Chapter 53: Going to the Eldest Aunt's House for the Reunion

Chapter 53: A Family Reunion at the Eldest Aunt’s House

(I)

On March 24, 1942, Nannan went to her "Eldest Aunt’s" home for a family reunion for the very first time. That afternoon, Guan Shan put on the new clothes gifted by the commander to pick Nannan up from the kindergarten. Guan Nannan was also dressed up prettily, holding Guan Shan’s hand as she skipped through the village, greeting everyone she met with a smile as brilliant as the spring sun.

In late March, the mornings and evenings in Jinzhong still carried a chill, but the footsteps of spring were undeniably drawing near.

For this first family reunion, the sense of occasion was complete. The regimental headquarters and the county committee both sent gifts, and the cooking squad specially prepared two dishes: canned meat stewed with potatoes and canned fruit soup. Little Nannan ate with gusto until her little belly was rounded and full.

Li Yunlong, Zhao Gang, and County Party Secretary Lü also attended the reunion ceremony. In the presence of Secretary Lü and Wang Wanlan, Li Yunlong refrained from teasing Zhao Gang too much about their seniority.

"You’re heading out on a mission tomorrow, right? Is there anything else you need cooperation from the local government on? Commander, Political Commissar, speak up as soon as possible!" Secretary Lü asked.

"Nothing else!" Li Yunlong said cavalierly. "Once we take down Baicun, we reckon every fellow villager's family will be able to get eight to ten jin of good flour. Wild vegetables will be sprouting soon too, so holding out until the wheat harvest shouldn't be a problem!"

Secretary Lü raised his tea mug and said, "Good! Then today, let's use tea in place of wine to toast a triumphant opening battle for the Eighth Route Army!"

"Thank you, Secretary Lü and County Magistrate Wang, and thank you for the support of our local comrades!" Zhao Gang raised the tea mug before him.

"When our troops return victorious and Guan Shan and his daughter reunite next week, the leaders must come over as well. As the eldest aunt, I will prepare fine wine to celebrate your victory!" Wang Wanlan smiled as she toasted Li Yunlong. There was no alcohol that evening, and everyone could sense Li Yunlong's various expressions of discomfort.

"Good, good, good! Thank you to Nannan’s eldest aunt. Come, come, her eldest uncle... hehehe!" Li Yunlong said with a cheeky grin.

"Daddy, do you guys have another mission?" Nannan looked at Guan Shan and asked.

"That's right, Nannan. Daddy is going out on a mission tomorrow. When I come back, what gift do you want?" Guan Shan asked.

Guan Nannan thought about it carefully and said, "Daddy, can you capture a few more of those biscuits from last time? Xiaodong and the others finished eating theirs and ask me every day for that half pack..."

"Biscuits? You got it! When the time comes, I'll let you distribute them again, and I'll make them line up!" Guan Shan smiled and gently patted Nannan's little head.

"And Principal Mama, Teacher Zao, and Grandpa Cui, I want to let them taste them too..."

Everyone was amused by Guan Nannan’s cuteness, and Wang Wanlan laughed until tears came to her eyes.

(II)

After sitting for a short while, Secretary Lü announced that he still had work to attend to and stood up to take his leave. Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang left together as well. As they were leaving, Li Yunlong made a few winking, mischievous gestures, trying to crack a joke, but Zhao Gang pulled and dragged him away.

Zhao Gang thought to himself that if Li Yunlong were allowed to drink even a few drops of cat urine, there was no telling what kind of inappropriate nonsense would spew from his broken mouth!

After playing with Nannan for a little while longer and washing her feet with warm water, Guan Shan sat on the edge of the brick bed and told her the story of *The Little Horse Crossing the River*. By the third time he told it, Nannan had fallen fast asleep in a haze.

It was time for Guan Shan to say goodbye.

"Shanzi, I heard this mission is still quite dangerous. You must be careful," Wang Wanlan said as she handed the thousand-layer-soled cloth shoes to Guan Shan, offering a gentle reminder.

