Since Mrs Guan moved in nearly six months ago, it had become much easier for Zhou Di to take care of Zhou Aichen. After all, taking care of the baby seemed to come more naturally to women. Under Mrs. Guan's attentive care, Zhou Aichen had noticeable gained weight now compared to before. His already adorable chubby face now appeared even more endearing, winning the affection of everyone. Moreover, he had started crawling everywhere and babbling, clear signs that he was on the verge of talking. Yes, what a truly adorable baby he had become! It was also evident that Yang Zichun's care and protectiveness toward Zhou Aichen had grown significantly. He kept him by his side at all times, refusing to let anyone else to hold him except for Zhou Di and Mrs Guan. Whenever he had free time, Yang Zichun would rush over to hug his Aichen, help him take his first steps or teach him to speak. He was determined that Aichen's first word to be "Ge" (which means elder brother in Chinese.) so he constantly repeated "ge" around him. Finally, one day, Aichen uttered a sound but it was "Ga" ("Ga" is the sound made by ducks, similar to "quack" in English.). Yang Zichun was torn between joy and frustration. However, Aichen, delighted, hugged him tightly and kept repeating "Ga, ga!". Even though Zhou Aichen had started walking, Yang Zichun still frequently carried him around. As for toys to Zhou Aichen, Yang Zichun carved some out of jade fragments, even though no one could recognized what these toys were supposed to look like.
After one and half a year, Yang Zichun had made remarkable progress in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. Thanks to Zhou Di's guidance, his basic knowledge had also made significant progress. Particularly in carving, his skills in carving had grown. He could now not only draw various designs on stones but also start practicing carving them. Although Zhou Di didn't have high expectations about whether Yang Zichun would fully commit to learning the craft, he had taught him some basic knife techniques to get stared.
Zhou Di had never imposed anything on Yang Zichun, allowing him the freedom to pursue his own interests. Zhou Di understood that Yang Zichun would likely follow the same path to his own and eventually become a prominent figure like his own father. However, the current conditions couldn't provide Yang Zichun with the educational opportunities he truly needed. Zhou Di didn't dare send him to school, fearing that his true identity might be exposed. This further limited Yang Zichun's education to what he could learn at home, confined to the small shop.
Eventually, Hu Zhenghan decided to leave due to his persistent worry about his family, from whom he had heard nothing. He missed them greatly and couldn't shake off his concerns about his family. After informing Zhou Di of his decision, he prepared to head back home to assess the situation. Now that he had a valid ID, he was no longer worried about being caught by the Wasoku soldiers. With all trains and buses running regularly outside of wartime disruptions, it was much easier for Hu Zhenghan to return home than before. Before his departure, Hu Zhenghan resigned from his job in Yucheng. Zhou Di, understanding his plight, provided him with some extra money and urged him to return if he encountered any problems. Gratefully for Zhou Di's kindness and support, Hu Zhenghan bid farewell and set out for home.
Currently, Zhou Di and Guan Yunkai had completed the restoration of several antiques for An Yuanxi. While they were still taking their time with the remaining work, An Yuanxi didn't take any action to press them too hard. Instead, he urged them to speed up because he was pleased with the quality of their restoration. Two large items required more time to repair and sometimes there was only Zhou Di to handle the restoration work while Guan Yunkai was frequently sent by An Yuanxi to various locations to appraise additional antiques.
Occasionally, Guan Yunkai also evaluated items for authenticity, giving him opportunities to secretly steal a few genuine pieces. If An Yuanxi decided to destroy any items, Guan Yunkai would discreetly collect the fragments of the authentic ones. Once restored, these antiques were hidden away in the secret room, where there were five valuable antiques of various sizes and there valuable handicrafts inside. Regardless of whether they were antiques or the handicrafts, Zhou Di continued to repair them seriously and carefully. In his opinion, these items were the treasures of the Midlands, some for their historical significance and some for their monetary value. Zhou Di continued to make occasional visits to the ruin of the villa, always feeling nervous whenever he noticed signs of human activity nearby. Thankfully, the whole area had become overgrown with grass, discouraging people from lingering. This provided him some reassurance as he stood by the collapsed stone colonnade, his gaze fixed in the direction of the secret room. It was as if he could see ZhouNie's mummy remains lying there through the crumbling walls, a haunting image that lingered in his mind.
