Chapter 27: Why is there no family portrait in your home?

Ye Yuan put down the phone just as Ye Yan'an stepped out of her room.

"Grandpa, who was that on the phone?" Ye Yan'an asked, filled with curiosity.

A kind smile graced Ye Yuan’s face. "It’s nothing, just a wrong number."

"Oh."

Ye Yan'an didn't suspect anything. She walked over to Ye Yuan, looking at him with anticipation. "Grandpa, Sister Sun Ting told me last night that she wants to take me shopping today. May I go?"

Shopping.

For Ye Yan'an, who had grown up in a small village and lived her entire life relying solely on her grandfather, the word was filled with novelty, and she was brimming with excitement.

Seeing the sparkle of anticipation in her eyes, Ye Yuan nodded slowly. "Go ahead."

A smile lit up Ye Yan'an's face as she turned toward the door, but Ye Yuan called her back. She stopped and looked at him, puzzled.

Ye Yuan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cloth bundle. He opened it, took out fifty yuan, and handed it to her. "Take this. It wouldn’t be right to only spend Sister Sun Ting's money."

Ye Yan'an bit her lip as she looked at the crumpled fifty-yuan note, then silently reached out to take it.

The house she had shared with her grandfather had been destroyed in a fire, and most of their possessions were gone. The small bundle of change, amounting to less than a hundred yuan, was all the savings the two of them had left in the world.

"Go on now, have a good time, and stay safe," Ye Yuan said with a gentle smile.

"I will!" Ye Yan'an nodded. Just then, Sun Ting’s voice came from outside: "Yan'an, are you ready? We should be going."

"Coming!" Ye Yan'an replied. She said goodbye to Ye Yuan once more and pushed the door open to leave.

Ye Yuan sat back in his chair, his expression turning grave.

It seemed Zhao Ming had truly made a name for himself in the military of the Dragon Kingdom. He had even managed to obtain the number of this newly installed phone so quickly.

Yet, Ye Yuan was deeply curious. What exactly had Zhao Ming done that he would risk so much to reach out?

As he was deep in thought, a knock sounded at the door. Ye Yuan stood up to open it and found Cong Gui standing outside, looking brimming with excitement.

"Chief Cong, what brings you here?" Ye Yuan asked, puzzled.

With the recent events mostly settled, shouldn't Cong Gui be at his post overseeing flood prevention? Why did he keep coming here?

Cong Gui stepped into the room and looked at Ye Yuan with excitement. "Old Hero, wonderful news! The higher-ups have learned of your story and have decided to re-bestow honors upon you. At the very least, you’ll be awarded the rank of Major General!"

"Once you are a Major General, you and Yan'an won't have to live such hard lives anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Yuan’s expression remained unchanged. If he had truly cared about such empty titles, he would never have chosen to leave in the first place. After all, given his formidable military record at the time, it wouldn’t have been impossible for him to become a Lieutenant General, or even a General or a Marshal.

Cong Gui noticed something was amiss and looked at Ye Yuan in confusion. "Old Hero, why do you seem so... unmoved?"

"Why should I be?" Ye Yuan countered.

Cong Gui was left speechless. Was this the outlook on life of the older generation? When would he ever be able to remain so indifferent to both favor and humiliation?

Cong Gui changed the subject. "Old Hero, where is Yan'an?"

"She was taken out by that girl, Sun Ting," Ye Yuan explained with a smile. "They just left a little while ago."

"I see. She’s just a young girl, and after what happened, it’s good for her to go out and clear her mind," Cong Gui said as he wandered around the room.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something. He turned sharply to look at Ye Yuan. "Old Hero, I feel like something is missing in your home."

Ye Yuan asked in confusion, "Missing what? I have the essentials—an electric fan, a gas stove, even a computer. What else could be missing?"

Cong Gui looked troubled as he thought for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "A family portrait! Exactly! A family portrait! How can you not have a photo of you and Yan'an?"

He then added, "Come to think of it, when I was visiting the village, the neighbors said that your old house, the one that burned down, didn't have a family portrait either. Why is that?"

"I've known you for a long time, but I've never heard you mention your son. And even when Yan'an went through such a terrible ordeal, he never came back to see her."

Hearing this, Ye Yuan’s body trembled slightly. A look of profound sorrow appeared in his weary, imposing eyes.

Cong Gui’s heart sank. Had he accidentally touched a raw nerve? He felt incredibly guilty. Why did he have to be so tactless and bring this up?

Ye Yuan clearly did not wish to continue the conversation. He asked softly, "Are you thirsty? Let me pour you some water."

Cong Gui nodded hurriedly. "Actually, I am a bit thirsty. I can pour it myself." He stood up and poured himself a cup of water from the thermos.

Ye Yuan sat opposite him, watching as Cong Gui drank in awkward silence. The room fell into an unsettling quiet.

After a while, Ye Yuan finally broke the stalemate. "That enemy medal I tossed into the grave pit—has it been found?"

"We are still looking," Cong Gui replied, setting down his cup. "It’s been many years, so it’s not easy to find, but it shouldn't take much longer. The soldiers heard it was a high-ranking enemy officer's medal and are all eager to see it."

Ye Yuan couldn't help but chuckle at that. If he had known this would happen, he would have kept the medal to spare those young soldiers the trouble.

Suddenly, the phone in Cong Gui’s pocket rang. He pulled it out, looked at it, and grinned at Ye Yuan. "Old Hero, it’s Chief Xiao! He must have seen yesterday's program!"

He answered the call, but soon, Cong Gui’s face turned pale, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He hung up, his expression grim as he looked at Ye Yuan. "Old Hero, I just received news. The higher-ups had approved the request to access your files, but when Chief Xiao's men arrived, they were told that your records had already been taken."

"The person who took your files is the Eastern Theater Command Chief, Zhao Ming."

Ye Yuan was not the least bit surprised. He murmured to himself, "How swift. No wonder he dared to call me—he came fully prepared."