49

Yang Zichun and Zhou Aichen remained hidden in the hiding place, anxiously awaiting Zhou Di's coming back, but as the hours passed, no one appeared. Their fear grew with every moment passing. Zhou Aichen was too young to understand the whole story. But, on the contrary, Yang Zichun was young enough to understand the situation when Zhou Di was taken away. It had left a heavy weight on his heart. Now, with Zhou Di still missing, he suddenly felt a surge of maturity and responsibility. Alongside his growing concern for Zhou Di's safety, he suppressed his own fear, choosing instead to gently comfort Zhou Aichen. The two children waited in silence, hugging each other tightly, losing track of time until a faint wisp of smoke seeped into their hiding place. Reacting swiftly, Yang Zichun grabbed Zhou Aichen crawling through the narrow passage until they reached a point where the smoke dissipated. Trembling with fear, they huddled together, remaining silent inside, silent and vigilant until exhaustion finally overtook them. They drifted into an uneasy sleep.

When Yang Chen stood before the remains of Zhou Di's shop which had been half-burned. Tears filled in his eyes as he listened to a neighbour recount the events of the tragedy. This neighbour lived adjacent to the shop and witnessed the what had happened.

"I heard it myself this morning." the neighbour said, "Before the Wasoku soldiers left, they came to this shop. They were looking for Mr. Guan and Mr. Zhou, but only Mr. Guan and his wife were here. Mr. Zhou was absent. So they forced Mr. Guan to lead the way to find Mr. Zhou. Mrs. Guan wanted to go with them but the Wasoku soldiers didn't even answer her but shot her straight through the heart. I don't know what happened to Mr. Zhou. But, fortunately, Mr. Zhou had the foresight to send his two children to the countryside."

After finishing his words, the neighbour sighed. Yang Chen, his voice trembling, asked:

"Two children?"

"Yes, Mr. Zhou's sons."

"Do you know where Mr. Zhou lives? Could you show me the way to there?"

"Of course. He lives on Fanghong Street."

However, when they arrived there, Yang Chen's heart sank. The two-story building had. The second floor was entirely burned down while the ground floor partially withstood the flames due to its stone structure. He stood there in silence, speechless, as despair weighed on him. Yang Zaihua, who had accompanied him, entered the wreckage to search for any sign of life, but no trace of anyone could be found. Finally Yang Chen broke the silence and spoke to Yang Zaihua:

"Zaihua, send someone to Zhouzhuang village to investigate. We're going to Xishan with a squad tomorrow morning." 

Yang Zichun woke up, unsure of the time or what was going on outside. He decided to take a risk and go out. He crawled slowly out of their hiding place, with Zhou Aichen following closely behind him. Upon opening the small door, he was met with a strong smell of smoke and the sound of dripping water. The sight of charred wood scattered across the ground caught him off guard. Suddenly, a noise outside startled him. Fear surged through him as he quickly shut the small door, covering Zhou Aichen's mouth to prevent him from making any sound. From that moment on, he dared not open the door again.

Inside their hiding place, they spent their time eating and sleeping, unaware of how much time had elapsed. Eventually, Zhou Aichen could no longer endure the confinement. He began to cry, insisting on going outside. Yang Zichun tried his best to comfort him but it was no use. Feeling suffocated himself as well, Yang Zichun decided to cautiously step outside to get some fresh air and assess the situation.

He cautiously opened the small door again, peeked outside and saw that it was still daytime, or perhaps morning. Climbing out quietly, he told Zhou Aichen to stay inside. He observed the surroundings from behind a wall that had remained standing, finding it eerily quiet with no one in sight. He walked in a crouched position, hiding himself behind the shadows of the wall. He noticed there were a few people clearing the debris from the collapsed house on the main street. He returned to the hiding place, helped Zhou Aichen climb out and closed the door again, ensuring no one would suspect its existence.