Yang Zaihua entered the tent and said:
"Young Marshal, Feng Quan'an has sent a telegram asking whether he should follow the orders from Chief-of-Staff Sun. This time it is Chief-of-Staff Sun who has made the tactical deployment in the northwest, but it seems that he's a bit reluctant to comply."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chen, who had been studying the map, immediately sat upright and responded:
"What a foolish question from Feng Quan'an! Uncle Sun is one of my mentors, and even I have to heed his directives. Tell him to follow Uncle Sun's orders and emphasize that he must prioritize the overall strategy over my personal commands. If he want to serve as my subordinate, he must demonstrate the self-awareness expected of a subordinate."
Yang Zaihua continued:
"Miss Sanhua also contacted us but she did not wish me to disturb you. She told me that the reconstruction work in the liberated areas is progressing smoothly, urging us not to worry about the future affairs anymore. I think Miss Sanhua's intention is to let you have faith in her management, given the substantial donation she received from Miss Yihua in Aron Country."
"Tell her to be frugal with expenditures, as there will be numerous expenses in the future. By the way, is Zhao Dayou here?"
"Yes, I've heard that he has been causing more troubles here for the Wasoku army by engaging in small-scale skirmishes over the past year. He and his men have even taken advantage of this small mountain range in this area, making it difficult for the Wasoku forces to locate them."
"Is it possible for us to contact him? Do you think he knows we are here or not?"
"Don't worry, Young Marshal. I have already dispatched personnel to search for him and his teams among the mountains."
"Let Fang Yu handle this. Or perhaps a small battlefield victory will inform Zhao Dayou that we are here now. It's crucial to have someone familiar with the terrain in this area if we end up fighting here. Moreover, there are many traitors assisting the Wasoku army. I won't show any mercy to these traitors."
After Yang Zaihua left, he returned shortly afterward and reported:
"Young Marshal, there is someone outside who is requesting to see you. It is Zhang Tianming from the Cultural Relics Bureau in Yucheng."
"Let him in."
When Zhang Tianming walked into the tent, Yang Chen stood up and noticed that Zhang Tianming was already wearing the rank insignia of a Yang family soldier. He couldn't help but smile and said:
"I didn't expect you to join the army too. You're already a lieutenant."
Zhang Tianming stood at attention and gave a military salute, saying with smile:
"Young Marshal, I'm really glad to meet you. I joined the army as soon as I heard that the Yang family was recruiting soldiers. I have already fought several battles with the Wasoku army. This time I've come here to replenish troops. When I heard you are here, I come here to ask you where Zhou Di is now."
Yang Chen's expression dimmed as he said:
"I'm sorry but I don't have any news about him either. I believe he is still in Yucheng."
Zhang Tianming asked in surprise:
"What? He didn't escape from Yucheng?"
"No, he chose to stay. He couldn't bear to leave all the relics from your bureau behind. He would have been constantly worried about them a lot because no one was there to protect them."
"What? Are all the relics from the bureau are still in Yucheng? My father told me that they were in your hands."
"Yes, they are in my hands but only three persons know where they are. Now two of us are here and the third one is Zhou Di, who is still in Yucheng."
"Are they safe?"
Yang Chen sighed with regret and said:
"They are safe. But in hindsight, it might have been better if I would let you take them away. Then Zhou Di could have left Yucheng as well."
"Don't say that. In fact, it was fortunate that we didn't take the relics with us. At the time, we were pulling two carts loaded with boxes, which made us slower than everyone else when we escaped toward the west. As a result, we encountered the Wasoku army on the road. You can't imagine how nervous we were, worrying about the relics. We thought these relics could be lost for sure. When my father told the Wasoku soldiers that the boxes contained nothing but some scattered items, we all thought he was lying to those bastards. If the Wasoku bastards had opened the boxes, none of us would have survived. Unexpectedly, it turned out he was telling the truth that there really were odds and ends inside. Later my father told me the antiques were in your hands."
Yang Chen said with some emotion:
"I never expected that you had experienced such an ordeal. Is Leader Zhang okay? Is everyone else safe?"
