"For Xiao Wang! For all our fallen comrades!"
He roared, then turned and fled for his life.
I had only run a dozen meters when a deafening explosion came from behind me.
The shockwave sent Xia Mengsheng flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
His last conscious thought was seeing the bunker collapse in the flames, and then the world plunged into darkness...
...
Three days later.
Military compound in Sijiucheng.
Su Yuzhen was preparing dinner in the Xia family's kitchen, her cleaver rhythmically striking the cutting board as she chopped scallions into thin strips.
The soup in the pot was bubbling away, emitting an enticing aroma.
"Yuzhen, is the soup almost ready?"
Mrs. Xia walked into the kitchen, holding a letter that had just been opened.
"Okay, we can turn off the heat in five more minutes."
Su Yuzhen wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at the envelope in her mother-in-law's hand.
"Is it a letter from Meng Sheng?"
Mrs. Xia shook her head.
She paused, hesitated for a moment, and then continued.
There is no news of Meng Sheng.
Su Yuzhen paused for a second while chopping vegetables, then continued.
"It's been three days, and there's still no news."
"Communication difficulties at the front lines are normal."
Mrs. Xia offered words of comfort, but her eyes were also filled with worry.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Both of them looked up at the same time, and Madam Xia quickly walked towards the door.
Su Yuzhen put down the kitchen knife, subconsciously straightened her apron, and her heart began to beat faster involuntarily.
Outside the door stood a young military officer, holding a manila envelope, his expression terrifyingly serious.
"Madam Xia, urgent telegram."
The officer's voice was low and restrained.
Su Yuzhen felt dizzy and dropped the rag in her hand to the ground.
She staggered to the door and saw her mother-in-law's fingers trembling slightly as she took the envelope.
"Come in and talk."
Mrs. Xia's voice was unusually calm.
The officer followed them into the living room, and Su Yuzhen noticed that his boots were covered in mud, as if he had just returned from the field.
"Is...is something wrong with Meng Sheng?"
Su Yuzhen's voice trembled so much that it was almost inaudible.
The officer took a deep breath.
"Instructor Xia was wounded while on duty and is currently unconscious. He has been sent to the military region's general hospital."
The world spun before Su Yuzhen's eyes, and she felt her legs go weak, collapsing to her knees.
Madam Xia rushed over to support her, but Su Yuzhen could feel that her mother-in-law's arm was also trembling.
"Is the injury...is it serious?"
Su Yuzhen squeezed out the question with difficulty.
"Shot in the abdomen and left arm, suffering excessive blood loss."
The officer's voice was heavy.
"The doctor said...the situation is not very optimistic."
Su Yuzhen could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam.
When did this happen?
Madam Xia asked, her voice surprisingly calm.
"Three days ago. The news only just came back because of the need for transshipment."
Mrs. Xia nodded.
"Thank you for coming to inform us personally. We'll prepare to go to the hospital now."
After the officer left, Su Yuzhen finally broke down.
She slid to the ground, hugged her knees, and burst into tears.
"It's only been three months...we've only been married for three months..."
Madam Xia knelt down and gently stroked her daughter-in-law's hair.
"Yuzhen, be strong. Mengsheng needs you."
He lied to me!
Su Yuzhen raised her head and looked at her mother-in-law with teary eyes.
"He promised me nothing would happen to me, that he wouldn't go to dangerous places! He lied to me!"
Mrs. Xia's eyes were also filled with tears, but she remained calm.
"Yuzhen, come with me."
She helped Su Yuzhen to her feet and led her to the study.
From the bottom shelf of the bookcase, Mrs. Xia took out an old photo album.
The first page contains a yellowed black and white photograph.
The young Xia Weiguo was wearing a military uniform with a big red flower pinned to his chest.
"This was taken before Wei Guo went to the front lines."
Mrs. Xia's fingers gently traced the photograph.
"We had only been married for eight months at that time."
Su Yuzhen's sobs gradually subsided, and she looked at the photo with curiosity.
"The day he left, I cried my heart out, just like you."
Mrs. Xia's voice carried a distant memory.
"I thought that was goodbye forever."
She turned to the next page, which contained a faded telegram.
"A month later, I received news that he was seriously injured. The bullet had pierced his lung, and the doctors said his chances of survival were less than 30%."
Su Yuzhen gasped.
"I was two months pregnant with Meng Sheng at the time."
Mrs. Xia continued, her voice soft yet firm.
Everyone advised me to prepare for the worst.
"How...how did you do that?"
Su Yuzhen asked in a low voice.
Madam Xia smiled slightly.
"I packed my bags and went straight to the frontline hospital. It was over a thousand kilometers, and I traveled by train three times and by truck twice, taking five whole days."
Su Yuzhen's eyes widened, finding it hard to imagine how her mother-in-law in that era had accomplished such a feat.
"When I finally saw Wei Guo, he was emaciated, running a high fever, and delirious."
Mrs. Xia's voice choked up.
"But I held his hand and told him that the children and I were waiting for him to come home."
She flipped to the last page of the photo album, which was a family photo taken after Xia Weiguo recovered.
Xia Mengsheng, still an infant, was embraced by his parents, all three of them wearing happy smiles.
"He survived because he had a reason to live."
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