novelaction Chapter 1023 The road home is so hard!
Chapter 1023 The road home is so hard!
In the conference room, the factory directors were having a heated discussion about the CCT curve and the ambitious plans Jiang Xia had once again outlined. The smoke from their cigarettes carried their heated words and filled the room.
In the shadows of the corner window, Old Wang still held that "record" in his hands, his heart tightening with each passing word...
Later, the Allied Red Army launched a major counter-offensive, and the prisoner-of-war camp that had held countless prisoners was finally liberated. But Emily's tattoos did not bring her true freedom.
That piece of "work" left by San Dezi became her most unique proof of identity.
They are both victims and "living evidence" directly connected to that dark history.
She was interrogated and studied by different agencies, and finally, because of her language talent and this unique experience, she was recruited into a department that needed her "background".
Brands became weapons, scars became masks, and the past was locked in files, leaving only an agent named "Emily".
Mulan fell silent.
How can you prove everything you've said?
Emily first gently tapped her back, then slowly placed it over her chest, her voice as soft as a sigh: "Didn't you notice? I communicated with you in Chinese the entire time. As for the rest..."
Emily softly hummed a folk song: "Jinggang Mountain is high, shrouded in clouds and mist, the red star shines on its waist, workers and peasants follow the Party with one heart, wild vegetables fill their stomachs, their will remains unshaken. The Red Army brothers carry their guns and run, just to find the way for the poor, when the spring breeze blows across the land, they will return to their hometown to see their relatives..."
The melody is simple, yet it carries a purity and resilience that transcends time. There are no fancy words, only the simple sentiments of the soldiers and civilians in the base area overcoming difficulties together.
Mulan's pupils contracted sharply, and her whole body trembled...
She had heard this song with her parents in the Soviet area when she was a child. It was a folk song that Red Army soldiers sang privately back then. The lyrics would be slightly modified according to the local conditions, but the core melody and a few key lyrics had never changed.
This kind of song is something that outsiders could never know, let alone sing so authentically.
Mulan stared into Emily's eyes, and all her previous doubts and wariness crumbled at that moment.
She stopped talking, but silently bent down to pick up the scattered coat and shirt from the ground and gently draped them over Emily's trembling shoulders.
"I'm telling you this not to gain sympathy, nor to blackmail you. I have only one purpose: I want to ask..."
Emily pulled her clothes tighter, looked up at Mulan with an almost pleading look in her eyes, and gave a name that was unfamiliar to her.
"I want to ask, are my family members still alive? My parents were also from the revolutionary base area back then, their names were... and my younger brother, he was born in the Soviet area, his nickname was Little Stone, are they still alive?"
The name and location were completely unfamiliar to Mulan. She paused for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.
"I'll check the directory for you when I get back."
Mulan paused for a moment, not finishing her sentence, but they both understood each other's meaning: Moreover, your identity is so special and sensitive that any investigation related to it could touch some unknown nerve.
Moreover, this era was far different from later times. There was no free communication, nor a nationwide networked household registration system. Cross-border inquiries were already incredibly difficult, let alone during wartime. Countless families were torn apart and lost all contact. Even if Emily's family members were still alive, they were most likely scattered in all directions. Trying to find traces of them in the vast sea of people was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Emily gave a wry smile that she had expected all along.
She nodded, her voice so low it sounded like a sigh:
“I understand… I was just deluding myself. Anyone would be hard-pressed to believe someone offering themselves up like this, much less help them easily, right? It’s just… I really want to know… I really… miss ‘home.’ Even though I know I might never be able to go back…”
The last few words were so soft they were almost inaudible.
Neither of them spoke again, and a heavy silence filled the small space. Mulan helped her straighten her clothes, and after making sure that nothing seemed amiss from the outside, they walked out of the washroom one after the other in silence.
……
"Foolish! Mulan! Agree to her! Back then, those sent to the Alliance were all the children of the old masters! They could even be said to be the last remaining descendants who inherited the mantle of the old masters!" Old Wang was so angry that he almost scratched the wall.
Some even looked at Jiang Xia, who was still drawing, with a sense of hatred towards him as well.
"You two are truly a family; you're both incredibly smart, but you just have these occasional bouts of madness!"
Why did Lao Wang say that?
That was a long-forgotten history. Around 40 years ago, the War of Resistance Against Japan was in its most difficult stalemate phase. The base areas were blockaded by the enemy, food and ammunition were extremely scarce, and they faced frequent encirclement and suppression campaigns. Their survival was in grave danger.
In order to win material assistance and moral support from the alliance, and to dispel the other party's concerns about cooperation, many leaders in the base areas took the initiative to send their own children to the alliance.