He drew Zhou Aichen through the alleyway in fear, no, shuffling step by step toward the main street. Suddenly he caught sight of a group of soldiers passing by the mouth of the alley. His heart leaped with joy. Their uniforms of these soldiers were familiar to him because he even owned a set himself. It was the uniform of the Yang family army. Without hesitation, Yang Zichun scooped up Zhou Aichen, despite struggling his weight, and ran out of the alley toward these soldiers, shouting with all his might:

"Uncle, wait. Uncle, hold on!"

His shout drew the attention not only of the passersby on the street but also of the soldiers. Seeing them stop, Yang Zichun, panting heavily, held Zhou Aichen tightly as he ran up to them. He put Zhou Aichen down and gasped out:

"I...I wa...I want to...meet Yang... Yang Chen." 

One of the soldiers stepped forward and spoke kindly:

"Kid, you shouldn't call him by that name. You should address him as the Young Marshal."

Yang Zichun regained his breath and spoke in an authoritative tone:

"Yes, the Young Marshal Yang Chen. I need to see him urgently. It is very important. Lead me to see him immediately."

That soldier looked at the dirty and dishevelled boy and the equally dirty younger child. Listening to his commanding tone with skepticism, the soldier, of course, didn't take him seriously but replied gently:

"Alright, boy, we'll take you to meet the Young Marshal." Then he turned to his his comrades and instructed two soldiers, "You two escort them to the regimental headquarters first and ask where the Young Marshal can be found."

"Yes, sir."

As the patrol continued down the street, the two assigned soldiers began to leading Yang Zichun and Zhou Aichen toward the headquarters. Although they tried to match Yang Zichun's pace, but... Yang Zichun ordered firmly:

"You two must walk slowly. My younger brother is walking very slowly."

One of the soldiers offered:

"I can carry him."

However, when this soldier was about to lift Zhou Aichen, Yang Zichun pulled Zhou Aichen behind him quickly, saying firmly:

"No, no one, except me, has the right to carry my younger brother. But I am so tired that I don't have the strength to hold him right now. So you need to walk slower."

The two soldiers exchanged glances but remained silent. They had no choice but to walk at a slower pace to match the children's steps. After a while, Zhou Aichen tugged at Yang Zichun's sleeve and spoke to Yang Zichun softly:

"Bro, carry me."

Yang Zichun sighed, squatting down and asking:

"Chen'er, can I carry you on my back?"

"Um." Zhou Aichen murmured in agreement.

Zhou Aichen climbed onto Yang Zichun's back but Yang Zichun struggled to stand up, swaying a few times. A soldier quickly stepped forward to steady him. Yang Zichun glanced at him and said:

"From now on you follow me."

The soldier smiled and asked:

"For what? To kill Wasoku bastards?"

"Yes, you'll follow me to kill Wasoku bastards. What is your name?"

"My name is Guan Zhengtao."

"I get it."

When they arrived at the regimental headquarters, the soldier asked an officer where they could find the Young Marshal. The answer was that Young Marshal was currently stationed in a tent outside the city. Yang Zichun said immediately:

"Send a car to take me there. Let Guan Zhengtao accompany me."

That officer at the headquarters found amusement in this and replied:

"Kid, you seem know quite a lot. But sorry, our cars are only used for emergencies. This is our policy."

The officer found this amusing and replied,

"Kid, you seem to know quite a bit. But sorry, our cars are only used for emergencies. It's our policy." 

Yang Zichun's expression grew serious despite his dirty face. He insisted:

"Send me a car. I have to meet Yang Chen. I will take responsibility for any consequences."

The officer found more funny at this and asked:

"You'll take this responsibility? How will you do that? Cry your way through it? But since you are so eager to meet the Young Marshal, can you tell me who you are?"

Yang Zichun remained firm, saying:

"No, but Yang Chen knows who I am. I can confirm that he must be eager to meet me. So you have to get approval from your superior for the car in a hurry."

The officer had no choice but to apply for a car, but naturally, it was rejected so he said helplessly:

"You see, it's not approved."

Realizing what was going on, Yang Zichun had to change his approach. He soften his tone, asking more diplomatically:

"Do you have a car here?"

