Han Ye watched Zhou Dingwen’s expression, feeling that something about it was odd.
He narrowed his eyes at Zhou Dingwen and asked, “Comrade Zhou, you were acting kind of strange tonight.”
Zhou Dingwen coughed and avoided looking at him. Instead, he busied himself straightening his bedsheets and said, “What do you mean? How was I acting strange? You’re the strange one, aren’t you? Han Ye, from now on, talk less about me in front of your family. We’re both adults, and we have our pride, okay?”
Han Ye shook his head, still eyeing him suspiciously. “See? This is where you’re wrong. Why do you need to worry about your pride in front of my family?”
Zhou Dingwen: “…”
For a moment, Zhou Dingwen was rendered speechless by the question. He turned to look at Han Ye. “It’s not that I only care about my pride in front of your family. Whether I’m with your family, my family, or anyone else, I care about my pride. Do you understand?”
Han Ye shook his head and continued staring at him. “No.”
Zhou Dingwen: “…”
Zhou Dingwen rolled his eyes angrily. “Forget it. Why am I even trying to explain this to a blockhead like you?”
Han Ye pointed at him. “Don’t think I didn’t hear that. You just insulted me.”
Zhou Dingwen said, “I called you a blockhead because it’s the truth. How does that count as insulting you?”
Han Ye said, “Zhou Dingwen, don’t think that just because my arm is injured, I can’t deal with you. I still have my legs.”
As he spoke, he swung one leg toward him.
Zhou Dingwen hurriedly raised an arm to block it and punched Han Ye in the leg.
The two of them then broke into a chaotic scuffle on the bed, one using his leg and the other using his arm.
In the end, they startled a passing nurse. She opened the door, walked in, and was instantly stunned. She shouted at them, “What are you two comrades doing?”
Han Ye and Zhou Dingwen were tangled up together on the bed. Han Ye quickly explained, “It’s nothing. We’re exchanging feelings… I mean, exchanging information about our injuries.”
Zhou Dingwen also said, “We’re just playing around. It’s nothing.”
The nurse was speechless. She walked over to their beds and said to Han Ye, “Comrade, please go back and lie down on your own bed.”
Han Ye coughed and exchanged a glance with Zhou Dingwen. Then one released his leg, and the other withdrew his arm.
Han Ye returned to his own bed next to Zhou Dingwen’s and lay down.
The nurse examined Zhou Dingwen’s leg, then checked Han Ye’s arm as well.
She found that neither of them was injured.
She gave them a complicated look and said, “It’s getting late. No loud disturbances are allowed in the hospital. Get some proper rest. If you really don’t want to stay in the same room, you can always apply for a room change.”
Han Ye quickly said, “There’s no need to change rooms. His leg is injured, and he still needs me to help him to the bathroom.”
The nurse glanced at Zhou Dingwen.
Zhou Dingwen: “…”
Feeling awkward, Zhou Dingwen turned his head away.
He suspected that Han Ye had done it on purpose!
They had just been arguing over his pride, and now Han Ye had deliberately announced in front of the nurse that he needed someone to help him use the bathroom.
Zhou Dingwen was so furious that his head began to throb.
Sure enough, even after sworn enemies became good friends, they still couldn’t avoid getting into fights!
The nurse looked at the two of them. Knowing that they were soldiers recovering from injuries sustained while earning merit, she didn’t say anything else and turned to leave.
As soon as she was gone, Han Ye called out again, “Zhou Dingwen? Zhou Dingwen?”
Zhou Dingwen was already furious enough to burst and had no intention of answering him.
Han Ye began muttering to himself, “Oh, don’t be angry. I only did that because the nurse was so pretty, and I wanted to help you get her attention. Didn’t you see the sympathetic look on her face when she heard that your leg was injured and you needed someone to support you to the bathroom? Put in a little effort tomorrow, and you might just have a beautiful encounter…”
Zhou Dingwen finally couldn’t take it anymore and shouted, “Han Ye, shut up! Say one more word and I’m going to lose my temper.”
Han Ye turned on the radio and sighed. “Fine, fine. I was only thinking of you. That nurse was really cute… Forget it, forget it. I won’t say anything more. Let’s listen to the broadcast. Listen to the broadcast.”
Zhou Dingwen: “…”
…
By the time Qiao Lanshu and Qin Yuanzheng left the hospital, it was already past eight in the evening, nearly nine.
Qin Qiao'an and Xiaxia had school the next day, so they couldn’t stay up too late.
As soon as they got home, the couple sent the two children to wash up and get ready for bed.
Qin Qiao'an was so excited that he had no desire to sleep. Qin Yuanzheng knew his son all too well, so he went to Qin Qiao'an’s room and warned him, “Don’t even think about sneaking out to see Han Ye in the middle of the night. Otherwise, I’ll tie you to a tree and use you as a punching bag tomorrow.”