Ostensibly, it was said that the alliance's rear was relatively stable, allowing children to avoid the flames of war and focus on their studies and growth. In reality, it was a different kind of pledge of allegiance...
Using their closest relatives as hostages to prove their sincerity in cooperation, and exchanging the safety of their children for much-needed aid to the base area, every child sent away was a sacrifice made by their fathers for the greater good of the revolution.
The more Lao Wang thought about it, the more agitated he became. Then, recalling the name Emily had given and the folk song from the base area she was humming, he understood immediately.
This girl is most likely one of those children from back then, but she was displaced by war and ended up in this situation.
Old Wang hummed and hawed for a while before continuing to flip through the next document.
He kept flipping through the pages while muttering "Mulan is so muddle-headed."
Record page turning and scene transitions.
Mulan and Emily walked out of the toilet stall one after the other in silence.
Just as I returned to the somewhat noisy corridor, I happened to see the head of the Chinese delegation seeing Minister Ivan and his entourage off. And outside the delegation's residence, it seemed that new visitors had arrived.
The person who arrived was the president of the IEC, accompanied by several men and women of distinguished bearing, who appeared to be representatives from Luxembourg.
The entrance was momentarily crowded, with greetings mingling in several languages. Problems quickly arose: the IEC president spoke English and French, while the Luxembourg delegates preferred German for technical exchanges, even quickly exchanging a few words of Luxembourgish. Meanwhile, the Chinese delegation leader had a sufficient Russian translator, but limited German proficiency.
There was a brief pause in communication and an awkward smile.
Yes, Luxembourg's language system, which is currently clinging to France, is quite awkward.
Historically, the official languages of Luxembourg have been French, German, and Luxembourgish. Luxembourgish is the primary spoken language, while French is used more in administration, judiciary, and legislation, and German is also widely used in the media and some official settings.
English was not widely spoken among Luxembourg's elite at the time, especially in non-commercial and technical fields, where some senior experts or officials preferred to use German or French.
Just like the French mathematical system, I ask you, isn't it chaotic?
This explains why, in our culture, when judging numerous great emperors, we unanimously and without dispute refer to him as the First Emperor.
Nothing more than standardizing the written language and the gauge of carts.
Seeing this, Mulan immediately stepped forward and took over the responsibility of communication. She switched smoothly between English, French, and simple German greetings, initially easing the awkwardness at the doorway.
Taking advantage of a break in the translation, she quickly asked her commander in Chinese, "Commander, have you heard of (the place and people Emily mentioned)? The base area!"
The head of the delegation, who was busy dealing with the foreign guests, was visibly taken aback upon hearing this.
His smile remained unchanged, but his large, rough hands, calloused from years of labor, suddenly gripped Mulan's wrist tightly, with such force that Mulan felt a slight pain.
As the group leader turned to guide the guests, he glanced at Mulan briefly but with unusual excitement. His eyes were filled with shock, questioning, and an indescribable urgency.
With just one glance, Mulan made up her mind.
Seeing that the Luxembourg representative was still having difficulty communicating with the president and Chinese staff due to language barriers, Minister Ivan seemed to slow down his departure and keep an eye on the situation.
Taking advantage of the moment when the translation had finished and Minister Ivan was about to get into his car to leave, she stepped forward, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the key figures on both sides to hear, her tone polite and considerate:
"Minister Ivan, please wait a moment. Excuse me for bothering you, but I've noticed that my friends in Luxembourg are more accustomed to using German, and my German is limited to everyday conversations; I'm afraid I might miss some complex technical terms."
I noticed that your secretary, Emily, seems to be fluent in multiple languages and has exceptional abilities. Could you please lend Emily to us temporarily so that she can primarily serve as our translator between our Luxembourg friends and us?
This will not only ensure that our subsequent technical communications are absolutely accurate and efficient, but also reflect the friendship and trust between our two delegations, and further promote the smooth progress of our tripartite cooperation.
Minister Ivan paused as he was about to get into the car.
His eyes behind his glasses darted around quickly, his gaze sweeping over the composed Mulan and the seemingly calm Emily, who stood with her hands at her sides.
This is simply...
God-given opportunity!
He was just wondering what the Gauls and Luxembourgers were trying to do when they came here, and now the other side had offered him the perfect reason!
A barely perceptible glint flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by a hearty, enthusiastic smile: "Oh! Of course, of course! Comrade Comrade comrades, you've thought of everything perfectly! Comrade Emily..."
He turned to Emily: “You will stay here and fully cooperate with our Chinese comrades and Luxembourg friends. Your task is to ensure that all technical details are communicated correctly and to demonstrate the internationalist spirit and cooperative sincerity of our allied comrades.”
"Understand?"