Feng Ran tilted his head. Would you look at that? It's almost like he's talking about Brother Lin. Those two are two peas in a pod.
Yu Baoyin slightly frowned. She didn't know much about Nanzhi, but after hearing about it from Uncle Zhang Xin, she felt emotional. The words brought back memories of when she first met Nanzhi on the roof.
"Hold on. Uncle Zhang, how did you end up so far from the Military Base? Are you on a mission?"
"I'm not. I'm trying to find my half-brother and his family, and my sister. They lived around here."
Bingwen took a sip of warm soup before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, Uncle, what are your half-brother and sister's names?"
"It's Si Lei and He Cuifen."
The four of them choked on their soup.
Lin Weihao and Nanzhi looked at Zhang Xin.
"Si Lei? Isn't that little boy Si Hao's father? I clearly remember him saying his father's name is Si Lei! I can't possibly be wrong, his name sounded just like one of those handsome guys from a school drama I used to watch!" Yu Baoyin exclaimed.
Zhang Xin was stunned, his face filling with hope. "Si Hao? That's the name of my nephew! Do you know where they are now?"
"Er…" Yu Baoyin couldn't meet his gaze.
Everyone observed Uncle Zhang's hopeful face and wasn't sure how to break the devastating news to him.
Because of Zhang Xin's job, he always had to relocate and wasn't in constant contact with his relatives.
"Si Hao... is with his aunt. They're planning to join the Military Base too."
"Thank goodness!" Uncle Zhang heaved a sigh of relief. "What about my half-brother? Is he fine? That kid always used to hide behind my back when our father caught us climbing a tree. I've always worried about him being alone. Do you know where they are? Are they already there?"
Bingwen felt a rock stuck in his throat. "Uncle, please try to restrain your grief."
"What do you mean by that?" Zhang Xin's expression changed. The next words he heard made him freeze in place.
It was Nanzhi who broke the news.
"Your half-brother didn't make it."
Emotions surged within Zhang Xin. He lowered his head, eyes stricken with grief. Having known Nanzhi's attitude, she knew he had no reason to lie to him.
"Grief builds bridges to the past, but life is waiting on the other side. Walk forward for those still holding your hands."
Everyone looked at Nanzhi.
That was what the person who taught her medical skills had said.
Nanzhi felt a hand holding hers.
She looked up and saw that it was Lin Weihao.
…..
A few minutes later, Nanzhi asked Feng Ran for help.
"Obsidian has a glassy texture. Even when polished, it has a certain luster. And under strong light, you'd see faint conchoidal fractures—curved lines from when it was formed." He angled the pendant toward the light, then shook his head. "This? It's too dense, too solid. It doesn't scatter light at all." He tapped it against his fingernail, the sound dull and weighty, unlike the crisp click obsidian would make.
Nanzhi already knew that.
Feng Ran turned his attention to the clasp, rubbing his thumb over the aged metal. "Brass. Handcrafted. Not recent work." He moved to the bail, tilting it to check for markings.
His fingers trailed down the chain, feeling the weight of each link. "Definitely hand-made, not machine-forged. And old."
Finally, he examined the pendant frame itself, running his fingertips along the edges. As he did, his expression shifted.
"Hold on." Nanzhi leaned in. "There's something under the stone. Can you pry it off for me?" She wasn't sure if she could destroy the frame with her current strength.
"Indeed, I see something too."
Feng Ran reached for the dagger and carefully wedged the tip between the stone and the metal frame, working slowly until—click—the obsidian-like stone came loose.
Beneath it, hidden inside the frame, was an engraving.
Both of them leaned in closer. Under the light, three seal-script characters gleamed faintly, etched deep into the metal.
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