Su Qingyun's cheerful mood instantly dropped. Looking at the birds flying outside the window, her eyes were a little melancholy.
They didn't know where their second brother was now, whether he was injured, or when he would be back. They didn't know anything about it.
The family was immersed in the joy of her upcoming marriage, and it seemed that everyone avoided talking about it, but Su Qingyun knew that they were always thinking about it in their hearts, otherwise, there would not be this invitation that could not be sent out.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at the invitation in silence for a long time. Until she heard the sound of her uncle and others coming back, she woke up as if from a dream and put the invitation into the drawer as quickly as possible.
Su Qingyun didn't want everyone to be reminded of the past after seeing this invitation, especially his second aunt. Everyone could have avoided mentioning his second brother in front of her. If she saw it, she would definitely cry again.
"Yunyun, come and see, we bought a lot of things." Li Xiu Lian greeted her.
"I'm coming!" Su Qingyun responded, walked over, looked at the pile of things on the ground, and was dumbfounded, "Why did you buy so many things?"
"That's not even a lot," Zhang Xinlan replied after taking a breath. "Just think about it, everything has to be decorated. We have to buy firecrackers and stuff, melon seeds, peanuts, candies, and all sorts of other things."
Qin Ying smiled, "Marriage is not something that can be done casually. If we are going to do it, we must do it to the best of our ability."
She and Ai Min only have one daughter, Qingyun, so they definitely want to give her the best.
"Oh right." Su Aimin came over, "I received a telegram from the army today. They got the news and will come here by train tomorrow."
In order to save time, Su Aimin also sent a telegram to inform Su Congjun and others.
"That's good." Wu Guixiang nodded. "When my sister gets married, we, as brothers, can't be absent no matter what."
After hearing this, Zhang Xinlan's originally bright eyes dimmed a little.
Li Xiulian noticed this and quickly changed the subject, "Let's order some food first to see if there's anything we've missed."
"good."
Zhang Xinlan responded, but her expression remained indifferent.
The whole family saw this, sighed in their hearts, and thought the same thing.
Congwen, when will you come back?
————————
"Xiao Su, please eat some more."
On the mountainside, in a newly dug trench, Brother Zhang took out a moldy steamed bun and handed it to Su Congwen. He was wrapped in dirty gauze, his face was pale, his lips were chapped, and his cheeks were sunken.
"There's nothing left to eat in our company. If things continue like this, we'll just be eating grass roots and tree bark."
"Eat quickly. Anything you can eat will fill your stomach."
Su Congwen shook his head and refused, "I won't eat anymore, Brother Zhang, you are a wounded soldier, you should eat by yourself to nourish your body."
His condition was not much better than Brother Zhang's. Although he did not suffer any serious injuries, he had countless small wounds on his body. His once handsome and fair face was now covered with scars. There was a hideous scar at the corner of his eye that was still bright red flesh, obviously it had just healed. He had lost a lot of weight, but his eyes were still astonishingly bright.
"What wounded?" Brother Zhang sneered. "As long as I can still stand up and fight, I'm not a wounded. I can still charge at the front. Anyway, I've already considered my life gone."
"It's nice to be a martyr. At least if I die, my wife and children will be taken care of by the state for the rest of their lives. I won't worry even if I'm gone."
"Maybe I just feel a little regretful that I couldn't see my girl grow up."
He sighed softly. After three years of fighting and so many deaths, he had become numb. He no longer had any hope of returning alive. His only concern was his family.
"Brother Zhang, don't say that." Su Congwen said softly, "The company commander said that as long as we hold this bridge and allow the troops in the rear to pass safely, our mission will be accomplished and we can go home."
Defending the bridge at the foot of the mountain is the final mission of their company.
"Go home?" Brother Zhang looked dazed. "Can I really go home?"
He gave a wry laugh, "We only have about thirty people in our company. Can we really hold this place?"
"Yes!" Su Congwen said firmly, "I definitely can!"
On the battlefield, only those with firm ideas and beliefs can survive longer.
"I hope so." Brother Zhang's voice was light and airy.
Su Congwen frowned, realizing something was wrong, and quickly checked his wound. "Brother Zhang, is the wound torn? Wait, I'll go find some medicine for you."
He propped himself up and tried to get up.
"Stop struggling." Brother Zhang stopped him. "There's no medicine left."
"It's okay. I can still hold on. I won't die." He replied while gasping for breath.
Su Congwen could only sit back in silence.
"By the way, was Lao Wu's body collected yesterday?" Brother Zhang suddenly asked.
"We've collected them." Su Congwen replied, "Don't worry, we will take them home."
Battlefield discipline does not allow any wounded soldier to be abandoned, let alone any martyr's body to be lost. During combat, as long as conditions permit, personnel, equipment strength, casualties and losses must be reported to the higher authorities every day.
Every person who sacrificed on the battlefield has the right to return to their homeland, even if they die.
Not only Lao Wu, there are thousands and thousands of soldiers like Lao Wu. They will all take them home, not one will be left behind.
The mountain breeze blew gently, and there was silence all around except for the occasional bird calls. This was a rare moment of tranquility for them. However, the two men's muscles were still tense, and their vigilance never slackened, ready to engage in battle at any time. This was the quality and ability that a warrior must possess.
"Xiao Su." Brother Zhang suddenly spoke again, "If ever I become like Lao Wu, remember to send me home."
"I don't want to die here."
"I've already thought about it. When the time comes, I won't be under the yellow horn tree at the entrance of our village. That tree has been alive for hundreds of years. I'll be buried there, and I'll definitely live a long life in my next life."
"Brother Zhang, stop talking. You will be fine!" Su Congwen's eyes turned red. He really couldn't bear to listen any longer.
"Who can predict life for sure? We're doing something that's really risky, so it's good to think about it."
There was a sense of relief in Brother Zhang's tone, as if he had become indifferent to life and death.
Su Congwen pursed his dry lips and was unable to speak.
"Bang!"
A gunshot shattered the tranquility at the moment.
The two men who had been dejected just now suddenly changed their expressions, instantly jumped up, picked up their guns, and entered combat mode.
“Bang, bang, bang…”
Another series of rapid gunshots.
"The enemy is coming, fight, fight!"
The battle started instantly.
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