The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

At dawn on January 20, 1946, Kuoyuantun, a newly arrived Chinese immigrant village located on the central plains of Bago, came alive.

At this moment, the new village is more bustling and festive than any other morning.

Red lanterns and brand new "囍" characters were hung on the door lintels and courtyard walls of every household, and even on the row of lush coconut trees at the entrance of the village.

The red paper was particularly dazzling in the dim morning light, reflecting the faces of the villagers who were also filled with joy.

"Sanchen, Sanchen, get up quickly, the auspicious time is almost here." Old man Jin's voice, with a long-lost vigor, knocked on Jin Sanchen's door.

Jin Sanchen jumped out of bed and pushed open the creaking wooden window. Outside the window, on the village road, children wearing rare clean clothes were chasing and playing, waving small windmills made of red paper in their hands.

The adults were busy moving tables and carrying benches, with smiles on their faces.

Today is a big day, a day of great joy.

Zhang Chi, the great leader of the United States of Nanyang and the benefactor who saved these refugees from hell, is getting married today.

In order to share in this great joy, and also to respond to the call of the United States of Southeast Asia to encourage Chinese immigrants to start families and have children.

Across the country, countless immigrants like Jin Sanchen who had just established themselves in Southeast Asia, soldiers demobilized from the front lines, and factory workers chose the same day to get married.

Kuoyuan Village is no exception. There are two newlywed couples in the village today.

One of the couples was Jin Sanchen and Xiuying, a girl from the neighboring village who had fled from Yunnan Province.

"Dad." Jin Sanchen responded, his eyes feeling a little hot as he looked at his energetic father in the yard.

What was the situation like when their family fled from their hometown in Henan Province more than a year ago?

In order to save the last bite of food, the eldest brother starved to death on the way.

My father broke his ribs while crossing a barren mountain and contracted a cough. He became so thin that he was just a bag of bones. He coughed up blood all the way and was on the verge of death.

At that time, he was still called Jin Shitou, and he was almost a starving person on the roadside, unable to even grab grass roots or tree bark.

It was Nanyang and the team sent by General Zhang Chi to the Republic of China that pulled these desperate refugees back from the brink of death.

After settling down and obtaining a Nanyang household registration, Jin Sanchen, who received some bonus as a model immigrant, immediately went to the city to buy medicine.

With the guarantee of the Chinese charity "Sanbaotang", the price of the medicine was so cheap that even a farmer like him who was used to being poor couldn't believe it.

My father’s fatal lung disease was actually cured.

Although my father is still thin now, his complexion is rosy, his cough has long gone, he can still work in the fields, and even has the strength to chop firewood in the yard.

"What are you standing there for? Get ready quickly and go burn incense to your Lord Guan first." Dad urged in a loud voice.

Today is the day his second son gets married, so he specially put on a new gown and combed his hair neatly.

In the middle of the main hall, in a small shrine, there is a brand new wooden statue of Guan Gong.

Old man Jin solemnly lit three incense sticks and handed them to Jin Sanchen.

The father and son knelt side by side and kowtowed three times respectfully to the statue of Guan Gong.

"Lord Guan..." Old Man Jin said devoutly, his head pressed to the ground, "Please bless our great benefactor, Commander Zhang Chi, to live a long and prosperous life. May he and his new wife live happily ever after and have many chubby children. Bring more blessings to our Nanyang."

Jin Sanchen also followed his father, silently praying the same wish in his heart.

This prayer comes from the heart and is not false at all.

During the year in Nanyang, they were allocated 20 mu of newly reclaimed land and lived in a sturdy and spacious bamboo and wooden house. His father's illness was cured, and he himself became a production model in the village with his strength and learned planting techniques.

All of this was brought about by the commander-in-chief whom I had never met before.

"Sanchen..." After burning incense, the old father held his son's hand, tears glistening in his cloudy eyes, "We must not forget our roots. Back home, your father and I, with injuries like this, could only lie on the kang and wait to die. We couldn't even afford a decent doctor."

