A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

The former political commissar, who was far away in Chongqing in the southwest, heard the news of the great victory of the Korean People's Volunteer Army while having lunch with his family.

A series of good news came from the radio, and the announcer's voice rose and fell. When he read, "Our Volunteer Army units pursued the victory and expanded the results," the old political commissar was shoveling rice into his mouth. He paused for a moment and did not look up.

But then the announcer read out the most morale-boosting news: "...Commander Zhang Renfeng, a fierce general of our army known for his explosives in the 3rd Army Corps, gathered the enemy in... basin and launched an attack at dawn on the 26th, annihilating two entire regiments and half a reinforced regiment of the US 25th Division. This is the first time our army has annihilated an entire Marine Division in its entirety... In addition, part of the US 3rd Division and the Turkish Brigade were captured, along with two regimental flags and a captured enemy colonel. Commander Zhang Renfeng's decisive victory forced the US to retreat 30 kilometers, and the US imperialists had no choice but to return to the negotiating table..."

The old political commissar's chopsticks fell onto the table with a "clatter".

At first, he thought he had misheard, tilted his ear in disbelief, and leaned closer to the radio.

But the announcer had already changed the subject and started reading battle reports from other fronts.

He froze for two seconds, his expression shifting from bewilderment to shock, then to an indescribable surge of emotion, his face looking as if something had stretched it open.

The eldest son, Xiao Fang, was at an age where he couldn't stand good news. He suddenly jumped up from his chair, raised his arms high, and spun around twice in the dining room, shouting, "Yay! My brother Feng is awesome! Mighty! Powerful!!"

Startled, Zhuo's mother quickly reached out to pull him away, scolding him in a low voice, "We're eating! Sit down! Look at yourself, what kind of behavior is this?"

Xiao Fang was pulled back into the chair by his sleeve, but before he could even settle in, he couldn't help but twist his body and shout at the old political commissar:

"Dad! Did you hear that? Brother Feng wiped out an entire American division!"

The old political commissar then realized what was happening.

He slammed his hand on the table, making the dishes jump, his voice trembling uncontrollably: "Well done! Our family has produced a general! Hurry up! Fill the wine cups! Fill them up, fill them up!!"

Zhuo's mother quickly got up to get the wine jar, pouring the wine while looking at him with concern.

She knew her husband's temper; after all these years of ups and downs, there were very few things that could make the old political commissar lose his temper.

The last time I was this excited was at the end of last year when I received the telegram from Zhang Renfeng announcing his marriage. The old political commissar sat alone in the courtyard smoking for half the night, and went to work with red eyes the next morning, saying to everyone who asked that he was fine.

But at least you managed to hold it in that time, what's wrong with you today?

Aunt Zhuo handed him the wine bowl and asked cautiously, "Are you... alright?"

The old political commissar took the bowl of wine, tilted his head back and took a big gulp. It was so spicy that he grimaced, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, looked down at the half-bowl of wine left in the bowl, and suddenly laughed.

There was something indescribable in that smile, like relief, or like a stone that had been pressing down for many years finally being loosened.

He put down his bowl, touched his face as if to make sure he was still awake, then looked at Zhuo's mother, then at Xiao Fang beside him, who was staring at him expectantly. His voice softened, but the emotion was still stuck in his throat: "To be frank, I've known Ah Feng for much longer than you have. Back in '29, I was still a young man, he was only ten, and I was just over twenty. I've been married three times in total, and every single time, it was this kid who made me get married!"

He said this with a smile on his lips, but his eyes were already red.

Zhuo's mother opened her mouth, as if to say something, but swallowed the words back.

She had followed the old political commissar for many years and had seen him scold people, yell at them, slam his fist on the table and get angry. She had also seen him sing off-key when he was drunk with his old comrades. But she rarely saw him talking about the past with tears in his eyes like she did today.

The old political commissar didn't look at her; his gaze drifted to the half-open wooden window at the entrance to the dining room. The sky over Chongqing in March was hazy and gray, but what he saw was clearly not the view outside the window.

He picked up his wine bowl and took another sip, his voice lowering slightly: "Years ago, I was the one who held him back. That was back in 1933..."

He gestured, stood up, and held his palm above his head.

"She's so tall for her age, but she's as skinny as a stick, yet she's incredibly brave."

Although he was younger than Tianyou, he was originally qualified to compete with Tianyou for the position of teacher.

