1979: My fiancée is a goddess

It was 4:30 in the afternoon.

The bedroom was so quiet that only the scratching sound of a pen writing on paper could be heard.

Cheng Kaiyan sat at her desk, her eyes showing a hint of weariness.

Once he got into the writing zone today, he started writing around nine o'clock in the morning and has been writing ever since.

Aside from eating and using the restroom, I was completely focused on it during that time.

This work has been delayed for too long, and his writing preparations have also been very thorough during this long period.

The story that inspired the younger brother of the Jiang family, his aunt's nearly month-long course, internal publications of Nanjing University, and he even rummaged through many deeply hidden historical materials in the Waseda University library, including official Japanese records and many post-war memoirs of veterans of the Japanese invasion of China...

Many precious historical materials for later generations were discovered in these university libraries.

Like Iris Chang, who wrote "The Holocaust," she also found a lot of little-known historical materials in some university libraries in the United States.

Cheng Kaiyan's move was extremely precise. He could tell you exactly which floor, which shelf number, and which row the information he found in the Waseda University Library in Japan was located on, and he could even recite it perfectly.

This is irrefutable evidence.

He promised to write this down clearly on the title page of the novel.

But before that, let's focus on creating.

……

It was already late August.

After the 87th Division assault team, to which Jiang Mingzheng belonged, was decimated during the assault on the Gongda Cotton Mill, it was reorganized into the 521st Regiment of the 621st Brigade of the 87th Division and retreated from the city to Yunzaobang to reorganize and deploy.

At this time, the Japanese army had not yet launched a large-scale landing, and was only locked in a stalemate with three German-equipped divisions and one tank unit in the Yangshupu area of ​​Hongkou.

Yunzaobang is still peaceful and has not yet become that terrifying and cruel meat grinder.

Regimental camp location.

While still connected with the outside world, Jiang Ming was sitting by his bedside sending a letter to Cao Yanan to let her know he was safe.

Long before the war broke out, the hospital where they worked had already evacuated to the rear, but Cao Yanan did not leave.

Fortunately, the troops from both sides are still engaged in combat in Yangshupu and Hongkou districts, while the rest of the area is relatively safe.

"I will come back, I will find you, love you, marry you, and then live on with my head held high."

"See you next time."

After writing his final promise, Jiang Mingzheng added that he hoped his lover would leave Shanghai immediately, preferably to Nanjing, the capital of the country, a place of absolute safety.

"Have you heard? The 36th Division has finally arrived, along with tank units, and they're launching a fierce attack on the Japanese headquarters!"

"Great! Our most elite troops have arrived!"

Outside the door, the slightly excited voices of several soldiers dressed in grass green could be heard.

Jiang Mingzheng looked up, and a glimmer of hope rose in his heart.

But he had only recently come down from the front lines. The Japanese army's reinforced concrete fortress, built over many years and resembling a tortoise shell, could not be destroyed by ordinary artillery shells.

"Hopefully it will work."

As expected, even with air force bombardment, tanks leading the way, and infantry charges, the offensive was still hampered, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides and a stalemate.

The Japanese reinforcements arrived very quickly.

On August 23, two Japanese divisions landed at Shizilin, Chuanshakou, and Zhanghuabang, and then attacked towards the landing points, Baoshan, Luodian, and Yunzaobang.

"Baoshan?! Baoshan has been attacked!"

When Jiang Mingzheng received the news, he was already in the trenches on the front line.

Baoshan was his hometown where he spent the first half of his life, and the Cao family's manor was also located there.

Three years have passed, and everything has changed.

Her mother had passed away not long after she was imprisoned. The seemingly innocent second young lady, Cao Hanyu; the refined and cultured eldest young master; the sanctimonious master; and a wife who pretended to be aloof...

Where are they now?
As the saying goes, it's hard to leave one's homeland; I suppose I'm still there.

His feelings were complex and hard to describe. He felt both burning anger towards his former enemies and the grief and indignation of a soldier who was powerless to defend his country.

He stared blankly at the sun shrouded in dark clouds overhead, but soon, with the sound of a piercing whistle, the scouts spotted the enemy.

The intense gunfire and artillery fire, along with the sound of airplane propellers spinning overhead.

"Boom boom boom!"

Shells rained down on the battlefield as if they were free, scattering sand, blood, and limbs everywhere.

The position is far away.

"Onboard!"

The short soldiers, dressed in yellow uniforms and canvas hats, charged forward like locusts, roaring all at once.

"Fire! Fire! Give it your all!"

Regiment Commander Chen Yiding personally went to the front line and roared.

"Tu Tu Tu!"

