Chapter 1 In a Dark Corner

In a dimly lit bar in Dragon City, Yu Mingyuan sat alone in a corner, drinking hard liquor.

Since the end of the war, Yu Mingyuan had become both taciturn and extraordinarily decadent. Initially, Su Tianyu had intended for him to take over the association's work, because after the 75th annual meeting, everyone knew that Old Li would definitely retire in the next term, and after the division of power among the various units, Yu Mingyuan was the most suitable for the position.

But unfortunately, no matter how Su Tianyu tried to persuade him, Yu Mingyuan was unwilling to take on a major position again. In the end, there was no other way. Gou Liuzi gave him the title of vice-chairman in the association, but he rarely went to work and rarely appeared in public.

Da Bai even made a few special trips back from Panama City to drink with him and enlighten him.

But when these two got together and talked about the old days of starting a business, remembering Tong Hui, remembering Kong Zhenghui's betrayal, and that beautiful time, they would instead hug each other and cry bitterly.

Su Tianyu realized that this wouldn't work. Not only was Yu Mingyuan's problem not solved, but Da Bai was also on the verge of depression. In the end, he could only verbally restrict Minister Bai from entering the country, not allowing him to find Yu Mingyuan to hang out with anymore.

In fact, Gou Liuzi knew in his heart that Yu Mingyuan couldn't get over the hurdle in his own mind, and he was blaming himself for many things.

...

Inside the bar, Su Tianyu walked over to the table and sat down across from Yu Mingyuan.

Yu Mingyuan drunkenly raised his head, his expression dull for three seconds, before asking with a stiff tongue, "You... why are you here?"

"Wanted to drink, what else would I be doing here? I'm already married, do you think I'd still dare to chase after women?" Su Tianyu loosened his collar, turned his head and gestured to the waiter, picked up the bottle and said, "You like drinking, right? Come on, let's drink together!"

Yu Mingyuan stared at him blankly, "You don't have to always worry about me. I'm an adult, what is there I can’t figure out? Do I still need you to enlighten me?"

"Like I care that much about you?" Su Tianyu curled his lip, "You've washed your hands of it, but I still have a ton of things to do. I don't have time to enlighten you!"

"Then... we're really drinking?"

"Come on, cheers!" Su Tianyu rolled up his sleeves, took the glass from the waiter, and started drinking with Yu Mingyuan.

The folk singer in the bar was singing about youth, about ideals, about his views on the world. Su Tianyu and Yu Mingyuan didn't say any nonsense, they just silently clinked glasses and drank.

That night, the two didn't know how much they drank, only knowing that near the end, there was no one left in the bar. Various hard liquors were placed on the small table, and Hou Guoyu and Da Xiong, who were worried about the two, had also entered the room to wait, protecting their safety.

In the early hours of the morning, the Dragon City General Su had completely lost his composure, drinking himself under the table. He sat on the ground, rubbing his face incessantly like someone with hyperactivity, and said in a hoarse voice, "You said you wanted to do one last thing, and I agreed to it. But after it was done, you didn't make it back! What do you mean by that, are you deliberately making me suffer?"

When Yu Mingyuan heard this, he instantly burst into tears, covering his face and sobbing, "Damn it, Xiao Yu... I miss Tong Hui, I miss Xiao Rou... I miss him too! He made mistakes... and he died, but we went through more than ten years together!!"

When Su Tianyu heard this, he sat on the ground and replied blankly, "Mingyuan, some things we have to accept. Gu Baishun, who hated you the most, clearly captured you, but didn't kill you. You and I are mortals, not gods, we can't control everything. We're still alive, and there are still people around us who care about you. What will you accomplish by ruining yourself? Leaving aside everyone else, do you think Xiao Rou would want to come back and see you like this?!"

When Yu Mingyuan heard this, his voice trembled, and he sobbed, "...Xiao Rou is in this situation today because of me! Can she still come back?"

Project Sunset was handled by Yu Mingyuan, which directly led to the assassination of the big traitor Commander Wang, the capture of the former foreign minister of the First District's military and political department, and even affected the direction of the war in Dragon City.

This matter couldn't be hidden, and the First District hated Yu Mingyuan to the extreme, especially the military units, who even considered organizing an assassination. However, due to the tense relations between the two sides, they were also afraid of things escalating, so they chose to give up.

