Then, Aliya picked up another square-shaped gift from under the Christmas tree, with simple wrapping paper and tied with a single red ribbon.
"For you, my ’Survivor’."
Lin Yu’an took the gift box, untied the ribbon, and lifted the heavy lid. Inside, lying quietly, was a well-maintained Colt Single Action Army revolver, exuding a sense of historical significance!
The fra of the gun retained a mottled color like a cloud or mist, left by the tempering process over the years, still distinctly discernible.
Under the flickering light of the fireplace, it glimred with a layer of gray-blue and pale golden luster.
Its 5.5-inch "Artillery Model" barrel and cylinder were in a deep, steady blued finish, while the hard black rubber grip still prominently featured the iconic prancing horse emblem with sharp edges.
Next to the gun, there was a slightly yellowed original Colt factory letter!
Lin Yu’an’s gaze swept over the letter, and the information matched perfectly with his earlier judgnt: serial number 352563, shipped from the Hartford Factory to Texas on July 19, 1929.
He imdiately recognized the distinctive cross pin on the gun’s fra and the VP proof mark inside the triangle on the trigger guard, marking it safe for use with modern smokeless powder.
A gun born between the two World Wars, a truly reliable "Peacemaker"!
Lin Yu’an held his breath as he cradled the heavy "Peacemaker" in his hands. That unique weight and perfect sense of balance seed tailor-made for his hand.
He expertly posed, slowly cocking the hamr single-handedly, "Click—clack—click—clack."
The crisp and delightful sound, like the four-phase spring of a precision clock, echoed clearly in the quiet living room.
This sound was like a switch, instantly igniting all the light in his eyes!
He suddenly looked up at Aliya, his face no longer calm and appreciative but filled with a childlike joy.
"Aliya... you..." He was montarily at a loss for words, repeatedly feeling the fine knurling on the hamr with his thumb.
"A 1929 smokeless powder version... and in such good condition... how did you find it?"
Aliya just smiled, enjoying his current lapse in composure.
Lin Yu’an laughed happily, a heartfelt delight!
He carefully placed the gun back in the box, as if it were sothing sacred, then took a step forward and gave Aliya a tight hug!
"Thank you, dear, this is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever received!"
"A legendary gun for a legendary man. Quite the match." Aliya’s eyes were filled with pride.
"Now it’s my turn." Emily also smiled, taking another velvet-wrapped gift from under the tree and handed it to Aliya.
"For you, Aliya. Thank you for accepting and turning this place into my ho."
With a hint of childlike curiosity, Aliya deftly untied the ribbon and opened the box, revealing a hard leather cara case marked by ti.
As she unlatched the case, she gasped.
"Oh my God!"
Aliya murmured incredulously, staring at the open box, her hand suspended in mid-air, as if reluctant to touch the treasure inside.
Inside lay quietly, a completely black cara, as if it had erged from history!
The black lacquer on the edges of the body had worn away with ti, exposing the warm, glowing brass beneath, creating a beautiful patina collectors call "brassing."
Finally, she carefully cradled the cara in her hands with an almost devout posture.
"A black-painted M3! And a double-stroke! An early version! Every German must own a Leica cara!"
Aliya exclaid in delight, as soone with German heritage, she understood better than anyone the significance of this cara in the history of chanical engineering!
It was not just a cara, but a pinnacle of the golden age of German precision engineering.
She suddenly looked up, her eyes full of amazent as she looked at Emily, "Such an early black-painted M3 with beautiful ’brassing’ is worth at least over ten thousand US Dollars in the collector’s market! Are you crazy, Emily!"
Emily just smiled gently and shrugged helplessly, "You always said you wanted to docunt life here, and I thought nothing would be more suitable."
Aliya said no more, feeling the solid weight of the cara, milled from a single piece of brass, with her palm.
The cold tal body pressed against her palm, her fingertips caressing the covering and brass corners on the cara, each detail brimming with the warmth of ti.
Her thumb found the film advance lever, gently pulling it, feeling the smoothness and seamless shing of the gears.
Then, she lifted the cara to her eye and pressed the shutter towards the flickering fire in the fireplace.
There was no crisp "click" sound, only an extrely soft and gentle "whirr."
The sound was as quiet as a whisper, yet filled with an unparalleled chanical texture, the legendary sound unique to Leica.
Aliya lowered the cara, looking at Emily, her voice filled with indescribable emotion: "Emily... this is too precious and too crazy!"
"This is no longer a gift; this is an inheritance, a collectible! I must pass it on to Olivia’s children! Thank you for understanding , Emily! I love you to bits!"
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