Chapter 75

Chapter 75

On the way back from the post office, Ji Yunshu was silent, her mind on what Ye Zifeng had said.

Li Shu set Niuniu and Nian Nian down on the mat to play, then came over to pour Ji Yunshu a cup of hot water. Seeing her sitting by the window lost in thought, she couldn't help asking, "What's wrong? Was the post office crowded? Was the line long?"

"No." Ji Yunshu took the cup, warming her hands, and answered absentmindedly, "Sister Li, I ran into Ye Zifeng."

The moment Li Shu heard that name, her expression changed instantly, her brows knitting together. "You ran into him? Did he give you a hard time?"

Ji Yunshu: "He said some nasty stuff."

"What did he say to you?" Li Shu's voice rose half an octave. "That guy never says anything decent. Don't let it get to you..."

"I won't. Do you think I don't know what he's like?" Ji Yunshu looked down at the rippling surface of the water in her cup. "But something he said felt off to me."

"What did he say?"

Ji Yunshu set the cup down on the table and looked up at Li Shu. "He said Brother Pei changed his battle plan mid-mission—besides Commander Lin, the mission team, and a few top brass, no one else should know about that, right?"

Li Shu froze. "How did he find out? He's not even in Xiao Pei's regiment..."

"Exactly." Ji Yunshu tapped her fingers lightly on the table, one by one. "He and Brother Pei never got along—they don't even say hi when they pass each other. This mission was top secret. Commander Lin wouldn't be blabbing about it, and the people involved wouldn't leak it either. So how did Ye Zifeng know?"

Li Shu caught on. They always drilled confidentiality into the families. Li Shu's expression darkened. "Are you saying..."

"I'm probably overthinking it." Ji Yunshu shook her head. "I just find it strange—if we—the families—didn't even know, how could he?"

Even when Commander Lin talked about missions with Pei Yufeng, he never gave details. It was classified—families only got the broad strokes. So all Ji Yunshu knew was what Commander Lin summed up; she couldn't pry for specifics.

Li Shu sat across from her, twisting her hands, thinking it over. "That Ye Zifeng, he's just a blabbermouth. He's always snooping around and asking questions. And since Political Commissar Fang is his father-in-law, maybe he got it from him..."

"Maybe." Ji Yunshu nodded but didn't push it further. But the seed of doubt had already been planted in her heart.

Once that seed was planted, Ji Yunshu started finding Ye Zifeng more and more suspicious. From then on, she started keeping an ear out for news about him.

Actually, she didn't even have to ask—news of Ye Zifeng's doings in the compound hit her ears almost daily. Once word of Pei Yufeng's disappearance got around, Ye Zifeng seemed to drop the act. He even walked with a swagger now. Before, he'd scurry past the cadres close to Pei Yufeng with his head down; now he strolled around the yard with his hands behind his back, greeting everyone in a voice loud as a megaphone, and constantly bragging in front of the Second Regiment cadres.

Li Shu would grumble about it every time she came by.

"Guess what I saw today?" Li Shu said while snapping green beans, her hands moving slow but her voice dripping with barely held-back anger. "That Ye Zifeng—this morning at the cafeteria, a few soldiers were at a table talking about drills. He walked over, slapped the table, and said, 'Training's mine to run from now on—got a problem, bring it to me directly.' Those young soldiers' faces went stiff. They were just minding their own business—why'd he have to butt in?"

Ji Yunshu didn't say anything, just put Nian Nian on the little bed to let her wiggle around.

Li Shu tossed the snapped beans into the bowl and went on, "And a few days ago, Huang Paimei told me Ye Zifeng went to division HQ to put in for Xiao Pei's spot. Can you believe the gall of that guy? Everyone knows what he's made of—he's not even in the same league as Comrade Xiao Pei, and his character doesn't even compare. Now Xiao Pei's been gone just a few days, and he's already raring to go."

Liu Aimin brought plenty of news too when she came. She had a softer temperament than Li Shu and didn't speak as bluntly, but the gist was much the same.