"It was Commander-in-Chief Zhang Chi and Nanyang who gave us a second life. If you marry today, live a good life, pay more grain taxes, and have more children, that will be the best way to repay the Commander-in-Chief!"

"Dad, I remember it." Jin Sanchen nodded vigorously.

At this time, a burst of cheerful laughter came from the yard.

It was my eldest sister-in-law who came with the three children left by my eldest brother.

They were wearing clean, starched floral clothes, their faces washed clean. When they saw Jin Sanchen, they rushed over and said, "Second Uncle, Second Uncle! Congratulations on becoming the groom. Wedding candy! Wedding candy!"

Jin Sanchen smiled and took out a handful of colorful candies from his pocket.

He had bought these in town with the money he had earned from selling surplus grain a few days earlier. They weren't expensive foreign candies, but rather cheap fruit candies made from corn syrup by a local manufacturer in Southeast Asia. They had the flavors of golden banana and light yellow pineapple.

But in the eyes of Jin Sanchen and the children, this is already the best thing. In his hometown in Henan Province, it is a luxury to eat a piece of hard malt sugar during the Chinese New Year.

"Here, all of them." Jin Sanchen distributed the candies to his nephews and nieces.

The two children couldn't wait to peel off the candy wrappers and put the crystal candies into their mouths. Smiles of great satisfaction immediately bloomed on their little faces.

"Wow, so sweet, tastes like banana."

“Mine looks like a pineapple, so delicious!”

The eldest sister-in-law looked at the children and slapped them in a feigned anger:

"Silly child, we're having a feast today with plenty of fresh bananas and pineapples. Why are you eating this candy? Save your stomach for the good stuff."

The youngest niece, with candy in her mouth and her cheeks puffed out, retorted incoherently: "No, no, candy is delicious, and the feast is delicious too, I want to eat both."

Jin Sanchen looked at this scene, feeling warm in his heart and a little strangely emotional.

He looked up at the clear blue sky outside the yard. The scorching sun shone on the lush banana leaves and palm trees, and the air seemed to be filled with the sweet fragrance of fruits.

"It's really hot in Southeast Asia," he said to his sister-in-law, "but it's also really great. The fields can grow three or four crops a year, and the trees are laden with fruit. It's already the twelfth lunar month (of the lunar calendar), and look, there are bananas, pineapples, papayas—everything you want to eat. It's nothing like back home, where it's freezing cold this month. Apart from the few radishes and cabbages in the cellar, where are the fresh fruits and vegetables? People are so cold they huddle indoors, afraid to go out."

The eldest sister-in-law also felt deeply touched: "Yes, when I first came here, I felt it was too hot. Now I think about it, this heat has its benefits. It is a place where God has given us food to eat."

As he was speaking, the loudspeaker hanging on the top of the tall wooden pole in the center of the village suddenly made a "zilla" sound. Immediately afterwards, a clear and loud female voice, filled with great excitement and festivity, spread throughout the entire Xintuo Village, and also to thousands of corners like Xintuo Village in Nanyang.

"To all citizens of the Nanyang United States, we are here to announce great news. The auspicious time has arrived. Our beloved Commander Zhang Chi and Ms. Chen Jingshu have officially been married in the Jade Palace. Let us offer our sincerest and warmest blessings to the Commander and his new wife."

The entire Xintuo Village was instantly in an uproar.

"The Grand Commander has come to pay his respects. This is the auspicious time!"

"Quick! Quick! Let's go too! Go and welcome the bride!"

The musicians who had been waiting at the door of the Jin family immediately became energetic, playing "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" loudly and clearly on the suona, and the gongs, drums and cymbals were also beating loudly and deafeningly!

Jin Sanchen's heart warmed. The broadcast announced not only the auspicious time for Zhang Chi, but also the auspicious time for him, Jin Sanchen, and the millions of Chinese who were reborn in Southeast Asia.

He straightened his clothes, and under the gratified gaze of his father and the urging of his sister-in-law, amid the laughter of children chasing and playing, and the deafening festive music, he walked out of the house with his head held high.