On November 12, Shanghai fell.

Inch by inch of mountains and rivers and inch by inch of blood, the Chinese army defended Shanghai for three months, and finally withdrew to the Jiangyin area. After the fall of Shanghai, the Japanese army quickly occupied Nanshi, and the Penglai market was lit by the Japanese to vent their anger, and it burned for three days and three nights. As far as the eye can see, it is full of devastation and collapse.

There is no home at home, and there is no country at home, this is the only thought that Shen Yigong had when he stood in the French Concession and looked at the collapse from afar, desolate and sad. In the past three months, they have done their best, and after the war broke out in August, Shen Yigong and Hu Xuxi, the editor-in-chief of Hu who had cooperated with Huo Zuo in the past, jointly distributed the anti-Japanese and salvation daily newspapers to the citizens in Nanshi. At the end of September, Comrade Hu Xuxi was captured by Japanese spies and never appeared again. On the evening of the same day, the editorial office was set on fire, and everything was burned.

The newspaper ceased publication.

In mid-October, Shen Yigong led people to transport wounded soldiers out of the combat area by water, and when they were attacked, Lao Lu stayed behind to cover them and died, and Shen Yigong was shot in the shoulder, and he has not recovered so far.

In late October, You Yiman sent someone to find Liang Qingwen. She brought a message that the Qing Yuan Bistro was open to all refugees, providing two meals a day and allowing them to contact them if they needed anything. Liang Qingwen left the south that day, said goodbye to Shen Yigong, and chose to go to Hongkou District to see his wife.

He said at least, at the very least, he would be able to see her at the last minute.

Shen Yigong let him go, but he didn't stop him. After the start of the war, a large number of refugees poured into the Public Concession and the French Concession, and many of the former entertainment venues were converted into refugee shelters, including Ma Weisan's Great World. Shen Yigong's own home also accommodated a large number of children who were separated from their parents in the war, Shen Qiang seemed to grow up overnight, and when his father was away, he and Zhao's mother accompanied this group of children together.

They slept every night to the sound of gunfire. War is in their ears, so close and yet so far away. Too many souls wandered through the city in the past three months, and the smell of gunpowder mixed with blood enveloped the city. As long as you step into the rental world, as far as the eye can see, there is only gray and white.

After the fall, Shen Yigong chose a barely sunny afternoon and walked back to Penglai Market. On a gray day, there is not a single pedestrian on the road, and there are not many people in Nanshi since it was occupied, after all, how to survive in this urban desert is a problem. Wearing a black robe and jacket, he stood silently in front of the gate of Penglai Market, where only a third of the iron frame remained, as if he were attending a funeral, and raised his head to look up, the entire mall sign was blackened by flames, and he could not see the original appearance.

This is not the first time he has seen Penglai Market become like this, the last time was more than ten years ago, when it was still a farmers' market, but at that time he still had hope in his heart that one day he would have a chance to rebuild, and he did it. Now he looked at the scorched earth that was pitch black, but he felt powerless. There are many others who rely on him, but what can he do?

Shen Yi bowed his back and lowered his shoulders to look around, he was standing on the ruins in black, the wind swept over and slapped him in the face. Not too far away, he saw an old man beneath the ruins.

The old man raised the cigarette in his hand and asked, "Did you bring a fire?" ”

He replied, looking him in the eye and answering, "Bring it." ”

Shen Yigong got down from the ruins, took out a match from his pocket and handed it to him. Huo Zuo bit the cigarette and lowered his head, raising his hand to block the wind. He lit a cigarette and looked up at the once-bustling market, slowly exhaling a puff of white mist. He may be the one who knows the weight of Penglai Market in Shen Yigong's heart the most, so when he sees all this again, he is not comfortable. But neither of them said anything about the fire, and neither of them said anything.

Shen Yigong just said lightly to the people around him: "You're fine, it's good." ”

"You're fine, you're fine." Huo Zuo replied to him.

"Lao Hu sacrificed."

"I know. Because of the Poster. Huo Zuo stood beside him and looked ahead, "I wanted to send someone to save him, but unfortunately I went too late." ”

"They said you didn't go back to the Blue Dragon Society. Where have you been? ”

"I'm going to find the second uncle. Cheng Changyu said that I died, and some people followed him, but some people left. That's how I got this group back. Huo Zuo said this, as if he remembered something and bit the cigarette in his mouth, reached into his pocket and took out a black flannel bag, and threw it to Shen Yigong, "Oh, look at what it is." ”

Shen Yigong suspiciously pulled out the rope on the bag, there were some pieces of iron inside, he poured the contents on the palm of his hand, and looked at Deng Shi stunned: "Seniority Chapter!" ”

"Seniority badges for non-commissioned officers in Japan." Huo Zuo grinned and licked his lips, but his eyes were gloomy, "I did this some time ago. ”

"You assassinate them?"