"Comrade Ji, you wouldn't believe it—these past two days, Ye Zifeng has been walking around the compound talking to everyone with his chin up. The day before yesterday, I was holding my Ahua in the doorway soaking up the sun when he passed by and paused, saying, 'Little Liu, don't you think Old Liu's position should be shuffled around a bit? Aren't you worried?' I didn't react at the time, but later when I thought about it, he's trying to meddle in personnel assignments." Liu Aimin was truly exasperated. "My Ming Zhe only just became Deputy Battalion Commander not long ago—I was hoping he'd take it steady and slow. What does he mean by that? He's Political Commissar Fang's son-in-law. Ming Zhe and I are honest, law-abiding people—we wouldn't dare get tangled up with him."

Ji Yunshu held Sheng Sheng, gently patting his back, and after Liu Aimin finished, only asked, "How has Fang Xue been lately?"

Liu Aimin lowered her voice. "Fang Xue doesn't come out much. I heard she's pregnant and resting at home. Ye Zifeng is quite attentive to her—he's always finding ways to make her good food. But that man—being good to his wife is one thing, strutting around outside is another. Now that he's Political Commissar Fang's son-in-law, he looks down on everyone."

Li Shu chimed in from the side, "When Xiao Pei was around, he at least knew to keep a low profile—after all, Xiao Pei's military merits were right there, and he couldn't compete. Now that something's happened to Xiao Pei and there's no one above him to keep him in check, his tail's sticking up so high it's practically poking the sky."

Ji Yunshu listened quietly, still thinking about what Ye Zifeng had said earlier.

If he'd only heard it secondhand, why was he so certain? If he'd just happened to hear about it, why say it to her specifically? Was he trying to show off how well-informed he was, or was he trying to prove something?

Ji Yunshu looked down at Sheng Sheng, who had closed his eyes and fallen asleep peacefully, his little mouth slightly open, breathing as light as a feather. She stroked his little face and whispered, "Mama is waiting for your papa to come back."

Day eleven of Pei Yufeng's disappearance.

That afternoon the weather was oppressively hot, with a layer of gray clouds pressing down over the sea, as if it might rain at any moment. Ji Yunshu had put both children down for their naps and was sitting in the living room sewing a pair of pants for Nian Nian—the knee had worn through, so she'd taken apart an old handkerchief and cut a patch to mend it.

Li Shu and Liu Aimin were there too, each sitting in a corner—one working on a shoe sole, one mending clothes, one picking vegetables—the room quiet and peaceful.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded in the courtyard, and a voice called out, "Is Comrade Ji home?" It was loud and bright, with a deliberately drawn-out tone.

The moment Li Shu heard it, she stood up. "What's he doing here?"

The door was pushed open. Ye Zifeng stood at the entrance, wearing a brand-new cadre uniform today, every button fastened neatly, a smile plastered on his face. But that smile floated on the surface, barely concealing what lurked beneath.

"Comrade Ji, busy?" Ye Zifeng stood outside the threshold, not coming in. "I was just passing by and thought I'd check in on you. Nian Nian and Sheng Sheng doing alright? Such little children, without their father by their side..."

Ye Zifeng deliberately slowed down on the words "without their father," enunciating each one clearly.

Li Shu's face darkened instantly. "Ye Zifeng, what do you mean by that?"

"Nothing at all," Ye Zifeng spread his hands, his smile growing even brighter. "Just showing concern, that's all. We're all families in the compound—isn't it normal to look out for each other? Comrade Ji must have a hard time raising two children on her own. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to come to me. My position has moved up now—I carry some weight when I speak."

Liu Aimin clenched the shoe sole in her hands and retorted, "What does Comrade Ji's business have to do with you?"

Ji Yunshu set down her needle and thread and slowly stood up. She looked at that smug face at the door, and in that moment, the seed in her heart burst open, sending out roots that gripped her viscera tightly.

"Comrade Ye." Ji Yunshu's voice was calm. "Your position is your own business. You'd do better to worry about your own wife."

Ye Zifeng's smile froze for a moment, but quickly reassembled itself. "Comrade Ji, don't be so standoffish. I'm just—"

"Ye Zifeng!"

A familiar voice came from outside the courtyard—deep and steady, like a stone crashing into water from a height, shattering the oppressive heat of the yard in an instant.

