She, at that moment, only thought that he was real, can be depended on.

Her fear for the dark was swept away, leaving only a faint scent of a sweet smell mingled with the smell of tobacco that can only be found on his body.

She felt him lowering his body.

Ji Chengyang hugged Ji Yi with his arms, then let her go, saying with a low voice: “Sorry Xixi, I went to smoke.”

“It’s okay…” Ji Yi, with his pair of eyes looking at her, all of a sudden felt that they were more scarier than darkness, quickly lowered her head and moved two steps back, brazened herself and walked back towards the house. All the while, she did not dare to look at him.

Afterwards, learning that she was scared off,  Great aunt guiltily told them that she saw Ji Chengyang walked out the main gate, and, wanting to save electricity, turned off the light that lit up the cement platform. As Great aunt talked, she patted Ji Yi’s hair: “Fourteen years old, already a grown up young lady, why still scared of the dark?”

Ji Yi was especially embarra.s.sed, took off the slippers, and climbed on the bed to sleep with Great aunt.

The driver and two soldiers who came with them were sent to sleep at the neighbors’; it was only Ji Chengyang keeping Ji Yi with him that stayed here at Great aunt’s. Three of them slept in one room, Ji Yi and Great aunt slept on the bed, while Ji Chengyang, covered under a cotton blanket, slept on the long wooden sofa.

He was near the heating stove, during the night she groggily woke up, finding that Great aunt had turned on the lamp and was tucking in the corners of his blanket.

Ji Yi sat up, quizzically looked at Great aunt.

Great aunt smiled, softly said: “Worried that the cotton might catch fire.”

She lightly nodded.

Great aunt picked Ji Chengyang’s down jacket up with her hands, then got the sewing kit box.

“Working, got torn.” Great aunt knowing she did not understand that much, tried hard to speak simply. Ji Yi took a look at his down jacket, below the left pocket there was indeed a torn spot; fortunately, there was another layer underneath, but a cut like that was just too ugly.

Great aunt was facing the lamp, each thread of the needle were so taxing.

“Let me help you, Great aunt.” Ji Yi said softly.

“Good girl.” Great aunt smiled that her eyes narrowed, handing both the silver needle and black thread over to Ji Yi.

In the end, even ended up teaching her how to sew a b.u.t.ton.

So, during that night when Ji Chengyang woke up, opening his eyes to find that the lamp was turned on, he used his right arm to block his eyes, adjusting his eyes to the light to look at the two people on the bed. At first, he thought of asking whether it was that Ji Yi wanted to use the bathroom again, only to find that the little lady was holding his down jacket and was sewing diligently…

Many years later, amidst the deafening gunfire, lying on the ground soiled with fresh blood, the moment he confronted death summon, what he saw was neither an angel nor a demon, but this winter night in year 2000. This deep cold, how Ji Yi, in this small mountain town, in this room where one could only relied on the warmth from the stove, under the pale yellow light of the lamp, each needle and each thread, mended his clothes.

That was…

His little lady, and his home country.