Jiang Mingzheng clenched his teeth, his vision blurred by the swirling sand. He channeled all his emotions into the scorching barrel of the gun in his hand, venting them out.

The fierce battle continued until nightfall.

The crimson rays of the setting sun fell on the reddened river, creating a dazzling spectacle with a cruel kind of beauty.

The gunfire stopped because the Japanese army did not like the Noma attack.

The sounds of air raids still occasionally drifted overhead, killing several soldiers, but Jiang Mingzheng had become numb to it.

The fighting has continued for more than a month.

The position kept switching back and forth between being lost and regained, and soldiers were constantly being rotated on the position, one would be wounded or die, and another would go up.

Under artillery bombardment and flooded rivers, the entire position was turned into a muddy swamp.

Everyone crawled forward through the mud.

At noon on this day at the end of September, strange bombs were dropped from the sky. Instead of exploding, they emitted a series of foul-smelling, pungent, and dizzying blue-green gases.

"Poison gas bomb!!"

When Jiang Ming was studying in the UK, he heard about this heinous biological weapon and immediately roared in a hoarse voice, "Water! Wet your clothes and cover your face with water!"

As the day passed, the number of dead and wounded increased dramatically, and many soldiers were blinded by the poison gas.

Jiang Mingzheng was in no better shape; he was shot twice, and his right eye was blurred by the poison gas, but fortunately he didn't go blind.

Because of his meritorious service, and because all the men in his platoon had died, Jiang Mingzheng became the platoon leader.

There were no new soldiers being recruited; the troops gathered were all small groups of friendly forces that had been defeated and scattered from other places.

……

In Cheng Kaiyan's limited memory, the Japanese using poison gas seemed to be something that happened in the later stages of the war.

But after reviewing the materials, he realized that these Japanese devils had used a large number of poison gas bombs and even flamethrowers in the Battle of Shanghai at the very beginning of the total war.

The reason for such a costly attack was naturally to "annihilate China in three months," a plan like a snake swallowing an elephant.

However, the battlefield will obviously teach them a lesson.

Both sides deployed nearly a million troops on the narrow, muddy land of Shanghai, and the stalemate lasted for three or four months, turning it into a meat grinder.

Every minute, every second, someone dies.

A regiment that was deployed in the morning might be completely wiped out by noon.

Individuals appear incredibly insignificant in this war, merely as casualty figures.

……

"Hey! Xiaoli's almost out of school!"

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Cheng Kaiyan remembered that he had to pick up his wife from school.

I tossed my pen aside, washed the untouched fruit on the table, grabbed it, and headed out. At 5:40, I arrived at the school building, just as school was letting out.

After waiting a while, I saw a girl with damp hair wiping away her sweat with a towel as she came down the stairs with a few classmates and friends.

"Xingjie, you guys go to the cafeteria. Kaiyan is coming to pick me up."

Seeing that Cheng Kaiyan arrived on time, Liu Xiaoli said goodbye to her friends and slowly walked towards Cheng Kaiyan with her small bag.

"So punctual! Comrade Cheng!"

She walked up to him, her pretty face beaming with a bright and charming smile, and teased him lightly.

As soon as she walked up to him, Cheng Kaiyan smelled a light and pleasant fragrance.

The girl had just finished dance practice, and her face still had a rosy glow from the exercise.

Her dark hair was slightly damp with sweat and casually draped over her shoulders, with a white, damp towel draped over her chest.

She has a sporty, beautiful vibe.

"Of course, look who gave the order. But I'm exhausted. My legs are sore from riding such a long distance."

Cheng Kaiyan, while taking credit, looked at his wife with a smile.

For some reason, he felt that Xiaoli seemed to have changed slightly from before, especially in terms of her temperament and complexion.

But I can't quite put my finger on what it feels like; it's as if she's undergoing a gradual transformation from the inside out.

Perhaps this is the nourishment of love?

Yes, this definitely needs more moisturizing.

A keen interest flashed in Cheng Kaiyan's eyes.

Liu Xiaoli felt a little uneasy under his gaze, sensing that he was thinking something strange.

Seeing his reaction, I could only offer a subtle praise: "Not bad, not bad. Keep up the good work and keep it up!"

"Ahem... Um, do you pick me up every day?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Kaiyan quickly asked.

"if not?"

Liu Xiaoli casually placed the small bag containing her clothes and the lunchbox wrapped in canvas into the bicycle basket.

Then, leaning to one side, he sat in the back seat, wrapped his arm around Cheng Kaiyan's waist, patted his stomach, and called out with a grin, "Let's go! Comrade Cheng!"

Having spent so much time with Cheng Kaiyan, the girl has become much more lively in private.

"How about we buy two more bicycles? One for you and one for Mom, that way everyone will have a convenient time."

