Lu Ze touched his forehead. "A landmine exploded, and I was accidentally caught in the blast. My hand hit a rock while I was grabbing someone and broke. It's bandaged up now. The medic said it's nothing serious, and I just need to rest."
He spoke casually, but Yu Yao could tell just by thinking about it how critical the situation was. She was worried about him, but also relieved.
Compared to his comrades who sacrificed their lives on the battlefield, Lu Ze was already very lucky.
The dock was crowded, not a good place for reminiscing, so the family headed back.
Yu Yao originally had a lot to say to Lu Ze, but when she actually saw him, she didn't know what to say. She just held his right hand and intertwined her fingers with his.
Even though there were people all around, the two of them didn't let go.
The sun gradually set in the west.
The distant sea is a deep blue, and flocks of white seagulls fly into the distance in the evening sea breeze. At the edge of the sea, orange sunsets stretch for miles, foreshadowing another sunny day tomorrow.
Lu Ze led Yu Yao by the hand, while the rest of the family followed at a distance, leaving the young couple some alone time.
Wu Wanying and Cui Zhizhou carried An'an, while Hu Lingyu and Lu Huiyun carried Ningning, walking behind them, chatting and laughing as they teased the two children.
Wu Huaiqing, carrying a camera, followed beside them.
The family hurried home along the small beach. Beyond the beach was a winding road, with tall coconut trees rustling in the sea breeze on both sides.
As the sun sets and night gives way to day, the world before our eyes seems to transform into a silhouette.
Lu Ze and Yu Yao walked ahead, their fingers intertwined.
The sea breeze tousled Yu Yao's hair, which reached her collarbone, and the orange-yellow sunset cast a warm filter on her face, making her smile so radiant and beautiful.
Lu Ze's gaze fell quietly on her, watching her stride forward like a mischievous child, swinging her arms.
Those deep eyes were filled with tenderness and love.
The two figures walked further and further away, becoming two black silhouettes, their shadows against the coconut trees forming a unique silhouette.
Wu Huaiqing subconsciously raised his camera to capture this heartwarming scene.
Later, after the photo was developed, Yu Yao carefully placed it in her album, making it a testament to their sweet love.
Decades later, on a sunny afternoon, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, carrying photo albums they had found in a sandalwood box in the courtyard, chirped and chattered around Yu Yao like cheerful little birds.
Lu Ze sat on the chair next to her, watching Yu Yao play with the children, while peeling the walnuts that Wu Huaiqing had just brought and placing them on the plate in front of Yu Yao.
Five-year-old granddaughter Yao Yao blinked her almond-shaped eyes, which resembled Lu Ze's, full of curiosity: "I want to hear stories from Grandpa and Grandma's past. Mom said that you lived on an island back then, with an endless supply of all kinds of seafood and fruits, more than the largest supermarket in the capital. Is that true?"
The other children tugged at Yu Yao's sleeve and begged, "Please listen, please listen, Grandma/Grandma, okay?"
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you." Saying this, Yu Yao glanced at Lu Ze beside her and deliberately added, "Come closer, there's a lot of your grandfather's embarrassing history in here. Do you really want to hear it?"
The children are very sensible. Although they are young, they know what "dark history" means. They looked at their maternal grandfather and then at their maternal grandmother, their faces showing a lot of conflict.
Lu Ze lovingly poured tea into Yu Yao's enamel cup, making no attempt to defend himself.
From then until now, decades have passed, and he has truly lived up to his promise at their wedding, loving, protecting, and respecting her wholeheartedly.
Seeing that the children were still struggling, Yu Yao revealed a triumphant smile: "Okay, okay, I was just joking. There are no embarrassing stories in the photo album. Come on, everyone come to my side, I'm going to start talking."
"Wow, long live Grandma!" the children cheered, snuggling up to Yu Yao.
Yu Yao sat on the smooth rattan chair worn smooth by time, flipping through the photo album that Lu Ze had carefully preserved, a gentle smile on her face.
As she recounted her story, those faded, beautiful times began to flow again in another form…
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