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Now, New North has fallen, and the stationed troops have retreated to Ning Tian. Although Nan Wan made a strong attempt to keep him, Shangguan Shaoyi was resolute in his decision to leave, taking his wife and children back on a special plane. Upon disembarking, he was greeted not by familiar faces but by the newly appointed commander from Yuan Guan, Ye Guanmei.
"Young Marshal!" Ye Guanmei stood at attention and saluted, his voice loud as he explained the current situation, which was naturally not very optimistic. "The Japanese army has temporarily halted their advance; they must be formulating a plan. Ning Tian is a Concession Area, and they likely do not want to offend the imperial powers. Therefore, I suspect their next target will be Yuan Guan!"
Shangguan Shaoyi frowned. Now that he had pledged allegiance to the central government, where he would fight was no longer under his control. According to Jiang Shaohao, it seemed they wanted him to defend the south. Ye Guanmei's tone grew serious. "The Commander has transferred me from Yuan Guan, and now a relatively inexperienced commander is stationed there. Young Marshal, could you speak to the Commander on my behalf so that I can be reassigned?"
Shangguan Shaoyi looked at Ye Guanmei with sharp eyes and replied calmly, "A soldier only needs to obey orders; there is no need for you to say more."
"This..." Ye Guanmei frowned again, then heard Shangguan Shaoyi continue, "As for the Japanese army's route of attack, I believe they will not advance on Yuan Guan first. They have already occupied the coast and will likely launch an invasion from the sea towards Wu Song. Moreover, in order to redirect the Japanese army's invasion from north to south into an east-to-west direction, the Commander must take proactive measures in Shanghai."
Ye Guanmei found himself at a loss for words against this reasoning; he felt dissatisfied but maintained his respect on the surface. "In that case, what is your purpose for returning this time?"
"Firstly, to hand over military authority; secondly, to attend Shen Deputy Officer's funeral." He spoke without changing his expression, but his voice was particularly cold.
Ye Guanmei glanced at the graceful figure behind him and felt as if he were seeing a celestial being descended from heaven. Cheng Mo Su smiled lightly, her face as clear as water, her brows and eyes radiating tenderness and tranquility in the sunlight. Shangguan Shaoyi extended a hand toward her; although her smile was subtle, it carried an indescribable sweetness. The two exchanged smiles, as if the surrounding scenery and crowd had faded away.
Feng Yin held Ling Heng in her arms, following behind them. Along this path, she had heard Cheng Mo Su mention Xiao Jing before; it was said that she was Shen Deputy Officer's wife. She sighed softly; Xiao Jing was so young—how could she bear such a heavy burden of losing her husband?
The group continued forward and boarded a special vehicle that drove straight toward the mourning hall. Shangguan Shaoyi and Cheng Mo Su changed into white garments in the back hall; even Ling Heng, who had not yet completed his first month, wore a white headband. He held Cheng Mo Su's hand while she looked at his chiseled profile. The sunlight fell on his tightly pressed lips; she knew that over all these years, he had only been able to trust Shen Deputy Officer. Now that Shen Deputy Officer was gone, his heartache was no less than Xiao Jing's.
She tightened her grip slightly; he paused in surprise and turned back to look at her with a faint smile as if saying that he was fine and there was no need for concern.
She quietly shifted her gaze to Xiao Jing standing at the front. Hearing their footsteps, Xiao Jing turned around and saw Shangguan Shaoyi and Cheng Mo Su approaching hand in hand. Her surprise was considerable but also filled with relief. She stepped forward a few paces to meet this family of three with tears in her eyes. "Young Master, Young Mistress, you have come."
Shangguan Shaoyi clenched his fists, the best he could do was move slightly, but he couldn't find the words to say. His eyes, as dark as pitch, were filled with profound sorrow. Cheng Mo Su watched him like this and couldn't help but shed tears, recalling the moments spent with Shen Deputy Officer, her heart growing heavier. She held Xiao Jing's hand and after a while, finally said, “Madam Shen, please accept my condolences.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her tears became uncontrollable, falling more and more. Xiao Jing bit her lip and hurriedly comforted her, “Young Mistress, your health is not good; you shouldn't cry like this.” Looking at Xiao Jing, Cheng Mo felt that she seemed to have lost some weight, and her usually rosy complexion now looked haggard.
Shen Deputy Officer was loyal and warm-hearted, and the room was filled with people coming to pay their respects, mourning echoing throughout. Although Xiao Jing looked weary, she remained polite and composed, attending to everyone properly. Everything proceeded in an orderly manner until nightfall when it all finally came to an end.
Cheng Mo Su noticed that Ling Heng was feeling uncomfortable from fatigue, so she had Xiao Jing carry him back to the inner room to rest while she and Shangguan Shaoyi stayed behind to help Xiao Jing manage the affairs following the funeral. Eventually, Xiao Jing could no longer hold on; she leaned against a chair and nearly fainted. Cheng Mo Su quickly supported her and instructed Feng Yin to go to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.
Shangguan Shaoyi couldn't bear to watch her struggle. Xiao Jing, forcing herself to stay upright, smiled self-deprecatingly, “I used to serve Young Master and Young Mistress, but now I truly feel unwell and need Young Master and Young Mistress to help me…”
“Xiao Jing, stop talking and go lie down on the bed for a while. Look at your hands; they're so cold.” Cheng Mo Su was already cold by nature, but holding Xiao Jing's hands felt ten times colder. Xiao Jing did not resist and allowed Cheng Mo Su to support her back into the room.
Feng Yin brought in a bowl of black chicken soup, gently blew on it, scooped a spoonful, and offered it to Xiao Jing. She sniffed the aroma and shook her head with a smile, saying, “I'm used to plain food; suddenly making me drink such nourishing soup is really overwhelming.”
Seeing that Cheng Mo Su's water-colored eyes were filled with tears and unable to comfort her in time, tears began streaming down from Cheng Mo Su's face. Her frail body leaned back as if about to fall. Shangguan Shaoyi hurriedly supported Cheng Mo Su in his arms. She forced herself to shake off the darkness clouding her mind before regaining her senses.
Xiao Jing sighed in relief and grasped Cheng Mo Su's hand, saying, “Young Mistress, during these years you were away from the residence, you have no idea how Young Master has treated you. His feelings for you are genuine; please take good care of him. Now that you have Ling Heng, your life should be complete; I am truly happy for you.”
A sense of foreboding inexplicably crossed Cheng Mo Su's mind as tears continued to fall uncontrollably. She was terrified inside, knowing that if it weren't for Shaoyi happening to come to Shanghai this time instead of staying at New North, she would have been attending a different kind of gathering…
Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she turned back to look at Shangguan Shaoyi, only to see sharp yet painful rays of light emanating from his deep gaze. Unable to bear it any longer, tears streamed down her snow-white face in circles of despair.
Looking up at the sky, Xiao Jing silently murmured something. Before either of them could react, she suddenly collided with the wall. A vivid splash of blood trickled down from her pale forehead drop by drop. Her eyes widened in shock while a smile lingered at the corners of her mouth as if she had finally reunited with someone.
"Xiao Jing!" Cheng Mosu reached out to support her, tears almost streaming down.
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