Chapter Thirty-Six: In this life, I can truly say I haven't lived in vain!

"Village Chief, what is it you wanted to give me?" Ye Yuan asked, unsure of what the old village chief was referring to.

The village chief stepped forward and pulled a small plaque from his pocket. It was about half the size of a palm, pitch-black, and adorned with intricate carvings. Faintly visible among the patterns was a single character: "Ling."

"What is this?" Cong Gui reached out to take the plaque from the chief. He paused, surprised. "It's quite heavy." He weighed it in his hand for a moment before passing it to Ye Yuan. "Old Hero, what do you make of this?"

"I have no idea," Ye Yuan replied, shaking his head and turning his gaze back to the chief.

The village chief looked equally puzzled. "I was just a child then," he said softly. "Your parents were staying at our house. They said they wanted to use this to exchange for money to repair all the houses in our village. They left this plaque with my family, but just two days later, the Japanese invaders arrived. You know what happened after that. I only found it again while I was tidying up the house the other day. Since you were coming by, it was only right to return it to its rightful owner."

"I see," Ye Yuan nodded. He examined the plaque closely, but he could make nothing of it.

Cong Gui spoke up softly, "Old Hero, this looks like an antique. If you trust me, I can have someone evaluate it for you. It might be something of great value."

Ye Yuan smiled at the suggestion. "Very well, I'll leave it to you then." He handed the plaque to Cong Gui.

Cong Gui was deeply moved by Ye Yuan’s trust. He tucked the plaque into his pocket, silently vowing to get to the bottom of the mystery regarding this heirloom left by Ye Yuan's parents.

Just then, Ye Yan'an and Yanzi walked over, hand in hand.

"Grandpa," Ye Yan'an looked at Ye Yuan expectantly, "can Yanzi come stay with us at our place for a few days?"

Ye Yan'an and Yanzi had grown up together, and their bond was as deep as that of sisters. Since moving to the county seat, Ye Yan'an had lacked friends. Aside from Sun Ting visiting occasionally, she spent most of her time alone at home, which was quite dull. Hearing her request, Ye Yuan nodded without hesitation. "Of course."

"That's wonderful!" Ye Yan'an turned to Yanzi, excited. "Yanzi, you can finally stay at my house!"

Cong Gui didn't think much of it, but Ye Yuan’s heart was filled with complex emotions. His home was not large. Ye Yan'an’s room had only a small kang, barely big enough for one person, let alone two. Ye Yan'an had always been the one staying at Yanzi's house, and it had been a long-held wish of hers to have her friend stay with her. Now, that wish was finally coming true.

Watching the two girls chattering away, Cong Gui turned to Ye Yuan. "Old Hero, is there anything else you need to attend to in the village? If not, it’s time for us to head back to the county."

"Yes," Ye Yuan nodded.

"Yanzi, let's go!" Ye Yan'an pulled Yanzi along behind Ye Yuan and Cong Gui.

Upon returning to the county, Yanzi looked at Ye Yuan and Ye Yan'an's living conditions with unconcealed envy. Ye Yan'an immediately pulled her into her room so the two sisters could talk.

Ye Yuan sat quietly, lost in thought. A few minutes later, he stood up, walked over to the telephone, and dialed a number. After several rings, it was answered.

"Hello? Old Regiment Commander, is something the matter?" Zhang Qun’s voice came through the receiver.

Ye Yuan got straight to the point. "You and Sun went to the capital?"

There was a long silence on the other end. Ye Yuan didn't press, waiting patiently. Finally, Zhang Qun gave a dry laugh. "Why does Xiao Bo have such a loose tongue? We told him not to say anything, and he still spilled it."

"There was no need for you to do this," Ye Yuan said softly.

Zhang Qun’s voice turned solemn. "Old Regiment Commander, Sun and I can’t do much for you, so we can only do these small things within our power. Besides, if the other old comrades found out about this, how could we ever show our faces again?"

This time, it was Ye Yuan who fell silent. He had always known how deep the affection of his old comrades was and how much they wanted to help him. But... he didn't want it to be this way.

His life with Ye Yan'an was improving, and being able to support themselves was enough. Why stir up such a fuss for the sake of empty fame?

"Old Regiment Commander, please rest easy. It’s nothing, and it’s all our own doing," Zhang Qun’s voice returned. "I have some matters to attend to, so I won't keep you. Please take care of your health."

The call ended. Ye Yuan slowly hung up the phone and let out a sigh.

The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, bathing Ye Yuan’s calm face. Suddenly, he chuckled to himself. Those unruly young hotheads from back then had all grown into commanders and generals capable of holding their own. He hadn't lived his life in vain.

He returned to the sofa and sat down.

What he didn't know was that in the capital, after hanging up the phone, Zhang Qun turned and pushed open the door to a conference room. Inside were over twenty people, all of them elderly and their chests adorned with military medals. These were men who had performed heroic feats in battle. Even in this era of peace, they held high positions, continuing to serve the country with passion.

"You two, this matter has nothing to do with you. Why must you insist on getting involved?" An elderly man in glasses, also in his sixties, looked at Sun Weiguo and Zhang Qun with frustration. "It's just the rank conferral of one veteran. Is it really worth such a big fuss? Especially you, Old Zhang—is the Southern Theater Command really that idle?"

"Of course it's worth it!" Zhang Qun replied without hesitation. "This matter concerns..."

As he spoke, the door to the conference room was pushed open again. An elderly man with a limping gait walked in. Upon seeing him, everyone in the room stood up, including Zhang Qun, the commander of the Southern Theater.