The moment he heard that voice, Yue Xiaofei's hand tightened around the phone, his knuckles turning white.
He opened his mouth, but his throat felt so tightly blocked that he couldn't make a sound.
Getting no answer, the mother asked again, "Hello? Say something! If you don't, I'm hanging up!"
"A-Auntie, hello."
It took all of Yue Xiaofei's strength to force those few words out.
His voice was so hoarse he barely recognized it.
"Oh, hello, hello."
The voice on the other end sounded warm and down-to-earth. "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm Wei Dayong's... comrade-in-arms."
The words comrade-in-arms sent a sharp pang through Yue Xiaofei's heart.
The other end fell silent for a moment.
"Comrade-in-arms? You served with Dayong?!"
The mother's voice immediately turned anxious and urgent.
"Has our Dayong gotten into trouble in the army?"
"That boy's been a handful since he was little. He never listens!"
"If he needs a scolding, scold him. If he needs punishment, punish him. Don't go easy on him! We're his parents, and we'll support whatever the army decides!"
"Or... is he homesick again? I just spoke to him on the phone a few days ago. I told him a soldier ought to act like one. Defending the country matters more than all these little things at home..."
The mother kept talking.
Every word was like a dull knife sawing back and forth across Yue Xiaofei's heart.
He could picture her: a kind, humble mother, so proud of her son.
And he was about to shatter every hope she held for him.
Yue Xiaofei's eyes reddened. He bit his lip hard enough to taste blood.
He had to tell her.
He had to tell her the cruel truth.
It was his responsibility.
The mother seemed to sense something was wrong in