Chapter 1 The Encounter at Midnight

It was past midnight. Inside the main building of the Su family compound in Zhanan District, the third sister tugged at her second uncle's arm, coaxing him, "Everyone's here. Just meet him! We should show some hospitality, okay?"

"What time is it?" her second uncle said, exasperated in his pajamas. "Who visits people at this hour?"

"He's meeting with Mayor Li tomorrow. He came straight from the ship," the third sister explained softly. "He's quite polite."

"Polite my ass!" her second uncle retorted.

"The boy has been on a ship for a week and came right over. You have to show your face," her second aunt chimed in. "Besides, the family business still needs his support."

"Don't call him a boy. 'Old Brother' is more like it," her second uncle grumbled, finally relenting after much persuasion. "I'll get dressed and go out."

"Thanks, Dad," the third sister said with a grin.

...

Inside the Su family's living room.

Gui Mengjun stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at some photos on the south wall. He quietly asked Su Tianyu, "Your second uncle used to be a soldier?"

"Yes, from the old Northeast Corps of the Ninth District. He followed Shen Wanzhou first, then Zhou Xingli when he came back," Su Tianyu replied. "That was when he was young."

"So you're all considered relatives of rebels? Hehe," Gui Mengjun joked.

Su Tianyu was speechless. "He was just a deputy battalion commander when he retired. How does that make him a rebel? People back then didn't have a choice. If they were offered food, they'd pick up a gun."

In truth, Gou Liuzi wasn't wrong at all. Many things during that special era were beyond the control of ordinary people. When Second Uncle joined the army, it was during a major disaster. People were struggling to survive, and it was a hard life. When you're starving, you don't think about ideals or ideologies.

Gui Mengjun studied the photos of Second Uncle in his military uniform, looking at him and his comrades, as if searching for something.

"What are you looking at?" Su Tianyu asked.

"Nothing. Your second uncle looked quite dashing when he was young," Gui Mengjun said with a smile.

"Of course. Good looks run in my family," Su Tianyu said shamelessly.

As they were talking, the third sister came out with her second uncle and second aunt.

"Mr. Gui, my parents!" the third sister called out.

Gui Mengjun turned around sharply and immediately went to greet them. "Hello, Uncle!"

He addressed him as "Uncle" so naturally that it didn't feel awkward at all. Second Uncle glanced at Gui Mengjun and extended his hand. "Hello, Mr. Gui!"

"Uncle, don't call me Mr. Gui. Just call me Mengjun, or even Xiao Gui," Gui Mengjun said with a smile. "Make it casual!"

"Have a seat," Second Uncle said.

"Auntie!" Gui Mengjun extended his hand to the second aunt.

"You sit. I'll get you some tea," the second aunt said, sizing up Gui Mengjun before leaving the living room with her daughter.

As they sat down, Second Uncle glanced at Gui Mengjun and asked, making conversation, "Here on business?"

"Yes!" Gui Mengjun replied, engaging in conversation. "Talking about business here, meeting with partners."

Although Second Uncle wasn't thrilled about him dating his third sister, he still had to be polite. After all, the association depended on his supply of goods, and being too arrogant would definitely cause annoyance.

...

Inside the kitchen.

The second aunt was washing teacups, carefully recalling Gui Mengjun's face. "He's not bad looking. Doesn't look old!"

"He's not even forty, older sister," the third sister said, exasperated. "You don't really think he's the same age as you, do you?"

"Who are you calling older sister? No respect," the second aunt playfully chided her. "He's alright, has a masculine charm, and looks more stable than those youngsters."

"Right? He's quite handsome, huh?" the third sister agreed with a smile.

The second aunt knew her daughter too well. She paused for a moment and said softly, "There's an old saying about marrying someone of equal social standing. If a woman doesn't have to worry about daily necessities one day, she'll start worrying about other things."

"Are you saying that Gui Mengjun's status as a second-generation rich kid isn't good, and he'll fool around in the future?" the third sister asked.

"If the in-laws' family is too high, a person won't be able to stand tall!" the second aunt said to her daughter, drawing from her fifty years of life experience. "It's hard to be a daughter-in-law."

"I'm just dating him. Are you guys thinking too much?"

"...Just wash the cups," the second aunt said, not wanting to say more.

...

Inside the living room.

Gui Mengjun chatted with Second Uncle for a while, then suddenly asked, "Uncle, you served in the 125th Division of the Shen faction in the Ninth District, right?"

Second Uncle was surprised to hear that. "How did you know?"

"Hehe, Miaomiao told me," Gui Mengjun paused, then asked with a smile, "Do you know Tong Zhigang and Jiang Wei?"

Second Uncle looked at Gui Mengjun in astonishment. "I... I know them. Tong Zhigang was my old squad leader, and Jiang Wei was our squad's ammunition handler."

"That's right."

Gui Mengjun reached into his pocket and took out two envelopes, explaining softly, "It's like this, Uncle. We've always had partnerships with the Hua District, and many of my company's executives are stationed on the mainland, especially in the Ninth District. Before I came here, it happened to be almost the holidays, so I sent someone to Songjiang to look for your family's old house and clean up the cemetery."

Second Uncle looked at Gui Mengjun, his surprise turning into eagerness. "Did you find the old house?"

"No, it's been too long, and many of the houses there are gone," Gui Mengjun shook his head. "Besides, Miaomiao has very few memories of her hometown. Hehe, the information she provided was all wrong."

"Ah, yes, it's been too long. We used to live outside the district. Those houses must have all been demolished. I don't even know if the graves are still there," Second Uncle said with a sigh.

"But I had someone find Tong Zhigang and Jiang Wei," Gui Mengjun handed over the envelopes. "I originally wanted them to record a video or leave some contact information so you could talk to them on the phone when I got here, but they didn't want to. They just wanted to write you letters. Take a look."

"They wrote them?"

"Yes!" Gui Mengjun nodded.

Second Uncle immediately took the envelopes, his hands trembling slightly as he opened Jiang Wei's letter. He tilted his head to catch the light and frowned as he began to read.

"Brother Su, seeing this letter is like seeing you in person.

I recall that we parted ways during the Ninth District evacuation campaign more than twenty years ago. The flames of war and the strong bond of camaraderie are unforgettable to this day. Thinking back to those days, our youthful years, I can't help but sigh. Now that we are old, there are few old friends left, and my thoughts of you are even stronger. Last week, someone from the Old Triangle brought news, saying that you have settled down in Dragon City...!"

Ten minutes later, Second Uncle frowned, his eyes filled with tears as he looked at the letter.

This wasn't just a letter, it was a lifetime, it was the passage of years!

Su Tianyu's generation might have a vague concept of their hometown, but it was different for Second Uncle and his peers. They had spent most of their lives there, where they had so many memories and people to miss.

During the evacuation battle of the Ninth District, many units were scattered, and many comrades were separated, but the memories remained so vivid.

Su Tianyu glanced at Gui Mengjun, thinking to himself, *This guy is something else. I've been a member of the Su family for so many years, and I've never seen anyone make Second Uncle cry...*