This was why Yu Mingyuan was so decadent. He felt that not only had he failed to rescue Wen Xiao Rou, but he had also harmed her.

The First District knew about the relationship between the two, so they still refused to exchange Wen Xiao Rou, instead continuing to hold her under house arrest.

In the dimly lit bar, Su Tianyu slowly raised his arm and slapped Yu Mingyuan's cheek, "Hey, look at me!"

Yu Mingyuan raised his head with a blank look, his face covered in tears.

"Do you trust me?"

"I trust you, I've always... trusted you!" Yu Mingyuan slurred, his consciousness blurred.

Su Tianyu put his arm around his neck and said, word by word, "You pull yourself together, and I'll definitely find a way to get Xiao Rou out within three years!"

"You're comforting me."

"I swear to the heavens, within three years, she'll definitely be home!" Su Tianyu glared, "The new general commander of the First District needs to resolve this mess. Successfully winning back the former minister of the military and political department is an extremely glorious thing, you understand? You just need to be well, don't worry about anything else, I'll handle the rest!"

"Is there... a chance?" Yu Mingyuan's voice trembled.

"Yes, there definitely is!"

"Good, good, good!" Yu Mingyuan said three "goods" in a row, nodding solemnly.

The two finished the wine on the table and left the bar with the support of Hou Guoyu and Da Xiong.

As soon as they left, Su Tianyu received a call from An Qiqi. He drunkenly pressed the answer button, "Hey, I told you I'm drinking, why are you calling me all the time!"

"Who are you talking to?!"

"...Sorry, I thought it was my daughter calling..." Su Tianyu swayed, immediately changing his tone, "Officer An, what are your instructions?"

Four years ago, An Qiqi and Su Tianyu officially married and had a son and a daughter. The boy was three years old, and the daughter had just turned one year old.

As soon as An Qiqi heard the word "instructions," she immediately said excitedly on the phone, "I'm telling you, everything is ready here..."

Not far away, Yu Mingyuan stood on the brightly lit street, staring blankly at a street. Coincidentally, that street was where the Dragon City Five Elders started their business, the earliest Tongji Association rose from that street. Everyone had too many memories and youth left in that small courtyard.

"Goodbye, brothers! Goodbye!!" Yu Mingyuan waved to the street like a madman, his eyes red.

Su Tianyu hung up the phone, walked over, and asked softly, "What the hell are you shouting about?"

"Hehe, nothing... Just saying goodbye to the past." Yu Mingyuan put his arm around Su Tianyu's neck, "Let's go to my place, let's keep drinking!"

"Can't drink anymore, brother! I have to go home, it's been a week, if I don't go back, I won't be able to keep my girl and wife."

"...Okay, say hello to them for me. I miss them too."

"Get lost!"

"Haha!" Yu Mingyuan laughed.

"Alright, let him go home, we brothers will drink with you." Hou Guoyu grabbed Yu Mingyuan, "You say what you want to do, we brothers will stay with you."

"Good brothers!" Yu Mingyuan nodded.

Just like that, the guards sent Su Tianyu away, while Hou Guoyu and Da Xiong accompanied Yu Mingyuan to the garrison brigade to continue drinking.

...

A dizzy night passed.

The next day, the sun was bright and the sky was clear.

Yu Mingyuan, who had been drunk the night before, slowly opened his eyes on the bed and looked around, finding the environment extremely unfamiliar.

"Where the hell is this?" Yu Mingyuan rubbed his face on the bed, frowning and muttering.

He really had a blackout last night, he only remembered walking with Da Xiong and Hou Guoyu, but he had no idea where he went or what he did.

"Ha~!"

Yu Mingyuan yawned, dragging his sore body, and was about to get out of bed, when he suddenly noticed that he was wearing a brand-new suit, and there was a bouquet of flowers on the surrounding tables, even his socks had been changed.

"...Holy shit, am I still dreaming?!" Yu Mingyuan began to doubt himself, he was dumbfounded, preparing to lie down and get up again.

"Bang!"

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a large group of people rushed in.

"Come on, get up!" Hou Guoyu shouted loudly, his face very anxious.

Yu Mingyuan looked at him blankly, "...What are you doing?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Da Xiong, Qiu Ge, and even Lu Feng, Su Tianbei, Su Tiannan and others also came. A group of middle-aged men were grinning at him, there were more than twenty people in total.