"Yes, we do."

"Then can you drive us there? I know this goes against military regulations. If your commander finds out, you'll be in trouble and he might even kill you directly. But if you follow me to meet Yang Chen, I can promise you that your commander won't dare to punish you." He paused for a moment and then changed his tone, "If you refuse to do what I tell you, I will cause chaos or bring even more trouble to you here."

Yang Zichun fixed his gaze on the officer, who also regarded him suspiciously. He then turned to Zhou Aichen and said:

"Chen'er, start crying loudly. Now!"

Without missing a beat, he grabbed the documents from the officer's desk and threw them into the air. As expected, Zhou Aichen started crying loudly. Yang Zichun continued to throw everything on every table into the air, one by one. At first everyone in the room became stunned. That officer quickly grabbed him but Yang Zichun kicked over the table and shouted:

"You will regret this."

Another person nearby spoke up:

"Zhang, I think it is better for you to drive them to meet the Young Marshal. Don't worry. If the commander punishes you, we will go and plead for you. Or you can stay there to ask for help from our God of War when these kids meet him."

Officer Zhang smiled and said:

"What grudge do you have against me? If the commander finds out, I will definitely be dead. But don't worry, my friend, if I die, I'll make sure to take you with me."

While they were joking, Yang Zichun continued to cause chaos in the room, grabbing anything within reach and kicking his legs at the table and making a mess. Meanwhile, the younger one was still crying loudly so Officer Zhang, now clearly frustrated, shouted to Guan Zhengtao:

"Pick up the younger one and get him to stop crying."

When Guan Zhengtao was about to pick up Zhou Aichen, Yang Zichun shouted:

"If you dare to hold him, I will kill you. Drive us to meet Yang Chen."

Officer Zhang had no choice but to give in:

"Okay, okay, I'll drive you there. Please, my naughty boy!"

"Chen'er, stop crying." Yang Zichun said, then spoke to another officer, "Get some water for my younger brother. His throat is hoarse."

Everyone in the room looked at the two children in silence. The younger one was holding a cup of water to drink while the older one stared at them seriously. After a while, the younger one said in a soft voice:

"Bro. I am done."

Looking at the remaining water in the cup, Yang Zichun drank it all in one gulp and continued to stare at them. Officer Zhang sighed and spoke to his colleague:

"I give up. Did you report the situation to our superior?"

"I did but he said we should handle it ourselves."

"Alright, I'll risk my life to take these two kids to meet the Young Marshal. To be honest I have never been to the Young Marshal's headquarters."

Officer Zhang drove the car while Guan Zhengtao sat in the passenger seat. The two children sat quietly in the back seat. The older one hugged the younger one in his arms and the younger one had fallen asleep. Officer Zhang looked back and asked Guan Zhengtao:

"Where did you find them? How dare he speak like that! They must meet our God of War."

"We were patrolling on the street when they approached us."

When they arrived at the tent where Yang Chen and his staff were stationed, the younger one woke up. Yang Zichun looked around but didn't recognize anyone. However, he was told:

"The Young Marshal has gone to Xishan but you can wait for him here because he will be back by noon."

Officer Zhang and Guan Zhengtao had no choice but to accompany the two children. No, it was Yang Zichun's command to prevent them from returning. His reason was very simple:

"All of you will be punished if you go back. The only person who can save you is your Young Marshal."

It was not an exaggeration. If they went back now, they would surely face punishment because it would be difficult for them to explain the situation clearly. On the other hand, if they stayed here, they might be reprimanded by the Young Marshal for coming without orders. They sat there anxiously, waiting.

At this moment they heard footsteps approaching the tent, followed by the voices calling out "Young Marshal". Then they heard Yang Chen's voice saying:

"Two kids are looking for me? Are they here?"

As he spoke, the curtain of the tent was lifted. Yang Chen walked in, his gaze falling on the children. One of the boys rushed toward him. Yang Chen was stunned when he recognized this boy.