"It's fine, Sister. I've been practicing for days!" Guan Shan was now calling her sister with increasing fluency, and he even began to feel that this County Magistrate Wang was truly his own flesh-and-blood sister in this lifetime.

It really was wonderful. In his previous life, Guan Shan was an only child and had always envied others who had a sister to dote on their younger brother. He never expected one to fall straight out of the sky in this lifetime.

Wang Wanlan asked, "When are you coming back? I'll bake a few flatbreads for you in advance..."

Guan Shan forced a smile and said, "Or rather, you can bake them the day after tomorrow morning. I should be able to get back by noon the day after. Oh, Sister, let me leave my haversack with you for now; the dictionary is inside it too. I'll come get it from you when I return."

This kind of foreshadowing didn't quite feel right... How did it somehow carry the flavor of a parting between the living and the dead?

Wang Wanlan stared blankly at Guan Shan. After a long moment, she forcibly suppressed her emotions and said as lightly as possible, "Alright, fine. Sister will bake a few extra for you. You must remember to come back and eat them!"

Clutching his shoes, Guan Shan grinned weakly and said, "Then I'm leaving, Sister. I'll go back, wash my feet, and put these on."

Clutching his shoes, he strode away without even daring to look back.

To be honest, if you're going to be a soldier, your mind should probably be a bit simpler, your temper a bit more fiery, a bit more impulsive, a bit louder...

For someone like him, who had crossed over with complex life experiences and started from the grassroots, he truly had no idea which episode he would survive until.

Especially since he kept digging himself massive craters that he wasn't even sure he could fill.

It didn't matter. Who knows, maybe one day he would achieve glory and get to see that cute little Nannan from the other world once again. In a world without him, how much must that little Nannan miss her daddy!

(III)

When he returned to the regimental headquarters, it was already close to nine o'clock. Guan Shan noticed several warhorses tied up right outside the courtyard gate. Clearly, the battalion commanders from the lower ranks had been urgently summoned for a meeting.

Deployments and mobilizations had already been fully completed during the day; today’s primary task was to rest and prepare for tomorrow's departure. But the sudden convening of an emergency meeting now meant the situation had undoubtedly changed.

Guan Shan hurried forward a few steps and called out "Report" at Li Yunlong's door.

"Splendid! Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. Guan Shan, come right in!" Li Yunlong called out.

After entering the room, Guan Shan saluted and greeted the room full of battalion and company commanders. Everyone knew that Guan Shan was having his "father-daughter reunion" today, but no one exchanged polite pleasantries or idle chatter; the atmosphere was rather tense.

"Since you, the demolition squad leader in charge of breaching, have arrived right on time, we can officially begin!" Li Yunlong said. "Tian Daqing, give your report. Guan Shan, step right up and mark the map; practice more!"

"Yes!" Guan Shan took off his shoes, climbed onto the brick bed, picked up the red and blue pencils, and looked at Tian Daqing.

"First is the reinforcement of enemy forces." Tian Daqing pointed to the location of Baicun on the large map and said, "At noon today, three or four fully loaded trucks arrived from the north, followed by the puppet troops, numbering about an enhanced company in strength. They all entered that large courtyard. What was loaded in the trucks is currently unknown."

"Another company added, and an enhanced company at that. That means the enemy's manpower and firepower have doubled!" Everyone began discussing in low voices.

"There is a new situation at Hutingshan as well!" Tian Daqing moved his finger to Hutingshan—the exact ambush site where the enemy's observation delegation had just been wiped out—and said, "Also today, around eight or nine o'clock this morning, about a company of puppet troops came out of the Hutingshan stronghold, herding three or four hundred fellow villagers bound with long ropes. Among them were captured soldiers wearing Nationalist army uniforms as well as peasants in disguise, all wearing very tattered clothes..."

"Are they going to build pillboxes along this stretch of mountain highway too?" Zhang Dabiao frowned as he looked at Tian Daqing.