaps at this age, they truly have no expectations of their parents anymore.
Tang Shengkai really wanted to talk to Cuicui, but Cuicui didn't seem to have any ideas, so Tang Shengkai could only put it aside.
After the bodyguard next to Commander Kang came over again to inform Elder Ke that there was a phone call from Kyoto, Elder Ke sighed heavily.
Tang Shengkai didn't know what to say. In his eyes, he could only regard Old Ke as a former superior; he hadn't yet felt the same way about a father-in-law. Old Ke sighed deeply and looked at Tang Shengkai, "When are you leaving?"
Tang Shengkai didn't say that they should have left the day after Elder Ke and his group arrived, but since the two elders had come from so far away, it wouldn't be appropriate for them to go back directly. Therefore, Tang Shengkai applied to the troops in Kyoto to postpone their start date there.
Tang Shengkai saw the expectation in his old commander's eyes and smiled, "Commander, we'll go with you."
Old Ke's eyes lit up, but he quickly straightened his face and became even more serious. "Third brother, have you ever doubted your own origins?"
Tang Shengkai paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Commander, you figured it out?"
Old Ke nodded. "I knew it the moment I saw you. Sigh, Old Han hasn't had it easy these past few years. His situation is similar to ours, except he only has you as his son."
Tang Shengkai looked up at Old Ke in surprise. Old Ke smiled and said, "Old Han and his first wife had two daughters and a son. At that time, there was war, and both daughters were in their hometown. When the son was born, both of them were fighting outside."
There happened to be a comrade-in-arms there, so he entrusted his child to the comrade's relative. However, his wife later died. Old Han suffered for many years.
"In the end, the higher-ups couldn't stand it anymore and introduced him to another wife. When he met this wife, Lao Han said that he would not have any more children with her, and this wife was sensible and agreed immediately."
A mocking look flashed across Old Ke's face. "Everyone thought this wife was a good person, but on their wedding night, she gave Old Han a potion to enhance his sexual performance, hoping to get pregnant quickly. The next day, Old Han was furious and went straight to the hospital for a sterilization procedure."
He also bought her medicine to drink. This argument caused a rift between them. But the marriage was already finalized, and the woman wouldn't divorce him, so Old Han had no choice but to make do. Knowing she could never have children of her own, the woman adopted two boys from a relative's home.
They're about your age. These days, thanks to Lao Han's connections, they're all doing quite well in their respective positions.
Old Ke looked at Tang Shengkai as he spoke, “Over the years, Old Han has never given up looking for you. But the world was too chaotic back then, and finding someone was like looking for a needle in a haystack. It was too difficult. Over the years, whenever there was a little bit of news, we thought we were finally going to find you, but in the end, it was all just an illusion.”
Tang Shengkai hadn't expected it to be like this. Remembering the stubborn old man on the battlefield, Tang Shengkai smiled silently.
Seeing the smile on Tang Shengkai's face, Old Ke knew that the boy's inner turmoil had been resolved. He sighed inwardly, thinking that resolving even one issue was good; these past years, it wasn't just them who had suffered, but these two children had suffered even more. They should thank God for being alive to see them again.
Tang Shengkai seemed to be talking to himself, "I first met him on the battlefield in the border country. At that time, he was captured by the United States, and it was the North, South and East who found a way to rescue him."
We were infiltrating the US military at the time, and that's how we suddenly met. I knew he recognized me immediately as his son because our faces looked so alike.
Old Ke never expected that Old Han and his son-in-law would recognize each other in this way. Then he heard Tang Shengkai say, "He didn't acknowledge me. He even gave us a mission. A mission that was almost impossible to complete even if we lost our lives."
I still remember the look in his eyes when we left to carry out our orders.
Tang Shengkai smiled, his eyes and lips curving into a grin. "I don't know what he was feeling at the time. Actually, I was very excited. I had never seen my father since I could remember, and I was truly happy to see him before I died."
So, I really didn't want to die. Thankfully, the mission was accomplished.
Old Ke said with emotion, "Your father really had a tough time. Now that he has found his biological son, he should be content."
Tang Shengkai chuckled again, "Chief, he still hasn't acknowledged me."
"What?" Old Ke stood up abruptly, his face filled with anger. "That old bastard Han Rusong still hasn't acknowledged you?"
Tang Shengkai quickly stood up as well, somewhat helplessly. "Chief, to be honest, I wasn't prepared to acknowledge Chief Han as my father. I felt that at this age, I had no expectations for those deep father-son relationships anymore."
But after hearing about his past, I think he genuinely wants to be a good father. Therefore, I will visit him during my trip to Kyoto.”
For some reason, Old Ke suddenly felt his eyes welling up. He felt sorry for Old Han, but didn't he and the old woman deserve sympathy too? Sigh, he should hurry back to Kyoto. He felt that his own recounting of their past events didn't carry the same credibility as others'.
Tang Bei and the others didn't go back to the army; they've been staying home with Liu Ting and Lin Cuicui these past few days. Liu Ting can't be separated from Lin Cuicui for a moment, practically following her even to the toilet. Lin Cuicui is quite helpless about it.
So Tang Dong and the others kept pestering Liu Ting with this and that, so that Lin Cuicui could spare some time to cook for everyone.
At this moment, Yang Shengjun was wandering aimlessly on the military parade ground, as if he had lost his soul. Chang Yin hadn't expected Wei Xin to be like this either. However, they disguised themselves so well that the military didn't notice anything amiss during the investigation.
Chang Yin followed closely behind Yang Shengjun. The two, who were originally at odds, had developed a tacit understanding on the battlefield. At this moment, Yang Shengjun needed a listener.
He looked at Chang Yin speechlessly, "When did you find out?"
Chang Yinren remained expressionless. "What are you referring to?"
Yang Shengjun looked at the sky, "That child."
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