Qin Yuanzheng quietly walked into the courtyard and stared at Xiaxia for a while.
As Xiaxia watered the vegetables, she noticed his gaze and looked at him curiously. “Dad, what are you looking at?”
Qin Yuanzheng watched her for a moment longer before saying, “Nothing.”
Then he turned and went inside.
Qiao Lanshu was cooking in the kitchen. When Qin Yuanzheng came in, he helped her wash and chop the vegetables.
Seeing him enter, Qiao Lanshu walked over and looked up at his face.
Qin Yuanzheng met her eyes, then quickly looked away. “What is it?”
Qiao Lanshu asked softly, “Is something going on lately? You haven’t looked well, and you’ve lost weight.”
Qin Yuanzheng was silent for several seconds before saying, “Nothing’s wrong. But I’ll have to go to Beijing in a few days. When I do… well, if you need anything, you can ask Han Wenlin for help.”
Qiao Lanshu didn’t think much of it. She simply asked, “Another assignment? How many days will you be gone? Oh, right—there’s going to be a military parade next year, isn’t there? You’ll be participating, won’t you? I wonder if Han Ye will get the chance to go.”
Being selected for the grand military parade was an incredible honor.
Han Ye would probably love to participate. It was just a question of whether he would be chosen.
Qin Yuanzheng would certainly be going too. He would be leading the soldiers under his command.
Although the parade was still a year away, preparations would probably have to begin now.
When Qin Yuanzheng heard her, he nodded. “That’s right. There’ll be a parade next year. This trip to Beijing will probably take… about three days. Three days should be enough.”
Qiao Lanshu nodded. “When are you leaving? I’ll pack your things.”
Qin Yuanzheng fell silent for a moment before saying, “No need. It’s only three days. I don’t need to bring much.”
Qiao Lanshu thought about it. Beijing wasn’t all that far away, and for just three days, he really didn’t need much preparation.
She asked again, “Are you worried about something?”
They had been husband and wife for so many years that they could still tell when something was troubling the other.
But Qin Yuanzheng had no intention of telling her. “It’s nothing. Work has just been busy lately, and I haven’t been sleeping well. I’m a little worn out.”
Qiao Lanshu knew that he hadn’t been sleeping well recently. He had been going to bed very late, and sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night after finally falling asleep.
As she continued cooking, she said, “When I went out to buy groceries just now, I stopped by the pharmacy and got some traditional Chinese medicine. I’ll brew it for you after dinner. Remember to drink it before you go to bed. The doctor said it helps calm the nerves and improve sleep. Try taking it for a few days and see if it works.”
The doctor had been recommended to her by Zhong Mei. Zhong Mei was running her own business now, and the pressure and workload were both considerable, so she often had trouble sleeping. She had bought some traditional medicine to help regulate her health and said it worked very well.
Qin Yuanzheng reached out and rubbed Qiao Lanshu’s head, then nodded. “All right.”
His wife really was wonderful. Even though they had been married for so many years and their children were already in their teens, he still thought she was the best—and he still couldn’t bear to be parted from her.
…
Two days later, Qin Yuanzheng left for Beijing. Qiao Lanshu assumed he had gone on a mission.
But this time, he went alone. He didn’t bring anyone with him and drove there himself.
Qiao Lanshu carried on with her work and daily life at home as usual.
Han Wenlin did come by once with some things. He asked about the two children’s studies, then left soon afterward.
Qiao Lanshu didn’t think much of it. The two families were close, so it was perfectly normal for Han Wenlin to stop by for a visit.
But Guan Wenjun also came over—without Zhong Mei.
Whenever he visited, Zhong Mei and Guan Wenjun usually came together.
If Guan Wenjun wanted to see Qin Yuanzheng, he would normally go straight to Qin Yuanzheng’s workplace.
Now that Qin Yuanzheng wasn’t home, Guan Wenjun came by himself with a few gifts. He hadn’t even brought Zhong Mei along.
At the time, Qiao Lanshu was sweeping the courtyard. She had something to do at the school that afternoon, and there was no one else at home.
When she saw Guan Wenjun approaching, she was a little surprised. She put the broom aside and went to greet him.
“Section Chief Guan, what brings you here by yourself? Zhong Mei didn’t come with you today?”
As she spoke, she even glanced up at the sky, as though she suspected the sun had risen in the west.
Guan Wenjun set down the fruit and milk he was carrying, then walked around the courtyard. After that, he let out a long sigh.
