Chapter Five: The Provincial Television Station

Ye Yuan stood there.

His posture was no longer as upright and rigid as it had been in the years past. However, the glittering military medals pinned to his chest made one involuntarily overlook all of that, instilling a sense of profound peace and reassurance.

He turned and looked at a man in the crowd. "Sanwazi, would you mind giving me a ride on your motorcycle?"

A farmer who looked to be in his forties snapped out of his daze and instinctively asked, "Where to?"

"The temporary military barracks in Hehe County," Ye Yuan said slowly.

Last year, the Songhua and Nenjiang rivers had both suffered catastrophic flooding. The Dragon Kingdom had paid a heavy price before finally overcoming that disaster. To prevent a recurrence this year, temporary military outposts had been set up in every county, stationed from July through August.

Sanwazi knew exactly where Ye Yuan meant and nodded immediately. "Wait right here, Old Ye, I'll go get the bike!"

A short while later, Sanwazi arrived at Ye Yuan’s doorstep on his motorcycle. Under the respectful gazes of the villagers, Ye Yuan and Sanwazi soon disappeared from view.

...

In Hehe County, Liu Dehai sat on a Nordic-style sofa, holding a Motorola phone, his expression grave. He had just received a call from one of his men, informing him that Ye Yuan had put on his military uniform and had been driven out of the village by a villager on a motorcycle, seemingly heading toward the military barracks.

"So that old fossil was a soldier..." Liu Dehai tapped his fingers against the wooden armrest. "He’s trying to go find the military for help?"

He let out a scoff. "Let him go. Do the troops care about local petty affairs? Even if you were a soldier once, that’s ancient history from God-knows-when. Do you really think you’re someone special?"

He stood up and walked to the second floor, to the room where Ye Yan'an was being held.

As soon as Ye Yan'an saw Liu Dehai enter, her body began to tremble violently. Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears streamed down her face. She struggled to speak, but because her mouth was gagged, she could only emit meaningless, muffled cries.

"Your grandfather, that old man, came here looking for you," Liu Dehai said to Ye Yan'an with a smile.

Upon hearing the word "grandfather," a glimmer of hope appeared in Ye Yan'an's eyes.

"But I chased him away," Liu Dehai said, sitting on the edge of the bed and speaking in a measured tone. "The old fool even went to the police station to beg for help. Wouldn't you say he deserves to die?"

Ye Yan'an froze, staring blankly at Liu Dehai.

"If you don't cooperate with me, I’ll have no choice but to have your grandfather..." Liu Dehai raised his hand and made a throat-slitting gesture. "So, do you know what you need to do now?"

At that moment, Ye Yan'an seemed to lose all her strength. She lay there limply, motionless, no longer struggling.

"That's a good girl." Liu Dehai pinched Ye Yan'an's cheek, smiling hypocritically. "I’m only taking one kidney. The doctor said people can live just fine with only one. As long as you cooperate, not only will I give you a large sum of money, but I’ll also cover all your university expenses. Plus, you’ll be saving my son; this is a grand act of kindness, understand?"

Ye Yan'an nodded like a marionette. Liu Dehai smiled with satisfaction and left the room.

In the dark room, Ye Yan'an remained silent, though her tears flowed uncontrollably. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her grandfather. If a single kidney could ensure that both she and her grandfather remained safe... she would rather let Liu Dehai take it.

...

Ye Yuan had been dropped off by Sanwazi on the outskirts of Hehe County. The military barracks were not located within the town proper.

"This is far enough," Ye Yuan said softly. "Sanwazi, thank you."

Sanwazi shook his head repeatedly. "It’s nothing... I—I’ll just wait here for you, and then we’ll head back to the village together."

Not far away, a van was approaching. It was a vehicle from the provincial television station. Upon learning that the provincial top scorer in the science track was a student from their own county, the station had been abuzz, immediately dispatching a team to conduct an interview.

The reporter in the van was looking out the window in boredom when she noticed an old man in a military uniform walking ahead. She was particularly struck by the brilliant array of medals on his chest and immediately concluded that this man was no ordinary person. With the 50th anniversary of the founding of the nation just over two months away, if she could report on this veteran's story...

"Stop the car!" Sun Ting called out to the driver.

The driver, confused, pulled over, and watched as Sun Ting pulled the door open and hopped out. She jogged up to Ye Yuan. "Sir, where are you headed?"

"To seek help," Ye Yuan said slowly. His face was devoid of joy or sorrow; not a single trace of emotion could be seen.

Sun Ting was truly startled by those words. Seek help? What could have possibly happened to make such a veteran put on his uniform, pin his medals to his chest, and go out seeking help?

Ye Yuan glanced at the lettering on the nearby vehicle and asked, "Are you from the television station?"

Sun Ting nodded repeatedly. "Yes, we are on our way to Kaoshan Village to interview the provincial top scorer for the college entrance exam, and we happened to see you."

"Kaoshan Village?" Sanwazi, who was nearby, instinctively spoke up. "We’re from Kaoshan Village."

"What a coincidence!" Sun Ting looked at Sanwazi, pleasantly surprised. "There's a girl in your village named Ye Yan'an, right? She's the one we're here to interview."

"Yan'an..." Sanwazi looked cautiously at Ye Yuan.

"Ye Yan'an is my granddaughter," Ye Yuan said, looking at Sun Ting. "But you won't be able to interview her."

"Why?" Sun Ting asked, looking blankly at him.

"My granddaughter, Ye Yan'an, has been abducted by the local tyrant, Liu Dehai!"

"I, Ye Yuan, have shed blood and sweat for this country my entire life. Now that my granddaughter has met with such a disaster and I have nowhere to seek justice, I have no choice but to come to the military... to demand it!"

After speaking, Ye Yuan ignored Sun Ting and continued walking forward.

Sun Ting stood rooted to the spot. The information she had just received was too much for her to process at once. A highly decorated veteran was going to the military base to seek justice. The veteran's granddaughter was the provincial top scorer. Most importantly, this top student had been kidnapped. This was a bombshell of a story!

Watching Ye Yuan’s figure already far ahead, Sun Ting got back into the van and immediately took out her phone. While dialing, she hurriedly ordered, "Follow him."

"Contact the station's duty editor immediately. There is a major breaking news story involving the kidnapping of a decorated veteran's granddaughter, and I am currently tracking it on the scene!"

She did this partly because it was clearly a massive story, and partly because she came from a revolutionary family and could not bear to see a hero left to wither in his twilight years.

...

At the Hehe County temporary military barracks, several young soldiers were filling sandbags in front of the gate, preparing to deal with any potential floodwaters. Then, they saw Ye Yuan walking toward them from the distance, followed by the television station's van.

Ye Yuan reached the gates of the barracks and stopped.

"Report!" Ye Yuan's hoarse yet exceptionally clear voice seemed to pierce through the entire compound.

"Veteran Ye Yuan, I have an urgent, major matter to report. I request to see the highest-ranking officer on duty!"