Recently, fundraising activities had been continuous. Those with money donated money, those with grain donated grain, all contributing their part to the battlefield that lay right before their eyes.

Yesterday, Japanese aircraft conducted another air raid on Nanjing City. From morning to afternoon, they bombed five times consecutively. Most military bases and factories were blown to smithereens, and the streets and residential areas couldn’t escape either. Some civilians became displaced and moved into refugee camps.

A’Ru had returned. The shop was locked, and she sat at the shop entrance holding her bundle, waiting for Xie Chi the entire time.

She had encountered bombing on her way back, leaving her disheveled and grimy. Xie Chi didn’t recognize her at first, only realizing it was A’Ru when she got closer. “A’Ru? Why did you come back?”

The moment she saw Xie Chi, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. “Boss.”

Xie Chi was embraced by her and patted her back. “Come inside first.”

“Mm.”

Xie Chi dampened a towel and handed it to her. A’Ru cried while wiping her tears. “My family said when bombs come, there’s nowhere good to hide. Nanjing has the government, and the air-raid shelters are sturdy too. At home there’s no money to be made, not enough food to eat, and the city’s being bombed so there’s no work to find. My sister-in-law keeps making snide remarks every day, resenting me. Although she hasn’t openly driven me away, her words are always unpleasant to hear.”

“Nanjing is very dangerous. The devils’ planes come to bomb every few days. I don’t know when this shop might be gone, so you’d better leave.”

A’Ru stood up. “I’m not afraid. When I was little, I had my fortune told. The fortune teller said I have a tough life. When I was seven, I was hoeing in the fields at home, tripped and fell, and the hoe went right into the ground next to my scalp. When I was thirteen, I fell from a tree and hit the back of my head, bleeding so much that even the doctor said I couldn’t be saved, but I stubbornly lived through it.”

Xie Chi showed a slight smile. “The devils’ planes won’t avoid bombing you.”

A’Ru grabbed her hand and shook it. “Boss, I really have nowhere else to go. Please keep me.”

“But there’s no business in the shop now. Look how desolate this whole street has become.”

“It doesn’t matter! Just having a place where I can stay temporarily is already good.” A’Ru shed more tears. “Ever since my brother married his wife, that’s no longer my home.”

Though their circumstances were different, Xie Chi could empathize. She took the towel and wiped A’Ru’s tears. “Then where will you stay? The area where you rented before was bombed.”

“Meng Yuan told me I could stay with her. She said both her parents are dead, and they left her a house. Although it’s not big, it’s enough for two people. She won’t even charge me rent. I was thinking I could cook for her regularly.”

“That works.”

“So you agree?”

“Mm.”

A’Ru hugged her neck and jumped. “Thank you, boss!”

Xie Chi pushed her away. “Alright, go wipe yourself clean.”

…

When the air raid siren sounded, Xie Chi was in the middle of tracking a Japanese man.

The street immediately became chaotic, with police organizing crowds to enter air-raid shelters.

In the distant sky, our fighter planes chased after enemy bombers, shooting down three of them. Both sides engaged in fierce aerial combat, ultimately successfully intercepting their bombing.

People looked at the falling Japanese planes trailing black smoke and became extremely excited, cheering:

“Good!”

“Bomb these damn devils to death! Shoot them all down!”

In this chaos, the Japanese man was also lost.

Xie Chi was about to turn back when she was grabbed by a large hand.

“Wanzhi.”

It was Xue Dingqing.

Xie Chi pulled her hand back. Looking again toward the Japanese man, he had already disappeared into the crowd.

Xue Dingqing frowned tightly. “Didn’t you leave?”

“I came back.”

“What did you come back for? Nanjing is so dangerous.”

“Just consider it that I don’t want to leave my homeland.”

“I heard that bandit… he went to Shanghai to join the army.”

“Mm.”

Xie Chi walked back, with Xue Dingqing following beside her. “Who knows how long the fighting in Shanghai will last. I heard the battle situation is brutal. Just at Luodian alone, hundreds and thousands of soldiers sacrifice their lives every day. The devils keep sending reinforcements, with warships, planes, and heavy artillery bombarding relentlessly.”

Xie Chi interrupted him: “I know.”

“Once Shanghai falls, the devils will definitely attack Nanjing. Everyone’s running away. In a while, even boat tickets might be hard to buy.”

“So you should leave quickly.”

“Then you’ll just stay here forever? I know you don’t want to leave your motherland, but at least stay in a different city.”

Xie Chi ignored him. Xue Dingqing followed her to the qipao shop. A’Ru greeted him, “Mr. Xue is here.”

“How did you come back too?”

“I had nowhere to stay, so I came to find the boss.”