You probably don't know, but back then, I opposed Wang's support for taking power, which later became known as opposing Luo Ming's line, and I was severely criticized.

Those were tough times. Who was that guy surnamed Wang? He was a ruthless killer! Some comrades spoke up for me, but no one dared to stand up!

He paused for a moment, reached for the wine bowl, his fingers trembled slightly, and the rim of the bowl hit the table with a crisp sound.

He steadied himself before continuing, "Xiao Feng tried to reason with the older soldiers in the army to protect me. They insisted on taking me away and sending me to the border, so Xiao Feng grabbed a bomb and stood up for me in front of an entire company of soldiers."

A fourteen-year-old boy, holding a bomb, stood in front of so many people without taking a single step back.

Later, he was bullied by many people in the army. They made things difficult for him at every turn, assigning him all the heaviest work and giving him the smallest portion of food.

But the child didn't utter a single complaint. Even after dark, he came over to comfort me, saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

He quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, his voice hoarse, "If it weren't for Xiao Feng protecting me all the way, I probably wouldn't be here today. It's all my fault for holding him back for at least two years, otherwise, let me tell you, he'd probably be the youngest army commander in the Red Army by now..."

As Zhuo's mother listened, her eyes also welled up with tears.

Although she had never met Zhang Renfeng back then, the old comrades who came and went in the family over the years could not fake the warmth and affection they showed when they mentioned "Little Devil Zhang".

She reached out and gently patted the old political commissar on the back, saying softly, "It's all in the past. Isn't everything alright now? Look how successful he's become. You should be happy."

Xiao Fang was listening intently, forgetting to chew his food. Suddenly, he slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Dad! Brother Feng can take on an entire American division now! That's even more impressive than before!"

The old political commissar was stunned for a moment by his shout, then grinned.

He picked up his bowl, downed the last drop of wine, and placed the bowl on the table. His voice brimming with a triumphant air: "Now things are really comfortable! If you ask me, he should be promoted to full-fledged corps commander. That way, he can catch up with many of his seniors. Eventually, he could even become a general!"

He paused, as if speaking to Zhuo's mother, or perhaps confirming with himself, "Xiao Feng has really had a tough time—he's been with me since he was so young, enduring over twenty years of gunfire and danger. Now it's his turn to shine. I also want to thank Xiao Chen for raising this thoughtful little rascal to be so cheerful and optimistic."

Aunt Zhuo asked, "Why don't you send a telegram to the front lines?"

"Send it! Of course we should send it!" The old political commissar stood up. "But there's no rush."

He walked to the window, stood with his back to the dining table for a long time, gazing at the hazy skyline of Chongqing outside the window, as if calming his emotions, or perhaps pondering something.

After a while, he turned around, the flush of excitement on his face had faded somewhat, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

"That's great! You've finally proven yourself with real skills. Who said young people can't handle important matters? Renfeng might even become a second-in-command in the military someday."

After he finished speaking, he patted his chest and strode towards the door.

Xiao Fang called out from behind, "Hey, Dad, where are you going?"

The old political commissar waved his hand without turning his head, taking long, quick strides, his voice echoing from the doorway:

"I've sent a telegram! Tell Xiao Feng not to be arrogant or impetuous, but to take things one step at a time and work steadily. These Japanese devils are cunning and ruthless; who knows when they'll retaliate? This time they wiped out an entire American division. How many divisions does the US even have in total?"

He finished speaking and burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the corridor, causing dust to fall from the corners of the walls: "That was awesome! Awesome!!!"

His footsteps faded into the distance as they approached the doorway, but his laughter lingered in the corridor for quite some time.

Zhuo's mother stood there, looking at the empty doorway, then at the untouched food and the empty wine bowl on the table. She shook her head, but a smile played on her lips. As she bent down to clear the dishes, she muttered under her breath, "This person... is like a child."

Xiao Fang had already sat down to eat again. After taking a couple of bites, he looked up again, his face filled with the longing unique to young people: "Mom, when my brother Feng comes back, will he be able to become a great general?"

Zhuo's mother stacked the bowls, glanced at him, and said with a hint of reproach, "Your brother Feng just finished fighting, and things aren't over yet. You should focus on your studies first, and stop thinking about these things."

"That's different!" Xiao Fang puffed out his chest. "My brother Feng is fighting American devils! What kind of high-ranking officer would be able to command that? Let me tell you, everyone in my class knows my brother Feng..."