Qin Qiao'an: “…”
He stared at his father in shock. “Dad, you really don’t trust me at all. How could I possibly sneak off to the hospital in the middle of the night? Am I that kind of person?”
Qin Yuanzheng gave a cold snort. “Good. You’d better not be.”
With that, Qin Yuanzheng left with ruthless efficiency.
Qin Qiao'an: “…”
Qin Qiao'an let out a long sigh, then closed the window he had quietly opened.
Forget it. His father seemed to be in a particularly bad mood tonight. He’d better not walk straight into the line of fire. Being tied to a tree as a punching bag sounded absolutely terrifying.
When Xiaxia finished bathing and returned to her room, she sat at her desk and stared into space for a while.
She hadn’t seen Han Ye for more than two years, and she did miss her big-brother figure somewhat.
But Han Ye had changed so much. The change made him seem unfamiliar, and he looked less and less like the older brother she remembered.
Zhou Dingwen had changed quite a bit too, though his personality remained the same. As always, he liked talking to her and asking her all sorts of questions.
Xiaxia actually hated being questioned.
After staring blankly for a while, she stopped thinking about it. She picked up her textbook again, worked on her homework, and played some music on the radio at the same time.
When Qin Yuanzheng returned to his room, he saw that Qiao Lanshu had already washed up. She was sitting on the bed, using a towel to dry her hair.
Qin Yuanzheng immediately walked over, took the towel from her, and said softly, “Let me dry it for you.”
Qiao Lanshu’s hair was thick, glossy, and black. As Qin Yuanzheng dried it for her, he thought that his wife was still so young and beautiful, yet he already had gray hair.
Time passed far too quickly. For the first time, he felt a sudden urge to make it slow down.
As he continued drying Qiao Lanshu’s hair, he asked, “What are you thinking about? Why are you so quiet?”
Qiao Lanshu placed her hand over his and pulled him down to sit beside her. Then she said, “Brother Zheng, don’t you think there’s something strange about the way Zhou Dingwen looks at Xiaxia?”
Qiao Lanshu had mentioned this before.
At the time, however, the children had still been young, so neither of them had paid much attention to it.
But now, the children had grown up.
Zhou Dingwen was a year older than Han Ye and was already twenty.
Xiaxia had also reached the age of budding youth. Her features had matured, and she was becoming more beautiful by the day.
Qiao Lanshu kept a fairly close eye on Xiaxia. It wasn’t that she was worried Xiaxia might fall in love too young; what she was mainly concerned about was other boys pestering her.
After all, pretty girls attracted attention in every era.
Qin Yuanzheng sat beside Qiao Lanshu and pulled her into his arms. In a low voice, he said, “Actually, after giving it some serious thought, I think Zhou Dingwen is a pretty good kid.”
Then he continued, “Look, they’ve grown up together, and Xiaxia has always had a good relationship with him. As for Zhou Anping, he’s been my subordinate for more than ten years. I know their family situation better than anyone. Our Xiaxia will grow up sooner or later, and eventually she’ll have to find someone and get married. Rather than have her meet some boy whose background we know nothing about, it would be better for her to find someone from the compound—someone we know well. What do you think?”
Qin Yuanzheng had never been particularly pleased with any of the boys around them.
The thought of his beautiful, adorable Xiaxia dating one of those boys was enough to make his heart ache.
Still, he was reasonably sensible. He was already in his forties; he couldn’t protect his wife and children for the rest of their lives.
Once the children grew up, they would have lives of their own.
There was no need to worry too much about Qin Qiao'an. All he had to do was send the boy into the army, then let him stay there. That way, there was no need to fear that he would stray.
With Han Ye looking out for him as well, the two brothers shouldn’t run into any problems in the future.
It was Xiaxia who occupied most of his thoughts.
To put it nicely, Xiaxia was obedient and quiet. To put it less nicely, she was too reserved and somewhat introverted.
People with that kind of personality often ended up at a disadvantage. Qin Yuanzheng would almost rather Xiaxia were petty and calculating, or even a spoiled, willful girl.
As she was now—so quiet, and so beautiful—he was afraid she would be bullied in the future if he didn’t find her a husband whose background they knew well.
Qin Yuanzheng was silent for a moment before saying, “Zhou Dingwen did well in school. He’s intelligent and mature beyond his years, and he’s performed very well in the army too. He even earned a third-class merit this time. He’s Zhou Anping’s eldest son, and Zhou Anping will certainly pave the way for him. That boy has a very promising future.”
Qiao Lanshu nodded. She felt that Qin Yuanzheng made a lot of sense.
But after nodding in agreement, she said to him, “Everything you said is true, and I do think Dingwen is a good kid. But isn’t it a little too early to be talking about this? Xiaxia won’t even turn fourteen for another six months. We could wait ten years before discussing her marriage. Why are you thinking about this already? Are you in such a hurry to marry her off?”