"I... I damn... am I really not awake?" Yu Mingyuan kept asking himself in his heart, he thought he was hallucinating from drinking.

"Something big happened, get up!" Hou Guoyu ran over and shouted.

"What big thing?" Yu Mingyuan asked weakly.

"You're getting married, isn't that a big deal?!"

"Ah???" Yu Mingyuan's expression was dull.

"Lift him up, come on brothers, give me a hand!"

"Whoosh!"

Everyone rushed forward, put brand new leather shoes on Yu Mingyuan without saying a word, and forcibly carried him out of the room.

"What do you mean getting married? To who??!"

Yu Mingyuan's puzzled shouts came from the corridor.

...

9:56 am, the old General Administration.

Yu Mingyuan was surrounded by the crowd and pushed into the ceremonial hall. As soon as his feet stepped on the red carpet, the wedding march rang out around him.

The music was cheerful and passionate. Yu Mingyuan turned his head and looked around, finding that the tables on both sides were full of guests, with more than 300 people in attendance. Moreover, Li Mingsheng, An Zecheng, his aunt Yu Zhen, An Qiqi, as well as Tan Mingchao, Tan Hengqiang, and old-fashioned garrison generals were all there.

This scene stunned Yu Mingyuan, he looked at the main stage in shock, with a banner pulled on it - Welcome to the wedding of Mr. Yu Mingyuan and Ms. Wen Xiaorou.

When those words appeared in Yu Mingyuan's mind, he still couldn't believe it was real.

Beside him, Su Tianyu walked over and said, "To get you drunk, I threw up all night last night!"

Yu Mingyuan looked at him blankly, "...This... this?!"

Beside him, Gu Baishun said with his hands behind his back, "The final batch of prisoner-of-war exchanges was completed yesterday afternoon. That unlucky foreign minister might have died in Dragon City if he wasn't sent back, so everything was brought forward. Your wife... came back from the sea, and General Su personally went to pick her up."

Hearing this, Yu Mingyuan looked at Su Tianyu, tears streaming down instantly, and scolded excitedly, "You damn liar!"

Su Tianyu pointed in the direction behind the ceremonial stage, "She's over there, go!"

"Go, don't stand there!"

"Go, brother!"

"...!"

An Qiqi and the baby kept urging from behind, Yu Mingyuan gradually came back to his senses, and walked towards the ceremonial stage under the escort of the groomsmen, step by step.

Yu Mingyuan and that woman walked this red carpet, which was less than a hundred meters long, for a full fifteen years!

When the surrounding music rang out, when the host called out the congratulatory words, Yu Mingyuan's mind went blank.

He quickly approached the entrance of the bride's entrance, gazing at the veil that blocked his view, holding roses, with tears in his eyes.

"Please welcome the bride to the stage!"

As soon as the shout fell, the veil was lifted, and the woman who had also waited for Yu Mingyuan for a full ten years, walked out in a wedding dress.

Behind her, Tan Mingchao and the doll's daughter, as well as Su Tianyu's son, were carrying the train of her wedding dress, with smiles on their faces, clumsily scattering petals.

The indoor lights gathered, Wen Xiaorou wore light makeup, and wrinkles faintly appeared on her face. She also had tears in her eyes and said softly, "They said they wanted to hold a wedding... I don't know... if you're still willing."

Yu Mingyuan looked at her, opened his arms, and hugged her tightly, "I'm... I'm sorry... I made you wait so long. Of course I'm willing, I should have married you a long time ago!! Thank you, Xiaorou... really thank you, for so many years... for still being willing to wear a wedding dress for me!"

Wen Xiaorou turned her head and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, "...When I was there, I only had one belief, I had to come back and put on this dress."

The two hugged tightly, transcending the waiting, transcending the full fifteen years.

The long love run finally came to an end, and the wedding began in a joyous atmosphere.

In the final part, Wen Xiaorou threw the roses backwards, looking for the next lucky person to get married.

But unexpectedly, the roses happened to hit Da Bai on the head, he subconsciously caught them, looked around a little awkwardly, and said pretentiously, "Damn, this is clearly hinting that I should get a broken shoe! Just politely asking, is getting remarried illegal?!"

"I remind you, the inauguration conference for the new Commander Bruna will be held in a week," Su Tianyu replied.