Ye Zifeng whipped around. Standing at the courtyard gate was a figure silhouetted against the light, tall and lean, shoulders straight. There was a fresh wound on his face, cutting diagonally from his left brow to near the corner of his eye, the flesh turned up, the blood dried to a dark brown, making his face look paler than usual.

But his eyes were remarkably bright, fixed on Ye Zifeng with unmistakable scrutiny.

Pei Yufeng stood at the gate, wearing a military uniform that had been soaked in seawater, dried, soaked again, and dried—wrinkled, filthy, and ragged. His hair was still damp, his body covered in mud and small cuts. His gaze swept past Ye Zifeng and landed on the woman who had just stood up inside the room.

Ji Yunshu's mouth hung open, unable to utter a single word.

There was a faint streak of mud on Pei Yufeng's face, fresh stubble shadowing his jaw in a hint of blue, his lips cracked and peeling. He was thinner—his cheekbones more prominent than she remembered, his eyes more sunken—and Ji Yunshu couldn't tear her gaze away from the wound on his face.

Pei Yufeng stepped into the courtyard and walked up to Ye Zifeng, stopping barely an arm's length away.

"Regiment Commander Ye," Pei Yufeng said, his voice low but each word carrying heavy weight, "saying these things in front of my family—did you think I wasn't coming back?"

Ye Zifeng's face went white in an instant. He stood as if nailed to the ground, his mouth opening and closing several times, his eyes darting wildly in their sockets. "You... how are you back? Weren't you swept away by the waves—"

"Swept away by the waves, right?" The corner of Pei Yufeng's mouth curved slightly, but there was no trace of humor in it. "Seems like you really hoped I wouldn't come back."

"I didn't—" Ye Zifeng's voice pitched high, then quickly lowered. "Pei Yufeng, don't you go making wild accusations! You've been missing for days—now that you're back, just focus on recovering. Don't go biting people left and right!"

Pei Yufeng ignored him. He pulled an oil-paper package from his pocket—the paper was wrinkled from being soaked in seawater, but what was wrapped inside was perfectly intact. He unfolded it, revealing part of its contents. "You should know what these are, shouldn't you? Want me to read out what's written here?"

The moment Ye Zifeng saw the contents of the package, his expression changed instantly, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. His face went from white to ashen, his lips beginning to tremble. "You're lying! This is slander! Pei Yufeng, what exactly are you trying to do—"

"Commander Lu has already seen it." Pei Yufeng cut him off. "The original was delivered to his office this morning. Whether it's real or not, we'll find out soon enough."

Pei Yufeng paused. "As for you, Commander Lu's men should be arriving soon."

Ye Zifeng took a step back, his lips still moving desperately, but not a single word came out. He wanted to defend himself, wanted to shout, but his throat felt stuffed with wet cotton, every word stuck in his throat, unable to get out. His shoulders began to tremble, his legs visibly shaking, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Then footsteps sounded from outside the courtyard gate. Four officers in uniform strode in quickly, standing on either side of Ye Zifeng. "Ye Zifeng... come with us," one of them said.

Ye Zifeng whipped his head around, finally forcing a shrill sound from his throat: "I didn't do anything! He's setting me up! I want to see Political Commissar Fang! Let me see Political Commissar Fang!"

The four officers ignored him. Two of them each grabbed one of his arms. Ye Zifeng struggled for a moment, then looked up to see Pei Yufeng's calm face, the unyielding light in his eyes. His legs buckled, his whole body going limp as he was dragged out by the two soldiers.

Ye Zifeng kept shouting that he wanted to see Political Commissar Fang, but the four officers escorting him gave him no chance to argue.

Soon, the courtyard fell silent again.

Li Shu and Liu Aimin stood inside the room, frozen in place, exchanging glances before both turning to look at the doorway.

Ji Yunshu remained standing where she was. She clutched the half-mended pants in her hand, the needle still stuck in the fabric. From the moment Pei Yufeng walked into the courtyard until now, she hadn't uttered a single word.

Pei Yufeng turned around. He crossed the threshold in three quick strides, standing at the boundary between light and shadow, looking down at Ji Yunshu, reaching out to cup her face.