She continued, “Look, Xiaxia has just started middle school. She still has high school ahead of her, and then she’ll have to take the college entrance exam. Whether she’ll get married or look for someone in the future is still uncertain. I haven’t even thought that far ahead. How did you manage to plan so far into the future?”
Qin Yuanzheng actually thought Zhou Dingwen was suitable enough that Qiao Lanshu began to wonder whether he had secretly planned to approach Zhou Anping about an engagement.
He was being far too hasty.
Qin Yuanzheng was speechless.
He rubbed his face and said helplessly, “Weren’t you the one who brought up Zhou Dingwen? You’ve mentioned him several times. I only gave you an answer after considering it seriously. Why are you unhappy about it now?”
Qiao Lanshu smiled and said, “I’m only worried that Xiaxia might fall in love too young. An'an’s situation is still unclear, and if Xiaxia starts dating too, I’m afraid I really won’t be able to stop myself from beating the two of them.”
Qin Yuanzheng muttered, “That brat is so disobedient. You should have beaten him ages ago.”
Even Qin Yuanzheng himself had lost count of how many times he had beaten Qin Qiao'an. He always restrained his strength, afraid of actually injuring the boy.
But whenever he went too easy on him, Qin Qiao'an would dare to do it again the next time.
Every time, Qin Yuanzheng was furious.
Then Qin Yuanzheng heard Qiao Lanshu say, “Zhou Dingwen may have excellent qualifications, but there’s one problem: isn’t he too much older than Xiaxia? He’s a full seven years older. By the time Xiaxia graduates from college, he’ll be nearly thirty. He certainly can’t wait that long.”
Qin Yuanzheng was speechless.
He lowered his head and looked at Qiao Lanshu, his expression extremely complicated.
Noticing his gaze, Qiao Lanshu finally realized what she had said. She couldn’t help laughing. “Oh, that’s not what I meant… I wasn’t talking about you.”
Qin Yuanzheng was speechless.
He felt that her explanation had only made things worse.
With a complicated expression, he said, “You think seven years is too much, yet there are eleven years between us. Were you particularly put off by that when we got together?”
Qiao Lanshu hurriedly said, “I wasn’t. I really wasn’t. Don’t let your imagination run wild.”
She added, “If I’d really disliked you, I wouldn’t have gotten together with you in the first place. Back then, I was only eighteen. I was young, and I had plenty of choices.”
As she spoke, she suddenly remembered how Qin Yuanzheng had once tried to introduce her to several army officers, and she began reminiscing about the past.
“Oh, speaking of that, I suddenly remembered those officers you introduced me to. They were all quite impressive. Is Xiao Yang a regimental commander now? And Staff Officer Lin—wasn’t he transferred to another military region? Who else was there?”
Qin Yuanzheng’s face darkened. He listened to her chatter on about those former subordinates without saying a word, simply lying there and quietly watching her.
After she finished, he gave a meaningful snort and said, “What a shame. Would you like me to summon all of them here so you can reminisce together?”
Qiao Lanshu didn’t even try to placate him. Instead, she nodded and said, “Sure. It’s been so many years since we’ve seen each other; getting together would be nice. What do you think, Chief Qin?”
Qin Yuanzheng’s face turned black with displeasure. It was obvious that he was unhappy.
Seeing him like that, Qiao Lanshu was utterly exasperated.
They had been married for so many years, yet Qin Yuanzheng could still brood over something that had happened more than a decade ago.
There was nothing for it but to coax him. In a low voice, she said, “Things were different back then. In our day, we didn’t have to study for so many years. Girls were expected to marry at eighteen, and if they didn’t, they had to go to the countryside. But Xiaxia has to attend college now. Seven years really is a long time. What man could wait until he was thirty? Don’t you agree?”
Qin Yuanzheng snorted. “Our Xiaxia is wonderful. If someone truly loves her, would waiting until she’s thirty really be so difficult? If he can’t even wait that long, then there’s nothing more to say.”
Qiao Lanshu thought for a moment before saying, “Forget it. Maybe we’re just imagining things. Zhou Dingwen is a very sensible child. Even if he really does like Xiaxia, he may not say anything. She’s still so young and hasn’t realized anything yet. He probably wouldn’t dare to confess.”
There were already male students in Xiaxia’s class who had crushes on her. As long as they didn’t say anything, it didn’t really count as a problem.
Qin Yuanzheng hadn’t had a proper rest all month, and he was feeling rather tired now. Seeing the pallor of his face, Qiao Lanshu said, “All right, it’s getting late. Let’s get some sleep first.”
Qin Yuanzheng nodded. As he lay down, he was still wondering whether he would have another nightmare that night.
His body wasn’t hurting much today. If he didn’t have any more nightmares, perhaps this ordeal would finally be over?