Cheng Kaiyan was infected by her excitement and happiness and smiled.

As he made the suggestion, he pedaled the pedals, carrying his wife slowly as they followed the crowd toward the school gate.

"That's a good idea, but three bicycles are too extravagant, aren't they? I'll insist a little longer, you can buy them for Mom first."

Liu Xiaoli thought for a moment and smiled.

She had always called her Aunt Xiu, and it was hard for her to change after getting engaged, but sometimes Cheng Kaiyan would lead her to call her Mom.

She wasn't worried about the money for the bicycle.

Having Cheng Kaiyan pick her up and drop her off at school was just her girlish sentimentality at play, and it was also part of her gradually changing and adjusting Cheng Kaiyan.

How could he so easily shirk his responsibility of picking up and dropping off his wife from school?!
snort!
Liu Xiaoli snorted lightly; she wasn't worried that this short journey every day would tire the guy out.

This guy has amazing stamina!
That night...

Thinking of this, Liu Xiaoli felt her cheeks start to burn again.

However, on the other hand, it would be a good thing to let him exercise since he sits at home reading and writing all day without getting any exercise.

Liu Xiaoli felt no burden.

"Can you hold on a little longer?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Kaiyan could hardly believe that it came from her gentle and virtuous sister Xiaoli. She widened her eyes and turned to look at the girl behind her.

Shouldn't I just hold on a little longer?

"Ahem... Anyway, it's decided then!"

Comrade Xiaoli coughed lightly, then made the decision with the air of a matriarch, before realizing it didn't quite suit her image and murmured:
"Could it be that Comrade Cheng finds me annoying and doesn't want to pick me up or drop me off...?"

"of course not!"

Cheng Kaiyan immediately retorted, smiling gently, "Taking you to and from school is a good way for me to get some exercise. Plus, the two of us can leisurely go out and come home together, enjoying the breeze on the way. Sometimes we can buy some street food and eat it as we walk. Isn't that a pleasant thing?"

"Yes, what a wonderful thing."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaoli knew that although he was a bit lazy, he genuinely meant it, and she smiled sweetly.

The evening breeze ruffled the dark hair around my ears, making my cheeks slightly itchy, but mostly bringing a warm and pleasant feeling.

When they passed by Wangfujing, the two got off and bought some fried dough sticks and braised dishes, and then went back to Xiaowei Hutong.

"mom!"

Cheng Kaiyan hadn't seen his mother for three or four days and missed her terribly. As soon as he entered the yard, he couldn't wait to call out to her.

Xu Yuxiu was cooking in the kitchen when she heard the noise. She wiped her hands, put down the spatula, popped out the window, and called out gently, "Kaiyan is back. Where's Xiaoli?"

"mom!"

Liu Xiaoli called out to her mother much more naturally this time, but a hint of shyness flashed across her face. To be honest, she was still a little unaccustomed to calling her Aunt Xiu "Mom".

But in her heart, she had already accepted it.

"Have you eaten yet? The food will be ready soon, so please eat here."

Xu Yuxiu hadn't seen the two for several days and missed them terribly, so she quickly invited them in for dinner.

The emotions in his eyes were palpable; it wasn't really because they hadn't seen each other for a few days.

Instead, it was she, as the mother, who raised her son single-handedly. Now he's grown up, married, and has his own little family.

I felt happy, but also a little sad and lonely.

"I'll eat and sleep at home today."

Cheng Kaiyan saw the moisture in her mother's eyes and realized her emotions, and felt that she should come over to stay and visit her mother more often.

"Yes, Mom. From now on, Kaiyan and I will come here to keep you company every few days. Oh, and Auntie's too."

Liu Xiaoli nodded in agreement, her thoughts becoming even more thoughtful and considerate.

After the two got engaged, she moved some of her clothes and belongings from her aunt's place.

My aunt's family also has a courtyard house, which actually has enough clothes for two people to change into, so that they can stay there.

To put it dramatically, the young couple now have three homes.

"Good good!"

Hearing them say that made Xu Yuxiu even happier.

The three of them enjoyed a warm and comfortable dinner.

After dinner, Liu Xiaoli called Cheng Kaiyan to help her wash the dishes and tidy up the kitchen.

In the evening, they watched TV in the main room until eight o'clock, and then went back to their rooms to sleep.

Cheng Kaiyan had originally planned to check on Xiaoli's recovery, but now she had to give up.

Time passed slowly, and Cheng Kaiyan's novel progressed step by step. Jiang Mingzheng's journey in the Battle of Shanghai was nearing its end.

On May 18th, a letter from the United States was delivered to my home.

The letter contains two points:

First, novels.

Second, the thesis. (End of this chapter)