The Bravest

No matter how much Lao Zhou tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep, or how Mao Renfeng still had to work hard late at night, the long night would eventually pass.

When the first ray of sunshine in the early morning illuminates the earth again, the Chinese people, who have suffered great hardships but are indomitable, will still get up early as usual and work hard for their livelihood.

Even those poor beggars have appeared on the streets. In these days, ordinary people have no time to rest. They have to work hard day after day, and they may not even be able to guarantee two meals a day.

On a relatively busy street, a small tailor shop opened early. The owner of the shop was a dignified middle-aged woman who started working early in the morning.

She continued to deal with the unfinished work from yesterday while looking forward to the customers coming. Perhaps because the business has not been good, the owner's brows are always furrowed, which makes her originally beautiful face look a little haggard.

However, today seemed to be a lucky day. Usually, there would be few customers in the store before nine in the morning, but today a handsome middle-aged man came. His arrival surprised and delighted the store owner, and he could not help but feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe today's business would improve?

"Sir, is there anything I need? I have ready-made clothes here, and I can also make custom clothes. Western suits, Chinese Tang suits, and long robes can all be made to order."

Hearing the sound of the bell as someone pushed the door open, the proprietress quickly stopped what she was doing, stood up and greeted the guests warmly.

"Boss, look, my suit is torn. How much does it cost to fix it for me?" What disappointed the proprietress was that the customer was not here to buy clothes or order custom ones, but just to do some mending.

"Sir, please sit down for a moment. I need to see if the problem is serious and what the material is before I can set the price." There is a small sofa in the tailor shop, which is usually used for waiting customers to rest. Although it is a small business, the proprietress still invited the customer to sit on the sofa.

"Okay, help me take a look. I need to wear it this afternoon. Can you help me with it first?"

The proprietress took the bag from the customer, took out a suit from it, looked left and right, and asked the middle-aged man, "Mr. Zhou, why are you here so early in the morning? It's too conspicuous at this time."

"Yueru, the things inside need to be sent back to Chongqing as soon as possible. I decided to let you go back in person. Just stay there from now on!" Old Zhou looked at the proprietress with reluctance. This was his wife Li Yueru.

Li Yueru knew why Lao Zhou came so early. He wanted her to return to the relatively safe rear, but he was reluctant to leave her, so he came to the tailor shop so early for the first time.

"Lao Zhou, can you send someone else back? I want to stay with you." Li Yueru's eyes felt a little hot, but the professionalism she had developed from working with Lao Zhou for many years prevented her from shedding tears.

"This is an order." Lao Zhou lowered his voice and scolded his wife, but his tone was full of helplessness and determination. Then, his tone became softer and he said softly: "Go back. There has been no news about my son. You are my only relative. Go back. If you go back, I won't have so much pressure."

Li Yueru tightly grasped the suit, her hands trembling slightly, revealing her inner tension and worry. She slowly raised her head, staring at the street outside through the broken glass window on the shop door, and her eyes could not help but turn red.

"It's all your fault. I told my son not to work in this field, but you didn't listen and sent him to the Northeast. Couldn't you have kept your son by your side?"

Old Zhou sighed softly, his eyes showing a trace of guilt and self-blame, but he soon regained his composure. He patted Li Yueru's hand and said, "My son has learned so many skills from me. If he doesn't do this, will he become a soldier? And if he doesn't stay with us, it means father and son are in the same boat. Do you understand?"

Lao Zhou's words made Li Yueru fall into silence. She certainly understood these truths, but as a mother, she could not suppress her longing for her son. Whenever it was late at night, she could not help but think of her son's energetic face, and her heart was filled with endless worries.

Old Zhou looked at his silent wife, knowing the pain and worry in her heart. He patted her shoulder gently and comforted her: "Yueru, don't worry, the best news is that there is no news about our son. With our son's intelligence, he will be safe. After the war is over, we will be reunited as a family soon."

Lao Zhou's comfort gave Li Yueru some confidence and courage. However, in addition to worrying about her son, she was also worried about her husband: "Lao Zhou, if I leave, you will have no one by your side. If something really happens, who can help you? How about I leave two people for you?"

Lao Zhou felt his wife's concern and worry. He shook her hand vigorously and said firmly, "Yueru, don't worry. I will be careful. Besides, I am a single-tasker now, and I can act more flexibly alone."

Li Yueru nodded. She knew that Lao Zhou's decision could not be changed. This separation might mean a long separation, but she also understood that everything they did was for the country, which was also their common belief. So Li Yueru had no reason to refuse.

"Old Zhou, I want to keep this shop. I will arrange for someone who doesn't know your identity to take over. Just treat it as a silent spot. If something really happens, you can use a secret code to activate it. At least you have a temporary place to stay."

Li Yueru herself cannot stay and fight alongside Lao Zhou, but she still wants to leave Lao Zhou a way out.

"Is there a suitable person to take over? He must not know about the existence of Wu Lian and Lin Jie." Due to confidentiality reasons, Lao Zhou did not need to know the existence of all the people.

"Yes, this shop was originally a silent stronghold, with only the original owner. After I took over, he continued to remain silent and had no connection with us. I just need to hand it over to him. This way it won't attract other people's attention."

"Well, business is not good so we can't do it anymore. The original boss can take it back and continue to do it with explanation. So let's do it this way." Lao Zhou thought about it, agreed with his wife's method and nodded in agreement.

"So when should I leave? Is it urgent?"

"As soon as possible, set off once you have made arrangements and start the evacuation procedure. This route is safer. Remember that the things can only be handed over to Director Mao. In case of any accidents, destroy them. Do you understand?"

"I see. Can I come and see you before I leave? Just for a moment."

"Come and have some coffee! I'll make it for you myself."

……

Three days later, a pretty middle-aged woman came into Lao Zhou's coffee shop and asked for a small bag. The picky customer forced the waiter to ask the boss for permission.

Lao Zhou sent the waiter away and went to greet the picky customer in person. After putting on a thousand smiles, he personally brewed coffee with a unique taste and served delicious pastries before he appeased the guest.

"Lao Zhou, I'll wait for you to come back, take care of yourself." Seeing that time was running out, Li Yueru had to say goodbye to her husband.

"Be careful on the road, I will definitely come back." Lao Zhou rarely saw this special customer out the door until she disappeared at the end of the street.

……