Chapter 303: with translation of chapter title

Mid to late August, waves of heat, the temperature on the Sea Island was truly scorching.

The elderly changed into sleeveless undershirts, the young wore short sleeves and long skirts, loose and breathable clothing.

The infants were most comfortable, wearing little belly bands, barefoot crawling everywhere.

At first, the little ones felt uneasy due to their parents' sudden departure, but under the elders' care they gradually forgot their worries and continued to grow strong.

Well, fruit puree, steamed egg custard let them momentarily forget the fact that their parents weren't by their side.

During the day it was actually fine; the old-timers took turns on duty, and the kids weren't hard to look after.

But at night the children would cry nonstop, like a game of passing the flower while drumming—when their own child cried, the wailing would echo from the nearby family quarters' apartment block.

One after another, lights were turned on in each household.

In every household, the pillars of the family went to support the disaster zone, leaving only the elderly, weak, women, and children at home—how could they not panic?

In response, the troops increased the number of night patrol personnel, ensuring the safety of military dependents came first.

If an infant developed a fever or fell ill at night, one could simply call out to the night patrol, and a dedicated person would take the baby to the Military Region Hospital for treatment.

This aspect, the logistics work was done very well.

The atmosphere in the family compound gradually calmed, but when word arrived that the first five disaster-relief troops were returning, the military wives erupted.

They couldn't wait, holding their children, they waited at the gate of the family compound and near the dock, just hoping to see their own men return safely as soon as possible.

Well, Old Lu and Old Pei also heard the news; without a word they summoned a few old comrades, taking turns holding the three little ones as they went to the dock to meet the returnees.

From morning until noon, no one left.

When the children got hungry, they went to the old neighbor's to exchange a pot of boiling water, mixed formula, and the remaining water was taken in turns to quench thirst while they continued waiting.

Effort is rewarded; at two o'clock in the afternoon, a warship's silhouette appeared on the distant horizon.

The sharp-eyed military wives had already begun shouting excitedly, "Here they come!"

"What's coming?"

"The warship!"

"The ones they were waiting for have returned!"

"Wuu—"

A bugle sounded from the warship, the five-star red flag fluttered in the wind on the flagpole—that was the most beautiful splash of red!

Not only were the relatives on the dock calling out, but on the deck, the servicemen who had rested for a few days, those with families, couldn't help but rush forward, waving at the shore.

"They've come back, they've come back safely!"

The infants gazed blankly at the massive vessel; perhaps due to blood ties, many little ones began to wail loudly.

They cried feeling wronged, impossible to soothe.

Until the warship docked, as the weary servicemen disembarked one after another, they swept up the military wives holding their babies into their arms, and only then did the infants in their arms stop crying and smile.

Such a scene was not an isolated case.

The military dependents who came to the dock to meet their loved ones successively received their partners and relatives.

Together they held the children, laughing through tears, having survived the ordeal, brimming with the vitality of having come back to life...

When Shen Man and her three companions stepped off the deck, seeing several elders on the dock holding children and gazing silently at them, the four's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, giving them the drive of still being alive, of having come back to life.

All along they had been striving to rescue disaster victims, ignoring the desolate atmosphere of the camp, overlooking the pervasive strange aura, the state of being barely alive, which persisted until they returned aboard the warship...

Having experienced life and death, confronted massive loss of life, the greatness of human nature, their mindsets have somewhat changed.

Especially Shen Man, who clearly possessed Spiritual Liquid; as long as she could rescue someone, she was confident she could save their life.

But the reality is, only one in a hundred survives, only one in a thousand.

The number of deaths far exceeds the survivors by ten thousand times.

She couldn't save them, and few could wait for her aid.

Before leaving, she poured all the Spiritual Liquid from the jade bottle into the main river of the disaster zone, at its source.

Perhaps it would be of little use, but she still did so.

She only hoped that, after some years, that land might recover its vitality...

"Grandpa, we're back!"

"Just coming back is good, coming back is good."

"Yee-yah."

"Aba aba."

"Wuu wuu wuu."

The adults had no time for pleasantries, because the little ones in their arms began to wail.

Who says infants have no memory, no impression?

Recognizing parents comes even before memory—it's instinct.

Lu Xiu Bai heard his daughter cry, quickly rubbed his palms on his trousers, then carefully lifted his daughter and gently cooed:

"Lian Lian, don't cry, don't cry—Dad misses you to death, do you want Dad?"

"Yee-yah."

Lian Lian wrapped her arms around Dad's neck, sniffed, seemingly confirming whether the person before her was Dad.

Then she made a sound, "No, no, it's Dad, but Dad stinks!"

Being disliked, Lu Xiu Bai wasn't annoyed; he handed his daughter over to his wife.

He knew his wife also missed their daughter dearly.

Jiang Ye opened his arms wide, holding son and daughter tightly, affectionately kissing their cheeks, his voice hoarse, he promised:

"Xiao Nuomi, Xiao Mantou, I'm Dad—Mom and Dad are back, from now on we'll never be apart again."

The two siblings instinctively reached out their little hands, felt Dad's cheeks, confirmed they were warm, then buried their heads in his neck.

After being affectionate with Dad, they then took turns being affectionate with Mom for a while.

The two siblings babbled for a good while, speaking only they could understand; Dad and Mom listened smiling lightly, and only then did they quiet down.

With Dad and Mom present, each child clung to one parent's neck and refused to let go.

Children, they understand nothing, yet they understand everything.

On the way back, besides Lu Lao Ye Zi and Pei Lao Ye Zi, several other elders made the excuse of being sleepy and wanting to return to the retirement home for a nap to say goodbye to them.

They all knew this was because several elders were considerate, letting them go home to give them time for a family reunion.

Although they had many questions they wanted to ask, they all simultaneously chose to discuss them next time.

Thus, the soldiers and military doctors on the warship gradually returned to their units.

Not one more, not one less; although some were wounded, to the soldiers this injury was minor compared to their comrades who would forever sleep.

Compared to external wounds, the torment they suffered in spirit was the most serious......

Will time be the holy medicine that heals wounds?

No one knows what the future will hold, but after this experience they will increasingly cherish those before them, cherish what they now possess, and love life!