People crowded shoulder to shoulder into the nearest air raid shelter, squeezing so tightly that the unfinished construction project seemed on the verge of collapse, with steel rebar and concrete piled against the walls.

Pitch black, nothing could be seen. Suddenly someone ahead turned on a flashlight, breaking through the oppressive darkness with a thread of light.

An old man was knocked down. He Feng helped him up and kicked over a short man who continued pushing forward from behind, “What the hell are you charging for!”

The short man hit the wall. Seeing this big guy, he didn’t dare fight back, silently getting up and muttering a curse, “If you’re so tough, go be fierce with the devils.”

He Feng clenched his fist to hit him, but Xie Chi pressed his hand down and hugged his arm, continuing forward.

Countless bewildered faces pressed together.

Old and young, men and women.

Xie Chi stood against the wall while He Feng braced his hand against it, sheltering her in his arms.

Neither spoke a word.

Xie Chi looked left to see a mother holding her child, squatting on the ground crying.

To the right, an old lady pressed her palms together against the wall, constantly chanting “Buddha protect us.”

“How did the Japanese get here so fast? Weren’t they fighting in Shanghai?”

“I just saw someone with their intestines blown out.”

“Stop talking! So terrifying.”

Crying sounds came from the distance, echoing in the dim darkness.

“I don’t want to die!”

Xie Chi suddenly thought of ants. An expected yet unpredictable disaster appeared suddenly, disrupting the existing order and forcing weak lives into suffocating nests.

This nest was cold, damp, making it hard to breathe. Strange smells permeated the air – thick sour rot, fishy sweetness, cooking oil smoke, faint toilet water and perfume… mixed together like stinking salted fish left too long.

Taking a deep breath required courage. She hugged He Feng, burying her face in his chest, covering herself to breathe freely in large gulps.

He Feng wrapped his arms around her waist, “Scared?”

Xie Chi shook her head, then released him. Her gaze met that of a little girl behind He Feng.

The little girl smiled at her. Xie Chi stiffly lifted the corners of her mouth in response.

He Feng raised his hand to rub the bloodstains on her wrist. Having dried over time, they stuck to her skin and could only be scraped off with fingernails. But He Feng wasn’t used to keeping long nails, always trimming them short against his flesh. He rubbed gently a few times, “Does it hurt?”

Xie Chi shook her head again.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

“Mm.”

She watched He Feng. With his eyes lowered, his eyelashes covered his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression clearly. But Xie Chi could sense his mood. He focused intently on cleaning the blood from her hands, perhaps just needing something to vent his emotions on.

The bombing stopped, and distant sounds ceased too.

People gradually emerged. Every face carried an invisible cloud that the blazing summer sun couldn’t penetrate to let relief from surviving show through.

He Feng held her hand as they walked quickly through rubble and broken wood.

“Where are we going?”

“Home.”

“You’re not leaving?”

“I’ll see you off before I go.”

Xie Chi pulled him to a stop, “See me off where?”

“Anywhere, as long as you leave here first.”

Xie Chi let him pull her along. Suddenly He Feng was blinded by something reflective. After seeing clearly what the person ahead was carrying, his steps paused.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Chi followed his gaze to see a short man acting suspiciously, holding a large mirror in his arms, not wrapped properly with one edge showing.

He Feng’s grip tightened as he pulled her to follow that person.

Xie Chi continued asking, “What’s wrong?”

“That person just used a mirror to reflect light.” He Feng’s free hand clenched into a fist, “Signaling bombing targets for the devil aircraft.”

Xie Chi immediately wanted to rush over, but He Feng grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”

“Too many people around.” Previously He Feng always acted rashly without considering consequences, but now he was quite composed, “You go home, I’ll go.”

“Why should you go?”

He Feng smiled helplessly, “You want to compete with me on this too?”

Xie Chi’s gaze was determined, “Together.”

They followed the traitor toward residential areas in the south of the city.

The traitor met an acquaintance on the road and greeted them cheerfully. When he reached a secluded area, he no longer bothered hiding the mirror in his arms, swaggering along while singing and humming, muttering to himself, “Just bombed for that little while, what rubbish.”

Suddenly, someone blocked his path.

The traitor stepped back in fright, but seeing it was a beautiful young woman, he couldn’t take his eyes off her, “Miss, is there something you need?”

