Yang Chen and Gao Hong walked down the street, watching the New Guard recruits training on the field, filled with emotions.

"Boss, since you're not smoking anymore, should I exchange these for a higher grade cigarette?" Gao Hong teased, winking.

Because of Yang Chen, everyone basically followed his smoking habit, as Yang Chen never touched any other cigarettes, for unknown reasons.

So over the years, Gao Hong continued smoking as well, including buying cigarettes now, just to offer them to Yang Chen.

Now that Yang Chen quit smoking, Gao Hong thought about upgrading the cigarette quality, since they were too cheap and the taste was harsh.

Yang Chen glared at him, speaking coldly: "Are you wealthy now?"

Gao Hong was stunned, looking at Yang Chen with surprise, unable to understand Yang Chen's sudden change.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't have much money, but my salary and so forth are enough for me, and while in the Guard, there's no need to go out, no expenses, saving money is useless for me..."

"Useless?" Yang Chen snorted coldly, "Have you forgotten about your brothers?"

Gao Hong was taken aback, frowning as he looked at Yang Chen.

"Brothers... I haven't been in touch with them. I've been in the barracks all along..."

Yang Chen took a deep breath and asked, "How many people were there in the Wolf Fang Squad initially?"

Gao Hong replied, "Originally, there were 299 people, with 200 eliminated, leaving 99, and officially confirmed at 45!"

Yang Chen stopped, turned around, and stared at Gao Hong, saying, "Do you know how many are left now?"

Gao Hong shook his head.

After leaving the Guard, he hadn't received any news about them.

Yang Chen took a deep breath and said, "From 45 people in the Wolf Fang Squad, three were lost in the Viper operation, leaving 42. Subsequently, five deserted, leaving 37!"

Gao Hong couldn't help but lower his head, as he was one of those five deserters.

"Later, seven sacrificed, sixteen retired due to injuries, one recuperated due to illness, leaving thirteen."

After saying this, Yang Chen looked at Gao Hong.

Gao Hong's face showed a struggle.

"Remember our promise back then? Before every battle?" Yang Chen asked.

Gao Hong's eyebrows tightened, a flash of pain in his eyes, he replied in a deep voice, "Of course, I remember!"

"What was it?" Yang Chen stared at Gao Hong.

Gao Hong took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "If I die, please take care of my parents!"

"How would you respond?"

Gao Hong replied, "Don't worry, I'll take care of your family, just like my own parents! If I die, you also need to take care of my family!"

"Where is it now?" Yang Chen stared at Gao Hong.

Gao Hong deeply lowered his head, as he had long buried this matter deep in his memory, forgotten.

Yang Chen sighed and said to Gao Hong, "Actually, I didn't expect you to bear this responsibility because you don't even know who's retired due to injuries, who's sacrificed, let alone his family, his kin."

"But I'm willing to lend a helping hand! As long as I have the ability, whatever you need me to do, I will absolutely do it!" Gao Hong said excitedly.

Yang Chen shook his head and continued walking forward.

Gao Hong quickly caught up.

Yang Chen said slowly, "I've been to the border for a few days… precisely four and a half days more, I just got back today, making it five days. Do you know what I've been doing there?"

Gao Hong looked at Yang Chen, shaking his head.

"Do you remember Zhuzi?" Yang Chen asked.

Gao Hong nodded, replying in a deep voice, "I remember, Zhuzi was very innocent, quite fun."

"Exactly!" Yang Chen's lips curled up slightly, seemingly recalling that naive and honest man from before, "They were all kids from the countryside, simple and kind-hearted."

"Yes! I remember Zhuzi was very easygoing, he even helped me wash my clothes." Gao Hong also felt nostalgic.

Yang Chen bowed his head in silence for a while, pursing his lips, and after a long time, said, "Zhuzi sacrificed himself!"

"What!" Gao Hong's eyes widened, "How come even Zhuzi..."

Yang Chen shook his head, "I went to Zhuzi's home! Originally, I just wanted to pay my respects, give some money and leave. But when I reached Zhuzi's village, saw the dilapidated condition of their home, and the aging appearance of the old lady, I couldn't bring myself to say it."

In front of Yang Chen's eyes, the scene he had witnessed back then was reflected.

On the rugged and muddy mountain road, it took a long time to walk, to cross the stream, to tread through a path in the mountains to reach their village.

The houses in the village were all built of stone and mud walls, with roofs made of wooden planks and thatched grass.

The courtyard didn't even have a proper fence, just some crooked and twisted small branches made into railings.

When Yang Chen saw Zhuzi's mother, she was a woman with white hair, cloudy eyes, a hunched back, hands full of calluses, appearing somewhat frail.

She seemed to be in her sixties or seventies.

Logically, Zhuzi, if alive, should be around twenty-six or twenty-seven, not have a mother this old.

But after inquiries, Yang Chen learned that Zhuzi was the fifth child born.

Being in the countryside, gender preference was evident.

After four consecutive daughters, the fifth child came along.

The fifth child was treated as a treasure, but good times did not last long. Zhuzi's elder sister went out to work, and in the first year, sent money home, but in the second year, there was no news.

The second sister left as well, eventually eloping with someone and marrying far away, never to return.

The third and fourth sisters were tricked into working in other places, and never returned.

Only Zhuzi remained, eventually serving as a Guard member.

During the years Zhuzi served as a Guard, the family conditions indeed improved significantly because their subsidies were relatively high, Zhuzi was honest, and he sent all the money home.

But Zhuzi's father developed cancer, requiring a large sum of money for treatment.

Previous money sent by his sisters and his salary were all spent.

Later on, his current mother indeed asked his sisters for money, they provided, but after the first year, there was no news from them. Being married daughters, they couldn't always support the family.

The last hope rested on Zhuzi.

However, after waiting for years, what returned was a urn, along with a condolence payment.

The condolence payment was used up for medical treatment, only relying on Zhuzi's subsidy to get by.

Zhuzi's father held on for a few years before finally passing away, leaving only Zhuzi's mother alone. Although she was by herself, two hundred yuan of monthly subsidy was barely enough.

Life thus seemed increasingly difficult.

Now, Zhuzi's mother is even more alone, although less than seventy years old, she appears as old as others in their eighties.

When looking at Zhuzi's mother, Yang Chen felt his nose turn sour.

"Young man, you're looking for Zhuzi?"

When Zhuzi's mother's coarse hand grasped Yang Chen's arm and asked this question, Yang Chen couldn't hold back, tears streaming down from his eyes.

Yang Chen replied in a deep voice, "Yes, I'm Zhuzi's comrade!"

"Oh! Then you came to see me, right? No need, I'm fine! No need for the country to worry, you should do your duties, I'm okay, I won't cause trouble for the country!" Zhuzi's elderly mother was notably understanding.

However, this sentence pierced into Yang Chen's heart like a sharp arrow, causing pain.

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