Qiao Lanshu: “…”
She thought something must have happened and asked, “What’s wrong? Did you get into another argument with Zhong Mei? Coming to me won’t help. You know I’m definitely going to take Zhong Mei’s side.”
Guan Wenjun: “…”
He looked at her with a complicated expression and shook his head with another sigh. “Teacher Qiao, I came to check on you. And I didn’t argue with Zhong Mei. Do you really think I’d dare argue with her?”
Argue with Zhong Mei? Every time he said even a few extra words, she could shut him up completely.
Zhong Mei was so fierce and domineering. It was hard to believe she hadn’t been like this before they got married.
But after they married, she had completely changed into another person, leaving Guan Wenjun utterly speechless.
Qiao Lanshu certainly had no intention of sympathizing with him. She was obviously going to defend Zhong Mei.
So when she heard this, she rolled her eyes at him. “That’s what you get for being so long-winded all the time. If you talked less, Zhong Mei wouldn’t argue with you.”
Then she asked, “All right, no one comes here without a reason. Tell me, what is it? I have somewhere to be soon, so if you need something, get to the point.”
Guan Wenjun sighed. He paced around the courtyard a few times before asking Qiao Lanshu, “By the way, how old are your two children now? They’re still young, aren’t they?”
Qiao Lanshu couldn’t figure out what he was getting at. “Why are you asking about the children all of a sudden? Section Chief Guan, what exactly brings you here?”
Guan Wenjun scratched his head, wondering what he could possibly say.
It was just that after Qin Yuanzheng had spoken with him, he couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if Qin Yuanzheng were gone one day. Qiao Lanshu would become a widow.
How would a widow raising two children manage on her own?
He would certainly have to help her when that happened. He couldn’t just stand by and watch Qiao Lanshu struggle.
Qiao Lanshu watched Guan Wenjun linger there for ages without saying what he had come for. He paced around the courtyard, looking at this and that, then glancing at her, all while sighing countless times a minute.
He looked as though he were having some kind of fit.
Qiao Lanshu asked him several times, but he refused to explain. All he would say was, “Comrade Xiao Qiao, if you ever run into any difficulties, remember to come to me. I’ll definitely help you and the children, so don’t worry.”
Qiao Lanshu: “…”
Qiao Lanshu began to suspect that Guan Wenjun had gotten into a fight with Zhong Mei and been hit so hard that it had damaged his brain.
She tidied up the courtyard and then stopped paying attention to him. Pushing her bicycle, she prepared to leave.
She was busy. She still had to go to the school for a meeting.
When Guan Wenjun saw that she was about to leave, he was stunned. He grabbed the handlebars of her bicycle and asked, “Wait, Teacher Qiao! I’m still here, and you’re already leaving?”
Qiao Lanshu said inexplicably, “What else? If you want to stay here sighing, then take your time. Just close the door for me when you leave.”
After all, no one stole anything in the military compound, so they usually left their doors unlocked.
Guan Wenjun watched Qiao Lanshu wheel her bicycle away. She really had left.
He let out a heavy sigh and walked out of the house, muttering inwardly, If Lao Qin is really gone, then I can’t just sit by and do nothing about things here either.
Poor Comrade Xiao Qiao. Sigh.
……
After Qin Yuanzheng arrived in the capital, he went straight to the hospital for an examination.
At that time, only a few major hospitals had CT scanners, and blood tests were expensive as well. Many people were reluctant to pay for them.
The doctors in Wencheng had told Qin Yuanzheng to come to the capital for his examination precisely because the hospitals there had CT scanners that could show the condition of his internal organs.
Qin Yuanzheng went through the examination without hesitation. He didn’t care how expensive it was.
Afterward, the doctor told him that the results would not be ready for another two days.
He would have to stay there for three days, collect the results, see the doctor, and then return to Wencheng.
Of course, if the results were particularly bad, he might have to be admitted to the hospital immediately.
But he hoped he wouldn’t have to stay in the hospital. He didn’t want to be hospitalized.
In his dreams these past few days, he had constantly seen himself lying in a hospital bed, surrounded by all kinds of medical equipment.
He didn’t want to live the kind of life he saw in those dreams. Even if he really had to die, he wanted to return home and die there.
After leaving the hospital, Qin Yuanzheng found a random guesthouse nearby and checked in. He was only staying for two days, so he could make do.
……
As it happened, he had come at just the right time, because he ran into Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen at the hospital.
He had been standing in the lobby on the first floor when he happened to look up and saw Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen supporting each other as they slowly made their way into a ward on the second floor.
