roccoschili Chapter 22 A Warm Home
Chapter 22 A Warm Home
Two days later, at dusk, outside Changning Village.
A blood-red sunset painted the western mountains a golden hue.
Under the old locust tree at the village entrance, Zhao Dahu had been standing there like a stake for most of the day, his neck stretched out and his eyes almost piercing through the mountain road to the south.
He clutched a newly sharpened, gleaming broadsword in his hand, his heart pounding with anxiety—the company commander and his men had been gone for two or three days without a word. Although he had faith in the company commander, they had, after all, gone to provoke the Japanese!
"Please, please don't let anything happen..." he muttered to himself, pacing back and forth unconsciously.
Suddenly, he stopped abruptly, squinting and staring intently at the end of the mountain path.
Several figures appeared in his field of vision, and then more... more and more! The line stretched out quite long, and although he couldn't see them clearly, he was absolutely certain that they were Yang Zheng and his group.
"They're back! It's the company commander and the others!!"
Zhao Dahu was stunned for a moment, then wild joy instantly overwhelmed the anxiety on his face. He slapped his thigh hard, ignoring the pain, and roared at the top of his lungs, "Damn it, we're finally back!"
Before he finished speaking, he charged forward like a tiger released from its cage, kicking up dust in his wake.
Almost simultaneously, Zhou Shunzi, who was dozing behind the earthen wall on the other side of the village entrance, was also startled. He rubbed his eyes, looked in the direction Zhao Dahu had rushed out, and his eyes widened instantly.
On the winding mountain road, a long line of people was slowly making its way in.
Those dozens of people, covered in dust and wearing worn-out military uniforms, stood ramrod straight, their shoulders, backs, and hands laden with supplies!
In this situation, they've won? The Eighth Route Army has triumphed again?
Zhou Shunzi gasped sharply, then his face lit up with unbelievable elation. He turned and ran towards the village, shouting at the top of his lungs until his voice cracked:
"They're back! They're back!! The Eighth Route Army comrades are back!!! They've returned victorious!!!"
The voice was like a boulder crashing into a calm lake. Changning Village instantly came to life.
"What? The Eighth Route Army is back?"
"Did you hear that? Shunzi's shouting 'We've won the battle!'"
"Quick, quick, go out and see!"
Doors creaked open quickly, women busy at the stove dropped their spatulas, men repairing farm tools in the yard abandoned their work, and children stopped playing. Men, women, and children all poured out, surging towards the village entrance. Smoke was still rising from the chimneys, but at this moment, no one cared about the food in the pots.
"They really are Eighth Route Army soldiers!"
"Look! The guns they're carrying, so many new guns!"
"Hey, what's that lever up? It looks like a small cannon barrel?"
"My goodness... how many Japanese soldiers must have been wiped out..."
The villagers lined both sides of the road at the village entrance, standing on tiptoe and craning their necks, their faces filled with excitement, curiosity, and heartfelt joy.
Seeing that many people in the group had injuries and were wrapped in bandages, some of the older women immediately teared up.
"Finally back safe and sound..."
"They're all good young men, those wicked Japanese devils..."
Yang Zheng walked at the front of the group and saw Zhao Dahu rushing over like a cannonball from afar. He also saw the dark mass of villagers welcoming him at the village entrance.
A warm feeling welled up in his heart, and the fatigue from the continuous march seemed to dissipate considerably. He quickened his pace and headed towards Zhao Dahu.
"Company Commander!!"
Zhao Dahu suddenly stopped in front of Yang Zheng, his chest heaving violently, his eyes wide like copper bells. He first looked Yang Zheng up and down, confirming that the company commander's arms and legs were intact, only his face had some traces of gunpowder.
He then grinned widely and pounded his chest hard. "I was so worried! How are you? Are you alright? Are all the comrades alright?"
He was speaking to Yang Zheng, but his eyes couldn't help but dart towards the ranks behind him, especially at the light machine guns the soldiers were carrying and the rifles they were slung over their backs.
Yang Zheng smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "It's alright, we won a battle, everyone's doing well. How's the village?"
"Everything's fine in the village! Nothing's wrong at all!"
Zhao Dahu answered absentmindedly, his feet already involuntarily moving towards the ranks. He craned his neck to count the heads, then stared at the gleaming black Type 38 rifles on the soldiers' shoulders, clicking his tongue in amazement: "My goodness... these, these are all newly captured? Type 38 rifles? So many?"
Chen Xiaoquan and Luo Dashan also came over, their faces bearing the smiles of victors.
Luo Dashan deliberately nudged Zhao Dahu with his shoulder and teased, "Dahu, are your eyes glued to the screen? This is nothing, the best is yet to come!"
Zhao Dahu finally snapped out of his daze, forgetting all about arguing with Luo Dashan, grabbed Yang Zheng's arm, and asked urgently:
"Company commander, tell us quickly, how did the battle go? How many Japanese soldiers did you wipe out? We've been hearing gunfire like popping beans for ages, and our hearts are pounding like oil! This...this equipment, we've gone from ragtag guns to cannons!"
As he asked the question, he couldn't help but reach out and touch the barrel of a light machine gun that a soldier next to him was carrying on his shoulder, and then tiptoe to look at what the people behind him were carrying.
"What is that? It looks to me like... like a Japanese grenade launcher?!" His voice suddenly rose, filled with unbelievable surprise.
Yang Zheng looked at his impatient, envious expression, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets, and couldn't help but burst into laughter:
"That's right, two grenade launchers! We also captured three Type 99 light machine guns, fifty or sixty Type 38 rifles, quite a few Hanyang rifles, and tons of bullets and grenades! We'll discuss the specific results when we get back."
"Two grenade launchers?! And three Type 91 light machine guns?!"
Zhao Dahu nearly jumped up, slapping his thigh repeatedly. "My God! Did you raid the Japanese headquarters or something? You've struck it rich! You've struck it rich! Oh dear, what a pity, what a pity, why did we have to stay behind and guard this place!"
He beat his chest and stamped his feet, looking both happy and annoyed, which made the soldiers and villagers around him laugh.
At this moment, Zhou Dachui, leaning on his crutch and supported by Zhou Shunzi, walked shakily to the front of the crowd.
Looking at the exhausted yet highly motivated and newly equipped team before him, the old man was moved to tears, repeatedly saying:
"Good! Good! It's good that you're back! It's good that we won! Folks, what are you waiting for? Quick, help the comrades get their things! Go home, boil water, and cook!"
"Yes! Let's go home!"
"Comrades, you've worked hard!"
"Come inside and rest!"
The villagers responded enthusiastically, and without further ado, they surged forward.
The older women held the hands of the wounded soldiers, offering words of comfort and concern. The men rushed to help carry the wounded and supplies. The children ran excitedly around the ranks, wanting to touch the gleaming guns but too afraid to.
The entire entrance to Changning Village was immersed in a fervent atmosphere of reunion after a calamity and triumphant return. Under this blood-red twilight, the hearts of the soldiers and the people were tightly bound together.
As Yang Zheng watched this heartwarming scene, he felt a sense of peace and warmth in his heart.
He gestured to Chen Xiaoquan and the others to arrange for the team to enter the village in an orderly manner to rest, and then said to Zhao Dahu, who was still touching the grenade launcher and looking on with great envy:
"Stop being envious. You'll have your turn to fight. Hurry up and get back to headquarters. There's an important mission for you, and these new guys need to be put into combat readiness as soon as possible."
Upon hearing there was a mission, Zhao Dahu's spirits immediately returned. Although he still couldn't help looking back at the spoils every few steps, he straightened his chest and said, "Yes, sir! Company commander! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"