"I'm back," Pei Yufeng said.

Ji Yunshu's lips trembled, and tears welled up without warning, streaming down her face in an instant. She tossed the pants aside, took two steps to the door, raised her fist, and slammed it against his chest.

This time Ji Yunshu hit hard—a dull thud—but she still felt it wasn't enough.

She hit him again.

"You lied to me!" Ji Yunshu cried out, her voice going hoarse in an instant. "You said you'd be back in ten days or so! You lied! Do you have any idea that I can't sleep at night! Do you know Nian Nian keeps running to the door every day! Do you know Sheng Sheng tore up his steamed bun waiting for you to come back and eat it!"

Ji Yunshu's fists pounded against his chest, each blow heavier than the one before. Pei Yufeng stood still, not dodging, letting her hit him. His gaze softened, resting on her tear-streaked face. His lips moved, and he said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."

Ji Yunshu's fists stopped. Only then did she get a clear look at the wound on his face—running from his brow to the corner of his eye, the edges of the torn flesh still seeping beads of blood, making his whole face look ashen. His lips were chapped and peeling, several places split open and bleeding.

Her fists clenched, then loosened, then clenched again. Finally she lunged forward, crashing into his arms, throwing both arms around his waist, her face buried in the wrinkled uniform on his chest, sobbing loudly.

Pei Yufeng raised his hand, gently encircling her. His palm pressed against her back, feeling her shoulders shaking violently. He lowered his head, his chin resting on her head, eyes closing for a moment before opening again.

"I'm sorry," Pei Yufeng said again. "I worried you."

Inside the room, Nian Nian woke up hearing the crying and burst into tears as well. Sheng Sheng woke up too, but he didn't cry—he just sat up on the edge of the bed, tilting his little head toward the doorway.

Li Shu hurried over to pick up Nian Nian, soothing her for a moment before looking up. She saw Pei Yufeng standing on the threshold, holding Ji Yunshu entirely in his arms, their shadows cast on the ground by the afternoon sun—a dark, tangled mass, overlapping and inseparable.

Liu Aimin stood nearby, tears streaming down her face too, wiping at them with the back of her hand.

Li Shu held Nian Nian and comforted her for a while before the little girl finally stopped crying, her small face buried in Li Shu's shoulder, sniffling with little hiccups. Liu Aimin stood there at a loss for what to do for a moment, then stole another glance at the two overlapping figures by the doorway before finally coming back to her senses.

"Sister Li Shu, let's... let's head back first?" Liu Aimin tugged at Li Shu's sleeve, her voice lowered to a whisper.

Li Shu looked down at Nian Nian in her arms, then turned to glance at the doorway. Pei Yufeng still had Ji Yunshu wrapped in his arms, their foreheads almost touching, neither speaking. Li Shu gently set Nian Nian down on the mat, bending down to pat her little head. "Be good, Nian Nian. I'll come by to see you tomorrow."

Nian Nian nodded, not quite understanding, then turned to look at the doorway. Seeing that tall, broad figure, her little mouth broke into a grin, showing a few tiny baby teeth.

Li Shu and Liu Aimin carefully slipped around the two people at the doorway and out through the courtyard gate. Liu Aimin glanced back as she left, seeing Ji Yunshu's hand clutching the front of Pei Yufeng's uniform, her face a mix of surprise and joy, but streaked with tears.

The courtyard gate clicked shut softly.

The room grew quiet, leaving only Nian Nian babbling away to herself on the mat, and Sheng Sheng leaning against the headboard, his dark, round eyes staring unblinkingly at the doorway.

Ji Yunshu pulled back from Pei Yufeng's embrace, raising a hand to hastily wipe the tears from her face. The tear tracks had dried and re-wetted on her cheeks, leaving streaks—she didn't care. She reached out and grabbed Pei Yufeng's arm. "Come here. Tell me what really happened this past month or so."

Pei Yufeng let her pull him toward the room. As he passed the mat, he glanced down at Nian Nian, who immediately reached out both hands toward him, babbling an indistinct "Ba-ba." Pei Yufeng bent down to pick her up, but Ji Yunshu yanked him back upright.

