“Zhouchang.”
His eyes lit up. “My daughter and her husband lived there for a while. It’s a beautiful part of Piao. They ran a smithy in the village.”
Hua struggled to suck in a breath. “The smithy? Zhouchang? Are you sure?”
He nodded. “They had to close it when my daughter’s son joined the army.” His expression fell. “Now, my daughter lives here in the camp along with my wife.”
“And her husband?” Hua’s voice lowered to a whisper. She’d never traveled to the smithy, but her father was a frequent customer whenever the farm implements broke. After the smithy closed, he had to travel for a day to reach the nearest one.
Sasha carefully lowered her bloodstained pant leg. “We lost him. He rode into battle a few months ago at Commander Li’s side. He didn’t return.”
“I’m sorry.” Hua put a han