“You people, one after another!” Xue Dingqing helplessly followed Xie Chi upstairs. “Wanzhi, are you reluctant to leave this shop? Or are you waiting for that man?”

As evening approached, Xie Chi moved the flower pots from the balcony inside. “Just consider it so.”

“At a time like this, you’re still tending to these flowers. One bomb and they’ll all be gone.” Xue Dingqing sighed. “Let me take you to Yunnan. My family happens to have a house there, and the flowers there are especially beautiful. You can have whatever flowers you want.” Seeing Xie Chi remain silent, he added, “I know your heart belongs to someone else. I have no other intentions toward you, just as a friend.”

“Thank you for your kind intention, but I’m not going.”

“Xie Wanzhi!”

“Like you said, Nanjing isn’t safe. You should leave early.”

“Still being stubborn at a time like this.” Xue Dingqing was silent for a moment, then found a piece of paper and wrote down a string of numbers for her. “This is a friend of mine who works at Gulou Hospital. If anything happens, you can contact him. Mention my name, and he’ll do his best to help you.”

“Thank you.”

“Then I’m leaving.”

“Alright.”

Xue Dingqing went downstairs without looking back. Just as he reached the bottom, he ran into Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan saw his poor expression and said with a smile, “You got rebuffed again? I’ve seen that fiancé of hers – he’s incredibly handsome.”

A’Ru became interested. “Too bad I wasn’t here and didn’t get to see him.”

Xue Dingqing didn’t engage with this topic. “Wanzhi is stubborn and won’t leave. Why don’t you two come with me?”

Meng Yuan wound her hair around her finger as she walked to the counter, picked up a cookie and ate it. “I’m not leaving. Even if Shanghai falls, even if Nanjing falls, what can the Japanese soldiers do to us? The common people in Northeast China are still living just fine.”

“You think too well of them. The devils have killed plenty of civilians, throwing bombs into crowds. Do you expect them to treat you kindly?”

“This is the capital, and there are so many foreigners watching.” Meng Yuan turned around and leaned against the counter. “Besides, I don’t have money to go out. During wartime, no one listens to opera. What would I do in other places? Wash clothes and cook for people? In an unfamiliar place, I wouldn’t even have enough to eat.”

“I can help you.”

“You can help for a while, but can you help forever? Who knows when the war will end? Besides, where is really safe? You’re not Japanese – how do you know where they’re going to bomb or attack next?” Meng Yuan touched the qipao beside her hand. “I’ve been participating in anti-Japanese theatrical performances recently, inspiring our people’s anti-Japanese enthusiasm!”

Xie Chi clearly heard the conversation downstairs. Soon, Xue Dingqing left, the bell on the door ringing crisply. Meng Yuan changed the subject and began talking with A’Ru about the performances.

Xie Chi poured herself a glass of clear water to drink. She had donated all her money and could no longer afford alcohol. She turned on the radio, and without needing to change stations, the sound immediately brought news of the Shanghai battle situation:

“Under the frenzied offensive of the Japanese army’s combined sea, land, and air operations, Wusong Town has fallen, and our Sixty-First Division has suffered heavy casualties…”

In the distance, thick black smoke was rising – traces of the earlier battle between our forces and Japanese aircraft.

Xie Chi stood on the balcony, looking at the black smoke rising straight into the clouds, gripping her cup tightly with force.

She turned around, walked back inside, and stared intently at the radio.

“Both sides are locked in back-and-forth fighting, with the battle for Luodian becoming increasingly brutal. Under the coordination of Japanese warships, aircraft, and heavy artillery, over a thousand Japanese infantry surrounded the Shizi Forest battery. A unit of the Ninety-Eighth Division engaged in close combat with over a thousand Japanese infantry, all dying heroically for their country…”

She stepped back, accidentally bumping into the table. The glass cup fell down with a crash, shattering all over the floor.

The sound made her chest tighten, her heart suddenly feeling as if it were suspended by an iron hook, unable to settle down.

A’Ru and Meng Yuan heard the commotion and came upstairs. “What happened?”

Xie Chi crouched on the ground, wrapping the fragments in paper. A’Ru crouched over to help her. “Be careful with your hands, let me do it.”

Meng Yuan stood behind the door curtain, looking at Xie Chi’s lonely figure, wanting to speak but stopping herself. She listened to the female voice on the radio mentioning who had sacrificed their lives, and which places had fallen.

Overall, the battle situation wasn’t very good, and many people had died.

Xie Chi stood up, eyes downcast, glanced at Meng Yuan, and silently turned off the radio.

Meng Yuan sighed deeply. “I wonder how they’re doing in Shanghai.” After saying this, she immediately regretted it, feeling the words were somewhat inappropriate. After all, Xiao Wangyun was in the rear, but her lover was different.