“Yes.”

“You got blood on yourself?” He boldly reached toward her dress, “What a shame on such a pretty dress. Let me wipe it for you.”

Xie Chi sneered, “Dog traitor.”

He was shocked and about to speak when suddenly a pair of hands gripped his head and twisted hard. His neck snapped. With his mouth half open, unable to make a sound, he collapsed against the wall and slowly slid down.

The mirror in his arms fell with him, shattering on the ground, reflecting countless fragments of the gray sky.

He Feng wiped his hands twice on the wall and pulled Xie Chi away.

…

The noodles still sat on the table, having absorbed water until they were bloated. Xie Chi was about to clear them away when He Feng took over, “I’ll do it. You go change clothes.”

Xie Chi looked down at the patches and spots of blood on her outfit, remembering the girl who had been killed in the bombing. She struggled to lift her feet and head upstairs.

He Feng didn’t throw away the noodles. He put them back in the pot with some water and reheated them.

He stood by the stove watching the boiling water. After a long moment he came back to his senses and tested the noodles with chopsticks – they broke apart softly.

Having something to eat was already good enough. He ladled two bowls and brought them out to wait for her.

Xie Chi didn’t have many light-colored clothes, and didn’t want to wear black and make their moods even gloomier. After searching through everything, she found a dark blue qipao to put on.

She came downstairs to find He Feng sitting with his arms crossed, staring blankly at the noodles.

Hearing her come down, he shifted his gaze away, “I reheated them. Just eat a little to get by.”

Xie Chi sat across from him. They ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Suddenly someone rang the doorbell.

Xie Chi quickly got up to answer it – it was Old Zhou.

She closed the door and spoke with Old Zhou in the courtyard for a while before returning.

He Feng asked, “Who was it?”

“Old Zhou, a friend. He used to regularly transport medicines and such to the Northeast through me.”

“Last time you went was for that?”

“Mm.”

“I figured it was for the Anti-Japanese United Army.” He Feng smiled slightly, finally easing the heavy atmosphere somewhat.

“What did he tell you?” Before she could answer, he added, “If you can’t say, then forget it.”

“Nothing much. He asked why I hadn’t left yet and told me to leave as soon as possible.”

“Where to?”

“To Jiangxi, to find Xiao Wangyun.”

“That four-eyes?”

“Mm.”

“That works.”

“You agree?”

“I agree.”

“Not afraid I’ll get involved with someone else?”

“Not afraid.” He smiled, “My woman won’t fancy anyone else.”

Xie Chi reached over to take his hand, “Why don’t you just not leave? Cleaning up traitors and Japanese spies here also counts as resisting Japan.”

“I want to go to the battlefield, to fight the devils head-on with real guns and cannons.” He gripped her hand back, “I’ve wanted this for many years.”

Xie Chi fell silent.

He Feng moved to sit beside her, “Eat quickly. You barely ate at lunch. Want me to feed you?”

Xie Chi forced out a faint smile, “Sure.”

…

That night, Xie Chi woke up groggily and didn’t feel anyone beside her. Looking around, she saw He Feng sitting on the balcony, his back slumped and curved, head down smoking.

Xie Chi watched him quietly. She could imagine what He Feng was thinking about right now. She also knew that if she didn’t leave Nanjing, he wouldn’t feel at ease leaving.

He Feng sat outside for over half an hour before returning to the room.

Xie Chi closed her eyes and pretended to sleep, feeling the bed dip slightly beside her, then no more movement.

She didn’t dare open her eyes – maybe He Feng was watching her right now.

A long time passed. She thought maybe He Feng had fallen asleep.

Just as she was about to open her eyes, the man beside her sat up again. She squinted slightly and saw him holding his head in both hands, back deeply bowed, elbows resting on his thighs.

He looked… particularly heavy-hearted.

Xie Chi hugged him from behind. He Feng’s body trembled slightly, then he straightened up, “You’re awake.”

“Old Zhou said there’s a car leaving the day after tomorrow morning. I’ll go find Xiao Wangyun. His information is always well-informed, and moving with the school should be much safer.”

He Feng gripped her hand without speaking.

“I can’t sleep anymore. I really want to go horseback riding.”

He Feng turned to kiss her, “Are there horses around here?”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

He Feng released her and suddenly knelt on the bed, “Come on.”