"Don't touch the kids yet." Ji Yunshu's voice was still nasal, but her tone had steadied. "How many days have you been soaked in seawater? You're filthy!"

Pei Yufeng was dragged to the bathroom door before she stopped. Ji Yunshu pushed the door open and shoved Pei Yufeng inside.

"Wash." Ji Yunshu said, leaving no room for argument.

Pei Yufeng stood by the washbasin, glancing back at her. The wound on his face was still seeping the finest threads of blood, the scabbed blood on his brow dark red and black, making him look somewhat bedraggled. But there was a hint of cautious smile in his eyes, as if testing the waters. "Should I talk first or wash first?"

"Wash first." Ji Yunshu kept her face stern, though her nose was still red. "You're filthy all over, and you were about to hold the kids—are you trying to make me miserable on purpose? Wash first, then talk. Leave your clothes at the door. I'll get you a change."

With that, Ji Yunshu closed the door and turned to rummage through the cabinet for Pei Yufeng's clothes. Midway through, she heard the bathroom splash, followed by the sound of water pouring into the tub. Her hands paused for a moment, then she folded a clean set of military uniform and a towel, placing them on the small stool by the door.

"Clothes are at the door," Ji Yunshu called in.

"Okay," Pei Yufeng replied.

Ji Yunshu returned to the bedroom, carried both children to the mat in the living room, and handed each of them a cloth tiger toy to play with. Nian Nian hugged hers and gnawed on its ear, while Sheng Sheng sat upright, holding the tiger's belly with both hands, occasionally glancing toward the bathroom.

Ji Yunshu took down the medicine box from the top of the cabinet. It was one Pei Yufeng had prepared earlier—stuffed full of iodine, gauze, and various common medications. Ji Yunshu laid everything out one by one on the coffee table, cutting the gauze into appropriate sizes and placing cotton balls on clean paper.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

A moment later, the bathroom door slid open, and Pei Yufeng walked out bare-chested, wearing only military trousers. His hair was still wet, water droplets trailing down his temples, sliding over his shoulders and the old scars on his chest, disappearing at his waistband. The wound on his face, after being washed with hot water, had its dried scabs softened and partially peeled away, revealing tender pink new flesh underneath—looking even more alarming than before.

There weren't any particularly large wounds on Pei Yufeng's upper body, but his back seemed to have been struck or impacted by something heavy, with several patches of bruising in shades of purple and blue.

Ji Yunshu looked up at him and drew in a sharp breath.

"Sit down," Ji Yunshu said, patting the sofa beside her.

Pei Yufeng obediently sat down. His body was covered in many other minor wounds—a large scrape on his elbow, fine scratches all over the backs of his hands, and his legs were even worse, with at least a dozen cuts of varying sizes. But he didn't make a sound, just sat there, letting Ji Yunshu gently peel off a small piece of lifted scab from his shoulder.

Ji Yunshu dipped a cotton ball in iodine and slowly applied it to the wound on his brow. When the iodine stung, Pei Yufeng's brow twitched slightly—it hurt—but he didn't flinch, just lowered his eyes to watch Ji Yunshu's face so close to his.

"Now you can talk," Ji Yunshu said, her hands not stopping. "Go on. Where exactly did you go this past month?"

Pei Yufeng was silent for a moment. "After I was pulled under by the wave that day, my head and back seemed to hit something. I nearly blacked out."

Pei Yufeng's voice was low, carrying the dampness of a fresh wash. "I fought desperately to swim up. When I surfaced, the boat was already out of sight—all around me was pitch-black seawater. I drifted in the water most of the night. At dawn, I spotted a faint shadow in the distance and swam toward it with everything I had."

Ji Yunshu's cotton swab paused at the corner of his eye, pressing gently. Her fingers trembled involuntarily at the sound of Pei Yufeng's account, but she gritted her teeth and held it together.

"It was a small island. Only one fisherman's family lived there—an old couple who rarely came ashore. The island didn't even have a radio. They spotted me on the shore and dragged me up. I was covered in wounds and ran a high fever for two days. By the time the fever broke, several days had already passed."

Author's note:

None