Xie Chi suppressed her emotions and said to Meng Yuan, “You joined the anti-Japanese benefit performance.”

Meng Yuan nodded repeatedly. “Mm-hmm.”

“How do you have time to come here?”

“We need some qipaos. I came to purchase some from you. Can you make them cheaper? They don’t need to be custom-made – the ready-made ones will do.”

“Go pick them out, no charge.”

“That won’t do – you worked hard to make them.”

Xie Chi pushed her downstairs. “Take them.”

“I brought money!”

“Then donate it for me.”

…

Both sides refused to yield an inch of territory, locked in a stalemate for over three hours.

Only six men remained from the Third Battalion, and they were incorporated into a new unit.

He Feng wasn’t an obedient soldier. He had disobeyed military orders several times, but under his “rebellious” actions, he had actually won several disadvantageous battles. His superiors were pleased and not only didn’t blame him but promoted him to platoon leader. He wasn’t particularly skilled at military formations and tactics – in this regard, he certainly couldn’t compare to those officers trained in orthodox military academies. He relied on his understanding of the devils and a bit of cleverness. He completely ignored conventional tactics, always finding alternative approaches, leaving the devils completely confused.

He Feng excelled at urban warfare. In frontal assaults, their weapons were inferior, and with the Japanese army having naval and air support, they were at a complete disadvantage. But streets were different – hiding behind cover, he could hit his target with every shot.

You retreat, I advance; you advance, I retreat – fighting to the death over every piece of territory.

He Feng was shot in the waist and then thrown by a shell that suddenly landed nearby. A heavy wooden board pinned his leg, and it took great effort to push it away.

He drew the knife from his waist. A bullet happened to hit it, shattering the gem on top. Xie Chi’s face flashed through his mind, but he had no time to be distracted. He forcefully kissed the knife, quickly inserted it back, rolled over, and continued fighting.

Japanese reinforcements arrived, constantly pressing forward.

Two more shells fell, blowing away the machine gunner.

“Damn your mother.” He Feng was out of bullets. He crawled over, steadied the machine gun, and despite the hail of bullets and shells, stood up and swept directly at the devils. “I’ll screw your ancestors.”

…

That evening, the devils were beaten back. He Feng lay behind a pillar, without even the strength to stand up. A brother brought him and the young soldier beside him their rations.

His neck had been grazed by a bullet, his calf had a hole where wood had pierced through, and the blood had already turned black. His upper body hadn’t been shot, just had a few knife wounds from close combat.

The medic hurriedly treated his wounds and then went to tend to the more seriously wounded soldiers.

He Feng half-closed his eyes, gnawing on dry rations, and pulled out a photograph from his chest. Just as he was about to kiss it, he worried his mouth was dirty and would contaminate her, so he just held the corner of the photo against his chest, slowly swallowing his food, looking at the sky shrouded in gunpowder smoke, and weakly said,

“This old man survived again.”

…

Xie Chi had already moved out all the valuable things from her shop and home, leaving only a radio to listen to battle reports.

A’Ru also donated her pair of gold earrings – they were left to her by her mother. Though not large, they were her most precious possessions.

The shop now contained only piles of fabric and thread, and empty tables. Ever since the fighting started in Shanghai, she had no heart for business, spending her days running around outside, cooperating with Old Zhou to kill traitors and Japanese spies. When the occasional business came, she left it to A’Ru to handle.

Xie Chi sat on the steps at the shop entrance, watching the civilians going to donate supplies, and sighed. “A’Ru, I can’t afford to pay your wages anymore.”

A’Ru sat beside her. “Boss, I don’t want wages. Just having food to eat is enough.”

Xie Chi put her arm around her shoulders. “Thank you.”

“Don’t be so polite with me. When I was in difficulty, you helped me too, Boss.”

“Don’t call me boss anymore.” Xie Chi patted her head. “Call me sister.”

“Alright, sister.”

“I have many sisters, but none who are blood-related.”

“Then if you don’t mind, consider me your real little sister. My family isn’t close to me either.”

“Sure.” Xie Chi smiled. “Sister will definitely find you a good marriage in the future.”

“Sister, don’t you want to go to Shanghai to see your fiancé? Teacher Xiao is also in Shanghai.”

“He’s on the battlefield – I wouldn’t be able to see him.”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“Of course I’m afraid.” Xie Chi looked into the distance with dim eyes. “If he dies, I’ll be heartbroken. If I go, he’ll worry. The current situation is the best.”

…

The city implemented a night curfew, cutting power at designated times to prevent Japanese aircraft bombing. Japanese spies and traitors then used flashlights and torches to indicate bombing targets for Japanese planes. By mid-to-late October, Nanjing City had been bombed dozens of times, with ruins and rubble everywhere.