"I have always been faithful to love!" Da Bai said without hesitation.

"Hahahaha!"

Everyone laughed.

In a joyous atmosphere, the wedding came to an end, and everyone took the stage together under the call of the master of ceremonies to take a group photo.

Yu Mingyuan and Wen Xiaorou stood in the center, An Zecheng, Li Mingsheng, Tan Hengqiang and other old-fashioned generals sat in the front row, and Su Tianyu, Da Bai, Fei Pingsheng, Su Tiannan, Su Tianbei, Xin Xiaodong, Tan Mingchao, Doll, An Qiqi, as well as Wang Daolin, Lu Feng, Wei Xiangzuo, Gu Baishun, Da Xiong, Hou Guoyu, Sun Wei, Xing Yao, Lao Qian, Yao Doudou and others behind.

"Everyone smile!"

"Say cheese!!!"

"Click!"

The picture was frozen, and time seemed to stand still for a moment in the new era of '79.

...

Two years later, New Era '81.

The political wrangling with the First District finally came to an end, and Dragon City declared its independent sovereignty, and the legitimacy of the regime was publicly recognized by the United Government.

A year later, under the close political ties between the Hua District and Dragon City, and with the opening up of policies, there was a large-scale wave of returning home. Many old people who had been wandering overseas for half a century embarked on their journey home, looking for relatives who had been forced to separate in the flames of war through local organizations and reception departments.

At the same time, the official departments of the Hua District and Dragon City also held cultural exchange activities based on Chinese civilization.

Su Tianyu visited the Hua District again, bringing his wife, children, and his aging second uncle and other family members back to the old Ninth District of the Northeast, which those old people had been thinking about.

At a barren cemetery outside Songjiang City, the Su family held ancestral worship activities.

Su Tianyu's youngest son was only five or six years old, he watched his second grandfather kneeling on the ground, kowtowing to the newly tidied tomb with tears on his face, and murmuring, "Mom and Dad... we're back, we're back!"

Seeing this scene, his son looked up and asked Su Tianyu, "...Dad, why do we have to come here to worship our ancestors?"

Su Tianyu stroked his head and responded softly, "Because this is our hometown. Our deceased relatives are buried here... our roots are here!"

...

In the Old Mexico region, inside the memorial hall of the Battle of Mount Tian, Jiang Zhou, representing the Hua District, was leading his wife and children, along with a group of generals from the Hua District, to visit everything in the exhibition hall.

This exhibition hall was jointly funded by Dragon City and the Old Mexico region to commemorate the soldiers who died on this battlefield. It was they who had crossed the swampy forest and changed the battle situation in the Old Mexico region.

Next to a group of sculptures, Jiang Zhou and his party stopped to watch.

The background of this sculpture group was a forest in the depths of the mountains, with sculptures of more than thirty soldiers gathered together, some were shooting, some were clearing ammunition, and some had fallen in the trenches.

They were ragged, emaciated, but their eyes were firm and sharp.

Jiang Zhou's son was also young, only six or seven years old, he took his father's hand and asked with a puzzled expression, "Dad... why did they come to such a far place to fight?"

Jiang Zhou stared at the group of soldiers' sculptures and responded lightly, "Because they wanted to go home!"

"Why do you have to fight to go home?"

"Because some people wouldn't let them go."

"Then are they martyrs?"

"...Of course they are martyrs!" Jiang Zhou stared at the Chinese people who looked like him, and added in a hoarse voice, "They are also history, a history that your generation must remember!!"

The narrator next to him walked over and said emotionally, "This group of sculptures recreates the ambush scene of the Second Company of the Third Regiment of the Penetration Force in the Battle of Mount Tian. They all sacrificed in the final ambush, with an average age of twenty-six... the youngest was seventeen years old, a new recruit who had just enlisted from Dragon City."

Hearing this, Jiang Zhou took off his hat and shouted loudly, "Attention!"

All the generals took off their hats and stood up straight.

"Pay our respects to the comrades who completed this ten-thousand-mile journey home!!"

As soon as the shout fell, the surrounding generals stood at attention and saluted, as did Jiang Zhou's son and all the Chinese people who were visiting the memorial hall.

The journey home was long and distant. Two generations spent nearly fifty years to finally complete this journey.

Five years later, Su Tianyu led Dragon City and the Hua District to start negotiations on "going home."

(End of the book)