The third was for humans to develop antibodies as soon as possible, defeat the virus, rebuild homes, and restore stability and peace.”
“These three wishes have all come true,” Zhou Rong paused briefly. “So I think there might be some magic in making wishes on New Year’s Eve, and I’ve decided to make three wishes again this year.”
He filled his wine glass, not looking at anyone, and drank it directly: “The first cup is still my personal wish.”
Zhou Rong smiled and shook his head without answering.
“—The second cup.”
He filled the glass, looked around, pausing in the direction of the family section, and bowed deeply:
“Wishing our comrades who have left us are still well in heaven. Your names will forever be in our hearts, and your merits will be eternally inscribed in human history.”
Just like last New Year’s Eve, Zhou Rong again called out seventeen names in the order of sacrifice, with Zhang Yingjie being the last.
The entire canteen fell silent. Some family members choked up, others looked dejected.
“Last year, I said to wait until after the disaster to be reborn, to avoid facing this hellish world again. This year, I can finally say that the disaster has passed, homes are being rebuilt, and human society will gradually return to normal. If the brave souls of our comrades are watching from heaven, you can now return.
Zhou Rong’s eyes reddened slightly, and after a while, he said hoarsely, “Brother Rong… misses you all.”
“Everyone misses you.”
Sounds of sobbing and sighing filled the surroundings. Zhou Rong tilted his head back and drank the second cup of wine in one gulp.
“The third cup.”
Zhou Rong turned forward, facing the gaze of all 118 special forces, raising his glass to the starry night sky with fireworks crisscrossing:
“In this past catastrophe, the virus took away countless lives, with global population dropping by more than half. Many small countries have disappeared from the human map.”
“If future generations write history, they will discover that no words or rhetoric can fully describe the cruelty of this disaster, nor can any language describe the arduous efforts humans made to survive.”
“We carried the spark through the dark night, ultimately reigniting the torch of racial continuation on a mountain of corpses. We survivors don’t need history to record our merits or need empty, beautiful praise. As long as the mountains, rivers, and millions of spirits bear witness to our successive struggles and never-give-up efforts.”
Zhou Rong raised his glass from afar, then poured the last cup of wine on the ground:
Cheers to us ordinary humans.”
Everyone fell silent and raised their glasses.
Fireworks outside shot into the night sky, bursting with brilliant light, illuminating everyone’s moist eyes.
Under warm lights, the crowd was bustling, and the aroma of food wafted far and wide.
Zhou Rong, having been plied with drinks, finally escaped the crowd, pulling Si Nan’s hand out the door and standing in the courtyard.
Sometime during the night, snow began to fall, with delicate snowflakes illuminated in orange-yellow light, romantically swirling and landing on their hair and shoulders. Zhou Rong leaned in to kiss Si Nan’s lips, seeming slightly embarrassed, and pulled out a white paper box tied with a pink ribbon from behind.
“It’s… it’s a cake,” he stammered slightly at the end. “I made it myself, try it.”
Si Nan opened the box, revealing a palm-sized strawberry jam cake, bright red strawberries drizzled with syrup adorning the snow-white cream, with an elegant piped border, and two little sugar figurines holding hands and laughing.
Zhou Rong nervously watched Si Nan take a bite: “Is it good?”
Si Nan nodded, licking the cream from the corner of his mouth.
“I practiced for a long time in the cafeteria, ruined quite a few,” Zhou Rong self-deprecatingly rubbed his hands. “Glad I finished it before tonight… is it really good?”
Si Nan took another big bite, his mouth full, mumbling: “Want to try?”
“No, no, you eat, you eat.”
Zhou Rong: “…”
Zhou Rong stared intently at Si Nan, who returned an innocent look.
“…didn’t you taste anything?”
Si Nan said: “No.”
They looked at each other, Zhou Rong’s gaze slowly moving from Si Nan’s face to the nearly empty cake, his voice slightly trembling:
“Really didn’t taste anything?!”
Si Nan: “Really nothing. Oh, there was something hard, was it a strawberry?”
Zhou Rong: “…”
Si Nan: “I swallowed it.”
Zhou Rong: “………………”
Zhou Rong’s expression was like he’d been struck by lightning, incredibly dramatic, then he turned and shouted: “Call the medical team! Quick! Contact the hospital for an endoscopy! Captain Si has swallowed a foreign object…”
Si Nan finally couldn’t hold back his laughter, grabbing Zhou Rong and pulling out a sparkling ring from under his tongue.
The diamond was incredibly large, reflecting brilliant light in the snowflakes.
“Tell me,” Si Nan teased, holding the diamond ring, “where did you get this? Can you even afford it?”
Zhou Rong let out a breath, between laughter and exasperation.
Si Nan raised an eyebrow mischievously.
“Last week, when Tang Hao and the others were clearing out the B military district, I went along. Before leaving, I did some reconnaissance.
Tang Hao was holding a flashlight while I used a shovel, digging for half the night in the ruins after the military demolition, and finally dug out the display counter from his family’s store…
Zhou Rong pointed at the ring, his face slightly red: “All the rings were scattered on the ground. I took one, Tang Hao took one, and gave one each to Yan Hao, Chun She, Zi Xiang, and Ding Shi. Don’t tell Old Zheng, or he’ll start lecturing. Tang Fei even plans to keep his as a nest egg for his future wife.”
Zhou Rong, still flushed from the earlier drinks: “Come here, let Brother Rong put this pigeon egg on you.” As he pulled Si Nan’s hand, he realized the ring was too small.
Zhou Rong felt helpless, could only forcibly hold down the laughing Si Nan and remove the brass pendant he’d worn for over twenty years, threading the diamond ring through it.
Zhou Rong held the pendant, asking seriously: “Comrade Si Nan, would you like to know Brother Rong’s first New Year’s wish?”
Si Nan narrowed his eyes, looking at him slyly.
Zhou Rong stepped back half a step, striking a graceful pose, dropping to one knee in the falling snow, holding up the diamond ring.
“Comrade Si Nan, will you accept Comrade Zhou Rong’s proposal, officially becoming revolutionary partners, working together, progressing together, and bravely trying various new positions?”
Si Nan gazed steadily at Zhou Rong, a snowflake clinging to his hair, a soft curve forming at the corner of his handsome face.
In the bright window nearby, a row of heads was squeezed together, exclamations rising: “A proposal! A proposal!”
“Captain Zhou to Captain Si!”
“Oh my goodness!”
“Okay,” Si Nan smiled, “Comrade Zhou Rong.”
Zhou Rong hung the brass pendant back around his neck, and Si Nan leaned down, sharing a deep, passionate kiss with Zhou Rong amid the falling snow.
The ring slid out, hanging from the chain, swaying and reflecting bright light.
At the New Year’s Eve dinner table, Yan Haowang looked at the ring he found in the steamed bun, feeling both amused and helpless, but still secretly slipped it into his pocket when General Zheng wasn’t paying attention.
(end)
