Sang Su'e snorted. She knew her son very well; the more casually he spoke, the more complicated the truth was.
"You don't need to make excuses to me. I won't stop you from joining the army and fighting for your country, but you should at least send us a letter. It's been so long, and you haven't even sent a single piece of paper. Do you still care about your mother?"
Sang Su'e became increasingly angry as she spoke, holding Ning Zhiheng's hand tightly and starting to lecture him, as if she wanted to pour out all the worries she had had for so long.
Ning Zhiheng knew his mother's feelings, so he could only force a smile and offer kind words of comfort. He then glanced at his younger sister, Ning Zhen, and quickly gave her a meaningful look.
Seeing Ning Zhiheng's smug smile, Ning Zhen grabbed Sang Su'e's arm and spoke up to defuse the situation, saying, "Mother, Second Brother just got home and hasn't even had a sip of water yet. Let him go in and give him a good talking to. Besides, look at all his men behind him. Let's give him some face!"
Sang Su'e then realized what was happening and, looking at the group of guards behind Ning Zhiheng, quickly said, "Yes, yes, come in and talk. I'll call your father and elder brother back right away!"
"We're waiting for you to say it! Uncle Xia has already sent someone to call him. Let's go in quickly!" Ning Zhen said with a smile.
The family entered the living room in a lively atmosphere. Ning Zhiheng looked around and thought that the house was indeed quite large, comparable to the old houses in Hangzhou. It seemed that his family was living quite well here, and he nodded to himself.
Soon, Aunt Zheng arrived and greeted Ning Zhiheng. Ning Zhiheng nodded slightly in greeting. His status in the family was naturally high. Only his mother, Sang Su'e, could say a few words to him. Everyone else treated him with awe. Even his father, Ning Liangcai, spoke to him in a consultative tone.
The eldest sister-in-law also arrived with her nephew Mingming. Mingming, who was over three years old, had a sweet tongue and kept calling out "Second Uncle, Second Uncle," which made Ning Zhiheng very happy. He held his nephew in his arms and hung a carefully selected gold-inlaid jade longevity lock on his chest.
At this point, Ning Zhen, the younger sister, became restless and kept asking her second brother for a gift, which made everyone laugh. Ning Zhiheng, of course, had prepared in advance and had carefully selected exquisite gifts that suited everyone's tastes.
Soon, footsteps could be heard outside, and the father, Ning Liangcai, and the elder brother, Ning Zhipeng, rushed back upon hearing the news.
The whole family was laughing and chatting. Ning Zhiheng sat among them, listening to his relatives' conversation. Surrounded by this strong family affection, he felt incredibly warm in his heart. In these chaotic times, what could be more important than his family being able to gather here safely?
Seeing her son return safely and the whole family so happy, Sang Su'e was in a great mood and asked Ning Zhiheng, "Zhiheng, Chongqing is the capital now. You're not leaving this time, are you?"
Ning Zhiheng was taken aback, then replied gently, "I still have to follow the arrangements made by my superiors. I have official duties to perform, and I have no choice in the matter!"
Ning Liangcai knew that Ning Zhiheng's job was unusual. He had already privately learned about the Military Intelligence Investigation Department in detail and knew that there were many things that couldn't be said in this line of work. Seeing that Ning Zhiheng was unwilling to say more, he quickly interrupted Sang Su'e's question and said, "Didn't I tell you not to ask too many questions about Zhiheng? He's old enough to know what he's doing! Go and arrange to cook some of Zhiheng's favorite dishes."
After he finished speaking, he stood up, gestured to his two sons, and the three of them went to the study to discuss matters.
Upon entering the study, the father and his two sons sat down, and the father looked at his second son with deep emotion.
"Zhiheng, you really have a good eye. You made arrangements for our family's escape route early on. Do you know that many people from Hangzhou have fled to Chongqing? They say that when Hangzhou fell, it was in ruins. The Japanese burned, killed, and looted, leaving corpses everywhere. They say they don't know how many people died. The Japanese were so ruthless. If our Ning family had stayed in Hangzhou, I can't even imagine what would have happened?"
Ning Liangcai sighed deeply as he spoke, lamenting the pity for his familiar fellow villagers in Hangzhou, wondering if they were alive or dead, or where they had ended up.
“Yes! It was too dangerous. Luckily we left a few months earlier, otherwise our whole family would have been trapped in Hangzhou. Of the Zhao family on the street in front of our house, he was the only one who survived. Now he works in our shop, all alone. He talks to himself every day and is almost going crazy. It’s so tragic!” Ning Zhipeng sighed softly.
He spoke of these events with a heart full of hatred and anger, as well as lingering fear. If his second brother hadn't insisted on his own opinion and dealt with the matter forcefully, his whole family would probably be facing the same tragic fate as those villagers.
After listening, Ning Zhiheng remained silent for a long time. Finally, he said helplessly, "We were lucky to escape the disaster, but many more of our fellow villagers are stranded in foreign lands. In the future, we should take in more of these fellow villagers and do something for them."
Ning Liangcai and Ning Zhipeng both nodded in agreement!
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