The night before Christmas is Christmas Eve, and in addition to cleaning the church and singing together, it is customary to have a good dinner to celebrate. Although it was difficult to buy any food in the market these days, and the food stored in the cellar had to prepare for the famine after the Japanese army entered the city, the nuns still brought out some sausages and bacon to make dinner as rich as possible.

In the evening, a fireplace was lit to tell stories to the children gathered around them, and the nuns planned to celebrate Mass at midnight.

Wen Jianning was tired outside for a day, thinking that he would not be able to last that hour, so he said hello to the nuns and went back to the attic first. Most of the other helpers were tired of the women and children, and they were arranged to go to bed separately. After putting the children to sleep, she also went back to the attic, planning to draw some greeting cards for the children, and then go downstairs to listen to the gospel until late at night.

Seeing that she sat at the table as soon as she came in, rummaging through the cabinets to find the paintbrush busy, Wen Jianning yawned sleepily: "You have to draw one for each person, how busy will this be." Greeting cards are just a façade, where can God really send blessings to people? ”

Seeing that Xiu coughed lightly twice, he smiled and said, "Maybe after today, God will really take care of us." ”

She was in weak health, and she used to get sick whenever the weather turned cold, and recently she began to cough a little. Fortunately, the condition is not serious, as long as you survive this period.

Wen Jianning never believed in God, so naturally he would not pin his hopes on ethereal beliefs.

It's just that she won't say anything to break the illusion of seeing embroidery.

The kerosene lamp shone quietly on the corner of the table, seeing that Xiuxiu was still facing away from her, crouching in front of the table and scribbling, Wen Jianning sat on the edge of the bed and read an English book, only turning a few pages and slowly losing his mind.

At Christmas last year, she still spent it with Feng Yi.

Thinking of Feng Yi, Wen Jianning couldn't help but be stunned for a long time before forcing himself not to think about it.

After a while, the person next to him suddenly smiled and said, "Okay, come and get your greeting card." ”

Wen Jianning said with words, but he still took it in his hand: "Where is the need for such trouble......

She was actually a little happy in her heart, after all, the last time she received a holiday blessing from Jianxiu was many years ago, and she hadn't left the Mid-Levels Villa.

This greeting card is not so much like a common Christmas card, but more like a painting.

The blue-green waves on the card intertwine with the golden-red light of the sunset, the color blocks are bright and rich, and the contrast is strong, and in the distance there is a large ship sailing away, chasing in the direction of sunset. On the deck, a short-haired girl wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat and a long white dress stood faintly, looking into the distance, but her back to the person looking at the painting, making it impossible to see the face.

There is a line of beautiful small words in the corner, which reads: "I wish my sister to see Ning forever ......"

Before Wen Jianning could finish reading, suddenly the whole room shook violently, and the two of them reflexively drilled under the bed. After waiting for the mountain to shake over, the two of them carefully climbed out from under the bed, opened the door and went down to check the situation.

The nuns, who had been resting in their rooms, were also awakened by the drama and ran downstairs through the corridor.

I don't know what's going on, but in this case, just follow everyone.

They hurriedly followed, and when they came downstairs, they realized that the nuns had rushed out not because they were worried about the explosion on the street outside, but because refugees were constantly storming the church door below.

With the gradual fall of Hong Kong Island, a large number of refugees from other places poured into the city that was not occupied by the Japanese army every day.

The church is filled with only Mama Theresa and the nuns, and at best homeless children and a few elderly people are housed, and the young and strong refugees have always been turned away. The refugees were seen storming the door, and the nuns were thrown into a mess, some muttering prayers, some hurriedly marking crosses, and only a few remembered to block the door.

However, in terms of numbers and strength, they were not superior and could not stop them at all, and the crumbling door was finally rushed open, and a group of refugees, regardless of the cries of the nuns, instantly poured into the church like a tide.

The children who were lying on the benches cried in horror, and the earth-shattering cry woke up the minds of the refugees who were almost crushed by fear. They stopped briefly, and quickly and quietly sought shelter in their respective corners. I don't know who the last refugee to walk into the church was, and he closed the door again, shutting everything behind him.