When air raid sirens sounded, people no longer showed the initial panic. It seemed as though bombs had become routine – they habitually crouched in air-raid shelters, letting the bombing and shooting continue outside, their expressions numb.

Xie Chi’s shop had a basement. Whenever the sirens sounded, several nearby shop owners would come over to take shelter.

Neighbor Aunt Wang saw Xie Chi and A’Ru continuously sewing something. “What are you making?”

A’Ru said, “Socks.”

“You’re not making qipaos anymore? Switched to making socks?”

“Winter is coming, and we have nothing to do, so we’re making some. In ten days or half a month, we can accumulate several boxes to send to the front lines for the soldiers.” Xie Chi smiled at her. “My man is fighting in Shanghai. Maybe he’s still alive and can wear them.”

Aunt Wang watched for a while. “You just sew ready-made fabric and it becomes socks?”

“Mm.”

“Do you have more fabric? I’d like to make some too.”

Aunt Li also came over. “Me too. Anyway, we often hide here for half the day. Rather than sitting idle, we might as well contribute to the war effort.”

Aunt Liu in the corner suddenly began sobbing. “My son is also on the front lines. I don’t know how he’s doing, whether he has warm clothes to wear. I heard they’re fighting so intensely they don’t even have time to eat, and many go into battle hungry.”

Everyone fell silent.

A’Ru ran upstairs to get some soft cotton fabric. “Let me teach you – it’s very simple.”

…

Japanese reinforcements landed at Jinshanwei, and our army retreated continuously, with casualties mounting. Entire companies and battalions would be wiped out, then they’d constantly conscript able-bodied men as replacements. Many didn’t even know how to hold a gun – they’d get a quick lesson in aiming and shooting, then be dragged onto the battlefield.

Last month, He Feng’s platoon got a new sixteen-year-old recruit named Li Changsheng, whom he had personally trained.

When the young man first arrived, he had clear, handsome features. Now his face was so black you couldn’t tell what he looked like. “How do you think our lives are so tough? Sometimes I really want to die on the battlefield like them.”

“Staying alive means you can kill more devils. What’s the point of dying?” He Feng wrapped his own leg wound slowly. “The road to the underworld is packed full – they don’t need you.”

Li Changsheng sighed deeply. “I haven’t even married a wife yet.”

“My wife is still waiting for me to marry her.”

“I wonder if we can live to see victory.” Li Changsheng glanced at him sideways. “Every time we rest, I see you staring at that photo. What does sister-in-law look like? Take it out and let me see.”

“Beautiful as a fairy.” He Feng pulled it out to show him. “Look at the edge, don’t get it dirty.”

“I know, you treasure it so much.” Li Changsheng looked carefully at the photo. “How old were you then?”

“Seventeen, almost eighteen.”

“Couldn’t tell – you were quite handsome.”

“Right?” He Feng stroked his chin. “I have a quirk – I especially love being clean. Even in the depths of winter, I’d go swimming and bathing every day.” He looked down at his clothes. His white shirt showed no trace of white, having become a gray-black color stained with blood. Then he sniffed himself and cursed, “Look at this state now – haven’t washed in almost three damn months. Black as charcoal, damn it. After the fighting’s over, I’m definitely going to soak for three days and nights.”

Li Changsheng was still staring at the photo. “Sister-in-law is really beautiful.”

He Feng took it back. “Alright, getting addicted to looking?”

Li Changsheng moved closer to him.

He Feng kicked him away. “Move away, you stink.”

Li Changsheng hugged himself. “Cold. Getting some warmth – it’s getting colder and colder lately.”

He Feng turned his face away and let him lean against him like that.

“Bro, have you slept with sister-in-law?”

“Of course.”

“What’s it like?”

“Hard to describe.”

“Give me a rough idea.”

“Fragrant and soft, tender and smooth.”

“Like a pig?”

He Feng smacked him on the head. “I’ve never slept with a pig.”

“That’s not what I meant! The feel.”

“Never hugged a pig either.”

Li Changsheng fell silent. “My family raised pigs, and I even hugged them while sleeping.”

“Pigs are boring. After the fighting’s over, find a wife and hug and kiss her every night.”

“Where would I find one?” Li Changsheng kicked him. “Tell me more – is it good?”

He Feng pushed him away with one hand. “Get away.”

Li Changsheng laughed. “Your marksmanship is really good – you shoot so smoothly even with your left hand.”

“I could even shoot with my toes.”

“Bragging.”

“Bullshit.” He Feng closed his eyes. “Hurry up and sleep. Otherwise there won’t be time to sleep.”

“Don’t want to sleep.”

With a boom, the artillery came again.

Both men immediately rolled into combat positions. He Feng grabbed his steel helmet and put it on Li Changsheng’s head. “After the fighting’s over, I’ll find one for you.”

…