"During the street fighting, I helped the soldiers who had retreated. It's right to say assassination, we withdrew quickly. ”

"And how did you get these? It is impossible for the corpses of non-commissioned officers to remain there forever. ”

Huo Zuo watched Shen Yigong repack the bag, and reached out to take it back: "If you are in Hongkou, it may not be, you can always see them in some places for fun." ”

Shen Yigong just looked at him like that, and suddenly he also smiled: "You still have this temper, you must be compared." But this time I have to say one thing: well done. What about Cheng Changyu? You haven't shot him yet? I thought you took advantage of the chaos to assassinate so many non-commissioned officers, he shouldn't be able to escape. ”

Huo Zuo stuffed the bag and shrugged his shoulders, he handed the cigarette to Shen Yigong, and the other party took it and put it in his mouth. The wind blew the smoke into the air, and also dispersed the dust little by little, allowing the afternoon light to sprinkle a little on the land.

"This guy has always refused to show his face, and the battle situation was undecided before, and he didn't dare to bring the Blue Dragon Society to the Japanese side in a big way. It's different now. I predict that he will soon gather a meeting with some of the top leaders of the Blue Dragon Society—including You Yiman. ”

"Including You Yiman." Shen Yigong repeated his last sentence, "She took in a lot of refugees, is the Japanese army allowed it?" ”

"She opened the French Concession store. In addition, you know, after the Japanese government [Harmony] occupied Shanghai, it would not want this city with every inch of land to lose its vitality like this. He also wanted to squeeze out the last bit of economic value — in that case, he would still keep the concession so that people could live a normal life. ”

"What else do you say, 'I'd rather be a ghost who died in battle than a slave who died in the country'......" Shen Yigong smiled bitterly. Huo Zuo saw it very clearly: "It's hard enough for some people to live, what more can they ask for?" For them, no matter how they live, they are alive, and I have long said that this big Shanghai is full of wolves and dogs, and there are animals everywhere, but there are no people. ”

"But we have to fight."

"We have to fight."

"Someone has to live, after all, only when the blood is alive will not be broken, and only when you are alive can history be written into history." Shen Yigong dusted off the ashes, "And we are warriors." ”

They chatted casually again, Shen Yigong accompanied Huo Zuo to walk back, and when he entered the French Concession, he saw that there were exhausted refugees on both sides of the road. Huo Zuo said that in the past month, he and Yiman have thought of a lot of ways and have tried their best to allocate food, but after the war, Changshu rice could not be transported, and now they are using old rice stored in the previous warehouse, and it is a question of how long it can be supplied to the victims. He also mentioned the speculation about the occupation of the regime in the future, and estimated that the Japanese army should consider the issue of refugee resettlement, and if they wanted to strengthen the notification of Shanghai, this would be a hurdle that could not be passed.

Before parting, Shen Yigong stopped and said, "Do you remember saying that you wanted to see the sea?" ”

It was dark, the street lights were not on, and the two people stood side by side in the darkness of the alley, unable to see each other's faces clearly. Huo Zuo seemed to be slightly stunned for a moment, and then reacted: "Yes." Because the water in the Huangpu River in Shanghai is too muddy. ”

"You said the sea was blue, it shouldn't be like that."

"I said it."

"If ......" Shen Yigong lowered his head and subconsciously rubbed his palms, "If you have a chance, wait for everything to end......"

He lifted his head and took another step forward, lowering his head slightly just enough to meet the tip of his nose. The subtle snorts intertwined, and the murmurs didn't know if there was no guarantee of results. Shen Yigong said in a low voice, "Waiting for everything to end, we have done our duty, how about going to see the sea?" ”

Huo Zuo's hand disappeared in the darkness and caressed the man's rough face and his full beard. Shen Yigong listened to the slight change in his breathing, and then listened to his answer.

"You know what, you look so old-fashioned with a beard." He chuckled as he quickly kissed the corners of his mouth in the shadows, and as the two of them's equally rough and dry lips briefly touched, he said again, "Good." ”

Just like that day, they were lying in bed together, and the pain on their bodies was still faintly attacking, but the kiss and childlike murmur stayed in their hearts.

Do you want to do it all over again?

If you can......

Why not?

It's just that we have to cross death and war. Just do your duty first and get the lost children back where they belong. But they still have to face the war before them as warriors and crush the enemies who intend to invade their homeland. They shared a secret but powerful hug in the dark, and both felt the other's large, rough, strong hands on their shoulders.

That's the way it is - over the years, they have come to a consensus, this time no longer who compromises with whom, but no longer the fearlessness and freewheeling of their youth.

The relationship finally returned to its original purest form. But it is completely different from that year. Lovers - but they can also make allies, brothers, comrades-in-arms ......

They ended the hug before the street lights came on, and when they parted, Huo Zuo looked at the shadows that were stretched out under the street lights, and saw him turn around to leave: "Shen Yigong." ”

He turned his head sideways.

After Huo Zuo hesitated about the words in his mouth, he still chose another sentence and said it to him: "...... Wait for me. ”

Shen Yigong nodded with him seriously, and with a smile on his lips, he turned around and walked in the direction of the public concession.

There is nothing to fear in the future.

What else can we hold in the future? They- they were never people who were afraid of death.