Pei Jiaojiao was seething with anger and directed it straight at Xiao Mandong. Xiao Ding stepped in between the two of them and said, "Comrade Pei, you'd better leave. Our commander needs treatment. He has his attending doctor, and we don't need you here."
Xiao Ding really didn't dare to lay a hand on her. If she were a man, he would have thrown her out long ago. He was already annoyed by her constant pestering every day, not to mention how their commander felt.
At this moment, Shen Linzhou also didn't want to give this daughter of the division commander any more face. "Pei Jiaojiao, isn't it clear enough what I've said? I've told you many times not to pester me. Can't you understand human language? I'll tell you one last time. I, Shen Linzhou, would rather be a bachelor for the rest of my life than marry you. Do you understand?"
Hearing the surrounding whispers, Pei Jiaojiao's face burned with embarrassment.
She felt extremely humiliated. No one had ever spoken to her like this from childhood to adulthood. "Shen Linzhou, you'll definitely regret this."
After saying that, Pei Jiaojiao covered her face and stumbled away.
The on - looking medical staff and patients' family members also dispersed one after another. Xiao Ding was very perceptive. He took Shen Linzhou's lunch box and put it on the water tank in the hot - water room to keep it warm. Then he stood guard outside the door to prevent anyone else from barging in and causing more trouble.
Finally, the ward was quiet. Xiao Mandong didn't say any more. She helped Shen Linzhou onto the hospital bed and neatly took off his blood - stained clothes. The gauze was already soaked with blood. Xiao Mandong carefully unwrapped it layer by layer and gently treated the wound.
When the antiseptic liquid touched the wound, Shen Linzhou let out a muffled groan. Xiao Mandong tried to chat with him to distract his attention.
"Are you hungry? Let me tell you, there's quite a lot of oil in today's cabbage stewed with tofu. You can have a taste later."
"Thank you, Doctor Xiao. I'm sorry to make you laugh today."
"What's there to laugh at? Our families are in the same boat. Let's not make fun of each other. Although I don't know about your family situation, I think you did the right thing."
Shen Linzhou gave a bitter smile. After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Actually, I only understood it after I had a close call with death last time."
Xiao Mandong thought to herself that he was much better than her. She didn't understand until she had lived another life.
Then she heard Shen Linzhou continue, "I had a strange dream when I was in a coma. I dreamed that I was seriously injured and sent to the military region hospital. I was in a coma for a full twenty days and stayed in the hospital for more than two months. After I was discharged, I kept coughing and was finally forced to be demobilized. The army gave me 900 yuan as demobilization fees, 50 yuan as travel expenses, and 150 yuan as medical subsidies. I could get 320 yuan in disability pensions every year. I don't know why this dream was so real. I remembered every single cent clearly."
"After I got home, my family was nice to me at first. They even gave me a room. But after about a month, my mother started crying to me about being poor. She said that my elder brother was unemployed and there were too many people in the family, so the money wasn't enough. She hoped that I could take out some money to buy a job for my elder brother. In this way, my elder brother could earn money and contribute to the family, which would also ease the family's burden. I agreed to my mother's suggestion and took out 500 yuan to buy a job for my elder brother. My mother also received my pension on time every month."
"Then my mother said that my younger brother was going to get married and the bride's family demanded a 'Three - Turns and One - Sound' (a bicycle, a sewing machine, a watch, and a radio). She hoped that I could help my younger brother. It was exactly the same as what my mother said today. I knew I needed my family's care, so I took out another 300 yuan to help my younger brother get married."
"Until one year later, I had no money left. Then my mother said that there were too many people in the family and there wasn't enough space, so she sent me to the old house left by my grandmother. My mother didn't give me a single cent of my pension. No one would bring me meals. All I had was wild vegetable soup, not even a bite of dry food. Until that winter, a heavy snowfall collapsed the roof of the old house, and I was crushed to death under the beams."
"On my deathbed, I heard my mother say, 'I should have never sent him to the old house. If he dies, we'll lose 320 yuan a year.'"
Saying this, Shen Linzhou smiled self - deprecatingly.
At this moment, Xiao Mandong was deeply shocked inside.
Shen Linzhou went on, "I felt like I was floating in the air. I saw that after my death, my second aunt fell ill and finally passed away in depression. My younger sister was left unattended and was forcibly taken back home by my mother. For a bride price of 100 yuan, my mother married my sister to an old bachelor. My sister cried until she almost fainted. I watched as she was forcibly taken away by the old bachelor. I wanted to pull her back, but I couldn't reach her."
"Until my sister was seven months pregnant, the old bachelor's mother asked her to carry water. She slipped and fell to the ground, resulting in a hemorrhage. Only under the coercion of the women's director did the old bachelor send my sister to the hospital. The baby was born prematurely and died. After my sister went back, she chose to drown herself. I felt so heart - broken, but I was helpless."
"When I opened my eyes, the first person I saw was you. It was you who saved me. There was no more heart - wrenching pain like in the dream, and I didn't have to be demobilized. I thought it was just a dream at first, but Xiao Ding told me about what my mother did when I was being rescued. It was exactly the same as in the dream, and what they said today..."
"Did you propose to separate the family because of that dream?"
Xiao Mandong had already stopped what she was doing. She never expected that Shen Linzhou had such an experience, even worse than hers.
"Yes. I felt that the dream was so real, as if I had really experienced it. Over the years, I've known very well about my parents' attitude towards me. After having that dream, I knew that if I really got seriously injured and was demobilized like in the dream, the ending would definitely be the same as in the dream, because my parents are just such kind of people. So now I just want to make arrangements in advance. Every time we go on a mission, we may never come back. I already handed in my will to the army leaders last time. If I die, none of the Shen family members will get a single cent of my money."
"Sorry, I know as a soldier, I shouldn't tell you these things. Just take it as a story and don't take it to heart."
It took Xiao Mandong a long time to calm down. She knew that it wasn't a dream at all. It was Shen Linzhou's past life.
"Okay. We're friends, and I'm very willing to be your listener. Let's have lunch. Today's cabbage stewed with tofu is especially delicious."
After saying that, Xiao Mandong opened the ward door. "Comrade Ding, where's Deputy Commander Shen's lunch?"
"Doctor Xiao, please wait a moment. I'll go and get it right away. Your younger sister also put your lunch on the water tank. I'll bring it for you too."
"No need. I'll go back..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Xiao Ding had already run away. In a short while, Xiao Ding ran back with two lunch boxes.
Xiao Mandong thought that she had just said they were friends. If she took the lunch box and left at this moment, it would be inappropriate. So she gritted her teeth and had lunch with Shen Linzhou.
After lunch, Xiao Mandong asked the hospital director to issue an introduction letter. That night, she and her younger sister still stayed in the guesthouse. Sun Wenbin was really a dangerous person, and she didn't want to take the risk.
On the other side, the team leader and the old Party secretary of Kaoshan Village had something weighing on their minds and didn't sleep well all night. In order to help Lu Jianguo get a lighter punishment, they had to ask Xiao Mandong for a letter of understanding. However, when they thought about what Lu Jianguo had done, it was really hard for them to open their mouths to make such a request.
Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to dawn, the team leader and the old Party secretary set off with full hearts of uneasiness and headed straight for Hongqi Brigade. All the way there, the team leader's heart was in his mouth, feeling that it was truly difficult to say what he needed to say.