The church, which was still quite spacious, was suddenly crowded with people, and the nuns barely had room to walk. But as they went around to comfort the children, they would silently squeeze to the side.

After weeping, the children's little hands still grasped the black robes of the nuns, and they still looked at the many strangers who had suddenly appeared around them with some uneasiness. Some of them are ordinary people in blue cloth coats, and there are also young ladies in cheongsam, but no matter who they are, they are all unkempt at the moment, embarrassed, and their eyes are numb and empty.

The roar of artillery fire outside continued, and the church was shaken to dust from time to time, but it was so quiet that it was frighteningly quiet, except for the sobs of children that made the night seem long and bleak.

However, even this calm did not last long, and soon some people could not hold back, and got up to trouble the nuns, forcing them to ask where they had food, and some people around them were watching coldly, and some people began to move.

One of the yellow-faced middle-aged men was the most arrogant, grabbed the nun by the collar, and said arrogantly: "Where is the place where you foreign devils hide food?

The nuns stepped forward in horror and pulled, but how could they withstand the strength of an adult man.

There was food in the church, but this group of refugees had been wandering around for these days, and their sanity was already on the verge of collapse. If they really take out all the food, I'm afraid that they will be even more crazy, and it will be difficult to stop anything from happening again.

Wen Jianning finally stood up and walked towards the man.

The yellow-faced man suddenly felt something against the back of his head, and he stiffened suddenly.

He subconsciously raised his hands and slowly looked back, only to see a young woman aiming a black hole at him, those autumn-like eyes, cold and terrifying.

The church, which was still noisy just now, fell silent in an instant, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

A layer of cold sweat broke out on the yellow-faced man's forehead, and his voice began to tremble: "Don't, don't shoot......"

As he spoke, he lowered his body weakly, and Wen Jianning's muzzle also fell inch by inch, until the other party couldn't stand it and fell to the ground in horror, and then she raised the gun in her hand again.

Wen Jianning's gaze scanned the surroundings, but wherever she saw, everyone subconsciously lowered their heads out of fear, avoiding her sharp gaze.

What she was holding in her hands was the Browning pistol that Zhou Yinghuang gave her before leaving Kunming that day.

Wen Jianning's voice was neither high nor low, but it was enough for all the people present to hear: "The church can provide you with water, but there is no extra food." If you want something to eat, go out early tomorrow morning to defend the city, the men can help transport the supplies, the women can go to take care of them, and the General Defense Administration will give you rice and food. You can rest in the church tonight, but before dawn, if anyone wants to make trouble, I am a woman who is weak, and I can't stop you, but I have at least four bullets in this gun, and I can take four more people to hell with me. ”

Her voice was sonorous and powerful, and she still had a gun in her hand, which made everyone dare not come out for a while.

Seeing that the refugees had settled down a lot, she went back to her original corner and sat down.

A mother holding her child shrank to the side in horror, Wen Jianning glanced at it, smiled at them, and sat calmly on the ground. Jianxiu was very vigilant by her side, keeping an eye on the people around her, and not letting anyone approach.

Wen Jianning took out his gun just now, which certainly shocked some people. But there was a mixture of refugees, and there were also some restless people who thought that if they took the opportunity to rush up, I was afraid that they would have no way to protect themselves.

Fortunately, after a while, those unpredictable visions slowly disappeared.

Seeing Xiu relaxed a little, he heard Wen Jianning next to him say in a low voice: "Jianxiu, if you really can't dodge one day, I will leave two bullets, one for myself and the other for you." ”

Seeing Xiu, I only felt that my heart was clenched, and I couldn't breathe for a moment.

She knew that what Wen Jianning said was in case, in case the city was broken and if they were caught by the Japanese army, they could at least use death to protect their innocence, but she didn't care about innocence or innocence, and she didn't spare her life.

It's just that she hasn't seen Ning, she hasn't ...... yet

Seeing that Xiu's voice trembled slightly, he could only say: "Okay." ”

After getting her response, Wen Jianning leaned against the wall with confidence and began to close his eyes and pretend to sleep.