Zhang Tianming sighed and replied:
"In the current situation, how can we consider that everyone is okay? Are we fine or not? We encountered those Wasoku troops, who, although they may have been somewhat lenient, didn't resort to violence against us, we still endured many hardships and displacement. During our journey westward, several elderly people couldn't make it and passed away. My wife was already frail. In addition, the stress of the journey caused her to fall ill when we arrived at the refugee camp. Despite our best efforts to treat her, she couldn't recover and passed away. Some of the younger adults among us heard about your family's propaganda and enlisted in the army. Over these years, some of us have died in battle. I consider myself lucky to have survived. Now my father and my son are living in Qudu, where they are relatively safe."
Zhang Tianming sighed heavily at this point. Yang Chen also expressed:
"Yes, this war has changed the fate of many people."
"Oh, by the way, Young Marshal, I met Fei Qiang."
"Fei Qiang? Who is he?"
"He was one of the employees at Zhou Di's shop but he is not a good guy."
"What's happened?"
"Young Marshal, from what I know, all the goods from Zhou Di's shop had been sold with the help of Mr. Sun. I don't know his name."
"Sun Jiancheng."
"I'm not sure. Zhou Di never told me his name. I don't know how Fei Qiang found Mr. Sun, but I heard that he told Mr. Sun that all the carved goods from Zhou Di's shop were actually carved by him. He also claimed to be an apprentice of the Guan family and gained Guan Qin's trust and high praise. Furthermore, he denigrated Zhou Di, portraying him as worthless. Mr. Sun, somehow, believed his words and teamed up with Fei Qiang to do business. Fei Qiang has made a considerable amount of money through Mr. Sun and even acquired several good pieces of stone."
Upon hearing this, Yang Chen's expression turned fierce. He gritted his teeth as he said:
"He does not want to live anymore and dares to ambush my person. Anyone who dares to have ulterior motives against me will pay the price. Alright, I will let him understand what it's like to come up empty-handed ---- All in vain. Sun Jiancheng is also a despicable scoundrel. I treated him like one of my own and now he betrays me and uses my belongings for profit. He's truly black-hearted. Let me show you how I deal with people like them. Zaihua!"
Yang Zaihua immediately appeared before them and Yang Chen instructed:
"Go to Qudu at once and find that bastard whose name is Fei Qiang. Search for his house, confiscate his property, freeze his accounts, detain his family and throw him to the frontlines. Let him not to think about making money. It's time for him to protect our people and defend our country. We need every able people to fight the enemy now."
Zhang Tianming interjected:
"Young Marshal, he is not in Qudu, Xin'an. He is in Xin'an, running a shop."
But in his mind: Young Marshal is truly ruthless, protecting Zhou Di, that little guy!
Yang Chen responded quickly:
"Zaihua, you go to Xin'an, raid his house and shop. Then you go back to Qudu and inform Sun Jiancheng that my stone materials are only given to one person whose name is Zhou Di. Make sure he understands that he has no right to distribute them to anyone else. These are my personal possessions. Also, you go home and stay there for a couple of days before returning. Tianming, if there's something you need to tell your family, let Zaihua take it for you."
Yang Zaihua replied:
"Young Marshal, let Fang Yu deal with this affair. I must stay by your side."
Yang Chen understood Yang Zaihua's meaning but replied:
"What are you doing now? Disobeying my order? What's the point of you staying by my side? There are plenty of people around me here. Get away, I'm tired of seeing you now. Fang Yu is more pleasing to my eyes."
Yang Zaihua anxiously said:
"Young Marshal, I can't leave you. If I go home, my father will scold me to death."
"This is my order: you have to stay at home for two nights before coming back. If Uncle Yang scolds you, call me and let me talk to him."
"But, Young Marshal, do you have never gone back yet?"
Yang Chen said with a distressed expression:
"Do you think I can leave now? You know my heart has been hanging in the air. Zhou Di is alone in the enemy-occupied district. I have no idea how he is doing. I just hope that he is alive and waiting for me. How dare I relax? It's been almost two years. You don't know how much I miss him."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Tianming was shocked. He couldn't help but glance at Yang Chen who was touching something under his military uniform, his eyes filled with deep longing and tears. Zhang Tianming didn't pay attention to him or Yang Zaihua anymore, just waving his hand to dismiss them. Before Zhang Tianming left the tent, he took one last look at Yang Chen who had covered his face with hands and heard his murmur:
"Dizi, Dizi, my baby, are you alright? I miss you so much."