However, after this heroic woman’s life stabilized, she didn’t stay in the capital for long, instead she took her brothers’ ashes back to her old home in the Northeast, returning to the mountains and forests under the pretense of retiring.
Decades later, Father Tang chose the same path as Grandma Tang.
It was no surprise that Jing Yu, who was born into a military family, knew of Grandma Tang’s deeds.
"Commander Tang is a generation’s female hero admired by all; my grandfather often mentioned her too," Jing Yu said.
The fact that Father Jing and Father Tang became comrades-in-arms and brothers was not just because of their bond in battle, but also because their families had been acquainted back in the day.
It was the first time Tang Shu had heard snippets about Grandma Tang from someone else, and she found it quite intriguing.
Her memory of the old lady had already become quite vague.
"Really," he affirmed.
What Jing Yu didn’t say was that every time his grandfather mentioned this female hero, it was with both amusement and admiration.
He, being half a scholar, found common ground with the woman bandit only in how they treated their enemies; other than that, they were completely at odds.
Filled with curiosity, Tang Shu looked at the person next to her, "I don’t know about my grandmother’s past, can you tell me more?"
"Of course," he replied.
After lunch, Jing Yu dropped Tang Shu off at the entrance to East Lake Community.
"Is it safe for you to live here?" Jing Yu asked as he stood at the entrance to the community, eyeing the bustling residential building and falling into thought.
Having been asked this question again, Tang Shu was no longer surprised.
"It’s okay. I’ve only just gained a little fame, and besides, most of the residents here are elderly people from the capital; there aren’t many who would recognize me," she explained.
Jing Yu nodded thoughtfully.
"You mentioned at lunch that you’ve booked a flight back to your hometown for tomorrow?" he asked.
"Yes, the plane leaves at nine in the morning," she replied.
"The airport is near the villa; I’ll pick you up tomorrow—it’s on the way."
Tang Shu looked at him.
Jing Yu was very nonchalant, "The place I’m staying isn’t far from here, and I’m heading back to the old house as well."
So it really was on the way—
Getting a ride, especially during peak travel season in the capital, was a no-brainer.
"Then I’ll take you up on that," she said.
That night, Tang Shu was proven wrong just by stepping out to buy a drink.
The sound of bones breaking.
After a pig-slaughtering scream, a man in his thirties with a beer belly lay on the ground, sweating profusely, pain tearing through his arm.
Standing before him was a cold seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl with long, straight legs that looked particularly slender under the dim light. Her demeanor was calm and collected.
The scene was quite eerie.
Tang Shu’s slender and delicate fingers were holding a camera, awkwardly opening it to remove the film while glancing at the man on the ground.
"Paparazzo?" she asked.
"Reporter!" he insisted, even in a disadvantaged position.
"Same difference," she dismissed, equating the word ’reporter’ with ’paparazzo’ in her mind, "I’m taking the photos, any objections?"
Having noticed someone following and surreptitiously taking pictures of her since leaving the community, and recalling the nonsense rumors that often erupted online, Tang Shu felt instantly irritable.
"No, no objections!" he exclaimed, understanding the wisdom of knowing one’s place.
"Fine then," she said.
The next moment, Tang Shu tossed the camera carelessly.
The man sharply inhaled, struggling to bear the discomfort as he quickly embraced his precious, expensive equipment.
Upon seeing the camera was unharmed, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, only to find that the girl had already disappeared.