Chapter 146: I’m Back

Suddenly, a burst of dense gunfire rang out, and Cheng Jingmo froze for a moment.

Because there were no signs of bullets hitting around him.

Then came the shouts of “Don’t move! Raise your hands!”

Hearing these sounds, Cheng Jingmo’s eyes suddenly grew warm.

He had finally received support!

He tilted his head back, his gaze still fixed on the roof, removed his hand from his waist, and pressed his eye corner.

Then he slowly walked to the door, cautiously peeking out.

No gunfire.

He straightened his back, stepped outside, still holding a submachine gun.

What met his eyes were comrades with their guns aimed at the criminals, who were huddled on the ground, covering their heads.

“Deputy Regiment Commander Cheng, you’ve worked hard!”

Lu Guofa stepped forward and saluted.

Cheng Jingmo returned the salute, “Deputy Division Commander Lu, fortunately, you arrived in time.”

The remaining criminals were all captured, and the criminal evidence was also seized.

When Cheng Jingmo met Yu Xiangyang, his leg was wrapped in bandages and still oozing blood.

“What happened?” Cheng Jingmo asked.

“I was hit by a stray bullet during the evacuation,” Yu Xiangyang said angrily, “We survived the storm, but ended up capsizing in a ditch!”

Cheng Jingmo said, “I saw you running so fast, I didn’t even notice you were injured.”

“I was holding it in!” Yu Xiangyang said, “I was planning to take these people to a safe place before coming to rescue you!”

Cheng Jingmo: “…”

Yu Xiangyang still guessed his thoughts!

The return journey was quite an ordeal.

The criminals were bound together, and Yu Xiangyang and Zhu Xiaohu were carried down the mountain in a makeshift palanquin.

It took two days and nights to get down the mountain.

This time, they also captured seven informants scattered around the foot of the mountain, four of whom were elderly women.

Cheng Jingmo thought to himself, he indeed capsized in a ditch; he never expected these nearly seventy-year-old women to be informants.

The day Cheng Jingmo and the others left the mountain, Yu Xiangnian learned about their situation from Yu’s family.

“They’re injured and need to be treated locally. They probably won’t be back for ten days.”

Yu Xiangnian finally felt a sense of relief!

She couldn’t wait to share this good news with Xiao Jie.

Xiao Jie had already started school and was diligently reviewing what he had learned that day.

He was stunned for a moment before saying, “Aunt, has my uncle seen the old witch you mentioned while he was in the mountains?”

Yu Xiangnian almost laughed; how imaginative this child was!

“Ask him when he returns,” Yu Xiangnian said, “He might have even seen a fairy!”

“Then I need to study hard so I can hear stories when he gets back!” Xiao Jie said happily.

That day, Yu Xiangnian went to the city to buy some things and also sent thirty yuan to Cheng Jingmo’s family through the post office.

It had been almost a month since the last money transfer, and Cheng Jingmo and the others were estimated to return in about a week.

When they returned, they would be busy dealing with this incident and would probably be delayed a few more days before sending money again.

To avoid causing his family more worry, Yu Xiangnian decided to transfer the money while she was in the city.

She didn’t feel like cooking, so she bought some meals from a state-run restaurant to take home and planned to eat with Xiao Jie.

When she got home and opened the door, she stopped in her tracks as soon as she stepped inside.

Cheng Jingmo was wearing a white shirt and black pants, the shirt tucked neatly into his trousers, his figure tall and slender.

He was standing there, smiling at Yu Xiangnian.

Yu Xiangnian had thought that when she saw Cheng Jingmo, he would surely be disheveled, with a dirty face, unshaved beard, and looking haggard, like a wild man.

But unexpectedly, he was as clean and tidy as usual, even his hair cut short as it always was.

“Yu Xiangnian, I’m back.” His voice was as deep and magnetic as ever.

Yu Xiangnian’s nose suddenly grew sour, and her eyes turned red.

This was the eighty-third day since Cheng Jingmo left home, and he had finally returned.

He seemed to have changed a bit, yet also appeared just as he did the day he left.

Cheng Jingmo had lost weight, his eye sockets were sunken, and he wasn’t as handsome as he had been that day!

Cheng Jingmo saw that Yu Xiangnian’s eyes were red and quickly stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m sorry for making you worry!” His voice was very gentle.

Yu Xiangnian sniffed and said, “How come you’re back? Wasn’t it supposed to be more than a week?”

Cheng Jingmo subtly replied, “I wanted to come back as soon as possible.”

Originally, Yu Xiangyang’s leg was injured and he was supposed to stay for another week before preparing to return. But Cheng Jingmo missed Yu Xiangnian so much that he suggested Yu Xiangyang stay behind while he came back first.

Yu Xiangyang, grumbling about Cheng Jingmo being heartless, came back as well. His leg injury wasn’t severe; the bullet grazed the bone, so resting at home was sufficient.

“What’s injured?” Yu Xiangnian asked, scanning him from head to toe.

“I’m not injured. It’s Yu Xiangyang who hurt his leg, but it’s not serious, and he’s gone home too.”

The two fell silent again, looking at each other with unspoken emotions.

After a long while, Cheng Jingmo’s lips parted slightly, “Yu Xiangnian…”

“Hmm?”

Cheng Jingmo hesitated, unable to continue.

Yu Xiangnian, knowing what he was about to ask, teased, “Do you miss me?”

“Yes,” Cheng Jingmo answered straightforwardly.

“But I don’t miss you,” Yu Xiangnian raised an eyebrow, removed Cheng Jingmo’s hands from her shoulders, and walked into the house.

“I didn’t know you were coming back today, so I bought food for Xiao Jie and me.”

Cheng Jingmo chuckled and followed her inside, “What do you want to eat? I’ll cook.”

When Xiao Jie came home from school, he clung to Cheng Jingmo and fussed over him, asking about this and that.

After that, he started talking about what had happened while Cheng Jingmo was away.

First, he took Cheng Jingmo to see the little chicks he had raised.

Cheng Jingmo saw the two little chicks as soon as he got home and now saw them again, praising Xiao Jie for being so capable.

Next, Xiao Jie showed Cheng Jingmo the washing machine and taught him how to use it.

Cheng Jingmo laughed at himself internally, realizing that his worries were unnecessary. He should trust that Yu Xiangnian would never treat him poorly.

Seeing that the home had been well-managed during his absence made his feelings complex.

On one hand, he was gratified that Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie were living well; on the other hand, he was saddened that the family seemed to function similarly whether he was there or not.

Xiao Jie continued to talk until it was dark.

Yu Xiangnian took a shower and, when returning to the bedroom, passed by them and glanced at Cheng Jingmo.

Cheng Jingmo happened to look at her too, and their eyes met, charged with unspoken emotions.

Yu Xiangnian was the first to look away and entered the bedroom.

Cheng Jingmo listened to Xiao Jie talking, distracted, glancing towards Yu Xiangnian’s bedroom from time to time.

Yu Xiangnian was working.

Yu Xiangnian was reading.

Yu Xiangnian had closed the door to go to sleep.

Finally, Cheng Jingmo couldn’t take it anymore and said to Xiao Jie, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow. It’s getting late, so you should go to bed now.”