These days, she went to the hospital during the day to care for the wounded, and she was busy until late before coming back, and she was already too tired to do so. Now that she can't sleep peacefully at night, her spirit is naturally a little weak, and it is still early before dawn, so she naturally wants to try to make up for her spirit as soon as possible.

It's just that she didn't fully relax, and she still held the gun in her hand. When my cousin gave her this gun that day, maybe it was just in case, but who would have thought that she would actually use it for this day......

Thinking of this, Wen Jianning raised his left hand and gently pressed it on his chest, which made him feel relieved.

At this moment, she suddenly heard a familiar voice crying out: "You, can you save her......"

Wen Jianning opened her eyes and saw several nuns walking towards the corner where the voice came from, and she also got up and followed. The crowd in the aisle dispersed, revealing a young man and two women who were surrounding a woman wearing a velvet cheongsam with a peony on a black background. The woman was hit in the thigh by a stray bullet, and she was bleeding all the way, and the blood was still snaking on the ground.

Although the nuns were angry with this group of refugees, they would not sit idly by, and some people who knew some medical skills went to get a medicine box to help clean up the wounds, Wen Jianning also got up to help, and when she got closer, she found that the woman was actually Mei Shan, who she hadn't seen for many years.

Looking at the other three again, it turned out to be Jianwan, Jianyu and Lu Jiajun.

It was the first time in her life that she had seen these people look so embarrassed, Lu Jiajun's suit had undried bloodstains, and she saw that Wan's sideburns were scattered and her makeup was spent, only Jianyu was decent, but her face was very pale.

They recognized her and looked surprised.

It's just that now is really not a good time to catch up, Wen Jianning didn't say much to them, just raised the candlestick and squatted down beside Mei Shan, using the firelight to illuminate the wound on her leg for the nuns to clean up.

Mei Shan, who was not lightly injured, was still in her senses at the moment, and even had the strength to speak, seeing that it was Wen Jianning, her eyes suddenly burst with joy, and she shouted: "Jianning, Jianning, I helped you run out at the beginning, and now you are ......."

Wen Jianning said in a low voice: "I still remember your kindness, when your injury is healed, I will definitely find a way"

Mei Shan's face showed a look that seemed to cry but not cry, and seemed to laugh instead of laughing, but she didn't have the arrogant ridicule of the past: "Is my leg hit in the artery, am I going to live ......?"

Wen Jianning softly reassured: "Your injury is not too serious, as long as the bleeding stops, you will be fine." ”

Mei Shan didn't seem to fully listen to her words, she was still in extreme fear, and kept repeating some words: "Jianning, for so many years, you know in your heart how your Aunt Mei Shan treats you. I'm old, and the money is gone, maybe I'll have a scar this time, you, you married the Feng family, and you have to give me a pension in the future......"

The glamorous woman in the past is still concerned about whether the wound has a scar.

Wen Jianning suddenly felt a little sad, and only said, "Okay, I will give you a pension for the end." ”

The Jianwan next to them were a little surprised, they were familiar with Wen Jianning's temperament, and knew that as long as she opened her mouth and promised, she would not change her mind easily. With Mei Shan's temperament, if she can really survive this, I am afraid that she will be terrible in the future.

As the two spoke in a low voice, the nuns had stopped the bleeding for Maeshan.

But Mei Shan's state was already not good, her face was as pale as paper, her breathing gradually weakened, and the light in her eyes dimmed little by little. She herself sensed that the vitality in her body was slowly draining, and grabbed Wen Jianning's hand stubbornly, as if in this way she could draw a trace of vitality from the other party's body, but it was all in vain.

Her mind was a little unclear, but she was still thinking about her future, pestering her to ask her how she was good to Wen Jianning in the past, and asking Wen Jianning if she would give her a pension and send her to the end of her life. She asked over and over again, and Wen Jianning promised over and over again, until her voice slowly lowered and never sounded again.

The people around didn't dare to take a breath, and moved to the side one after another.

Wen Jianning's hand was gently withdrawn, and the hand that had been holding her tightly finally slipped to the ground.

(End of chapter)