novelraw Chapter 465: Cheers
Chapter 465: Cheers
The awards ceremony concluded amidst earth-shaking cheers.
Su Zhan politely declined the subsequent banquet invitations from the Elders.
With a flicker of his figure, he vanished from the crowd's sight.
The next moment, he appeared under a corridor near the square.
There, four figures had been waiting for a long time.
"Teacher, Ziming, Xu Hao, Feng Jue."
Su Zhan looked at them, a genuine and relaxed expression appearing on his face.
He casually took off the "Daxia Guardian" medal from his chest.
He put it away as casually as if he were removing an insignificant accessory.
"Good lad!"Teacher Wang Mingyuan was the first to step forward, giving Su Zhan's shoulder a firm pat, his eyes filled with pride. "Good! Well fought! Didn't disgrace your teacher! The Northern Border, the south... I've heard all about your battle achievements. Well done!"
"Brother Su!"
Liu Ziming pounced over, shouting in his booming voice, "You were so cool just now, my god, the people down there were screaming so loud I thought my ears would go deaf! Daxia Guardian! That title is awesome! It suits you! It fits perfectly!"
Xu Hao also walked up with a smile. "Brother Su, congratulations! Well deserved."
Feng Jue just crossed his arms, looking at Su Zhan. "Impressive."
Su Zhan looked at the four companions before him, who were both teachers and friends, and smiled. "It's just an empty title."
"What empty title!"
Liu Ziming immediately retorted, "That's solid, real military merit! Over a hundred Calamity-levels! My god, I still feel like I'm dreaming when I think about it. Brother Su, what level is your strength at now? Are you almost catching up to City Lord Mo Yuan and the others?"
Wang Mingyuan glared at Liu Ziming. "You and your big mouth!"
Su Zhan didn't answer directly, saying calmly, "Still needs more improvement."
Xu Hao skillfully changed the subject, smiling. "Alright, let's not stand here talking. Brother Su, with this great honor of yours today, we absolutely have to celebrate properly. Teacher is treating, the place is already booked."
Wang Mingyuan waved his hand grandly. "Let's go! Today, we drink until we drop! For Su Zhan, and for all of us making it back alive from this damn war."
"Right, drink until we drop!"
Liu Ziming immediately chimed in. "Today, we must get Brother Su... uh, I mean, get Teacher drunk!"
Wang Mingyuan laughed and scolded, "You brat, with just you?"
The five looked at each other and smiled, the atmosphere harmonious.
The place Wang Mingyuan booked was a secluded private club.
It had not been affected by the war.
With pavilions, terraces, small bridges, and flowing water, it was tranquil and elegant.
Attendants dressed in elegant qipaos walked lightly and silently, leading them into an extremely spacious private room.
Inside the room, a warm, heavy circular table was already set with exquisite bone china tableware and crystal glasses.
Ancient landscape paintings with profound artistic conception hung on the walls. In the corner, an incense burner emitted a wisp of blue smoke; it was top-grade agarwood, its scent calming and soothing the mind.
After they were seated, without much instruction, a procession of delectable dishes, each a feast for the eyes and nose, were brought in by the attendants.
Salted duck, drunken crab, beef, bird's nest, shark fin, sea cucumber, lamb chops...
The main liquor was a Feitian Moutai aged for over fifty years.
The liquid was crystal clear, with a prominent sauce aroma.
"Come! First toast!"
Wang Mingyuan raised his glass first, the aroma of the Moutai filling the air. "To all of us being alive and sitting here together, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone responded in unison and downed their drinks in one go.
The spicy, mellow liquor slid down their throats, bringing a wave of warmth.
Liu Ziming couldn't wait. He picked up a piece of charcoal-grilled lamb chop with his chopsticks, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled praise, "Mmm... delicious! This meat is incredible. After gnawing on compressed rations and canned food at the fortress for half a year, I almost forgot what meat tasted like."
Xu Hao sighed with feeling. "Now this is living."
Feng Jue didn't talk much, but the speed of his chopsticks was no slower than anyone else's.
Su Zhan also relaxed, savoring these long-missed delicacies.
He chatted with Teacher Wang Mingyuan about what he had seen and heard on the eastern front.
He listened to Liu Ziming, spraying saliva as he animatedly recounted their glorious deeds at the Iron Wall Fortress.
He discussed details of some combat techniques with Xu Hao.
Occasionally, he would also clink glasses with Feng Jue.
After several rounds of drinks and many dishes.
The atmosphere grew even more lively and uninhibited.
Liu Ziming had already started dragging Xu Hao into a drinking contest.
Wang Mingyuan's face was also flushed, his laughter hearty and loud.
Feng Jue's gaze had softened considerably as he quietly savored the fine wine.
Su Zhan looked at the scene before him, listened to the laughter and banter of his brothers, and felt the delicious taste of the food and the mellow aroma of the wine in his cup.
The string in his heart, tightened from long periods of killing, also relaxed a little.
This moment of peace and joy had nothing to do with power, nothing to do with slaughter. It was only about the simplest of bonds.
For those who had walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, it seemed exceptionally precious.
"Today, no one is leaving on their feet!"
Liu Ziming raised his glass and loudly declared, eliciting a round of laughter.
Outside the window, the moonlight was just right. Inside, the warmth was palpable.
...
Capital West District Resettlement Area.
Here was a massive slum composed of dilapidated tents, shacks, and haphazardly constructed shelters covered with plastic sheets.
The air was foul.
A cold wind howled through the gaps between the shanties, whipping up dust and scraps of paper from the ground, producing a sound like a sob, adding to the desolation.
In a corner near a crumbling wall, a small figure was curled up under a few pieces of cardboard and a tattered, discolored wad of cotton padding.
This was Little Ya, who had just turned six this year.
The red cotton-padded jacket she wore was once her mother's beloved item.
Now it was stained with grime, the cuffs worn through, revealing blackened cotton wadding.
The cold was an assassin seeping through every crack, penetrating the thin coverings, gnawing at her tiny body.
She curled up tightly, trying to preserve the pitiful bit of body heat she had.
Her stomach was empty. The small bowl of watery porridge that showed her reflection and the half piece of coarse grain cake mixed with bran she had for dinner had long been digested.
Leaving only a clear sense of hunger.
She didn't dare move, and she didn't dare cry.
Grandma was sleeping right beside her, her breathing weak and rapid.
Grandma's leg had been crushed by a falling roof beam while fleeing. Because it didn't receive timely treatment, it was now badly swollen and emitted an unpleasant smell.
Little Ya remembered. Before Mama was buried under the rubble, she pushed her out with all her might, screaming hoarsely, "Find Grandma! Live!"
After that, she never saw Mama again.
Papa?
Papa wore a military uniform. He came home a long time ago and brought her sweet candy. Later... later, people dressed in black delivered a wooden box.
Grandma hugged the box and cried until she fainted.
Since then, she only had Grandma.
In the distance, faint sounds of commotion seemed to drift with the wind, like many people shouting something together, and there was music too.
Little Ya lifted her small face. On her dirty face, a pair of big eyes looked especially hollow in the darkness.
She couldn't hear clearly what it was, only feeling that the sound was very distant, as if coming from another world.
She lowered her head again, burying her face in the tattered cotton padding that carried the smell of Grandma's medicine, murmuring over and over, "Mama... Papa... cold... hungry..."