Qin Yuanzheng: “...?”
His eyes widened slightly, and he wondered if he had seen wrong.
Why had those two boys suddenly appeared here?
At this time, they should have been stationed at the border. Had they actually returned?
When had they come back?
Why hadn’t he received any notice?
Qin Yuanzheng didn’t remain puzzled for long. He immediately put his own concerns aside, strode up the stairs to the second floor, and checked one ward after another along the corridor Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen had just passed through.
He soon found the two boys.
Back when Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen had lived in the military compound, they had been sworn enemies since childhood. Whenever they met, they had to trade a few insults, and they had gotten into more than a few fights.
Their brawling had begun when they were still children in Longcheng and continued until everyone moved to Wencheng and settled in the military compound.
It wasn’t until they reached high school, grew older, and became more sensible that they began to rein themselves in. Even so, the two of them truly couldn’t stand one another.
Everyone in the military compound knew about it.
With their relationship having reached that point, it seemed almost impossible that they could ever become friends.
But fate was fate. Who would have thought that after joining the army, they would be assigned to the same place?
They came from the same area, were assigned to the same regiment and the same company, and in the end were stationed at the same post.
Even during recruit training, they had competed against each other for the title of top recruit.
Qin Yuanzheng stood at the doorway for a while, but he didn’t hear any arguing or fighting.
Only then did he walk in suspiciously. He said nothing and simply stared at the two of them.
The two young men were sitting on separate beds. A radio in the ward was broadcasting news and stories about the military.
Qin Yuanzheng studied them and noticed that both had grown thinner and darker. The fair-skinned, handsome young men they had once been were now tanned and rugged, and they looked taller too.
In terms of appearance, the two had grown into steady, mature men.
Han Ye had one arm in a sling, while one of Zhou Dingwen’s legs was encased in a cast. One had an unusable hand, and the other an unusable foot.
They both looked rather comical.
Qin Yuanzheng thought to himself, No wonder they can’t fight. Their arms and legs are both out of commission.
For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
When they saw Qin Yuanzheng enter, both boys’ eyes widened in shock.
Han Ye stared at him in astonishment. “U-Uncle Qin? You got the news and rushed here so quickly?”
Then he asked excitedly, “What about my mom? My little brother? My little sister? Did they come to see me too? Did they bring me anything good to eat?”
Zhou Dingwen also kept looking past him, barely able to conceal his excitement. “Chief Qin, what about my father? Did he come?”
Qin Yuanzheng: “...”
Qin Yuanzheng looked the two of them over and said, “I’m here on business. I didn’t receive any news. What exactly happened to you two?”
Han Ye: “...”
Disappointment appeared on Zhou Dingwen’s face. “Oh, all right. I thought my father had come to see me too.”
They had been soldiers for more than two years and would soon be returning home to take the college entrance examination. After two years without going home, they both missed their families terribly.
Qin Yuanzheng sat down on a stool and asked them, “What exactly happened to you two?”
Han Ye explained, “There was a clash at the border. Zhou Dingwen and I happened to be on guard that night. We got into a fight, and then we ended up like this.”
There had been quite a few people involved, and the fighting had been fierce.
Four soldiers had been injured. Two had suffered minor injuries and remained with their unit.
Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen had been more seriously hurt. They were awarded third-class merit, and their superiors approved a week of leave for them to return and receive treatment, as well as visit their families.
This was their first time going home on leave, and they were so excited that they hadn’t even had time to write to their families before boarding the military helicopter and setting off.
Qin Yuanzheng calculated the timing. The news that Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen had been awarded merit should have reached his unit by now.
He simply hadn’t known because he happened to be away.
A smile appeared in his eyes. He patted them both on the shoulder and said with a laugh, “Third-class merit. Not bad.”
Opportunities to earn military merit didn’t come to everyone.
Besides, in Qin Yuanzheng’s opinion, their injuries weren’t particularly serious. That in itself was a good thing.
If this had happened earlier—ten or twenty years ago, when the country still occasionally fought wars abroad—many soldiers would have returned from the battlefield with severe injuries and permanent disabilities.
That was what truly counted as tragic.
The present era was already the best time in Qin Yuanzheng’s eyes.
He said to Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen, “It just so happens that I drove here. The two of you can come home with me in two days.”
At the same time, he thought to himself that since the two boys had earned third-class merit, getting into a military academy in the future probably wouldn’t be so difficult.
Their futures were bright. He wouldn’t have to worry about them too much.