Xie Chi couldn’t help laughing, “No.”

He Feng pulled her, “Come on.”

Xie Chi shook her head and retreated toward the headboard. He Feng grabbed her feet and crawled over, “I gave you a chance, but you didn’t want it.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, “When you come back in the future, we’ll go to the grasslands to ride horses.”

“Alright.”

…

During wartime, even one extra piece of luggage was a burden. Xie Chi had few possessions and no jewelry, bringing only a few sets of clothes and money.

The night before departure, unexpectedly Xie Ting came to the door again. He was bringing his wife and child to go abroad and wanted Xie Chi to come with them.

Little Ten had never met Xie Chi and was shy, hiding in the corner the whole time. He Feng crouched in front of the child, coaxing him with candy.

Watching them, Xie Chi asked Xie Ting, “What about Xie Jiaxing and the others?”

“Father refuses to leave. He wants to guard the ancestral home. Two concubines stayed to accompany him. He told me to take little brother away.”

Xie Chi smiled bitterly, “That old fool, still guarding that bit of broken family property at a time like this.”

“You know his temperament – he won’t listen to advice. The Xie family doesn’t have many men to begin with. Now there’s only me and tenth brother left. Father told us to leave quickly.” Xie Ting sighed, “Wuxi’s industry is developed and it’s so close to Shanghai. In the future it’ll inevitably be bombed frequently. This morning they bombed Duck City Bridge and High Bridge, and this afternoon they bombed Lihu Baojie Bridge. In short, all nearby cities are dangerous. All of China is unsafe.”

Fourth Sister-in-law held the child with a worried expression, pacing back and forth, “So frightening. The devils are really beasts. I heard they throw bombs at crowded places in Nanjing and killed people.”

“Mm.”

“Seventh Sister, though this is our first meeting, your fourth brother often mentions you. You’re a woman with no one to depend on. Come with us. We’re family after all – we can look out for each other.”

Xie Chi agreed.

With Fourth Brother taking care of her, He Feng felt much more at ease too.

They would first go to Guangzhou, then take a ship to England.

This time, it was He Feng’s turn to see her off.

Xie Chi wanted to leave without looking back like he had done before. But women are ultimately more tender-hearted. After the car had driven only a dozen meters, she had the driver stop.

He Feng saw her get out of the back seat and run toward him.

He went to meet her and lifted her up.

“I’ll wait for you to come marry me.” Xie Chi bit his ear hard, “Alright?”

“Alright.”

…

The drive to Guangzhou was quite far.

Xie Ting didn’t dare go through Zhejiang – that was too close to Shanghai. They detoured through Anhui, then went through Jiangxi.

That evening they reached Shangrao and found a hotel to rest.

Xie Chi lay listlessly in her room, feeling like a walking corpse.

She wondered where He Feng was now – on the road to Shanghai, or already there.

She had a bit of a headache and got up to go downstairs.

She sat in the lobby. Few people were staying at the hotel recently, making it quite desolate.

Even the newspapers on the rack hadn’t been changed in a long time – a stack from last month.

Xie Chi randomly pulled out a few pages to flip through.

She saw a familiar report.

She stared at those few lines, reading them over and over again.

The feeling stuck in her heart slowly rose up.

[Compatriots throughout China, Pingjin is in crisis! North China is in crisis! The Chinese nation is in crisis! Only if the entire nation wages war of resistance can we find our way out!]

…

Early the next morning, Fourth Sister-in-law went to knock on Xie Chi’s door but got no response. The door wasn’t locked either.

“Little Chi, get up quickly to wash and eat, we need to get ready to travel.” She opened the door and walked in, but found the room empty, “Little Chi?”

Xie Ting was packing his luggage when Fourth Sister-in-law hurried over with a piece of paper, “Brother Ting, look at this.”

Xie Ting took the note – it was Xie Chi’s handwriting, which he recognized.

A few brief words were written on it.

[I’m not going. Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law, take care.]

Her handwriting was more forceful than before.

Xie Ting lowered his hand, his heart heavy with pain.

“Should we look for her?”

“Forget it. If she really doesn’t want to leave, she won’t go even with a knife to her throat.”

“We’ve come all this way – why did she suddenly decide not to go?”

Xie Ting sighed, “Don’t ask anymore. Pack quickly.”

…